nichepoetryandprose

poetry and prose about place

Posts Tagged ‘history’

early schools – Arbour Day

with 2 comments

Trees in the school yard, especially big trees suitable for climbing and swinging, would have been an appreciated feature of the school landscape. On a hot June day, students would have enjoyed the shade under a big tree.

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In the 1940s and 50s, some of these trees may have been planted sixty years before by students learning about abouriculture. By the early 1900s, there were Arbour Day celebrations in Canada when students planted trees at school and elsewhere in the community. The first official Arbour Day in Canada was established in 1906 by Don Clark of Schomberg, Ontario to remember his wife Margaret. 

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cumberland bay school 2

big spruce trees in the yard of the Cumberland Bay School, New Brunswick

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In Nova Scotia, schools celebrated Arbour Day by 1929 and perhaps before. In May and June that year, officials organized the planting of trees and shrubs in the school yard and involved community members and local dignitaries in the events to encourage their interest in the school system. In 1928, the newspaper Halifax Harald offered, province-wide, a $700 prize for school beautification, which would have included the planting of trees  (Jane Norman, Loran Arthur DeWolfe and The Reform of Education in Nova Scotia 1891-1959. Truro, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Early Learning Productions, 1989).

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The idea of planting trees in school yards continues to this day. Trees are important because they:

  • clean our air of pollutants
  • remove carbon dioxide, to reduce the contribution to global warming
  • prevent soil erosion
  • trap water pollutants by directing flow downward
  • provide habitat for birds, bees and squirrels
  • raise property values
  • provide the oxygen we breathe
  • provide shade
  • make great places for climbing and swinging

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June 5 2016 'arbour day' Jane Tims

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

Written by jane tims

June 13, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in old school houses

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early schools – the rope swing

with 7 comments

Students in the one room school may have appreciated apple trees growing in the school yard. But there would have been other trees too. A hefty old red maple would have been a good place for a swing. Perhaps a simple rope swing, with a loop over a horizontal tree branch and a big old knot at the end for sitting.

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June 3 2016 'rope swing' Jane Tims

 

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rope swing

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lunch hour

best spent

upside down

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legs wrapped

tight as twist

of hemp

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splayed ends

of the big knot

trail on the ground

follow hair and

dragging fingers

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world tipsy-turned

maple branch – a bridge across the sky

other kids stand on their heads

school house and outhouse

hang from the hill

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Copyright  2016  Jane Tims

Written by jane tims

June 8, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in old school houses

Tagged with , , , , , , ,

early schools – school gardens

with 3 comments

It’s gardening time in New Brunswick. While I tend my little tomato plants, I wonder if one room schools in the early 1900s kept school gardens.

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Mill Road School, Gagetown 2

Was there once a school garden in the yard of this one room school near Gagetown, New Brunswick?

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In the province of Nova Scotia, some schools had gardens. My aunt, Dr. Jane Norman, in her history of Nova Scotia’s schools, tells about the Travelling Teachers program and the ‘Garden Score Card’ (Jane Norman, Loran Arthur DeWolfe and The Reform of Education in Nova Scotia 1891-1959. Truro, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Early Learning Productions, 1989). The Travelling Teachers operated from 1918-1920, bringing knowledge and help to schools in their districts about rural science, including home-making, healthy living and gardening.

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In 1918-19, to encourage gardening as part of the school program, the Rural Science Department of the Nova Scotia Normal College (where teachers were trained) donated $10.00 to each Travelling Teachers’ school district. School children and schools who obtained the highest scores on the ‘Garden Score Card’ shared the money as follows:

  • three school children with the highest scores won prizes of $2.50, $1.50 and $1.00
  • three schools with the highest scores won prizes of  $2.50, $1.50 and $1.00

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The ‘Garden Score Card’ rated the school gardens and the efforts of the children with the following criteria:

  1. Condition of Garden:
    1. Planting and arrangement of plants (5)
    2. Thinning, training, regularity in row (5)
    3. Cultivation and freedom from weeds (10)
    4. Freedom from diseases and insect pests (10)
    5. General neatness of paths, labels, stakes, etc. (5)
    6. Consideration of adverse conditions, if any (5)
  2. Range of variety in flowers and vegetables (10)
  3. Amount and quality of bloom (flowers) and crop (vegetables) (15)
  4. Amount and value of canning or sales (20)
  5. Showing made at exhibition (15) Total Points (100)

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The school children in my drawing are working hard, but based on the ‘Garden Score Card’, they would not have received a prize for their gardening! No stakes, no labels, no regularity in the row.

