Ruth Toner and Students

This is Ruth Toner (1897-1965) and her students. The school could be Bryanville, Tonerville, Risley or another.

The big girl to Ruth's left may be Sophie Austin -- I didn't know her that well but it sure looks like the woman I remember.

There were a lot of little one-room schoolhouses in those days. The districts actually remained in existence until the consolidation of Ludlow, Mooresville, Utica and Dawn schools into Southwest R1. However, like many others, our Bryanville school was in a state of ruins -- filled with hay to be precise -- and the neighbor children and I attended school in Ludlow. However, the Risley school did continue to conduct classes out of a one-room schoolhouse until the 1950s.

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