On Saturday, October 5, the Romeo Community Archives will host an "Ask an Archivist Day" program through Facebook Live. In the past, we have gotten plenty of questions about what responsibilities I have as an archivist, how to research family history, and the kinds of the documents we house at the archives.
A common inquiry is what the oldest item we have in our collections is. Today, I will answer that question with the image above.
This is a letter of recommendation dated May 16, 1839 that reads, “This may certify that we have inspected Miss C.A. Allin and find her qualified to teach a common School. Oel Rix Asahel Baily Inspectors.”
This document can be found in our Romeo Community Schools Collection.
We have no idea who Miss C.A. Allin was outside of the fact that she applied to be teacher. On the other hand, we know plenty about Oel Rix and Asahel Bailey.
Rix was the first Village President of Romeo from 1838 to 1839. According to the 1882 History of Macomb County, Michigan, he came to the village in 1835 and was engaged in the merchantile trade. Rix left Romeo around 1840 when he sold out and became one of the founders of Memphis, Michigan. He later served as a member of the Michigan State Legislature in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
Asahel Bailey needs no introduction since he was one of the first white settlers to come in Romeo in January 1822. One can't deny his importance to the village. He surveyed the first public roads in Macomb County, running to Mount Clemens and St. Clair and later helped plat Romeo in 1832.
Bailey was also one of the first school inspectors in Bruce, and he gave one-half acre of his land to build the first schoolhouse in Romeo. It's approximately the present location of the Romeo Community Schools Administrative Center. Bailey Street is named after him.
This letter of recommendation proves that the need for learning has always been in Romeo's DNA. I've talked more about this in my articles about the University of Michigan branch and Nathan Dickinson. A History of the Romeo Community School District 1824-1976 by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli states that in the late 1830s, the towns of Washington and Romeo were growing, and new schools in the Washington and Bruce Townships were needed. As a result, there was an increasing need for teachers. Let's hope that Miss C.A. Allin got the job.
To learn more about the early educational history of Romeo, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives, 1839, 1882, and 1976