Elijah Terry

Elijah Terry, son of Timothy Brewster Terry and Elizabeth Davis Terry, was born near Coram Village, February 14, 1787, where his parents had a homestead. When Elijah Terry began his teaching career he was teaching students in his father’s house. His first-class was made up of 7 boys.

Elijah married Caroline Overton Terry and built their 1823 home known today as the Terry House, on Farm to Market Road (Portion Road). It was about 300 feet to the East of College Road. The two-story house consisted of 4 rooms with a central three-sided fireplace on the first floor with two rooms upstairs. Elijah and Caroline had 4 children.

Elijah Terry was credited with being the first teacher in Bald Hills. Part of his salary was his care and supply of wood to keep the school decently warm. He was a scholarly person and wrote his own books. There is a record of an arithmetic book written by Elijah in the early 1800s. He was also a farmer as teachers received little pay in those days.

Elijah Terry died in 1850, the same year the Bald Hills Schoolhouse was opened.