SMITH SCHOOL NEWS

District No. 37
Annabelle Nash, Reporter
Our school opened Tuesday, September 3rd, with an enrollment of sixteen pupils. An election was held and Annabelle Nash was elected reporter....
The enrollment of the school by grades is as follows:
First Grade: Robert Kietzman, Robert McCorkle, Idella Shafer, Allen Higgins.
Second Grade: Wayne Tornowski.
Third Grade: Alice Nash, Robert Yana.
Fourth Grade: Ray McCorkle, Lauretta Nash.
Fifth Grade: Aldine Tornowski.
Sixth Grade: Charles Yana, Everett Fairley.
Seventh Grade: Margaret Nash, Annabelle Nash, Rosetta Doily.
Eighth Grade: August Tornowski, Jr.
The fifth annual Smith School Reunion will be held Sunday, September 22nd, 1940. There will be a basket dinner at noon and a program, which promises to be good, at two o'clock P.M.

--Roberts Herald. 18 September 1940.

Early Days in Lyman #13

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .

Since the beginning of this year three of the pupils of the early days in the Smith School (Dist. 37) have died. Harry Fairley, Hattie (Arnold) McNeil, and Roscoe Beighle. Harry Fairly had lived in that district the greater part of his life. He saw his family of eight children grow to womanhood and manhood here except one child that died in infancy. They all attended the same school their father did. One of his sons is now school director of that district. James Fairley died a few years ago. Ray, Harry D., and Alexander are married. Also the daughter Ella. Gordon and Leonard are at home with their mother.
Mrs. McNeil left two daughters and one son. The daughters are married. One daughter, Pearl Dillon died several years ago.
Rosco Beighle died in Montana. He was the oldest son of E. B. Beighle who came here in 1869, when Roscoe was a small boy. He leaves a wife and two sons. Roscoe taught school in Lyman several years. He was a man with rare qualities. I knew him intimately and never heard him speak a bad word or do an evil act. He leaves three sisters and one brother. His sister, Ella is the only member of the family living here.
It is sad to know that steadfast friends are taken when we need them so much.
Amos Arnold and family came here from New York in 1866. They settled on the northwest quarter of section nine.

 

--Lyman Township Plat. 1884.

He used to visit our place once in a while. He was a man of so few words that he amused us. He was a successful farmer and at the time of his death had about a section of land in Ford County.
After he came to town to live I became well acquainted with him.

--Roberts Plat.  1901.

We took long strolls together. He enjoyed flowers and trees and rocks and being of the same turn of mind I enjoyed those rambles very much.
When W. B. Flora resigned as supervisor of the town of Lyman the Board of Auditors appointed Mr. Arnold to that office. He served the remainder of that term and the next one. Three of his children, Johnson, Seward, and Mrs. Seba Linn live here and own land here. One daughter, Mary, lives in the south.
William Hurst and his mother and sisters came to Lyman in 1855. They lived on section 30. Mrs. Mary Hurst died in 1875 leaving two daughters in care of the home place. The Hursts were here when the Connecticut settlement was made.

 

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

The same year that the Lymans were pounding nails in section two the Hursts were putting up their home in Section 30. Though it was not so spacious as the Lyman home it provided shelter from the storms and howling wolves of that day. I can not say whether the Englanders knew that right over to the northeast the people from the New England states were coming by the dozens and settling on the railroad lands the same as they. No doubt they would have welcomed them if they know it. They would have cheered for the same flag and perhaps voted for the same president.
William Hurst was a genial man when time had streaked his hair with gray. That was when I knew him. He had married one of the nicest women in south Lyman, Miss Mary Roberts, daughter of James Roberts, who lived in section 32.

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

Mr. Hurst died several years ago. His widow and his daughters are living. The eldest daughter, Mrs. Cook lives in Roberts. The others in southern Illinois.
Joseph Hurst, William's older brother, settled in section 20.

 

 

--Lyman Township Plat.  1884.

 

He was active in the civic affairs in Lyman and filled many offices in the township. He was a faithful officer and when assigned work to do he always did it. He held offices nearly all the time from the organization of Lyman township until he moved away from the place. Mrs. Mary Talbot was his daughter. There are none of this family living now. He died at Harvey a few years ago

--Roberts Herald. 5 June 1935. Bela Foster.

