USA > Indiana > Hamilton County > A History of the Formation, Settlement and Development of Hamilton County, Indiana: From the 1818 to the close of the civil war > Part 3
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PRIMITIVE HISTORY OF
called the lime vat. In this vat the hair was loosened by the use of lime. The lime was then all worked out of the hide by scouring in clear water. Water was then placed in the vats where the hides were to be tanned, then one-half of the hide was laid in the vat and covered with the ground bark, and so on until the vat was full.
This tanyard was one of the most useful industries of the time. Here all the hides from animals that had died and had been killed were converted into leather ; here the pioneer secured the leather to make shoes for his family ; here the settler found collars for his horses, and leather out of which bridles and harness of all kinds could be made. Cogswell sold this tanyard to Pleasant Williams.
In the year of 1826 the great emigration of squirrels occurred. The squirrels passed through this county from west to east. The number could not be estimated. The time occupied in passing was about two weeks. They destroyed all the corn in the fields they passed over. They could not be turned in their course, but kept straight on in the route taken. When they came to White River they entered the water at once and swam across. Hundreds of them were shot. Others were killed with clubs and stones. It was never known from whence they came nor where they went.
About this time James Casler started a distillery two miles below Noblesville. Pure whisky was sold there at twenty cents per gallon or ten cents per quart. The
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HAMILTON COUNTY, IND.
sporting part of the community gathered at this still house on Saturday of each week. Turkeys, deer hams, deer and 'coon skins were usually brought there and sold to men who attended shooting matches. Tickets were sold at a certain price for each shot until the price of the turkey was made up, then the best shot won the turkey. The shots were at a mark usually forty yards distant. The day was usually passed in shooting, drink- ing, foot racing, wrestling and a fist fight. This distill- ery was the nearest one to Noblesville.
In the year 1829 Robert L. Hannaman taught the first school in Noblesville. This school was in a cabin located on the southwest corner of Eighth Street and Maple Avenue. The lot is now owned by Mrs. James Haverstick. This was a subscription school. The chil- dren attending this school were small, ranging from nine to twelve years. It was the fall season of the year. This teacher opened the first drug store in Noblesville. William Davis procured the first license to sell intoxi- cating liquors in Noblesville.
In 1830 the population of Hamilton County was 1,705. The nearest house to Noblesville on a direct line west was fifteen miles; in a northwest direction about twenty miles. The settlements up to this time had been made on both sides of White River, Fall Creek and Stony Creek, but few had ventured far into the forests. The first cabin built west of Noblesville on what is now called the Noblesville & Eagletown Road,
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PRIMITIVE HISTORY OF
was built by Garret Wall, father-in-law to George Bow- man. I stayed all night in his cabin in February, 1832. The cabin was eighteen feet square. Eleven persons stayed there that night. The cooking, eating and sleeping were all done in the same room.
At the time the Foster mill was built on Stony Creek, an account of which has been given, there was no wheat in the county to grind, and no provision was made by Foster to bolt flour made from wheat. Foster sold this mill to a man named Betts. Betts attached a bolting chest to the machinery and thereafter ground wheat. The bolt was turned by hand. There was but little wheat raised while Betts owned the mill. There were no fanning mills in the county, and the thrashing and cleaning of wheat was a hard job. Prior to the year 1830 there were but few barns in the county, and they did not all have threshing floors. A large majority of the farmers having wheat, cleared off all the weeds and soft earth from a piece of ground, in a circle large enough for a thrashing floor. The wheat, when ready to thresh, was placed in a row on the outside of the cleared place, leaving room in the center for a man to direct the threshing. Sometimes the wheat would be pounded from the head with a flail; sometimes a boy would be placed on a horse and a second horse would be given him to lead, and by riding over the grain, a man standing in the middle to keep the straw turned, the wheat would be threshed. The next thing to be done
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HAMILTON COUNTY, IND.
was to clean the wheat. Some men selected a windy day for this work. Standing on a bench with a measure of some kind filled with grain, a man would pour out the contents of the vessel in such a way that the wind would blow the chaff and dirt away, while the wheat would drop to the ground.
Another way was for two men to take hold of a sheet, one at each end. Then the sheet was shaken in such a manner that a wind was created. Immediately above the draft stood a man with wheat in a sack or vessel, pouring it out so that the chaff and dirt would be blown away and the wheat cleaned. Then the grain was ready for the mill.
