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Archiver > BOZEMAN > 1998-07 > 0900562158


From: henry teer< >
Subject: [BOZEMAN-L] 2/13 resent
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 00:09:18 EDT


* Every effort has been made to faithfully transcribe the
original . Misspellings and grammatical errors are not removed in this
transcription from the original.

The finance committee of Mt. Bethel reported in February , 1849
that an impasse had been reached in dealing with Bozeman: ". . . the
committee has had an interview with Bro. Bozeman in reference to a
settlement with him for the meeting house and we find that he positively
refuses to give us as much as five acres of land as was understood by the
church and even what he does agree to give he' says that the line must
run close by the church door thereby depriving us of any front. Your
committee therefore wishing to avoid confusion and difficulties would
respectfully suggest the propriety of looking at a more suitable place
and building a new house. " Wm. C. Randle, Chairman (45)

The impasse was resolved by September 22, 1849, when Mt. Bethel
decided to accept " . . . 4 acres of 1and deeded by Michael Bozeman to
Mt. Bethel church west of the graveyard (46 )where the church now stands
also one acre for a common Burying Ground the lines of which are hereby
to be run out by the committee of finance for that and other purposes and
to act with Michael Bozeman."(47) Local and family tradition verifies
that Michael Bozeman gave land near his homestead to be used as a
community cemetary. Many early settlers, as well as Bozemans and their
decendants are buried here. Many graves are unidentifiable; early
markers of wood or fieldstone have disappeared. Slaves were undoubtedly
buried here, and family tradition holds that a number of Confederate
casulties from the Civi'l War skirmish at Greenville are also buried
here. (48) Finding the area lacking in any establishment of learning
distressed Michael who had been illiterate himself until his wife, Lucy,
had taught him to read and write in the early days of their marriage.
(49) He became a devoted reader and supporter of education. His growing
family needed the benefits of the forma1 education he had missed.
Nancy, his oldest daughter, was sent to Springhill Academy near Hope,
Arkansas. (50) She was in attendance there in 1845 when she was 14 years
old . In a letter to her father she complained to having to write him
every Sunday and having " . . . . not any news to write you She
mentions being in a Sunday school which had 64 scholars. She a1so wrote,
"Pa you stated in your other 1etter that there was so much bad grammar
in my other 1etter that you was ashamed of it. I wish you to excuse me
for I did not have time to write it correctly . (51) And she concludes
with a P. S., "Oh, Pa here is one thing that I come very near forgetting
to write you about the account at the storeI think it is about 14
dollars."(52)

Nancy returned home , married W . B . Ross and died in giving
birth to 'their only child, William Peeples Ross, February 1, 1847.
Michael mourned her loss for years. On May 27, 1848 , he wrote to
Harriet Bozeman who was attending school in Tennessee, " . . . . . I
often look upon the spo t in the room where I saw her last saw her sweet
smiling face that so often greeted me as her earthly parent then I
retire to the spot where her body was deposited in the silent grave and
in spite of me I find the tear stealing down my cheek but I weep for one
that I doted on and one that I never can forget."(53)

On July 27, 1848 Michael wrote to Harriet of Nancy's son:"Little
Willis (is) running all about playful speaks some and plain he is a
sweet littl e boy loves to ride a horse as well as his mother did."
(54) The child's doting father, W. B. Ross, visited him twice a week and
wrote to Harri et in January 22 , 1848 " now for 1ittle Bill he
grows very fast has a mouth full of teeth, and the little rascal is
learning to walk and as soon as he walks I will 1earn him to play the
violin." (55)

William Peeples Ross remained with his grandparents until
manhood. His Grandfather Bozeman provided him with a common school
education". He served with Honor in the Civil War and became a
prominent citizen and landowner in Clark County. (56)

In 1847 Michael-and a number of interested neighbors including
three of the Rosses, J. J. Osborn, Dr. W.P. McClure, Rufus Stinnett and
Gray S. Manning decided to build a school. It was named Oakland Academy
and was reputed to be the "first schoo1 in the county, made of boards,
painted and having glass windows".(57) Its location changed, but
itremained in operation until 1946 when it was consolidated with Gurdon
Public Schools. (58) The building it occupied is no longer standing.
The first term of school at Oakland was a short one during the Fall of
1847. Mr. Stevenson, a preacher from
Louisville, Kentucky (59) whom Michael had hired was the first
teacher. He boarded with the elder Mr. Ross while serving the school.
(60) All Michael's children then living at home, except Cordelia who
was only five, attended this first session. (61) She started school in
February, 1848 (62) It is notable that Michael felt education equally
important for his daughters as well as for his son.

