Craven County Digital History Exhibit

Common Schools in Craven County
March 1853

Title: Common Schools in Craven County

Creator: Lane, John T.

Subject: Education--North Carolina--Craven County

Description: Broadside detailing the progress of the Common Schools of Craven County during the previous year.

Publisher: Craven County. Board of Superintendents of Common Schools

Date: March 1, 1853.

Type: Text

Format: 1 page.

Identifier: ms24-1853School

Source: Purchase.

Coverage: Craven County (N.C.)

Rights: Permission to use this item must be obtained from the New Bern-Craven County Public Library, 400 Johnson Street, New Bern, NC 28560.

Click on image above for a more detailed image.

COMMON SCHOOLS.

THE Board of Superintendents, in making their annual report would call again the attention of parents and others to the consideration of our Common Schools. There are in the County, as reported by the various committees, 789 male and 750 female children over 5 and under 21 years of age, making a total of 1539. Of this number only 831 have attended our Common Schools. Making full allowance for the Private Schools and the Academy in the Town of Newbern, there cannot be less than 500 children in the County, whose education, in the past year, has been entirely neglected. This state of things is indeed discouraging. The Board has endeavored to discharge with zeal, if not ability, its duties; it has taken a deep interest in the progress of our Schools, it has divided the County into convenient districts, and appropriated annually to each district, between 60 and 70 dollars, and yet it has the mortification to see one-third of our children growing up in ignorance to the reproach of the County and State. "The schoolmaster is abroad" is a common remark and intended to convey the idea that education is rapidly advancing, that the children of the rich and the poor are receiving instruction, and that we are realizing every advantage from his labours. True, it is, the schoolmaster is abroad, but where are the evidences of his success? Let the 500 children in our County, condemned by their parents, to ignorance, answer. The blame rests not with the children. They are subject to the will and control of their parents, upon those parent will rest the responsibility of doing them so great a wrong. By a Scotch Statute as old as the year 1494, a penalty, of £20 was imposed on such parents as neglected to give their children the means of instruction prescribed by law. "Parents and Guardians" says the Prussian code "are bound to send their children or wards, to the Public Schools, or to provide in some other manner that they receive a competent education." And should they fail to comply are subjected to severe pains and penalties. We refer to the Scotch and Prussian Law to show in what estimation education is held abroad. We do not deem it practicable in this country to fill our School Houses by coersive measures or penalties. We can only do it by appealing to the parents. What is accomplished by force in Europe let us as freemen do voluntarily, that our children my rise up and call us blessed,

A Table showing the Amount that was due each District on the 1st day of October last.

  1849 1850 1851 1852 Amount       1849 1850 1851 1852 Amount.
District   $ cts $ cts $ cts $ cts     District $ cts $ cts $ cts $ cts $ cts
1   10.00 67.00 68.00 145.00     24     63.00 68.00 131.00
2   10.25 67.00 68.00 145.25     25     67.00 68.00 135.00
3   3.00 67.00 68.00 138.00     26     67.00 68.00 135.00
4     22.00 68.00 90.00     27       68.00 68.00
5       68.00 68.00     28   49.00 67.00 68.00 184.00
6       68.00 68.00     29       68.00 68.00
7     67.00 68.00 135.00     30 36.00 87.00 67.00 00.00 190.00
8     67.00 68.00 135.00     31   12.00 67.00 68.00 147.00
9   7.00 67.00 68.00 142.00     32     59.20 68.00 127.20
10     1.00 204.00 205.00     33   38.00 67.00 68.00 173.00
11       68.00 68.00     34   28.00 67.00 68.00 163.00
12       68.00 68.00     35     51.00 68.00 119.00
13 36.00 27.00 67.00 68.00 198.00     36   38.00 67.00 68.00 173.00
14       68.00 68.00     37     67.00 68.00 135.00
15       68.00 68.00     38     7.00 68.00 75.00
16       68.00 68.00     39     67.00 68.00 135.00
17   27.00 67.00 68.00 162.00     40     67.00 68.00 135.00
18     44.00 68.00 112.00     41 16.00 7.00 67.00 68.00 198.00
19     7.00 68.00 75.00     42     17.00 68.00 85.00
20 36.00   67.00 68.00 171.00     43     64.00 68.00 132.00
21   27.00   68.00 95.00     44     7.00 68.00 75.00
22     17.00 68.00 85.00     45     67.00 68.00 135.00
23     .25 68.00 68.25                

 

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To enable the Chairman to keep his accounts for each year separate and distinct, the draft from the Committee-men for money must be for an amount not exceeding that due for each year. If the amount to be drawn should be for more money than is due the District for any one year, there should be two or more drafts; for instance:--If the Committee-men of District No. 13 should wish to draw $198 (the amount due that District) they should draw one draft for $36 and state in the draft that it is to be taken out of the funds of 1849 and another draft for $27 out of the funds of 1850 and a third draft for $67 out of the funds of 1851 a fourth draft for $68 out of the funds for 1852.

It is also ordered, that each School Committee be directed hereafter upon drawing its drafts on the Chairman, to draw for the amount due their respective Districts for the longest period of time, so as to leave any residue due, to their Districts to be of the most recent dates. For instance:--The Committee of District No. 13 must first draw from the funds of 1849 before those due from the year 1850 and every draft must also be accompanied with the certificate of the teacher.

The following are the Standing Rules of the Board:

1st. That all Teachers of Common Schools be required to procure certificates from the Board, of their good character and proper qualifications, and that the certificates be renewed annually.

2d. That the Chairman shall in no case pay any draft, unless it is accompanied with a report of the School from the Committee-men; and unless the license of the Teacher be exhibited.

