Mt Pleasant and the early Quakers – Mount Pleasant Friends Boarding School operated from 1837 to 1875. The Quaker Seminary was opened to students on January 23, 1837. Daniel Williams and his wife Elizabeth were the first superintendent and matron. Robert S. Holloway and his wife Abby, George K. Jenkins, and Abigail Flanner were the first teachers. The men were paid a maximum of $400 and the woman $250. A governor for the boys department, who was to provide for the good order of the school, was added in 1838. During the first six months of operation the school averaged about eighty-five pupils who paid a tuition rate of $65 for the six-month term.

The proposed school calendar was two sessions of twenty-four weeks with two week vacations. During the winter term, which normally opened the week following the Ohio Yearly Meeting, morning classes began at 8:30 and ended at 11:30 o’clock. Afternoon classes lasted from 2 until 5. There was an evening class from 6 to 7:30. Religious meetings were held the first and fifth days of each week.

The education receieved was guarded and liberal, one of literacy and scientific instruction as well as the imparting of the doctrines of the Gospel and the Quaker testimonies. The primary pupils had instruction in spelling and definitions, reading, geography, arithmetic, English grammar, and writing. Advanced pupils studied natural philosophy, chemistry, rhetoric, logic, mineralogy, botany, bookkeeping, astronomy, political economy, moral phyosophy, political grammar, mensuration, trigonometry, algebra, use of globes, theory of astronomy and calculations, French, Latin, and Greek. Also, students had Scripture recitations and exercises during the afternoon of the first day of the week and passages of scripture were read every evening just before bedtime.

WAYNE TOWNSHIP – December 7, 1829, Joshua Cole, Nicholas and wife, Mary Merriman to 3rd school district. NE quarter, Sec. 19, S quarter Sec 20. (Schoolhouse is described already existing in deed.)

ISLAND CREEK TOWNSHIP – December 17, 1830, $10.00 Robert H. and wife, Blanche to directors of school district 8, Barnet McNutt, John McCarthy, Richard Cotton. Sec. 35, Twp. 3, Range 1. Recorded Feb. 23, 1831. "property to the post line of Bray’s and Tundley’s for use of a common school."

STEUBENVILLE TOWNSHIP – 1831, David and wife, $100.00 Eliza England, to 1st Associate Methodist Church, will build a meetinghouse and for school use, to board of directors, Bernard Lucas, Matthew Roberts, William Thompson, George Hull, Matthew M. Laughlin, M.E. Lucas, John Lutch, Benj. Turnbull and Alexander Sutherland, ½ lot in town of Steubenville, Wilsons and Wells Addition, lot # 284 & 84 frontage, 23 ft., on 5th St. to lot of alley.

KNOX TOWNSHIP – April 18, 1827, and recorded on October 18, 1837, $1.00, John and wife, Barbara Shelly, school district 10, German school district to William Hamilton and David Ridenous (Ridenhour/Ridenhour), NW quarter Sec. 19, Twp. 8, Range 2.

CROSS CREEK TOWNSHIP – November 25, 1837, $1.00, James Cunningham to board of trustees, John Robinson and Rowland Holmes, district 6, Center of Sec. 22, Twp. 6, Range 2, lot of land back to Cunningham or heirs when schoolhouse is or shall be removed.

ISLAND CREEK TOWNSHIP – November 15, 1837, $1.00, James Carr and Thomas Glenn to school directors, Michael Ault, John Robinson, and John Milligan, district 7, Sec. 3 & 9, Twp. 7, Range 2, south of the Cairs (Carr’s).

ROSS TOWNSHIP – May 3, 1833, William Johnson of Carroll County, to school directors, Alexander Morrison Sr., Thomas Riley Sr., and James Allen, "leading from the road Springfield to Knoxville, short distance from Johnson and Francis Morrison Sr. having on it a brick school house, 1 story high, 22 ft. length, and 20 ft. width."

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP – December 17, 1834, .25 cents, school district 6, David and wife, Jane Johnston to trustees, John Trainer, Richard Dudgon, and George Harmon, "lot in Amsterdam fronting 60 ft. west side of Main St., 120 north side of school alley as plotted on map 19, as a school lot."

SALINE TOWNSHIP – William Taggart to school district, district 2, $10.00. (More on following page.)

BRUSH CREEK TOWNSHIP – 1835, Charles and wife, Rebecca Starkey to trustees, Richard Dickey and John Alexander, school district 3, "lot of ground," SW quarter Sec. 14, Twp. 12, Range 3.

WELLS TOWNSHIP – 1838, district 6, Twp. 5, Range 2, "lot of ground," John and wife, Jane Armstrong to directors of school, Joshua Carle and D. Duvall, orginal deed dated November 4, 1818.( More on next page.)

MT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP – 1862, Sec. 24, Twp. 7, Range 3, Elisha and wife, Esther Bracken to school trustees, George Evans, William Thompson, Jesse Hall and Nathan Lipton.

CROSS CREEK TOWNSHIP - 1867, $50.00 George M. and wife Jane Warren, to board, Joseph Dunn, John Hammond, Joseph McCoy, John Stark, William McCoy, John Floyd, and John Johnston, SN quarter of Sec. 21, Twp. 6, Range 2, W side of Wintersville Jct., of Smithfield and Steubenville road.

