Historical Wyoming County April 1959 - Old Fulton History

April 1959 Page 7 5
SUNDAY SCHOOL ON SUCKER BROOK (cont.)
Perry Center to get money for the horse-sheds and the little organ
which so long served the worshippers. Mr. Barber 'remarked that he
never knew of a lawsuit between any two parties in the district, an
action very common in the early days, and thought perhaps the Sunday
School and other meeti-ngs promoted this harmony. In the first few
years in the Old Red school there was only a fireplace to keep the
room warn. After that a large stove about four feet long was used
through many years0 Each scholar had to furnish a quarter of a cord
of wood for the year. In the very early years there were no houses
between the Transit and Sucker Brook; a man was treed by a bear
where was in 1922 the northwest corner of the Claude Collier farm.
He yelled until the people at the tavern at Sucker Brook corners
heard him and came with dogs and guns and treed the bear as well. In
the morning the animal was shot.
The section of Perry township known as Sucker Brook came about
from the fact that in the fearly days a great many suckers would come
up the Silver Lake Inlet during the spring freshets and were then
taken in great numbers. Sometimes as the water went down they were
left in small pools so that they could be caught with the bare hand.
One man told of catching, one in each hand and one with his teeth
that tried to jump out of danger. The area so known is included
within the region running north from West Perry towards Route 20Ao
Mr. Barber recalled some of the old tunes they used to sing at
Sunday School and prayer meetings as China Boyston, Rockingham9 Balerma,
Hamburg, Dennis, Coronation,Arael and others. George Goodale's
memories of his tenure as superintendent included the names ; of
teachers such as Mercy Calkins, Wilder Silver, Miranda Goodale, Mrs.
John Mclntyre, Mrs. Martha Foskett, Mrs. Rebecca Mclntyre, Winslow
Foskett, George Collier, Ida Watrous, Estelle Humphrey, Vinnie Watrous,
Mrs. W0 H. Buckland, and Mrs. Spring. Choirsters remembered
were Samuel Andrews, Milton Barber, Dwight Buckland, Clare Collier
and Ida- Watrous, while the organists had been Fanny Mcintyre, Mrs.
May Handy side, Ida Watrous,. Estelle. Humphrey, Dora Goodale, Nellie
Carpenter, Olive Barth and Norman Slocum. The first organ was purchased
in 1888 and used thirty years until Ablert. Watrous donated a
new instrument.
The accepted method of teaching in the pioneer days was for
scholars to commit to memory at least seven verses each week. These
sessions commenced about ^ay first and continued four months. In
time, a collection was taken and donations_made to missions and other
worthy causes. It was the custom to retain the collection for the
first Sunday of the month for home school supplies, picnics, flowers
for the sick, and other community charity. Mr. Noble Buckland,
treasurer from 1888 to 1922, reported contributions ranging from
$5.00 to $16.00 had been made on 102 occasions.
Speedy transportation, improved highways and the closing of the
single room "Red Schoolhouse"' has brought an end to most of Wyoming
County 8 s little Sabbath Schools, but. the inf luence and memory of
these institutions lingers in the memories of the older folk.. Thanks
to the help from Lewis H. Bishop, Warsaw, we have this story of the
West End School of Perryc