School Days

 

Oak Grove Academy 1874 photographed by F. D. Foster (cropped) courtesy of Hudson Museum.  The Tinder Michigan Photographers' file shows a Frank D. Foster in Hudson during 1874-1875, so that appears to be the date of this great photo.  We may be able to discover the teacher(s) name(s) now that we have a year.  I have seen an earlier photo, probably circa 1860 that I may be able to get posted whenever I am able to get permission from the owner.  The trees are smaller and the girls' dresses are more obviously Civil War-era, bulky skirts and aprons.  The trees were planted in 1853 when the school was built, so the trees in this photo are around 22 years old.  I am guessing the man with beard and arms folded is Professor John Drake as shown with his family in the 1870 US Census.  Some of the students may be of the families Strobeck and  Worcester; the preachers' kids of the two churches; children of Dr. Seeley; and there are many students with different last names shown living with many village families.  There are several female teachers including Eudora Harrington and Addie Heydenberk.  These names are from the 1870 census.  There is no known student list from Oak Grove Academy--the Academy register only records board minutes with references to teacher hiring, building maintenance and other policies.

Medina Village School  circa 1885. Back row:  Will Tew, Carrie Darr, Ellis Guss, Genie Bennett, Minnie Mann, Clara Gambell, Val McLouth.  Second row from back:  ____Avery, Clyde Tew, Roy Farnsworth, Electus McCormick, John Manning, Bert Trumbill TEACHER, Milly Kime,   Annie Gambell, Lizzie Farnsworth, Effie Gambell.  Bottom row:  Sam Darr, Allie McLouth, Jim Avery, Clyde Manning, Jay Cooley, Clark Rorick, Lewis Guss, Maggie Darr, Mattie McLouth, and Florence Colvin.  Photo courtesy of Hudson Museum.

Tiffin (Peg Town) School on Medina Road circa 1894

Girl marked with 'x' looks like Maude Burdick--and about 12 yrs old-- (1882-1908) and probably some of her brothers (ages 14, 8, 6 and 4) are here also, unmarked--Loren (1880-1958), Harry (1886-1960), Ralph L (1888-1957) and Louis A (1890-1964); brother Clarence (1893-1897) is buried at Medina Village cemetery.  Their parents were Geo. Washington Burdick (1846-1921) and Clara E. Lawrence Burdick (1849-1907).  Geo. W. Burdick was a hired hand on the G.W. Moore farm in 1870; later the family lived at the John Foster farm (later owned by Cooleys).  Mrs. Burdick's sister Effie was married to Geo. Daniel, son of G. W. Moore, and lived across the road in the big square house on the Hudson Twp. side of Medina Rd. near the school.  Some of the children of Geo. and Effie are probably in this photo:  Mabel (b. 1878), Wm. A. (b. 1880), Jessie (b. 1886), Ettella (b. 1887), and Guy aka Jack (b. 1891).  Data from FamilySearch.org Family Trees.  Photo courtesy of Hudson Museum.

Medina Village School  May 20, 1904.  This photo donated to Hudson Museum by Lynn Huff, sitting behind the "X" on the desk in front of him.  We may be able to identify some of these students and the teacher, as time goes by.

Medina Village School 1918-19

FRONT 1sr row:  (Robert Guss and Malcom Johns not in school at this time), Euletta Shaffer, Pauline Johns, Alice Guss, Virginia Rhoads, Vivian Shadbolt, Margaret Distler.

SECOND row:  Gaylord Darr, Rex Robinson, Glen Robinson, John Shadbolt, Jr., Lee Hayes, Howard Fike, Norman Darr, Oliver Keller, Ray Fike.

THIRD row:  Vaughn Hayes, Ruth Tew, Helen Guss, Thelma Keller, Murial Stone, TEACHER MIles Root, Helen Milliken, Virginia Hayes, Harriet Tew, Marjery Johns, Elizabeth Stone.

FOURTH row:  Carl Mackey, Glen Guss, Earnest Rhoads, Joe Milliken, Clair Moyer, George Tew, Albert Griffith, Alfred Griffith, Charles Fike, Lester Fike.

Photo courtesy of Lenawee Historical Museum.

Medina Village School 1922-23

FRONT 1st row:  Anna Shadbolt, Alice Hayes, (Ivy?) Thomson, Pauline Shaffer, Maviery Flemming, Angeline Shadbolt, Vivian Shadbolt, Euletta Shaffer, Grace Scott, Ruth Shadbolt.

SECOND row:  Oliver Keller, Eugene Scott, Paul Distler, Kenneth Hayes, Howard Fike, Ray Fike, unknown, unknown, Robert Distler, Robert Guss, Sanger Punches, Gerald Brink. 

THIRD row:  Eudora Griffith, Alice Guss, Margaret Distler, John Shadbolt, Jr., Lee Hayes, Guy Punches, Lloyd Grubaugh, Vaughn Hayes, Glenn Guss, Fred Shadbolt, Donald Guss.

BACK row:  Elizabeth Stone, Carl Mackey, Carl Punches, Loren Tew, Lester Fike, TEACHER Floyd Lerche.  Photo courtesy of  Lenawee Historical Society.

Yellow brick school--Medina Fractional District Number 2, built 1872.

Photo:  David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Wm. L.Clements Library, University of Michigan

This school is believed to have been built on an expanded piece of land where the original frame school house was also located, the one that was also used by the Baptist Church at an early time prior to 1846.  The lots were once owned by one of the Daniels brothers and there were a couple of residences along an extended Eagle Street to the west.  This school faced Warner Street.

Detail from above Photo:  David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Wm. L.Clements Library, University of Michigan

2022 UPDATE:  In some handwritten stories by Annis Darr sometime in the past year I have seen reference to the original frame school house being located on "the road to Canandiagua"!