USA > Indiana > An illustrated history of the state of Indiana: being a full and authentic civil and political history of the state from its first exploration down to 1875 > Part 3
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Population of Principal Cities in the U. S., and Per Cent. Gain 710
Statistics of Population 710
Growth of Railroads in U. S.
711
Railroads of Indiana
711
Admission, Area, and Increase in Population of States, from 1790 to 1870 712
Statistics of Manufactures of U. S.
713
State Governments 715
Salaries of State Governors
715
Time of Holding State Elections 715
Assembling of State Legislatures 715
Apportionment of Congressmen 715
Constitution of the State of Indiana. 716
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PIONEER LIFE IN INDIANA.
THE settlement of a new country is one of the most interest- ing phases of national history; and this fact applies with pecu- liar force to this country and to this State. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Indiana was a wilderness, broken only by the lakes and rivers, and small prairies, and curious tumuli, that now form the distinguishing physical and anti- quarian features of a great and prosperous civilized agricul- tural State. Here and there, along the banks of the rivers, and by the side of the placid lakes, were clustered the rude huts and wigwams of the uncultured natives. These scenes of savage life were now and then interspersed with the rude huts of the French fur-traders, and perhaps now and then a small block-house, intended for the storage and defence of pelt- ries; but even these better features presented few traces of civilization, and afforded only a rude hospitality to the wan- dering English or American trader who ventured into the Territory.
The Indian tribes still cherished unpleasant recollections of the Old French War; and, having just emerged from a bitter participation in the Revolutionary struggle, they were greatly confused with the conflicting currents of civilized policy. Why the "Red-coats," after reducing Canada, and conquering the French, should, in so short a period, precipitate a bloody
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40
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
war among themselves, was a question that the savage mind could solve only by attributing base treachery to the English character. The red men of the North-west had been urged to join the British against the French in 1750; but, for the most part, they refused, preferring to stand by the arms of their old " French father," of whose treatment they had little or no cause for complaint. However, when Major Rogers marched the British forces into the lake-region, when all Canada was ceded to the enemy, the Indian halt regretted his choice in the
THE PIONEER PROSPECTING.
conflict, and murmured because he was not on the side of the victorious party. At this juncture, had the English policy been properly guarded, the lasting friendship of the natives would have been easily attained. But insolence was the dis- tinguishing feature of the treatment which the English extended to the Indians in the North-west; and Indian hatred and savage revenge were its legitimate products. When the Rovolutionary war burst upon the infant colonies, the natives were unable to discover the difference between one Englishman
41
PIONEER LIFE.
and another, or to determine clearly the causes that led to their separation; and regarding them all as a treacherous, insolent people, they became a ready tool in the hands of designing Frenchmen, who sought to revenge themselves upon the Eng- lish for the losses of 1760, for which the bitter struggle between the British colonies and the mother-country afforded them an opportunity. At the close of this war, as at the close of the struggle of 1760, they found themselves, for the most part, on the side of the lost cause. There was a difference, however;
THE JOURNEY FROM CIVILIZATION TO THE FOREST HOME.
and that difference was in their favor. Canada still remained true to the British flag; and beneath that flag the North- western Indians not only found protection, but sympathy,- material sympathy. As a reward for their services on the battle-field, they were given rum, tobacco, blankets and powder, but not as a reward for their deeds only. These gifts were intended to keep alive a revenge against the Americans. The few remaining Frenchmen, for whom the natives of 1776 held a profound respect, aided largely in perpetuating this feeling
42
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of revenge. Hence in 1812, when the final contest came, many of the tribes of the lake-region stood ready to lift the hatchet in behalf of the enemy of our Independence. At the close of this war, the red men were in a similar position to that occu- pied by them at the termination of all civilized wars in which they engaged,-on the side of the defeated party, supporting a lost cause. The feeling of disappointment consequent upon this unfortunate situation was aroused to enmity and hatred at the prospect of losing their best hunting grounds; for, ever since the American colonist crossed the Ohio, his rude cabin was marching north and west, toward the rich agricultural regions of the Great Lakes. Such were the feelings of the natives of Indiana in 1800, when the American colonist was attracted hither by the rich soil, giant forests of good timber, excellent climate, and beautiful scenery of the Territory; and such the causes that led to this enmity and suspicion.
