Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly. The rules for teachers are a little less strict today. Since family historians are always searching for records in which to locate their ancestors and learn more details about them, this column will discuss school records as a genealogical source. School records are often overlooked by genealogists and may include accounts, enumerations, district reports, censuses, enrollment cards, pupils' annual records, and school board minutes.
Some records contain statistics only and are of less value genealogically.
In some localities, reform school records were kept, sometimes known as inmate case records. Native American school records and census reports have also been kept. Most school records in America date from the early-nineteenth century, but not all school records have survived. When found, early school records can serve as a substitute to federal and state census records and missing or incomplete vital records. This is especially true in states where school records have been kept before 1850.