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June 2 2016 'useful knowledge' Jane Tims

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How would your gardening efforts be scored??? I would not make good marks on any criterion!

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

Written by jane tims

June 6, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in growing and gathering, old school houses

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Norman Families Living in Missouri in 1870

with 11 comments

In my search for my Great-Grandfather Frank Norman, I became interested in where Norman families were living in Missouri in 1860 and 1870. Frank was born around 1855, so it is likely his family was still in Missouri for the 1860 Census and may have been there in 1870. Locating all the Normans in Missouri also helped me be certain I have not missed any possible Frank Normans in my search.

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In a previous post, I located the Norman families living in Missouri in 1860 on an 1856 map. Today’s post shows the Norman families in Missouri in 1870. Each black dot represents one to three households living at that location in 1870. I have included the table of households at the end of this post, in case this information would help other Norman families in their genealogy searches. I have double-checked the information but please be aware, there may be households missing or incorrect. My next genealogy project is to map the Norman families in Missouri in 1880.

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Norman Families in Missouri 1870

 

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In 1870, there were 148 households in Missouri with people having the surname Norman (in 1860, there were 92). Some of these were families, some with more than one generation in the household, some with as many as nine children. Some were young men or women living or working as servants or laborers with other families. Some were young children, living with foster families or in one case, in an orphanage (Lucy Norman, 12 years old).

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To see the change in the Norman families, compare the 1860 and 1870 map below. The numbers of Norman families have increased due to migration from other states, or because older children have established their own families. Some families or their members have migrated to the cities of Saint Louis or Kansas City.

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By comparing the family lists, the whereabouts of various families can be traced. For example, in Laclede County in 1860 there were two Norman families, including Moses and Betsy Norman who I think may be Frank’s parents. By 1870, this family is no longer in Laclede County or anywhere else in Missouri. Also, I know from other records that their son Benj has died. The other 1860 Norman family (Moses and Lucinda with eight other family members) is now represented by Lucinda and four other family members (Moses died in 1873, so it is unknown why he is not with the family at Census time). I can trace remnants and descendants of this family through to 1880 (Lucinda died in 1891).  There are two other Norman families in Laclede County in 1870, Newton Norman and William Norman. Newton Norman is Lucinda’s son and has his own family.  I do not know the relationship, if any, of William Norman to the Moses and Lucinda family.

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Norman Families Missouri 1860Norman Families in Missouri 1870

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Six of the 1870 Norman families had sons named Francis/Frank. There is also a Frank L (born 1836) in St. Joseph, Buchanan County who is too old to  be my Frank, and an ‘F. Norman of uncertain age in St, Louis.  I think my ancestor was Francis M. Norman, son of Moses and Betsy Norman, living in Hooker, Laclede County in 1860. In 1870, he is 18 years old and if his parents have died, he could be anywhere. Sad sentence for a family historian!!!

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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims

Family Number (for my own reference) Male (usually husband but also father or son) Age Female (usually wife but also mother or daughter) Age Number Other Normans in House-hold

(* son Francis)

