An event of unusual interest was the reunion of teachers, pupils, and patrons of the Joe Duncan school at the school grounds on Thursday, July 10, 1924.

An ideal evening and a love for the days of "Auld Lang Sine" brought people from far and near. Teachers of fifty and sixty years ago clasped hands with former pupils and looked with interest at their children and in some instances at their childrens' children.  A few hours were spent most pleasantly in general conversation.

A cafeteria lunch consisting of sandwiches, pickles, ice cream, cake and iced tea were served.

Letters of greeting were read from C. T. Wright, of Stoutsville, Mo., a teacher of many years ago; W. H. Hardy of Minneapolis, Minn., a former pupil; Lawrence Bear, an early teacher; and Mrs. Fannie Prentiss McCandliss of Moberly, Mo., who was a pupil of Joe Duncan in 1850 and a teacher in later years.

In the audience were a number of teachers who, when their names were called, responded in a few well chosen words.  Pleasant anecdotes of by gone years were told by Mrs. Kitty Simmons related to her career as teacher and days of the civil war.  Mr. N. E. Simmons of Carthage, gave an interesting talk on pioneer days.  Others who responded with short talks were Mrs. Sarah Gray Huston, Mrs. Grace Tyler White of New Mexico, Mrs. Evalyn Hardy Bowman of Ryegate, Mont., who closed her remarks by announcing the presence of her first teacher, Mrs. Lillian Latherow Geddes, who also gave a short talk, and was followed by numerous other talks by teachers.  Last but not least Mr. L. D. Callihan of Macomb, expressed his views of school life and of its great power for good in a community.

So enjoyable did the event prove that it was decided to make it an annual affair.

Those who attended were: T. J. Latherow, daughter Edith and Gracia and son Melvin.  Mr. Latherow attended this school in 1890; Mr. and Mrs. Kerus Huston and children Keith, Roberta and Edward.  Kerus attended Joe Duncan in 1902.  Mr. and Mrs. M. H. Yetter family Jennings, Ross, Fay, Mabel, Naomi and Elgin.  Mr. Yetter was a pupil of this school in 1876; Mr. and Mrs. Freeman Dorothy and sons Virgil and Glen of Blandinsville.  Mrs. Dorothy who was Maude Roberts attended this school in 1890; Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Wetzel and son Billy of St. Marys.  Mrs. Wetzel atended Joe Duncan in 1910; Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Callihan of Macomb.  Mr. Callihan taught this school in 1900-1901 and 1907-1908.  Mrs. Callihan was a pupil of the school.  Miss Martha Haines of near Blandinsville, who taught the school last year; Mr. and Mrs. Otis Burrow, daughter Ruth and friend, Lucille Freeman of LaHarpe.  Mr. Burrow attended in 1880; Mrs. Grace Tyler White of New Mexico, who taught in 1887-1888; Mr. and Mrs. James P. Burrow.  Mr. Burrow attended in 1876 and Mrs. Burrow in 1880; Mr. and Mrs. Leland Hobart.  Mrs. Hobart taught the school in 1904-1905; A. R. Simmons, pupil in 1849; Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Simmons, son Arthur.  Mr. Simmons was a pupil in 1882-1892; Mrs. Alice Hardy Doran, daughter Sara Elizabeth and son Thomas Paul of Galesburg.  Mrs. Doran was a pupil in 1886-1897; N. E. Simmons of Carthage, pupil in 1845-1856; Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Conn of Tennessee.  Mr. Conn was a pupil in 1885-1898; Mr. and Mrs. Silas Conn of Webster.  Mr. Conn was a pupil in 1884-1892; Mrs. Mae Conn and daughter Lois.  Mr[s]. Conn taught Joe Duncan in 1911-1912 and 14.  Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Coombs and sons Yale and Worrell of Carthage.  Mr. Coombs taught Joe Duncan in 1880-1881; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Geddes.  Mrs. Geddes taught in 1903-1904; Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Geddes, daughters Joy and [J]ean.  Mr. Gedes taught the school in 1915-1916; Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Callihan and daughter Laverne of Webster.  Mrs. Callihan was a pupil in 1893-1894; Mrs. T. E. Bowman, daughters Francis and Mary Evalyn and son Robert of Ryegate, Mont.  Mrs. Bowman taught Joe Duncan in 1893-94-94; Mrs. Tom M. Geddes, teacher in 1879 and was a pupil in 1873-1874; Joe Hardy, pupil in 1882; Leo Hardy, pupil in 1892; Miss Orpha Palmer of Carthage taught in 1921-1922; Mr. Chellis McGee of Ft. Madison, attended in 1893-94-95; Mr. and Mrs. Will Day who both attended in 1864; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Huston.  Mrs. Huston taught in 1888-18[9]0 and 1892; Mrs. Grace Pittenger, daughter Catherine, sons John and Willis of Tennessee.  Mrs. Pittenger attended in 1884.  Meta Simmons of Tennessee, pupil in 1880; Bluford, Paul, Leah and James Jackson, pupils recently; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Hull and son Cecil of Plymouth.  Mr. Hull was a pupil in 1873; Earl Hardy, pupil in 1890 to 1900; Miss Blanche Hardy, pupil in 1884 to 1895; Kity L. Simmons of Tennessee, teacher in 1872-7; Miss Kathryn Callihan; Mrs. George Miller; Bernard and Era Margie Campbell; Mrs. Helen Wright and Betty Jane; Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Huston and son Alfred; Mr. and Mrs. [L]yman Peck and daughters Minnie and Frieda, who attended school about 1906-1912; Mrs. Bruce Fisher, of Carthage; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph McConnell, sons Wayne and Fay who attended in 1912-1919; Fay Brooks who was a pupil in 1910; Mr. and Mrs. Will Lovely and daughter Bernice who attended in 1915; L. G. Robinson of Ft. Madison; John W. Miller; Mr. and Mrs. Will Slager, daughter Leota and son Junior; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Campbell, son Day and daughter Alta Francis; Mr. and Mrs. John Huston and daughter Alta Francis of near Macomb. Mr. Huston attended in 1902-1910; Kenneth McConnell; Mr. and Mrs. Orien S. Lovely and sons Lowell and Wayne and Miss Leora Koontz of Hamilton.

