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Date Original
1842 August 22
Description
This is a contract for Green Woods, a teacher, to run a subscription school out of the Cedar Creek School House in Lawrence County and includes a list of the subscribers.
Biographical/Historical Note
Education was difficult to attain for many people in early Arkansas due to a variety of factors, including the lack of public schools funded by property tax as we know them today. Many families, however, valued education and still strove to provide it for their children. The first iteration of "public schools" in Arkansas were known as subscription schools. Any parent or guardian who was able to pay the tuition could send their children to be educated. Costs were often accepted in cash or barter. In Lawrence County, the Wayland, Smith, Raney, and Robertson families near Cedar Creek banded together to hire teacher Green Woods who would teach orthography (alphabet and spelling), reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and geography. On the back of the contract, Woods indicates that he will most likely receive about half the tuition cost in trade or barter. As a result, he received a cow, three days labor, wheat, and tallow among other items from the parents.
Transcription
[Page 1] Lawrence Co.[County] Ark.[Arkansas] Sept.[September] 22nd 1842
An article of agreement made and entered into
this day between Green Woods of the first part [and]
the undersigned Subscribers of the second part
Witnesseth[sic] Said Wood on his part agrees to teach
an Englishschool of the following branches of
Erudition viz. Orthography, Reading, Writing, Arith-
metic, Grammar and Geography, for three dollars per
pupil per term of sixty days and teach twelve
months excepting the time from the first of April
to the first of July Which time will be filled
up if the truths and said Woods can make the
arrangement to the satisfaction of the Subscribers
Said Woods will keep the school in good order
and due regard to the morals and civility of
each scholar
We the undersigned subscribers on our part
agree to pay the above named price per pupil
per term and pay at the close of each quarter
He farther[br] agree to furnish a suitable
house benches books paper ---[and etcetera] for our childern
The school to be kept in the Cedar Creek school
house. But said Woods must appoint
the above named trustees
Subscribers Names No.[number] Subscribers Names No.
Henry Wayland 1
Moses Robertson 2
A.F. Robertson 2
Francis Wayland 2
Jonathan Wayland 2
Wd[widow] C. Permela Wayland 2
Alexander Smith 1
William Raney 2 ½
Cyntha Bridges 1 ½
John Hutchinson 1
[Page 2] I expect to take about one half of the
amount of the Subscriptions in Trade
Green Woods
[Sideways Writing]Filed Dec.[December]
14 1844
Thos[Thomas] Johnson
J.P.
[Upside down writing]March 8th 1843
Recd[recieved] of A.F. Robinson[Robertson] $6.10cts[cents]
"[recieved of] Moses Robinson[Robertson] $6.00
[faded writing] John Hutchison
11 lbs tallow at 10cts[cents] per lb 1.10
1/2 bu.[bushel] potatoe[sic] [.5]
Calf 1.40
9 bu.[bushels] wheat at 75cts per bu. 1.50
Recived of Wm[William] Smith [and] Alexander
Smith in work (plow stocking) 1.50
1 collar [and] band for school plow 1.75
By 3 days work p- - - - - 1.50
Wm[William] Raney Cr. By
By one cow 7.00
"[by] account on Moses Robertson 8
Francis Wayland - - -[len]
By 2 sack
July 31st 1844
Recieved in ful[sic] on the within of
Henry Wayland
Physical Description
Document; 12.25" X 7.75"
Subjects
Education; School children; Schools; Teachers; Teaching; Paying bills; Barter; Farm life; Farmers; Rural areas
Contributor
Woods, Green
Geographical Area
Lawrence County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
SMCNE.0002.0020
Resource Type
Text
Collection
NEARA small manuscript collection
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives
Recommended Citation
Contract, cedar creek subscription school, NEARA small manuscript collection, Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives, Powhatan, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
Education | United States History
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