USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > A history of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, Indiana : a complete and concise account from the earliest times to the present, embracing reminiscences of the pioneers and biographical sketches of the men who have been leaders in commercial and other enterprises > Part 6
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JOHN B. FICKAS.
EARLY TIMES AND CUSTOMS.
Many of the old Revolutionary soldiers, dissatisfied with the slavery of the south, settled on the banks of the Ohio at different points-near Green River Island, Red Banks (now Henderson) and other places. Abraham Vann settled just above Evansville in 1805. Later on Da- vid Knight, a shoemaker, settled on Lost Hill, now Oak Hill.
Many a log house then had but one elapboard door, with a lateh- string loek and no window. There were the board roof, puncheon floor, and mud chimney. In the time of the great earthquake in 1811-12-continued shakes eame every few days-the settlers, believ- ing the last day had come, ran out of their homes and went abont from honse to house and held appealing prayer meetings to the Almighty. Some time after this seismie commotion a large hewed log eame up out of Mr. Vann's spring and no one knew where it eame from.
One day Mrs. Young, hearing her boys erying in great distress, went out to investigate, and discovered a big black bear in a pen nearby. She got the gun and in short order dispatched the too-bold bruin. The early settlers had a hard time to live. They had to pound their eorn into eoarse meal to make bread. Then eame a man by the name of Knight and built a tread-mill for grinding eorn, somewhere near where Lincoln avenue now is located in Knight township. A horse walked on a large inelined tread-wheel and turned the mill. This was superseded by a steam-mill ereeted by A. P. Hutchinson. Later on came better mills.
In those days knowledge was tanght in night-sehools for old and young. Mr. Whitney had the first and only mud house in this country ; it was built by Henry Marker. Two men onee quarreled with their wives and they settled the trouble by swapping wives, one paying fifty eents to boot. David Akin kept a wood-yard. A steam- boat after taking wood refused to pay. Akin waded into the water
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
and cut the boat's cable and triumphantly bore it ashore. Samuel Carlisle lived on the old Linx weiler farm on Pigeon creek One Sun- day morning the news came that Carlisle had shot his wife and then himself. In his funeral sermon the minister said it was not the hus- band that did it but a jug of whisky.
In the first days of the country many differences were settled with the fist instead of by law. Silas Parker and Clark Lewis, one sixty years of age and the other seventy, once fought to a finish, General Evans acting as referee. The author has heard these two men many a time crack jokes over how they once cracked heads.
Ira A. Fairchilds, Sr., son of Seth Fairchilds, was born in Otsego county, New York, January 29, 1814, and came to Evansville in 1818, and remembered that Devine McGary's and Lewis McGary's log cabins stood on the river bank. Lewis' being a double house. Mr. Fairchilds recollected that court was held in one of these rooms, while McGary lived in the other, all his furniture being removed to the one room. Judge Blackford, he also remembered, held the first court. This was perhaps while some construction was going on in Hugh McGary's two-story frame. Mr. Stinson's cabin stood then about where Sunset park is now. Seth Fairchilds' log cabin was near where the old Blue warehouse is now on Water street. The widow Sweezer kept a ferry across the mouth of Pigeon creek, then a wide stream. It was then two hundred and fifty yards from Water street to the top of the high river bluff. A field of corn was on the river bank. Mr. Fairchilds, before his death, (October, 1896) stated that Hugh McGa- ry weighed about 170 or 180 pounds, was square built, six feet tall, dark complexioned, fiery, and strong. He commanded a company at the battle of Tippecanoe. He had three children, two girls and a boy. His wife was an old-fashioned, good-natured woman. Clarissa, one of McGary's daughters, taught Mr. Fairchilds how to swim. Their corn- meal mill consisted of a spring-pole with an iron wedge in one end and held in place by a band which also prevented its splitting. The wedge then beat the corn in the hominy-mortar. Old Mrs. Anthony, of Henderson, would tie her clothes on her head and swim the river. McGary was a trader, and after he built his frame-house established a grocery store in it. He bought up hides, meats, grain, &c., and made considerable money. The salt from the first saltwell, would preserve meats; they bored deeper, and that which was found then would not preserve meats. So they got their salt from Illinois, back of Shaw- neetown. The first road through Vanderburgh county was an Indian trail from Red Bank (Henderson) to Vincennes. Sleds were used in 5