Thus it was when the American pioneer, with his wife and family, entered the unbroken forests of Indiana. The Indian beheld his approach with feelings of mingled fear and revenge. The sound of his axe fell ominously upon the savage ear; and all his actions were signals of the rapidly-approaching ruin of the Indian race. In the midst of these forebodings, the elo- quent speeches of the great Pontiac, the true champion of Indian rights, and the chief of native warriors, came up in his memory from the clashing struggle of 1763 in all their gran- deur: " The red men will be driven into ruin and death, and the Englishman's corn will wave in triumph over his decaying bones."
But the memory of these speeches now serve a futile warn- ing. The red man's hands are tied. His cause is lost; his inheritance has become the possession of a relentless enemy; he has fallen blighted by civilization; and he remains only to bid adieu to the home of his fathers, and, perchance, to work
43
PIONEER LIFE.
a secret vengeance upon a few of his conquerors. His career is almost, yet not wholly, ended. The unprotected pioneer must feel the sharp, keen death-pain of the scalping-knife. The anxious mother and innocent children must fall, in their rude cabin-home, beneath the merciless tomahawk. A few trembling souls must be carried into a barbarous captivity. In short, the red man must characterize his departure from a miserable existence by a wretched revenge.
But in the face of all the dangers, and sometimes in sight
BUILDING THE CABIN-HOME.
of these horrible deaths, or thrice horrible tortures, the pioneer of Indiana pressed forward. With his faithful gun as a pro- tector, and his axe as an implement of industry, he went forth to do battle with the forest.
And now let us glance at the pioneers of Indiana in the different phases of their experience, and in the beauty and simplicity of their character. The journey from civilization to the forest-home was not among the least of their difficulties. The route lay, for the most part, through a rough country.
44
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Swamps and marshes were crossed with great exertion and fatigue; rivers were forded with difficulty and danger; forests were penetrated with risk of captivity by hostile Indians; nights were passed in open prairies, with the sod for a couch and the heavens for a shelter; long, weary days and weeks of tiresome travel were endured. Perchance the mother and child were seated in a rough farm-wagon, while the father walked by the side of his faithful team, urging them over the uneven ground. But they were not always blessed with this means of
THE PIONEER AND HIS HOME.
transportation. And, in the best cases, the journey westward was a tedious, tiresome, dangerous one. Often the children sickened by the way, and anxious parents worried over them in a rude camp, until relieved either by returning health or by death. If the latter, a father would be compelled to dig the grave for the body of his own child in a lonely forest. Who shall describe the burial-scene when parents are the only mourners ? This is a subject only for contemplation. After a
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PIONEER LIFE.
few sad days, the bereaved ones take up the journey, leaving only a little fresh mound to mark the sacred spot.
But these incidents were not frequent. Generally the pio- neers were blessed with good health, and enabled to overcome the privations of forest-travel. At night they slept in their wagon, or upon the grass; while the mules, hobbled to pre- vent escape, grazed the prairie around them. But the toils and dangers of the pioneer were not ended with the termina- tion of his journey. Perchance the cabin is yet existing only in the surrounding trees. But he never falters. The forest bows beneath his axe; and, as log after log is placed one upon the other, his situation becomes more cheerful. Already the anx- ious mother has pointed out the corner for the rude chimney, and designated her choice in the location of the door and win- dow. The cabin grows day by day; and at length it is fin -. ished, and the family enter their home. It is not a model home; but it is the beginning of a great prosperity, and as such is worthy of preservation in history, on account of its obscurity and its severe economy. But it was a home, not- withstanding; and I venture the observation, that with all its lack of comforts, with all its pinching poverty, with all its isola- tion and danger, it was often a happy home; and perhaps its growth, in this respect, is not among the greatest of its accom- plishments; yet, after all, it has become happier, as well as wealthier.
Next to building the cabin-home came the work of prepar- ing the soil for agricultural purposes. This was a work of no ordinary magnitude. For miles in every direction, the eye of the pioneer met only a dense forest, broken here and there by rivers and creeks and small lakes. Dams must be constructed, and mills erected on these streams; and the forest must be cleared away to make room for the cornfield. For the accom- plishment of these ends, the pioneer prepares his axe, and day
46
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
after day he toils on. Tree after tree bows its lofty top. Log after log is rolled into the stream. Through many a long, dreary winter has the early settler pursued these elementary branches of industry. Oft has he eaten a cold dinner in a stormy winter's day, with only a log to serve the double pur- pose of a chair and table; but, endowed with a spirit of enter- prise that knows no faltering, he toiled steadily on.
