Chapter 35 cont. PERE PELAMOURGUES' SCHOOL "About this time Father Pelamourgues opened a school in the old brick church which took off about a dozen of the children. The next school, I think was by S. W. Cheever, a young man from the New England states. He came west for his health. here was a good school of at least thirty by this time. He was one of the most efficient teachers in the city. After Cheever came John Tice, now Professor Tice of St. Louis, without exaggeration the laziest man that ever struck Davenport. These two schools were in the upper part of a frame building on the northeast corner of Perry and Front streets. Next came J. Atkinson, a splendid scholar, who had a school in a frame building about where the Kerker grocery si now. This was a very large school, having at least forty scholars. "Next came Dr. Brown, in an old frame building on the west side of Main between Fourth and Fifth streets. And after him came C. G. Blood, present police justice, in the same building. These were fair schools, but the boys broke both up before the term ended. "About this time a Miss Bergen opened a small school which after two or three years became a girls' school only, termed a young ladies' seminary. Next in order was the academy with James Thorington as principal and W. T. Campbell as assistant. This opened in a frame building yet standing on the northeast corner of Fourth and Harrison. This was kept up for several years and here Jack Dillon graduated, for I believe he did not go to school afterward. Among the scholars I can remember John VanPatten, of VanPatten & Marks, 'Pud,' (M. M.,) Price, United States consul at Marseilles, Ed. Coombs, an editor in Boston, Phil Van Patten, a member of the Arkansas legislature, an ardent abolitionist, but a bitter secessionist during the war, Will Coates, now editor at Freeport, Ills. The remainder of the schools can be found in the files of the old Gazette." Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/