By the following January, 1848 the number of scholars had grown
to 40 and J. M. Gilkey, Mr. Stevenson's nephew had come to assist
with.the teaching. (63) The classes offered included grammar,
arithmetic, reading, writing and spelling.(64, 65) During the next
session music, composition, declamation and latin were added to the
curriculum. Beginning in February, 1848, Sunday school was conducted by
the Academy's faculty which prompted James F. Bozeman to write his sister
Harriet that he went to. Sunday school "every Sunday of my life".(66)
Oakland Academy had several problems common to the early small rural
school. Students were often late in arriving for the beginning of a
session or forced to leave before the end of a session due to their
parents needed for them on thefarm. It was diffucult to get books.
Latin class was conducted verbally. James wrote, "if we had our latin
readers we could go to reading latin very easily." (67) Many of the
youthful (and some not so youthful) scholars lived so far from the school
that they were boarded at the homes of those living closer.. The Bozemans
had four boarding scholars in July, 1848 (68), one of them old enough to
be addressed as "Mr." Gentry by 12 year old James. (69) Oakland Academy's
daily schedule isn't known except the school opened with singing led by
Mr. Stevenson (70) and that writing class was conducted between 11 and12
o'clock each day (71)
Mr. Stevenson was concerned with the religious as well as the academic
welfare of his students.In September, 1848, he gave the scholars a week
vacation so that they might attend a protracted camp meeting on the
"other side of the river". (72)

At the close of the first regular session "examinations' of the
scholars were conducted in a public ceremony. Of this Michael wrote:
"The Examinations of our Academy has just closed its first 5 months
session it was highly satisfactory to allthere was on the last day a fine
dinner given and between two and three hundred people were presentyour
Brother stood a good examination acted out his part in dialogs
well I delivered the address in my feeble manner. I had but a few days
to prepare myself the Music department in the school I am astonished
at the progress that has been made in so short a time and you would be if
you were to see and hear 50 of our little juveniles drawn up and hear
them sing and keep time Our teacher has returned to Louisville and
Cincinatti for a few weeks to visit different Academys so as to better
conduct ours he is a very energetic man there is very strong talk of
extending our building and
establishing a female department you must recollect when you come home
you will have rivals here as well as elsewhere there (is) more of the
spirit of Education than ever has ben here before." (73)

Two months later he again.wrote of the.school: "On next Monday
our School commences again with renewed vi1igence by both Teachers Our
School is restricted to 60 scholars but there is application for more
than can be taken and we. Have some talk of building again or an addition
and obtaining a Female Teacher if the same feeling continues to grow in
one year from this time we shall have male and female deportement taught
here I hope that such may be the case but' you must make allowances for
Arks." (43)

During the same time that Oakland Academy was becoming
established (1847-1848) Michael 's oldest living daughter, Mary Harriet,
only fourteen, was in Columbia, Tennessee, attending the "Institute" run
by Rector and Mrs. Smith which she had entered afterthe Fall session of
1847 began. (75) She expected to spend 3 years there before returning
home, but it isn't known if that goal was accomplished. (76, 77) It
was a difficult separation. Michae1 wrote to Harriet: "Your Mother
sheds many tears when you are spoken of she never talks of you but she
crys." (78) Michael's letters to his daughter reveals his high
goals for her, " O, that you may use every effort to accomplish the
Great object of my desire- that is
wisdom's high ways with a dignifyd female character." (79) "O, Harriet
come home at the end of 3 years over the mediocracy of young ladies of
this country . . . . . expand all the powers of your mind let your
deportement be in every way discreet-"(80) He often extolled her to " .
. . stand at the head of your
class." 81) and to not "be surpassed by any". (82)He concerned himself
also with her religious welfare, suggesting that she ask God to direct
her and "cultivate Christian virtues (83) He cautioned her to avoid
idlenesseven during summer vacation periods by reading and studying. (84,
85)He concerned himself
with all aspects of her scholastic life, her teachers, friends choice of
reading material as well as her Examinations and reports. His letters
also reflectthe usual parental concern about spending and reveal that her
total expenses were $130 for four months, (86), $312 for 9 months and
that if she didn't
practice-economy, her three years would end up costing him a thousand
dollars. (87)
Michael had agreed to write Harriet every three weeks; she was to write
home every two weeks (88, 89) Michael's letters are full of solicitation
and advice for his daughter, little escaping his attention. He chastised
her if she did not write on time, (90) or if she wrote in poor form.-(91)
When her brother's letters to her were not properly written she was
directed to " scoldJames" Her spending habits were a frequent cause of
fatherly chiding All the above are things that any parent might write
his child except that Michael Bozeman stressed three things which
illuminate his character: education, religion and family unity.

