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Quoting from a paper written by Mrs. Annie Stewart Hughes one of the earliest settlers of Millburn she says I have a faint recollection of going to school in an old house which stood just near about the spring on Uncle Jake's field, (now Mrs. Mitchell's farm) near Mrs. Yule's house. Of a still later school., Mrs. Hughes writes: I see an old house in the field, (east of Millburn) back of Uncle Jake's house (now occupied by Peter Duncan), occupied by Captain Shatswell, his wife, and daughter. The daughter, Miss Margaret, later Mrs. Alexander-Kennedy was the teacher. The school room was a large upper room. I remember very little about the lessons or the manner of teaching, which of course was very different from the method employed today. At that time (before 1840) there were no public schools. The teachers were paid a certain sum agreed upon according to the number of children sent. I think I was about twelve years old before districts were organized and schools supported by those who had no children as well as those who had several. The most important piece of furniture in that school was a bed, in one corner, and on occassion of a thunder storm, the teacher and the more frightened children climbed on that bed, 'till it was covered. Those of us who could not get a perch on it, stood by and shivered with fright, feathers being considered a non-conductor of lightening.
Mrs. M. Spafford wrote, "I have no recollection of a log school house built at the Grub" - in 1848 when I was six years old. I went to the Grub School and it was a frame building, the seats were made of rough boards or planks that were put around the room. The location of this school was in a field just south of the present one. This a building was used until 1867 when the present one was built.
There was no money in those days so the teachers were paid in eggs, butter, potatoes and salt pork."
The frame school house erected in 1848 (?) or about 1850 was used until 1867 when the present school house was built. This building was overhauled in 1916 and brought up to present state ideas of a modern sanitary building.
Among important persons may be named Cap. John K. Pollock, who was the honored captain of the old Fighting 96th regiment of the Illinois Infantry Volunteers of the Civil War.
In later years about 1870-76 "singing schools" were held during a certain period in winter evenings, Mrs. Nottingham and Mr. G. C. Dodge (?) were teachers of these schools.
"There was a log building erected in Millburn near Robert Strang's house in the year 1840, that was used for both church and school house, and my mother, Mrs. Edward Hearne, taught the first school in the year 1841.
She had eight scholars, Capt John Pollock and his two sisters Christiana Pollock-Payne, and Ann Pollock-Coudrey; Alexander Trotter and his two sisters, Helen Trotter Strang (Aunt Helen as she was afterwards called), and Johanna Trotter-Hughes. Sally Chope and her sister, Many Ann Chope-Bullock.
There was no money in those days and mother was paid in eggs, butter, potatoes and salt pork."
The schoolhouse stood apart from other buildings among the forest trees, surrounded by the grubs that gave it the name, and we were a happy lot of youngsters that gathered there from along the many winding paths that led to it.
When I first went to school in the late forties, the house was a frame structure of one room. There was a long bench extending the full length of the south side, which was occupied by the larger girls and boys. The smaller children sat on short benches each side of the door, which was in the east end. The stove stood in front of the door, and had a pipe with one or two upright lengths, from which it ran along near the ceiling and entered the chimney at the west end. The long bench seemed to be made from a thick plank, and had wooden pegs driven into it now and again for legs to support it.
When writing time came, some one was told by the teacher to bring our writing books and ink kept in the chimney cupboard. Then those who wrote had to turn around and face the roughly built slanting desk which was fastened to the wall by pegs driven into the side of the house. It had a level strip along the top to hold the ink.
After a time our directors and patrons made some changes in the school house. The long bench was discarded and new double seats and desks were put along the North and South sides, with a nice shelf beneath for our books and slates. These seats were comfortable for two pupils. Between these rows, down the center of the room, was a row of longer seats, similar to those at the sides, but long enough to seat five or six boys. the back seat extended across the west end, on each side of the chimney cupboard, making a fine seat for some boy on either side of the chimney, where were the only two single desks in the room. The girls sat on the south side and the boys filled the rest of the room. No entries were made for our wraps and dinner pails but as before, we hung the wraps high on the south wall and put our pails under our seats. We were very happy that a well was dug, and a chain pump put on, so we did not have to go so far for water.
And our books! such books! They seemed to have been gathered from all available ones in the district. The spellers, however, and perhaps some others were newly bought. I had a leather bound sixth reader which had come with our parents from their Massachusetts home. It was much too far advanced for my reading, then, thought I have no doubt we would have enjoyed it later.