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
winter and ox-carts in summer. Mr. Fairchilds carried Judge Olms- tead across Pigeon creek on his back many times. The Indians that came to the settlement in those days gambled in a singular manner. They put a silver picayune on the end of a stiek and would shoot at it. Every time one of them hit it it became his who shot, and when he missed he would lament the loss of what might have been his by greater skill. In every hamlet the white people also indulged in the same game,
Mr. R. D. MeGary, of Kent, Indiana, writes that Colonel Hugh McGary was, in a measure, responsible for the defeat at the battle of Blue Lick, August 19, 1782. The young officers would not wait for General Logan to come with his reinforcements, but contended there were enough brave men who would follow them, and they even hinted cowardice. So Colonels Boone and MeGary joined in the advance the next day, and when they reached Licking river the Indians had al- ready crossed over. Now when the young officers saw the great num- ber of Indians, they began to talk of waiting for General Logan to come up. Mr. R. D. MeGary writes : "Hugh MeGary got mad and swore at them for seeing danger before they had got into it, and cursed them for being cowards. Then he rushed into the river and cried with an oath that all who were not d-d cowards should follow him or he would disgrace them forever. This is what my grandfather and my father have told me often. Colonel Hugh was a man of fiery temper, uncontrollable when mad. He was a very active man, about five feet ten inches tall, and weighed from 180 to 200 pounds. He never knew what fear was." He had a brother John, and they first lived at Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Their wives were the first white women ever seen in that town. When Colonel Hugh McGary left Evansville, he went to Tennessee, where he died at a very old age. These brothers came originally from Ireland when boys.
EARLY THRESHING METHODS.
The first way the farmers had to thresh wheat was tramping with a horse, then flailing it out. They took the chaff out with a sheet. Then the tramp-mill came next.
Matthew Gilbe came from England, where he had a threshing ma- chine. He was the father-in-law of Wm. Gore, who married Mary Ann Gilbe, and is now a resident of this eity, living at 300 Mary street. Gilbe came here December 15, 1836. He located in this
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
country in the Hornbrook settlement, below Darmstadt. There was then not a threshing machine in the State of Indiana. He saw an advertisement in a Lonisville paper of two threshing machines for sale, and he went there and purchased one of them for $100. It was a four-horse power, with not a bit of wood about the power. He brought it to Evansville and had truck-wheels made at Stringtown and mounted his machine on them, and gave notice to the neighbors that the first man who engaged him to thresh he would thresh his wheat free of charge. People came for miles to see it work.
It was not the "ground hog thresher ;" it was a four-house power. He threshed for $5 a day, or 6} cents, or a Picayune, a bushel. Wheat was then $1, pork $6 per hundred-in 1839-while the canal was then being dug. Mr. Rowley, the miller, had the contract for excavating this section of the canal.
A threshing machine, made differently, came in that year late, but it did not prove a success. It broke the grain. The next was the Tin- ker, or "ground hog." Then came the big separator, built by Heil- man, which was gradually perfected. They were shipped all over the west and south in later years, and they made the traction engines that went with them, and superseded the horse-power, and here is where Heilman finally made his great fortune.
After Mr. Gore married Miss Gilbe he went with his father-in-law and had an interest in the machine.
The farmers helped each other out. They raked up wheat and oats with a hand-rake. The improved threshing machines came before the reapers. Cradles then were used. If a man raised one hundred bushels of wheat in that early day he was counted a big farmer.
Tramping out wheat on the ground was an early method. No iron forks were in use then-all wooden forks. In harvest times whisky as a beverage was openly used, and set out where a harvester could get it when he wanted it. There were no more oxen then than horses. A stump-puller was a mere hook and chain. The first harrow was made of wood. The first plow was all wood, except the shear-wooden "mould-boards." The first iron plows were cast-iron; now they are steel. They were then made in blacksmith shops, now they are made in big factories.
There was a time when there was not a buggy in Evansville. There were some carts.
The first bakers who lived here used to carry bread around in bask- ets. The first bread eart was for one horse and was built by Frederick Wetzel, who owned a bakery.
CHAPTER V.
