USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 47
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a. See Chap. 5, Subd. 4. See Chap. 5, Subd. 9.
275
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
The order for the formation of the town- ship was made May 4, 1835; and in the same order it was provided that all elections in the township should be held at the house of Jonathan Hartsell. It does not appear, how- ever, that any election took place in Wash- ington township; and the order for the formation of the township was itself ex- punged from the record of the board, for the reason, no doubt, that the action taken was not favored by a majority of the people affected. During the next year, as we shall see, a smaller township, that of Harris, was formed out of. a part of the same territory, omitting the south tier of sections proposed for Washington township.
V. THE PRESENT TOWNSHIPS.
Considering only the territory now within the limits of St. Joseph county, the original townships, as formed by order of the county board, May 6, 1832, were Penn, Portage and Olive. Portage then embraced the territory covered by range two east; Penn, all east of that range; and Olive, all west of it.
The three county commissioners' districts coincided with the same descriptions; and, while the townships have changed very much since that time, the commissioners' districts have, as already said. remained unchanged to this day.
Our thirteen civil townships, as now con- stituted, have resulted from the subdivisions made in the three original townships of Penn, Portage and Olive, as ordered from time to time by the board of county commissioners.
Sec. 1 .- GERMAN .- On January 6, 1834, the township of German was formed, embracing all of congressional fractional township thirty- eight north, range two east, together with one tier of sections on the west, taken out of range one east. This township, therefore, the first to be carved out of the original three townships, was taken almost wholly out of Portage township, only the western tier of sections coming out of Olive. The territory of the township is now included in the pres-
ent township of German, the west part of Clay and the east part of Warren.
By an order of the county board for the formation of Warren township, November 5, 1838, the tier of sections on the west of German was attached to Warren; and by a like order for the formation of Clay town- ship, May 5, 1840, that part of German east of the St. Joseph river was attached to Clay. These changes left German township of the dimensions which it still retains; namely, all of congressional fractional township thirty- eight north, range two east, which lies west of the St. Joseph river. The first German township, that formed by order of the board of justices, November 25, 1830, was a much more extensive territory, embracing range one east and the west half of range two east. Doubtless the name of the new and smaller township was given with a wish to retain the favored name given to the first township.
German township is by nature one of the most favored townships in the county; and the locality is undoubtedly the most famous in our early history. Portage Prairie covers the greater part of the township; and this prairie constitutes one of the finest farming districts in the world. The township is purely an agricultural one; and is said to be the wealthiest township per capita in Indiana.
Historically the township is most interest- ing. The famous portage between the St. Joseph and the Kankakee crosses this and Portage township. Over this portage the com- merce between the lakes and the Mississippi passed for ages. Over this went Marquette, La Salle and Charlevoix. Here, near the spot yet known as Mount Pleasant, was once the great Miami village, where, in 1681 La Salle made his celebrated treaty with the Miami tribe. Here, at the junction of the portage with the St. Joseph river, was once the ambitious county seat of St. Joseph county, called also St. Joseph. A little further up on the river was the little and, for a time, more important town of Portage, where there was a ferry
276
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
across the river, and where the over san- guine projectors felt sure that a great town must grow up. But the Miami village, Mount Pleasant, St. Joseph and Portage have all passed, leaving not a vestige of their former urban life. Riverview cemetery al- most reaches the site of La Salle's landing, and extends out, as if in sympathy with the dead towns of St. Joseph and Portage. A little lower down the stream, is the new and beautiful county asylum, for the poor and helpless, lately erected in close proximity to those historie scenes and surroundings.
That the old portage is in German town- ship, that the first county seat was there and that its prairies are among the finest farm lands in the world, is quite enough to enable us to understand why this should be the first township to be carved out of the original three. From the nature of things, such a locality must have attracted settlers in the very beginning. William Brookfield, our first surveyor, and the man who laid out our first and our second county seat, came in 1827. In chapter fourth, subdivision fourth, we have already given the names of some of the other settlers of this township, from 1827 to 1833.
