HAIGLER/HINKLE

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* Copied from files of the Holt County Historical Society

Holt County Sentinel News Item; no date

The Sentinel is always glad to hear from former residents of Holt County, wherever they may be and our subscription list will show that many former residents of Holt still keep in touch with their old home county through the Sentinel. Amongst the late additions of former residents to our list is the name of Mrs. C.H. Rhoades, who was formerly Miss Columbia Spoonamore, whose father William Spoonamore, was one of the very early settlers in the bottom north of White Cloud ferry.

Mrs. Spoonomore was from Tennessee, as was originally, James Ramsey Sr. and others of that neighborhood, all of whom were good citizens, and entirely loyal to the government during the troublous days from 61-65.  Mr. Spoonomore's wife, if we mistake not, was, before her marriage, a Miss Harmon and there were several children of the family, including Isaac, James, Ginevera, Columbia and perhaps another one or two, whose names we have not.

Mrs. Rhoades attended school during her girlhood days at the old "Hinkle School House", a frame building erected in about 1859, on John C. Hinkle's land, and near to his house. Some of the, then lads, who were at the same time in attendance at the same school were Doctors Lafe and Ike Minton of Fortescue; John A. Hinkle, of Rulo, Neb; J.G. Hinkle of near Bigelow; and H.T. Alkire, of this city.

Edmund Anibal, father of Charles Anibal of Craig, ws their teacher, and a most excellent teacher he was. This has been many, many years ago, in fact, well nigh, if not quite half a century age has elapsed since that time, and we would like to know where all those forty or fifty former pupils of that school are now. Many, no doubt, dead and others are scattered throughout many states and are grand-parents and far along in years down in the sunset side of life.  Mr. Anibal, the teacher, was but a young man at that time, and had recently come from the state of New York and the young lady who later became his wife was a Miss Phoebe Hinkle, of that neighborhood, with whom he became acquainted while he was teaching there.  The teacher who preceded Mr. Anibal in the school was Mr. Hugh H. Simpson, and he married a young lady of that neighborhood, too: his wife having been Miss Mary Jones, who was a daughter of Isaac Jones, formerly the post master at Jones Point, a prominent steamboat landing near there,  at the that time.

Miss Jones, was a cousin of our fellow-townsman, W.J.Lunsford, Mr. Lunsford's mother having been a sister of Isaac Jones.

The first school house in the district was built of logs and stood on John W. Haigler's land. This was burned in about 1858 or 1859. Then this frame school house was erected  in about the next year.  That was succeeded in 1872,  by the present brick schoolhouse (Idlewilde). Some few young people of that neighborhood attended school in each of these three buildings, and probably Mrs. Rhoades attended school at two of them, the frame and the brick.

1917 History Of Holt County Missouri

Schools in Minton Township

"The first school house was of logs and stood on land belonging to John W. Haigler, which is now a part of the accreted land which has been the cuseof much litigation between John C. Hinkle and others. The first teacher in this primitive school was Hugh H. Simpson, who later conducted a drug store in Bigelow, where he died several years ago.  This old log school-house burned in 1858, while school was in session, and the term was finished in the smokehouse of John W. Haigler".

"A new frame school was built on land owned by John C. Hinkle, further back from the river. Simpson continued to teach for several years. He was followed by a Mr. Parker and he by Edmund Anibal, father of Charles Anibal of Craig. Out of this district, in later years was formed the Idlewilde and  Haigler districts. A brick house was erected in each, the one in the Haigler district being later claimed by the ever-changing current of the Missouri River".