Oak Grove Academy Reunion, 1909
transcribed and contributed by Susan Langheld (date unidentified)
Newspaper: Journal & Herald
Date: 05/28/1909
OAK GROVE ACADEMY REUNION
JUNE 3, 1909
The Journal and Banner on Tuesday announced that the students of Oak Grove Academy would hold their annual reunion in this city on Homecoming Day during the fair, but this was incorrect. The publication was based on misinformation, due to a misunderstanding, and no one regrets it more than the gentleman who gave us the information. But the reunion will be held in this city on next Thursday, June 3 and dinner will be served at the hotel Artz. A feature of the meeting will be the reading of the report of the school, students, classes, etc. prepared by Col. T.M. Burkett, the principal, before his death . There will be a memorial session for Col. Burkett and other deceased members.
Col. Burkett report, for a copy of which are indebted to Editor B.L. Heartsill of Dalton Argus, is as follows:
To the surviving members of school who attended “old Oak Grove Academy” at Cleveland, TN in the first half of the year 1861:
I beg you to say that since our very pleasant meeting on the fourth of June last, I have found a school record that I kept of said school and for your information, and pleasure, I hope, I make you the following report from said record.
The school was organized on Tuesday , January 1, 1861: we had school on the first, second and third days of January. Those days were probably devoted to organization and classification, as no grades were kept during those days, and no record made as to attendance . On Friday, the fourth day of January there was no school session; it was a day of fasting and prayer, appointed by the State Churches, and probably had reference to the political conditions, which were grave and threatening.
This daily record of grades in deportment and efficiency in classes began on Monday, January 7. On that day there was in the school pupils and students, numbering fifty- eight as follows:
| Marcelino Guerra Wm. O. White Wm. L. Pickens Wm. McMillin John H. Reynolds V. M. Campbell Wm. B. Campbell David S. Cooper Lou A. Marsh John Marsh Frank T. Hardwick Joseph H. Hardwick Chas. A. Middlecoff H. W. L. Middlecoff John C. Legg Thos. P. McMillin Wm. E. Russell Alfred A. Russell Wm. Shields John E. Shields |
Wm. S. Edwards Jas. F. Campbell Jas. T. Turnble Sam S. Edwards John Ross Gus A. Craigmiles John T. Henderson Alvin Beegles J.D. Kenner E.S. Kenner Gus A. Cate Geo. M. Beeler John L. Tibbs Joel F. Johnson Julius Knabe Gus R. Knabe Wm. S. Bowers Mar. Calloway Jas. S. Beegles E. B. F. Beegles |
Thos. A. Cowan John P. Davis Wm. D. Traynor Arthur Traynor Jas. P. Traynor Sam C. Parks John T. Edwards John T. Simmons Geo. W. Dethridge Dave Dethridge M.S. Beegles Jas. S. Montgomery Rush Montgomery Bois Montgomery Joseph P. Lea Jas. Lea Geo. Lea A.J. Goodner |
To be accurately correct, there were only fifty-six students and pupils in the school on Monday morning, the 7th of January. The record shows that J.D. Kenner and E.S. Kenner, who had evidently been present the week before on the seventh, were both at home sick. On Monday the 14th of January, a week later we had three new pupils Viz:
J.R. Cooper
Joseph Osment
Thos. Pasley
And on the 9th, being a week later , we had four new students , viz:
Sam Keebler
Perry Keebler
Will L. Cate
James Hague
It appears from the record that L. A. Camp was only in school one day, and his name is hardley right on our roll. From time to time other entries were made as follows:
| Ringgold McNeely John Hauge Frank Osment C. C. Davis Sam Brown W. L. McSpadden John Brown Joseph Worley |
W. S. Beckner Henry Trim J. F. Leeper Wm. Tibbs L. A. Camp Richard Cate P. C. Coffman Wm. Payne |
John Payne Lawrence Payne Dave Strawley Wm. Parker Cal Parker Brad Parker J. K. P. Clingan |
Our school was organized on the first day of January, We had good attendance, the first number increasing through January, February and March. Later the war excitement grew high, troops were passing Cleveland going to Virginia; war speeches and anti-war speeches were being made at the court house; everybody was excited, and the students were quitting school, till on Friday the 31st of May we had about twenty-five students in school.
On Monday, the third of June school was organized and in session, and think we kept up a show of “keeping school” through out the following week. And that Monday the 10th.
There was no school after that there may have been none after the third of June, the teacher like his school, had gone to pieces, and his school reports were not kept in the month of June.
The school may have been dismissed on the evening of the third of June, but I think it was on the evening of the 10th when we adjourned without delay.
Respectfully Submitted T.M. Burkett Teacher.