Some of the information which follows comes from three of William's obituaries and a one-paragraph mini-biography:

1. Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906

2. Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906 which was a reprint from one that ran in the Ocala Evening Star.

3. Ocala Banner obit, July 20, 1906

4. M'Kendree College Centennial Catalog mini-bio. - 1928

They all differ somewhat with events mentioned that another may omit.  Only one mentions his time in Tampa and the same one tells why he came to Florida. One mentions a degree that the other three do not.  Some of the events appear to be out of order when compared to actual verifiable evidence.  The Ocala Banner politicizes his death taking opportunity to glorify the Democrat rule in Florida.  The M'Kendree bio in their 1928 catalog seems to have come from No. 3, the July 20 obit in the Banner.

Information in obituaries is usually provided by friends or close family members, which in W.P.'s case would have been from his wife, Julia and probably close friends in Florida.  The accounts of his life before Florida may not be entirely accurate or in chronological order.  The actual obituaries are presented near the end of this page.

In the account of his life which follows, events have been combined in a timeline when they fit together without conflicting. Inconsistencies are pointed out and explained.

BACKGROUND

William Penn Haisley was born during the time his parents were moving from North Carolina to Illinois, and in the political conflicts which followed in his lifetime, he strongly espoused the principles which he inherited from his ancestors.

William's parents were Quakers.  His father, Alexander B. Haisley, born in North Carolina in 1802, was the only son known of four children of John Haisley and Mary Shields.  Alexander married Ann Phillips in Stokes Co., NC in 1822, and their first three children were born in NC from 1824 to 1828.  Sometime from 1828 to 1831, they left NC for Illinois, stopping in Indiana for several years where they could be associated with more of the Society of Friends than they had in their home state.  William Penn Haisley, named for Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, was their fourth child, born in Wayne County, Indiana on Dec. 21, 1831.  So it took, at most, around four years for them to get to Indiana.

HAISLEYS IN WAYNE CO., INDIANA

After William's birth, the Haisley's next two children, Rhoda (b.1836) and Mary (b. 1844), were also born in Indiana.  In 1845, Alex's wife, Ann (Phillips) Haisley, died in Indiana, so it appears that the Haisleys spent around fourteen years there.

All of William's obits claim they only spent a few years in Indiana, then moved on to Illinois. But using the birth years of the children and death year of Ann Haisley they appear to have spent around 14 years there after William was born.  Two of William's obits add that the area of Jacksonville, Ill. is where William spent his boyhood years, but the birth places of his younger sisters indicate otherwise.

The Haisleys spent about 14 years in Wayne Co., Indiana, before going west to Illinois.

INDIANA TO ILLINOIS 1845

Alexander Haisley remarried in Fayette County in 1845, then settled in Bond County by 1847-48.  William would have been around 16 to 17 years old.

Alexander and his children completed the last of their migration in 1845, when they moved to Illinois.  On Jun 9, 1845, Alexander married Sarah E. (McMakin) Custer in Fayette County.  Sarah E. was the widow of Samuel M. Custer and mother of three young children as well. By 1850, the suddenly-expanded Haisley family settled in Bond County, Illinois, where they are found on the 1850 Census.  By this time, sons John and William had moved out on their own, and their sister Lodema had married out.

1850 Census, Bond County, Illinois
The household of Alexander B. Haisley

On the 1850 Census, Alexander Haisley is found in Bond County, IL, with his second wife Sarah E., three of his children by his first wife Ann (blue dots),  three of Sarah's children by her first husband (red dots), and two year old Martha Haisley, who due to her age of 2 should be Alex and Sarah's only child together to this point (purple dot.)

It hasn't been researched as to when Sarah E. was widowed from her first husband, Samuel M. Custer whom  she  had married in 1835 in Clark Co., Ohio.  They had three children: Josephina Custer, Laura Custer, and Samuel M. Custer Jr.

As seen on the family tree chart below, Alexander and Ann's daughter Sarah M. Haisley married David Rench shortly after this census. He can be seen in the neighboring Rench families, (blue arrow.)  Ten years later, Sarah E's daughter Laura Custer would marry John Haisley, Alexander & Ann's son.

On the 1850 Census, William is found several pages away in Bond County as seen below after Sarah E. McMakin Custer's tree.

Details of Sarah E. McMakin's previous marriage are seen below.
 

