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Buckhannon Upshur County Decr 23d 1868.
Mr. John Kimball, Supt of Education

Dear Sir. Your note of 19th of Decr is at hand, and in reply, must say the Board of Education have no Deed for the Lot on which the School House for the Freed men is erected on. I were appointed a commissioner, to Contract and article for the lot on which the House is erected on, But can get it at any time Mr. Westfall desires to sell, But he is willing for us to have the lot free of any Charge for school purposes for the Colored folks. I here with send inclosed a Copy of the Article for the lot. 

There are no School open at this time: The Freemen constantly hold prayer meetings in the House, and they had a Sunday School all along but I think it is suspended on account of the winter weather. Some have to far to come in inclement weather. I heard some of the trustees of other district saying the had got a good house in another school District in this township to keep a school in but there was not money enough to pay a teacher, and they were talking of having a night school this winter, and the Trustees to teach in turns, But whether that have commenced the school or not I Cannot say, for I have not saw them for a few days. 

The School that we had here in town took all the money & more too, that were coming to the Colored Children. When we engaged the Teacher we expected $20. per Month from the Bureau and after the School ended, we could not get it, and had to pay
the Teacher out of the fund belonging to the White Children.
 
Therefore we cannot with the means derived from taxation keep up the School as desired, and there are no other funds from any other source for that purpose, and without aid from some source we must wait until the taxes collected for that purpose
accumulate. There has been considerable revival of Religion