| Roll Number | 5 |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 Dec 1868 |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | – |
| City/Town/Neighborhood | Philadelphia |
| Other Locations Mentioned | Lewes, Sussex Co., Delaware |
| Authors | Pauline Allen |
| Position | teacher |
| Recipient | Major General O. O. Howard |
| Other Names Mentioned | Zedekiah Bailey, trustee; Henry Bodney |
| Message Abstract | Furnishes facts in relation to her school at Lewes, Sussex Co, Del. See book on school buildings. |
| Message Body | Sir I take pleasure in seating myself to reply to your questions, which came to hand last week just before my departure for home. In answer to your first question, I state that there is no deed, the people having neglected to attend to it. The school house was commenced on the 27th of November 1867 and is not finished yet. I have no desk, there is no benches, only a few belonging to the meeting house! I do not know the exact debt on the school, but it is near about $45.00. The amount paid by the colored people for tuition is about $15.00 per month Day and Night school included. The debt on the ground is about $100.00 or perhaps over that. And I must here state that I think our school is in a very critical condition on that account. The owner of the ground is the preacher, yet I think from all accounts not a very safe person to have such a matter as that in hand, for he has threatened to [[strikethrough]] th [[/strikethrough]] sell the school house to get his money, still pretends to be interested in his race, but I think no farther than self interest is concerned. The children bring 10 cents per seek for my board and what their money fails to do towards it, the trustees raise by means of festivals &c. Zedekiah Bailey is one of the principal colored, trustees, Henry Bodney is considered the most friendly white man. Hoping that I have given satisfactory information |
| Pages | 263-67 |
| Transcribers Notes | – |
If you are citing this record, please use the following format:
[Author (if known)], Freedmen's Bureau Correspondence on Schools, 1869-1870, 1868, Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
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