USA > Indiana > Washington County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Harrison County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Crawford County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Clark County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Scott County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Floyd County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Jennings County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
USA > Indiana > Jefferson County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 19
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George Richey came from Garrard county, Kentucky, and settled on Clifty three miles from Madison, in 1806.
Bazaleel Maxwell came from Ken- tucky, and settled in the vicinity of Hanover in this year. He was followed by relatives of the name of McCul- lough and Tilfords, who brought with them a preacher by the name of McClung .- See Rev. Love H. Jame- son's letter at another place.
1807 .- In the spring of this year Mr. Archibald Dinwiddie removed to this county near to where Hanover now stands, from Henry county, Ky. The Indians were so troublesome that he returned to Kentucky. In 1809 he again came to the place which he had selected in this county and settled down and remained there till he died. The settlers built a fort or blockhouse upon his farm after his return.
In the "Tract Book " of lands in Jefferson county is found an entry of "the S. E. Quarter of Section 20,
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Township 4, North Range 10 East, July 15th, 1808," "located by James Edwards." The patent was issued to him but has never been recorded. When he first came here, there is no means at present to finding out, but it must have been previous to the date of the patent, either in that spring or during the year of 1807.
The settlers, within the bounds of Jefferson county, previous to the year 1808, all made their homes on the tops of the hills; at least all of whom we have any account did so.
1808 .- Mr. William Hall squatted upon the ground, whereon the city water-works engine-house now stands, in the spring of this year. He cleared a few acres of land and built a cabin in the spring of this year. He sold out his claim in the next year to Mr. Jonathan Lyon. This was the first settlement on the bottom ; all previous to this had located on the hill-tops.
John H. Wagner, blacksmith, came in May, 1808. See sketch.
Mr. Mason Watts also came to the county in this year. He was the first white man who settled in Marengo township. Ile lived there for many years, but afterwards went to Ripley county. His wife made for herself the first loom made in the county, out of a white walnut tree, doing the entire work with her own hands, so says the authority for this sketch. Mr. Watts was a man noted for his great strength, and prowess as a hunter. Ile followed hunting as his profession.
In this year, "Gentleman Christo- pher Harrison"-as he is called in the court records of the county-is supposed to have come to this county. There was an inscription, "CHRISTO- PIER HARRISON, JULY STI, 1808," upon a beech tree which stood in front of his cabin, near to where Hanover now stands, which was supposed to have reference to the date of his arrival at that place. (See sketch of Harri- son.)
1809 .- There seems to have been a great drawing to Jefferson county in this year, and the settlers spread out more over the country now within the present bounds of the county. We find them in the limits of what are now Hanover, Shelby, Monroe, Madison, Lancaster, Republican, and Graham townships. Previously there had been only a very few outside of what is now Madison township. We find the names of John Paul, Lewis Davis and Jonathan Lyons, the pro- prietors of the town of Madison, and Joseph Lane, at the north end of Dugan's Hollow, on the top of the hill. Hle afterwards entered land in the present confines of Monroe town- ship, seven miles north of this place and one mile east. Hle removed to it and lived there till he died. He gave the land for the Hebron church and graveyard, and was the first person buried there. His grave is unmarked and is now unknown.
Thomas Hughes and David Hughes, his son, settled in Republican town- ship, near to where Kent now stands,
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
but becoming alarmed by the Indian raids, removed to Madison and after- wards to a farm of Col. John Paul, at Clifty, where they remained until the year 1814, when David Hughes removed into what is now Lancaster township. He was from North Car- olina.
Mr. William Robbins-see his sketch-came to Indiana Territory this year and settled in what is now Shelby township.
Mr. Alex. Chambers and son, Wil- liam, settled in Republican township and built a block house. See sketch of William Chambers.
Williamson Dunn settled at Han- over during the year. See sketch.
1810 .- Thomas Jameson settled on lands owned by Alexander McNutt, immediately opposite to Clifty Falls, on the south side of the creek. At this place the Rev. Love H. Jameson was born May 17th, 1811. He is still living at Indianapolis, his sight almost gone, a worthy and honored Christian and a humble follower of his Master; patiently awaiting the Master's call and doing His will. He has faithful- ly preached "The Word" for many years, to the salvation of many souls. He is the beloved father of many in Christ. He is gentle, peaceful, and Christlike in his life and character.
