This week we return once again to the western section of the Township of Greene for another chapter of school history and the one-room schools which were so important to the education of the children of another year and another time. The Indian Brook School began life in the year 1830 and would be active till after centralization came in and finally was the death of yet another educational building in 1945. The photo (s) of the school which were taken in 1908 and 1962 respectively give us the prized look of how the school looked when in operation and the other of how it looked when it was converted to a private dwelling. Mrs. Folsom’s book “Town of Greene - Rural School Districts” p. 42 relates the extensive research that she conducted regarding all the district schools of the Greene Township.
Commissioners and Inspectors of this district school during its lifespan were many and to pay homage to a few the names of Williams, Willard, Patterson, Sharp, Bouton, Gilbert, Purple, Crombie, Spafford, Wheeler, Bartoo, are but a spattering of the gentlemen who gave their timeto make positive that their children and everyone’s children living in the above named district received the best education that was available during the years the school was active.
The location of the Indian Brook School bringing the site into the current century is located atapproximately the corners of Indian Brook Road and Vosburg Road, and according to Mrs. Folsom’s book was still standing when she wrote the above school histories.
Commissioners and Inspectors throughout the course of this district’s existence were many and varied. To list all their names would be extensive but to name a few the following names appear in the research of Mrs. Folsom’s book. Williams, Willard, Patterson, Bouton, Hoyt, Squire, Purple, Crombie, Chase Dunn, Wheeler, are but a few who names appear in the books of research that Mrs. Folsom conducted.
The boundary lines of the property of this district school, and we will assume this fact, that the property was owned on all four sides of the school by Henry C. Hays. As has been repeated in previous articles the boundary lines were changed many times as will be noted in the following sentences. 1832 - West half of 70/TM occupied by Harmon Terwilliger from #11 to #6, 1835 - farm of Thomas Alexander from #11 to #23, 1838 - west half of 60/3T from #2 to #11 (Smithville), 1838 yet another change - Farms of Heath Davis, Charles Williams, Luman Benedict (the whole of 60/3T in Town of Greene to #11 (Smithville). 1843 - Farm of Lyman church from #2 to #11 (Greene and Smithville), 1847 - New district #7 formed: All of #11 (Greene and Broome) on east side of river, parts of lots 19-20-22. Lots 15, 16, 17-18/ Jay’s Patent from #7 to #11,1851 - East part offtll (Greene, Chenango, Barker) to be called Dist. #2. West part to be #1l in Chenango and Barker, 1852 - Farm of Lyman Church from #11 (Greene & Oxford) to #2 in Greene and finally the last change in district lines was 1874 - Part of lot #60 occupied by D. H. Towslee in #11 (Greene and Smithville) to #22. Additionally in 1902 the school District #10 (Smithville) burned October 26th, 1902, the district was dissolved and annexed to the following districts #6, 8, 23 of Smithville and #22 of Greene. This writer will state at this time to fully understand these district line changes, maps would have to be studied with the property owner’s names and updated from there, possibly by laying the new lines upon the old ones. Ah, an extensive research project to say the least.
In Book #157/p. 129 at the Chenango County Clerk’s office, a deed was recorded in 1877 giving the facts that Lyman and Lucinda Webb to Stephen D. Gray, C. McGowan, and James Symonds as trustees of Joint District #11 (Greene & Smithville) for the sum of $28.00 a plot of land beginning 4 rods from east line of west half of lot 9/Allot. A in center of Chenango Road - west 8 rods - north parallel with Greene/Colesville Road 8 rods - east to Coleville Road - South 8 rods to point of beginning (64 rods.) To any persons interested in reading history, the deed books at the County Clerk’s office are almost an endless pool of historical information. The deeds recorded in this modern age are much shorter and a tremendous loss of history is not recorded.
Again, not to be too repetitive in these extensive histories the trustees who served this district were many and the average population of scholars range from a high of 47 (1856) to a low of 12 (1837). A partial list includes the names of Cook, Hayes, Boardman, Haynes, Jacquins, Gillson, Foster, English, Abbuhl, Mrs. Lynn Young, Mrs. A. A. Rockwell (1908) Carter, Hunsicker, Foster, and Vrooman to name a few. A notation was found in 1855 “schoolhouse very poor — valuation $20.” This fact would be followed by in 1879 “new schoolhouse built.” How much, cost, who did building, ah the mysteries of history!
Credit is due to the following teacher’s during the lifespan of Indian Brook as follows - 1864, Merritt English - 1880-1, Vel Dillenbeck, Ella Pearsall - 1882, Rosa Hoyt (teachers of M. B. English 1882-93), Mertie Page, Mary Bradley (Kinsman), Anna McBurney, Mary Butts, Jesse Arnold, Mertie Read, Einora Lumbard, Bertha Sibley, Mary Rogers, Pearl Skeel, Mary Julian - 1893 - Dorsey Spencer (age 16) and Guy Cummings, 1904-5 -Grace Merrell (Thorne), 1905-15 - May McMoran Abbuhl - 1915-17 - Ellen Ackerman (Elliot), 1917-18 James Kinnier (plus 5 substitutes during the year), 1919-21 - Anna Abbuah (Eunice Rockwell 1918-19), 1921-22, E. Rockwell, Kate Elliott, 1925-6 Hazel Tydings, 1926-7, H. Tydings, Bertha Hayes (Cowles), Marie Strickland (Rounds), 1919-30, Rosadell Mitchell, she would also teach 1933-35, 1935-6 Frances Johnson, 1936-7 - Dorothy Krivicich, 1937-8 - Freda Anderson, 1938-40 - Emma Kohanaf, 1940- 41 - Florence Gage, Maud Paddleford, 1941-44 - Lena Burkle (Oct.’44 transferred to Greene) and finally 1945 - Lucy Wade (spring) then the school closed. Additionally in 1880-81 Vel Dillenbeck (fall) Ella Pearsall (spring) were also listed.
Family names whose children attended Indian Brook are listed in part: English, Hurd, Jackson, Marvin, Nuson, Rockwell, Squire, Tickner, Young, Badger, Foster, Gross, Hunsicker, Taft, Weymouth and Aiken. A part of these teachers had large classes, part were small.
In the spring of 1945 after the closing of its long service to the district, the school was auctioned off on October 12, 1945 and was purchased by Harold Warner to be converted to a private residence.
Finally inclosing, the weekly plea, not only by myself, but all the county historians, if you have information no longer wanted or needed, please do not destroy, forward to a proper repository for safe keeping. The written history of years gone by, once it is destroyed, it will not be repeated. An as an addendum to all the articles of 2010, a most Happy New Year on behalf of both myself and Mrs. Ross.