William first appears in the Preparatory program enrolled in the classical education program of the catalog of 1853, residing at Greenville, Ill. "Prepatory" appears to be what would have been called later the "Freshman" class.
The school also offered a scientific program.

In 1854 William was a sophomore.
He was still living in Greenville.

Each year the college grew in faculty and students.  In the 1857 catalog they listed Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman, and GRAMMAR SCHOOL students.

 

WILLIAM ABSENT FROM M'KENDREE FOR FOUR YEARS
 

In the 1859-60 Annual Catalog, a Law Department had been added to the curriculum.  William wasn't listed anywhere that year, nor was he listed in the 1860-61 Annual Catalog.

 

It is at this time that all of William's obituaries say he graduated from M'Kendree and Harvard, one adds Yale, and two say he suffered from a debilitating paralysis for four years:

1. At the outbreak of the Civil War he had just graduated from Harvard college, but unfortunately was stricken with paralysis and remained completely paralyzed during the four eventful years that followed, and was unable to move hand or foot.  (Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906)

2. At the outbreak of the war, he graduated at Harvard College, but was taken ill shortly after, and was a prostrated victim of paralysis.  (Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906, reprint from Ocala Evening Star, "The Busy Life of W. P. Haisley.")

3. He graduated in the Harvard law department class of 1861. Subsequently, he took the degree of A.B. at Yale University. He was a persistent and intelligent traveler...  (Ocala Banner obit, July 20, 1906) No mention of paralysis, but mention of a degree no other source has mentioned--an A.B. from Yale.

4. He graduated from M'Kendree in 1861, then took a law course at Harvard University and received the degree of LL.B. from that institution. (1928 bio in the M'Kendree Centennial Catalog.) It continues with later events but makes no mention of a paralysis before or after Harvard. 

William was already a senior at M'Kendree in 1856, so he must have been close to getting an A.B. degree.  What happened from 1856 to 1860 that would explain this 4-year absence in the student listings?  

ILLINOIS TO MASSACHUSETTS 1856-1860

WHEN DID WILLIAM ARRIVE AT HARVARD?  WHAT HAPPENED DURING 1856 TO 1860?
 

The 1861-62 M'Kendree catalog (at right) was another Triennial catalog.  For the Alumni of 1861, (the previous year's graduates--1860-61) W. P. Haisley WAS listed with an A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) and an LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws.)  The M'Kendree catalog doesn't indicate that his LL.B. came from Harvard.   

The catalogs of officers and graduates of Harvard Univ. show William graduating in 1861 with a Bachelor of Laws degree, at Internet Archive

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY AT HARVARD, 1861

July 17, 1861.—The Intelligencer
The Commencement Exercises at Harvard College for the academic year of 1861 took place yesterday, and the weather was such as to favor a successful fulfillment of all the intentions of the day. The attendance was as usual quite large....The Board of Overseers met at Gore Hall, at nine o’clock, and concurred with the Corporation in conferring the usual Academic Degrees, A. B. and A. M., in course and out of course, and the degrees of LL D. S. B. and M. D.

The Exercise at the Church
At 10 o’clock His Excellency the Governor, together with the Faculty, present and past officers of the College, and a number of distinguished persons, took their seats upon the platform, in the First Church where the exercises of the graduating class are usually held. Upon the platform, besides Governor Andrew and his Staff, Quartermaster Reed, Surgeon General Dale, Gen. Stone, were Hon. Edward Everett, President Scars, of Brown University, the senior Professor of Tufts College, Hon. J. C. Gray, Rev. L. R. Paige, D. D., Judge Russell, Dr N. B. Shurtleff, and others. After a voluntary by the Brigade Band, prayer was offered by Rev. Dr Peabody, and the delivery of the essays by the graduates began. These were warmly applauded by the assembly. With the exception of a few omissions, the programme was the same as that published by us on Tuesday. The degrees were then conferred, as follows Degree of A.B....Out of course, the degree of A. B. was conferred upon the following named individuals;—...The degree of A. M. was conferred in course upon— Out of course— Doctors in Medicine— Bachelor in Science.— Bachelors of Laws:  ...Charles Conyers Goddard, John Chapman Gray, Ross Gaffia, William Penn Haisley, Henry Berry Hammond. Thomas Albert Henderson, Abijah Hollis, Edward William Hooper, Thomas Humphreys, Obadiah Jackson...

William's degree from Yale was honorary.