Vanderburgh County Formed out of Warrick County, Which Was Originally a Part of Knox County-The Part General Evans Took in Forming Evansville-First Town Election-First Census in 1819-Gradual Growth of the County-scat of the New County -- Fudge Henry Vanderburgh.
W TARRICK County was created in 1813, out of that part of Knox County south of what is known as "Rector's Base Line," which was the first line run by government surveyors through the Southern Indiana territory and npon which all subsequent government surveys were based. Warrick County, which then comprised all the territory out of which Vanderburgh County was subsequently formed, extended from the Harrison County line to the Wabash river.
Colonel MeGary, who owned the lower part of what subsequently became the location of the city of Evansville, laid out a number of lots and donated some of them to Warriek county, on condition that the contemplated court-house should be located on them. He had an eye to business and knew that the eonrt-house would enhance the value of his property.
The territorial legislature, the following year (1814) divided the vast territory covered by Warrick county, creating Posey county out of the west portion and Perry connty out of the east portion. This left the site of Evansville in the southwest corner of the remaining territory still known as Warrick county. The same legislature disap- pointed the hopes of Colonel McGary, by locating the seat of justice about four miles from Newburgh, on a tract of land owned by Nathan- iel Ewing, which had been donated for that purpose. This location was known as " Darlington. "
Nothing worthy of note, in its effeet on the future of Evansville, oe- curred after that, until 1816 and 1817, at which period General Rob- ert M. Evans, who was then a resident of New Harmony, and James W. Jones, both enterprising gentlemen, conceived the idea that there were the elements of a promising settlement here. They owned that portion of the site of Evansville north of what is now Main street, so they proposed to the indomitable MeGary that the three re-plat the
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
town on a grand scale covering the whole territory. Soon after this combination the entire tract was re-platted.
McGary had sold some parts of the tract to other parties in the meantime, and further complications arose causing General Evans to make another survey. It seems that the survey took precedence, and the town was named Evansville in his honor. He was a learned man and endowed with wonderful executive ability. He now had plats of the enlarged town printed and sent broadcast over the country. These fell into the hands of citizens of Vincennes, which was then a govern- ment fort, and of New Harmony, which was then a prosperous settle- ment, and of other interior towns in the Wabash valley, and soon a large number of settlers was headed for Evansville.
In 1818, another important event occurred, which did much to fur- ther the interests of Evansville. The legislature of that year divided the territory of Warrick county and formed Vanderburgh county from the western portion of it, naming it in honor of Judge Henry Vander- burgh, a territorial judge of Indiana. This act was approved Jan- nary 7, 1818. This was the opportunity for General Evaus and Robert McGary, and they were not slow to act. The same legislature appointed a board of commissioners to fix the seat of justice for the new county of Vanderburgh, and through the intercession of General Evans and Colonel McGary they offered one hundred lots and $500 in cash if the state's commissioners would locate the court-house in Evansville, and the following report was made to the county com- missioners, viz :
"In consideration of the local advantages of Evansville, and a liberal donation by the proprietors of 100 lots and $500 in cash, or such material as will suit in the erection of the public buildings, we, the commissioners appointed by the legislature, have established and fixed the permanent seat of justice of Vanderburgh county, at Evans- ville."
FIRST TOWN ELECTION.
This was the beginning of the first prosperous era for the town of Evansville, and in Angust of that year (1818) the first election was held and the following trustees were elected :
Hugh MeGary, Isaac Fairchild, Everton Kinnerly, Alfred O. War- ner and Francis J. Bentley. Hugh McGary was elected president of the town board, Elisha Harrison 'was chosen secretary and lister (now called assessor) of taxable property, John Connor was chosen treas-
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
urer, and Alphonse Fairchild collector and marshall. The first levy of taxes made was twenty cents on the dollar of real property and a special tax on various kinds of personal property ; but as valuations were very low the tax amounted to very little, turning into the treas- ury the first year the magnificent sum of $191.28. It is a significant fact that the first meeting of the town trustees was not held until the 29th of March, 1819, uearly nine months after they had been elected. But as there were no spoils to deal out to ward-healers in those days as there are now, there was no inducement for the town trustees to be iu a hurry about getting together.
