Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the., Part 1

Author: Forkner, John L. (John La Rue), 1844-1926
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Anderson, Ind. : Forkner
Number of Pages: 1055

USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 1

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.

Google

This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online.

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.

Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you.

Usage guidelines

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.

We also ask that you:

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes.

+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.

+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.

+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.

About Google Book Search

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/

HISTORICAL SKETCHES

REMINISCENCES

MADISON COUNTY, IND.

JOHN L. FORKNER and BYRON H DISON

1897

US 26,303. 10

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

TAS

BOUGHT FROM THE

AMEY RICHMOND SHELDON FUND

HISTORICAL SKETCHES AND

REMINISCENCES

MADISON COUNTY,

INDIANA.

A DETAILED HISTORY OF THE EARLY EVENTS OF THE PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY, AND MANY OF THE HAPPEN- INGS OF RECENT YEARS, AS WELL AS A COMPLETE. HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, TO WHICH IS ADDED NUMEROUS INCIDENTS OF A PIRA . ANE NATURI. IN THE WAY OF REMINISCENCES, AND L. M GHABLE OCCUR-

BY JOHN L. FORKNER AND BYRON H. DYSON.

ANDERSON, INDIANA. 1897.

LLS 26303.10

HARVARD COLLEGE MAR 24 1938 LIBRARY

FHON THE PREAK OF WILSON, HUMPHREYS & CO .. FOURTH AT., LOGANSPORT. IND.

ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS IN THE OFFICE OF LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, IN THE YEAR 1897, BY JOHN L. FORKNER.

JOHN L. FORKNER.

BYRON H. DYSON.

PREFACE.

The publication of this book is wholly a labor of love, without the remotest idea of being reimbursed for the time and money spent in its preparation.

The natural affection for the old-timer, and a desire to perpetuate his memory, and to hand down to posterity his customs and manners was the sole object that first prompted the writers to undertake such a task. As the work progressed it became more evident each day that it would be doing a great county like Madison an injustice not to go further into detail, and to include the new comer, and to treat of the new order of things, since the county has grown, as it were, by magic from a monotonous agricultural district to a bustling manufacturing community. So we have presented to our readers, what we flatter ourselves, to be a statement of facts, and a compilation of useful and desirable information, not found in any other work of the kind extant.

We have endeavored to spice the pages of this work with a few incidents of a mirthful nature, to lighten the pathway of the reader as he passes through the volume, relieving the monotony of the task of reading its contents.

The reminiscences contained herein are taken from real life, many of them having been written by one of the authors for the Daily Democrat and other Anderson publications. The matter contained being in many instances the portrayal of the oddities and customs of the old-timers. It is thought proper to reproduce them in this work.

Many occurrences have taken place in the county, not recorded here. from the fact that to publish all would require a volume many times the size of this, and we have contented ourselves with giving the most important ones, and those of which we could ascertain the most trustworthy information.

Many of the early incidents of the pioneer history of the county have become traditional, as there are but very few of the early settlers left to tell the tale, and no records of such events were kept, and no newspapers printed at that time. It

PREFACE.

is wholly from the memories of those who yet survive, that we have gleaned much of the information in regard to such matters.

We expect criticism upon the merits of this work. Its defects will be very apparent to those who borrow it of the subscribers. Its contents will also induce criticism from a few old-timers who cannot be convinced by written records that their recollection of certain events is at fault. The "natural born kicker " who does not know, nor cannot appreciate, the difference between a history of this character and a directory or gazetteer, will likewise remark upon its imprefections be- cause his name does not appear in its pages. And there is the self-constituted critic who cannot write a grammatical sent- ence in any language, and whose criticisms are always severest upon matters that he knows nothing about ; he, too, will find discrepancies and mistakes, not only in the text, but in the style of narration. We are prepared for this-for any and all animadversions. Possibly we have not done our best, but we flatter ourselves that we have done fairly well. We have also learned by experience the significance of Job's desire that his " adversary would write a book." Notwithstanding his patience and long suffering, he had much of human nature in his composition, and wanted to get " even " with his " adversary," or enemy, who was no doubt a critic. We recognize the fact however, that it is the province of a critic to criticise, not to be criticised, and we therefore submit our effort for what it is worth, feeling assured that those who appreciate the difficulties of such an undertaking will over-look whatever of crudities and imperfections it may contain.

HISTORICAL.

CHAPTER I.

PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD OF MADISON COUNTY-THE MOUNDS AND THE MOUND-BUILDERS-STONE IMPLEMENTS-THE MASTODONS.

A work of this character. and especially of Madison coun- ty. would be largely deficient in interest if proper mention were ,not made of such archeological data as are found with- in the limits of the territory under consideration. To the archeologist, the scientist, the lover of research and the curious, there are existing evidences of the pre-historic occu- pancy of Madison county both by men and animals that are of absorbing interest. U'ntil recent years, comparatively, no active or scientific research had been made into the mysterious past of Madison county and other portions of the United States where remains have been discovered. that indicate the presence here. at a very remote period. of a race of beings possessing intelligence superior, doubtless, to that of the North American Indians. The inquiries and investigations that have thus far been made have resulted in the establish- ment of a number of theories concerning this pre-historic people. but nothing definite or satisfactory has been learned as to their name or character. They are called the . Mound Builders" for want of a better name and for the further reason that. whoever or whatever they were. they left numer- ou- evidences in the shape of immense mounds in different localities throughout the country, that challenge the wonder and admiration of the student and scientist. Eminent archaeologists have indulged in much speculation and arrived at conclusion- which are fairly plausible concerning this lost race. But " whence came they and whither did they go " will doubtless remain unanswered. This question has elicited no end of learned discussion and a great diversity of opinion has been

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

the result. There is one opinion concerning them, however, that is generally held in common by archaeologists and ethnolo- gists, and that opinion is with reference to their origin. The following from Baldwin's Ancient America upon this subject will be of interest :

" They were unquestionably American aborigines and not immigrants from another continent. That appears to me the most reasonable suggestion which assumes that the Mound Builders came originally from Mexico and Central America. It explains many facts connected with their remains. In the Great Valley their most populous settlements were at the south. Coming from Mexico and Central America, they would begin their settlements on the Gulf Coast, and afterward advance gradually up the river to the Ohio Valley. It seems evident that they came by this route, and their remains show that their only connection with the coast was at the South. Their settlements did not reach the coast at any other point.

"Their construction were similar in design and arrange- ment to those found in Mexico and Central America. * * * A very large proportion of the old structures in Ohio and farther South, called . mounds ' - namely. those which are low in proportion to their horizontal extent - are terraced foundations for buildings, and, if they were situated in Yuca- tan, Guatemala and Southern Mexico, they would never be mistaken for anything else. The high mounds, also in the two regions are remarkably alike. In both cases they are pyramidal in shape and have level summits of considerable extent, which were reached by stairways on the outside. *

* * All these mounds were constructed for religious uses. and they are, in their way, as much alike as any fine Gothic churches."

Other eminent archeologists take a similar view of the question and advance plausible arguments sustaining the the- ory that this mysterious people were American aborigines. And yet, the theory advanced by some that the Mound Build- ers were natives of the far East, who came to the Western hemisphere by way of Behring strait, is not regarded as wholly untenable. Many of the mounds were undoubtedly erected for defense, while others were constructed for religious or devotional uses. They differ in the manner of their con- struction in different localities, and this has contributed no little to the mystery which envelops them, and the diversity of

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA.

opinion generally concerning, not only the race that built them, but the purposes for which they were constructed.

These remains exist in but one locality in Madison coun- ty, and in comparison with other mounds in the country are but little known, notwithstanding one of them is as well, if not better preserved than any of the ancient mounds in the country north of the Ohio river. They have been visited by archeologists and scientists in recent years, who have made them the subject of much interesting speculation, but their researches have contributed nothing new concerning them. They stand today as they will stand until the ravages of time effect their obliteration. the mysterious monuments of an unknown people.

The mounds in Madison county are situated on a bluff, four miles east of Anderson on the south side of White river. in Union township. They are eight in number, three of which still preserve their outlines completely. The largest in the group is remarkably well preserved considering the ages that have circled away since it was constructed. It is a circu- lar embankment with a steep ditch on the inside. The " mound " is 1,020 feet in circumference and the ditch at this time 10g feet deep and 30 feet wide. There is a mound on the inside of the embankment, and an entrance on the south- west side 30 feet wide. Through this passage carriages enter and are driven around the mound, as the ditch terminates on each side of the entrance. The mound is surrounded by the native forests, and a number of large trees are still standing within the enclosure. Several large walnut trees at one time grew upon both the mound and embankment, but they were cut down many years ago and manufactured into lumber. This mound, as well as two other enclosures just west of it. are supposed by archaeologists to have been devoted to relig- ious uses, while a mound to the east about a half mile is thought to have been used as a means of defense. Several of the mounds, or enclosures, belonging to the group have be- come almost entirely obliterated by the plow, the land upon which they are situated being under cultivation.