 Township County Living with another family
135 Salina 26 Rochester Andrew Cook
139 Laura E. 20 Lincoln Andrew Jackson
124 Alexander 16 Nancy 57 1 Deer Creek Bates
47 Caleb 37 Josephine 35 4 Boone Bates
110 William 29 Julia 19 2 Capps Creek Barry
80 Marion 24 1 Fristoe Benton
7 W. L. 59 Mary 60 4 Cedar Boone
35 James 41 Armina 23 5   * Cedar Boone
138 Maj 21 2 Cedar Boone
22 Enos 48 Nancy 47 6   * Jackson Buchanan
121 Charlotte 63 Center Buchanan Smith
41 Charles 39 4 St. Joseph Buchanan
42 John 39 Mary E. 21 9 St. Joseph Buchanan
55 Frank L. 34 Stacy J. 26 2 St. Joseph Buchanan
68 James 30 St. Joseph Buchanan
69 Jas 30 St. Joseph Buchanan
115 B.F. 27 St. Joseph Buchanan Thompson
141 Mary 16 St. Joseph Buchanan McClean
144 Josephine 13 St. Joseph Buchanan Cunningham
32 Smith 44 Hannah 41 Hamilton Caldwell
71 Fayett 29 Elen 26 4 Warren Camden
48 Caleb 33 Josie 26 4 Dolan Cass
9 George W. 57 5 Cedar Cedar
131 Hillina 32 1 Twnshp 53 Chariton
15 Hiram 52 Juda 52 4 Polk Christian
62 William 33 Sarah 30 3 Polk Christian
91 William 26 Elisabeth 22 Wyaconda Clark
143 Mary 14 Jackson Clark
54 A.M. 34 Fannie 26 Saline Cooper
113 William 28 Eleanor 20 1 Greenfield Dade
27 Eldridge 46 Julia 40 2 Benton Dallas
57 William 34 Lucy 30 8   * Benton Dallas
107 Thomas 21 Adeline 20 Benton Dallas
24 Joseph 47 Phoeba 43 3 Jefferson Davies
117 John F. 27 Sherman Dekalb Tenneson
99 James M.P. 23 Mary F. 23 Findley Douglas Ellison
31 Henry 44 Emilie 24 Boles Franklin
72 James T. 11 1 Miller Gentry Setzer
82 William J. 23 Miller Gentry Sutzer
94 Louis C. 25 Martha F. 25 2 Cooper Gentry
16 James 52 Sarah 40 4 Pond Creek Greene
25 William 47 Mary 41 6 Center Greene
56 Robert 34 Mary 30 2 Wilson Greene
60 Josiah 33 Sarah A. 34 1 Taylor Greene
108 Jesse 29 Susanna 23 Taylor Greene
123 Daniel 17 Malinda 58 Taylor Greene
112 Olon 28 Trenton Grundy Hansen
147 Hattie 12 Marion Grundy Johnson
77 Milton S. 25 Lewis Holt Prie
88 Andy 20 Richmond Howard Patterson
2 Thomas 64 3 Kansas City Jackson
45 Thomas 38 Kansas City Jackson
63 Henry 32 Laura 21 Kansas City Jackson
95 A.J. 24 Kansas City Jackson
96 Thomas 64 3 Kansas City Jackson
105 James 21 Kansas City Jackson Madison
118 Joseph 27 Mary J. 23 3 Kansas City Jackson
3 Thron 62 Mary A. 55 3 Marion Jasper
20 Aaron Vanormond 49 Sarah 44 4 Benton Knox
5 Lucinda 52 4 Hooker Laclede
46 William 38 Mary 33 3 Lebanon Laclede
111 Newton 28 Virginia A. 35 3 Hooker Laclede
102 Joseph 22 Buck Prairie Lawrence Cummings
109 Milford 29 Mary 23 3 Buck Prairie Lawrence
132 Amanda 30 2 Monticello Lewis Howard
33 William 44 Mary 32 Chillicothe Livingston
51 Minnie 12 Chilicothe Livingston Reugger
140 Namie 18 Chillicothe Livingston
142 Basha 15 Chillicothe Livingston Bargdoll
65 Henry 31 Alice A. 25 2 Medicine Livingston
129 Elizabeth 35 2 Blue Mound Livingston
83 George 22 Warren Marion Hanley
134 Nancy L. 26 Somerset Mercer Duree
28 J.B. 45 Rosan 38 7   * Pilot Grove Moniteau
