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The first efforts toward enlightening the minds of the young and drilling them in the way they should go was brought about by the feeble but fruitful effort of Lucinda, widow of Thomas Jones. She was better known by her maiden name, Lucinda Burnham. She procured a subscription and taught a school of a few scholars about 1823, in a log hut that stood on the present site of Pleasant Hill Cemetery. George Pike, an early settler in the vicinity, and Erom New Jersey, followed farming and teaching school. He taught in the same cabin as his predecessor, but not until about 1826. The cabin was of the rudest kind—round poles or logs, chinked with split sticks, and plastered with mud, greased paper drawn over openings to admit the light, a huge fire place, puncheon floor, slab writing desks and seats, which would present to view a wonderful contrast if compared with the modern built and furnished ones of thie latter quarter of the nineteenth century. It was generally the case, in those days, that the man whose abilities were superior to the most illiterate rustic, could, if he gained the sympathy and confidence of the people, and their support, teach a subscription school; but in this Jefferson Township may feel proud of not having to own. In 1826 or 1827, one of the best of citizens, viz., Samuel Sexton—who was a man of considerable ability, and above all, a gentleman—began teaching. At this time, Mr. Sexton was a widower, and. having a double log house, he obtained subscription and taught a session or two in one room of his dwelling. In this school, Abraham, Cyntha, Abner, Rhoda, Mary, Lewis, Martin and Catharine Johnson, Jacob Gates, Henry Penny and a few others whose name we have been unable to obtain, were taught.
About 1830 or 1831, there was a better and more comfortable school building erected, and probably the first real schoolhouse in the township. It was built just west of the present residence of Mary Vickers, which was used until the year 1836, when a frame building succeeded it, but located in the village of Jefferson. The schools of those days were vastly different from the present ones. Whilst we have our rooms ornamented with charts, maps and globes, the most prominent ornament in those days was a good supply of beech withes, which were used for purpose that teachers now overcome by moral suasion. The earliest records of the township, if any were kept, have been lost, and the earliest dates and statistics we can accurately give are in the year 1840, when we find there were seven districts, with a State tax of $217, and local tax of $157.28, total of $374.28, which was proportional to the enumeration divided among the several districts, as follows: District No. 1, with thirty-two pupils, $29.94; No. 2, with forty-nine pupils, $45.85; No. 3, with forty-eight pupils, $44.91; No. 4, with 101 pupils, $94.50; No. 5, with twenty-six pupils, $24.33; No. 6, with ninety-eight pupils, $91.70; No. 7, with forty-six pupils, $43.05; total number of pupils, 400; total cash. $374.28—making an average of nearly 94 cents public fund annually to each pupil in the township.
From this onward, we find schools more numerous and qualifications of teachers better, until now they have eleven schoolhouses in the township, and generally supplied with either a graduate of some good normal school, or a self-made teacher of determined will. The houses are all brick save one, principally new, of modern style and furniture, and good schools are maintained. There are, however, four fractional districts, viz.: No. 8, which is formed from Jefferson, Monroe and Deer Creek; No. 3 is formed from Fairfield and Jefferson, and No. 1 is formed from Canaan and Jefferson. The Board of Education is composed of eleven members, viz.: No. 1, L. C. Alder; No. 2, Philip Durflinger; No. 3, Joshua Truitt; No. 4, Abner Jobnson; No. 5, Isaac H. Hambleton; No. 6, D. S. Conklin; No. 7, S. K. King; No. 8, John Seaman; No. 9, J. M. Wilson; No. 10, E. B. Haynes; No. 11, Owen Harbage. The last named is President of the Board. The frame building previously mentioned in Jefferson was succeeded, in 1845, by an academy, which Jeremiah Olney was instrumental in organizing. The institution was conducted by a stock company, but soon failed to meet their expectations and sank into oblivion as an enterprise such as it was intended, but not until 1856 was the building bought by the School Board from Horace Putman, who had bought it of Olney. We are led to believe that about this time Jefferson was set apart as a special school district, and the building last mentioned served the district until 1868, when a new and handsome brick was completed, at a cost of $17,000, including grounds and furniture. The building is two-story, 50x72 feet, contains six rooms, and a large hall, 25x50. The schools are in a good condition, and superintended by Prof. F. Pearson, with four assistants. The School Board is Jacob McNeal, Dr. J. N. Beach, Dr. J. T. Colliver, John E. Roberts, Eugene Babb and J. J. Booth, the last named being Clerk of the Board.