It -is believed that Michael educated all his children at least
as well as Mary Harriet. (92) And,
James , who is believed to have attended the University of North
Carolinat Chapel Hill from 1853 to 1855 (93). No details of the
education of the other Bozeman children was found. In 1847, a family
quarrel between the Brownings and Michael Bozeman erupted, apparently
arising from the division of property after the death of John Radford
Browning, Michiael's father-in-law. Young James wrote that "Uncle Frank
and Uncle Davy has treated ma (Lucy Ann Browning Bozeman) mighty mean;
about that property". (94) Michael in letters written during this
period, referred to the injuries done him by the Brownings
and Heartd, (95, 96) and mentions Frank and William have the 2 Negro boys
and that none of them & me are on speaking terms". (97) Lucy Bozeman's
widowed mother somehow became involved, apparently siding with the
Browning faction. She left the Bozeman home to go and live with
William Browning.,
her son , in the "mountains" (98, 99) Michael wrote that she would
never again be al1owed to 1ive with his family by his consent. (100)
Certain aspects of this family disturbance were documented in the church
records of Mt. Bethel. During the church conference of August 21,
1847, Michael had objected to the way W. F. Browning had disposed of some
of the deceased's property, especially a black horse. (101) Mt.
Bethel, in conference decided that W. F. Browning had handled the
matter properly, (102) but Michael was not satisfied whereupon to have
his name, his-wife's and his daughters' removed from
membership. They were excluded upon vote of the church, (103) and a
difficult period ensued. Michael wrote bitterly of "lonesome times"
(10.4,105) when no one came about them. IN spite of the ostracism which
moved young James to. write his sister that the boys at school "treat me
like a dog" (106),
Michael continued to be active in the affairs of Oakland Academy- To
Bozeman's further discomfort, the cotton crop gathered during the
fall/winter of 1847 and 1848 was poor and brought little money. The
summer crop of 1848 was most unpromising due to an overabundance of rain.
(107, 108) In 1ate May, 1848, Michael still had not sold 90 bales of
cotton because the New Orleans price was only $20 a bale. December
brought no change in prices and yet another "short" crop. "Times are the
hardest with me that I have had in a long time" Michael wrote Harriet.
(109)

By winter of 1848, Michael, although fearing that "means: would
prevent its completion had finished sawing lumber for a new house, had
stacked it to season, and had contracted John Swink, a local carpenter
(110) to do the building during the winter and spring of 1849. (111)
Bozeman had bought a portable sawmill powered by eight mules (112) set it
up on the plantation and began sawing lumber in January, 1848. (113) The
sawmill cou1d cut between 800 to 1,000 feet of plank a day (114) and
apparently had a circular blade (115) which if family tradition is
correct, had
only two teeth. (116) The house was completed in 1849 (117), the first
frame residence inthe area. (118)
The house is basically Greek Revival in style, although most of its
decorative elements are simpler than
those of the Greek Revival mansions that flourished at this time in
the richer cotton-growing regions of the deep South. The
original-structure probably consisted of four rooms on the ground floor
separated centrally by a large hallway which lacks the usual elegant
staircase of most fine homes of this period. The two upstairs rooms
which do not have a connecting doorway are served by two small "hidden"
or

*****************************
Robert Henry Teer, Jr. My hobby is:
The Family Heritage Research & Preservation Service
Dedicated to bringing families back together

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