The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-05
NEWFANE.
Old Times Recalled.

The very interesting article upon the
life of +. A. Fitch of Wilmington in
d recent issue of The Reformer bringsI
to the mind of Mrs. NJ. 0. Howe
then nine years old, the summer Of
1854, when Carrie Haynes taught a
term of school in the old sehoolhouse
ON the hill in what is now Wardsboro
Center, then Unionyille
Mrs. Howe remembers that a blond
youth. much resembling the portrait
of Il, A. Fitch taken when he was ..
visited the school the last day and ear
ried away the beloved teacher from a
mournful group OF girls.
The summer Mrs. Howe was three
she started in to 60 to sehool-this
was in 1913. Ann Grover was the
teacher, who taught several terms both
summer and winter.
There were about 80 pupils in the
winter, boys and girls, some of them
men and women grown.
Osmer Fits taught one winter when
Janet Rice, Lydia White, Emmaette
White, Carrie and Hannah White. FL
vira King, Sarah, Maria and Hattie
4 Allen. Ruth Taylor, Mary Ann and
/ Roxy White were some of the I" big
/ girls. and Emory, Horace and Bis
sell Mason, Moth and Lyman Grover,
/ Leroy Smith, David French, Joseph.
/ Rufus. Charles and Willie White and
their cousins, George and Erastus
/ White. George and Webster Derby and
Foster TAYLOR were some Of the big
boys
Irene Dexter, Fidelia Kidder, Phi
lena Dowlev Ga sister of George Dow
/ ley), Ben Barnard of Peru. Alyan
Parkhurst, Mary Kidder of Stratton.
Miss French of Dummerston. who
taught in 1852, Miss Livermore of
Jamaica, Miss Huntington, Mary T.
FarnsWorth. who was afterward the
second wife of Sidney Sherman. Car
RE White, c. P. Stickney Of Brook
line, who taught in 1857, and Frances
Twitchell were some of the early
teachers. not emitting William Con
key of Tovnshend, who was a univer
sal favorite.
Carrie White. afterward graduate
of Mt Holyoke, took the pupils
through Colburn S arithmetic ans
drilled them faithfully in common
fractions.
Large families were then the rule
There were five pupils from the Grove
farm. now owned by William Fitzpat
rick. and the Circuit girls, Lura an,
Franc. ana their brothers. Wales an,
Dwight. from what is now the Boy
farm farther up the hill. and also Ju
LA Eaton from Alfred Eaton 5 farm
house, now deserted Four girls from
Peter White S, now the Gilfeathe
farm, used to walk two miles to schoo
in summer.
, Long classes were lined up 70
spelling contests and Mrs. Howe sons
, times spelled down the school.
Reading in concert was favorit
exercise. s.The Boy Stood On tn
Burning Deck, s'The Old Oakc
] Bucket. "Thc Old Arm Chair,
, .sThe Cold Winds Swept the Noun
tain S Height, etc, were fayorites.
t How those youngsters would read
z ~ am not old, | cannot be old.
G Later these boys marched away t
: fight for their country. Erastus Whit
. lost his life in the battle Of the WI
e derness. Willie White died 0
! measles in Washington. Mrs Howe
!; uncle. Welcome White, went dow
$ and brought the body back and til
4 funeral was held IN the Congregations
church at Wardsboro City. Member
= Of the Sth Vermont, Wardsboro bov
! then in camp at Brattleboro, attende
! the funeral and acted as bearers
!, Wayland Fairbank, Mason and L,
:, :. man Grover, Webster and Henry De
: by Rufus and George A. White, D;
). vid French, John Ramsdell, job
! White, Albert and Edward Bissell.
4 A man domieiled in a village boar,