3rd. That the Chairman shall in no case pay any order drawn on him unless the whole of the Committee-men in the District have filed with the Clerk the acceptance of their appointment.

The following were appointed the Examining Committee of this County, viz: Messrs. John T. Lane, Chairman, George S. Attmore, Nathaniel H. Street and William B. Wadsworth.

The following School Books have been adopted by the Superintendents to be used in the Common Schools throughout the County, of which the Teachers are requested to notice, to wit:

Webster's Elementary Spelling Book and Primer
Webster's School Dictionary.
Pierpont's Young Reader.
The First Book of History, by the Author of Peter Parley's Tales.
Grimshaw's History of the United States.
Wiley's North Carolina Reader.
Elements of Agriculture translated by Skinner.
Mitchell's Table Book.
Davie's Arithmetic.
Davie's Algebra.
Gummere's Surveying.
Murray's English Grammar.
Morse's Geography and Atlas Combined.

The Following are the School Committee-men of the County, to wit:

For District No. 1, Samuel S. Biddle, Benjamin G. Carlton, and William White.
For District No. 2, John Rouse, George West and Craven B. Griffin.
For District No. 3, Richard A. Russel, Elisha Arnull and Edward H. Rhem.
For District No. 4, Jeremiah Fonville, George Hill and Obed Palmer.
For District No. 5, William S. McCoy, Frederick Ipock and Jesse McCoy.
For District No. 6, Robert Brock, Aaron Wiggins and James S. White.
For District No. 7, John H. Richardson, Cannon Smith and Erasmus Witherington.
For District No. 8, Solomon Witherington, Lawson W. Davis and Henry Shute.
For District No. 9, William S. Blackledge, Lemuel Hudler and Daniel Andrews.
For District No. 10, Thomas Sparrow, Samuel Bishop and George Cooper.
For District No. 11, John Kirkman, Lewis Gwaltney and Asa Edwards.
For District No. 12, William Brewer, William Morris and Samuel R. Street.
For District No. 13, Ransom Buck, Church Chapman and John Bryan.
For District No. 14, Nathan Whitford, William R. Caton and Augustus Latham.
For District No. 15, George Reel, James Ernul and Joseph Hartley.
For District No. 16, Bryan Whitford, Michael Arthur and James Toler, Sen'r.
For District No. 17, Major Willis, William French and James Askins.
For District No. 18, Rufus W. Latham, James F. Lincoln and Enoch Holton.

Click on image above for a more detailed image.

 For District No. 19, John S. Brinson, Daniel Brinson and William B. Brinson.
For District No. 20, Hardy Lee, Zacheus Paul and Benjamin J. Perkins.
For District No. 21, William Paul, James Bennet and Robert Lee.
For District No. 22, William Bennet, James Tingle and Philip Pipkin.
For District No. 23, William S. Delamar, Stephen Delamar and Stephen F. Harris.
For District No. 24, Solomon Carraway, Zadok Paris and John W. Morris.
For District No. 25, Hawkins Delamar, Benjamin W. Wise and Henry Woodard.
For District No. 26, Leven Wheelington, John Wise and Henry Jones.
For District No. 27, Levi Wharton, Richard Carey and William Holton.
For District No. 28, Samuel Jones, Matthew Holton and C.V. Swan.
For District No. 29, George W. Daniels, William H. Lewis and David Lewis.
For District No. 30, James Miller, Josiah Tingle and Charles Brinson.
For District No. 31, Gabrael Hardison, Noah Gaskill and ----- Gracey.
For District No. 32, Vine Allen Tolson, Stephen F. Hardison and Elijah S. Hardison.
For District No. 33, Owen Chesnut, Stephen B. Hollon, and James M. Rowe.
For District No. 34, Needham B. White, John Ferguson and Christopher Dudley.
For District No. 35, Joshua Taylor, John S. Whitehead, and B.W. Thorp.
 

For District No. 36, Elijah Taylor, Alfred H. Casey, and Francis M. Dickinson.
For District No. 37, Gaston Taylor, William Small and William Taylor.
For District No. 38, Solomon W. Howland, Francis Mason, and Peter F. Carraway.
For District No. 39, Moses Thomas, Archibald Wallace and Thomas Gilbert.
For District No. 40, Caleb Dixon, Calvin Huff, and Anson Fulshire.
For District No. 41, Lacy Lancaster, Richard Kenion and William Langley.
For District No. 42, Abram Willis, Lewis Gaskins and Enoch Anderson.
For District No. 43, Hosea Stapleford, Thomas Cutrell and Thomas H. Askins.
For District No. 44, Amos Cutrell, James Caton and Levi Bush.
For District No. 45, Littleton Mason, Dempsey Salter and St. Clare Pittman.

The following are the Licensed Teachers of the Common Schools of Craven County.

Egbert W. Haywood, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Joseph B.G. Barrow, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Thomson G. Lane, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Mason Lane, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Bradford Pratt, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
George Adamson, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Miss Mary Carrow, No. 1. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Gilbert G. Arthur, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Levi Elliot, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Stephen Holland, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Geo. W. Willis, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Stephen E. Street, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Thomas M. Mason, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Stephen Ernull, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
Frances A. Stewart, No. 2. appointed Nov. 20th, 1852.
David B. Dickerson, No. 2. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.
Ivah Hasket, No. 1. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.
Philip N. Dixon, No. 2. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.
Daniel O'Lary, No. 2. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.
Zorel Lee, No. 1. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.
Mary Lane, No. 2. appointed Feb. 5th, 1853.

By order of the Board,

John. T. Lane, Chairman.

March 1st, 1853.
 

 

 

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Images scanned by John B. Green, III.  Text prepared by Victor T. Jones, Jr.
This page last edited on 21 Aug 18.

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