The census of the town was taken during this year (1819), and showed one hundred and one inhabitants. The only public building in the town at that time, (as the court-honse had not as yet been com- pleted), was an inn or tavern kept by Ansel Wood, Esq., which was situated on what is now known as Main street, then called the state road. This was known as the Bull's Head tavern in later years. The first grocery store, and the only store, was located in a hut built by Hugh McGary, fronting ou Water and Main. This store was started in this building by Wm. 'McKnitt, whose daughter was Mrs. James Steele and who still resides here. Mrs. Steele's mother, Mrs. McKnitt, was a sister of Benona and John B. Stinson, who settled on a farm below town in 1812, on or about MeGary's time.
The second store that opened in the town of Evansville, which could properly be called a store, was located on the river bank and was opened by a Frenchman who sold out to a Mr. Armstrong in a few months, and the latter was succeeded by the Lewis Bros. Very little money passed over the counters of the stores in those days, everything being given in exchange for coon skins, bear skins, wolf skins, wood and the few products of the earth that were raised. These were turned into money by the storekeeper, who floated them down the river, even as far as New Orleans.
Amos Clark, the first lawyer of the town, located here in this year, and was at once appointed prosecuting attorney.
The first postmaster the town could boast of was Danicl Warner, who was appointed by President James Monroe in this same year (1819.)
The first town board of trustees succeeded in doing very little for the good of the town, but doubtless their opportunities for usefulness were limited ; and in 1820 John M. Dunham, Daniel F. Goldsmith, Prestley Pritchett, William Mills, Jr., and John A. Chandler were elected trustees, which, it will be noticed, was an entirely new board.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
James A. Boiss was appointed secretary, and Alanson Warner, treas- urer.
EVANSVILLE'S PROGRESS.
Prominent citizens from the surrounding towns and even from a great distance now began to turn their eyes toward Evansville. The cireuit rider was gradually being displaced by the resident minister. The country about Evansville showed evidences of the advance guard of husbandry, and artisans of various kinds, with their tools were al- ready on the ground. When General Evans moved from New Har- mony to Evansville, which was in 1824, and took up his active resi- denee here, bringing with him some of the very best men of the Rapp- Owen community of colonists, the wheels of progress began to turn, slowly, it is true, and propelled as yet by manual, animal, wind or water power, but the signs all pointed nevertheless, to the beginning of the end of want and privation for the sturdy pioneers. About this period in the history of Evansville, the town government began to as- sume shape and system ; churches were organized ; flatboating on the river assumed respectable proportions and steamboats passed up and down the Ohio. In other words society had begun to organize itself. Every phase of life and activity, in all directions, began to show evi- denees of vigorous energy and systematic co-operation. I shall, there- fore, from this time on, through the future pages of this work, treat of these things as I found them and as they have been handed down through tradition, in classified form as nearly as it is possible to do so; and instead of making this work a mere chronology of events, follow- ing dates in succession, I shall attempt to give the reader an intelli- gent, and comprehensive history, devoid of a tedious recital of statis- ties, ete., in detail.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY.
I lay before the readers what I consider the foundation of Indiana territory, a document in which for the first time the name of Vander- burgh county is made a record of in any way whatever-a name given in memory and honor of the great jurist, General Vanderburgh. This is taken from the records made in 1787 to 1799. In accordance with an ordinance made in 1787, ten persons were nominated, out of whom
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
the president of the United States was authorized to select five as members of the legislative council of the territory northwest of the Ohio river. From the ten nominees named, President Adams selected Jacob Burnett, James Findlay, Henry Vanderburgh, Robert Oliver and David Vance, who were nominated as the legislative council of the northwestern territory and confirmed by the senate of the United States. The first meeting of the territorial legislature occurred in Cincinnati, September 16, 1799, On the 24th the two houses were duly organized, Henry Vanderburgh being elected pres- ident of the council, William C. Schenck, secretary, and Abner Cany, sergeant at arms. On the 7th of May, 1800, the presi- dent of the United States approved an act of Congress entitled "An act to divide the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio into two separate governments." On the division of the territory pursuant to this act, the material parts of the ordinance of 1787 re- mained in force in the territory of Indiana.
