Quitman County GaArchives History - Schools .....Schools of Quitman County from "The Quitman Echo" 
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Donna Eldridge DonnaEldrid@aol.com July 2, 2004, 2:37 pm

                                              SCHOOLS

     Field Schools existed in the western part of Randolph County prior to 
1858.  Among the early teachers were T. L. Guerry and Joel E. Smith.

     Some public funds were made available by the state before the Civil War 
for the building of academies in the various counties.  Such an academy was 
established in Georgetown in 1859 on land donated by T. L. Guerry.  The academy 
building was a two-storied structure that was torn down about 1900 and rebuilt 
as a one-room schoolhouse.

     Before 1870 the county ordinary acted as the agent to receive school funds 
and to make reports to the state concerning schools in the county.  The first 
Quitman County ordinary was Joel E. Smith, one of the early teachers.  His 
reports to Governor Brown in 1859 showed there were eleven schools in the 
county and that nine were being taught that year.  It was also shown that 173 
students were being taught reading, writing, and arithmetic and 47 students 
were being taught the higher branches.

     The Inferior Court was authorized to name a Board of Examiners to examine 
prospective teachers and issue certificates of competency.  The first board 
appointed in 1859 consisted of T. L. Guerry, Joel A. Crawford, James B. 
Harrison, and Milton A. Smith.  They issued certificates to Mr. and Mrs. Willis 
P. Jordan, James Edgerby, William J. Brown, and John C. Moore the first year.

     The first board of education was named in 1871.  The members were:  Joel 
E. Smith, J. G. Shockley, Luther C. A. Warren, W. H. Key and J. W. Mercer.  In 
1872 Joel E. Smith was named the first county school commissioner.  J. E. 
Dozier was next named in 1888 and W. A. Hill succeeded Mr. Dozier in 1892.  In 
1896 Henry M. Kaigler began his tenure which lasted until his retirement in 
1945.

     All records of Quitman County schools before 1905 were destroyed in the 
courthouse fire.


"The Quitman Echo - Quitman County, Georgia" - Jacquelyn Shepard, (pages 16-17) 

Additional Comments:
Published by Jacquelyn Shephard, Transcribed and submitted by Donna Eldridge
with permission from Jacquelyn Shephard

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/quitman/history/schools/nms24schoolso.txt

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