There was no market for wheat then, and but little was raised. Betts died and the mill was sold to one Hare. The old log mill was torn down and a large mill built lower down the stream. This mill ground both wheat and corn. A saw mill was added, which did con- siderable business.
John Conner died in 1825. The mill built by him on the river near Horseshoe Prairie, an account of which has been given, passed under the control of Sennet Fallis. The dam across White River, from whence came the power to run the mill, was made of brush, stone and earth. We then had two freshets each year; one in January and one in June. By one or the other of these freshets this dam was sure to be broken. All the brush, rock and earth near the dam was soon used for
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repairing, and it became necessary to build a boat. This boat was taken up the river to any point where brush and earth could be procured. It was then loaded and poled down to the dam and unloaded. In the course of time it became necessary to maintain a crew of boat- men to man this boat. They were a jolly lot, but some of them contracted rheumatism and other diseases from which they never recovered. Fallis operated this mill but a short time. It then passed to the hands of W. W. Conner, only heir to the vast estate of John Conner. It did W. W. Conner but little good. He died a poor man.
After Foster sold his mill on Stony Creek he built a mill on White River in Noblesville Township, at the point where Clare is situated. This mill supplied the wants of settlers for a great distance in each direction. A saw mill was added to the grist mill. In addition to the sawing done for the neighborhood, thousands of feet of lumber were sawed and sent to Indianapolis. Rafts were built out of the lumber and when the water was at the proper stage the lumber was floatd down to the city. This lumber trade with Indianapolis was kept up for a long time and brought to the mill owner good pay.
In the pioneer days those who were residing upon lands entered by them, and which lands had been par- tially improved, did not rely largely on crops raised for anything more than food for their stock and bread for
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their families. The ground from which timber had been removed was covered with stumps, which nothing but time would remove. The process of clearing land was slow and the farming was difficult. Wheat, then as now, was sown in the fall season. In the spring the cleared patches were prepared and planted in corn. The corn was thereafter cultivated according to the custom of the times. Then came the wheat harvest. The im- plements used in taking care of the wheat was a reap- hook, a wheat cradle and a hand rake. The men using the cradle cut the standing wheat, getting as near as possible to the stumps; then the reap-hook was used in cutting the down grain and around the stumps; then the grain cut with the cradle was raked up into bundles with a hand rake, then bound and shocked, then put into barns or stacks; next came the hay harvest. The process was as follows: The farmer repaired to his meadow with a mowing scythe thrown over his shoul- der. With this implement he cut the grass. A good hand would cut about one acre per day. The rule was for about two men to join in the work. They would cut grass until noon, then with their wooden forks they would scatter the hay so that it would in a short time be dry. Then with hand rakes the hay was put in rows called winrows. Then late in the evening the hay was put in stack.
In about the year 1840 threshing machines, called chaff pilers, were introduced into this county. These
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PRIMITIVE HISTORY OF
machines threshed the wheat from thestraw, but did not separate it from the chaff. This was done by running the wheat and chaff through windmills, which were in- troduced about that time. One mill was generally suffi- cient for the neighborhood in which it was sold. From about the year 1830 to the year 1841 or 1842 corn sold at about eighteen cents per bushel, wheat from thirty- seven and a half cents to forty cents. There were some improvements in price from that time to 1850. From 1850 to about 1855 corn as a rule sold for about twenty- five cents per bushel and wheat fifty to sixty cents. In about the years 1856 and 1857 and 1858 wheat ad- vanced to $1.00 per bushel and corn from twenty-five to fifty cents, owing to the demand. Some time in the early fifties great improvements were made in farm implements. The roots and stumps had been gradu- ally decaying and were easily put out of the way, so that the farmers began to give more attention to their farms and the result was that farming began to pay. From that time forward improvements in this line were rapid.
Domestic improvements were not so rapid and not so general; yet conditions were greatly improved. The carding machine, the spinning jack and the patent loom took the place of the old hand cards, the spinning wheel and hand loom; the sewing machine dispensed with a vast amount of sewing formerly done by hand. The cooking stoves took the place of the old crane and pot hooks that formerly hung in the old fireplace, and also dispensed with the dinner pot and johnny cake boards.