86 James M. 21 Anna 66 Pilot Grove Moniteau
64 J.W. 32 Mary J. 31 2 Willow Fork Moniteau
92 Joseph W.T. 25 Louisa A. 20 2 Clay Monroe
122 Eliza 58 Jackson Monroe Vaughn
18 Allen 50 Catherine 40 4 Danville Montgomery
90 Robert 19 Melissa 23 1 Danville Montgomery
29 William 45 Sarah 35 6 Mill Creek Morgan
13 Thomas M. 53 Julia A. 37 5 Oak Grove Oregon
100 John 23 Nancy 25 1 Oak Grove Oregon
120 George 26 Mary 23 2 Oak Grove Oregon
127 Hester 49 Oak Grove Oregon
38 M.G. 40 Mary 38 6 Piney Oregon
11 A. 54 Roda 36 Marion Ozark
67 James 30 Bowling Green Pettis
74 Jas 26 Mary 24 5 Bowling Green Pettis
75 John D. 26 Calumet Pike Kissinger
116 C.N. 27 Carroll Platte Adams
61 Thomas F. 33 Mary 28 4 Madison Polk
85 William T. 22 Lucretia 52 5 Looney Polk
1 Stephen 64 Mary A. 38 2 Sherman Putnam
43 L.M. 39 Susan 34 4 Sherman Putnam
101 Eph 22 Sherman Putnam Neff
14 George 52 Eliza 46 5 Center Ralls
73 Harry 17 Margaret 14 1 Jasper Ralls Brasher
79 Johnithan 24 Saline Ralls
81 Thomas 24 Mary 23 1 Salt River Ralls
78 Jas B. 24 Sarah 19 Polk Ray
104 Jack 21 E.D. 45 2 Current River Ripley
26 Albert 46 Mary 39 6 Fabius Schuyler
37 James 40 Hannah 66 3 Fabius Schuyler
39 Minor 40 Ellen 34 5 Fabius Schuyler
50 Doctor 35 Martha 25 4 Independence Schuyler
6 James 60 Kelso Scott
128 Caroline 37 1 Kelso Scott Hankerson
23 Charles W. 47 Mary E. 41 4 Moreland Scott
53 William 35 Diana 45 2   * Moreland Scott
70 John C. 30 Ann E. 23 2 Moreland Scott
84 Reuben 22 Harriet 25 2 Moreland Scott
89 James K. 20 Altha 24 Moreland Scott
145 Mary L. 13 Commerce Scott Archer
12 Birkett 54 Carlonie 54 3 Tiger Fork Shelby
40 Thomas 40 Sally 24 1 Osceola St. Clair Barth
8 Daniel 58 Bonhomme Sr. Louis Campbell
17 John 52 Mary 38 St. Louis St. Louis
19 Pat 50 St. Louis St. Louis
21 Daniel 49 Lucy 39 St. Louis St. Louis
49 David 35 St. Louis St. Louis
66 F. ?? St. Louis St. Louis
87 Saml 21 St. Louis St. Louis
93 Leslie R. 25 Mary 26 1 (Eliz 49) St. Louis St. Louis
98 Henry 24 St. Louis St. Louis
103 Michael 22 St. Louis St. Louis Heinsey
119 Dennis 26 St. Louis St. Louis
126 Lizzie 50 St. Louis St. Louis Washington
133 Angeline 30 St. Louis St. Louis
136 N. 25 St. Louis St. Louis
137 Louisa 22 St. Louis St. Louis Nayler
148 Lucy 12 St. Louis St. Louis Winter Orphanage
10 Christ 56 Catherin 56 3 Ste. Genevieve Ste. Genevieve
4 William 62 Sarah 38 2 Castor Stoddard
30 Wm 45 Sarah 38 8 Castor Stoddard
44 Matthew J. 38 Christian 35 6 Castor Stoddard
106 Levi 21 Missouri 21 3 Castor Stoddard
58 Andrew 36 Martha 34 6 Liberty Stoddard
36 Eli 40 Eliz 40 4 Liberty Stoddard
125 Elizabeth 42 3 Liberty Stoddard
146 Elizabeth 42 3 Liberty Stoddard
97 Enos W. 24 Mary E. 20 1 Clay Sullivan
59 John A. 33 Margaret 23 4 (Louisa 53) Cass Texas
34 Alfred R. 43 Cornelia 39 6 Henry Vernon
52 Jacob F. 35 Eliza 33 3   * Henry Vernon
76 George 25 Nellie L. 29 1 Osage Vernon
130 Henry 17 Nancy 33 3 Warrenton Warren
114 W.S. 28 Sarah C. 22 2 Various Wright

