Teachers in Beadle County

The above picture of Hattie Daugherty Place and Pearl Wilson Cavenee
I think I've given myself enough of a "rest" from my blogsite, Prairie Roots. It isn't that I grew tired of it, only lost my momentum, which is very difficult to get going again. I did publish the 16th quarterly 8-page newsletter, Prairie Roots. It was sent out last week...always a joy to do. If readers aren't familiar with my publication, I'll be glad to show you the latest one.

Someone sent me the following clipping a couple of months ago. I'm thinking that it is from the Huron(SD)paper. The date is June 10, 2009. My apologies to the thoughtful person who sent this but I can't remember which of the great family members sent it to me. Hmm...was it Bonnie Cavenee Rungee? Anyway, I'll quote sections of the article, entitled "Teacher salaries were low in early years in Beadle County", written for the Do You Remember Column by Roger Kasa.

"From July, 1883 until April 1884, 46 schoolhouses were built in the county with an average cost of $725. There were 55 teachers and 1,500 students in the county with 997 in Huron. The average salary for teachers was $36 a month. There was a great scarcity of well-qualified teachers those first years. Several told of getting certificates to teach without having had much education.

Two teachers had a long record of service. The late Hattie Daugherty Place, who lived to be past 96, started teaching when she was 16 and was still teaching when past 80. In 1884 she taught in Nance Township. There was no money in the treasury, and her warrents for $25 a month were discontinued from 10 to 15 percent at the banks. She could have traded them for groceries at face value. Ella Lawrence of Milford Township taught for 40 years - her highest salary, $46.

Many schools had three months of school in the spring and three in the fall. According to a history of Beadle County published in 1889, it was compulsory for all children from 10-14 years of age to go to school at least 12 weeks each year, six of which were to be consecutive.

There was no course of study and most textbooks were those brought from other states. In the late 1880's, United States history, temperance, physiology, and hygiene were added to the "three Rs".

A state law required the teachers to teach the effects of alcohol and tobacco with the same thoroughness as arithmetic and geography. Every chapter in the hygiene books ends with their effects."

The above mentioned Hattie Daugherty Place was the great aunt of my mother, Helen Daugherty Hostvet. She taught my grandfather, Fred I. Daugherty, and my mother. Hattie was the sister of Mom's grandfather, George Henry Daugherty.

I found this paragraph from From History of Appanoose County (1878) - Unionville - Udell Twp. in Iowa.

"The first schoolhouse here was built of hewed logs in 1850., and was heated by a stove. George Taylor was probably the first teacher, and his pupils were from families of J. Staley, John Miller, Phineas Taylor, Andrew Morrison, Dr. Udell, Leven Dean and William Daugherty. This William Daugherty was Hattie's grandfather. We have some belief that his full name was James William Daugherty, from Nicklesville, Scott, Virginia (now West Virginia). There are two very similar families with history from that area making another matter for confusion.

I need to review the history of this county in West Virginia. William Daugherty's parents came from Ireland. No names...no places. Someday I hope to solve this mystery. My grandfather, Fred, always said that they came from the Isle of Man. We just don't know.