Old Photos


*Contributed by Don Carter.  Thanks, Don!

 ODLE SCHOOL - 1911
SW corner of Hamilton Co., IL

 ODLE SCHOOL - 1911
Hamilton Co., IL

The underage children including the baby were children mostly of John Odle.  John's wife was dead and the infants 
were brought to school daily.  Some of the children in the back row were older than the teacher.  
A few of the children had puppies in their laps and some had some sort of finger lacings on.  
The school was located 2 miles away to the North near Liberty Church.

First Row (counting baby in lap of girl)
Left to right: 1. Opal Adkisson 2. Amanda Cantrell 3. Claude Odle 4. Dorathy Mace 5. Josephine Aaron  6. Jewell Odle
7. Elvira Odle 8. Ina (Pete) Odle 9. Charlotte Davis 10. Howard Cantrell

Second Row:
1. John Odle (wearing teacher's watch) 2. Monette Flannigan 3. Myrtle Odle 4. John Odle 5. Dicey Aaron 6. Gladys Cantrell
 7. Ethel Aaron 8. Richard (Buck) Cantrell 9. Harmon Odle 10. Anna Odle 11. John (Cap) Adkisson 12. Rex Aaron

Third Row:
1. Herman Odle 2. Sophia McFarland 3. Fannie Odle  (John's oldest son) 4. Betty Odle 5. Bill Odle (John's son) 
6. Bessie Davis 7. Willie McFarland 8. Eva Cantrell 9. Ridge Aaron

Fourth Row:
1. George William Pulliam (TEACHER) 2. Don McFarland 3. Clement Odle 4. Agnes Mace 5. Julia Odle 6. Ica Gholson 
7. James Davis 8. Parry Johnson

Fifth Row:
1. May Davis (sister or Arvil) 2. Annie Adkisson 3. Ira Adkisson 4. Caleb Odle 5. Pearl Davis (sister to Arvil) 
6. Arvi Davis (Lee's father) 7. Paul Johnson

Excerpts from Millie's Pulliam's Letter
(Daughter of George William Pulliam - teacher)

          "About my father in the picture, some of the pupils in the back row were older than he. His older brother Uncle John, when he taught at Pulliam School before this would take "Little Willie"to school with him from the time he was 4 years old. From the start he was a fast learner and in those days after High School a person could take an exam to teach and if passed the exam you received a certificate to qualify. John Odle #1 row 2 wanted to wear my fathers watch so he has it around his neck. The little ones of Uncle John Odle came to school because their mother had died or at least Verbal said they brought the baby.

        I have a good story on Bill Odle and my father he told me himself one time years later at Liberty Church Yard on Memorial Day. This tall lanky man walked over to me and told me who he was and said he wanted to tell me my father was the only man who ever whipped him and that was when he was a boy at Odle School and my father was the teacher. As his story went he said he used to bring his dog and it got so it would run around and distract the other pupils. My fathers solution was to tie a can to it's tail and it took off running and yelping like bloody murder. Bill said he became so enraged at my father he ran up to him and pulled his knife on him. Before he could touch him he took it away from him and gave him a whipping he never forgot. So as to not cause any hard feelings he went home with him and all his sisters for supper with Uncle John. All the girls loved my father and all went well. Verbal said he was called "Bad Bill Odle" and could whip anyone he tangled with.

         Tom McGee who owned a store close to Rural Hill School, (he had a mouthful of gold teeth) and was a director at the school wanted to hire my father because the big boys there had run off  2 or 3 teachers and he knew my father was a live wire. One of Tom McGees sons told me the story at a Memorial Day dinner at Little Springs Church where I had been invited by Anna (Flannigan) Davis a first cousin of my mother. Anyway as the story goes, my father at noon recess went with all these tough boys out to the wooded school yard and started climbing the trees and jumping from one to the other, (like Tarzan) before the tough boys and they would fall and couldn't keep up and hurt themselves enough they never tried to get rid of him.

Note: I saw the importants of this picture from the beginning and with Aunt Millie Pulliams help the names and the storys were added to the faces. I offer it to any who have interest.

Don Carter



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