Dora, I know that I am a little late responding, but I just found something that might be of interest. There was a school in the nearby town of New London. The school was the New London Academy and it was founded circa 1750 by the Presbyterian Church. It went from 6-12 grades. The school went on to become the University of Delaware according to my neighbor. He has photo's of the school in the early 1900's. You might want to check this out. Barclay Richards Nottingham, Pa. I need to verify something. I ‘ve repeatedly been told that my 2x great grandfather could not have attended school, because his parents were impoverished village weavers barely able to support their family. His own children attended local private academies. Yet his son married a local Quaker school teacher, and there wasn’t no local Quaker school,, so where did she teach. It was London Britain township, I don’t know, Coatesville or Mercersville or something like that; there was a village of succesful small town businessmen. The small Smith farm was not far from the village center, across from where a tavern that was used as the town hall was eventually built by the parents of William Smith’s future wife. Today the town hall is on another corner of the same intersection. The town was not in the back woods, but on the southeastern edge of Chester County, on the border of Delaware, which leaves one wondering how they could possibly not have had a public school. My 2x great grandfather was extremely successful in business, bought and ran a thousand acre farm, then served in the Delaware state legislature, though at the time his land was in Maryland and Pennsylvania (sometimes it was in Delaware, and today the three state marker is on what was his land). His son my great grandfather was extremely literate. I have a sample of his writing, and it was equal to the standards of published authors of that time. My 2x great grandfather must have been highly literate and excellent at both arithmetic and geometry. He also helped build a local church, and has a window with his name on it. Of course he could read the Bible, well enough to read it to the congregation in church. He would have attended school between 1803 and 1815, and would have seemed well educated if he’d had half that amount of schooling as it was done at that time. I have ancestors as bright in 18th and 19th century New England who half educated themselves after a few winters of school, and the schoolmaster emphasized giving advanced writing lessons to one of them. I know how well educated they were from reading their autobiographies. One of them taught school. Are y’all sure there was no public school in London Britain township? Because if there wasn’t, atleast one of William’s parents must have been able to teach the children, and teach them a lot, quite well. It gets to what their background was. Little is known about them before they came to Pennsylvania. I’m about to write to a historian in a town in Scotland where I have a Y DNA match, that his cottage weaver parents must truly have been something, because their children were quite well educated in a home with no money and a town with no school, even though the boys weren’t even kept at home but apprenticed out to become stone masons. So if London Britain township managed to have a school, now would be a good time to tell me the truth. Yours, Dora ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PA-OLD-CHESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Dora and Barclay I found these references to the New London Academy. Publication: VILLAGE RECORD Date: January 9, 1866 History NEW LONDON ACADEMY.- We learn that this time honored Institution, located at New London in this county, has again been opened after a lapse of some time, by the appointment of the Rev. JAMES L. MACKEY, as Principal. Mr. M. was one of its former pupils, but for the past sixteen years a Missionary at Cousco, on the Western Coast of Africa, but not being able to bear up against the climate, has returned to his former home and to the genial work of the instruction of youth. Under his care it will no doubt again take its place beside the many first class institutions of the kind for which our county has become renowned. This Academy is a part of the history of our country, and as such we refer to it. In 1739 the Rev. Dr. Francis Alison established here a Classical School . In 1741 it was adopted by the Synod of Philadelphia who made it a free school , supported by its churches, and continued Dr. A. its Principal. - He was a famous teacher of that day, and among his pupils who became distinguished, were Charles Thompson, Secretary of the First Continental Congress, Rev. Dr. Ewing, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. David Ramsey, the Historian, Dr. Hugh Williamson, Rev. Dr. James Latta, Thomas McKean, Governor of Pennsylvania, George Read and James Smith, the three latter eminent lawyers and signers of the Declaration of Independence. On the removal of Dr. Alison to the College at Philadelphia in 1752, this school was removed to Newark, Delaware, and out of it afterward grew the Delaware College at that place. What may be considered the modern New London Academy, was established in 1828, and was in successful operation many years, a number of eminent men have presided over it. Our worthy townsman Wm. F. Wyers, A.M., who is now the Principal of our popular West Chester Military Academy, had charge of it a number of years. In his time, 1849, it was burned, but speedily replaced with a superior building on the same site. This school has exerted an excellent influence upon the community in which it is located, by raising its standard of intelligence. Besides this, many hundreds of youth from this and other States shared in its advantages by obtaining an extended education. Very many of them deserve well of their country, whether as professional men, teachers, farmers, men of business or veteran heroes of the Army and Navy - among whom may be mentioned our own lamented Lt. Col. Thos. S. Bell, Major H.W. Caruthers and a host of other warriors, who have battled for the rights of the nation or laid down their lives in its defence. Publication: VILLAGE RECORD Date: September 11, 1860 Biography THOMAS McKEAN, a zealous and distinguished Revolutionary patriot, was born in the township of Londonderry, a short distance south westerly from the village of Cochranville, in Chester county, on the 19th of March, 1734. He was educated in the excellent school of the Rev. Dr. Alison, at New London Cross roads. Having studied law in New Castle, he settled at that place. He was a member of the general Congress of 1765. In 1774, he was married to Miss Sarah Armitage, of New Castle; was a Delegate to the Continental Congress, from Delaware, from 1774 to 1783, - having his residence, part of the time, in Philadelphia; yet