From the Yale 1895 Catalog at Internet Archive

William Penn Haisley of Tampa, listed in 1904 with an honorary Law Degree awarded by Yale University in 1861.

GROWTH OF M'KENDREE COLLEGE CURRICULUM THE 1867-68 10TH TRIENNIAL & 34th ANNUAL CATALOG By this time, M'Kendree College had established quite a curriculum:	1868-69 THE 35 ANNUAL CATALOG In this year the college add an 11th department, "Normal Instruction" and allowed females to attend.  It was designed for those who were preparing themselves to teach in the public schools.

Textual items at Internet Archive containing "W.P. Haisley."
When you double-click a hit and it opens, search the text INSIDE the item without quotes or you will get an error.  Advice on searches:  Even if an old publication is in pristine condition, the text search feature may still not locate your key word because of the ornate fonts used in the mid to late 1800s.  As you can see below.  In which case, you'll need to flip page by page.  Also search for just "Haisley" without the quotes.

LIFE AFTER HARVARD AS DESCRIBED IN WILLIAM'S OBITS

1. As soon as he regained possession of his stricken limbs he came south and began life as a tutor in Mississippi. Later he came to Florida and located in this city, where he opened a private school, which he managed most successfully.  He also taught with eminent success in Tampa and afterwards Texas and other western states.   (Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906)

2. On his recovery, he came South and took up the work of a tutor, teaching in Mississippi.  He then came to Florida and located in Ocala, where he conducted a private school most successfully.  Later he taught in Texas and Illinois.   (Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906, reprint from Ocala Evening Star, "The Busy Life of W. P. Haisley.")

3. He was a persistent and intelligent traveler, and would undergo any amount of hardship and toil in pursuit of the knowledge he sought.  Ten years of his life was spent traveling solely for information.  In 1868 a magazine article descriptive of Silver Springs induced him to visit Florida.   No mention of private school teacher before next event.  (Ocala Banner obit, July 20, 1906)

4. He was an intelligent and persistent traveler, and spent ten years of his life in traveling for the purpose of securing information.  In 1868 he visited Florida, and being pleased with the country, eventually settled there.  No mention of private school teacher before next event.  (1928 bio in the M'Kendree Centennial Catalog.)

Did William experience his four-year paralysis from 1861 to 1865 in the Northeast, then head straight to Mississippi?
Did he first go home to Illinois, or even Indiana, where he remained incapacitated for 4 years?
Or had he already experienced the paralysis before 1860, then go to Indiana or Illinois and teach up there for 4 years, then did he go south to Mississippi at the end of the war?

If William was as debilitated as described, someone would have had to care for him almost 24/7, but who?  If it occurred before he went east to Cambridge, Mass in 1860., a family member in Bond County could have done so.  If it started while he was in Massachusetts in 1861, he would have likely had to pay someone there to care for him there, or it was along hard trip home to Illinois for him and his caregiver.
 

ALEXANDER HAISLEY AND FAMILY MOVE TO IOWA BY 1860

Sometime from 1853 to 1860, William's father and his family had moved to Cedar County, Iowa where he was working as a brick maker.

If William convalesced in Illinois after Harvard (during the Civil War), he may have been attended in the home of a sister.  There are a few newspaper articles that suggest William's brother John lived in Wayne County, Indiana

THE LIFE OF W. P. HAISLEY TO THIS POINT, 1861

One fact is certain--there was a four-year gap during his college education.  Obituaries don't usually mention something unless it happened; it's often the chronology that's out of order.  On this basis, and the above statements in his obituaries, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. His paralysis likely occurred from 1856 to 1860 during the gap from his senior year at M'Kendree to his attendance at Harvard.  If this four-year gap was for any other reason, why then was he not a graduate at M'Kendree in 1856?

2. It is doubtful that he served in the military during the war. Being raised a Quaker, he probably would not have volunteered to bear arms, and if he was drafted, he may have been a conscientious objector.  At graduation he would have been almost 30 years old.  The question of when William experienced his four-year paralysis complicates matters.

3. There were a lot of Haisleys in the area of Wayne County, Indiana.  His brother, John Haisley, may have been living there.  William may have spent time recovering there.

4. He traveled for about ten years total, including his tutoring in Mississippi, but not all traveling took place before coming to Florida.

5. It is doubtful he traveled in the South during the Civil War period of 1861 to 1864. 

6. He came to Florida in 1868 and settled in Ocala, teaching a private school for two years.

7. He was teacher and principal of Tampa's Male & Female Institute and was hired for the position by the trustees in 1870, at which time he had been teaching private school in Ocala for two years.  (Since 1868.)

