 The report of Thomas F. Norton, the first school treasurer, shows that “in 1855 there was but one school, thirty-four scholars in attendance, ninety-two children in the township, and but one teacher; the highest wages paid was $12 per month, and the whole amount paid out for school purposes was $38.75; there were but 107 school books in all the houses, sixty-five of which were elementary spellers.”

In the early years, the settlers received their mail at the little post office in Esmen Township which was on the mail route from Danville to Ottawa, Illinois.The post office was called Sunbury and kept at the William K. Brown residence.It was afterward moved to the home of Andrew Sprague.