THE CHARITY SCHOOL OF KENDAL
Edited by HARLOW LINDLEY
The discovery of an "Agreement
between Adam W. Helden-
brand and the Charity School of
Kendal," dated November 27,
1863, has aroused interest to learn more
about this Ohio educa-
tional institution and the unique
contract enacted there.
In the winter of 1810-11, one Thomas
Rotch left Hartford,
Connecticut, and explored Ohio as far
south and west as Cincin-
nati, Springfield and Urbana. On this
trip Rotch made notes
about the physical features of the State
and devoted considerable
attention to the mounds which he
visited, recording valuable no-
tations on these. The families of both
Thomas Rotch and Char-
ity Rodman Rotch were prominent in
financial and business inter-
ests in New England, and the trip was
undertaken on the advice
of Mrs. Rotch's physician, who thought a
change of climate neces-
sary for her.
In making this move, Rotch was
interested in finding a suit-
able place for the raising of sheep and
the building of mills. In
September, 1811, he and his wife moved
to Ohio, bringing with
him 400 Merino sheep. He settled in
Stark County after buying
2,500 acres of land and in 1812 laid out
the town of Kendal
which is now included in the city of
Massillon.
Charity Rotch, who had traveled in the
East, was much
interested in the improvement of
mankind, especially in the wel-
fare of children. In the laying out of
Kendal she obtained five
lots in the village for the location of
a school in which she ex-
pected to develop her ideas. Thomas
Rotch died in 1823 and
Mrs. Rotch the following year. By his
will, Thomas gave his
wife all his personal property and the
use and income of his real
estate during her life. He also willed
$5,000 to the Ohio Yearly
Meeting of the Society of Friends to be
used in the establishment
of a Yearly Meeting Friends School. This
school was finally
opened at Mount Pleasant as the Friends
Boarding School in
1837 and was later moved to Barnesville,
Ohio, where it is still
183
184 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY |
|
in operation. By her will, Mrs. Rotch gave $6,000 to different individuals and the remainder of her estate to the founding of her favorite institution. Because of the name "Charity" many people thought the school was a charitable institution and thought the pupils objects of charity, but this was not true. When the corporation was formed for the purpose of carrying out the design of the founder, the name "Charity" was adopted in honor and everlasting re- membrance of the benevolent Quaker, Charity Rotch, whose do- nation laid the foundation of the school. In no sense did the word "charity" apply in its common definition. The bequest of Mrs. Rotch amounted to about $20,000. In 1826 by special act of the Ohio legislature, "The Charity School of Kendal" was incorporated and Arvine Wales, Mayhew Folger. |
CHARITY SCHOOL OF KENDAL 185
Isaac Bowman, William Henry and James W.
Lathrop were
appointed trustees. Two years later,
November 7, 1828, they
entered into a contract for the opening
of the school on January
1, 1829.
The rules for the management of the
school were most lib-
eral for since its inception the board
of trustees was composed of
men and women noted for their love of
learning and broad ideas
of the training of the young. A
supposition prevailed that the
scholarships were limited to Stark
County, but this was not true.
Children possessing the qualifications
required by the rules were
admitted from any state in the Union. No
preference was given
to locality, nationality or religion,
and as vacancies occurred, ap-
plicants were immediately admitted in
the order of their priority, it
being the desire of the trustees to keep
the membership full at all
times in order to extend the benefits of
the school to the utmost.
Owing to the small amount of funds at
their command, the enroll-
ment was limited to twenty-eight and was
equally divided between
the sexes. It was designed to admit only
children who were
orphans, half orphans, or whose parents
were poor, irresponsible
or infirm. It was not supposed that it
was the intention of Mrs.
Rotch to make the school either a
reformatory for criminals or a
hospital for the sick; hence children of
depraved morals or dis-
eased bodies were not admitted.
The conditions required for admission to
the school were
that the applicant must be between ten
and sixteen years of age,
sound in body and in mind, of fair moral
character and destitute
of means for maintenance and education
elsewhere. The par-
ents, guardians, or other persons
claiming any right of control
over the child were required to sign an
agreement waiving all such
rights, and consenting that the trustees
and teachers have ex-
clusive control, management and
education of the pupil until he
or she reached the age of eighteen.
The trustees on their part agreed to
feed, clothe, and care
properly for the children during the
term of the indenture, free
of expense, and at its conclusion to
furnish the pupil with plain
but sufficient clothing so that he or
she might go out into the
186
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
world and earn a living. The trustees
reserved the right to
terminate the agreement or dismiss the
child at any time.
