Harrison Stebbins opened the first select school in Janesville; the sources hedge between the latter part of 1841 and the beginning of 1842, and one chronology lists "Stebbins' select school" under 1841.

The evidence

• “Harrison Stebbins, now of the town of Porter, I think opened the first select school in Janesville, cither in the latter part of the year 1841, or in the beginning of 1842. Yours truly,”

  1856-history-of-rock-county/04-correspondence-pioneer-letters.md, PDF p. 53 / book p. 35

  Guernsey, Orrin, and Josiah F. Willard, editors. History of Rock County, and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics' Institute. Janesville, Wis.: William M. Doty & Brother, 1856. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871593.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “In the latter part of 1841, a select school was opened by Harrison Stebbins.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/26-history-of-janesville.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 20 / book p. 535

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources · may repeat 1856-history-of-rock-county, so not counted as independent