Early Days in Lyman #5

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .
In 1869 we heard more about the railroad coming. We heard of bonds and right of way. Melvin, Thaw, and quite a lot about the town of Beset, soon to be started. A. M. Haling had his eye on Beset grove and about one half a section of land that was to be crossed by the railroad. It looked a favorable spot for a town.
At the town meeting in April 1869 the following officers were elected: Supervisor, A. M. Haling who lived on the Louis Stiegman farm. Town Clerk, A. A. Haling who lived where Milo Higgens now lives. Assessor, W. S. Larkin, who lived on what is now John Rock's east farm. Collector, Lyman Peck who lived in the house north of Louis Chambers farm. Constable, Sethe Woodward who lived in northwest corner of Section 13, Seward Arnold's farm. Road Commissioners Joseph Hurst who lived where Mrs. Dodson now lives, T. A. Ireland who lived where S. McCorkel now lives. This year the town was divided into ten road districts. The pathmasters were N. G. Barber who lived on the Martin Grohler farm, D. Blakely who lived on the E. Hornickel farm about sixty rods west of the NE corner. His house is now the Henry Onken home. C. S. Pierce who lived on the east end of the Onken farm, N. McNeil who lived where Robert Madden lives, O. D. Sacket who lived where Fred Sturm lives, William Hurst who lived where Bert Moseman lives, R. Pettit who lived in the NE corner of Section 31, C. B. Finch, A. Schaeffer who lived where Edw. Russell lives, Patrick Russell who lived on the hill near the center of the NE quarter of section 26.
The officers this year were pretty well scattered and showed more interest. A special election was called for Sept. 11, 1869, to vote upon R. R. bonds and right of way of the proposed Gilman, Clinton and Springfield railway. There were 42 votes cast, 34 for and 8 against. In giving the right of way 16 were for and 26 against.
William Bentley, son of W. H. Bentley, one of the Connecticut settlers who settled near Onarga was a music teacher, instrumental and vocal, held singing school in Smith School house in 1869 and 1870. Nearly all the young people of North Lyman attended. I did not attend but enjoyed the meetings they had at our house. I remember the membership card he gave his pupils. It read "Come and learn to sing and bring along your lady, For Bentley is the agent for Messrs. Root and Cadey." That was my first winter in school. I remember the teacher very distinctly. he was a corpulent man about the size of Glenn Yackee. One afternoon two young ladies, Maggie and Eliza McDonald from the Smith school visited our school and of course, if I ever received a "paddling" it was when company was present. To make my chagrin more acute, the visitors went home with my sister. Though I may have been black and blue, I could not see, so sat pat.
Some evenings we would collect on the ice. The professor enjoyed skating and was always present and nothing gave me more joy than to see his feet go up and his body come down with a thud upon that part of his anatomy that he paddled on me.
At the town meeting in 1870, A. C. Maxson was chosen moderator. The adopted several rules of government. One of them was in regard to pasturing and cutting hay off the unoccupied land. It was declared unlawful to cut grass or pasture the land without a permit. The fences began to be used at that time. People who had a few cows staked them out and others sent their cattle to herds. Our cattle were few and were staked. I can remember going skidding one time when the cow chain got around my foot. It was fun but hard on the clothing.
The officers elected in 1870 were: Supervisor, P. S. Gose who lived on the S. W. Netherton farm. Town Clerk, A. B. Graham lived where Joe Sans does. Assessor, Joseph Hurst, Collector F. G. Atwood, lived on section 22. Road Commissioner, Patrick Russell, Justice of the Peace J. F. Smith, lived on Section 4. The pathmasters were: John Davis lived where John Woodward does, W. A. Conger lived where Tornowski does, J. B. Jones lived where Roy Stiner does. John Hummel, James Drummond, James Dycus, Horace Lester, F. G. Atwood, A. Shafer, P. Russell.
The next two years were much occupied in surveying and building new roads and bridges. We also notice familiar faces, those with whom I worked.
Next week we will tell you what became of Bungtown.

--Roberts Herald. 10 April 1935.