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CHAPTER VI.
Organization of the County.
When a sufficient number of settlers had settled and located within the present bounds of Hamilton County to entitle them to become a separate organization un- der the law, they made application through the proper channel, the Legislature, for a charter authorizing them to become a separate and independent jurisdiction. This step was taken in the summer and fall of 1822. The application was presented to the Legislature of 1822-3, and on January 8, 1823, pursuant to the petition, an act was passed. The first section provides that from and after the first Monday in April, 1823, all that part of Marion County and north thereof contained in the fol- lowing bounds shall constitute and form a separate county, viz: Beginning on the range line dividing ranges 2 and 3, east of the second principal meridian at the southwest corner of section 7, in township 17 and range 3, thence running on said range line to the town- ship line dividing townships 20 and 21, thence east on the said township line to the northeast corner of section 5, in township 20 and range 6, thence south on the sec- tion line to the southeast corner of section 8, in town- ship 17 and range 6, and thence west on the section line
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to the place of beginning. In the act the county is named 'Hamilton. Commissioners were .ap- pointed by the Legislature to carry this act into effect by laying out said county. In order to set the machinery in motion, William P. Warrick was ap- pointed sheriff for the said new county by Governor Hendricks. It was Warrick's duty to give notice of the holding of an election for the purpose of electing county commissioners, county officers and associate judges. This act became a law on the 7th day of April, 1823, and the first board of commissioners convened on the 12th day of May, 1823. I have frequently been asked when and how this county was laid out and when organized into a separate jurisdiction. For the benefit of the readers and in answer to the questions, I have written these notes concerning the same:
Hamilton County was located and divided into two townships. One was named White River Township, and the other Delaware. Governor Hendricks ap- pointed John D. Stephenson clerk, and William Conner treasurer until 1824, and William P. Warrick sheriff of said county. In the spring of 1823 the first election was held. This election was held in the cabin built for Solomon Finch at or near Horseshoe Prairie. Solo- mon Finch, William Dryer and Zenis Beckwith were elected commissioners. John Conner was elected Rep- resentative and John Finch and W. C. Blackmore were elected associate judges. The circuit judge was ap-
HAMILTON COUNTY, IND.
pointed by the Governor. His name was Egleston. The Legislature directed that all courts in Hamilton County should be held at the house of William Conner. in Delaware Township.
The first commissioners' court was held in May, 1823, at the house of William Conner. William Dyer, Zenas Beckwith and Solomon Finch, commissioners, and John D. Stephenson clerk. At this session the county was divided into two townships. Jacob Hyers and Henry Foland were appointed overseers of the poor for White River Township, and George Kirken- dall and James Williams for Delaware Township, for one year. The board also at this session ordered an election for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace, one for each township, to be held at the house of Henry Foland, at Strawtown; the other at John Conner's house in Delaware Township.
At the August session of the Board of Commis- sioners Jerry K. Leaming and Andrew Mcclintock were appointed constables for White River Township until February term, 1824, when it was ordered that Edward H. Dryer and George Wise be appointed as such for Delaware Township for the same term, and each was required to give bond in the sum of $500. At this session of the board the first petit jury was drawn as follows: Allen Baxter, Chapel W. Brown, Thomas Morris, Andrew W. Ingraham, Michael Wise, John Duncan, Archibald Bayless, John Tressel, John Os-
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born, John Carpenter, Andrew Wilson, James Friel, Jr., Asa O. Ives, Henry Shetterly, Henry Foland, John Conner, George Conner, Peter Custer, John Nickerson, Timothy Nerron, Alexander McClintock, Lemuel An- ton, Solomon Wise, John Provault, Elias Hoddy, John Bingham, David Conner, John Alman, Francis Booker, George Wise, Jerry K. Leaming and Edward M. Dryer. The first grand jury was drawn at this session as fol- lows: John Conner, James Wilson, Curtis Mallory, William Bush, Francis Kinkaid, William Conner, Charles Lacy, John Hannaman, Jeremiah Leaming, Michael French, James Lee, John Black, Jacob Hier, William James, Benjamin Coy, Nathan Coy, William Peck, Joseph Wilson, George Shirts, Robert Duncan, George Kindall, Israel Finch, Nathan Popejoy, William Foster, Joseph Frazier, Joseph McCormick, Archibald Johnson, Lambeth Heath, Henry Lee, Jesse H. Wood, Thomas Provault, Alexander Booker, Solomon Finch, William Dryer and Benoni Friel.
