Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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Wednesday, February 19, 2003 |
School system seeks owners of historical documentsWhile cleaning out a storage room at the LaFayette Educational Center, two school system employees stumbled upon an important piece of Fayette County history. What appeared at first glance to be checks lying in a corner on the floor of the room were actually cancelled promissory notes that were issued to the county's teachers in 1935 by Farmers and Merchants Bank. "When we found them we didn't know what they were. At first we thought checks of some sort but then we realized that they were promissory notes signed individually by teachers. We immediately took them to the county's historical society to get more information," said Eve Harness, records officer of the school system's records center, who found the notes along with delivery officer Anthony Porter. According to the Fayette County Historical Society, the school system ran short on funds during the second semester of 1935 and did not have enough money to pay its teachers. This was due to political turmoil at the state level where funds were frozen. That's when the bank stepped in and floated the money for the payroll until the school system's tax revenue was received. Promissory notes written for the teachers ranged from $22-177 per month. Although the 37 promissory notes had been lying uncovered on the floor for years, all of them are in excellent condition. Many of them are beautifully handwritten in calligraphy. "They are a great part of Fayette County's history," said Harness. The notes are considered to be historical documents since they were produced prior to the 1940s. The school system would like to return the documents to the teachers they were originally issued to or to their family members/descendants. Anyone claiming a note will need to provide proof of his or her lineage to the person whose name is listed on the note, such as a family Bible, genealogy tree or photographs. All notes have been scanned and stored on disks. Any unclaimed notes will be handed over to the Fayette County Historical Society for safekeeping. Following is a list of teacher names appearing on the documents: Emily Amis, W.H. Askew, Vonor Chapman, G.H. Davis, Loy Farr, Elizabeth Garrard, G. Ed Giles, Estelle Griggs, Maynard Griggs, Margaret Hansard, B.M. Harrison, Emma M. Johnson, Frances Jones, I.E. Loyd, J.H. Loyd, Louise Mask, W.T. McBride, C.W. McDonald, Doris McElroy, Caroline H. McNiel, Grace Minter, Bennis Nations, Martha Park, R.H. Peebles, Lora V. Perry, Eugenia Price, Dora L. Snead, Carrie Stallings, Wilma Stewart, Minnie Ola Swanson, K.G. Thompson, Ina Tweedell, Claudine Walton, Edna Ward, Lucile Whitlock, Velma Whitlock, Helen Williams, and H.S. Nipper. To set up an appointment to claim a document, call the records center at 770-460-3990, ext. 227 or 228. The center is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
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