My full name is Elizabeth Everett Alexander and I was born in 1913 just down the road from here (Bethel Community Center). When I was nearly 7 we moved into the Oak Hill school district, which is where I attended school until the last three years, which were at Burnet. The year I started at Oak Hill was 1921 and the teacher that year was Miss Lucy Warden who later married one of the Reed boys and still lives in Bertram. The next teacher, 1921-22 was May Curley; 22-23 it was Christine Gibbs; 23-24 my teacher was Louise Chamberlain who later married Ross Johnson and they lived in Burnet. She lives in Houston now I think, with her son. She is Bill Chamberlain's sister. She taught 2 years. 25-26 our teacher was Fairy Simpson who still lives in Burnet. In 26-27 our teacher was Flossie Mae Boyce, and she taught the next year, too. Then I went to Burnet, but Oak Hill had a school until it consolidated with Burnet in 1944. In 1919-20 there was no school at Oak Hill, although there had been classes there before and then again after that.
The families whose children went to school there were the Rex Keeles--Clint, Clyde, and their cousin Zella; the Alec Fraziers--Glen, Bernice, Ruth, and Jack; my family--the Henry Everetts--Annie Belle (Reavis), my brother William; the Brad Wardens--Clara and Martha Jo. Arnold Warden and the rest of them were already out of school then. Gil Reed's son Robert was in school and for a time, Gil's grandson lived with them and went to school there. And there was the Bill Johnsons--Helen and Lois?or Lewis?; and the Schlomachs--Carl, Irene, Lura, and I think, William, although I think he was older. The Harvey Rogers family--Mabel, Noel, and I can't remember the rest of those. William Schlomach married Mabel Rogers and they still live around here. When I taught at Oak Hill in the 1930's I had some of their children in my class. There was also a Klenn family--William, Susie, and a little brother whose name I can't recall. The Tom Bowen? family--Lela May, Marguerite, Aulene and Art T. Lela May is Mrs. Aaron Daugherty and for years was the Star Route mail carrier.
In those days, people rented land--sharecropped. Some families moved every year, so your neighbors would come and go. At one time, there was the Bud Livingston family--L.C., Estelle, Odell, and Ruby. Before them it was the Ray family--Rufus, Dorothy, Willie, and another boy. At one time there was the J.D. Collings family--Hazel and Lura Mae. Mrs. Collings still lives in Burnet, and the older son was Vernon(?). There was the Joe Greer family--Denver was the older one; Selma married a Walker and later I taught her children. Joe Greer was an older, half-brother to Myron Greer who lives in the Oak Hill area now.
When I taught was 1936, 37 and half of 38. I got my teaching certificate for 3 years and then took the teacher's examination. In those days, you could get a certificate after one year. Judge O.B. Zimmerman was county judge then, and he was also the school superintendent, so that's where you got certified. I had 24 children in 7 grades, with 2 the least I had in one grade. The first graders were Owen Schlomach and Winifred Yeary, Jesse B. Crow and Ada Pearl Walker (they're cousins). The second grade was the big grade: Mildred Warden, Joyce Schlomach, Evelyn Rogers, Douglas Rogers; Dale, Joyce and Owen Schlomach were all related to the Rogers'. Zella Keele had married and moved back to the area; her four children were in my classes: Catherine, JoNell, Nelda, and Edward. The Keele's son Levi had moved back and three of his children were there: Cathy, Jimsy and L.G. James Keele and his wife lived on the Keele place, and I had three of their kids, Gloria, Reba, and Doris. There was also Dorothy and Irene Dodd and Tom Johnson's kids, Howard "Koon" Johnson, Mary Sue and Jean.
I don't know why it was called Oak Hill, but Clint Keele might know. His father gave the land, and he remembers when it was first put there. That happened before we moved to that community. We had lived at Bethel, on the branch. That was before there was a road through there. We lived in the house where the David Albrittons live now, and we had to walk about a mile to school.
To determine what grade a student was in, we listened to the children read and found out what books they had read. Then we'd try them in one grade and if it didn't work out, they could change his lessons. When we started school, I was in the first grade, and my brother was in the third. He had never been to school before, but my mother had taught him. When I was supposed to be in the fourth grade, there were so many kids--nearly 30--and I was the only one in the fourth grade, so the teacher put me up in the 5th grade. She just decided she wouldn't have time to hear an extra set of lessons for just one fourth grader. there are still some things that you learn in the fourth grade that I probably don't know. I really don't believe in children skipping like that, because grades are really planned so you learn a certain thing each year. In 1923, 24, and 26 the Oak Hill school had women trustees for the first time. There were three trustees for the school and one of them was my mother and one of them was Mrs. Alec Frasier-Ollie. I can't remember if the other one was Mrs. Reed, or just who it was. They had charge of the school for some time, and during that time they bought a set of encyclopedias. I don't know how they made their money--they used to have box suppers and things like that. I read the "Book of Knowledge" through from beginning to end, and some of it dozens of times. It was still there when I taught, but it was about worn out.
ALEXANDER FAMILY BIBLE RECORD
Births
Samuel Alexander was Born August 28th 1804
Thurzy Alexander his wife was Born April the 15th 1810
Robert Alexander their Eldest Son was born March 6th 1820
James Alexander was Born January 29th 1830
Martha Alexander was Born September 6th 1831
John Mergander was Born April 3rd 1833
Franklin Alexander was Born April 17th 1834
Marion Alexander was Born June the 22nd AD 1835
William Alexander was Born February the 10th 1837
Eliza Alexander was Born Nov 5th 1841
Joseph Alexander was Born January the 29th 1839
Elizabeth Alexander was born Oct the 19 1842
Stephen Alexander was Born March the 22nd A.D. 1843
Marriages
Samuel Alexander and thurzy Ross, his wife was Married March the 9th 1826
Floyd E. Frazier and his wife Winnie Pogue were Married June 8, 1935
Deaths
Samuel Alexander died May 7th 1863
James Alexander died June 15 1883
Jane was Born Oct 8th 1849
Billy was Born August 1851
David was Born Sept 3rd 1853
Ellin was Born January 7th-1856
Hanner was Born July 1858
George was Born april 28th 1861
Mary was Born Feb 27th 1862
Sampson was Born March 8, 1864
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