York Township

York Township

Organization. - All included in the civil township of Parish Grove from 1840 to March, 1855, when it became a part of Washington until December, 1855. York then again became a part of Parish Grove until 18G0, and was part of York until its present boundaries were completed in 1808. Under the trustees of Parish Grove until the York succession which has been as follows: 1800, Isaac Hall (appointed); 1861, John Fleming; 1866, Daniel Kirkpatrick; 1867, Anthony Dehner; 1868, James Coulter, resigned, James Keyte appointed December 19, 1808 ; 1869, Isaac Lloyd ; 1870, James Ross ; 1872, Socrates McClurg; 1878, John Ross; 1882, James Ross; 1884, Sidney J. Gillett; 1888, Joseph Perkins; 1890, William Keefe; 1894, Joseph Perkins; 1900, Thomas Fitzgerald; January 1, 1905, James Illingworth.

Though the Potawattomies had gone before the first settlers appeared in York, the Treaty of Tippecanoe, framed in 1815, stipulated that the United States should give to certain chiefs of the tribe a section of land each, to be situated somewhere in the territory they ceded to the government. In October, 1832, President Andrew Jackson directed that section thirty -one in township twenty-six, range nine west, should be transferred to Chief Topenebe. A short time before this Hannaniah Hewitt had located on the southwest cpiarter of this section, on the banks of Sugar creek. November 17, 1S:>2, Toiienebe sold his land, but Mr. Hewitt's entry created a dispute over the title which continued for thirty years and was carried through both the

Indiana and United States Supreme Courts. Quite recently the county recorder has received a letter from Wahtahtoo (White Water), a probable descendant of Topenebe, asking who owns the land now and of whom it was obtained. This place became the home of Edward C. Sumner in 1849 and about that time the settlement in York began to improve. In

1860 Mr. Sumner, John Irwin. I. N. Clark, A. I). Packard, Isaac Hall, Benjamin Rodley, Theodore Swinton, Aaron Burchell, Abram H. Durkee, Joseph Blessing. G. W. Haggard, Patrick Ervin, William Graves, John T. Hough and Thomas Gilbert petitioned the county commissioners to establish the township of York.

In June, 1860, Isaac Hall received from Tarisli Grove |77.30 special school and |27.29 tuition funds as York's proportion of the former township's school money. The year previous a schoolhouse had been built on the Fleming land, now occupied as a cemetery, and Angelina Palmtree had taught one term of school in it. She enrolled ten pujjils and received a salary of twent}^ dollars a month and board. Mr. Hall employed Margaret Zumalt who began her first term in June, 1860, and taught fift}' days, receiving the |27.29 tuition funds as part of her salary. The patrons of this school were John Fleming. Aaron Burchell, William Clark, John Erving, John Hons. William Graves and Thomas Gilbert. Six males and nine females were enrolled in the school with a daily average of twelve. All studied spelling, seven used readers, two recited in geography, two practiced writing, and one studied arithmetic. Miss Zumalt was succeeded by George McGuire in the winter of 1861-2. Other teachers in district one have been Sarah A. Peacock, Welthy Kirkpatrick, Socrates McClurg, Elizabeth Drum, Nettie Hargraves and Lucy Fitzgerald. The latter taught many years in York and is one of the best remembered teachers of twenty years ago.

In the spring of 1861 another schoolhouse was completed, which stood on the southeast corner of what is now the Jacob Shonkwiler farm. Drusilla McCoy and Mary Strickler appear to have been the first teachers in this school. Among their successors in the district numbered two have been Isaac Amik. Andrew W. Darrough, Mary Darrough, Samuel B. Houser and Mattie Moore. The third house, probably the ''Ridge," was built in 1867 and L. R. Shackleford taught in it in the winter of 1867-8. Other early teachers in number three were Jennie Hargrave, Hannah Wedgbury, Mary E. Whyte and Olivia Ford. The Raub school was built in 1872. William Sedgley was the first teacher in number four. His successors, in the order named, were Nettie Hargrave, George D. Manson, Tempie Brokaw, Frank E. Speck, Hattie Wilcoxon, Alice Janes and Truman Kirkpatrick. The next school was built in 1875 and the others later.

