The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-07-10
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Editor Barron's First School.
Recollections of Mrs. Sterret, Jno,
5. Robinson, Davy Dunlap and
Others.


one or two other teachers of the
oldeu time that | should not neg
lect to speak of before leaving
that subject One of these was
Mrs. Sterrett She came from
Cham bersburg to McConnells-
burg about the time my father
moved there or a little after and
opened school in the stone resi-
dence which she owned and
presume lived in till her death.
She taught continuously while we
lived there and was teaching still
when l was back there in 1873
how long she taught after that /
do not know.
She was one of natures noble
women. She was intelligent and
full of pluck and energy. She
loved to do good. When l saw
her last she told me she was
thankful that she had been the in
strument of teaching so many
children to read the Word of God.
She and my mother and sister
were very intimate friends and
she was often at our home. Her
family consisted of Ella, Ben,
Clara and Mead. | wonder if any
are living yet. Ben, L under
stood, became sheriff of Fulton
county.
The other teacher | would
mention was John S. Robinson.
He came there in the fall of 1853,
and started high school which l
attended but / think only taught
one or two terms. He was broth
er of DR.. James Robinson and d
nephew of Samuel U. He was the
first to introduce modern meth
DDS in teaching and classification
of pupils. Among the students
attending his school, l remember
the names of John A. Robinson,
William Tritle, William Kendall,
Charley Robinson well 1 can t
recall any other names just now.
The school was held in brick
building in the western part of
the town, | forget who owned it
then, | have never heard what be-
came of John S. Robinson.
1t was while | was going to
school to E. G. Day that one of the
directors of the Valance district
came to see me about taking the
school, think it was Caspar Mil
ler.> He came to the chool house
and asked to see me. | was some
what astonished when he told me
what he wanted. told him l was
rather young to take charge Of a
school being only sixteen, but he
said they wanted teacher badly
and could not get any and finally
persuaded me to try it. He said
they had some rough boys over
there that delighted in running
over teacher but that the direc-
tors would stand by me and see me
through. So was engaged for
three months at $14 a month and
my board was fifty cents a week.
just think of that! The school
house was one of the old fashion
ed kind with one long desk along
each side of the room and bench.
es with no backs, to sit upon.
There was no chair for the teach
er-simply short bench. There
was but few in attendance the
first day, and | had hard work
putting in the time. The only
books they had was the old blue
back spelling book, the new tesla
ment to read in and for arithme-
tics, any old thing would do. But
l went to work to do the best
could. The school was not large
and | had the more time to give
individual attention to pupils.
l was greatly disappointed
with the treatment the scholars
gave me. From what had heard
OF the school | expected trouble
although there were a mum ber OF
boys and girls older than | was,
had not the least trouble with
them the whole winter not having
topunish single scholar. Inev,
er saw a school better behaved,
and if | do say it myself, | think
it was a success and / earned nv
money. There were several that