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HomeMy WebLinkAbout464"Article taken from the Stouffville Tribune, Thursday, July 7, 1966. Cherrywood School Around 1860 (By George Cober) As I was looking at this picture my mind went back to the farms of this section known as \school section No. 7 who had helped to build it. I will try and give the names of some of the first and second generations that lived here and attended. Before there was a log school built before 1950 where a lot of the old pioneer children attended. Now coming back to the brick school where all my school-mates went and by the consent of your good editor who will put a picture of this school in Stouffville Tribune I will try and give the names of the father who lived in this section around that time, to the best of my knowledge but am sorry there are a few whom I do not know. Starting at the Northwest of the section were Jacob G. Reesor whose son William was one of the early thrashers, Daniel Hoover Sr.. Daniel Hoover Jr. and Peter R. Hoover who was a miller at Green River for a number of years. Christian Burkholder, his son Noah was trustee of the school for many years. William Petty. James Laughlin Sr. and Jr. Robert Gourlie, Abraham Reesor, and his son Flavious and later John B. Reesor, James MacKrae, Thomas Larkin, his son John, John Cober and his son Peter who operated one of the first steam thrashing machines and would thrash for ten dollars a day. Robert Garland Sr. and Jr., Joseph the youngest son who owns all the property at present. Ben Carter, William Carter. Thomas Barnard, later John Henderson who was one of the trustees for a number of years, John Sinclair, Christian Raymer, later Abraham Hoover. James Burrows, William Monney, and later James 7""odd. Charlie Smith, William Hollinger, Samuel Hollinger, James Taylor first then George Hedges. Charles Petty Sr. and Jr., Pop Peters, Martin Barkey. The Nolan farm run by James, Robert and Thomas. Iaasac Moyer, Abraham Burkholder Sr. and son Nathael, George Gates, Charlie Lintner, Benjamin Dickson, Slim A. Burkholder and son Jesse. James McCreight who was one of the early trustees and Justice of Peace and he named the place Cherrywood after a place in Ireland. Fred Roach and later his son Wesley. William Hilts, Christian Stover Sr., and later his son Ben. Samuel Stover Sr. and his son Christian. Jr. Mr. Davidson Sr. and son George Davidson was trustee for a number of years and was a great man for good horses snowing them at Markham Fair. William Taylor and James Taylor and later his son Arthur, Francis Judd who raised a large family. Andrew Allison Sr. and Jr., George Gourile, Jacob Shank Sr. had several sons, James Lawson and son, William Gilchrist. James Gilchrist James Ferguson and William Norris. Names of the school teachers, from 1890 were Thomas Henderson, who used to board with his brother John and rode one of the first high bicycles and we thought it was wonderful. Forest Beeton. F. A. Dales later became a doctor at Stouffville. Miss Anderson. Archie Smith. James Drummond, Miss Roland, Miss Sleep. Miss Ferguson. A. J. Macintosh. When these teachers taught, sometimes in the winter months there would be from forty to fifty going to school. There would be big boys and girls, some of the boys being bigger than the teacher and he usually had a hardwood pointer and a good rubber strap so if you did not behave you were in danger. On the west side entrance was the girls' entry room and on the east side was the boys' entry room a little east of the school was a wooden pump with an iron handle where everyone drank water out of the same tin cup. These are some of the games we used to play. Tickley I Over, Plumber, Fox and the Hound, Prisoners Base, Football, Baseball, Play Horse, the woodshed was a stable with stalls, one boy would drive a team and we would run back and forth and then change off. We even had a blacksmith who went through the performance, played drop the handkerchief, duck on the rock, the girls would play croquet and skip. The boys would see how high they could jump and some would use a pole; would go to Petty's pond to skate and play shinny. No hockey sticks around then and we used to pitch horse shoes. There was a bell room and this bell rang, first bell a quarter to nine and at nine o'clock. If anyone came late we usually had to write 25 lines out of our reader at first recess. Often chosen: Jack in the pulpit preaches today"" and ""Billy is a bright boy do you know Billy"", were short lines and we used to get done quick and got out to play. This bell rang at first and last recess at one o'clock and at four, sometimes the teacher would let us children ring the bell which we considered quite an honour. Pickering Twp. and some of Scarboro held their annual school picnic in June at Rosebank on the farm of Mr. James Cowan. He had a beautiful park and playground. He had a steam yacht and would give the children a boat ride. Green River and Whitevale band would be there. The occasion brought many people together but the practice was discontinued around 1900. For a few years the picnic was held at Atha. I do not want to forget the school inspector Mr. O'Brien who used to visit the school sometimes come after first recess and we always liked to see him come. He usually used to teach the fourth class to see how much they knew and if he had a real good teacher he got a lot of praise. Always related a good story to the scholars with a lot of good common sense and humour in it and generally gave us half a holiday. Now in conclusion there has been a lot of great changes in fifty years. Most of the children used to walk one or two miles and in zero weather some of them would freeze their ears and cheeks and the school was heated with a big box stove at the back of the school. The little children sat in the front seats and sometimes the teachers would look after the school at a salary of $300.00 per year and everyone was happy. Money was scarce in those days and everyone was taught to save. What a difference in this day and age we are living in, but am glad to say all our school teachers always opened our school by reading the Bible and repeating the Lord's Prayer and some dismissed the school with prayer which was very commendable. I well remember we had one teacher who used his strap and believed in strapping the children, and every month or two he used to read out of Proverb: A whip for the horse, A bridle for the ass, and rod for the fool's back. I do not want to forget Mr. James Chapman and wife who were faithful caretakers and looked after the school well as long as I went to the school. Always had about five or six cords of the best, hardwood money could buy and it was his job to buck saw all this wood and pile it in the woodshed which he faithfully did and I would like to put in a good word for all our store keepers for their generosity as the store was so close to the school. Many and many a cent's worth of candy was bought and the patience they had when we asked for the mail after four as we all seemed to want it at once. I have many kind memories of these good old horse and buggy days when all things were common. I am glad I had the privilege with F. A. Dales who was one of our best schoolteachers and later went to Stouffville and became our family doctor. I will never forget his way of handling the children, he had a strap but only, used it once the two years he taught at Cherrywood, but in school hours he wanted us to understand we had to work and meant business and also at recess in the noon hour he wanted us to have all the fun we could have and often came out to, play with us. He always wanted us to try and do our best and never say you can't, always say you will try he used to read a verse from a lesson about Bruce and the Spider which said: Pay Goodly Heed All Ye Who Read, and Beware of Saying I Can't. Tis a Cowardly word and apt to lead to ---ness. Folly, and Want When ever you find your heart dismayed by doing some goodly thing. Come over the Strain. Try Bravely again and remember the Spider and the King. Have many pleasant memories of Doctor Dales both as a teacher and a doctor. "