Revolution to Civil War (1800-1870)

History of the Locust Grove School

Initial construction details for the Locust Grove Schoolhouse are unclear. In an 1816 deed of Indenture, male inhabitants of East Marlborough, West Bradford, and Pennsbury Townships created what would later become the Locust Grove School. The initial parcel of land was given for the cost of 1 cent each year for 99 years from William Cloud. This deed supports the belief that the Locust Grove Schoolhouse was built that year on the newly deeded land.

Student Profiles

The Locust Grove Schoolhouse records include attendance books from 1855 through 1874 and years 1887 through 1893. Only the years 1860 and 1870 feature both attendance and census records; these documents together can be used to learn a little about the Locust Grove Schoolhouse students and their families. Looking at these documents for both census years, 1860 and 1870, we can see how Locust Grove Schoolhouse families grew and changed.  

Mary Gillen

Some students were first generation Americans.

Mary Gillen

Born: ca. 1852
Race: White
Ethnicity: Irish (both parents born in Ireland)
Student in 1860 through 1870

Edward Parker Griffith

Some student’s parents had unique jobs.

Edwin Griffith (Edward Parker Griffith)

Born: ca. 1852
Race: White
Student in 1857 to 1866

Class Profiles

The Locust Grove Schoolhouse attendance records capture different information each year. Sometimes progress and content are included, sometimes race and age, and in the early books, the occupations of parents. For every year, days absent and days attended are recorded, as well as the student’s first and last name and gender. Here is a snapshot of the class in 1860, 1870 and 1890.

Locust Grove Class in 1860

Census records indicate 112 households and 601 people lived in Pocopson Township in 1860. In January of that year, Locust Grove School had 36 students enrolled. Attendance was variable though, because there were no mandatory attendance laws; some days during the month, 15 students attended school, while other days, there were 32 students in class. The average attendance during the month was 26 students. There were eight white female students, six African American male students, and 22 white male students. The attendance book this year does not record ages.

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