Elk County schools

[Janet Harrington]

No, the word welp is not misspelled.  I wanted to say welp.

[frawin]

My, my, does this list ever bring back memories of some wonderful people!  Some of them I knew by a different name as a lot of these are maiden names.  Sure would be fun to talk to them and see what stories they could remember about their years of teaching in the rural schools!
Thanks, Janet, for taking the time to post this on the forum.

Myrna

[Janet Harrington]

Your welpcome.  LOL

[Ole Granny]

I noticed Norman May teaching Green Valley.  That must have been his first teaching job.  He was my 8th grade teacher.  He had a very good sense of humor.

[Jo McDonald]

Oh my goodness, that was a lot of work for you Janet, but it is so appreciated.  There are many, many ladies that were teaches before they married, it seems.  I recognized a lot of names.
  Thanks again.....

[Janet Harrington]

Mama Jo,

In the 1941-1942, Doris Evans was listed as the teacher for Illinois school, District 161.  On 9-17-1942, in the County Superintendant of Schools news, Dist. 161 is not listed as being a school.  So, Jo, you were right.  It stopped having school there in 1942.

I did find in May of 1942, listed in the Elk County Diploma Examinations, Jack Workman, from District 161, took the diploma examination.  His name was the only listed for that district.

[Janet Harrington]

Janet,  I, for one, would be interested in that list.  Also, while you're there, if you could look at the
editions from late January, 1912, there are a couple of articles relating to the Old Boston School.  One
written by Tom Thompson and another he reprinted from a Moline newspaper that was written by my
great grandmother, Metta Durbin.  I have a copy of the latter, but the left side is 'cut-off'.  I'd like very
much to get a clean copy and see fully what the article says.  If you could help out, it would be most
appreciated.  Thanks,  Dan Durbin

Taken from the Howard Courant, February 1, 1912, front page

THE OLD BOSTON SCHOOL HOUSE

(I contributed a "piece" to last week's Moline Gazette about the Old Boston school house now soon to be torn down.  I attended the first term of school taught therein, in the winter of 1873-4, but left that neighborhood soon afterward.  The following sketch was sent to the Courant this week.  It was written by Mrs. Durbin of Moline, who as Metta Webb attended the first school at Old Boston.  I remember her as a sweet-faced, quiet little girl who wore her hair "bobbed off" short, and was the hardest girl in the school to spell down on Friday afternoon. -- Tom E. Tee.)

Moline, Kansas, Jan. 27, 1912.
Publisher Howard Courant:  After reading the article published in the Sedan Times-Star, and the subsequent contribution "Tom E. Tee" sent to the Moline Gazette, I am wondering if another chapter, of a little later date, and relating to events some of which happened after "Tom E. Tee" had outgrown that rural community, would be of interest to any of the readers of the Courant.  All my school days excepting a very few were spent in the Old Boston school: but I also remember the summer term referred to, which was held in a house which Mrs. Johanna McBride had moved to town from her claim, after the departure of her husband Tom McBride to regions unknown, that she might rent it while she and her family lived in a little old structure which had formerly been used for the chickens.  The most vivid recollection I have of that school is of the day Mrs. McB. brought her son Jack back to school dressed in his sister Katy's clothes, as a punishment for his playing hookey, and that his screams and her admonitions took the place of lessons for the remainder of that day.  I remember the bench all around the room which served as a seat, with our books, one of a kind, beside us (no desks,) when not in use.  We "country children" all carried our lunch and boiled eggs was perhaps the chief article of food.  And one boy, Denny O'Herrin, had a habit of smashing the shell of his egg against the forehead of the unlucky child who happened to be nearest him.  More than once have I slipped away and remained outside until I thought Denny's egg had been disposed of.