The boys were required to assist in the
work of the farm,
and the girls with the housework,
devoting an average of six
hours a day to such work except on
Sundays. Eight hours
every night were allowed for sleep. An
average of six hours a
day was devoted to study and the
remainder of the time to recre-
ation. The superintendent and the matron
had to regard these
rules closely for the trustees required
rigid enforcement. The
children were free at all times to
approach the trustees with com-
plaints of either real or fancied
wrongs. It was the chief desire
of the trustees to bring up the children
as brothers and sisters of
one big, happy family, and to pour into
their unfortunate lives the
bright sunshine of love.
The school opened with fifteen pupils
and was kept going
for four years after which it was found
that the income from
the endowment was insufficient to
continue longer so the school
was forced to close. In 1834, the
trustees purchased a farm just
north of Kendal. A brick schoolhouse was
built there and in
June, 1844, the school was reopened. For
forty-four years the
school remained in continuous operation
although during that
time it passed through many vicissitudes
and in 1888 it had to
close for a period of three years. In
1891 it was opened again
and continued until 1910. Then for a period of eight or ten
years, the school and farm were leased
to the Summit County
Children's Home after which it remained
vacant until 1924 when
the property was sold. For some years
the school fund has
partly supported the Children's Bureau
of Stark County, the
Opportunity School of Massillon and has
supplied a fund upon
which the truant officer may draw for
supplying needy children
with shoes, clothes, glasses, etc., as
the occasion requires.
Arvine Wales I, who accompanied Thomas
Rotch when he
moved to Ohio, was made one of his
heirs. During the entire
history of the Charity School there has
always been a Wales on
the Board of Trustees of the endowment.
The site of the school after it was re-opened
on the farm
bought in 1834 is marked by a stone
boulder which states, "This
CHARITY SCHOOL OF KENDAL 187
marker marks the spot of the Charity
Rotch School and farm
provided by her will of 1824. School
opened in 1826 and opened
on this spot in 1842. Closed in
1924."
THE CHARITY SCHOOL OF KENDAL AND
ADAM W. HELDENBRAND
AGREEMENT
It is agreed this Twenty Seventh day of
November Eighteen Hundred
and Sixty three between The Charity
School of Kendal and Adam W.
Heldenbrand as follows, Said Heldenbrand
agrees to serve as Superintendent
of said School for the period of Three
years from the First day of April
next. To furnish such pupils as the
Trustees may admit to said School with
abundant, plain, and wholesome food, and
with clothing neat, comfortable,
and in kind and quantity sufficient and
suitable for the season. Said Helden-
brand also agrees to do all the washing
and ironing necessary for the
pupils and at his own expense, furnish
all the beds bedding and furniture,
tools and stock of all kinds that may be
necessary for the carrying on of
the School and farm: Also all books and
stationary and lights: and to
prepare on the land of said 'Charity
School and haul all the firewood. It is
agreed that said Charity School shall
pay at the Bank for all coal consumed,
and that said Heldenbrand shall haul the
same. Said Heldenbrand shall also
furnish all medicines and medical and
other attendance as may be necessary
for the pupils, and such other
necessaries as the health and comfort of said
pupils may require. It is further
understood that the maximum number of
pupils to be maintained at said School
at any one time shall be Thirty of
whom as nearly as may be one half shall
be boys, and the other half girls.
These said Heldenbrand shall instruct in
all the branches of a good com-
mon English education (so far as the
capacity of the pupil may admit)
including Reading, Writing, Arithmetic,
Grammar, Geography, Vocal Music,
History, Natural and Moral Philosophy
(and for the boys) the rudimentary
principles of Agriculture. He shall also
teach them the principles and habits
of personal cleanliness and propriety,
-- of industry, good morals and econ-
omy. It is also agreed that as a part of
their education the boys shall receive
instruction in the ordinary practices of
good farming and the girls in the
customary duties of housewifery. It is
further agreed that throughout the
year the pupils shall be allowed daily
Eight full hours for sleep: And that
the following portion of the pupils'
time shall be devoted to manuel labor,
viz. From the First of November to the
First of March Five hours each
day. From the First of May till the
First of September Eight hours each
day: and during the Months of March,
April, September and October Six
hours each day. And the ballance of the
pupils' time shall be devoted to
study, instruction recreation etc.
It is further agreed that at any time
should any of the pupils run away
or escape from said School without leave
it shall be the duty of the Super-
188
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
intendent to use all reasonable means to
recover them. The Charity School
reimbursing him for all his necessary
travelling expenses while so engaged.
