Allen County OhArchives News.....Pioneer Schools and Teachers of Allen County August 16, 1906
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Judy Woerner judyw0113@yahoo.com January 17, 2006, 6:27 pm

The Lima Times-Democrat August 16, 1906
PIONEER SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS OF ALLEN COUNTY
As Related in an Address Given to Teachers by Dr. Samuel A, Baxter,
State School Commissioner

Excerpts from the newspaper article:

AMANDA TOWNSHIP
The earliest account that we find of a school in Allen county, is of one held 
prior to 1829, in Amanda township.  It was conducted in a log cabin on the 
lands of Eli Barfried, afterward the G. W. Richardson farm, and was taught 
first by a Mr. Benheim, then by Wm. Knittle.

In the winter of 1829, Archelaus Martin taught there three months.  Mr. Martin 
became one of the permanent settlers of the township.  He married Catherine 
Russell, one of the earliest settlers at Fort Amanda.

BATH TOWNSHIP
In Bath township, about the year 1830-31, Daniel Bradigan opened a school in 
the Crawford-Allison settlement, on section 3, near where the Sugar Creek 
school building now stands.  In the winter of 1832-33 the school was taught by 
Stafford Scranton.  The schools of this period were of the subscription order.

In the winter of 1831-32 John Ward, who was also Limas first teacher, taught 
near where Hawks mill stood later.  The following spring, several of his 
pupils paid their tuition by clearing ground and making rails.

GERMAN TOWNSHIP
David Ridenour taught school in this township in the year 1833.  The next 
year a school house was erected on the Thomas Cochran farm, and was taught by 
Asa Wright.  There is doubt, however, as to whether John Somersett preceded or 
followed Wright, in this school.  In 1837 we find John Bowman presiding over a 
school in section 16, and in 1838 John Custer taught in Allentown.

JACKSON TOWNSHIP
For the honor of being the first school teacher in this township, there are 
two claimants.  The first of these, Thomas Hull, is said to have taught in a 
school house erected in section 24 in the year 1833.  Opposed to this is the 
statement of Mrs. Nancy (Vincent) Cunningham, that she taught the first school 
in the district in 1838, and 1839 she taught two terms, in a deserted cabin 
east of where Lafayette now stands.

I am inclined to accept Hull.  Civilization was rapidly advancing, and there 
must have been something before 1838.

Mary E. Richardson, now Mrs. R. Mehaffey, of Lafayette, taught school in 1851 
in district No. 5, one and one-half miles from the then, cross roads village 
of Lafayette. Forty-two pupils were enrolled, of whom she says twenty-one were 
named Hall.  There were so many of the same given name, that various nicknames 
were necessary in order to facilitate matters.

The Akermans came next in point of numbers.  Henry Akerman, one of her pupils, 
was the father of Prof. E. C. Ackerman, superintendent of the Bluffton 
schools, who was elected last fall to the auditorship of Allen county.

The school house was built of logs, and the article of agreement with the 
board of education at the time it was built, stated that it should 
be chinked and daubed.  Mrs. Mehaffey still has in her possession the 
article of agreement which she was required to sign when hired by the board.  
For the term of three months, she was to receive twenty dollars and her board,-
-around.

SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP
This township lays claim to Miss Maria Hover as its first school teacher, in 
1834-35 in an Indian cabin where the Chief Pht had formerly resided, Miss 
Hover started a subscription school.  The old council house, the place of many 
meetings during the last days of the Shawnee tribe, was fitted up and occupied 
by the family of Ezekel Hover.  The wigwam, or cabin of the old chief, stood 
but a few rods northwest of the council house.  Pht died shortly before the 
removal of his tribe in 1832, and was buried near his cabin.  His wife and 
daughter dug the grave.

The first school building in Shawnee township was located in section 11, and 
the school was taught by Constant Southworth.

PERRY TOWNSHIP
The first school was built on the Budd farm in section 8 in the year 1835.  
The first teacher was Leonard Skilling.  In 1844 John Terry was employed to 
teach in a school house built in section 25.

AUGLAIZE TOWNSHIP
First school house built in the township was a cabin on section 26 in the 
year 1834, and the school was taught by John Shockey.  The Shockeys came to 
Allen county in 1831.  They found the country an uninhabitated region, covered 
with forests and only one or two white families between where they located and 
Wapakoneta.  The Shawnee Indians were kind to the white settlers and took 
pains to help them choose good lands.  A short time after 1834, the 
commissioners ordered that a school district be organized.

Mrs. Calvin S. Brice taught a school in this township when she was but 
fourteen years old.  I can vouch for this, as she boarded with the Ice family, 
and Uncle Sammy was very friendly to me.  She also taught in Richland township 
and while she was the wife of a United States Senator, who at one time taught 
in the old building in this spot, I drove her out to her old boarding place, 
where she visited for some hours.  I regret the name of these good people has 
escaped me.

MONROE TOWNSHIP
The first school of Monroe township was opened in 1833 by N. G. Kidd, who 
became a permanent settler.  The old school house in section 14 was built in 
1834, round logs being used in its construction.

RICHLAND TOWNSHIP
First school house erected on Little Riley Creek.  It was a log cabin and it 
is generally believed that the first school teacher was Franklin Smith.

SPENCER TOWNSHIP
The schools of this township were slow in being organized, and I find little 
data.  There were both subscription and common schools along the borders of 
the township in early days.  Spencerville has long had excellent schools, and 
her people are much interested in educational matters.

SUGAR CREEK
As early as 1833, a subscription school was opened by William Ramsey and 
attended by 15 pupils.

LIMA
General John Ward was undoubtedly the first schoolmaster.  He taught in 1832-
33 in the north room on the east side of Main street.

John Cunningham, father of Josie Cunningham Smith, one of the first graduates 
of Lima high school, herself for many years a successful and honored teacher, 
taught during the winter of 1833-34 in the cabin of Jacob Downs, on Water 
street, where the tannery now stands. 

In the summer of 1834, Margaret Poage, a sister of Gration E. Poage, of German 
township, conducted a school on west Elm street, in a floorless cooper shop, 
owned by a man named Valentine.

The first general school law in 1832, provided that on petition of the 
inhabitants of a district, when the examiners had granted such petition, the 
school directors should appoint a female to teach spelling, reading and 
writing.  Thus Miss Poage became Limas first new woman.

Free schools were established in the early fifties, and the town was divided 
into three districtsthe first south of Market and west of Main; the second 
north of Market and east of Main, and the third, the rest of the city.  In 
each district was a small frame school house.  The one east of Main was 
located on the present site of the Union Street Lutheran church, and was 
nicknamed Onion College, through an escapade of the pupils upon one 
occasion. 

The little church covers a multitude of sins.

The Lima academy was opened in 1852, and in 1855 The Allen County Institute, 
was a flourishing academic institution, that drew students from other states.

There are dozens of teachers of the early days, other than those spoken of, 
who are entitled to honorable mention.  Joseph H. Richardson, father of Mrs. 
Martha Ballard, herself a teacher for a quarter of a century, loved honored 
and respected by all.

Chaffee, Littlefield, Campbell, Boggs, the Lloyd girls, Paul Stirewalt, Jasper 
Newton Guttridge, Seth W., and Chas. Washburn, Hugh Dobbins and Sam C. Adams, 
who received reputation as an educator, and a glorious death on the 
battlefield.  These, and many others, served and served well.



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