8. The loss of Tampa newspapers from 1872 through 1876 leaves uncertain as to when he left his position as Principal in Tampa, leaving these five years available for more travel; to teach in "Texas and other western states." His obit in the Ocala Star says he taught in Texas and Illinois.

9. He came back to Florida from his western travels in 1876 and campaigned in Florida for George Drew's governorship.

MASSACHUSETTS (TO ILLINOIS?) TO MISSISSIPPI 1861 - 1866

It would have been a scenic riverboat cruise down the Mississippi from Illinois to the Southland.

TUTOR IN MISSISSIPPI THEN EAST TO CHARLESTON, SC

Upon obtaining his his degrees from M'Kendree, Harvard and Yale in 1861, William probably went back to Illinois for the period of the Civil War, where he either taught school or spent four years recovering from his paralysis.

Sometime around 1865 or 1866, William headed south, making his way to Mississippi where he made a living as a tutor for a year or two.  No records have been found showing him in Mississippi.  Since censuses were taken on the end of each decade, there would be no census records of him there.  Mississippi would be just over the Civil War, and Reconstruction was on the verge of beginning.  Newspapers from around the state for this period show the great need for tutors and teachers, and William was likely aware of this.

The Dec. 3, 1867 article at below in the Charleston, SC Daily news shows that in late 1867 William left Mississippi and went east, arriving in Charleston, SC where he stayed at the Pavilion Hotel.

In 1868 a magazine article descriptive of Silver Springs induced him to visit Florida. He  located in Ocala, where he conducted a private school most successfully.

No mermaids back then.
Stern-Wheeler Arriving at Silver Springs, Florida, after an Overnight Run up the St. Johns, Oklawaha, & Silver Rivers, 1886
Albumen silver print from glass negative courtesy of A. Hyatt Mayor to Metropolitan Museum of Art  Internet Archive Python library 0.5.1 Photographs, Albumen silver prints, North and Central America, United States, 1886, Albumen silver print from glass negative, Metropolitan Museum of Art

W. P. HAISLEY HIRED TO TEACH IN TAMPA

According to the Oct. 12, 1870 article, William had been teaching in Ocala for two years. However, he didn't have an "A.M." degree--Master of Arts.  He had an A.B.--Bachelor of Arts, and LL.B.--Bachelor of Law.

"He comes among us with the best of recommendations as a teacher and a high-toned gentleman."

Below: The start and end of first quarter of the "Tampa Male and Female Seminary" Tampa School      

The ad below was the same one they ran the previous year. The tuition per quarter was subject to a deduction proportional to the funding it received from the county and state school boards, which included the Peabody Fund.  "The board is in posession of abundant testimonials as to the character and qualifications of Mr. Haisley."

The above ad ran all year long in 1871, each week, even past the Oct. 17 opening date, up to the gap in Tampa newspapers. 

This school had the most complete curriculum, especially for the intermediate and higher level courses.   By Feb. 1871, this school had 55 pupils.

FIVE-YEAR GAP IN NEWS

Now we lose five years of sources in the loss of the Fla. Peninsular newspapers from 1872 through 1876. 
 

FIRST NEWS OF 1877

The trustees have hired another principal during the five-year gap in newspaper history.

N. Fellows is the principal in the school's first ad in the first Peninsular after the five-year gap. 

The History of Hillsborough County Schools says this:

Board minutes in 1876 appointed Professor Fellows as a teacher of School # 1 and principal of all other schools in Tampa. Later in 1877, Board minutes documented the appointment of Dr. Fellows as the first principal of Tampa School #1, also known as Tampa High School.

An 1892 article in the Peninsular makes reference to Haisley teaching at the school in 1872, so from the time Haisley left Tampa to the time Prof. Fellows was appointed as a teacher in 1876 leaves about four years of unknown leadership for this school.

As early as 1870, Mr. Haisley made investments of real estate in Tampa and predicted that it would become the most important city in Florida, and during the time of the yellow fever visitation to that city and the other calamities that befell it, remained unshaken in his predictions concerning it, and it was a great gratification to him to have lived long enough to see his predictions realized.  (Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906)

Mr. Haisley ever had great faith in Tampa; that in time it would be the leading city in the state, and with that belief he invested his surplus money in Tampa realty, and not withstanding the vicissitudes through which it passed, it has fully grown up to his fond expectations, and the acres he acquired twenty-five years ago at a pittance are now worth a fortune.  He also became the owner of a fine orange grove on old Tampa Bay, which has given him good returns during the past years.  (Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906, reprint from Ocala Evening Star, "The Busy Life of W. P. Haisley.")