BRUSH CREEK TOWNSHIP – 1861, $10.00, Robert and wife Martha Cooly to school board, Robert Martin, Arthur Russell, Alexander Holm, James McDonald, Joseph M. Beard and Kenneth Leman, E quarter Sec. 32, Twp. 12, Range 3.

SALINE TOWNSHIP – March 19, 1869, $100.00, David and John, wife Harriett Hunter to board members, in the town of Huntersville (now Irondale) Town, lot # 135, or school house lot of plat map for Huntersville.

WARREN TOWNSHIP – June 5, 1869, $85.00, Sam and wife, Esther Bigger, to school board, Sec. 4, Range 2, "land sold in Steubenville," 1.8th acre for school, district 9, south of Daniel Carpenter and corner of Jefferson Stringer.

SALINE TOWNSHIP - May 11, 1869, $400.00, Joseph and wife, Ruth P. Morse, her quit claim and title of dower, from Brooklyn Kings Co., New York, to board of trustees, George Glenn, Matthew Love, Jas. Lewis, John Culp and Jas. Smith, village of Hammondsville, west to Somerset. {Photo taken by Flora L. VerStraten. The Pine Grove School is located in Ross Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, near the border of Ross and Brush Creek Township. Across the road from the schoolhouse is the Pine Grove Church with outhouse and the pioneer cemetery.

SCHOOL DEEDS - Jefferson County, Ohio

WELLS TOWNSHIP – H. B. Davis to Board of Education of Wells Township. This indenture made the sixteenth day of April one thousand right hundred and fifty five, between Hezekiah B. Davis and Sarah Davis his wife of the county of Jefferson and State of Ohio…and Samuel Purviance, Chareles Dunn’s, David Carson, James Hindman, David Riddle, Columbus Kumin (?), Ira Dalrymple, Thos. F. Cox as Township board of education for twenty five dollars to then duly paid…lot parcel of land in the North East quarter of Section numbered eleven in township numbered five (5) in Range numbered two (2) beginning in the west boundary line of said quarter section east back to Riddle’s Run, thence south twelve perches to a stone in the west bank of said sec, then hence south thirty nine degrees east twenty one perches…Signed H.B Davis and Sarah Ann Davis, witnessed by David and Sarah Riddle, recorded April 23, 1855, George Beatty, recorder.

SALINE TOWNSHIP – William Taggart to School District No 2. Know all men that William Taggart and Catherine his wife…party of five deliver ten dollars to them by school district No Two, in Saline Township…certain tract of land namely a part of Section numbered five, township eight and Range two of the United States that was for sale in Wellsville, Ohio, beginning at the part from which John Laughlin’s and at the post from which a sugar is twelve inches in diameter here north two hundred and fifty…. Containing forty fourth of an acre…signed by William and Catherine Taggart, witness Richard Taggart, April 23, 1839 A.D.

WELLS TOWNSHIP – John Armstrong to Joshua Carl and D. Duvall, trustees. This indenture made the seventh day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight, between John Armstrong and Jane, his wife, of the County of Jefferson and state of Ohio, of the one part, and Joshua Carl and Dennis Duvall directors of school district No. Six in Township No. 5 and Range two in the county….in the sum of four dollars to them and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, convey, and confirm unto said Joshua Carle and Dennis Duvall and their successors in office all the following described lot of ground, lying and being in the county…being part of section no. 23, township five and range two, lying in the southwest corner of a certain tract of land containing about fifty acres conveyed until said John Armstrong by Amos Blaker by deed bearing date 4th, November 1818.

ROSS TOWNSHIP – William Johnston to Fourth School District, Ross Township. This indenture made this third day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, by and between William Johnston of County of Carroll, and state of Ohio, of the one part, and Alexander Morrison, Sr., Thomas Riley, Sr., and James Allen of the other part… grant and bestow, convey and confirm unto said Morrison, Riley, and Allen directors and to them regularly elected and qualified successors in office forever…mentioned a certain lot of ground situated and being in Jefferson County, being part of the north west quarter of Section number nineteen in Township number eleven of Range number Three of the direct of lands offered for sale at Steubenville and more described as follows, beginning at a stump close on the south side of the road leading from Springfield to Knoxville, a short distance from the line "separating" between the farms of said Johnston and Francis Morrison Sr., thence south 11 degrees east sixty feet to a post, thence north eighty five degrees east sixty feet to the place of beginning containing three thousand six hundred square feet of ground having on it a brick school house one story high twenty two feet in length and twenty feet in width erected by the directors of the district aforesaid. …and the privileges of the farms of the said Johnston and Francis Morrison as aforesaid and using out of said spring so much water as may be necessary to supply any school which may be kept in said house or on said lot to the said Alexander Morrison, Thomas Riley, and James G. Allen and three successors in office forever. In trust nevertheless to and for the use of the fourth school district in Ross township… the said directors shall keep in repair on said lot a good and sufficient school house suitable for the comfortable accommodation of a common English School and appropriate said house and all other privileges and to none other prefferance and any time directors shall abandon said lot of ground may erect another school house and hereby granted shall revest if abandoned to said Johnston or his heirs had never been made and the premises never granted. Signed, William Johnston, witness Lancelot Hearns, Robert Gilmore, before John Scarlott, acting Justice of the Peace. Recorded July the 16th, 1838, A. Sutherland, recorder.