Education in Grant County
Generously transcribed and submitted by Nancy Bray, thanks Nancy!

Source:  The Grant County News, Footsteps of the Past, Thursday, October 22, 1998.
Compiled by John Conrad - reprinted with his permission; thanks John!

EDUCATION

The Williamstown Graded School, A long step forward
A splendid board of trustees
and an efficient corps of teachers in charge

The board of Trustees that was elected in 1887 consisted of Captain A. G. DeJarnette, Tim Needham, R. H. Elliston, N.H. Tully and W. G. Cram.  As their terms have expired they have been re-elected and no change has been made in the organization.  Six better men for the place could not have been selected from the entire district.

President A. G. DeJarnette is one of the ablest lawyers in Northern Kentucky.  He was born in Owen County September 22, 1841.  His parents moved to Grant County when he was quite young, at the age of eighteen he entered Kentucky University, but returned home at the close of the first year on account of sickness.  In 1862, he entered the Confederate Army as a private in Company G. Fifth Kentucky Calvalry.  At Nelson's Cross Roads, in one of the first engagements of the Company, he was severely wounded in the left arm and permanently disabled.  After the war, he re-entered the Kentucky University and graduated from the law department in 1869.  Immediately thereafter he begun the practice of his profession at Williamstown and for the past twenty years has been one of the leading members of the bar.  In 1880 he was elected Commonwealth's Attorney on the Democratic ticket for the Eleventh judicial district, he served six years and won a splendid reputation as a fearless prosecutor.  In 1869 he married Miss Alice Elliston, daughter of Joseph T. and Marie Elliston.  Four children have been born to them all of whom will reap the benefits to be derived from the Graded School.  Mr. DeJarnette is not only a good lawyer, but a safe and successful business man.  He services on the board of trustees have been invaluable.  He is a director in the Bank of Williamstown and Oddfellow and a member of the Baptist church and withal a good citizen neighbor and friend.

Treasurer Tim Needham was a "sucker" boy by birth, having been ushered into his troublesome world in Cumberlain County, Ill., May 28, 1842 being within a few months of the same age of President DeJarnette.  He is the fifth child of a family of eleven children, born to P. S. and Rebecca Needham.  His parents removed to Hardin County, Kentucky, in his early boyhood where he was raised receiving his education at the common schools of the neighborhood.  He commenced teaching when 16 years old.  Studied law and was admitted to the bar at Elizabethtown in 1864, afterwards attended and graduated at the Louisville Law School.  From 1869 to 1878 Mr. Needham  practiced law, was Secretary and Treasurer of the I. O. of G. T. and editor of the Good Templars Advocate at Louisville.  October 3 of the latter year he married Miss Kate Smith, daughter of the late Hon E. H. Smith and Sallie C. Smith; one child has blessed the Needham home - Hubbard S. who is a bright student in the Intermediate department of the Graded School.  From 1878 to 1882 Mr. Needham practiced law as a partner of Mr. Smith, in the latter year accepting the position of cashier of the Bank of Williamstown, which position he yet holds.  In 1887 he was elected to a seat in the Legislature.  He served his term and won considerable reputation as a profound thinker and forcible debater, and had the credit of introducing and passing one of the most important general laws on the statute books of Kentucky; the Graded Free School Bill, by which any district can avail itself of the privileges of the Graded School system.  Last August Mr. Needham was elected State Senator from this senatorial district, and is a probable candidate for re-election.  Mr. Needham is a natural born lawyer, a profound and original thinker, an able speaker, a live energetic citizen, and a gentleman of ability culture and rare accomplishments.  His moral character is high and his manners modest and unassuming.  He is a member of the Methodist Church and an Oddfellow.  He is one of the largest taxpayers in Graded School district, but notwithstanding that fact, he has been unselfishly devoted to the school's interest.

Secretary R. H. Elliston is a Grant County boy.  He was born near Elliston Station January 26, 1852, and is the oldest child of a family of seven children born to Hiram and Elizabeth Elliston.  His father's ancestry were Virginians, his mother's people emigrated to Kentucky form Tennessee.  Mr Elliston received a more than ordinary education.  Attending school at Lebanon, Ohio one year, and the Kentucky University for two years.  He has always been an omnivores reader and is considered authority on all literary subjects.  It was Mr. Elliston's intention when he finished his education to study the profession of law, with that object in view he purchased law books and became a very diligent disciple of Blackstone.  About this time, without having made a canvass or given the matter any thought, he was nominated by the Democratic Party for the office of County Clerk of Grant County.  In August 1874 he was elected by a large majority to that position and was re-elected in 1878.  He was one of the best Clerks the county has ever had, his records being a marvel of neatness. After his entrance into political life he abandoned the study of law.  When his term of office expired he engaged in mercantile pursuits as the head of the firm of R. H. Elliston & Co.  Elliston  & Co. are the largest dealers in hardware, lumber and undertaking between Cincinnati and Lexington.  His career as a businessman has been extremely successful.  In 1877 he was united in marriage to Miss Clara Willis, of Brooksville, Ky.  Of several children born to them, only one Will R. is now living.  As Secretary of the Board of Trustees and supervisor of the construction of the school building he has borne more than his share of the labor of getting the school on foot.  At the present time, he is with his family at Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he hopes to recuperate the failing health of his wife.  He is a director in the Bank of Williamstown and of the Grant County Building Loan and Savings Association, and Oddfellow, a Mason and a member of the Baptist Church.