After the terms of school taught by R. A. Mattingly, and one by John B. Vancleave, Mary Lavelle came to teach her first school.  She was a little sixteen-year-old girl, and while she bravely stood her ground, I realize now that the big unruly boys and girls must have driven her almost distracted and made her glad when that short term came to a close.  She taught a good many terms after that and was perhaps the best primary teacher in the county.  But she finally married the afore-mentioned Jack McBride, and her career as a school teacher was at an end.  Miss Nanny Lewis was our next teacher, and a good one.  She was followed by a Mr. Cox from Indiana, who brought the first algebra into the school, and we felt that we were becoming quite advanced.  E. W. Keiser was perhaps our most widely known teacher and taught for several winters.  He would come from his home which was three of four miles from the school in a lumber wagon, starting with two or three of his own little girls and picking up others all along the way until by the time he reached the school house he could have about half the scholars with him, usually about ten o'clock.  He would make up the time in the afternoon, and during the short days if we didn't reach home until after dark our parents were not alarmed.

I believe it was during Mr. Mattingly's time that we "revelled" in spelling schools, which were my special delight.  But Boston, as well as "Flat Creek," had its "Jeems Phillips," and I usually went down.  Debating was Mr. Keiser's strong hold, and the literary and debating society met every Friday night, and was attended by people from all over the country.  I recall one night in particular when I had carefully and laboriously prepared a "piece to speak;" but when a BIG BRASS BAND from Grenola appeared and the members took front seats, my courage failed and the "piece" was never "said."  I wondered then what could have ever brought that band all the way from Grenola, but afterward learned that election time was near and that the then now town of Grenola had several candidates in the field.

By the time Mr. Keiser's reign was over my bobbed hair had grown into braids and after a year at another shcool and a month at the teacher's institute at Sedan, I began to wonder if I couldn't teach school myself, and I made the attempt.  And after a term or two in adjoining districts, I taught two winters in my own Old Boston, and they were the best days of my teaching.  The big scholars helped me and the little ones were good.  I knew them well and did not expect too much of them, and they did not expect much of me.  Many of them I still see often, and they are still my friends.  Among them are Minnie White, ex-Co. Supt. of Chautauqua, and her brothers, Willie and Encell; Ashby Chaffin, now cashier of the Moline National Bank, and his sisters Mary, mattie and Effie, and brother, David; the Walker boys, George, Hugh and Ed, all well known and prosperous; Miss Irene Walker of the First National Bank; Hanmie (?) and Carrie Mills who are now in the far west; Richard and Willie Speed, both now dead, Richard having been shot by an outlaw in the Indian Territory while serving as deputy U.S. Marshal.  There are others of whom I have completely lost track but in whom I shall always feel an interest.

After the close of the year 1884 or '5 I left the old school house, never to return.  Perhaps some one can take up the thread and add another chapter, but the years hold many pleasant recollections, and even Old Boston has turned out some prominent men, among them "Tom E. Tee," who used to recite "The Smack in School," and whittle out many wonderful things, such as long chains of pine links, and cunning little wodden lanterns, with just a pocket knife; and out of school hours, with the help of his brother Johnny, edited and printed a small "yellow" paper called "The Skedunk" or some such name, thereby shaping and developing his mind to become the future editor of The Howard Courant - M.W.D.

(Dan, I didn't have any micro film on the Moline Gazette and I did not find anything in the Howard Courant that Tom E. Thompson had written on the Old Boston School.)

[ddurbin]

Janet,  Thank you so much for finding that article and posting it.  It makes a whole lot more sense now
that I've been able to read the entire text.  Sounds like Thompson's article must have been printed in
either the Sedan or Moline or both newspapers.  If and when I get back to looking at old Moline papers
I'll have to watch for it.

[W. Gray]

Tom says the Boston school was about to be torn down.

Instead it was moved to the Walker farm located a short distance away in Elk County and became a barn or a granary. It was still in use in 1977.

A couple years ago, Neva Walters said she thought it might still be there.

Does anyone know ?

[marlaknight48]

Busby - School #8 (I believe)
Does anyone have pix or info on this old schoolhouse and/or the
community?

Thanks so much!
Marla Knight Gifford