Spring comes, and he goes forth to prepare the patch of ground for the planter. The team is ready. The father takes
VEST PŘIHLÁ
PIONEER PLOUGHING.
his post at the plow; and the daughter takes possession of the reins. This is a grand scene,-one full of grace and beauty. This pioneer girl thinks but little of fine dress; knows less of the fashions; has possibly heard of the opera, but does not understand its meaning; has been told of the piano, but has never seen one; wears a dress "buttoned up behind; " has on leather boots, and " drives plow " for her father. But her sit- uation has changed. To-day she sits in the parlor of her grandson, whose wife keeps house through the proxy of one or
47
PIONEER LIFE.
two servants, and whose daughters are flinging their nimble, delicate fingers over the white keys of a charming Chickering piano, filling the home with a melody that has but few charms for the plain old grandmother. Her mind runs back to the cornfield, to the cabin-home, to the wash-tub by the running brook, to the spinning-wheel, to toil and danger; and well may she exclaim, "Oh, wondrous progress ! my life is but a dream." Truly our pioneer mothers were hard-working, honest-thinking women. Our highest praise is but a poor tribute to their worth.
GROSSAUP &WEST PHILA.
PIONEER HARVESTING.
The character of the pioneers of Indiana is properly within our range. They lived in a region of exuberant fertility, where nature had scattered her blessings with a liberal hand. Their liberties, the vastness of their inheritance,-its giant forests, its broad prairies, its numerous rivers,-the many improvements constantly going forward, and the bright pros- pect for a glorious future in everything that renders life pleas- ant, combined to deeply impress their character, to give them
48
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
a spirit of enterprise, an independence of feeling, and a joyous- ness of hope. They were a thorough combination and mix- ture of all nations, characters, languages, conditions, and opin- ions. There was scarcely a nation in Europe, or a State in the Union, that was not represented among the early settlers. The much greater proportion of the emigrants from Europe were of the humbler classes, who came here from hunger, poverty and oppression. They found themselves here the "joy of ship-wrecked mariners, cast on the untenanted woods, and
WASHING DAY.
instantly became cheered with the hope of being able to build up a family and a fortune from new elements." The Puritan and the Planter, the German, the Briton, the Frenchman, the Irishman, the Swede, the Dane, and the Hollander,-each with his peculiar prejudices and local attachments, and all the complicated and interwoven tissue of sentiments, feelings, and thoughts that country, kindred, and home have,- settled down beside and with each other. All now form one society. "Men must cleave to their kind, and must be dependent upon each
49
PIONEER LIFE.
other. Pride and jealousy give way to the natural yearnings of the human heart for society. They begin to rub off mutual prejudices; one takes a step, and then the other; they meet half-way, and embrace: and the society thus newly organized and constituted is more liberal, enlarged, unprejudiced, and, of course, more affectionate, than a society of people of like birth and character, who bring all their early prejudices as a com- mon stock, to be transmitted as an inheritance to posterity.99 The rough, sturdy, and simple habits of the carly pioneer of
PLANTING CORN.
Indiana, living in that plenty which depends only upon God and nature, have laid broad the foundation of independent thought and feeling.
The wedding was an attractive feature of pioneer life. For a long time after the first settlement of the Territory, the people married young. There was no distinction of rank, and very little of fortune. On these accounts, the first impression of love generally resulted in marriage. The family establish- ment cost but little labor - nothing more. A description of 4
50
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
a wedding in the olden time will serve to show the progress made in society, as well as preserve an important phase of history. The marriage was always celebrated at the house of the bride; and she was generally left to choose the officiating clergyman. A wedding, however, engaged the attention of the whole neighborhood. It was anticipated by both old and young with eager expectation. In the morning of the wed- ding day the groom and his intimate friends assembled at the house of his father, and, after due preparation, departed, en
. . ...
GOING TO MILL.
masse. for the "mansion " of his bride. The journey was sometimes made on horseback, sometimes on foot, and some- times in farm wagons or carts. It was always a merry jour- ney; and, to insure merriment, the bottle was taken along. On reaching the house of the bride, the marriage ceremony took place; and then dinner or supper was served. After the meal, the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the following morning. The figures of the dances were three and four handed reels, or square sets and jigs. The commence-
51
PIONEER LIFE.
ment was always a square four, which was followed by what the pioneers called "jigging; " that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often accompanied with what was called " cut- ting out; " that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one of the company, without any interruption of the dance. In this way the reel was often continued until the musician was exhausted.
