History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

482 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
was Mrs. Edward Bates, in Hip years 1740-174-3.
Deacon Andrew Spaulding was a teacher in 1739,
1742, and 1754. John Abbot first appears iu this
vocation in 1747, and continued in it for many
years.
In 1741 the town voted to raise £100, Old
Tenor, — £40 for schools, and the remainder for
town debts and charges. Tiiis was a very liberal
proportion for schools. Under the law of 1647
every town having one hundred families was re-
quired to maintain a grammar school in which the
teacher should be competent to fit young men for
the university. On the first ta.v-list of 1730 are
the names of eighty-seven tax-payers ;
hence there
were less than one hundred families at that time.
But this number was soon reached, for in 1748 the
number of tax-payers was one hundred and forty,
and the town was under obligation to have a grammar
school. December iJ5, 17uO, the town paid
Thomas Read, Esq. "for what nuiiiey he expended
in going to court to answer to tiie ])resentment
against tiie town for not having a grammar school
last summer." It does not appear from the
records, however, that any grammar school was
maintained until 1752, when Mr. Azariah Faxon
was employed. Mr. Faxon taught in the first
part, or centre, and in the fourtii part, or squad-
ron. He was a graduate of Harvard College in
1752, and was probably the first grammar-scliool
teacher in Westford.
From this time forward the records occasionally
mention the gr.ammar-school master, and it is fair
to infer that the school was sustained according to
law. It ajjpears also that the town gave a hearty
and generous support to all tlic pulilic seliools.
In 1787 the town voted to build .-clidol-liouses.
Previous to this time the schools were kept in jiri-
vatc ronnis. One was lan-dit in llic old -;ii-rison-
house in Forge Vilhig.', oeeupied nol
since by Jonathan Prcscoli. il u;is
1870, being the last of ils .iiss lo
The school-district svslcm ni Mass.chi
into oprral ion in 1 7811, and was uliolislird ni
^'I'l"
all. I- a ll-i;;! ofridilv vrars. The several v,|Ua:
^uyv Ih.n convrrlrd' into dislrirls Willi nm
alla.'hi
at all, wi
The sum appropii;,!,
•ly .l;,\s udl nol Millrr ni
Ion