Written by jane tims

June 3, 2016 at 7:35 am

Posted in family history

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early schooling – apple trees for climbing

with 8 comments

2015 160

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When I find an old one room school still standing, there are often apple trees in the yard. I realise these trees may not have existed a century ago, but it makes me think how important trees are to kids. I can imagine, if there was an apple tree or an orchard near the school yard, it would have been a favorite place for the students to play at recess and lunch-time.

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Apple trees were made for climbing. And for hanging swings. Perhaps for carving initials. Or shaking loose blossom petals on friends standing beneath the tree.

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Lower Queensbury School 2 crop

Lower Queensbury School, York County, New Brunswick

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I grew up in a city in the 1960s when authorities considered concrete the best play surface for a school yard. Run and risk a skinned knee. There were monkey bars for climbing, but I find myself wishing my school yard memories included an apple tree with a big horizontal limb.

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'antics' May 31, 2016 Jane Tims

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Did you have trees to play on where you went to school?

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2016 

Written by jane tims

June 1, 2016 at 7:25 am

Posted in old school houses

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early schooling – finding the one room schools

with 4 comments

I am continuing to find interesting information in the Annual Report of the Schools of New Brunswick 1888 (Fredericton, 1889). This report includes information on the number of one room school houses in the late 1800s. Although the numbers are for all schools, you can see, by comparing the numbers of teachers to the numbers of schools, most schools had only one room.

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Statistics on Schools in Four Counties of New Brunswick as of December 31, 1887

County Number of Schools Number of Teachers Number of Students Number of Boys Number of Girls
York 167 178 5558 2811 2746
Sunbury 46 48 1050 553 497
Queens 85 87 2196 1088 1108
Kings 155 161 4552 2303 2249
All Counties 1542 1613 55492 27888 27604

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One of the things I want to do in my new project is visit a number of the schools still standing in four counties in the lower Saint John River watershed (Kings, Queens, Sunbury and York Counties). I’ll also visit some locations where schools once stood but are now gone.

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Finding these schools by driving the roads is a rather inefficient approach. So how do I find the whereabouts of over 400 one room schools? To start, the location of every school in Kings County in 1862 is known from the Walling Map.  For more information on this map, see http://www.rubycusack.com/issue34.html

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I have also found a valuable resource in a book I found for sale at Amazon.com : Diana Moore and Andrea Schwenke. New Brunswick Schools: A Guide to Archival Sources. Acadiensis Press: Fredericton, 1992. The Guide provides information on where to find various sources for early schooling in New Brunswick. I will be consulting some of these:

  • a scrapbook by Marion Johnston Dunphy who photographed 150 schools from 1974 to 1984 (The One Room Schools of New Brunswick and What Became of Them).
  • a list of one room schools in Kings County in 1983 prepared by The Kings County Retired Teachers Association
  • old school records in the Provincial Archives and the Archives of the Saint John Museum
  • diaries of people who taught school, for example C. Gordon Lawrence (Tracy School, Sunbury County, 1903 – 1962)
  • various exercise books, workbooks and school registers from the 1800s

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May 19, 2016 'recess' Jane Tims

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The first of many drawings about days at the one room school. I think I should take a course on drawing people. They look a little bored.

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Copyright Jane Tims 2016

Written by jane tims

May 25, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in old school houses

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‘within easy reach’ … a poetry book about wild edibles and local foods

with 7 comments

all about my new book:

within easy reach by Jane Spavold Tims

(with a foreword by Freeman Patterson)

Chapel Street Editions, Woodstock

www.chapelstreeteditions.com

May 2016

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'within easy reach' 2016 Jane Spavold Tims

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includes poems and pencil drawings about

eating local foods and gathering wild edible plants

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'picking fiddleheads'