CROSSCOR & WEST.PHIL
THE INDUSTRIOUS PIONEER MOTHER.
About nine or ten o'clock in the evening, a deputation of young ladies stole off the bride, and put her to bed. In doing this, they had to ascend a ladder from the kitchen to the upper floor, which was composed of loose boards. Here, in this pioneer bridal chamber, the young, simple-hearted girl was put to bed by her enthusiastic friends. This done, a deputation of young men escorted the groom to the same apartment, and placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The dance still continued; and if seats were scarce, which was
52
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
generally the case, " every young man, when not engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls; and the offer was sure to be accepted." During the night's festivities, spirits were freely used, but seldom to great excess. The infair was held on the following evening, when the same order of exercises was observed.
The " bee " was another distinguishing and interesting fea- ture of pioneer life. The first settlers were alone, and had to build their cabins as best they could; but, when the people
THE PIONEER SCHOOL HOUSE.
were sufficiently numerous, the cabin was nearly always raised by a " bee," or " frolic." The latter is a very old but signifi- cant term. We will now suppose that a young couple has been married. They are about to settle down on their own account. A spot is selected on a piece of land for their habi- tation. A day is appointed for the commencement of the building of their cabin. The fatigue party, consisting of the choppers, fells the trees, and cuts them in proper lengths. This done, a man with a team hauls them to the place, and
53
PIONEER LIFE.
arranges them properly assorted. Another party selects the proper materials for the roof; and still another prepares the puncheons for the floor. The materials all on the ground, the raising takes place. The first thing to be done is the election of four corner men, whose business it is to notch and place the logs. The rest of the company do the lifting. The cabin being finished, it was generally " warmed " by a good " break- down," or dance. With the use of liquor, these " warmings " were always full of spirit and hilarity.
PIONEER WOODSMEN AT DINNER.
Going to mill was quite an undertaking with the pioneer. It was, perhaps, two or three days' journey to the mill, more or less, in proportion to the situation and growth of the neigh- borhood. Sometimes a pair of oxen, attached to a two-wheeled cart, carried the farmer and his grain on this journey; but frequently he went on horseback, with the bag of grain across the horse's back, before him. This was a tedious way of transporting grain to the mill; but his return was anxiously waited for by mother and children, all suffering, it may be,
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
from the scarcity of flour. There are some recollections of " going to mill " that bring with them vivid pictures of weary, watchful nights, when the father did not return as promised and expected, being delayed either by the number of "grists " before him, or the impassable condition of the roads, or " traces." Those were the dismal, desolate phases of pioneer life, when the darkness closed in upon the anxious mother and crying children; when the winds beat upon the rude cabin, bringing to their ears unwelcome sounds, laden with the dying howls of starving wolves; when hunger pressed heavily upon helpless women and children.
The years passed on, and the pioneers continued their toils, submitted patiently to their hardships, until the light of civil- ization and prosperity dawned upon them in open cornfields, waving in harvest luxury, or in neat, comfortable dwellings, that were raised by the side of the cabin homes. But this dawn is rapidly approaching the high noon of prosperity. In place of the ever-winding " trace," the iron rail may now be seen, and for the old-fashioned two-wheeled cart we have the powerful locomotive. The scene has been completely changed. The forests have disappeared, or are rapidly disappearing, and being supplanted by cultivated fields. On every hand we may behold evidences of this great transformation. Let us thank God and praise the pioneers of Indiana for what has been accomplished, and, having the promises already fulfilled in our eyes, continue in the industry and perseverance for which we have had so glorious an example.
-
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GENERAL STATICTICS.
THE EIGHTEEN PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR ORIGINAL CABINETS.
George Washington, Va., born February 22, 1732, inaugurated 1789, aged 57, served 8 years, died December 14, 1799, aged 67; Thomas Jeffer- son, Va., Secretary of State; Alexander Hamilton, N. Y., Secretary of the Treasury; Henry Knox, Mass., Secretary of War; Samuel Osgood, Mass., Postmaster General.
John Adams, Mass., born October 30, 1735, inaugurated 1797, aged 62, served 4 years, died July 4, 1826, aged 91; Timothy Pickering, Mass., Sec- retary of State; Oliver Woolcot, Ct., Secretary of Treasury ; Jas. McHenry, Md., Secretary of War; George Cabat, Mass., Secretary of Navy ; Joseph Habersham, Ga., Postmaster General.
