Passages From The Early History of Brownfield

Maine, 1916

By Hon. Eli B. Bean.

Schools.

In 1827, Mr. Ephraim Thompson, then living near the Nathaniel Hill farm, was set off from school district No. 5 and annexed to district No. 3. In the year 1827, the town voted to annex Richard Harmon and John T. Miller to school district No. 7, (Beech hill). March, 1830, the town by vote instructed each school district to choose their own school agents. The restless feelings of the several school districts in town continued, and a call to divide those already formed and the demand for smaller ones presented itself in such force that in March, 1831, a committee of three consisting of Abel Gibson, Timothy Gibson and William Merrill was selected to examine the district and see what changes in same ought to be made and to report same to the town at a future meeting. The committee reported but the record of their report is not complete in the present record of the town.

School District No. 3 (Blake). At a school meeting called at the house of Edward Blake in July, 1831, it was voted to build a new school house, the house to replace the one burned, near the Andrew Wentworth farm, built in 1809. Two hundred dollars was voted for that purpose, selecting as a committee to build, Ichabod Ricker, William Wentworth, 2d, and John Quint.

The request for transfer from one school district to another continued to be a disturbing question at nearly every town meeting, so much so that the town once more selected a committee of three persons, to wit, Daniel Goodwin, James Steele and Walter Edgecomb to again divide the town into school districts. Their report was as follows and accepted by the town.

District No. 1. — No change made in this district except to allow Elijah Bradbury to have his proportion of the school money for private schooling at his house.

District No. 2. — This district was to retain its old boundaries except in case of John Thorn who was transferred from District No. 3, (Goodwin) to District No. 2.

District No. 4. — To remain as before with no change.

District No. 5. — Commence at Porter line and run northwesterly on west line of Cutler's grant to the northwest corner of Diamond Kennard's land, thence on the line of land formerly owned by E. Whitney and John Chamberlain to the north line of the Cutts lot, thence on north line of Cutts lot to New Hampshire line, thence thence south on state line to town line of Porter, thence on Porter line to first bounds.

Districts No. 6, 7, 8 and 9. No changes reported.

District No. 10. Beginning on the southeast corner of John Blake's land and running westerly on the south side of John Blake's land to Hezekiah Brown's, Oliver Storer's. Diamond Kennard's land, thence northerly including Diamond Kennard and E. Whitney's land, thence eastwardly on the north line of E. Whitney's, James Cram's and Jeremiah Storer's land to the northeast corner of said Storer's land, thence southwardly including Jeremiah Storer's and John Blake's land to first bounds.

District No. 11. Beginning at the northeast corner of lot No. 14. Cutler's grant, run westerly on the line between lots No. 13 and 14 and No. 23 and 24 to John Blake's land, thence northwesterly including Samuel E. Merrill, Samuel Wentworth and Abram White's land, thence easterly on the north line of Abram White's and Moses Merrill's land to northeast corner, thence southwesterly including Moses Merrill, James Brown and Nathan Bean's land, thence by Isaac Johnson and Amos Broad land and to first bounds.

1832. The town voted to appropriate the interest on the ministerial fund for the support of schools annually. Also voted to divide school district No. 4 on a line between the farms of Simon Gatchell and James B. Stone.

1833. The town appropriated $325 for schools and continued to change school district limits, transferring Capt. Asa Mansfield and widow Nancy Fessenden from district No. 1 to district No. 7, also set Wm. Poor into a school district by himself but the school records show that his school money for 1834 amounting to four dollars and sixteen cents, also that for the year 1835, amounting to four dollars and forty-eight cents was retained in school district No. 2. About this time, 1836, Mr. Poor left the farm, moving into the center village and no further mention is made of his school money. Voted $350 for schools in town.

1834. The school district carved from District No. 4, took the name of No. 13, or the I. K. Paine district, and a school meeting was called to meet at the house of Joseph K. Paine and it was voted to build a school house, locating the same on land of said Paine, between the house of Nathaniel Bean, and the road leading by Simon Gatchell's farm, selecting for a building committee, Samuel Dutch, Walter Edgecomb and Simon Gatchell and voted to raise eighty dollars ($80) to build same. Mr. James Johnson was elected district clerk.

1834. — School district No. 4, at a meeting held on the 25th day of September (no place of meeting mentioned, but supposed to be at the house of Eben Wentworth) Samuel Greenlaw chosen clerk and it was voted to build a school house in one year from that date, selecting Eben Wentworth, Seth Ela and James Robertson as committee to build and raised one hundred and twenty-four dollars for that purpose.

1835. — Zachariah Gibson was annexed to school district No. 2 and Aaron Wentworth transferred from district No. [*] to District No. 13.

Town voted to raise three hundred and seventy dollars ($370) for support of schools the present year, also voted to divide school district No. 2, taking Daniel Brackett and N. C. Rice and all the rest of them in said district and all on the north side of Sheppard's river and form one district to be called the centre district (after known as No. 14) leaving the school house in No. 2 as the property of that district. — W. S. H.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 26, 1916, p. 3.

Note: [*] No number is present here.