In 1878 a report on the geology and archeology of Indi- ana by the state geologist contained a very interesting ac- count of these ancient remains. Their dimensions and situa- tion were illustrated, and all the facts obtainable concerning them given in detail.

But what became of this race of people? Whither did

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

they go? Did they retrace their steps to the south, assuming that they came from Central America, or did famine, war or pestilence, or all three effect their destruction? That they were here in Madison county there is no question, and that they disappeared leaving nothing behind them to indicate the purpose of their coming, their numbers, or their fate, is a mystery that the patient research of the archeologist has been unable to dispel.

OTHER RELICS OF A BY-GONE AGE.

Besides the mounds there are other evidences that Madi- son county was inhabited centuries ago. Flint spearheads and arrowheads have been found in abundance in different localities, as well as numbers of other stone implements, used probably for domestic purposes. The stone relics found here belong to the two ages of stone-the rough and the polished. But at what time in the world's history were they used? It is asserted by high authority that there is not a vestige of evidence that would prove the existence of man in Indiana two thousand years ago. Ile may have roamed over the hills and through the valleys of this territory unnumbered ages be- fore the mounds were built, but there is no evidence to prove it. The flint implements found almost in abundance at an carly day in this county, and still occasionally picked up here and there by the husbandman while plowing his fields, were fashioned by human hands, but when, and by whom there is no record. That they were brought here there is but little doubt. as the variety of stone out of which they were made is not found in this part of the country.

In this connection it is proper to make due mention of the fact that at several points in the county the remains of animals have been found which indicate by their enormous size the presence here at one time of the mastodon. In 1871, while some laborers were constructing a ditch on the farm of Mr. John Harmeson, three miles south of the city of Anderson. a number of huge bones belonging to this extinct species of animals were found, and presented to the late Dr. William A. Hunt. a student. and besides one of the best informed gentle- men no doubt in the county, upon archeological as well as other scientific matters.

These remains together with an interesting collection of other archaological and geological specimens were, after his death, presented to the Madison County Historical Society

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

by his sons, Drs. M. V. and J. W. Hunt. Several teeth of enormous size, one of which was found on the Devault Cro- well farm. in Adams township, and presented to the society by the late Harry Irish, of that township, attests the immense proportions of this extinct species of animal, if it be true that there is a relative proportion between the size of the teeth of an animal and the animal itself. Upon this subject Dr. Hunt, in a scholarly and exceedingly interesting chapter. contributed to Hardin's history of Madison county, says : ". If this rule is even proximative, and in the vicinity of truth, we attain all that is expected by the comparison. We have in our posses- sion a tooth of an ox that had a living weight of eighteen hundred pounds. As the ox's tooth is to its living weight, so is the matsodon's to its live weight. The rule, if correct, makes the weight of the living mastodon, whose bones were found in the vicinity of Anderson, forty thousand one hundred and twelve pounds. It is not claimed that there is any great degree of accuracy in the calculation, but as good as any from the kind of material we have to reason from."

At what time did these immense animals rove through the forests of Madison county, feeding on the tender branches of the trees, and succulent herbage growing along the margins of marshes and streams? The remains of this extinct pachy- derm have been found in nearly every country on the globe, and were as much of a mystery two thousand years ago as they are today. No human remains indicative of great antiquity have ever been found in this locality. and if man ever beheld a living mastodon in Madison county or on this continent, there is no evidence of it. Whether they were few or many is also a matter of speculation, as well as the cause, or causes, of their disappearance as a species. So far as the investiga- tions of scientists are concerned they have thus far been un- availing in determining these questions, and, like the mystery of the mounds and Mound Builders, will probably never be solved.

It is a theory of those who have given this subject much painstaking consideration. that the mastodon's haunts on this part of the continent were around lakes and marshes, and they point to the localities where its remains have been found as proof of their position. The bones found on the Harmeson farin were in a marsh which at one time was undoubtedly a lake covering many miles of territory east and west. Remains of the mastodon exhumed in other localities have uniformly

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

been found in marshy places where it is thought the animals went to feed and getting mired, perished. The cause, or causes, of the extinction of the entire species, however, will remain unknown.

CHAPTER II.

GENERAL HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY.