John Booth and Samuel Burnett- both tavern-keepers-are supposed to have come to this county in this year. Robert M. Trotter, a hatter, Joshua Wilkinson, a carpenter, John Sering and - Strickland, in the town of
Madison, which was laid out in this year. William Ramsay built his mill in what is now Republican township. From these mills came the P. O. name, Ramsey's Mills; this was afterwards changed to the present name of Kent.
1811 .- The increase of population this year seems to have been princi- pally at Madison, where the first sale of lots was made in this year, in Feb- ruary.
Dawson Blackmore, a hatter by trade, came to Madison in 1811, June 14th, and built a log house on Wal- nut street, between Second and High, which was intended for, and was used as a fort, having loopholes pierced through the logs, through which to shoot if attack was made. Four and five families would frequently be there in the night time for safety. In a narrative by Blackmore, in 1850, he says: "The persons who were here then ( ¿. e., when he came) were John Paul, Robert Trotter, a hatter, and family, John Sering, Jonathan Lyon and fam- ily, John Booth and family, first tavern keeper, Samuel Burnett, best tavern, Joshua Wilkinson, carpenter, Vawter family, and Joseph Strick- land." At what dates Trotter, Booth, Burnett, Wilkinson and Strickland came to the territory is unknown, but it must have been early in 1811, or perhaps in 1810, as Blackmore found them here when he came.
In another place the statement is made that Gen. Alex. Meek was admitted to practice as an attorney, at a court held at Wagner's log cabin,
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
so that Meek can be called an inhabi- tant at that time.
In the early history of the Methodist Episcopal Church in this county, is found a statement of the forming of a class in the month of July of this year, consisting of James McClean and wife, Thomas Hughes and wife-formerly mentioned as coming in 1809-a Mrs. Cole, and George Burton. The arrival of these in the bounds of what is now Jefferson County is not now to be ascertained.
In the same sketch, Judge Sparks is mentioned as having preached the first sermon in a house in the town of Madison.
In this year Blackmore enumerates the cabins in Madison (See Madison.)
Thomas Rosebery, Sr., settled in the present confines of Graham township in this year. "He purchased land from Robert Russell, an old pioneer who preceded him."
1812 .- During this year there was quite an addition to the population of the county. In October of this year, Williamson Dunn, of Hanover, organ- ized a company of rangers, under the provisions of an Act f Congress approved January 8, 1812, " authoriz- ing the President of the United States to raise certain companies of rangers, etc., " consisting of a captain, three lientenants, one ensign, four sergeants, four corporals and sixty privates. As twenty-five of these came from Ken- tucky with Ristine, who was the first lieutenant, the remainder belonged to Jefferson county, making forty-six
men of war from this county in actual service.
William Hendricks came to Madison during this year ; Rufus Gale and son, Elmore Gale, came to Madison August 12, of this year, and settled on a farm in the western part of Madison.
Samuel Demaree also came this year, and settled on Indian Kentucky.
Henry Ristine came from Kentucky with twenty-five men to join Capt. Dunn's company of rangers. After his term of service expired, he settled here in Madison, and established a tannery on the ground now occupied by Dietz's tan yard, on Aulenbach Avenue. He also kept a tavern on the south-east corner of Mulberry and Main streets. He went from here to Crawfordsville, where he died.
Among early names on the court records in the year 1812 are: Samuel Smock, William Cotton, and Williamson Dunn, Judges of the Com- mon Pleas Court. Isaiah Blankin- ship's name appears on a jury of enquiry on mill seat of George Shan- non, Sr., March 20, 1812. Blankin- ship was near Ramsey's Mills in Republican township. Thursday, June 18 mention of Wm. Ramsey's Mill is made in a petition for a road. Same day Samuel Burnett, license for a tavern, one year. Friday, 19 an order appointing Elisha
Golay Inspector of Jefferson township. Jesse Gray, Inspector of Madison township. He lived out near Wirt. Thomas Taylor Inspector of Washing- ton township. October 23, 1812,
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
the names of Robert and James Trot- ter, John M. Johnston, James Hicks, Abraham Fisk, Thomas MeFarland, John Eads, David and Ebenezer Hillis.
The following names are found composing the first Grand Jury of record. June term, 1812. Common Pleas Court.
CHRISTOPHER HARRISON, Foreman.
JONATHAN LYONS,
GARSHOM LEE,
PAUL FROMAN,
HENRY SELLARS,
DAVID CUMMINS,
JAMES WATSON,
JOHN M. JOHNSTON,
JOIN RHOADS,
DAVID MCKAY,
THOMAS HUGHES,
JAMES EDWARDS,
JOSHUA CANE,
MATTHEW WISE, JOSHUA WILKINSON.