Trustee Willard G. Cram was born August 24, 1819 in Cohos Township, Niagara County, and State of New York.  When he was a small child, his father removed from New York to Kentucky and settled in Kenton County, near Independence.  When the subject of this sketch was six years of age his father died leaving his mother with but small means upon which to rear her orphan children.  As soon as he was old enough he was hired out to tobacconist to stem tobacco and when he was fifteen years of age he was hired out by the month to Thomas Bird, a highly respected citizen and a good farmer with whom he remained until he was of age, his mother receiving his wages.  Arriving of age he struck out in the world to seek his fortune with not capital, but a clear head, stout heart and indomitable will and untiring energy, determined to succeed.  On the 10th day of November 1846 he was married to Miss Maria McDonnald of near Independence, of this marriage there has been eleven children born, six sons and five daughters, all of whom are living.  In the autumn of 1850, he purchased a farm in Pendleton County this State and locating on it engaged largely in farming, stock raising and stock trading, in which county he continued to reside until 1885, when he removed to where he now lives near Williamstown.  He has been very successful in business having accumulated a handsome fortune and has been very lucky in the usual acceptation of the term, yet he never trusted luck for the success of his business, but with clear head to plan, a sound judgement to manage and direct and timely and untiring energy to execute, he made his own luck.  In politics he has been a life long and uncompromising Democrat.  A Democrat from conviction, his two brothers both older than he, being old line Whigs, he never scratched or failed to vote the regular Democratic ticket, except for a short season during the late unpleasantness when Democrats were not allowed to vote.  He cast his first vote for president in 1840 for Martin Van Buren.  When the war came on he sympathized with the South and in consequence thereof was on the 24th day of August 1862 arrested and conveyed to Camp Chase, where he was held in durance vile until the middle of December of the same year.  He has never sought or held office.  He has always liberally supported both private and public schools and churches and when the Graded Schol question was being agitated he gave it his hearty and unqualified support, although he had no children within school age and would if the school were established become the largest tax payer in the district.  His Graded School tax is $120 per year the largest in the district by $40. 09.  A levelheaded businessman, a skillful and successful financier; he is broad and liberal in his views, yet conservative and is a stranger to old fogyism, keeping abreast of the times.  He is a stockholder in the Grant County Deposit Bank and has several times been a director.

Trustee N. H. Jeffers was born in Scott County in March 1838.  His father, Thomas Jeffers, was a native Kentuckian and traced his lineage back to Virginia.  His mother Isabelle Finley Jeffers was of Scotch extraction.  There were five children in the Jeffers family, three of whom are now living.  Mr. Jeffers obtained his education at the common schools of the neighborhood.  He came to Grant County before he obtained his majority.  In 1862 he was elected by the Republican Party Circuit Court Clerk and filled the position to the satisfaction of his constituents for six years.  From 1869 to 1873 he was engaged in the revenue service as first Assistant Assessor.  From 1873 to the present time he has been engaged in the dry goods and clothing business.  He has at all times, been honest and honorable in his business and has been fairly successful, and has accumulated considerable property.  In 1862 he was married to Isabella Dills.  To them four children have been born only two of whom are now living.  Mr. Jeffers is known throughout the country for fair dealing and honest business methods.  He is thoroughly devoted to the interest of the Graded School and has given much of his time and attention to it.  He with his family is a member of the Christian Church.