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poetry about picking berries, gathering herbs and roots, gardening, fishing

local markets, beekeeping and salad greens

explores how easy it is to bring local foods into your diet

and

considers the barriers to eating local and gathering wild foods

explores abandoned gardens

poisonous berries and berries in bottles

includes poems about our history of eating wild foods

and about New Brunswick’s special local foods:

maple syrup and fiddleheads

coastal plants like goosetongue greens and samphire

land-locked salmon 

notes on each plant – characteristics and uses

seventeen pencil drawings

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IMG331_crop

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this book will remind you of your own experiences picking berries

a tribute to every age of our lives – dancing in the school gym and picking berries with arthritic hands

it will recall the habits of your ancestors

a beautiful book – rests open in your hands as you read

a font so easy on the eyes

I hope you will love within easy reach

~

Jane Tims

2016

~

 

Written by jane tims

May 23, 2016 at 12:01 pm

Posted in within easy reach

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Norman Families Living in Missouri in 1860

with 6 comments

In my search for my Great-Grandfather Frank Norman, I became interested in where Norman families were living in Missouri in 1860. Frank was born around 1855, so it is likely his family was still in Missouri for the 1860 Census. Locating all the Normans in Missouri also helped me be certain I have not missed any possible Frank Normans in my search.

~

To do this, I searched the 1860 US Census for the name Norman and located each family on an 1856 map of Missouri. Each black dot represents one or more households living at that location in 1860. I have included the table of households at the end of this post, in case this information would help other Norman families in their genealogy searches. I have double-checked the information but please be aware, there may be households missing or incorrect. My next genealogy project is to map the Norman families in Missouri in 1870.

~

Norman Families Missouri 1860

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In 1860, there were 92 households in Missouri with people having the surname Norman. Some of these were families, some with more than one generation in the household, some with as many as eight children. Some were young men or women living or working as servants or laborers with other families. Some were young children, living with foster families.

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Four of Norman families had sons named Francis. As I have explained in earlier posts, I have eliminated three of these as possible candidates for my Great-Grandfather.  I think my ancestor  was Francis M. Norman, son of Moses and Betsy Norman, living in Hooker, Laclede County.

~

Copyright 2016 Jane Tims

 

Norman Families in Missouri in 1860 in order of County (from US Census)

Household Number (for my own reference) Male (usually husband but also father or son) Age Female (usually wife but also mother or daughter) Age Number Other Normans in House-hold

(* son Francis)

