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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER XVIII -- EDUCATION (CONT'D)SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS.Almost as soon as the pioneers had established humble homes for themselves, they began to consider the establishment of schools for their children and the building of school houses. The first school maintained was undoubtedly that in the Latter-Day Saints’ church, which was built in Galland’s Grove about 1855. The first school house was probably the Rubendall school house at Cuppy’s Grove. In other parts of the county school houses were erected and sometimes schools were maintained for a few months in private homes. For instance, the first school in Shelby township was taught in the residence of C. J. McLaughlin, one of the very earliest pioneers of the township. This school was taught by a son of Mr. McLaughlin. The first school taught in the southwest part of Jackson township was in the residence of J. D. Lorentzen about 1878 by I. W. Beems, now a resident of Harlan. For many years following 1870, and, of course, to some extent prior to that time, a majority of the schools were taught by young men, many of whom took this means of maintaining themselves while paying for raw land which they had bought, or for the purpose of establishing themselves in some line of business, or preparatory to the pursuit of either the profession of law or that of medicine, but there were also many young women who had the endurance and courage to make long walks during the rigorous winters to teach country schools. The pluck and determination of these young women, and the faithful work done by them in the school rooms of which they had charge, might well form an interesting chapter in the history of Shelby county education. In the Manteno items of the Harland Herald, under the date of March 15, 1877, it appears that a young lady named Miss Flora McGarvey was then teaching in Grove township and had ideas much in advance of her time. She seems to have encouraged manual training with very successful results. I quote: “Miss McGarvey’s industrial exposition was held at her school house last Thursday instead of Wednesday, as we stated in our last issue. While the dinner was being arranged, we examined the contributions—such a variety of carved work, all with cards attached giving the name of the makers; thinking that it would be amiss, we jotted down a few: John Benjamin, sword, butcher-knife, potato masher; Robert Benjamin, sled: Frank Tierney, house and barn, Charles Hinkle, house; Frances Roundy, patch work; Austin Burk, butter ladle and ax; Ida McIntosh, doll; Carrie Buck, pin cushion; Jeannette and Ida Baughman, work boxes; Mary Cheney, patch work, picture frames; Sophia Roundy, patch work, pin cushion; Cora McGarvey, pen wiper, pin cushion, doll; Rose Hinkle, pin cushion; Elva Lyons, old man and fiddle. We noticed also a beautiful card basket by Miss McGarvey, artificial flowers by Mrs. Nancy Benjamin. We understand that to Miss McGarvey belongs the honor of holding the first industrial exposition in Shelby county.” Certainly this bright young woman had ambition and brains. One of the earliest school teachers in Shelby county was W. J. Davis, who walked from Harrison county into Shelby county in the sixties, shortly afterwards securing a position as teacher in the newly established school at Simoda. Another early teacher at Simoda was B. I. Kinsey. Another was A. W. Barton, who also taught in the old brick school house near the early home of L. D. Sunderland. Joseph Stiles taught at a very early date in Grove township. Other early teachers were J. H. Louis, Mrs. J. H. Louis, L. S. Taylor, J. V. Brazie, J. W. White, I. W. Beems, J. W. Carter, Rev. J. C. Carter, J. W. Kime of Grove township, W. K. Colburn, J. D. Dunlavy, D. T. Dunlavy, C. F. Swift, Ami Gibbs, John L. Newby, G. E. McMullen, J. C. Kelly, L. O. Hawley, W. J. Wicks, J. W. Miller, J. J. Shepard, Miss Carrie Tonnesen, W. E. Cooper, A. G. Wolfenbarger, Miss Capitola Williams, George Chatburn, O. P. Wyland, H. W. Byers, James R. Hanna, Miss Jessie Cobb, Mrs. C. F. Swift (Miss Tina Koolbeck), A. P. Leech, Albert Newton, Edward Johnston, John Swenning, Tugene Sullivan, Frank S. Carroll and others. Among the young women teaching in 1874 in the townships of Clay, Grove, Greeley, Monroe, Washington, Douglas and Jefferson were Laura Lynch, Essie Muck, Adda L. Fraser, Estella Hart, Amanda T. Blaine, Kate Robinson, Adda Hall. Speaking of the subsequent careers of school teachers, one finds that several of them became county superintendents. That was a reasonable and natural promotion. One of the pioneer teachers was A. N. Buckman, afterwards county superintendent, and at present a resident of Wyoming, a former president of the Iowa State Mutual Insurance Company. Another was Hon. J. H. Louis, who afterwards represented Shelby county in the General Assembly. Hon. O. P. Wyland, another state representative, taught school in Shelby in the late seventies. Hon. H. W. Byers, later speaker of the Iowa House, is another who taught, also George D. Ross, later clerk of the district court. Most of our past county officers were at one time country school teachers, were wielders of the willow, the slippery elm twig, hazel brush and the hitching strap. Several of the young men who taught school in the county became physicians. Perhaps the best known of these is Dr. J. W. Kime, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, formerly of Grove township, a man who has done a great work in educating the people of our state in the proper care and cure of consumptives. Other teachers who became physicians were John M. Wyland, E. A. Moore, Herman Smith, Colfax Smith, Mary Heilesen, F. A. Malick, and perhaps others. Some turned toward the law in later days, and we find in the list Fremont Benjamin, of Council Bluffs; Guy Martin, of Sand Point, Idaho; L. J. Neff, of Walnut; J. B. Shorett, of Seattle, Washington; George A. Luxford, of Denver, Colorado; A. G. Wolfenbarger, of Lincoln, Nebraska; Frank Carroll, of North Dakota; J. B. Whitney, of Harlan; also C. H. Whitney, his brother; T. R. Mockler, of Bismarck, North Dakota; Hon. H. W. Byers, and perhaps others. And there are preachers, Rev. Alva W. Taylor, of Columbia, Missouri, Rev. W. P. Canine, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Rev. J. B. Mather, of Denver, Colorado, and others.
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