School Records

There were two school districts in Advocate: District 13 and District 14. District 13 included all the area this side of Spencers Island to the east side of the harbour and the Cape d’Or Road to Horseshoe Cove. District 14 included all area west of the harbour.

The school records I’ve been able to find list the following children. I have added their parents’ names.

Some Early Schools

Rose Cottage: The first Methodist Society was organized in Advocate in 1839. Their first meetings were held in members’ homes. In 1851 the Wesleyan Methodist obtained land from John Blenkhorn and wife Mary (note 5). On this lot was a school house known as “The Rose Cottage.” A schoolhouse is defined simply as a building used as a school, especially in a small community or village. The Methodist Society removed partitions in the Rose Cottage and held meetings here until 1856, when they purchased land (Note 6) from Justus and Olivia Bigelow to build a new chapel. There are no deeds showing when the Rose Cottage became a schoolhouse but deeds show the lot was sold to William Moore in 1869, Caleb Morris in 1897 and Lorne Morris in 1903 (Note 7).

Lot 6: The A.F. Church Township map of 1873 for Cumberland County shows a school located on the southwest corner of Lot 6. When the land was purchased is not known but I assume it was a replacement for the Rose Cottage and built sometime before 1851. The trustees of the school – C.W. Elderkin, Amos B. Elliott and Seymour Suthergreen – sold the land in 1907 to Joseph Rector (Note 8).

Highway 209: In 1827, David Loomer sold 1/10th of an acre in East Advocate on the west side of the McLellan Road and Highway 209 to the school trustees – Randal Morris, John Knowlton, Syvanius Knowlton, Stephen Knowlton, Daniel Knowlton and David Loomer (Note 9). In 1867, John and Ann Knowlton sold land to the school trustees of East Advocate – John K. Morris, Charles Collins and James Nicholls – for the building of a school to replace the one of 1827 (Note 10). This school was located across Highway 209 and a short distance to the east on a half-acre of land.

School Fees and Attendance

The first school record we have for Advocate is in 1821. (Note 11) It was for a six-month contract from May 1st to November 1st. The teacher was Patrick Dormandy, a duly licensed master. The trustees were John Spicer, John Blenkhorn and Ronald McDonald. Patrick also taught in Advocate in 1822 where he received 50 pounds for the year, 25 paid by the government and 25 paid by the parents. In the early years parents were expected to pay to have their children attend schools but there were exceptions made for those who could not afford to pay. In 1864 the Free School Law was introduced by Sir Charles Tupper and it was expected that all children would then attend school. However, there were many families who rejected this idea as they felt that they needed some of their children to remain at home to help work. From 1869 to 1883 the subject of compulsory attendance of school was debated. The trustees were not in favour of this because they were expected to report any abuse of such a law and living in a small community this was not popular, as one would be odds with their affected neighbours. In Nova Scotia from 1883, a two-thirds majority vote in favour sanctioned its application to children aged seven to twelve, with the usual penalty of a fine and the usual exemption of children living two miles from a public school or attending a private school. Children were not expected to walk more than two miles to school.

Dawson’s Recommendations for a Good School

John W. Dawson was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Education in Nova Scotia in 1849. He visited schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York to gather information on their construction of schools, funding of schools and curricula. He was also gathering information on the Normal Schools (schools to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum) as he felt Nova Scotia should have one.

John W. Dawson recommended (Note 11) a good school should have:

• Sufficient space and height for accommodation and fresh air
• Proper means for heating and ventilation
• A seat for every two pupils
• Backs to the seats
• Seats and desk of convenient height for pupils of different ages
• A lobby, with pins for hats and cloaks and a means for cleaning the children’s feet in summer and winter
• Outhouses for wood, etc
• Space for a playground, if possible ornamented with trees, etc
• Wall blackboards, especially near the teacher’s desk

He also recommended that the school be 20 feet x 30 feet with a 10-foot-high post (ceiling) and contain desks for 50 scholars between the ages of 5-15 and the school should be placed in the geographical centres of the various districts.

School Register, 1905-06
Following is the school register for the year 1905-06, taken from the Advocate School Annual of 1905.

Grade 3
William Barkus, Aleta Blenkhorn, Amos Blenkhorn, Lottie Canning, Carrie Cole, Isaac Corbin, Ralph Corbin, Lorena Crowell, Florence Elliott, Kathleen Elliott, Shaw Elliott, Nettie Goldstein, Maggie Knowlton, Vivian MacAleese, Flossie Morris, Robert Morris, Walter Morris, Elvie Rector, Kenneth Rector, Lebaron Smith, Elita Suthergreen, Mary Webster, Fred Welsh.

Grade 7
Florence Barteaux, Hollis DeWolfe, Kathleen Elderkin, Thomas Fillmore, Nettie Knowlton, Nellie Morris, Ruby Morris, Leone Turple.

Teachers
• Madeline Clay: Primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2
• Nettie Reid: Grade 3 and Grade 4
• Grace McLaughlin: Grade 5, Grade 6 and Grade 7
• Alberta Patton: Grade 8, Grade 9 and Grade 10

Principal Charles E. Reid