Massachusetts teacher finds 1792 document in classroom

A teacher cleaning up her classroom has discovered a Colonial-era textbooks and documents.

Peabody: A Massachusetts teacher cleaning up her classroom in preparation for a move has discovered a Colonial-era document buried in a pile of outdated textbooks and dusty scraps of papers. Michelle Eugenio, a fourth-grade teacher in Peabody, found the yellowed sheet of paper two weeks ago. Dated April 1792 and protected by plastic, it appears to document the payment of a debt by a Vermont man named Jonathan Bates.

Peabody Historical Society President Bill Power verified the paper`s authenticity. He tells The Salem News he was thrilled with the discovery. No one knows how the paper ended up at Peabody`s Centre School or how long it has been there. Bates served in the Continental Army in 1780 and died in 1808 at age 63. He`s buried in Williamstown, Vt. Bureau Report