There were other thought-provoking entries in the records regarding teachers. They concerned whether to hire a woman or a man for the upcoming session. For instance, in 1820 it was voted that summer school be taught by a woman. In 1848 a male teacher was rejected. In 1857 they voted that a female was to teach winter school and in 1858 they voted against a male teacher for the winter term and voted instead that it should be taught by a female. In my mind I tend to believe that they were not voting on what sex the teacher should be but that they were actually voting on individuals. Maybe they just didn't feel it proper to reveal their names at the time they were voting. But it did seem rather unusual. One entry about teachers revealed a bit about a teacher's living arrangements during the school term. In 1842 they voted that "the teacher be hired to board himself if he will do it at one dollar per week; otherwise board with the scholars." It appears that they would pay the teacher $1.00 a week for the cost of his providing lodgings for himself. But if that wasn't acceptable, he could live in as a boarder with the family of one of the students. And, ah yes, what would teachers do without wood for the stove! If there was one thing that was consistent through the entire records, it was making certain that arrangements were made to provide wood to heat the schoolhouse. During the earlier years it appeared that each inhabitant or family was required to physically provide his share of the wood. or if they were unable, they were taxed at a set rate per cord. During the latter years, the entire supply of wood was purchased from the lowest bidder and the taxpayers taxed accordingly. I wonder whether a study of the records would give a good picture of the rate of the dwindling forest and woodlots in the area. The amount of wood that was needed ranged from as few as five cords for the year to as high as twenty and the price per cord ranged from $.50 to $5.75. In the 1840s the price per cord was 12 shillings--I am amazed that the earlier form of money was either still being used or, if nothing else, that they still thought of money in those terms. After picking apart the information in the records and rearranging them in my mind to get the feeling of what was going on in this area during that period of time, it made me feel closer to the people involved. The names of the people had become so familiar to me that I felt I almost knew them. It made me want to get to know more about them. That's when I started digging through other history sources to find out where they lived, when they arrived in this area and anything else I could find that would add to their identities. I got to know them a whole lot better. I believe that my favorite family was that of Abijah Perry. Three generations of his family served in an elected capacity on the school board. Abijah settled here in 1805 at the corner of Creek Road and Balmer Road--or at least that's where he bought land from the Holland Land Company and received his deed from the company in 1837. Abijah served on the school board from 1820 to 1846--26 years. Two of his sons served on the school board--William from 1836 to 1868, 32 years, and Ambrose from 1841 to 1855, 14 years. One source said that William was born August 11, 1811 and was the first child born after the general settlement began in this area. The third generation to serve on the board was William's son, Edward. When I typed Edward's name and the date that he was elected Collector in 1861, 1 knew just who he was and I knew what eventually happened to him--he died in Salisbury Prison, North Carolina, during the Civil War. Edward wasn't the only one connected with the school board to serve in the Civil War and he wasn't the only one to die in the war. Ezra S. Holden had several sons in the war and lost one of them because of it. Others on the board who served and returned were Montillion Moss and Nathan Smith, Jr. Another favorite family of mine is the Kelley family. At least two generations served on the board. John Kelley bought land north of Abijah Perry in 1854 and served on the board from 1844 to 1872, 28 years. His son Charles C. served from 1864 to 1872. The title search of the school house property now owned by the Reimers stated that John Kelly died between 1890 and 1900 and that he left two sons, Charles C. and Fred A. It stated that Fred A. Kelley's son was L. J. Kelley. Also in the school records it shows a Captain Kelley who served on the board from 1864 to 1869. I find that the Kelleys very interesting indeed. Other noteworthy people in the records were Moses Barto who was also the School Commissioner in 1819 and the Town of Porter Supervisor from 1825-1827. He served on the school board from 1819 to 1829. Stephen Eaton settled here in 1820. He served on the board for 27 years. His son A. J. Eaton served from 1861 to 1872. I've mentioned Ezra S. Holden. He was another of the original settlers. He settled in 1833 and was married to Elizabeth Davis, daughter of Jason Davis and sister to Bradley D. and Nelson R. Davis. Ezra was Justice of the Peace in 1835 and also taught school at some point. John McLaughlin settled here in 1815 and served for 28 years. Francis Powley was the lighthouse keeper at Fort Niagara in 1869. He served for 7 years. Peter Simmons was a Town Supervisor in 1854. Charles Wille settled here in 1835. As a final note, I think what impressed me overall in reading and studying the school records was the obvious dedication these men and their families showed to provide an education for their children. They started the school district in 1819 just five years after the burning of the Niagara Frontier by the British in 1814. The area was still just one big forest. They had their land to clear and their crops to plant. But they also had their children to educate at the same time. End of talk. vee