 Township County Family name if living with another family
14 Jas 37 Margaret 35 4 Jefferson Andrew
34 Lewis 47 Martha 26 4 Liberty Barry
35 Joseph 35 Mahala 33 7 Liberty Barry
47 Joel 39 Mary Ann 26 3 Shoal Creek Barry
73 George 68 Rachel 68 Liberty Barry
24 Mary 31 3 Cedar Boone
74 Jas T. 32 Cedar Boone Senor
65 Charlotte 60 Center Buchanan Smith
29 William 43 Eliz 27 4 Williamsburg Callaway
8 Jas 22 Eliz N. 24 Wakenda Carroll
54 C.P. 26 Josephine 18 2 Dolan Cass
12 Louisa 15 Jackson Clark McMillan
31 Charles 9 St. Francisville Clark Wayland
75 Jos 23 Moniteau Cooper Jones
53 Samuel 34 America 38 4 Benton Dallas
25 Joseph 36 Phoebe 32 4 Jefferson Davies
66 Elizabeth 60 Jefferson Davies Downs
30 William 9 Clay Dunklin Smith
76 John 40 Angeline 20 Union Dunklin
9 James 14 1* (F.) Boone Franklin Brauley
44 William A. 36 Mary A. 30 4* (Wm.F.) Wilson Greene
57 James C. 42 Sarah 30 2 Pond Creek Greene
77 Robert P. 25 Mary L. 19 Wilson Greene
61 Aaron (Vanarman) 39 Sarah 34 4 Center Knox
38 Moses 65 Lucinda 35 8 Hooker Laclede
39 Moses 29 Betsy 30 2 * (Francis M.) Hooker Laclede
60 William 14 Buck Prairie Lawrence Grammar
78 J.B. 30 Unknown 25 1 Twnshp 57 Linn
18 B.F. 27 Malinda 24 4 Chillicothe Livingston
79 Elias 30 Lefy 20 1 Chillicothe Livingston
13 B. 46 Caroline 45 7 Warren Marion
80 Giles 27 Ohio Mississippi Knowles
20 A.R. 32 C.A. 29 2 Twnshp 44 Moniteau
21 John 34 Rosanna 29 5* (S.F.) Twnshp 44 Moniteau
22 Alfred 60 Ann 56 3 Twnshp 44 Moniteau
63 Ann 56 Twnshp 44 Moniteau
81 George 21 Twnshp 44 Moniteau
82 Jacob F. 24 Twnshp 44 Moniteau
10 Thomas 14 C.C. 16 Jefferson Monroe Scobee
11 Handkerson 30 Nannie 36 3 Jefferson Monroe
68 Clarissa 45 Marion Monroe Irons
27 Allen 40 Catherine 30 5 Danville Montgomery
28 Barry 35 Dulcina 34 4 Danville Montgomery
64 Susan 69 Danville Montgomery Whitesides/Armstrong
45 Samuel 7 New Madrid New Madrid Fluty
83 William 28 New Madrid New Madrid White
26 Oliver 26 Arraminta 18 2 Nodaway Nodaway
5 Thomas N. 40 Julia A. 25 5 Oak Grove Oregon
6 Benjamin 52 Hester 39 1 Oak Grove Oregon
23 M.G. 30 Mary A. 29 3 Piney Oregon
7 John B. 17 Chlany 32 4 Clarkesville Pike
84 William 45 Eliza 32 4 Pettis Platte
40 Thomas J. 49 Lucina 43 8 Johnson Polk
41 G.W. 43 Eliza 36 6 Johnson Polk
19 L.M. 29 Susannah 26 3 York Putnam
85 Henry 32 Spencer Ralls
1 Samuel 22 Fabius Schuyler
2 Hannah 53 3 Fabius Schuyler
3 A. 36 Mary 28 4 Fabius Schuyler
86 James 29 Anna 19 Fabius Schuyler
87 Minor 26 Ellen 18 1 Liberty Schuyler
49 John 30 Mary 30 4 Mount Pleasant Scotland
59 Hankerson 59 Eliz 50 1 Harrison Scotland
15 Charles W. 37 Ally 72 4 Moreland Scott
16 John 50 Diana 36 5 Moreland Scott
48 Louis 43 Permelia 43 3 Kelso Scott
58 Washington 23 Bennetta 42 2 Kelso Scott
69 Bethia 43 1 Rickland Scott Archer
70 James 50 Kelso Scott
71 Henry 35 Eliza 30 3 Jackson Shelby
88 James 26 Tiger Shelby Graham
33 John 42 Mary 30 1 St. Louis St. Louis
56 Robert 20 St. Louis St. Louis
72 Dan 45 St. Louis St. Louis
89 Betson 63 St. Louis St. Louis
90 John 30 St. Louis St. Louis
91 William 30 Anna 30 1 St. Louis St. Louis
36 W.W. 53 Belinda 40 6 Castor Stoddard
37 William F. 37 Sarah 28 6 Castor Stoddard
42 Eli 32 Eliz 34 6 Liberty Stoddard
43 Elija 32 Elizabeth 32 3 Liberty Stoddard
92 Mathew J. 30 Christian 22 3 Castor Stoddard
46 Thomas 7 Mary 8 North Salem Sullivan Harris
50 Joseph 34 Virginia 34 5 West Locust Sullivan
51 George 35 Alcinda 35 8 West Locust Sullivan
52 Stephen 54 Frances 60 3 West Locust Sullivan
55 James 22 Mary 18 Ozark Texas
32 John 38 Deborah 38 6 Ozark Webster
67 Martha 49 Marshfield Webster
62 Peter 25 Jackson Westport Thoes

 

Written by jane tims

May 18, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with , , , , , , ,

old schools in the landscape

with 4 comments

In my last few posts, I have focussed on my research toward a new poetry project I will be beginning. I know there are interesting stories to be told about the ‘inside’ of the one room school. Because of my interests in botany and community history, I would like to reflect on the ‘outside’ of the one room school – its surroundings and geographic location.

