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Although the School Act of 1816 provided for the organization of school districts with three local trustees, the lack of financial support by the Government of Upper Canada forced each family to provide for the school building and teacher in the district. The teacher boarded around and the buildings were crude log and block one-roomed structures and heated by fireplaces. During the pioneer period there were six such school in the township. One was on the Hubbard property, on the corner of the Fifth and the Brock Road; one on the Wixon property on the Ninth and Brock Road; one just north of the Kingston Road on the Brock Road; one Quaker school on the Roger's property; one Mennonite school in Altona; and one Union School built just at the end of the pioneer period on the Scarborough Townline. Reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and a little history were taught. The teachers must have found life and their salaries almost unbearable for they seemed to change school almost every year. (Records of Altona and Base-line Schools are still available.) Although there were many unqualified itinerants teaching school, often lovely young ladies found their way into the wilderness and they had to cope with grown-up boys who worked in the fields in the summer and pestered the teacher in the winter in their efforts to learn to write. Miss Tracy who came to Pickering from England in 1832 taught school in the Township and in Uxbridge for several years before her marriage to William Mitchell, first Reeve of Pickering. Here is her Contract, kindly lent for copying purposes by the Forsythe family of Claremont. It was written on a small scrap of paper in Beautiful longhand. "Article of Agreement made and concluded this 3rd day of June, 1835 between Miss Ellen Tracy, School Mistress, of the one part, and the undersigned of the other part, now the conditions of this agreement, in such the said Ellen Tracy agrees to teach school in Forsythe School on Lot no. 4, 2nd Concession of Uxbridge, for the term of 9 months for 6 shillings New York Currency for quarter, and board with the Scholars of such as wish to have her board with them. Those that wish to pay for board, she will board herself for five shillings, for which she will teach reading, writing and sewing, and keep such order in her school as she hopes will satisfy her employers. The pay will be required the first day of February, 1836. Thomas Bray James Forsythe David Forsythe Picture: Miss Ellen Tracy "School Teacher" The contrast between the local schools, provided by the sweat and tears of the farmers and poor teacher, and the Grammar School in York conducted by the Rev. George O'Kill Sturart, a well-educated clergyman, and of King's College in York with its enormous land grant of over 10,000 acres in Pickering, was one of the major reasons for the feeling of hatred toward the Anglican Family Compact which led to the rebellion of 1837. The farmers' effort of providing for themselves in almost every small facet of their lives seemed to affect their way of worshiping God. Even in this they were independent too, and refused to accept the Government policy of one established church, the Church of England. The pioneers worshiped in their homes and organized many different congregations of obscure sectarian dogma. These groups later became patterned after the more recognized non-conformist beliefs and gradually joined together to form the modern Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches which in turn joined to form the United Church of Canada. The Quakers formed the first organized congregation in Pickering when they met in Roger's house in 1810. (See Diary) Their great feeling for their Creator and His Creation, as well as their civilized pacifism, and orderly gentle way of living helped to counterbalance the brutal, illiterate lives of many of the unfortunate children brought up in the wilderness. Unable to branch out because of poverty and overwhelming weariness brought on by too much work, the first settlers were dependent upon the stories, the way of life, the books and cooking and embroidery which the Quakers enjoyed wherever they were. There was no music, ritual or formal service in their church but much philosophical thought. The Quaker settlement was a peaceful, pleasant island in the midst of a rought community which often made its cider too strong.