Of that fair territory lying within the boundaries of In. diana which was named in honor of the fourth president of the United States, it is the purpose of this work to treat, not alone that the early pioneers who settled here and blazed the way for the splendid civilization that now obtains within its borders may be appropriately remembered, but that their de- scendants may be made acquainted with the difficulties and hardships they encountered as well as the pleasures that fell to their portion as the brave heralds of a destiny that has made the county at this writing ( 1896) the second in importance in the State. As the work will be confined entirely to local use the authors have adopted a form in its construction that admits of biography and personal anecdote, and consequently a greater latitude in certain directions than is deemed per- missible in more pretentious annals.

Madison county is in the shape of a parallelogram and has an area of $50 square miles. It is situated a little to the cast of the center of the state, and is bounded as follows: On the north by Grant county. on the east by Delaware and Henry counties, on the south by Hancock county. and on the west. by Hamilton and Tipton counties. The county is thisty miles long from the south to the north line, and is fifteen miles wide.

Indiana originally constituted a part of the Northwest Territory and was first explored probably in 1650 and fir -! settled by the French at Vincennes in 1702. although this has been questioned. there being considerable authority indicating Ft. Wayne as the first place of settlement in the State. The territory of Indiana was admitted as a state. December 11. 1816. Madison county was subsequently organized. During the territorial period and previous thereto, the territory com- prising the county, was owned and occupied by the Delaware and Miami Indians, the former making their home along White river, and the latter in the territory to the north along

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

the Mississinewa and Wabash rivers, they having acknowl- edged by Article II., of the treaty at Fort Wayne, September 30, 1809, the equal rights of the Delawares with themselves to the country " watered by the White river." This treaty was signed on the part of the Delawares by Captain Ander- son or Kik-tha-we-nund, Captain Killbuck and others, and on the part of the Miamis by Pucan, Little Turtle and other prominent chiefs.

On the third day of October. 1818, the Delawares, at St. Mary's, ceded to the United States all claim to their lands in Indiana. By this treaty, " the United States agree to provide for the Delawares a country to reside in, upon the west side of the Mississippi, and to guarantee to them the peaceable pos- session of the same."

This treaty was signed by Capt. Anderson, also James Nanticoke and Capt. Killbuck. along with other chiefs of the Delawares. The names of these chiefs are given for the rea- son that they once made what are now the fertile fields of this county their home and hunting ground. That they were chiefs of influence, and prominence is evidenced by the fact that their names are attached to the various treaties made by the United States with their tribe. Another Delaware chief, Captain White Eyes, may be mentioned in this connection for the reason that he once lived in this county, his lodge being situated near the land now owned by the county, and used as a poor-farm.

The city of Anderson was named in honor of Captain Anderson, and occupies the site of his principal village. An- derson's domicile consisted of a large. double log cabin. one side of which was occupied by his son. This cabin stood about where the Madison county jail now stands. the spot being regarded by the early pioneers of this locality as not only very picturesque, but convenient, there being a large spring of clear, cold water at the foot of the hill a little east. of the brick block recently erected by Major Doxey on the north side of East Ninth street ; also White river flowing at the base of the hill. or bluff, on the north, whose waters at that time afforded abundance of fish.

James Nanticoke also had a village in this county, and Was prominent among his people. There is a tradition to the effect that his squaw was a very handsome woman, and gave the name of ". Our Town " to the principal village.

Captain Killbuck had a village of considerable importance

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.

in what is now Richland township, and near the larger of the creeks that bear his name. Next to Captain Anderson, per- haps, he is entitled to consideration as a chief and warrior.

These chiefs were on friendly terms with the whites, and advocated peaceful measures in settling the differences that arose between their people and their pale-face brethren. The early settlers found them tractable, and were not molested either in their persons or property. It is probable that this friendly feeling for the whites had been transmitted to the Indians of that day in this county from their fathers, who had been visited by the Moravians. In fact, a mission was estab- lished by these people on the farm owned by Mathias Hughel in Anderson township. and the dim outlines of this village were yet visible to the early settlers of this part of the county. In 1821. a house supposed to have been used as a fort, was still standing on the site of this mission. All evidence of the existence of this village has long since been obliterated.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the., Part 1

Author: Forkner, John L. (John La Rue), 1844-1926 Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Anderson, Ind. : Forkner Number of Pages: 1055

Author: Forkner, John L. (John La Rue), 1844-1926
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Anderson, Ind. : Forkner
Number of Pages: 1055