History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

459

In 1877, ten years after the incorporation of Farmington as a village,
the schools of the township were ten in number, and in excellent condition. The houses were good,-several among them being noticeably
so. In District No. 5 (Farmington Village) there were two departments, a higher and a lower, respectively in charge of a male and female teacher. The terms aggregated forty weeks per year. The annual
salary of the male teacher in the village district was one thousand dollars, as compared with the woman teacher's salary of four hundred dollars. The other districts employed male teachers in the winter seasons
only, the summer terms being taught exclusively by females, the remuneration of the former ranging from thirty-five to fifty dollars per
month while that of the latter was from two dollars and fifty cents to
three dollars and fifty cents per week.
The school status of Farmington today, as against that of the town
in 1877, speaks well for the general advancement of the place. Today
the school system of Farmington embraces a primary, intermediate,
grammar and high school department, all of them being maintained in
accordance with the most advanced ideas in educational methods. The
primary department numbers fifty pupils; intermediate, forty; grammar, thirty-six and high school, forty-seven, making a total attendance
of one hundred and seventy-three pupils, with a corps of five teachers
in charge. It is interesting to note that the high school attendance is
almost as large as the primary enrollment,-a pleasing circumstance in
view of the general tendency to discontinue school with the grammar
grades, so noticeable in certain districts. In 1894 a modern school building was erected, complete in all its details, and in every way calculated
to meet the requirements of an up-to-date community.
TIE CHIURCHES
There is a very strong German element at and around Farmington,
the farmers, dairymen and even tradesmen being composed largely of
that nationality; and none could be better, or conduce more to the solid
growth of the village and the township. One of the results is seen in the
flourishing condition of the Lutheran churches. Although the Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists formed early organizations, in 1826 and
1827, and have been, at times, strong and growing, they have not shown
the development within late years which has been evinced by such an organization as the Salems Evangelical church. This was organized in
I875 by Rev. Baschet, with about twenty-five members. In 1882 Rev.
A. Schmidt took charge of the congregation, and during his ministry it
became affiliated with the German Evangelical synod of North America.
The church has today a membership of 178, with Rev. A. C. Stange in
charge of the parish.
The Farmington Methodist church, whose first regular class was
formed in I829 and whose first home was erected in I840, is in charge of
Rev. G. E. Gullen. The Baptist church, which effected a regular organization as early as 1826 and whose original building was completed in
I835, was for years one of the largest societies of the locality; the last
regular pastor of the church was Rev. W. R. Warner, in i886, since..". i