Thomas Jefferson, Va., born April 2, 1743, inaugurated 1801, aged 58, served 8 years, died July 4, 1826, aged 83; Jas. Madison, Va., Secretary of State; Samuel Dexter, Mass., Secretary of Treasury; Henry Dearborn, Mass., Secretary of War; Benjamin Stoddard, Mass., Secretary of Navy; Joseph Habersham, Ga., Postmaster General.
James Madison, Va., born March 16, 1751, inaugurated 1809, aged 58, served 8 years, died June 28, 1836, aged 85; Robert Smith, Md., Secretary of State; Albert Gallatin, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; Wm. Eustis, Mass., Secretary of War; Paul Hamilton, S. C., Secretary of Navy; Gideon Gran- ger, Ct., Postmaster General.
James Monroe, Va., born April 2, 1759, inaugurated 1817, aged 59, served 8 years, died July 4, 1831, aged 73; John Q. Adams, Mass., Secretary of State; Wm. H. Crawford, Ga., Secretary of Treasury ; John C. Calhoun, S. C., Secretary of War, Benj. W. Crowninshield, Mass., Secretary of Navy ; Return J. Meigs, Ohio, Postmaster General.
John Q. Adams, Mass., born July 11, 1767, inaugurated 1825, aged 58, served 4 years, died February 23, 1848, aged 81 years; Henry Clay, Ky., Secretary of State; Richard Rush, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; Jas. Bar- bour, Va., Secretary of War; Samuel L. Southard, N. J., Secretary of Navy ; John McClean, Ohio, Postmaster General.
Andrew Jackson, S. C., born March 15, 1767, inaugurated 1829, aged 62, served 8 years, died June 8, 1845, aged 78 years; Martin VanBuren, N. Y., Secretary of State; Samuel D. Ingham, Pa., Secretary of Treasury ; John H. Eaton, Tenn., Secretary of War; John Branch, N. C., Secretary of Navy; Wm. T. Barny, Ky., Postmaster General.
Martin VanBuren, N. Y., born December 5, 1782, inaugurated 1837, aged 55, served 4 years, died December 27, 1862, aged 80 years; John Forsyth, Ga., Secretary of State; Levi Woodbury, N. H., Secretary of Treasury ; Joel R. Poinsett, S. C., Secretary of War; Mahlon Dickerson, N. J., Secre- tary of Navy; Amos Kendall, Ky., Postmaster General.
William Henry Harrison, Va., born February 9, 1773, inaugurated 1841, aged 68, served 1 month, died April 4, 1841, aged 68 years; Daniel Webster, Mass., Secretary of State; Thomas Ewing, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury;
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
John Bell, Tenn., Secretary of War; Geo. E. Badger, N. C., Secretary of Navy ; Francis Granger, N. Y., Postmaster General.
John Tyler, Va., born March 20, 1790, inaugurated 1841, aged 51, served 4 years, died January 17, 1862, aged 72 years; Daniel Webster, Mass., Sec- retary of State; Walter Foward, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; John C. Spen- cer, N. Y., Secretary of War; Abel P. Upser, Va., Secretary of Navy ; Chas. A. Wickliffe, Ky., Postmaster General.
James K. Polk, N. C., born November 2, 1795, inaugurated 1845, aged 50, served 4 years, died June 15, 1849, aged 54; James Buchanan, Pa., Secre- tary of State; Robert J. Walker, Miss., Secretary of Treasury; Wm. J. Marcy, N. Y., Secretary of War; George Bancroft, Mass., Secretary of Navy ; Cave Johnson, Tenn., Postmaster General.
Zachary Taylor, Va., born November 24, 1790, inaugurated 1849, aged 65, served 1 year, died July 9, 1850, aged 66 years : John M. Clayton, Del., Secretary of State; Wm. M. Meredith, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; George W. Crawford, Ga., Secretary of War; Wm. B. Preston, Va., Secretary of Navy ; Jacob Collamer, Vt., Postmaster General.
Millard Filmore, N. Y., born May 7, 1800, inaugurated 1850, aged 50, served 3 years, died March 8, 1874, aged 74 years; Daniel Webster, Mass., Secretary of State; Thos. Corwin, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury : Chas. M. Conrad, La., Secretary of War; Wm. A. Graham, N. C., Secretary of Navy ; Nathan K. Hall, N. Y., Postmaster General.
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