TAMPA TO TEXAS TO NEVADA TO CALIFORNIA 1872 - 1874

WILLIAM LEAVES TAMPA in 1872 FOR ABOUT FOUR MORE YEARS OF TRAVEL

1.  He also taught with eminent success in Tampa and afterwards Texas and other western states.   (Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906)

2.  Later he taught in Texas...  (Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906, reprint from Ocala Evening Star, "The Busy Life of W. P. Haisley.")

3. He was a persistent and intelligent traveler, and would undergo any amount of hardship and toil in pursuit of the knowledge he sought.  Ten years of his life was spent traveling solely for information.  (Ocala Banner obit, July 20, 1906)

4. He was an intelligent and persistent traveler, and spent ten years of his life in traveling for the purpose of securing information.  (1928 bio in the M'Kendree Centennial Catalog.)

No evidence have been located for William in Texas, but it does appear he went as far west as possible.  The article at right in the Oakland, CA Tribune shows he was due to arrive there by train on Oct. 14, 1874, and he was from Nevada.

Maybe he stopped in Utah to see the Great Salt Lake.

FROM CALIFORNIA TO OREGON - 1874-76

W. P. Haisley turns up in the Sept. 1, 1876 report of the State Superintendent of Schools in Salem, Oregon, in the section about teacher certification and the requirements of State Certificate in the orders of Life Diplomas, State Diplomas, State Certificates of the First and Second Grade.  These were classifications of the certificate, not school student grade levels.  In order to receive a First Grade certificate, the applicant had to have testimonials of good moral character, have success in teaching for at least six months, and pass exams in several subjects answering at least 90% correctly.

W.P. Haisley is named as having a First Grade State Certificate in Oregon.  Is this our W. P. Haisley? Probably, but no way to know for sure without further research. However, a search of Oregon newspapers from 1871 to 1876 for "teachers" finds hundreds of articles each year for county schools wanting teachers for hire, especial for the native American tribes schools in Oregon.

WILLIAM HEADS EAST,  1875-76--OREGON -- TO IOWA?

Williams father, Alexander B. Haisley, died in Jones Co., Iowa on Sep. 23, 1875.  This article in the Jan. 18, 1877 L.A. Evening Express lists names of persons having mail waiting for them to claim at the post office.  It may have been an effort to contact William at his last known location that his father was ill.  News of this may have just reached William in Oregon sometime in1876 after being state-certified to teach there, and so he may have left Oregon headed for Iowa.

No evidence of this has been located; this is speculation based only on the timing of Alexander's death and the above article.

1. Mr. Haisley was married in Ocala* to Mrs. Julia Simmons Priest...and afterwards made this his home...  (Ocala Banner obit - July 13, 1906)  *They married in Philadelphia.

2. Shortly after this...Mr. Haisley was married to Mrs. Iola** Simmons Priest, one of the handsomest, most accomplished and lovely women in the state, and they have made their home in Ocala ever since, at the corner of Oklawaha and Osceola Streets.  (Tampa Tribune obit -  July 15, 1906, reprint from Ocala Evening Star, "The Busy Life of W. P. Haisley.")

3. In 1878 he married a daughter of the late Mrs. Mary McIlvaine Simmons of Lewes, (Delaware.) (Ocala Banner obit, July 20, 1906)

4. In 1878 he was married to Miss Julia Simmons of Lewes, Delaware, who, as his widow, still survives.**(1928 bio in the M'Kendree Centennial Catalog.)

**Perhaps the original handwritten draft of this obit was sloppy and "Julia" looked like "Iola."

On May 1, 1878 William married Mrs. Julia (Simmons) Priest in Philadelphia.  William would have been 46.  Julia would have been around 38 to 40 years old.

Julia  was a widow and had been living in Florida since 1861,  "for many years a resident of our State and thoroughly identified with its every interest."

She was born in Philadelphia in 1837 to Edmond Simmons and Mary McIlvaine.  According to her obituary, Julia moved to Ocala in the early part of 1861. 

