Newton County GaArchives Biographies.....Guinn, Robert A. 1827 - 1911 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ottis E. Guinn ottis@cafes.net August 24, 2011, 5:48 am Source: Ottis E. Guinn, Eugenia B. Murphy, and Julia B. Brubaker Author: Ottis E. Guinn Professor Robert A. Guinn 25 Sept 1827 - 16 Feb 1911 By: Ottis E. Guinn, Eugenia B. Murphy, and Julia B. Brubaker In the Spring of 1829 Minor Guinn, his wife Mary Melton Guinn, and infant son Robert Augustus Guinn, migrated from Fairfield, SC to the Flint Hill area of Newton county. As Robert was growing up it became apparent that he wanted to be an educator. At the age of 22 he opened a school in the Macedonia.Baptist church. In 1907 he wrote the following letter, to his cousin who had inquired about his life long teaching career: Taken from "The Enterprise" (now "The Covington News") April 26, 1907. This is a copy of a letter written to Mrs. Nannie Guinn Boggus by Professor R. A. Guinn, the first teacher and organizer of Flint Hill School. January 1850 I organized in old Macedonia Church, the first school that was ever taught on that rocky hill. The school was large and flourishing all the year. In July of that year we had an old time public examination and exhibition of all students, from the largest to the smallest, in their studies such as spelling, reading, geography, blackboard exercises, etc. All the pupils did fairly well for their first appearances before an audience and being the first public exercises conducted by their teacher. The audience was large, attentive, and appreciative. The school continued to flourish until the end of the year. And before it closed, the patrons of the school earnestly solicited me to take the school for the next scholastic year, but I had learned during that year's experience that my education was not sufficient to do the good and honest work for the children that I desired. I therefore ask them to excuse me for one year and go to school to better prepare myself for teaching. They reluctantly consented for me to go to school the next year by my promising to teach for them for one more year after I left school. January 1851, I entered school at Social Circle, Georgia under Milton Carter, an experienced teacher, who loved his profession. I appreciated the advantages and did good work day and night and had learned how to study during that year. I left Social Circle Academy brighter and better equipped to do good for the young. After I returned home from school, I found my former trustees and patrons anxious to contract with me to teach for them the next year. They proposed to build a new and commodious academy on that rocky hill, near Macedonia Church. R. A. Guinn Georgia Nov. 15, 1856 Newton County) Flint Hill Academy We respectfully submit the following Articles to the patrons of the School for their Acceptance. Article lst - The School will open at the Academy on the second Monday in January next. Article 2nd - The Scholastic year shall consist of ten mnths, four weeks to a month and five days to a week. Art. 3rd.- The teacher may give from the above mentioned time a vacation of one week. He is also entitled to all days when the law requires him to be absent from school, which time is neither to be deducted nor made up by us. Art. 4th - In case the teacher lose time by sickness or otherwise, we may deduct or make it up at our own option. Art. 5th - Terms of tuition for a scholar per month for a Scholastic year. Spelling, Reading and Writing one dollar. Arithmetic one dollar and twenty cents. English Grammar and Geography one dollar and fifty cents. Natural and Moral Philosophy and Chemistry one dollar and eighty cents. Practical Geometry, Algebra and Astronomy two dollars. Plain Trigonometry and Surveying two dollars and fifty cents. Art. 6th - All day Scholars will be charged at the rate of the next highest branch. We the subscribers whose names are hereunto annexed do promise to pay the Trustees of Said School the rate of tuition above mentioned according to the number of Scholars subscribed or sent by us. To be paid at the expiration of the School. Names of Subscribers Names of Subscribers Samuel 4 William St. Johns 1 James F. Berry 1 Leir (/) Stansell 1 Reuben Cook 4 Hardy Welford 4 Marion C. Peck 1/2 Matthew Stuart 1 James Henderson 1 Edman Dorsey 1 A. G. Brooks 2 T. J. Wallis 3/4 James Cook 2 Wiley Pool 1 Joel Aycock 2 S. Carrol 1 N. G. Leak 2 Bennet Edwards 1 Thomas Bird 2 Rogers 1/2 Minor Guim 2 W. cuim 1 1/4 SCHOOL TAUGHT BY Joel Elington 1 ROBERT A. GUINN On 26 June 1861 Professor Guinn joined the Confederate Army as a member of Company B, Newton County