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Address
delivered 1899 Old Home Day and printed in a
local paper.
Our
Schools
Mrs. J. W. Fowler
It seems from little information that our forefathers
immediately after settlement, consisting of
twenty can be obtained from the town records
families, reserved one hundred acres of land
for the benefit of schools, and a meeting was
held at the house of Capt. Andrew McClary on
the 18th day of June, 1776, according to a notice
by the Selectmen, to consult about the building
of a schoolhouse. First, voted that the size
of the schoolhouse be 21 feet in length, and
17 in breadth. This meeting adjourned until
the 25th of June, at which time it was voted
to build the schoolhouse on the school lot where
the selectmen thought proper, and the cost to
be paid in land or money. Ensign McGaffey, being
the contractor and builder. Later on a complaint
was made to Lieut. Ephraim Locke, grand juror,
that the town had neglected to keep a stated
school and May 22, 1780, a meeting was held,
and a vote passed to raise what money the selectmen
thought necessary that year for the support
of schools. The next year two meetings were
called, at the first one they voted to raise
100 pounds lawful money for schools, but at
the second meeting, March 26, 1781, they voted
to sell the schoolhouse at auction to the highest
bidder, and the amount received be appropriated
to the use of the town. It appears from what
follows that this caused division and hard feeling
among the intelligent part of the inhabitants;
as a brief extract from a petition to the selectmen
shows: "To the selectmen of the town of
Epsom: That we ever have been and still are
desirous to promote public schools in said town,
for the instruction of our children, and of
late used every exertion in our power to have
a suitable schoolhouse in the district completed
for that design, but every such effort proves
abortive, owing to some among us who, from their
conduct, seem to demonstrate a total disregard
to the nest interest of their families, by depriving
their children of the means of instruction,
and thereby rendering them, in a great degree,
useless members of society. We therefore seek
to the town for redress, as we know of no other
remedy, and pray that a meeting of said town
may be warned as soon as may be, that this our
grievance may be considered, and some method
adopted to put in execution that shall remove
the dissension among us, and give us speedy
relief in finishing the schoolhouse already
begun, that a school may be had seasonably for
the purpose aforesaid." This was signed
by James Gray and ten other citizens of the
town July 15, 1798. The 5th day of August, a
meeting was held and 10 pounds was voted to
be raised to be expended in finishing the schoolhouse;
and should there be a surplus, the same should
be laid out for school-keeping the present year.
As near as I can ascertain this schoolhouse
was situated at the Center, very near where
the present one now stands. We have been informed
that there was a schoolhouse at an earlier period
situated near Joseph Lawrence's residence. Also
that schools were kept in some private houses,
still inhabited. May 19, 1808, the town was
divided into six school districts. In 1825 Josiah
Sanborn, Hanover Dickey and Winthrop Fowler,
were chosen a committee to sub-divide it; but
it was not thought expedient to do so until
January 1833, at which time it was changed to
ten with two Unions. In a few years time it
was again altered, so at the present time we
have but seven. Very little information can
be obtained as regards the early teachers of
the town, but James Gray is said to have been
a school teacher before the Revolutionary war,
and tradition tells of Master Sutton, Casey,
Thomas D. Merrill, Master Batchelder, noted
for the severity of his punishment; School Master
Ham, General Locke, John Chesley Esq., Hersey,
the latter having taught several terms, as I
have been informed in the Short Falls district.
On one day as the story goes it was the custom
(when the school master was asked by some of
the large scholars, to do an example in arithmetic)
that he invited some one of his large pupils
to hear the small classes read. At this time
one scholar who did not present a very tidy
appearance, commenced the sentence, "Time
was once when I was young and fair." Coming
to the word fair, the reader not knowing what
it was, the sub-teacher told her clean; this
caused much laughter, attracting the attention
of the Esq. He remarked, "Be careful, young
man."