he was, at the same time, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, from 1777, being claimed by both States. (The gallant but unfortunate General Wm. Thompson, of Cumberland county, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Three Rivers, in 1776, could never succeed in procuring an exchange; and he charged Thomas McKean with using his influence, while in Congress, to prevent the Generalrelease, and restoration to active service. McKean denied the charge; and an acrimonious correspondence ensued between them. The chagrin, and bitter disappointment of the patriotic General, may have caused or hastened his death, - which occurred in September, 1781.) Thomas McKean was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, from Delaware; (Chester county produced two of those precious Scribes - Morton and McKean,) and a member of the Convention of Pennsylvania, which framed the Constitution of 1790. While Chief Justice of the keystone State, it became his duty to regulate the unruly Intruders from Connecticut, at Wyoming.... In 1799 - after a furious political contest, between the supporters of McKean, and James Ross, of Pittsburgh - Thomas McKean was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, to succeed Governor Mifflin; in which office he was continued, until succeeded by Governor Snyder in 1808. When the result of the election, in 1799, was ascertained, the partisans of McKean, in Philadelphia, held a Town meeting to congratulate him on the auspicious event. At that meeting, Israel Israel, a distinguished politician of the time, presided; the language employed on the occasion was of the broadest anglo saxon type, and unmistakably indicative of the feelings which then prevailed... After this, he passed the residue of his days in private life, and died on the 24th of June, 1817, aged 83 years. Publication: The Pennsylvania Gazette Date: November 24, 1743 We are informed that there is a Free School opened at the House of Mr. Allison in Chester County, for the Promotion of Learning, where all persons may be instructed in the Languages and some other Parts of Polite Literature, without ay Expences for their Education. We hear also that a new MAP of the Province of PENNSYLVANIA is begun, and great Part thereof finished; wherein will be delineated with the greatest Exactness, the several Counties, Townships, Towns, Rivers, Creeks and High Ways, &c. with the Situation and Extent of the principal Mountains, as far as the Province is yet surveyed: The River Delaware will be laid down as far as it bounds the Province, and the River Susquehannah with its principal Branches near 200 Miles beyond the Inhabitants. A MAP of each County is also intended, by a greater Scale, in which every Tract of Land will be described, according to the original Surveys; and the Names of the Purchasers inserted; By WILLIAM PARSONS, Surveyor General of the said Province. Donna -----Original Message----- From: pa-old-chester-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:pa-old-chester-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Quaker1682@aol.com Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 3:15 PM To: tiggernut24@yahoo.com; pa-old-chester-d@rootsweb.com Subject: [PaOldC] Fwd: Need to check on whether London Britain township hadpublic sch... Dora, I know that I am a little late responding, but I just found something that might be of interest. There was a school in the nearby town of New London. The school was the New London Academy and it was founded circa 1750 by the Presbyterian Church. It went from 6-12 grades. The school went on to become the University of Delaware according to my neighbor. He has photo's of the school in the early 1900's. You might want to check this out. Barclay Richards Nottingham, Pa. I need to verify something. I 've repeatedly been told that my 2x great grandfather could not have attended school, because his parents were impoverished village weavers barely able to support their family. His own children attended local private academies. Yet his son married a local Quaker school teacher, and there wasn't no local Quaker school,, so where did she teach. It was London Britain township, I don't know, Coatesville or Mercersville or something like that; there was a village of succesful small town businessmen. The small Smith farm was not far from the village center, across from where a tavern that was used as the town hall was eventually built by the parents of William Smith's future wife. Today the town hall is on another corner of the same intersection. The town was not in the back woods, but on the southeastern edge of Chester County, on the border of Delaware, which leaves one wondering how they could possibly not have had a public school. My 2x great grandfather was extremely successful in business, bought and ran a thousand acre farm, then served in the Delaware state legislature, though at the time his land was in Maryland and Pennsylvania (sometimes it was in Delaware, and today the three state marker is on what was his land). His son my great grandfather was extremely literate. I have a sample of his writing, and it was equal to the standards of published authors of that time. My 2x great grandfather must have been highly literate and excellent at both arithmetic and geometry. He also helped build a local church, and has a window with his name on it. Of course he could read the Bible, well enough to read it to the congregation in church. He would have attended school between 1803 and 1815, and would have seemed well educated if he'd had half that amount of schooling as it was done at that time. I have ancestors as bright in 18th and 19th century New England who half educated themselves after a few winters of school, and the schoolmaster emphasized giving advanced writing lessons to one of them. I know how well educated they were from reading their autobiographies. One of them taught school. Are y'all sure there was no public school in London Britain township? Because if there wasn't, atleast one of William's parents must have been able to teach the children, and teach them a lot, quite well. It gets to what their background was. Little is known about them before they came to Pennsylvania. I'm about to write to a historian in a town in Scotland where I have a Y DNA match, that his cottage weaver parents must truly have been something, because their children were quite well educated in a home with no money and a town with no school, even though the boys weren't even kept at home but apprenticed out to become stone masons. So if London Britain township managed to have a school, now would be a good time to tell me the truth. Yours, Dora ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PA-OLD-CHESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PA-OLD-CHESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message