Mary Watson telegraphs from Newport, Rhode Island, to inform Rev. M.E. Strieby of the American Missionary Association that she has accepted their offer of an appointment as teacher. She notes that she has also written a letter to him that same day.
Taught at McComas until, according to Baltimore Association actuary John Core, she quit "in disgust." Her McComas assignment likely occurred briefly in January 1869. Before that, Lyons taught in Princess Anne where "no preparation" was made for her, "not even a place for her to board."
The school at Thomas Run, also known as Clark or Clark’s Chapel (or far less commonly as Hickory), is less well attested in the Freedmen’s Bureau records than the schools at Havre de Grace, Bel Air, or even Churchville, but a basic outline of its founding and operations may still be discerned. The earliest documents about the school relate to construction. On October 1, 1867, the Baltimore Association sent more than 1900 feet of lumber to Thomas Run, along with ten windows, a door, roof shingles, and thousands of laths to anchor plaster on the walls and ceilings. On October 13, trustee Elijah Stewart wrote to Bureau disbursing officer Samuel J. Wright. Stewart told Wright that the carpenters had been too busy with other work to labor on the schoolhouse, and that at any rate they did not have enough materials to complete it.
Port Deposit building committee chairman Thomas Taylor that since the Bureau will not help build the schoolhouse upon leased ground, the trustees are prepared to buy it when it comes up for sale in the near future. He includes a list of expenses incurred thus far in building the school.
Port Deposit building committee chairman Thomas Taylor informs Supt. Kimball that since the arrival of the teacher (Mary J. C. Anderson) the people have become divided. A new board has formed that is opposed to his board of trustees and to the establishment of the school. He asks Kimball to visit in order to sort out the issues.
Port Deposit building committee chairman Thomas Taylor writes to Supt. Kimball that they have exhausted the money they had collected from among the people there and cannot continue construction. He asks Kimball to try to get a deed for them so that they can qualify for Bureau aid. He says the teacher Mrs. Anderson (Mary J. C. Anderson) has arrived but “the bord has deceived her.”
Lists the schools, name of teacher, number of months the teacher was employed, average number of pupils, rent of school building per month, an amount column, and a remarks column. Mentions Hopewell Crossroads (Maggie H. Jaques), Havre de Grace (Sarah A. Usher), Perrymansville (Samantha Green), McComas Institute (Louie C. Waters), and Churchville (Ida S. Marshall); Hopewell Crossroads, Still Pond Crossroads, Princess Ann, Mt. Pleasant, LaGrange and Cornersville are crossed out in this version with the amount of $395.00 written at the bottom of the page.
Willella Highgate was an African American woman from Syracuse, New York. She was the daughter of teacher Hannah Highgate and the sister of teacher Edmonia Highgate.
It is unclear exactly when Willella Highgate taught at Darlington. In a December, 1865, letter to the American Missionary Association, Willella announced that she had received an invitation to teach at Louisville, Kentucky. In that letter, she referred to her previous teaching experience as an assistant teacher at Binghamton, N.Y. and Montrose, Pa., and teaching “last summer” at Darlington, Md. Hannah Highgate replaced her daughter Willella in April, 1865, and was still at the school in mid-August, 1865. In September, Mary Watson arrived to take over the school, remaining there until 1869. It is therefore difficult to fit Willella into the timeline as the primary teacher at Darlington. Perhaps Willella acted as assistant to or co-teacher with her mother during all or part of her Hannah's tenure at Darlington, filled in for her during an illness or absence, or succeeded her there briefly before the arrival of Mary Watson.
In August of 1868, Willella Highgate wrote to the A.M.A. from Albany, N.Y., expressing interest in teaching in the South again. As this is one of only two letters from Willella in the A.M.A. collection of letters received, it is unclear whether or not the organization employed her again after her brief time in Maryland in 1865.
Willella Highgate writes from Philadelphia to the A.M.A. seeking their support, informing them that she has been invited to teach at Louisville, Kentucky. She adds that she has been an assistant teacher at Binghamton, NY, and a teacher at Darlington, Md. She would prefer to be employed for six months, and names Rev. Strieby as a reference.
Willella Highgate writes from Albany, N.Y., asking the A.M.A. if they intend to send her south again to teach. She asks if the A.M.A. will pay for her travel south if so.
Freedmen's Bureau Superintendent of Schools for Maryland & Delaware beginning September 1, 1867. An African American abolitionist, minister, and editor originally from New York City.