From Ellen Landers Files - Mrs. Hattie Daugherty Place

This is Mom's Great Aunt Hattie. Harriet (Hattie) was b. Oct. 31, 1864 in San Jose, Mason County, Illinois. She died June 3, 1959 in Wessington, South Dakota. She and William Henry Place were married March 24, 1865 in Beadle County, S.D.

From a copy of "The Old Times" by J.L. Carr., in 1957..."Mrs. Hattie Place of Wessington who was 80 years 7 months (no, this is not a misprint) when she finished teaching began at the age of 16 1/2 years at $25 a month and says, 'There was no money in the school treaury; all warrants were discounted at 10-20% at the bank but we could trade them at face value at a grocery store or for farm equipment. In 1884 Wessington County had 50 schools and 1500 children attending and throughout the state average pay for men teachers was $38 a month and women it was $31. Qualifications were not too strict but the State Superintendent reported out of 3,000applications only 600 were accepted."

Hattie Daugherty Place was a school teacher for 65 years, and lived in Wessington, SD before she died. Her younger brothers and sister were her students. She is said to have moved from SD to Oregon.

According to the Historical Account of Beadle County, SD, Volume III, through the pen of Mildred McEwen Janes, 1975..."Mrs. Harriet (Hattie) Place, daughter of William Henry Daugherty wrote of the early life in 1949. She died in May 1959 at the age of 96. The last I heard the original trees were on the Daugherty place. Her brother, John came in the spring of 1883, bringing a car load of machinery, three horses, and some feed. The next spring in March, 1884 the remainder of the family came. They brought household goods and livestock which consisted of cows, horse, and chickens. Three boys ran the machinery and her father worked at carpenter work.

Her account, "Every section of land except tree claims and school sections had a settler, some living in dugouts, some in sod shanties, or 1 room shanties (board shakes). These were mainly bachelors who had come expecting to mass a fortune in this most wonderful land. The pioneers who brought their families built more substantial residences.

There were no fences; when one wanted to go places, either near or far distant he just made a "bee line" across the prairie to the end of his journey. One could see yokes of oxen pulling plows, harrows, and other farm machinery.

I recall my very first ride out to the claim behind a heavily loaded 3-box wagon, pulled by 2 strong oxen. The distance was only 11 1/2 miles. My brother, Will and I started as soon as the sun was up at Wessington and reached the claim just as the sun was going down."

Mrs. Place told of how she refused an invitation to visit the 3 Morgan brothers who had prepared her first meal. She thought it "unladylike."

She said the small grain and flax were the main crops the first years.

Mrs. Place continued, "I commenced teaching in April 1884 at the Dave Brown School. There were 17 pupils and my salary was $25 a month. By the fall of 1884 the Bradey School was completed and wages were raised to $45 a month. I taught in that school that year and was married to William H. Place, March 22, 1885. I continued to teach some school until May 1888. My oldest daughter was born 8-3-1888. I rested from schoolwork until 1907. Three children - Lillian Edna, Parke Edward and Dwight Harland were born.

In 1907 I taught the Ick Brown School and taught in that district 8 successive years. I never received over $85 a month in my 40 years of teaching. My first three years of teaching were in Mason County, Illinois when I was 16 at the beginning and exactly 80 years and 7 months when I finished my last schoolwork."

Mrs. Place spoke of dances in schoolhouses in 1884 & 1885 until objections changed them to literary societies. Everyone took part in speaking, singing, and debating. They had picnics and ball games in the summer and often spent whole days visiting friends.

The snow of 1897 was 5 feet deep on the level. She recalled keeping the children in school the night of the 1888 blizzard. She said there was a crackling noise that sounded like the house was on fire. One could not hold his eyes open unless shielded. The two largest boys, Fred Daugherty and John Bradey and she carried coal in pails and sacks and piled it in the corner of the schoolhouse. As soon as he storm ceased, Mrs. Bradey sent her son with a big pail of food.