Miss Blanche Hardy,
Blandinsville, Ill.
My dear Miss Blanche:--

I cannot express in words how pleased I was to get your kind invitation to attend the reunion of the teachers and pupils at the Joe Duncan school house, where I was once both a pupil and a teacher. Joe Duncan was first as a pupil, my first as a teacher, also my last as an instructor.

I can remember very clearly when four and a half years I trotted along with my twin sister, behind my two older brothers on my way to the Joe Duncan school house.  I have no recollection of an aching back, or stiffened limbs from sitting on the long hard bench, but I can recall how I mopped my face and tried to hide my childish grief from droping my primer through a crack in the floor.  The old house, the hard bench, the rescue of my primer are none the less clear to my mind than the fear which made me step nearer to my brothers as we passed the home of Mordecai Lincoln, not that I feared the godly middle aged man, but from fear of his ferocious canine, which bore the strange name of Grampus, which was abbreviated to "Gramp," a name which filled our hearts with fear.  I can remember as clearly as yesterday Mordecai's house, though I cannot locate it in my mind now, his ferocious dog, and quaint pigeon house and his well kept garden with its border of sweet pinks which to this day are called "Mord's pinks."  The tall poplars which stood before his door and were a land mark for many years are gone.  Nothing remains to mark the place where a kinsman of the great emancipator lived and died.  He was familiarly known to his old friends as "Uncle Mord" and by the irreverent youths of the neighborhood as old Mord Lincoln.

I think the primer episode stopped my career as a pupil in Joe Duncan school.  My next teacher was Martha Renshaw, a daughter of James Renshaw, who lived on the farm known as the J. H. Parker place.

With no thought of boasting, I was a rather precocious child.  I could spell some long hard words in the old blue back speller.  When the last came I received words written on a blank page, "Presented to Francis Prentis by her teacher, Martha Renshaw for spelling Aug. 25, 1855."

My next teacher was Miss Bicket a fine woman from Kentucky who taught us to keep our hands and face clean.  She was a spinster and I think now if she was living she would have been a delegate to the National Democratic convention now in session in New York City.  She was so ag[g]ressive it seems now to me that she was progressive and that she lived and taught in advance of the age.  I can remember when the last day of her school came.  My eyes welled up with tears and I tried to hide my childish grief from the other little girls and boys.  I hardly think there is another pupil of Miss Bicket's school now living.

John McClaughry, a man from New York, who had more modern methods of teaching, taught us to read.  We could spell the longest words in the old blue back, but had never put words together.  I can tell you now, we not long in learning to read intelligably too.

Miss Jane Simmons was my teacher when I had just turned into my eleventh year.  I commenced learning the multiplication table.  She taught us to write with a pen and ink, also to be neat about our work.  She was a beautiful character whom we all loved.

Other teachers followed until the Civil war broke out.  There was a sad vacancy in the school.  We took our seats on our return from the Tennessee station where we saw the young school boys off to the war.  We said good-bye with sad hearts but hopeful and optimistic that they would come back, and that some time in future years, when the cruel war was over "Johnny" would sit on the porch of the village store, where he was kindly bade to stay.  Perhaps he would shoulder a crutch and show how fields were won, but before the war was over Johnny fought where he stood and was buried [w]here he fell.  It has been many long long years since that eventful evening.

Our teacher, John Paxton, lived to be an old man.  I hear he has gone to his reward.  I cannot now remember the names of the boys who never returned, but I have a happy remembrance of I. E. Simmons who was a Joe Duncan boy, whom I kept in touch with until almost the last weeks of his life.  I think now that N. E. and A. R. Simmons are the only Joe Duncan boys left to tell the story of other days long since passed.

While I live I hope I shall remember the Hardy's who were my father's and mother's neighbors. Good neighbors,, I can remember Matilda and Mary, and the twins Evaline and Angeline, and the sons of pioneer parents.

Once upon time I was invited to ride with the Hardys to a funeral.  Young Hardy gave me his hand to assist me out of the wagon.  I gave a jump thinking I would light on the ground, but not so.  My wonderfully constructed behooped skirt caught on the old time lock and I found myself suspended in the air.  Ring down the curtain.

Now my dear young friends I wish I could be with you on the evening of your reunion of teachers and pupils of Joe Duncan school.  It would give me real pleasure to meet with boys and girls whose fathers and mothers were once my pupils.  I feel sometimes that I am grandmother to the little Simmons, Conn's, Burroughs [Burrows], Huston's and Yetter's and many others.

I feel that if you think this is worth reading do so, if not relegate it to the waste basket.  With my love and kindest wishes to everyone who remembers me and to yourself I would like to have a report of your reunion.  I have no means hearing as "The News" is not printed during the summer months.

Transcibed from an original news clipping, from the collection of Okle Campbell Browning.  This is a verbatim transcription except for [bracketed] and bold text within the body of the article and letter.