The first church erected was a brick build- ing still standing on section eighteen, town- ship thirty-eight range two east. It is Ger- man Baptist, and was erected in 1851. But church services were held at a much earlier date. The first pastor was Elder David Mil- ler, who organized a congregation in 1831. Aaron Miller was also a minister of the church.
John Martindale, a minister of the Chris- tian church, and Robert Martindale. his brother, a minister of the Baptist church, were also religious teachers in the early his- tory of the county, preaching and holding services in school-houses and private homes.
A Methodist church, erected in 1854. passed to the Baptist church, and is still occupied by that church. Elder Campbell was the first minister to hold services in the church.
This church is located in the southwest corner of section fifteen. Mr. Josiah G. Keltner has been an active member of this church, and the membership has been steady and con- tinuous from the beginning.
There is a Universalist church on section thirty-two. The congregation was organized in 1858. The first pastor was the Rev. Jacob Merrifield.
The first school house in the township was built at Mount Pleasant; and schools have been maintained ever since by this intelli- gent community ; from those conducted in the simple log school house of the first settlers to the comfortable edifices of the present day. The census of the township, for 1890, showed five hundred and thirteen inhabitants. This population had increased, in 1900, to five hun- dred and thirty-six.
The record of German township, save in the efforts to build up towns, has been that of a prosperous community. This prosperity has been purely agricultural. The people of the township have accepted and believed in the truth, that there is no more happy or useful life than that of the contented farmer who has reached comfortable condi- tions. This is the ideal life; and such rural communities are the security of the strength and stability of our free institutions.
Sec. 2 .- GREENE .- The second township to be carved out of the original three was Greene, which was formed January 4, 1836. The following were the boundaries of the township as then constituted: Commencing at the southeast corner of section one, town- ship thirty-six. range two east; thence west to middle of section three, same township and range : thence north to the north line of sec- tion twenty-seven, township thirty-seven, range two east; thence west to the Kankakee river; thence with the Kankakee to the La- porte county line; thence south to the south line of congressional township thirty-five; thence east to the east line of section thirty- six, township thirty-five, range two east : thence north to the point of beginning. This
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277
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
territory included the present townships of Greene, Liberty and Lincoln; also the west part of Union and the southwest part of Cen- ter, besides the northwest part of what is now Marshall county, but which at the time was still in St. Joseph county.
By the act of February 4, 1836, fixing the northern boundary of Marshall county, the south line of Greene township was made to coincide with the present south boundary of St. Joseph .county, as far to the east as the township then extended.
On March 6, 1837, by the order of the eounty board in forming the township of Union, all of the territory east of the present township of Liberty and south of the present township of Center was taken from Greene and attached to Union.
By the order of the county board, made May 2, 1837, the township of Liberty was formed. In this order the south line of Greene was fixed as at present, that is, the middle line of congressional township thirty- six.
Finally, by the order of May 6, 1840, forming Center township, the east line of Greene was fixed as at present, to-wit, the middle line of range two east.
By orders of the board of county com- missioners, made September 8, 1841, July 1, 1843 and June 6. 1844, various slight changes were made in the boundaries of the townships of Greene, Olive and Warren, re- sulting, however, in leaving the Kankakee river as the boundary of Greene on the north- west, as fixed by the order of January 4, 1836, when the township was first formed. But after the drainage of the valley and the drying up of the Kankakee along this boun- dary, it was found that the great ditch, which was cut for the purpose of making that drain- age, would be a more suitable division line between the townships than the winding line of the dried up river bed. Accordingly, on June 20, 1898, the commissioners made the following order :
"The board having under consideration
the changing of the boundary lines between the townships of Olive, Warren and Greene, made necessary by private individuals caus- ing a large ditch [The Miller Ditch] to be dug through the Kankakee marsh, thus dry- ing up the Kankakee river which has been the boundary line between said townships, find that it would be of public interest and benefit that the old lines be vacated, and that the middle line of said ditch, as now estab- lished and dug, shall be the dividing line between said townships, from and after this date."
The great ditch which was thus made the boundary between the township of Greene, on the one side, and the townships of Olive and Warren on the other follows closely the general line of the Kankakee river, whose place it has taken both as a water-course and as a boundary.
