Seward County, Nebraska Schools
Education and schools were, and are, an important part of family life for residents of Seward County. Rural one rooms schools made education possible when roads were poor and travel difficult. Larger schools in small towns made an education beyond the eighth grade possible. And schools were an integral part of the social life of a community.
Seward County had almost 100 school districts. Information on many of the districts is available through the Seward County Genealogical Society or the Seward Library in the volume Seward County Nebraska History Supplement 1983.
The first school district was Camden in the southeastern corner of the county. Other schools soon followed.
In the early 1900s, a movement to create high schools in small towns also started. At the same time, in an effort to better organize schools, the first proposals for rural school consolidation were considered. The earliest state legislation for the consolidation of schools was passed on the state level in the early 1920s.
In 1949, the Nebraska Legislature passed the "Reorganization of School Districts Act" and the consolidation movement accelerated. Nebraska had more one teacher schools than any other state from the 1950s to the 1980s. Today virtually all one room schools have disappeared.
School records can provide a wealth of genealogical information. Each school had to take a census every year and frequently the censuses included all school aged children in a family, whether they attended school or not.
Seward County residents did not give their townships/precincts proper names. The precincts were assigned letters in a manner similar to the numbering of sections in a township in the Retangular Survey System.
The table below is recorded in the same manner with Precinct A in the upper right hand corner. Precinct D is in the upper left hand corner. Precinct M is in the lower left hand corner and Precinct P is in the lower right hand corner.
Next is a list of the graduates of Seward County High School from 1882-1921 that appeared in the Seward Independent Democrat newspaper 23 March 1922 on page 13.
Last, the first county wide 8th grade graduation was in 1907. The list of graduates is from the 5 June edition of the Blue Valley Blade newspaper on page 1.
The Seward County School Districts were:
| Precinct D | Precinct C | Precinct B | Precinct A |
| Dist. 36 - Orton, org. 1875 | Dist. 14 - Pine Ridge, McKay, org. 1873 | Dist. 12 - Hickman, Hickmanville, org. 1869 | Dist. 13 - Oak Grove, org. bef. 1873 |
| Dist. 43 - Ritchie, org. 1874 | Dist. 15 - Reynolds, Prairie Ridges, org. 1873 | Dist. 26 - Gordon, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 50 - Bethelem, Success, org. bef. 1873 |
| Dist. 44 - Hornburg, org. 1874 | Dist. 41 - Salem, Ward, org. 1873 | Dist. 28 - Bates, Willow Creek, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 68 - Romine, org. 1874 |
| Dist. 55 - Phillips, Barbee, org. 1874, 1952 joined Gresham, York Co. | Dist. 70 - Bedford, org. bef. 1887 | Dist. 33 - Spring Hill, Liberty, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 87 - Patrick, Hell's Corner |
| Dist. 83 - Staplehurst, org. 1877 | Dist. 67 - Org. 1874 | Dist. 89 - Blackwood | |
| Dist. 91 - Rocky Corners, org. 1888 | |||
| Dist. 93 - Bee, org. 1891 | |||
| Precinct E | Precinct F | Precinct G | Precinct H |
| Dist. 54 - Fees, Pleasant Dale, Abrahams, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 8 - Anderson Skyview | Dist. 9 - Seward, org. 1867 | Dist. 22 - Gruber, org. bef. 1873 |
| Dist. 57 - Kincaide, Wolvin | Dist. 10 - Figard, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 11 - Imlay, Hafer, org. abt. 1870 | Dist. 32 - Petri, Detweiler, org. abt. 1870 |
| Dist. 59 - Oliver, Rosemond or Rosemound, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 37 - Dally, Anstine, org. 1874 | Dist. 46 - Leahey, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 51 - Beckman, Elk Creek, org. 1871 |
| Dist. 60 - Utica, org. 1874 | Dist. 40 - Rocker, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 69 - Gieselman, org. 1874 | Dist. 52 - Highland, org. bef. 1873 |
| Dist. 67R - Centennial (location of building, englarged district), org. 1966-67, incl. Beaver Crossing, Utica, Waco |
Dist. 63 - Conway, org. 1874 | Dist. 79 - Ricenbaw Clark, org. 1876 | Dist. 75 - Leach, org. 1874-75 |
| Dist. 66 - Rohren or Richters | Dist. 85 - Roebka, org. bef. 1887 | ||
| Dist. 74, org. 1873-75 | Dist. 82 - Garland, org. 1877 | ||
| Dist. 81, org. 1876-77 | |||
| Dist. 90 - Tamora, org. 1884 | |||
| L Precinct | K Precinct | J Precinct | I Precinct |
