From the “Scratcher” or notebook of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Philetus Fales.
June 17, 1868: “Visited school in district 1. Mrs. Filson, teacher. Small frame house but unfinished and unfurnished. District divided and ??? Children doing well.”
Jan 6, 1869: “Visited School in Dist 1. Mr. Martin, a Vermonter, teaching a very good school. District about equally divided between Christians and infidels: Consequently efficiency of the school somewhat impaired.”
Dec 15, 1869: “[School term began] Nov. 22. Mr. Field, teacher. Four months. Good teacher.”
From“The hitching post…” column in the Ottawa Herald, a series of articles about early Franklin County schools researched by Bruce Fleming and written by Herald Editor and Publisher Jim Hitch. This article appeared 19 March, 1992.
The first Wellsville school was a public school, taught by Mary Adams at the home of her father, who lived on Rock Creek north of town.
The following is from reports filed by the Franklin County superintendent of schools.
“June 17, 1868—Visited school in District 1, small frame house, but unfinished and unfurnished. Mrs. Upson, teacher. District divided and underachieving. Children doing well.
Jan. 1869—Visited school in District 1, Mr. Martin, a Vermonter, teaching a very good school. District about equally divided between Christians and infidels, consequently efficiency of school somewhat impaired.
In 1873, a school was constructed on Main Street at a cost of $2,100. By this time District 1 was probably rather large for the time.
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Rules for the teachers in the 1870s were as follows.
- Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys. 2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s session. 3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils. 4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly. 5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books. 6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed. 7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during declining years so that he will not become a burden on society. 8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty. 9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of 25 cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.