Old School Document from Tiffin Township

 

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"An Interesting Old Document" - an article from the Defiance Crescent-News, October 27, 1924.

"There was shown the writer a few days ago - an interesting old document in the shape of a quarterly school report of District 2 in Tiffin township for the period ending on the 11th day of March 1848.

The report, made over 76 years ago, mentions the following scholars and their ages as having attended.

The names are in the report as given below:

Sarah Kintich, aged 8 years

George Kintich, aged 10 years

Mary A. Kintich, aged 12 years

William Hall, aged 11 years

Carolina Shepmore, aged 11 years

Christina Shepmore, aged 9 years

Jesse Hall, aged 13 years

Jacob Hall, aged 13 years

Nancy E. Grimes, aged 11 years

Mary Jane Harvey, aged 9 years

Christina Peterson, aged 11 years

Elizabeth Rath, aged 19 years

Mary Rath, aged 16 years

Christopher Deaton (probably Dieden, aged 7 years

Allen Martin, aged 16 years

Mary A. Martin, aged 10 years

Eliza J. Martin, aged 7 years

Isaac Kintich, aged 15 years

Cyrus Kintich, aged 14 years

Mary Winters, aged 6 years

George Hall, aged 17 years

Jacob Hal, aged 16 years

Oliver Hall, aged 10 years

Adam Hall, aged 6 years

William Hall, aged 7 years

Christina B. Garber, aged 11 years

Thomas J. Garber, aged 7 years

Augustus VanBraum, aged 8 years

Anna VanBraun, aged 8 years

Louisa VanBraun, aged 7 years

Anthony Neufer, aged 13 years

Anna Neufer, age 12 years

Margaret Neufer, aged 8 years

At the bottom of the report, which is in the possession of Dr. R.R. Cameron, which is in almost as perfect a condition as it was the day it was written, is found the following footnote reproduced verbatim:

"Quarterly report of George Grier, teacher in District No. 2 of Tiffin township, Defiance county, ending the 11th day of March 1848, the while (whole) number of enrolled for the quarter was 18 males and 17 females. The branches taught were Orthography*, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, English, Grammar and Geography. The average number of daily attendance was 22.  George Grier, Teacher., March 11, 1848."

*Orthography = Spelling

     

Loyal Employees of the Defiance Machine Works - 1943

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column, "A Backward Glance."   The loyal workers of the Defiance Machine Works were named in this undated clip.

"THESE MEN served with the old Defiance Machine Works through three wars and had a combined total service of 450 years.  The picture was taken in March, 1943.

Standing are, from left: Otis Ensign, Fay Martin, Claude Ensign, T. Fahey, E. Steffel, and O. Pickering; and seated, Fred Miller, F. Houck, Charles Ensign and E. Miller." 

The Brindle School, Farmer Township

From the Bryan Press - August 6, 1925

 "The Story of the Old Brindle School.

The third reunion Saturday, Aug. 1st of the pupils and teachers of the old Brindle school west of Farmer, which was first used as a school building in 1852, and until a building for school purposes was built in the little town to the east, called Farmer Center, all the children for many miles around learned the 'A,B, C's' and the 'Three R's' in this same little frame building, which supplanted the log structure, which stood in the field where the township cemetery now lies, and which was the very first house dedicated to the training of the young idea in these parts.

The first Brindle house, so called because of the nondescript color of the paint used upon it, was burned during the Christmas vacation about the time the first school was started in Farmer, but was at once rebuilt, as it made too far for many of the youngsters to walk to come into town.  It held forth there until just  50 years ago when the last of the term was taught by Mrs. Eva Johnson, nee Stone, then only 16 years of age, teaching her first term.

About half a hundred are still alive, who at one time attended this building as pupil or teacher, scattered from coast to coast, one teacher, George Ensign, living in San Francisco, and Will Richardson, a prominent lawyer in New York City, on the corner of whose father's farm, the school was located.

The oldest known pupil living is Mrs. Laura V. Maugel, aged 84, and the youngest, Darius Allen, who is now living in the school building remodeled into a dwelling house and removed on to his farm about 1/2 mile east of the former location.  It is rather unusual to be living in the first place you went to school.

There were 18 old pupils and one teacher, P. P. Culler, present at the gathering, Saturday, August 1, as follows:
Mrs. Laura Maugel, Mrs. Anna Allen, O. L. Wilder, Oscar Blair, H. O. Hopkins, John and Ella Fritz, A. O. Hastings, and E. E. Martin, living in this vicinity, Mrs. Sarah Weldler of Waterloo, Ind., Mrs. Nettie Swayne (Nettie Gilchrist) of Ft. Wayne, John Wilder of Elkhart, Ind., F. L. Stone of Toledo, Mrs. Bercaw of Edgerton, Mrs. Deane of Melbern, Sam Reynolds of Toledo, and G. F. Martin of Bryan.  Much of the success of these yearly gatherings is due to the work of the president, E. E. Martin and his good wife."

Note:  The first log school was built about 1840 and burned in 1852.