| Dist. 38 - Fouse, Beaver Creek, org. 1870 | Dist. 27 - Mount or Mound Prairie, Goehner, org. 1873 | Dist. 6 - Mount Pleasant, Divan, Red School, org. 1874 | Dist. 21 - Hoppel, Pleasant Dale, org. 1870 |
| Dist. 42 - Allard, Brown, Grand View, Kinnett, org. 1874 but operated bef. that date |
Dist. 30 - Occidental, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 7 - Ruby, org. 1874 | Dist. 34 - Waterman, Rosebud, Fosler, org. bef. 1873 |
| Dist. 53 - Foster, Bissey, org. abt. 1874 | Dist. 58 - Star, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 31 - Hamlin, Brown School, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 45 - Pool, Ficke |
| Dist. 56 - McNeil, org. 1874 | Dist. 78 - Atwater, Geis, org. 1876 | Dist. 49 - Glendale, org. 1874 | Dist. 64 - Ihde, Sunny Slope, org. 1874 |
| Dist. 72 - Sleepy Hollow, org. 1875 | Dist. 80 - (the Second), org. 1907 | Dist. 86 - Chocolate, Bernecker, org. abt. 1878 | Dist. 71 - Leger, Willers, org. 1874 |
| Dist. 94 - Brandhorst, org. 1908 | |||
| M Precinct | N Precinct | O Precinct | P Precinct |
| Dist. 4 - Beaver Crossing, org. bef. 1870 | Dist. 3 - Riverview, Lemon, org. abt. 1867 | Dist. 2 - West Mills, Miller, org. 1866 | Dist. 1 - Camden, org. 1866 |
| Dist. 20 - Ziegler, org. bef. 1873 | Dist. 16 - Tremper, Walnut Creek, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 5 - Milford (includes Grover), org. abt. 1867 | Dist. 17 - Branch, Courtright, org. abt. 1873 |
| Dist. 35 - Rosowski, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 23 - Brisbin, Pilot Knob, org. 1870 | Dist. 18 - Neff, Rosedale, Trabert, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 19 - Fairview, Stahlik, org. abt. 1873 |
| Dist. 39 - Campion, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 24 - Flowing Well | Dist. 47 - Strayer, Pleasant View, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 48 - Goldenrod, Stolz, org. abt. 1873 |
| Dist. 61 - Blanchard, org. 1874 | Dist. 25 - Endicott, Fairview, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 73 - Stauffer, org. 1874 | Dist. 65 - Dunten, org. 1874 |
| Dist. 62 - Schoop, Gard, org. abt. 1874 | Dist. 29 - Harling, Sunny Side, org. abt. 1873 | Dist. 84 - Pathe, Sunshine District, Busboom |
Dist. 76 - Schamp, org. abt. 1875 |
| Dist. 88 - Cordova, org. 1883 | Dist. 92 - Gausman, org. 1891 | Dist. 77 - Vance, Blue Valley, org. 1876 | |
| Dist. 96 - Cordova Consolidated, org. 1918 | |||
| Dist. 95 - Consolidated Dists. 17 & 65, org. 1916 | .
Seward County Enumeration of Youth
The earliest school census records found to date are from 1866. Original records through the late 1900s are available through the Seward County Clerk and are located on the second floor of the courthouse. The enumeration of unmarried white youth between the ages of five and twenty-one, in sub-district no. one (early no. 9, Seward) included the name of the father and the legal description of the location of their home.
School District No. 1, enumerated 21 April 1866.
| Parents | Youth | Age Male | Age Female | Sec. | Twp. | Rng. |
| Lewis Moffitt | L. Leroy | 11 | ||||
| M. Ellen | 15 | 21 | 11 | 3 | ||
| Elitha Clark | Lucy | 16 | ||||
| Miriem | 14 | |||||
| Elsie | 12 | |||||
| Frement W. | 9 | 34 | 11 | 3 | ||
| Wm. Imlay | Sarah | 11 | ||||
| Josephine | 8 | |||||
| Achsen | 6 | 18 | 11 | 3 | ||
| John Durland | Alice | 6 | 35 | 12 | 2 | |
| Wm. W. Cox | Kate | 7 | 8 | 11 | 3 | |
| P. Imlay | S.A. James | 15 | 15 | 11 | 3 | |
| Nichols Owen | Elisabeth | 18 | ||||
| Prince | 17 | |||||
| Nancy | 14 | 22 | 12 | 4 | ||
| Charles Levert | Henry | 7 | ||||
| Mary | 10 | 27 | 12 | 4 | ||
| J.A. Scott | Sarah A. | 17 | ||||
| Almira | 14 | |||||
| John B. | 11 | |||||
| Margaret | 8 | |||||
| Frances S. | 5 | 20 | 12 | 4 |
West District enumerated 2 November 1866
| Wm. Clark | Ellen | 14 | 32 | 9 | 3 | |
| Anngenett King | Enock | 5 | 32 | 9 | 3 | |
| J.W. Enlow | Charles | 5 | 31 | 9 | 3 | |
| Thos. West Sr. | James | 13 | ||||
| Charles | 8 | 30 | 9 | 3 | ||
| J.R. Johnson | William | 8 | ||||
| Clara | 5 | |||||
| ??? | 17> | 25 | 9 | 2 | ||
| Englehaupt | ?yan | 13 | ||||
| ??? | 11 | |||||
| ??? | 8 | |||||
| David | 6 | 22 | 9 | 2 | ||
| Alfred Evnin | Jenett | 8 | ||||
| Lorain | 6 | 26 | 9 | 2 |
Graduates from Seward High School
From the Seward Independent Democrat, 23 March 1922 covering the years 1882-1921:
From the Blue Valley Blade, 5 June 1907, the first Eighth Grade Graduation:
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This page was created 20 January 2016 by Joan Shurtliff. It was last updated 10 June 2023.