The Grand Jury October, 1812, was :
LINSFIELD BRANHAM, Foreman.
WM. VAWTER,
JOSEPH LANE,
JAMES UNDERWOOD,
JOHN HALL,
JOHN BRANHAM,
JOHN RYKER,
ALEXANDER CHAMBERS,
JAMES WARD,
THOMAS STRIBLING,
JAMES McLANE,
JACOB RHOADS,
JOHN RANDALLS,
JOSHUA WILKINSON,
RICHARD HOPKINS,
GIDEON UNDERWOOD,
ARCHIBALD DINWIDDIE.
The Linsfield Branham spoken of above was the father of Hon. David C. Branham, a well known citizen of our county, a sketch of whom is in another place. John Branham, men- tioned above, was a cousin of Lins- field, and left this county at an early day and went to Vernon, Indiana, where he raised a large family
Richard Hopkins came from Vir- ginia and brought with him a number of slaves, whom he freed. He came to this State because he was convinced of the wrong of slavery, and desired to free his slaves, which he could not do in Virginia. He settled upon the. farm now owned by John W. Scott, on Ryker's Ridge. After remaining here for a few years, he went to New London, which loomed up at that time as the coming city of the State and the West. He remained there until his death.
1813 .- Wm. L. Reynolds came to Madison during this year. He is said to have driven the first dray ever seen in the town. He afterwards located near Dupont. See sketch of J. L. Reynolds.
In this year the first settler in what is now Lancaster township, made his appearance, in the person of James Hays, (from Columbiana county, Ohio) at the place where Landon's mills now stand.
1814 .- Arnold Custer, with three sons, James, Jesse and William, came to Jefferson county during this year. He cleared four acres of ground and erected a log cabin on the present site
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
of Mud Lick. It was the farthest settlement north on the present Mich- igan road. In the following year they returned to Kentucky and brought the family. He was the old- est grandson of William Custer, the pioneer of that family in America. IIe had twenty-four sons, from whom came all of the host of Custers in this country. He was a citizen of Virginia. Arnold Custer was a relative of Daniel Boone by marriage, their wives being both named Schull.
When Arnold Custer and his sons first came to this State they camped alongside of a big oak tree which had been blown down, and that they made their home till they built their cabin and it was ready for use. He came from near the salt works in Kentucky, and when he brought his family over to his Indiana home, he brought a cargo of salt on horseback, for his own use, and for sale to the citizens. In 1815 he and his sons went to where Vernon now is and cleared a patch of ground for Col. John Vawter. They built a cabin there, which stood near to where the Jennings county court house now stands. Arnold Custer and his sons may be termed pioneers of two counties of Indiana.
Indians .- They were always on the lookout for Indians, and prepared for an attack. On one occasion, during their first sojourn in Indiana, they all went to bed at night full of Indian fancies. Clothing was scarce, and they had to do their own mending. The shirt of one of the boys needed
some repairs. He concluded to do it that night, so he arose from the bed and taking a bundle of bark lighted it at the fire and sat down to mend his shirt. He made no noise, and was attent upon the business in hand .- every motion he made was reproduced in grotesque shadow upon the walls and inner surface of the roof of the cabin. One of his brothers awaking, saw the shadows, and having Indian on the brain, immediately aroused the rest. They all seized their guns ready for the slaughter of the Indians who had so daringly entered their castle. In the dim and uncertain light, they were near to shooting the shirt mender before the mistake was discovered.
Pioneer Incident .- The grand- mother of Arnold Custer had been to the house of a neighbor to warp a piece of cloth. When on her return she was captured by a band of Indi- ans. They went so close to her own house that she heard the cry of her child. She was taken to Quebec and there sold, but managing to escape, she made her way back to her former home in Kentucky. When she arrived home she found that her hus- band in some way had heard of the prisoners being carried to Quebec, and had started to go for her. She immediately started back upon the weary road to the Canadas, seeking her husband. When she had traveled some few days she saw some men who were burying a body in a field near the road. She went over to them
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
and found that it was her husband, who had been attacked with fever but a few days after he left home, and had died the day before, after a linger- ing illness of several weeks.
Mr. James Jackson settled near Kent in November of this year. Gideon Gordon and Bill Thicksteen were also settlers in that neighbor- hood in this year.
The Benefiels, two brothers, from Kentucky ; McLeland, also from Ken- tucky, settled in what is now Shelby township, in the fall of this year. Mr. Wm. C. McLeland came here that year. All of these settled near to and around Buchanan's Station or blockhouse.
