William Westerman Document

Educational opportunities in Mississippi during the early years of the nineteenth century were severely limited. Families who could afford the expense sent their children to New Orleans or to Europe for their education, while others chose to hire private tutors.

In Warren County, Mississippi, public schools did not operate until after 1845. Prior to that time, due to the lack of state-funded educational institutions, many people in the area relied on the services of private tutors such as William Westerman. Tutors regularly advertised their services in local newspapers and then signed contracts with an individual, or group of individuals, effective for a certain period of time. Paid a monthly salary based on the number of children under their care, tutors such as Westerman were required to teach only the basic fundamentals, mainly reading, writing, and arithmetic. In some cases, other subjects such as Latin or French were required, depending on the social status of the employer. People hiring private tutors were usually prominent within the community and sufficiently affluent to afford the expense.

Among the families employing William Westerman as a tutor were the Hyland, Rawls, and Gibson families of Warren County, Mississippi. The Hyland family, one of the first families to settle in the south of Warren county, had resided in the area since the turn of the century. Between 1818-1827, Jacob Hyland served in the county legislature, while James Hyland watched over the family business and plantation. Associates of the Hylands included the Gibson Family and the Rawls Family (who arrived in the area at the same time as the Hylands). David Gibson arrived in Warren County in 1826 and built the family plantation. Following his death, his sons, including Levi R. Gibson, remained in the area until the 1830s when Levi Gibson moved to Le Flore County.

No information is available concerning the life and activities of William Westerman.