The school lands in York township were section sixteen in range nine, and the west half of section thirteen in range ten. All of the former was sold to William Johnson on October 17, 1853, for |l.()li/i an acre, and all of llic hitter Avas sold on the

The enuineration of York was 18 in 1861, 55 in 1805, 93 in 1809, and 104 in 1871. In 1870-1 139 pupils were enrolled in the three schools taught in York and the average attendance was seventy-seven. The term was 116 days. The male teachers received |1.03 and the female |l,oO per day. The value of school property was |1,500, apparatus $150. and number of books in library fifty. In 1863-4 the two srhools in York and the one in Richland as it now is, enumerated and enrolled thirty-four pupils, with a daily average of twenty-seven. The number of days taught was seventy-five and the average daily wages of the teachers ninety cents. The valne of the lands in York when its present boundaries were fixed was |139,306, improvements |25,442, and personal property 1164,748.

The first commencement in York was held in the hall at Raiib on the evening of May S, 1885. Oma Gillett (Shonkwiler), Maggie Shonkwiler (Weldon), Minnie Wilson (Barr), Olive Weldon (Carson), Dora Perkins (Booty), and Jane Perkins had completed the common school course of study and received their diplomas that evening. Oma Gillett read a ^'History of the Class" and the other members read essays on other topics. P. J. Kuntz of Sheldon was the teacher in charge and Trustee Gillett presented the diplomas. Olive Weldon taught for two years and Jane Perkins graduated as a trained nurse in 1903. She is now doing deaconess work in connection with a church in Omaha, Nebraska.

A graded school was organized in Raub in 1881-2, with Truman Kirkpatrick and Maude Houser as teachers. In 1883 B. F. Heaton introduced high school work, but the first regular course was established in 1890, and was as follows : First year, first half: Algebra, Zoology, Physical Geography and Bookkeeping; second half: Algebra, General History, Botany and Book-keeping. Second year, first half: Algebra, Rhetoric, General History and Latin; second half: Geometry, Civil Government, Physics and Latin. Third year, first half : Geometry, Physics, Latin and English Literature; second half: Latin, Psychology, English Literature and review of Arithmetic and Grammar. Though thirty-three pupils began this course within the next six years, but three, Cora Hunter, Mabel Weldon and Loretta Portteus, completed it, and no di]»lonui was given an}- of them. Alexander Caldwell was principal of the school during these six years and taught a normal class in the summer of 1891. Ella Perkins, Cora Hunter, Anna Nace, Oliver Nace, Bertha Bayliss, Stella Shonkwiler, Anna C. Brier and Jane Perkins were members of this class, which seems to have had much to do with originating the fine educational spirit that has since produced so many teachers in York.

W. J. Whinery succeeded Mr. Caldwell in 1897-8-9, and George A. Gaylord from 1899 to 1905. In 1897 Joseph Perkins was one of the strongest advocates of the uniform non-commissioned high school course. Failing to secure this, with the assistance of Mr. Gaylord aud the superintendent, lie reorganized the former high school course in 1899. The first class completed this course in the spring of 1901, and the members of this class, Edward Keefe, Blythe Fleming, Lucy Portteus, Winnie Cobleigh. Jessie Wright and Sarah Keefe, received their diplomas at the first high school commencement held in York.

A two-story schoolhouse built in Raub in 1881 was burned on the night of January 3. 18!)(>. The advanced students were moved into the town hall and the primary pupils, taught by Jessie Perkins (Strickler), were moved to a house north of town. In the summer of 1896 Mr. Perkins built in Raub the York township graded school shown in the picture. In 190-4 Thomas Fitzgerald built an addition to this house and employed a third teacher, Mr. Perkins started a library, which, under the management of Mr. Gaylord and Mr. Fitzgerald, grew to be one among the best in the county. James Illingworth employed Emory Hoover as principal for 1905-6, but while this sketch was being written this worthy young man was overtaken by an accidental death so sad and so shocking that it cast a lasting shadow of sorrow over the entire community. Mr. Hoover has been succeeded by Lillian Carr.

Mr. Illingworth has recently placed a fine physical apparatus in the high school, which raises the total value of the appliances for teaching to fully |100. The school libraries of the township now contain 1,220 books, more than half of which have been purchased with donations at socials. Taking the last three years as a basis, eighty per cent, of the students that enter the Y^'ork high school attend until they graduate; and taking the last four years as a basis, fifty-six per cent, of the pupils that enter the common schools attend until they have completed the common school course. This excellent condition of school affairs is largely attributable to the enthusiastic school spirit existing in the township. The patrons in York not only encourage the pupils, but assist the teachers, and it is probable that the first patron's township institute day ever held in Indiana was held in York township. York now leads the county in its per cent, of high school graduates, and leads ever}' town and townslii]) in the county except Boswell in the per cent, of its common school graduates. Mr. Illingworth hopes to keep York in her present proud position.