JULIA'S SIMMONS FAMILY

Julia's father, Edmund (or Edwin) Simmons, died in Philadelphia before 1850.  By 1850, Julia's mother, Mary Simmons,  had moved to Lewes, Delaware and was living in the home of her brother David McIlvaine (45), a Minister.  Also in the home was their widowed mother, Jane McIlvaine (70).   Mary Simmons was 40 and Julia was 10.  To this time, only two children are known for Edmund Simmons and Mary McIlvaine Simmons:  Julia and her slightly older (sometimes younger, depending on the source) sister Jeane.
 

1850 Census, Sussex Co, Lewes, Delaware
Julia Simmons

 It's not known why Julia's sister wasn't listed, she would have been around 9 to 11 in 1850.  Jeane McIlvaine married Robert H. Beville in Florida in 1866 and when she was widowed, she lived with Julia and William Haisley, along with her two children Alfred Stephen Beville and Mary Helen Beville.  In Julia's later years after William died, Julia spent a lot of time with her sister and niece Helen, who lived in nearby Gainesville.

WILLIAM P. HAISLEY'S REPORT COVERING HIS FIRST TWO YEARS OF HIS SUPERINTENDENCE
After getting his office in order, William spent the first part of his term traveling the state and getting a first hand look at the conditions of public schools, as well as meeting with county school superintendents and the citizens of the area.

REPORT - DEC. 31, 1878

MAIN POINTS

These facts not only speak well for the officers who have been connected with the Department, but they also exhibit an appreciation of education on the part of the people which is quite as desirable, and without which it would be impossible to accomplish but little. I believe that all classes throughout the State are now more fully alive to the importance of maintaining the common school system than ever before at any period since its inauguration, and that we may hope for still higher and better results in the future.

REORGANIZATION OF THE BOARDS.
It was early determined by the present Board of Education to reduce the Boards of Public Instruction, except in a few of the most populous counties, from five to three members each. This plan has been found to work well, and besides has been a saving to the State of nearly fifteen hundred dollars per annum from the time of its adoption. In addition to this a thorough reorganization of every county was made, and each School Board required to place on file with the head of the Department the certificate of organization required by law some- thing which had never been done before, or if so there was no evidence to that effect among the records of the office.

OFFICIAL CANVASS OF THE STATE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT
Believing that an official visit to each of the counties in the State would enable the Superintendent to perform more intelligently the duties of his position, and be of benefit in other respects to the success of the public schools, the Board of Education decided to apply tie five hundred dollars per annum which had hitherto been appropriated as a contingent fund to this office, in defraying the traveling and other expenses which a tour of the State would involve.

After a thorough reorganization of the department therefore, I entered upon this canvass, starting out first in July, 1877. My plan was to take in a certain section of the State or a certain number of counties in each visit. Remaining out one or two months at a time, I would return to the office, and after working up such business as required my personal attention, would again resume my visits, thus continuing until September, 1878, when every county had been visited. This work consumed between five and six months of actual travel, and, as any one who has ever made a thorough canvass of the State is aware, was attended with many difficulties and much inconvenience. I feel assured however that my visits have resulted in benefit to the cause in which I am engaged, and do not therefore regret the many hardships which from the nature of the task, I was forced to endure. In these visits the Superintendent met each Board of Public Instruction in the State, and endeavored to inform them as to a proper construction of the law and their duties under the same. In this way he has become personally acquainted with every school officer, thus strengthening the bond of those engaged in a common work, and awakening an interest, and in some cases an enthusiasm which could have been effected by no other means. He has also met and conversed with many bearing no official relation to the common schools, from whom he has gained information as to the interests, inclinations and wants of the people, which could not otherwise have been obtained, and which has been of great benefit to him in the proper discharge of his duties. He feels justified in saying therefore that many and good results have followed from this official canvass.

SCHOOL POPULATION.
Below will be found a statement of the school census for 1876, which has never before been published. On comparing the returns here given with those of 1873, it will be seen that there was an increase in our school population between the years 1873 and 1876 of nearly thirteen thousand, the total number reported in the previous census between the ages of 4 and 21 being only 74,828. From two counties there are no returns ; from two they are inaccurate, from one deficient.

Gratifying progress was made in the past 2 years. There were almost 1,000 organized schools in the state, an increase of several hundred.  The highest increase to date had been 600.

A longer school term had been established, a larger percentage of school age population had been enrolled, better qualified teachers employed, the financial condition of many counties were greatly improved. At the beginning of his term, a number of county boards were embarrassingly in debt, but due to management, obligations have been eliminated.