The seat of government for the territory was located at Vincennes. William Henry Harrison was appointed governor ; John Gibson, secretary ; William Clark, Henry Vanderburgh and John Griffin, territorial judges. At this time the population of the Indiana terri- tory was only 4,875. On January 10, 1801, Governor Harrison issued a proclamation convening the judges at the seat of government at Vincennes, on Monday, January 12, 1801, where they remained in session two weeks, having adopted and published seven laws and three resolutions. The first session of the general court of the territory was held at Vincennes, beginning March 3, 1801. There was no legislature in the Indiana territory until after the separation of Michi- gan, June 30, 1805, pursuant to an act of Congress January 11th, preceding.
On September 11, 1804 a vote was taken, and a majority of 138 of the freeholders of the territory voted in favor of organizing a General Assembly. Whereupon Governor Harrison issued a proclamation calling for election of members for a house of representatives, to be held on January 3, 1805, and citing the members to meet at Vincen- nes on the 1st of February to take measures for the organization of a territorial council.
The first General Assembly of the territory convened at Vincennes July 29, 1805. On July 30th Governor Harrison delivered his mes- sage, and soon after the council and house of representatives by joint ballot elected Benjamin Parke the first delegate to Congress from In- diana territory.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
ORGANIZATION OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY.
Knox county was organized during the summer of 1790. Its boun- dary included the states of Indiana and Michigan. By the year 1798 Wayne county had been formed with Detroit as the county seat, and embraced the greater part of the state of Michigan and some of northern Indiana.
By the year 1802 Clark and Randolph counties had been formed, and in 1805 Dearborn county was added. In June, 1805, Michigan was made a separate territory, and Illinois in March, 1809. There . were at this time four counties : Knox, Clark, Dearborn and Harri- son in Indiana territory.
In 1810 Jefferson, Franklin and Wayne counties were formed, and in 1813 Gibson and Warrick were organized from territory belonging to Knox. The limits of Warrick county at the time of its organiza- tion were all that territory which lies south of a line at a point on the Wabash river at the southwest corner of Gibson eounty, and running east to the western line of Harrison county, thence south to the Ohio river. It included the present counties of Vanderburgh, Posey, Spencer, Perry and a portion of Crawford. Evansville was made the county seat. In 1818 the state legislature passed an act creating Vanderburgh and Spencer counties from the territory belonging to Warrick. Vanderburgh county is bounded on the north by Gibson, on the east by Warrick, on the south by the Ohio river, and on the west by Posey county.
It was named in honor of Henry Vanderburgh, who served as a captain in the Revolution, was a member of the legislative council of the Northwest territory, and a judge of the first court organized in the Indiana territory. The county was organized by an act of the legisla- ture in 1818, and has an area of two hundred and forty square miles. The principal streams are Pigcon, Blue Grass, Wagnon, Big Pond, and Locust creeks. The soil, for the most part, is a sandy loam and well adapted to the raising of wheat, oats, barley and small garden products. In the river bottoms corn is the only grain that can be raised with profit. A large part of this land, and especially that of Union township, is subject to an annual overflow in the spring, thus preventing the raising of any grain, excepting that which can be raised and harvested in one season. The soil is composed of the deposits of the river for ages, and being annually added to, its richness cannot be exhausted.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
JUDGE HENRY VANDERBURGH.
The county in which Evansville is situated was called after Judge Henry Vanderburgh, though he was never a citizen of the county. In Troy, New York, he was born in 1760. When only sixteen years old he was appointed a lieutenant in the Fifth New York regiment of Con- tinental troops, and commissioned as such by John Jay. John Han- cock reappointed him, and later he was commissioned captain in the Second regiment. He served till the close of the war in 1783, and not long afterward located at Vincennes in the Northwest territory, where he was married in February, 1790, to Miss Frances Cornoyer, a French damsel of Post Vincennes. Gen. St. Clair, in 1791, appointed him jus- tice of the peace and judge of the probate court in Knox county. The first legislature which the people of the Northwest territory had any part in electing met in Cincinnati in 1799. From the nominations, Gen. St. Clair, the territorial governor, selected Judge Vanderburgh as one of the five who constituted the legislative council, and by his col- leagues he was chosen president of the council. On the organization of Indiana territory he was selected as one of the territorial judges, a position he was occupying at the time of his death, April 12, 1812. He became a member of the board of trustees of the Vincennes University in 1807. His remains were interred with Masonic honors on a farm east of the Old Post.
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