Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

ALAIEDON TOWNSIIP AND ITS HISTORY

267

settled on his farm a trifle more than one-half mile west of the
school house. All these farms are still occupied by direct desecendants of the original owners.
The first post office was at Mason, and the first ministers who
preached to the people came from Mason. With the exception of
one or two short periods, the Leek District always maintained a
preaching appointment at the school house until the late '90's,
and it was re-established in 1900 at the Memorial Church, a mile
west of the school house.
In 1842 there were twelve children in the district between the
ages of five and seventeen, four who were under five, and over
seventeen also attended school. In 1843 there were fifteen scholars. The teacher was paid $1.00 per week and "boarded round."
In 1846 wages had advanced to $1.25 per week.
In 1847 the township bought half an acre of land from Mr. Leek
for a "Burying Ground;" there were no cemeteries in those days;
had there been we should have missed that old time hymn,
"Oh, carry me home, carry me home, when I die,
Carry me down to the Burying Ground.
But don't you carry me by."
Mr. Leek by ceding land to the people for school and burial
purposes unwittingly made his name imperishable. In 1878 an
adjoining half acre was purchased as an addition to the cemetery,
and in 1890 four acres were bought on the opposite side of the
highway and opened up as a cemetery. Thirteen of the nation's
soldiers, and perhaps more, lie in the Leek Cemetery.
By 1850 enough more families had arrived to swell the number
of the scholars in the district to 44. About this time the log
school house burned down and was replaced by a frame building,
heated by a box stove instead of the log house fireplace.
Not a very long time afterward a set of "outline maps" was
purchased and hung on the walls of the new school house, and
the man who sold them taught an evening geography school. His
method of teaching was unique and most effective. With a long
pointer he traced on the maps the divisions of the earth's surface,
and pointed out the mountains, rivers, gulfs, bays, capes and
cities. The class followed the pointer and sung the facts he gave
them to the tune of "Old Dan Tucker."