Barkers of Branford: Llew & Board of Ed-"Having Some Trouble" I

The following is an excerpt from the book .It is available for $30 at the Blackstone Library in Branford. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com

The new school year began in 1895 In Branford. Llewellyn Barker's four daughters were headed off to school in Branford but a problem arose. Llewellyn (Llew) tells us in his diary.

“The children began school Venia’s class was ordered in town. I object to it as she is not old enough yet & we are having some trouble. Went up to see Dr Gaylord about the schools” 9/9/1895

“Came home at noon saw Mill Plains teacher Miss Robbins . After shop went up again to see Dr. Gaylord. Did not see him”9/10/1895

The new high school (see photo) on Laurel Street (current site of police station) set a domino effect in motion throughout the district for both staff and students. Eldest daughter Venia, age eleven, was to fill an empty seat at the Center School left by a move to the high school. Why should his eleven year old daughter have to walk two miles to school when there was a perfectly good one right across the street on Mill Plain.

He had two meetings with school board member C. W. Gaylord, MD, who was also the Acting School Visitor (part-time district administrator predating school superintendents). He also met with Venia’s teacher Miss Martha Robins and finally with Dr Zink, chairman of the school board.

“I went up to see Dr Zink about our school at Mill Plain which they have declaired a Primary School only & which I declair shall not be” 9/11/1895

Apparently, this meeting with Dr. Zink did not go well.

Things escalated the second week. Llewellyn wrote a letter to the entire school board and sought the support of other parents. He found that Miss Robbins too had strong opinions about the matter and were quite opposite his own. “She is mad”, he reported. The previous year, Miss Robbins taught 33 students from ages 4 to 16 in the one-room schoolhouse (see Mill Plain class photo). She had a few surprises in store for him the following day.

“I went up to Short Rocks and found Miss Robbins had been up the night before and induced Mrs Linsley not to let her boy go to school at Mill Plain" 9/19/1895

Photos courtesy of Branford Historical Society_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ted Braun's book “The Barkers of Branford: Life in America Through a Local Lens” is available for $30 at the Blackstone Library in Branford. Details at www.BarkersOfBranford.com