All classes of Floridians are become more aware of the importance of an education and maintaining a common school system.

Except in the most populated counties, the number of county school board members was reduced by the state board from five to three members, saving the state $1,500 a year.

Every county school board was reorganized and required to file their certificate of organization with the state, which had never been done before.

The state board allowed Haisley to make an official visit to every county of the state and meet with each county board, so he could do a better job as State Supt.

After a complete reorganization of the department, he started his tour of the state in July 1877, by visiting the counties in geographic groups, spending one or two months in each section, then returning to his office to catch up on state business. This itinerary took him until Sept. 1878 to visit all counties, taking up between five and six months of travel time, accompanied by many difficulties and inconveniences.

He did not regret the many hardships the task forced him to endure, believing it was to the benefit of his cause.

He met with the Supt. of each board of public instruction in each county, reviewing with them the law and their duties under it.  In meeting with them personally, he formed bonds with them due to their common work, and generated an enthusiasm for it which no other way would have been generated.

He also met with numerous persons not officially part of the government educational system, and gained much knowledge of what interests and wants the people had, which was a great benefit to him in doing his job.

Many good results have followed due to his tour of the state.

A chart of the school census for 1876 was published, showing an increase of nearly 13,000 children over the previous school age population of about 75,000.

You can read all of this report with charts and stats at Internet Archive.  You might need to sign up, but it is free.  This site is a priceless resource.  It allows you to flip through pages online or download several different versions of books from PDF to plain text.

In reviewing the condition of the public schools of our State during the past two years it is gratifying to note, that notwithstanding the difficulties under which they have been operated, there has been a decided improvement. While the period referred to has been fruitful in the actual good accomplished, there has been something still more encouraging in its indications of future success. The fact that a greater number of schools have been operated, with a diminished revenue, shows that there is an increased public sentiment in their favor, and that a majority of the people of our State begin to feel the necessity of developing our educational system.

I would not, however, be understood here as adducing an argument in defense of the action of the last General Assembly in reducing the county tax for the support of schools. Had it been thought that the limited percentage of taxation was to remain permanent, the result would have been different, but under the general sentiment that the reduction was a mistake, and that the original rate would be restored when the next Legislature should meet, the people have been encouraged in keeping up their school organizations, and have supplemented in many instances by private contributions the appropriation allowed.

If It is important that we should have a public school system, and every thinking mind must admit that it is, then policy demands that it be operated in such manner as will make it of most advantage to the State.  This can only be done by giving to it a sufficiency of funds, without which we shall fail, not only to develop the system, but the public school will result in detriment to true educational advancement. There are neighborhoods that will depend for the support of their school upon the public fund, however insufficient for the purpose it may be. So the school is put in operation once a year, they are satisfied, without giving themselves any concern as to whether it is conducted by such a teacher, or for such a length of term as will make it of real value to the children. Thus evil instead of good is the result if the system is not liberally supported.

He then goes on to describe his experiences and findings of his second canvass of the entire state.

You can read the entire report here at Internet Archive.  You may need to register, but it is free and well worth the few minutes.

READ ABOUT W. D. LEWIS and the history of the DESOTO HOTEL, here on this breakout page.
Don't miss it, there's a lot of good Tampa history here, as well as beautiful photos of the DeSoto, outside and inside.

1921 - Company B of the Hillsborough Co. Home Guards lined up in front of the DeSoto Hotel
Burgert Brothers Cirkut Camera Panoramic image from the collection of the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library website.
These negatives are named after the special Cirkut camera that could rotate up to 360° to produce sweeping panoramic views.
The negatives were produced on nitrate film and had deteriorated severely over the years. The library has created new negatives and prints from these old negatives.
Read about the Cirkut Camera at the TampaPix Burgert Bros. feature.

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1894-09-21 Wallace Stovall editor of Tpa Trib, pointed out 10-acre property in Tampa Heights for which Haisley refused $40k offer for.  He paid $2000 wants $100,000 for it.

1894-08-17 Haisley of Ocala in Tampa, uncle of fine host of the DeSoto Hotel, W.D Lewis.

(From Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War. The work has been a mainstay in the teaching of Latin to schoolchildren, its simple, direct prose lending itself to that purpose. It begins with the frequently quoted phrase "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres", sometimes quoted as "Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est", meaning "All Gaul is divided into three parts.")