It was ordered that J. D. Stephenson be allowed for books $2.37, and for making out tax duplicate $4.00; that Curtis Mallory be allowed $1.25 for furnishing jury boxes and boxes for election purposes; that Solo- mon Finch and Zenas Beckwith be allowed $8.00 each for four days' services as commissioners, and that Wil- liam Dryer be allowed $2.00, he claiming no more.
At the November term, 1823, it was ordered that James Duncan be released from paying $1.25 charged
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as taxes on a pleasure carriage; that Chapel W. Brown be released from paying thirty cents, charged on one yoke of oxen. Jacob T. Hire was released from paying thirty-seven and a half cents, amount charged on levy for a horse. John Bruitt, Francis Kinkaid, James Friel, Sr., George Kirkendall and Robert Duncan were exempt from poll taxes, they being over fifty years of age. Zenas Beckwith was allowed $40.57 for purchas- ing books for the county ; W. P. Warrick being allowed $26.50 for his services as sheriff for the year 1823; J. D. Stephenson $10.00 for being clerk for commissioners during the year 1823; Solomon Finch, William Myers and Zenas Beckwith $2.00 per day each for services as commissioners for this term.
At the term of the commissioners' court in the year 1823 J. K. Leaming was appointed tax lister. It was ordered by the board that all hotel keepers within the county of Hamilton should pay a license fee of $10.00. A petition was filed before the board asking that a pub- lic highway be laid out and opened commencing at or near the mouth of Pipe Creek, crossing the river near Strawtown, and again crossing the river near Jerry Leaming's, about two miles below Strawtown, and thence down the river on the west side to the Marion County line near Bruitt's place. This petition was filed at the August term and was the first petition filed for a public highway. A petition was also filed for a road beginning at the Madison County line near Perkins-
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ville, leading past Jacob Dyer's farm to Strawtown, and from Strawtown to William Conner's farm, by way of Noblesville. The board ordered elections to be held for the year 1824 as follows: At the house of William Bush in Delaware Township, and appointed John Stoops inspector; and for White River Township the election was ordered to be held at the house of Henry Foland, in Strawtown, and appointed J. K. Leaming inspector.
At the February session in the year 1824 it was ordered that W. P. Warrick act as collector for one year and that Curtis Mallory serve as treasurer. A spe- cial session of the board was held in March, 1824, to receive the report of the commissioners, appointed by the Legislature to lay out the county seat.
At the November session. of the commissioners' court the board found that the expenses of the county for that year amounted to $224.374 ; that the credit to the county . was $170.623, the balance against the county being $53.75.
At the January session of the board a license was ordered to be issued to William Conner to vend foreign merchandise on the payment of a fee of $10.00. This fee was paid and license issued and was the first license issued for this purpose. Under this license Mr. Conner opened the first store ever opened in Noblesville. John Hare showed to the board that he had paid tax in Ohio in the year 1824 upon property listed against him in this
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county and was released from the taxes assessed against him here. At the January session of the board for the year 1825 it was ordered that an election for Delaware Township be held for the year 1825 in No- blesville, and Curtis Mallory was appointed inspector. It was also ordered that the election in White River Township be held in Strawtown, and William Dyer was appointed inspector.
It has frequently been said that the contest between Strawtown and Noblesville was, on the county seat question, very close. This is a mistake. The report of the commissioners appointed by the Legislature to lo- cate and lay out the county seat for Hamilton County says that the Strawtown site was not considered at all because it was too far from the center of the county. The report says that after examining all of the sites offered Noblesville was considered the most eligible.
The first jail building in the county was built by Josiah F. Polk. This building was of logs and was built on ground donated to the county by Conner and Polk. just north of the old graveyard. It was accepted by the board at its March session, 1825.
