Clay County Indiana An educational association was organized at Center Point in the summer of 1870, composed of the most substantial citizens of the town and its surroundings for the purpose of maintaining a school which would afford the opportunity for competent instruction in the higher branches as well as in the common school course. The board of directors, or committee, for the year 1870 were C. W. MOSS, D. W. HAYS, J. C. GILFILLAN and William GIVENS, and for the year 1871, C. W. MOSS, D. W. HAYS, J. C. GILFILLAN and W. J. KENNEDY. The teacher employed, as principal, for the first year was W. T. CATBCART, from the State University; for the second and third years, Charles M. PARKS and James 0. COLLINS, respectively, from Westfield (Illinois) College. Among those who conducted these schools may be named John W. STEWART, Preston B. TRIPLETT, Maston S. WILKINSON, William H. CHILLSON, John W. LOVE, Thomas N. JAMES, Josiah S. GOSBORN, John C. GREGG, Thomas J. SCOTT, C. P. EPPERT, William ARNETT, Homer HICKS, John E. TRAVIS. W. W. MCGREGOR taught similar schools in Cass and Harrison townships. The public schools of Brazil were taught in the original log house erected in 1845 for church, school and hall purposes, near the site of the present M. E. church, until the year 1861, when the first frame house was built, on North Meridian street, in which the first school was taught in the winter of 1861-62, by Samuel LOVELESS, then county schoolexaminer. The last public school in the log house was taught in the winter of 1860-61, by John C. MCCLAREN, and the last private school, in the spring of 1860, by William TRAVIS. The public school system of the town of Brazil was under the management, or administration, of the trustee of Dick Johnson town- ship, until the incorporation of the town, in the latter part of the year 1866. Three years later the incorporation proceeded to build the brick house on North Meridian, which was completed ready for school in the fall of 1870, three years before the incorporation of the city. Of the pioneer or early teachers of the county more than half a hundred may be named. ADAMS Elizabeth ALEXANDER David APPLEGATE Isaac ARNETT William BATTS James BLEVINS Lemuel W. BOLIN Alfred BOLIN Bluford BROTHERS William BUCKALLEW William L. BURKE, Jacob CARMAN Benjamin CARTER Milton P. CHILLSON William H. COLE Charles B. COOPER David CUNNINGHAM Solomon DALTON Robert DARLING Sapphira DAVIS Dr. A. P. DENNY Zachariah DUNCAN Henry 0. DUNCAN George W. DUNLAVY Daniel DUNLAVY Caroline EDDY Benjamin EDMONSON Peter A. EPPERT C. P. FAGAN Ruth FAIR Isaiah S. FERGUSON William W. FOSTER Julia FRUMP, JR. John GAYLORD Emma GIBBONS Nathan A. GIBSON John GILBERT Artemas GOSBORN Josiah S. GREGG John C. GRIM Charles HALL Rhoda HARRIS John HAVILAND William P. HAWKINS Martha HEANEY William HELTON Elias HEMPSTEAD Mrs. HERALD David HICKS Homer HILL Samuel HILL Ellen J. HOBBS Montgomery HOWARD, Arthur JAMES Thomas N. JEFFERS Sarah JOHNSON Mary KANE Hugh KAUBLE Elizabeth KENNEDY Joseph LANE David LEWIS John LICHTY John LONG Samuel LOVE John W. LOVELESS Samuel LUCAS Timothy MARSHALL James MCCLAREN John C. MCGREGOR W. W. MCGUIRE James MCNAMAR Margaret MOORE Isaac M. NEAL John O'BRIEN George ORMAN Andrew PARSONS Dr. PAYNE Benjamin PEARCY Milton H. PEAS, Harvey PEYTON Jared RECTOR George RECTOR Enoch M. RICHART Isaac RIDDELL Thomas RIDDLE James RIZLEY Samuel ROBERTSON T. M. ROOT Emily SCOTT Thomas J. SHUEY John SIMONSON Aaron S. SLACK William SMITH Ebenezer C. STEED Isham STEWART John W. STEWART James H. TETER George D. TIPTON A. J. TRAVIS John E. TRAVIS William TRIPLETT Preston B. WHEELER Hezekiab WHEELER Clara WILES Joe WILES Joe WILKINSON Maston S. WITTY Baldwin H. WOOD Daniel WYATT Alfred YOCOM Francis B. ZENOR James B. The history of the administration of the public school system of Brazil, beginning with the completion and use of the Meridian street building. now comprises a period of thirty-nine years. During this period of school years there have been but eight superintendents. The first was F R SMITH for the years 1870-71 and 1871-72, succeeded by C. P. EPPERT, for the years 1872-73 and 1873-74, who was follwed by M. S. WILKINSON, for the year 1874-75, when C. P. EPPERT was again installed, for the years 1875-76 and 1876-77, who was followed by J. C. GREGG, for five years successively, from 1877 to 1882, when he was dis- placed for the year 1882-83 by A. D. HURST, followed by J. C. GREGG, for the year 1883-84, who was succeeded by J. M. BROWN, for the year 1884-85. Gregg then again succeeded to the position for fourteen years consecutively, from 1885-86 to 1898-99 inclusive, when he was succeeded by W. H. FERTICH, for three years, from 1899 to 1902, when he was dis- placed by L. B. ODELL, for the five succeeding years, from 1902 to 1907 inclusive,succeeded by C. C. COLEMAN. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Richard ( Fred) Finkbiner