"My first teacher was Miss Sarah Henley. I could show you the home she
used to live in. It's right up the street. It's on Third Street between
Izard and State right in the middle of the block--next to the building
on the corner of Izard on the south side of Third Street. There is a
brick building there on the corner and her house is a very pretty one
right next to it. She was a white woman and was my first teacher. She
taught me, as near as I can remember, one session. My next teacher was
Mrs. Hunt. She was from Ohio. My first teacher was from Ohio too. Mrs.
Hunt taught me about two sessions. Lemme see, Mrs. Clapp came after her.
She was from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Clapp taught me one session. I am trying
to think of that other teacher. We went over to Union School then.
Charlotte Andrews taught us there for a while. That was her maiden name.
Her married name is Stephens. She was the first colored teacher in the
city. Mrs. Hubbard teached us a while, too. Mrs. Scull taught us right
here on Gaines and Seventh Streets where this church is now. They moved
us a long time ago down to the Mess House at the Rock Island for a while
but we didn't stay there long. We came back to the Methodist church--the
one on Eighth and Broadway, not the Bethel Church on Ninth and Broadway.
There was a colored church on Eighth and Broadway then. They kept
sweeping us 'round because the schools were all crowded. Woods, a
colored man, was one of the teachers at Capitol Hill Public School. We
were there when it first opened. That was the last school I went to. I
finished eight grades. Me and Scipio Jones went to school together and
were in the same class. I left him in school and went to work to take
care of my folks.