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I still have to do some thinking about this project. I know that people who attended one room schools will have stories to tell about how the local terrain and landscape influenced their schooling.

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A school’s surroundings would have impacted learning in many ways. For example, the view of a lake from the school window may have caused many a pupil to settle into daydreams.  Interesting fields, hills, and watercourses would provide the teacher with opportunities for nature study.

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The location of the school would also influence recess and lunch-time activities. My Dad wrote about damming a local stream so they could skate in the winter months. The same stream meant fishing in May and June. A nearby hillside would be great for sledding in January and February. Trees in the school yard?  – A place to climb or to hang a swing.

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'willow swing'

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Students walked to school before the 1950s. The study I made of schools in Upham Parish, New Brunswick suggests that students walked as many as three miles to school in the late 1800s. Hills made the long walk to school more difficult. The winds by a lake or other shore land would be bitter on a winter day. Rivers, lakes and wetlands meant a place to hunt tadpoles. A spring by the road? – A cool drink. My Uncle, forced to wear a hat/scarf he hated, used the bridge on the way to school as a place to hide his headgear!

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One room schools were located near clusters of houses and various community activities. The walk to school may have passed a church, a post office or a community store. Hardwood forests meant lumber mills and, in spring, maple syrup and the sugar shack. Good land meant farms; grazing land meant cows to outstare.

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On a drive last weekend, we found an older building along the Saint John River that may have been a school. The Upper Queensbury Community Hall has all the characteristics of a one room school – the steep roof, rectangular footprint, and tall side windows.

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Upper Queensbury Community Hall 1

Upper Queensbury Community Hall near Nackawic, New Brunswick. I will have to make some inquiries to find out if it was a school house at one time.

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A look at a map shows some of the landscape features in the area.

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Queensbury

Map showing landscape features of part of Queensbury Parish, near Nackawic, New Brunswick. The yellow dot is the location of the Upper Queensbury Community Hall which may have been a one room school.

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The Saint John River was nearby, although further than it is today since the Mactaquac Dam (built in 1968) has raised the level of the water. The river’s possibilities for fishing, skating and boating were only a downhill trek away. The terrain is gently undulating, as the names of nearby communities (Day Hill and Granite Hill) suggest. Local geographic points the community children may have known include the many-tiered Coac Falls and Coac Lake (an old road runs past the community hall back through the woods to the lake, about a mile away). The aerial photo (taken near the end of September) shows the red of the cranberry bog – picking cranberries may have been a well-known activity. Sugar maples are common in the area, as are old ‘sugar shacks’. When I interview people who went to the one room school I will have to remember to ask them about their memories of these places.

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Writing poetry about these ideas will be so much fun!

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Copyright  2016  Jane Tims

Written by jane tims

May 9, 2016 at 7:11 am

Posted in family history, old school houses

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early schooling – the fate of older buildings

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Since our first drive to the Grand Lake area to find old schools in the landscape, we have kept an eye out for others. I am realising these buildings have met one of three fates:

  • demolition – lost forever to the landscape
  • deterioration – left to decay and eventual collapse
  • re-purposing – restoration and maintenance for use as camps, sheds or community use

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For example, the Bunker Hill School in Rusagonis, New Brunswick has been well maintained and is used as a meeting place in the community. The old school has been recently painted and has a wheel-chair ramp.

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Bunker Hill School Rusagonis Station

Bunker Hill School, Rusagonis Station, Sunbury County, New Brunswick

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The conservation of older buildings in the landscape is problematic. They have historical value, create community character, and serve as a reminder of the past. On the other hand, for derelict buildings without purpose, liability soon exceeds value. We are at a time in our history when the buildings associated with growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are succumbing to the vagaries of time. Older designs, although often sturdy, are not energy-efficient and don’t always fit our modern ideas of efficiency and convenience, or our 21st century need for parking areas, central heating, and convenient washrooms. As a result many older buildings, including churches, schools, halls and stores are lost from the landscape.

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Mill Road School, Gagetown 2

old school at Mill Road, near Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick (Verified as Lawfield School, Gagetown #1)

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Do you have older school buildings in your community and what has been/will be their fate?

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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims

Written by jane tims

May 6, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in old school houses

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