Trustee H. H. Tully has been devoted to the interest of the Graded School.  For the past year it has almost been his meat and drink.  Hardly a day has passed in that time that he has not been at the school building watching its progress and carefully supervising the work as it progressed.  Mr. Tully is the only one of the six trustees who was born in Williamstown, his birth place being the old McManama homestead adjoining the Graded School grounds.  His natal day was May 23, 1840.  His father Wesley Tully, was a native of Delaware and an Irishman, his grandfather was a native of the Emerald Isle, and wore the true Irish name of Patric Tully.  His mother, Casandria Arnold Tully was the daughter of a Virginian.  There were eleven children in the Tully family of which Harrison was the sixth.  Mr. Tully although nearly 51 years old has never lived outside of the Williamstown Graded School District.  His education was obtained at the common schools of the town, except one term at the Commercial College of Cincinnati.  In 1866 he was nominated and elected by the Democrats of Grant County, to the office County Court Clerk, in which capacity he served for a full term of four years.  He was trustee of the jury fund for fifteen or twenty years.  He has always been engaged in farming and stock raising, and for a number of years was a handler of tobacco, shipping to the Cincinnati markets.  January 9, 1866 he married Miss Belle Cleek.  To them three children have been born Dr. Lee H. Tully, of Louisville, and Robert and Evart Tully.  Mr. Tully was selected by the board of trustees to act in conjunction with Mr. R. H. Elliston as supervisor of the school building.  Owing to sickness in the family of Mr. Elliston, he was able to act but a short time and nearly the entire work of the supervision fell to Mr. Tully's lot.  The building is now complete and the school is in successful operation but he can be seen about the grounds and building almost every day looking after everything that needs attention.

Perhaps the most difficult task that has confronted the Trustees since their organization was the selection and employment of principal and teachers.  That they made an excellent choice is attested by the present success.  Only four teachers, a principal and three assistants were employed for the current term.

Professor I. G. Robinson, principal of the school, was born in Clark County, Kentucky, May 28, 1856.  He was the eldest of three sons of Butler Robinson and Emma Jackson Robinson.  Their ancestors were natives of Virginia and were of Scotch-Irish decent.  There was no royal road to education for Professor Robinson.  After obtaining a good common school education, he commenced teaching, and taught five months in each year and attended college five months, until he had spent parts of four years at the Kentucky University and parts of two years at the Kentucky Classical and Business college at North Middletown Kentucky, where he finished the natural sciences, mathematics, English, Latin, Greek, to the senior year, also a normal course under a graduate of the National University of Lebanon, Ohio.  Since 1878 he has been continually engaged in teaching.  He was first assistant of the Winchester Graded Public school, when he was placed in the principal's chair and held the position for six years, which in itself is a great recommendation.  For a number of years he was a member of the board of county examiners, and for two terms held the position of County Superintendent of schools of Clark County.  He has the strongest of recommendations from the citizens of Winchester as to his proficiency as a teacher, his abilities as a disciplinarian, and his high standing as a gentleman morally and socially.  October 23, 1884 he was united in marriage to Miss Mollie Haggard, of Clark County.  Mr. Robinson has charge of the high school department besides exercising a general supervision of the other departments.  He is quiet, unassuming and even-tempered and maintains the most perfect discipline in the schoolroom.  As long as the Williamstown Graded  Free School is presided over by a man with as much ability as a teacher as Professor Robinson its success is assured.

  Miss Viola Moore, a native of Pendleton County, has charge of the preparatory department.  She is a graduate of the academic school course of the Falmouth Academy.  She was a private student in the collegiate course for two years.  She is also a normal graduate having taken a course at Eminence, Kentucky and Lebanon, Ohio.  She makes high school work and finishing course in the preparatory department a specialty.  As a teacher of English literature and general history she has a few equals.  She has taught in the preparatory department of the Butler Graded School, Morgan School, and Falmouth Graded School, and has also filled with ability the position of principal of the Falmouth Academy.  From all these places she has the highest testimonials of her worth as teacher, and a disciplinarian.  For eight years she was a member of the board of examiners for Pendleton County.  She is very fond of journalism, being a regular contributor to a number of periodicals.  She has 52 pupils enrolled in her room.

Mrs. Josephine Reed has charge of the intermediate department, and is a scholarly and a successful teacher.  Her maiden name was O'Hara and Owen County was the place of her birth.  She received her education at the Cincinnati public schools and later graduated at Ursaline Convent, Brown County, Ohio.  She is thoroughly competent to teach and stood one of the best examinations, before the Grant County Board of Examiners, that has come under the notice of the board in the last half dozen years.  This is her first public school, but she taught a successful private school in Williamstown last fall and winter.

Miss Sallie Pettit has charge of the primary department and is one of the most successful teachers in Grant County.  She is a native of Campbell County and the daughter of a Baptist  preacher.

She attended Walnut Hill Academy and graduated at Moores Hill College, Indiana.  She also attended and graduated at Dearborn Normal College.  She has taught in Indiana, in the Falmouth Academy for four years and three years in Williamstown.  Her reputation among the people of Williamstown as a teacher of decided  ability is well established.  The curriculum of the Graded School embraces mathematics, the sciences, literature, Greek and Latin to the senior college year.  There is no place in the world where a better free school education can be obtained.  Persons who live outside of the district can send their children to the school by the payment of a reasonable tuition.  Anyone seeking a location for the purpose of educating their children should not over look our town.

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