Rifles, 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia. He recieved a medical discharge at Richmond on 7 August 1862. He married Elizabeth Jack Stansell at Conyers in 1863. The war was going badly for the South and Professor Guinn had to leave his wife and their infant son when he was inducted into Company G, 8th Regiment, Georgia State Guards. His unit was captured by a brigade of Union Cavalry from Sherman’s army on 22 July 1864, and he was sent to Camp Chase, Ohio and imprisoned until he was paroled on 28 March 1865. While a prisoner at Camp Chase he wrote the following to his wife: The following lines were written by R. A. Guinn, a Confederate prisoner, at Camp Chase, Ohio, December 1864, to his wife in Georgia: To My Lonely Wife “’Tis twilight hour: the evening dews Are gently falling on the sod, Affection draws my heart to muse On thee, best blessing, from my God. Now are thy thoughts of me afar, Imprisoned, yet not charged with crime. Torn from thee by this cruel war, Wasting in bonds my manhood’s prime. But soon, I hope to meet again With thee, dear partner of my life; That joy will compensate all pain Of absence from my darling wife. You ask my thoughts at sunset hour; My thoughts are yours, the long day through: Nor, can I ever wish for power E’en to forget thy love so true. Oh! teach our little boy to think His father’s honor ever true, Better in chains or death to sink, Than honor lost, to come to you. May angels guard your course by day, And vigils o’er your slumbers keep. Our righteous God, who hears us prey, Still dries the tears His children weep. Yet, think of me at day’s decline, Let your thoughts with hope be bright. My soul shall converse hold with thine, At evening time it shall be light.” Written by R. A. Guinn to Elizabeth Jack Stansell Guinn The following article pertaining to death of Robert A. Guinn appeared in the newspaper at Conyers: Conyers Times, March 4, 1911 TRIBUTE OF RESPECT EDITOR OF THE TIMES; Death has again visited our little city and transplanted to blossom with renewed splendor and shed eternal fragrance among the flowers in the garden of God, our dear old friend and school master, Professor R.A.Guinn and with tear dimmed eyes and aching heart I pen these lines to his memory. It was the pleasure of the writer to be permitted to spend his boyhood days almost within the sound of his voice and attracted to him by his exemplary life and conduct. I learned to love him in early youth. When death visited our home and took our father, Uncle Bob, as he was familiarly known, laid his hand upon my head and drew me close to his great loving heart and bid me to take courage and tried to instill in my mind the true principles in the molding of Christian manhood and womanhood of the coming years. Many hearts in different places of the country will be pained to receive the sad intelligence for none knew him but to love him and none spoke of him but in the highest term of praise and hearing the sad news their thoughts perhaps, like mine, will revert back to the happy school days when we climbed upon his knees and leaned on his bosom imbibing freely the great lessons he taught of life down its various avenues and his good name, like precious ointment, and his good example, like a beacon light, will live to bless the world long after his body has molded to dust and the pious Christian example, will, like a light, shine in brilliance and splendor in the hearts and lives of those he came in contact with. Men like Uncle Bob are few in this country. He was Quiet, yet his presents was a power as well as an inspiration. During the 43 years of my life I never heard a single evil word spoken to him nor an evil deed attributed to him and proved beyond a doubt that the principles of life he taught to precept an example maintained him throughout life and he left an inheritance of far more value than earthly fortune, that imperishable legacy of a good name which will shine in splendor until the last vestige and the scenes of his activity shall have faded into nothing. As God had called him home for his life’s work was done. I would like to have been one of those around his couch and seen the hands that have lovingly caressed me gathering this mantel of his couch about him. BY ONE OF HIS SCHOOL BOYS: T.H.M Additional Comments: Previously submitted to the first Georgia USGenWeb Archives photo project, approximately 2002 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/newton/photos/bios/guinn376bs.gif File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/newton/bios/guinn376bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 9.6 Kb