Of these old-time school teachers I can only
remember three of them as citizens, General
Locke, Mr. Chesley, Esq. Ham, the later as superintending
school committee. After visiting a certain school
in town, being somewhat absent minded, he got
into his carriage, without untying his balky
horse; some of the boys seeing it, exclaimed
"Mr. Ham, your horse is hitched" to
which the Esq. replied "Very well, very
well, he'll go directly." Briefly I will
allude to the wages of some of our early teachers.
Among some old papers have been found the following
receipts:
"Received 2 lbs. 8 shillings for 8 weeks'
school keeping over the river in 1784, by me
Joseph Goss, Epsom , March 8, 1785"
"The town of Epsom to Elizabeth Emery,
Dr
To teaching school, in school district No. 4,
in Epsom, 7 weeks at 1 dollar per week, $7.00.
Received payment, Elizabeth Emery, Epsom, July
17, 1833"
This venerable lady is still living in Suncook,
N.H. Though comparatively very small this was
the usual price paid our lay teachers, besides
the pleasant or disagreeable task of boarding
round, as it was called just as the teacher
found it among her scholars: the length of stay
in each family varying according to the number
of children sent from the home to school. This
sum slowing increased from $1 to $3.50 per week
to as recent a date as 1865.
As the inhabitants increased the old schoolhouse
at the Center was insufficient to accommodate
all of the scholars, who were large enough to
attend school, and as many new seats as there
was possible room for, were put in, and during
some winter terms, boards were placed across
the aisles. Here the lad and lass from 7 years
to men and women, were wont to sit for six long
hours, with, perhaps, from one-half to an hour
at noon, and a few minutes recess in the forenoon
and after. Well, I do remember the Sanborns,
Halls, Lockes, Hoyts, Weeks, Chesleys, Griffins
and Lawrences, who came to this box of learning
as well as many others less in number to receive
instruction from Henry F. Sanborn, Edwin B.
Harvey and others. The former being a very successful
teacher in governing a school of seventy five
or eighty scholars; his sharp black eye and
frowned forehead were usually good enough to
quell the ill behavior of all except the most
stubborn pupils, then some one of his most trusty
boys were sent with jackknife, down to the gulf
to cut a bunch of alders, of which a supply
usually were found over the blackboard.
Some select schools were taught here by B. Van
Dame, Mrs. V.G. Ramsey, Harriet McCutcheon,
and later by some of our local teachers. As
the length of schools were not over twenty weeks
a year in the largest districts, and some of
the smallest, perhaps twelve, this afforded
the larger scholars very little schooling, so
in 1854 the town hall was fitted up by certain
interested citizens, purchasing the old seats
that had been removed from Pittsfield Academy
and on the 3rd day of August, of that year,
Samuel G. Lane began a school, which proved
to be both interesting and profitable, and for
the next six years a school was kept there every
autumn, taught by the following persons: James,
W. Webster, taught two terms, and still is teaching
in Boston, Mass.; Cyrus O. Brown, George W.
Morrill and Thomas M. Chase, each taught one
term. Still later other private schools were
taught here by our resident teachers.
Thus far I have only spoken of some of the male
teachers of our town, and were I to attempt
to count the female ones my efforts would be
a failure, as they have been so numerous, that
it reminds one of "Mrs. Partington's men,
" that they numbered one of the less usual
when they got married.
But I feel that this history would quite incomplete
without giving special mention to some of our
lady teachers who have gone from this good old
town. In memory I recall Mrs. Susan Brown Forbes
of Byfield, Mass., Miss Jennie Harvey of Exeter,
only recently resigning from school labors,
Mrs. Abbie Wallace McAlister of Englewood, Ill.,
these having pursued this avocation for nearly
a quarter of a century.
There are many, many others who have done credit
to themselves and the town. Perhaps there are
no residents among us at the present time that
were engaged in town a greater number of terms
than Mrs. Lucy Bickford Sherburne and Mrs. Mary
Libby Dowst. Fearing my imperfect history may
be too lengthy will go no father, only hoping
that the present generation may so improve their
much greater school district privileges, that
as many useful men and women, may go out from
the town of Epsom (or remain here) as in past
generations.
