Teaching in the Canadian District in 1851

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 1851  

Paper: Rockford Forum (Rockford, IL) 

obtained on 

 Genealogybank.com

"Mr. Asa Landon teaches in the Canadian district, a man of long experience..."

It is not often that I find references to people in 1850 era newspapers--especially people who leave few other records are are extremely migratory. This article signed by the "School Commissioner" mentions the step-father of my ancestor Ira Sargent. The clues are not all that big, but this piece did tell me that:

• The family was still in the Rockford area in 1851. They were in Iowa by 1856 and this helps narrow down the time frame a little bit.
• Asa worked as a teacher. Census enumerations list him as a farm and do not mention his employment as a teacher. 

The reference to where the family lived as the "Canadian district" also was a hint that Asa was not the only Canadian to live in the area and that most likely there was a large group of Canadians living near where he taught.