Hi: This is from Clif HInds' misc. file. Regards, Nan [email protected] ------------------------------------------- OHIO COSHOCTON COUNTY, OHIO, ADAMS TOWNSHIP HINDS SCHOOL, DISTRICT #1 Successor to the Corbit School Often called the Taylor School. (This information was copied from a copy that did not identify the name of the book or author.) The first schoolhouse in Adams Township was built about 1825 on the southeast quarter of Section 18, Robert Corbit's homestead, and this was the only school in the township for several years. The following is an account of this early school and its teachers, as told by historian Hill: "The first schoolhouse in the township was built about 1825 on the SE Quarter of Section 18, Robert Corbit's homestead. It was the usual log cabin, its dimensions about 22 feet square, built in the rough rude style prevalent in pioneer times; a puncheon floor, paper window panes, a huge fireplace occupying one entire end of the building were some of the features of this, as of nearly every other schoolhouse of that age. No portion of the lumber composing it was sawed. Perhaps the most finished piece of workmanship was the door. The split ash boards, from which it was made, had been shaved with a drawing knife to a tolerable degree of smoothness. The merest rudiments of an education could be obtained here at first. Reading and spelling often constituted the entire curriculum of study. Few of the earliest schoolmasters possessed a knowledge of arithmetic. School books were rarities, and the few that could be collected were of a motley description. A single leaf sufficed Lewis Corbit, during his first term at school. His father had but one reader in his possession, and this, an older sister of Lewis must have; she had attended school before, however, and had made some advancement, consequently the first leaf contained the alphabet could be spared. This was torn out and pasted on a paddle for Lewis' use.' "This was the only school held in the township for many years, and the attendance was accordingly very large at times. Among the families represented in the school may be mentioned the McFarlands, Evans, Richmonds, Norrises, Jones, Corbits, Pinkertons, Delongs, Shays, and Lemons. It was noted for the number of grownup young men who attended great strapping fellows, who weighed 200 or 225 pounds. "John Berwick was the first teacher. He was succeeded by Thomas Pinkerton, one of the early settlers of the Township. Henry Delong was probably the next teacher. He was of Welsh birth, and had been a glass-blower at Wellsburg, Virginia for a number of years before coming here. He possessed a fair education, and taught several terms. James Jones, another settler, followed Delong. Though a strictly temperate man himself, one of the few who abstained entirely from the use of the popular beverage of the day, he could not avoid treating his scholars to the customary holiday allowance of two gallons of whiskey. George Lemons and Thomas Campbell also taught here later. Until 1832 when the township was organized, there was probably but this one school within its limits. In that year, however, the trustees divided the township into three school districts; the first beginning at the SE corner of the Township and ending Robert Taylor's north line; the second beginning at Robert's north line and extending to the north line of the township; the third comprising the western half of the township, the military line being the division between the east and the west. This division would indicate that the eastern half of the township was more thickly settled at this time than the western half. Another district was soon formed, and the others as they became needed, until there were eight, the present number." This early Corbit School was probably adjacent to the Corbit Cemetery on Evans Creek. Today the Cemetery lies a mass of brambles and brush on the West Side of State Rout 751 at the intersection with County Road 251. Adams Township was created in June 1832, and at a meeting of the newly elected Adams Township Trustees (Thomas Powell, Joshua Wood and Archibald Leech) held September 13, 1832, the township was divided into three school districts. District 1 "beginning at the SE corner of the Township and ending at R. Taylor's north line." At a meeting of the Adams Township trustees on Nov. 4, 1836, Richard Taylor (died 1908), James Jones and Jacob Lanning were appointed directors of District No. 1; in 1838 District #1 school directors appointed were Richard Taylor, Elisha Hinds (1801-before 1880) and William Curry. A map of these school districts was drawn, and an explanatory note in the minutes of the Trustees' meeting indicated that District No. 1 commences at the SE corner of the Township and runs from thence west to the Military Line to the corners of Benjamin Headley's and William Curry's lands, from thence east to the County line, and from thence south to the place of beginning." Thus, roughly the southeast quarter of Adams Township, was placed in District #1. October 6, 1837 Robert Corbit gave a lease for a site for a schoolhouse for a period of 21 years to James Jones, Jacob Lanning and Richard Taylor, directors of District #1 for the purpose of erecting a district schoolhouse - ¼ acre from his farm in section 19, Township 6 Range 4 (12-49) March 2, 1840 the Trustees extended district #1 - " in the north boundary line westward to the NW corner of land owned and occupied by Abel Cain, thence south to land of William and Thomas Norris, thence west to NW corner of said Norris land, thence south to the Township line so as to contain the lands of Abel Cain, Samuel Norris, John W. Kyers and William and Thomas Norris." In 1840 the Trustees struck off and attached to Oxford township for school purposes from District #1: "commencing at SW corner of land owned by Jesse Poland ... and running thence due north to the NW corner of said land, thence east to County Line, thence south to Township line, thence west to place of beginning ..." - thus decreasing District #1 by this amount of land. Directors for District #1 appointed Oct. 11,1842 were Robert Corbit, Richard Taylor and William Z. Hill. William B. Scott and W. Hines (Name may have been misspelled and could be related to Will Hinds mentioned below???ch) were paid in April 1855 $169.40 for the building of a new schoolhouse for District #1, and James Warren was paid $7.49 for a new stove for the new log schoolhouse. Youth enumeration had increased from 44 to 74, perhaps because more wanted to attend school in the new log schoolhouse. The Taylor Methodist Episcopal Church, organized in 1832 after meetings in the schoolhouse and at the homes of its members for several years, built a log church adjacent to the Taylor Cemetery. Today the Taylor Cemetery is on the West side of State Route 751 at its junction with County Road 252b. The schoolhouse where the earliest Taylor Church services were held, was, no doubt, the Corbit School. Built on Taylor land, the new log Hinds schoolhouse was often called the Taylor School. It was the successor of the earlier Corbit School, and was almost due east of the old Corbit School in the SW corner of Section 21. Mr. Will Hinds and Miss Emma Miller 1871-1967, recalled that a portion of the old log schoolhouse stood close to the frame schoolhouse built in 1883 where they attended school. If a deed was given for this site, it was never filed. A lane westward from County Road 252 b to the Hinds School site, was had in later years, and one could easily reach the schoolhouse by the lane to the flat-topped knob surrounded by hills where it stood. Teachers by school years: with pay (Other teachers were listed but not copied) 1859 R. Rankin $79 John Hinds $36 - son of Elisha Hinds, he had a store for many years in Newcomerstown. Eliza A. Stonehocker, sister of Nancy J. Stonehocker, in her Diary under the date of Nov. 6, 1865: "Monday. Nancy and I came home together. She commenced school at Hinds today. I only had school (Everal School) until half past two on account of not having coal." Miss Emma Miller 1871-1967, was a pupil at Hinds school and remembered Paul T. Jones, Baxter Carr and Grant Clemmens as some of her teachers. She recalled that for an entertainment one year, they built a "sausage mill" which looked like a huge box with a door, and a large "grinding handle". They would send three boys through the door into the box, and out of the other end, after much grinding, would come huge sausages they had made our of red cloth and stuffed with straw! "It made a big hit" she said, "and we called it the 'Devil's Sausage Mill.'" from the Age, March 4, 1882: "We understand a movement is on foot looking to the erection of a new school house in the Hinds district, a necessity certainly all will acknowledge. In connection with this, we wish to say a few words on the progress of the school up to this point this winter. The management of this school this term is far from what it should be. We have heard repeated charges of the lack of discipline, the teacher not having sufficient courage to enforce order. Charges of insufficient recitations in the different branches are also very loud amongst the pupils. How is this, this being common gossip, and directors do not investigate the veracity of these charges?" Trouble in the one-room schools was often "aired" in the Coshocton newspapers, as illustrated by the above news item. But one item never sufficed. There usually were rebuttal and counter charges. In this case rebuttal came in the Age, March 14, 1882: "In your last issue, a correspondent at Evans Cree, Adams Township, made a bold attack on the teacher at Hinds School accusing him of lack of courage to enforce order in his school, and also of insufficient instruction in many branches. We do not know who this correspondent is and we care less, but we do know who this teacher is. And we know he is not wanting in courage to enforce what he undertakes .....and as for his insufficiency or his qualifications, we would just say that he has heretofore been classed with Coshocton's best teachers, and always commands the highest wages paid in our County Schools. We know of several schools in which he has been uncommonly successful as a disciplinarian and instructor, and never was such a charge as Clodhopper hurled at him excepting by those that are too ignorant to appreciate the labors of a live and energetic teacher...." The teacher in 1882 was W. Baxter Carr. Evidently the School's directors did not take this criticism of Carr seriously, as they re-hired him for the fall term. 1883 - Hinds School has a new schoolhouse! Clark M. Carr / Harrison Howell was paid $830 for the building. Thomas Kane was paid $145 for seats & desks. James Fenton was paid $14 for a new stove. The old schoolhouse was sold to Charles F. Davis for $5.00. A lawn fete followed, with the proceeds going for supplies for the new schoolhouse. A report by Teacher George W. Mowl made at the end of the winter term of 1890 appeared in the Age, April 3, 1891: "Report of Hinds School in District No. 1 Adams Township for the term beginning Sept. 28, 1890 and ending March 19, 1891. The following were the average grades for the term of six months: Mary Hinds 99, Bertha Corbit 99, Eva Hinds 99, Benton Miller 96, Eva Miller 93, May Elliott 92, John Patterson 91, Lena Fenton 90, Elmer Corbit 90, Jessie Huff 89, John Corbit 87, Charles Corbit 86. Attendance, punctuality and deportment were considered in the above grades. The following pupils were neither absent or tardy during the term: Bertha Corbit, Gertrude Carr, Eva Hinds, Alvin Hinds and Frank Corbit. Number enrolled 23, average daily attendance 20. I am pleased with the zeal and energy displayed by the pupils. If the same is continued, success will surely crown your efforts. I also tender my hearty thanks to both pupils and parents for the kindness and hospitality with which I have been treated while in your midst. Hoping to meet you all again, I am George W. Mowl, Teacher."