The Kankakee river extends along all of the northwest side of the township; while in the northeast part is Sumption prairie, one of the richest and most beautiful of the prairies of St. Joseph county. The township is further remarkable by reason of its numer- ons lakes .- Goose lake, Duck lake, Wharton lake, Bolin lake,-and many others. The township has always been purely an agricul- tural one.
In the reminiscences of Mr. Daniel Greene, found in chapter fourth, subdivision fifth, of this history, a full and interesting account of the early settlement of this township is given. The beauty and fertility of Sumption prairie made this one of the sections of the county to which settlers were first attracted. The prairie was named from George Sump- tion who settled upon it in April, 1830; while the township received its name from the Greene family. Daniel Greene's father, John Greene, first visited northern Indiana, on horseback, in 1830. He continued his ex- plorations of Indiana and southern Michigan in 1831; and, finally, in 1832, the family, with many kinfolk and friends from Greene county, Ohio, made their removal to Sump-
278
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY.
tion prairie, which was to be their perma- nent home. Samuel Leeper, in company with his father-in-law, Joseph Rohrer, first came to the St. Joseph valley in August, 1829. In March, 1830, he brought his family here from Ohio. They located near McCartney's creek, just north of the crossing of the Michigan road, where David R. Leeper was born, Janu- ary 12, 1832. They subsequently removed to a point on Sumption prairie road about three miles south of South Bend. Daniel Greene married Mr. Samuel Leeper's daughter. Those early settlers seemed to give character to the population of the township; and the inhabitants of that beautiful section of the county have to this day stood breast to breast with the most intelligent and progressive of our citizens. It is an ideal farming com- munity; and what has been said in this re- spect of German township is true also of Greene.
The Methodist church was the first to be established in the township. This was in 1832, under the Rev. Nehemiah B. Griffith.ยช As in German township, the services were for a long time conducted in private houses and in the log school houses. In 1841 a church edifice was erected. Numerous zealous ministers have served the worthy members of that church from the date of its first or- ganization by Mr. Griffith, in 1832, until the present time. Among them are the Reverend James Armstrong, R. T. Robinson, G. M. Beswick, Richard Hargrave, Warren Griffith, Elias Cook, Mr. Moore, J. S. Donelson, Hiram Ball, Thomas Hackney, Albion Fellows. P. H. Bradley, John Mahon, George Guion, A. Byers, A. Hayes, Jesse Hill, J. H. Clay- pool, John E. Newhouse, E. W. Lowhouse, J. J. Hines, J. Robertson, B. H. Bradberry, Reuben Saunders, Francis Cox, O. H. Beebe. In 1865 the society built a new and commo-
a. Mr. Daniel Greene, whose interesting remi- niscences are given in Chap. 4, Subd. 6, of this work, says that George Baker, father of Adam S. and George W. Baker, was instrumental in estab- lishing this first Methodist church in Greene township, and that he there organized the first Sunday school south of South Bend.
dious church, thirty-six by fifty-five feet in dimensions, with basement.
In 1836, the Rev. Alfred Bryant, of South Bend, organized the first Presbyterian church in Greene township. Other ministers have been the Reverend Messrs. Tombley, Reeves and Brown. The latter was a chaplain in the Civil war. The first members of this church were John McCullough and his family and Mr. and Mrs. Hammond. Members of. the Greene family and others soon after joined. The original church was built in 1838. Previous to that date services werc held in a school house on the site now oc- cupied by the church, on the farm of Mr. McCullough.
On February 22, 1846, Elders Samuel Mil- ler and Peter Hummer organized a Baptist society. Other ministers have been Elders McDonald, Hastings, Hitchcock, Miller, Craft, Vaughn and Finch. The society, like others, at first occupied a school house; but in 1852 they took measures for the erection of a church, which was completed in 1855.
The German Baptists, known also as Dun- kards, whose purpose is to live the simple, primitive life of the early Christians, erected at an early day, what is usually called the Oak Grove church. One of the earliest ministers of this church was Mr. Whitmer.
In 1868, the Rev. James Ferris organized the Adventist church. This society has one of the finest brick churches in the town- ship.
