“Perhaps the first school in the township was taught on section 26, in the summer of 1830, by John Wild, at his own home. In the fall of the same year a log schoolhouse was built, and a school taught in the following winter by Rev. Thomas W. Merrill. Stephen Vickery taught in the same place in the winter of 1831—32.
“As early as 1832 a school was taught in what is now District No. 1 by a young lady named Laura Stanley. The frame of a school-house was put up, but the building was not finished ready for use until some time later. The widow of John Williams taught very soon after, in her own house. Her husband, who was from Honeoye, N. Y., had died in this town. He lived where his grandson, Hiram Williams (son of Erastus Williams, also deceased), now resides. The first school in this part of the township, however, was taught in the Clark neighborhood, by Ambrose Searle. In the fall of 1831, E. L. Brown, who had just arrived at Schoolcraft from Vermont, was importuned to take charge of the school in the neighborhood named, and the day for beginning the term was set. Mr. Brown was somewhat surprised to find, when the time arrived and he presented himself for work, that the school had been for some days in operation, presided over by some genius who had taken it from under him. The bargain made with the man, who was old and prone to indulge too freely in liquor, was not a source of much good to the school, and its patrons went a second time for Mr, Brown, who refused to take charge of it.
“In 1838 a log school-house was built on section 18. School had been previously taught in James D. Smith’s dwelling by Wilder B. Mack, who was a Methodist minister, and continued one winter.
“The following, from the report of the school inspectors for the year ending Sept. 1, 1879, shows the condition of the schools in Prairie Ronde township at that time:
| “Number of districts…………………………………… |
7 |
| Children of school age………………………………. |
310 |
| Average attendance during the year……………….. |
260 |
| Number of days school taught……………………… |
1074 |
| Number of volumes in district libraries…………… |
352 |
| Number of frame school-houses…………………….. |
7 |
| Number of sittings…………………………………… |
395 |
| Value of school property……………………………. |
$3250.00 |
| Number of teachers employed (male, 8; female, 15). |
23 |
| Wages paid teachers (male, $628.75; female, $459.70) |
$1088.45 |
| Total resources for year………………………………. |
$2241.32 |
| Amount on hand, Sept. 1, 1879…………………….. |
$676.94 |
| Total expenditures, less amount on hand….. |
$1564.38 |
“School Commissioners
“1837, John Insley, William Bates, Samuel Cory.
“School Inspectors
“1837, Abram C. Prutzman, Samuel Hacket, P. J. McCreary; at a special meeting, May 13, 1837, Jesse Selleck, P. J. McCreary, and Samuel Racket were elected in place of the above; 1838, P. J. McCreary, Wilder B. Mack, Ira C. Perrine; 1839-41, P. J. McCreary, W. B. Mack, Delamore Duncan; 1842, P. J. McCreary, D. Duncan, George Nesbitt; 1843, P. J. McCreary, D. Duncan; 1844, Delamore Duncan; 1845, John H. Brown; 1846, D. Duncan; 1847, P. J. McCreary; 1848, D. Duncan; 1849, P. J. McCreary; 1850, no record, but probably Mr. Duncan; 1851, P. J. McCreary; 1852, Valentine C. Smith; 1853, P. J. McCreary; 1854, V. C. Smith; 1855, J. E. Coddington; 1856, 0. H. Fellows; 1857, Alonzo Pomeroy; 1858, Z. Fletcher, 0. H. Fellows; 1859, 0. H. Fellows; 1860, G. Lee Clark; 1861, Daniel B. Ferris; 1862, Delamore Duncan, Jr.; 1863, Samuel F. Strong; 1864, D. Duncan, Jr.; 1865, C. R. Munger, G. G. Crose; 1866, G. G. Crose, Jr., J. A. Pomeroy; 1867, J. A. Pomeroy; 1868-69, no record; 1870, Charles C. Duncan; 1871, Charles Duncan, Elbridge Clark; 1872, George Nesbitt; 1873, Lyman Thompson; 1874, G. G. Crose; 1875, L. Thompson; 1876, C. C. Duncan; 1877-78, George W. Smith; 1879, Abram Fanckboner.
“School Superintendents
“1875. G. Lee Clark; 1876-78, Lyman Thompson; 1879, G. G. Crose, Jr. ”