It is further agreed that the Trustees
shall at all times have the right to
make all reasonable rules for the
management of said School. And should
the general management and conduct of
said School at any time be such
as not to be satisfactory to the Board
of Trustees, or to any Board of Visi-
tors that may be appointed by the Court
it shall be the duty of the Super-
intendent upon proper Notice given to
him specifying the defect in the
management so to reform the same, that
it shall be satisfactory as afore-
said: and in case of his neglect or
refusal to do so for the period of one
month The Charity School of Kendal
reserves to itself the right to ter-
minate this Agreement on the First day
of April next following the giving
of such Notice. It is further agreed
that the wheat now growing in the
ground shall be harvested and threshed
by said Heldenbrand, and that he
shall deliver one half of the same on
the land to Ira M. Allen, retaining
the other half for his own use. And it is
further understood and agreed
that whenever said Heldenbrand shall
leave the School he shall have a right
to put out a crop of wheat not exceeding
Fortyfive acres in extent upon
the same terms as those upon which Mr
Allen sowed the present growing
wheat crop. Said Heldenbrand agrees to
farm the land belonging to said
School in a good and husbandmanlike
manner -- not overtaking the same,
to do no unnecessary damage to the
buildings fences and fixtures, but to
keep them and the whole farm in as neat
and seemly condition as may be.
In consideration whereof The Charity
School of Kendal agrees that said
Heldenbrand shall have the use of farm
(subject to Mr Allens interest in
the growing wheat crop as aforesaid)
during such time as he shall serve as
Superintendent as aforesaid: And also of
the Forty acre wood lot belonging
to said School for the purpose of
procuring firewood. The Charity School
of Kendal further agrees to pay said
Heldenbrand the sum of Fifteen Hun-
dred Dollars per year in quarterly payments
as nearly as may be. Provided
however that when the number of pupils
in said school shall fall below the
maximum number of Thirty said School
shall have a right to deduct from
said sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars a
sum at the rate of Forty Dollars
per annum for each pupil less than
Thirty that shall attend said School.
And for the purpose of ascertaining the
number in attendance the Superin-
tendent shall keep an accurate Register,
and shall at the expiration of each
quarter furnish the Treasurer of the
Board of Trustees with a correct
statement of the number of pupils in
attendance and the exact time (if a
part of a quarter only) each pupil has
attended. In testimony whereof the
parties hereto have executed this
Agreement in two counterparts The Char-
ity School of Kendal subscribing itself
by the hand of Arvine C. Wales its
committeeman thereunto duly appointed
this day and year first above
written
The Charity School of Kendal
By Arvine C. Wales of Committee
A. W. Heldenbrand
THE CHARITY SCHOOL OF KENDAL
Edited by HARLOW LINDLEY
The discovery of an "Agreement
between Adam W. Helden-
brand and the Charity School of
Kendal," dated November 27,
1863, has aroused interest to learn more
about this Ohio educa-
tional institution and the unique
contract enacted there.
In the winter of 1810-11, one Thomas
Rotch left Hartford,
Connecticut, and explored Ohio as far
south and west as Cincin-
nati, Springfield and Urbana. On this
trip Rotch made notes
about the physical features of the State
and devoted considerable
attention to the mounds which he
visited, recording valuable no-
tations on these. The families of both
Thomas Rotch and Char-
ity Rodman Rotch were prominent in
financial and business inter-
ests in New England, and the trip was
undertaken on the advice
of Mrs. Rotch's physician, who thought a
change of climate neces-
sary for her.
In making this move, Rotch was
interested in finding a suit-
able place for the raising of sheep and
the building of mills. In
September, 1811, he and his wife moved
to Ohio, bringing with
him 400 Merino sheep. He settled in
Stark County after buying
2,500 acres of land and in 1812 laid out
the town of Kendal
which is now included in the city of
Massillon.
Charity Rotch, who had traveled in the
East, was much
interested in the improvement of
mankind, especially in the wel-
fare of children. In the laying out of
Kendal she obtained five
lots in the village for the location of
a school in which she ex-
pected to develop her ideas. Thomas
Rotch died in 1823 and
Mrs. Rotch the following year. By his
will, Thomas gave his
wife all his personal property and the
use and income of his real
estate during her life. He also willed
$5,000 to the Ohio Yearly
Meeting of the Society of Friends to be
used in the establishment
of a Yearly Meeting Friends School. This
school was finally
opened at Mount Pleasant as the Friends
Boarding School in
1837 and was later moved to Barnesville,
Ohio, where it is still
183