A society was also established which built a church in the southeast part of the town- ship, known as Maple Grove church. This society was afterwards removed to Olive Branch, in Union township, where, in 1878, they erected a beautiful little church which the society still occupies.
A society of the Evangelical church was at an early date also organized in the town- ship.
As might be expected from the character of the good people of the township, not only were churches provided for, but also schools.
279
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
The first school house in the township was erected in 1832. There were then neither special nor common school funds available; and the people came together and built the simple log structure, with its puncheon floor and clapboard roof. To keep up the schools of those early days the people voluntarily taxed themselves for the necessary funds. Among the early teachers were Messrs. Hollo- way, Rohn, Dwindle, and Miss Greene. By the United States census of 1900, the popu- lation of Greene township was seven hundred and seventy-two.
Sec. 3 .- HARRIS .- In subdivision fourth of this chapter, it is shown that the town- ship of Washington was formed in the south- east corner of St. Joseph county, by order of the county board, made May 4, 1835. This order was canceled soon after it was made; but a few months later, on January 5, 1836, the township of Harris was formed in the same locality, but embracing less territory. The boundaries of Harris township, as formed by the last mentioned order were as follows : Commencing at the northwest corner of section eight, township thirty-eight, range three east; thence south to the south- west corner of section twenty-nine, same township and range; thence east to the county line; thence north to the state line ; thence east to the place of beginning.
By an order made May 5, 1840, the county board, in forming Clay township, detached a section and a half in width, east and west, off the west side of Harris and attached the same to Clay. On December 7. 1842, another half section in width, east and west, was de- tached from Harris and added to Clay. By these two orders Harris was reduced to its present dimensions, to-wit : Beginning on the north boundary of the state, at the north- west corner of fractional section ten, town- ship thirty-eight north, range three east; thence south to the southwest 'corner of sec- tion twenty-seven, same township and range; thence east to the line dividing St. Joseph and Elkhart connties; thence north to the
north boundary of the state; thence west to the beginning.
Harris resembles Greene township in one particular : it contains one of the finest up- land prairies in the county, and it also con- tains a large area of lowland. There is, however, no river in or near Ilarris, as there is in Greene; but a sluggish stream, known as Sheffield creek farther down, formerly led through the marsh land to the St. Joseph river. This stream has been converted into a great state ditch; and the lowlands have become nearly as valuable as the uplands of Harris prairie.
The prairie and the township both received their name from Jacob Harris, who settled in the township in 1830. In the same year or the year previous came the Baldwins, David and Josephus. Samuel Bell came with his father-in-law, Jacob Harris. During the same year, 1830, came Adam Miller, a Bap- tist preacher; also Adam Ringle. Other very early settlers were: Joseph Buell, Henry Augustine, Jacob Meyer, Mr. Hartzell, Rob- ert Kennedy, David Ringle and his sons Sam- uel and Levi, Arbogast Zaehnle, W. and E. M. Irvin and James Lowry.
The first school-house was of logs, and in dimensions fourteen by sixteen feet. A large fireplace, into which a big "back-log" was first placed, with a "fore-stick" supported on "and-irons" furnished the means of se- curing a roaring fire for the winter days. The chimney was of short sticks laid like the logs of the house, and, like the logs. chinked with mud made of stiff clay.
The first school master was Robert Ken- nedy. He was one of the good and strong men, not only of Harris township, but of St. Joseph county itself. He afterwards re- moved to St. Edward, Nebraska, and there bore the same high character that had dis- tinguished him in Indiana ..
The churches that have been organized in Harris township are the Presbyterian, the Evangelical and the Christian.
Harris township is distinguished by having
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
a thriving, though as yet quite small town, the town of Granger, situated on the Grand Trunk railroad. This road passes northeast- erly from Mishawaka, through Penn and Har- ris townships. The next station beyond Gran- ger is Edwardsburg, in the state of Michigan. The population of Harris township by the census of 1900, including the town of Gran- ger. was four hundred and eighty-one. The township is next to the smallest in the county, having but a section of land more than Cen- ter. But, like Center, Harris makes up in quality for what it lacks in quantity.