At the February session of the Board of Commis- sioners, 1824, the following rates of taxation were or- dered, to-wit: For every animal of the horse, ass or mule kind, over three years old. thirty-seven and a half cents each; work oxen, three years old, eighteen and three-fourths cents; on each two-wheeled pleasure car-
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riage, one dollar each; four-wheeled pleasure carriage, $1.50; on each brass clock, one dollar ; on each silver or pinchback watch, twenty-five cents; on each gold watch, one dollar; on each ferry, $3.00; and on each male person over the age of twenty-one years, fifty cents, provided, that persons over the age of fifty years and not freeholders, and such as are unable from bodily disability to follow any useful occupation for a liveli- hood, and all idiots and paupers, shall be exempted from the last mentioned tax.
At the March session of the Board of Commission- ers, in and for Hamilton County, in consideration of the location of the county seat at Noblesville, the following named persons agreed to pay the county agent to aid in building public buildings at said county seat, the several sums of money, labor and ma- terial set opposite each name :
James Willason, in masonry .$50 00
James Casler, in work 10 00
Hezekiah Betts, in lumber 45 00 John Stoops, in carpenter work 50 00
Stephen Wall, in chopping 5 00
John Dale, in shingles 5 00 George Dale, cash 20 00
Wilburn Davis, in shingles 5 00
Sydnor Dale, cash 25 00 Curtis Mallory, in work 10 00
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J. D. Stephenson, cash
10 00
Peter Chissom, in work 10 00
John Conner, in lumber 50 00
Daniel Heaton, cash 10 00
Asael Dunning, cash 10 00
Charles Lacy, cash 10 00
Charles Lacy, team work 15 00
Henry Hurlbert, in work 10 00 William Goe, cash 5 00
Milo Bush, team work 5 00
George Shirts, team work 5 00
William Bush, in hauling 10 00
Thomas Morris, cash 10 00
Josiah F. Polk, cash 30 00
William Conner, cash 40 00
Mr. Lewis, cash 20 00
ยท Mr. Cottingham, cash 15 00
Mr. Colborn, cash 15 00
Mr. Craycraft, cash 15 00
Mr. S. Dickson, cash 15 00
Mr. Metsker, cash
15 00
At this session of the board Josiah F. Polk was appointed county agent and as such agent was ordered to sell the lots previously donated to the county by Conner and Polk.
At this session of the board John Conner filed a petition asking that a public highway be laid out and
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opened from Noblesville to the ford on White River above the mouth of Stony Creek, thence west across the river past John Conner's mill, and intersect a road, leading from Strawtown to the south line of Hamilton County. This is the road now leading south from the; city on Eighth Street.
At the May session of the Board of Commissioners, in the year 1824. the sheriff of this county was ordered to let the building of a log jail, to be built on the frac- tion of land donated by Conner and Polk to the county, situated on the east bank of White River, north of the old cemetery. The jail was to be twenty-one feet long and in two apartments, to be built of logs closely rotched down. The price for completing this jail build- ing was $300 and the contractor was to accept the labor and materials donated to the county for the purpose of assisting in the erection of county buildings, as part payment for building the same.
On the 31st day of January, 1824. the Legislature passed an act abolishing the office of county commis- sioners. Solomon Finch and Nathan Popejoy were elected commissioners to serve until the act would be- come effective, and at a session of the board held in .August, 1824, they met and were sworn to discharge their duties as county commissioners and also took an oath against duelling. On Monday, the 6th day of Sep- tember, 1824, William Bush, William Foster, Andrew WV. Ingraham and William Dyer met at the house of
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William Conner in Hamilton County, Indiana, and each of them produced commissions from the Governor commissioning them justices of the peace, upon which was indorsed the oath of office. And thereupon agree- able to an act entitled an act to regulate the mode of doing county business, approved January 31st, 1824. took their seats as members of this board. Andrew W. Ingerman was selected as president. This board was known as the Board of Justices, superseding the Board of Commissioners.
At the November term of the Board of Justices Josiah F. Polk produced a commission, signed by the Governor, whereby he was commissioned to become a member of the Board of Justices and after taking the necessary oath he took his seat as a member of said board. So long as this board continued to do the busi- ness of the county it was known as the Board of Jus- tices.
At the January session of the Board of Justices, 1825. a petition was presented for the opening of a highway down Fall Creek to intersect a road leading from the Hamilton County line to Indianapolis. This petition was made by John Welchel. At this session Curtis Mallory was appointed treasurer for the year 1825. It was also ordered that Thomas Morris be ap- pointed superintendent of school section No. 16, town- ship 18, range 4, east, for the year 1825.
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