Comstock Township
“The first school in the township was taught by Betsey 0. Comings, daughter of Sherman Comings, in the summer of 1831. The school-house was a shanty that a man by the name of Carpenter* had built for a dwelling. He having removed, Miss Comings used it for a private school for the term of three months at the time above stated. She had six pupils, and received one dollar per week for her services. The pupils were Nelson Tuttle, now of Chicago; Cynisca Tuttle (Mrs. Warren, of California); Amisette Townsend (Mrs. White, of Lowell); Eveline Townsend, now dead; Eveline Comings (Mrs. Nichols, of Muskegon); and Josiah Toland, of whom we have no record.
“The first school-house was a log building 12 by 14 feet in size, and stood on the southeast corner of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 13. It was built in 1834 by a “bee” made by the settlers. Miss Jones, of White Pigeon, taught the first school in this building, in the summer of 1834. She had twelve pupils whose names, like the lost books of Livy, cannot be found. Ebenezer Flanders taught the winter school of 1834 in this building. He was the first male teacher in this part of the township. Miss Lucy White, afterwards Miss Adaline Hinsdill, and Miss Amelia Anderson, now Mrs. E. Beckwith, were among the early teachers of this school during the summer terms.
“Mr. Flanders taught the two succeeding winters. The old log building was then abandoned, and the school district erected a frame house on the northwest corner of G. Mathews’ land, on section 24. This was the first district schoolhouse. The other, as we have said, was built by the settlers, and belonged to them. Mr. Flanders was the teacher in the new frame building in the winter of 1837. The house was then removed fifteen rods north, to the southwest corner of Ralph Tuttle’s land, where it remained for many years, being used for a school-house, for religious purposes, and for township and political meetings, and gatherings of all kinds.
“In 1845 this building was moved into the village of Galesburg, on the site where the old brick school-house now stands. In 1853 it was sold to George Truax, and now stands—used as a dwelling—on the west end of Washington Street. The same year a brick building was erected by the district at a cost of $1700. William E. Powers was the builder, J. W. Cothren giving the land for the site. It was scarcely erected before it was burned. But, phoenix-like, the same year, another two story brick building arose on the same spot, for which J. M. Lay, the contractor, received $1749. In 1869 this house was condemned, the walls being defective. The district then erected the present large and beautiful brick building. The old district school regime had held till the new school-house was built; then the union plan came in vogue, with the discipline of its graded courses. The cost of the new school building has been about $16,000.
“The male teachers in this school from 1834 to the present day have been:
Ebenezer Flanders (1834-37), Ormando Howard, Wm. H. Harrison, Porter H. Whitford (two winters), Rufus S. Clapp, E. G. Hall, James A. Duncan, C. S. May, B. B. Tucker, Mr. Ellis, Myron Rawson, J. Emory, W. D. Comstock, Job H. Aldrich, L. M. Gates (two winters), Smith Williams, Professor N. Abbott (three winters), A. L. Williams, H. Daniels, Frank Evers, T. W. Crissey.
“The principals of the union school have been:
1870-72, M. H. Carleton; 1872, C. L. Swan; 1873, C. J. Thorpe; 1874-77, R. A. Ingersoll; 1877, A. E. Ross; 1878, J. P. Kernoham; 1879, J. W. Cupples, the present principal.
“We have tried to get the full history of the organization of each of the eleven school districts in the township, and a brief sketch of each school. But the school district records are either entirely missing or too imperfect to give anything of a general outline of early history. Only a few districts, those that were formed later, give the first organization of districts and some names of early teachers. Hence we have thought best to present what we have gathered from the records of the board of school inspectors of the township in regard to the school districts. The difficulties in starting the first schools have been nearly all alike. The first teachers and their pupils, like many of the early settlers and their families, were compelled to hut it for a year or more, until better buildings could be erected.
“The first records commence April, 1838, and read as follows:
“At a meeting of the school inspectors, held pursuant to law for organization, Caleb Smart was chosen chairman.
“The town was divided into districts Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and fractional district No. 1. For description see files on record.
“A.H. STEVENS,
“CALEB SMART,
“HENRY SHELDON,
“Board of School Inspectors.
“HENRY SHELDON,
“Town Clerk.”
“On the 28th of May, 1842, the board of school inspectors met, and, as the files of papers describing the boundaries of the school districts were lost, they then established the boundaries of the several school districts from the best information they could obtain. This included all but Nos. 8 and 15 of our present school districts.
“The only districts in 1847 that drew primary-school money were District No. 1, 61 scholars; No. 2, 20; No. 3, 103; No. 4, 19; No. 9, 50; fractional No. 1, 25.
“In 1859 we get the first record of the eleven school districts,-the present number. They were District No. 1, 56 scholars; No. 2, 44; No. 3, 229; No. 4, 60; No. 5, 33; No. 6, 38; No. 7, 45; No. 8, 29; No. 9, 52; fractional No. 1, 41; fractional No. 15, 42,-making 669 scholars. The primary-school money was $311.08.
“In 1866 the number of scholars in all the schools was 788. The number of scholars in the township and the number attending school to-day (1880) are as follows: District No. 1 (fractional, Climax and Kalamazoo), 59 scholars, 54 in school; No. 2, 20 scholars, 20 in school; No. 3 (fractional, Climax and Comstock), 260 scholars, 245 in school; No. 4 (fractional, Climax and Comstock), 50 scholars, 41 in school; No. 5, 31 scholars, 23 in school; No. 6, 36 scholars, 26 in school; No. 7, 20 scholars, 13 in school; No. 8, 36 scholars, 25 in school; No. 9, 37 scholars, 32 in school; No. 6 (fractional, Climax and Pavilion), 45 scholars, 35 in school; No. 15 (fractional, Climax and Kalamazoo), 60 scholars, 44 in school. Total, 588 scholars in township, 558 attending school. The primary-school fund is $300.48.
“* This man, after leaving Toland Prairie, “traded off his wife with another man on Indian Fields for 14 acres of land.” This was the current report at the time.”
Village of Comstock
“District No. 1, Comstock and Kalamazoo.—It is generally conceded that Dr. John Webb taught the first school in the village of Comstock. The date of his teaching is uncertain. The first school-house that I can get any clue to was a rude structure, built of slabs for a shoe shop, by a shoemaker by the name of Lathrop. After he left it Miss Ann Sumner, in the spring of 1836, taught school in it. She died at Comstock during her school term. Miss Betsey Percival taught the next summer school. Ira Sumner, of Marshall, taught the winter school of 1836. A better school-house was erected in the village, near where the present new school-house now stands. George G. Lovell had charge of the Comstock school in the winter of 1837. Some of the early teachers, besides those named, were Elder H. Munger, R. S. Clapp, P. H. Whitford, Ezra Beckwith, and, later, L. M. Gates. The young ladies who have taught this school are Miss Lucy Kingsley, two summers, Miss Pamelia Joy and Amelia Anderson, two summers. The names of other early teachers we have been unable to get.”