Sec. 4 .- UNION .- On March . 6, 1837, by order of the county commissioners, the town- ship of Union was formed, with the following boundaries : Beginning at the northwest cor- ner of section twenty, township thirty-six, range two east: thence south to the county line ; thence east to the southeast corner of sec- tion eighteen, township thirty-five, range three east; thence north to the northeast corner of section nineteen, township thirty-six, range three east; thence west to the place of begin- ning.
The following sections were afterwards taken from Madison and added to Union : sections seventeen, eight and five, and the west half of sections sixteen, nine and four, township thirty-five, north; also sections thirty-two and twenty-nine, the west half of section thirty-three, the southwest quarter of section twenty-eight and the sonth half of sec- tion twenty, township thirty-six, north,-all in range three, east.
The first settlements in this township were on the Michigan road lands. Elijah Linebaek, John Henderson, John Gardner and the three Rectors, John, Jacob and Mark, came in 1833. Other very early settlers were: Hubbard Hen- derson, John, James and Eli Moon, James An- nis, Michael Hupp, Abijah Mills, William HI. Robertson, Henry Hardy. Esau Lamb, Daniel Glenn, Amos Heston, Henry Riddle, John Riddle, James Watson, John Shively, William Hughes, Joseph Morris, W. Nickelson, David Whitinger and John Long.
Originally the soil of this township was not looked upon with favor by settlers. It was chiefly heavily timbered elay and marsh land; and while the soil was a strong and fertile one, yet not until after its drainage was the locality looked upon as desirable for farming. The drainage has now to a great extent been accomplished, and some of the choicest farms of the county are to be found in Union town- ship.
There is but one town in the township, the village of Lakeville. This town was built up near the banks of Riddle's lake, just south of the town. Pleasant lake and numerous other pretty little lakes are in the vieinity. At first Lakeville depended upon the travel along the Michigan road and upon the slowly growing settlements in the vicinity ; but after the building of the Vandalia railroad its pros- perity was assured, and sinee the Wabash from Toledo to Chicago was built through the town, its growth has been rapid.
One mile north of Lakeville, in 1858, was built the first church in the township. This was built by the Methodist Episcopal Society, which had been organized about 1839.
The United Brethren Society was organized about the same time as the Methodist Episeo- pal. The meeting place of this society was about two miles north of Lakeville. In 1878, they removed to Olive Branch, and built the church of that name of which we have made mention in the sketch of Greene township.
The Advent Society erected a church in 1880. For a great number of years previous to this the society held meetings in the school- houses and in private houses. In the summer of 1862, they held protraeted services in a tent erected for that purpose.
The Christian Society has a fine church in Lakeville.
In 1875, a Union church was erected in the northeast part of the township where different denominations hold services.
The first school-house in the township was erected in 1836. As in other parts of the county, this primitive house of learning was
281
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPII COUNTY.
built of logs, with split slabs laid together for a floor. The schools and school-houses of the present day are a credit to the intelligence of the enterprising and prosperous citizens of this township. The population of Union town- ship by the census of 1900, including the town of Lakeville, was one thousand, seven hun- dred and thirty-three.
Sec. 5 .- LIBERTY .- Liberty followed Union very closely. By order entered May 2, 1837, the county commissioners provided that the following territory should be embraced within a township to be known as Liberty: Begin- ning at the northwest corner of section twen- ty, township thirty-six, range two east; thence west to the Kankakee river; thence down the river to the Laporte county line; thence south to the Starke county line; thence east to the west line of Marshall county ; thence north to the north line of Marshall county ; thence east to the southeast corner of section eighteen, township thirty-five, range two east: thence north to the place of begin- ning.
The township continued as formed in 1837, until June 7, 1866, when all the territory south and west of the following line was taken from Liberty and formed into Lincoln town- ship: Beginning at the intersection of the south line of Congressional township thirty- six with the Kankakee river; thence east to the southeast corner of section thirty-six, township thirty-six, range one west; thence south to the southwest corner of section six, township thirty-five, range one east; thence east to the southeast corner of section five, township thirty-five, range one east; thence south to the Marshall county line. Liberty township, as so limited, has continued un- changed ever sinee.
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