BUCHANAN'S STATION was built in 1813 by William Buchanan, John and David, his brothers, and George Bene- fiel, upon the land of the three Buch- anan's. The fort was a square build- ing of sixty feet front, built solid, and pierced with loop-holes for firing from. The upper story-rather the roof- projected over the wall of the main building, so as to overlook the sides. There were four block houses in a line, extending about 300 or 400 feet, in which the families of the country con- gregated and lived when danger of an Indian raid was feared. It was at this time the extreme frontier of the country in that direction, and was garrisoned the greater part of the time, for three or four years, by the rangers under Capt. Dumni and Capt. Hillis.
It was situated about three miles north-east of Canaan on the line divid-
ing Jefferson and Ripley counties.
DR. ISRAEL T. CANBY was a large owner of town property in Madi- son. He came here about 1816, and lived here for many years, removing from here to Crawfordsville, some time about 1830. He was the father of Gen. R. Canby of the United States Army, who was killed by the Modocs in the lava fields. Gen. Canby was a boy when the doctor, his father, came here, and entered West Point from here.
Early County Roads .- The early roads of the county were merely traces through the woods, but they sufficed for the use of the inhabitants, for there was but little matter to be transported and transportation was principally on horseback. Wagons were rarely used, and these of the heaviest and most cumbrous kind. The early settlers of this county, for the greater part at least, had but little possessions in the way of household goods, and these were carried on horseback from their former homes. After wagons and Dearborns came into tolerably general use, roads were cut through the forests. The first one leading out of Madison to the north, was up the point of the hill at the head of Mulberry street. Traces of this may be still seen along t'le point. This led to the Vawter neighborhood on the top of the Michi- gan Hill, and thence to where North Madison now is, and out to the neigh- borhood of Wirt. The road up to Ryker's Ridge was up the river to Eagle Hollow, and up Eagle to the
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
first long hollow putting into it from the left, and up this on to the ridge. At this point, the Lawrenceburg road bore off to the east, going up the next long hollow coming down from the right. Later, the State road was made up the hill on the west side of Irish Hollow ; coming to the top of the hill just opposite to the present toll-gate on the North Madison pike, and thence west of north, through Wirt and Dupont. Just at the top of the hill, and between this road and the railroad, on the west side of the railroad cut, stood the first church built in the county, a Baptist meeting-house, built by the Vawters principally, and called Mt. Pleasant.
After this, was opened up the Gra- ham road, going up Crooked Creek valley to the head of it, and rising the hill there at the place of Mr. James Wilson, and from there on the range line due north for about seven miles. This was the route of communication for all of the north part of the county. The road extended over to Graham Creek in Ripley county. The Michi- gan road was laid out in the year 1831, and work was commenced upon it in that year. It led from Madison through Indianapolis to Michigan City on Lake Michigan.
The road to Hanover and the west of the county went along the river and up the hill into Hanover; from there it branched off to Lexington to the west, Ramsey's mills to the northwest, and thence through to Graham town- ship, and to the south into Saluda.
The roads in early times were like angel's visits ; " few and far between."
The first attempt at supplementing nature, in order to have a firm road that would uphold the travel during the soft times of the winter season and the wet spells of the spring and sum- mer, was the corduroy. This was by splitting rails out of trees, or taking saplings or logs, and putting them across the road on a dirt foundation, which would support the wagons, and prevent "stalling in the mud."
Those who have traveled upon this species of road need no reminder of the trials and suffering connected with them ; and to those who have been accustomed to the advantages of good pikes, it would be an utter impossi- bility to give such a description of them as to make them fully under- stood. As has been said : "Seeing is believing, but feeling is the naked truth." Demonstration, by a ride for a few miles upon such a road, is the only way by which appreciation of them could be had. When first placed in position, these rails are covered by a small thinness of dirt, but the rains and the shaking of travel soon recovers from this, and the naked rails are left, each one giving its own peculiar jar and jolt.
The necessity of good roads was an axiom ever before the community, and about 1850 to 1854 plank roads were made from Madison to Greensburg, Brownstown, Hanover, Lexington and Vevay. After these roads were tried for a few years, and found to be
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
impracticable on account of the expense attending the repairs needed upon them, they were finally aban- doned, and the present system of gravel, or macadamized roads, took their place. The county is now well furnished with these, running from Madison as the center, to all parts of the county, thus making communica- tion, throughout the entire space of it, practicable at all times of the year.
There was an old soldier of the " war of twelve " who formerly lived in Milton township. He was an annual candidate for the Legislature, and always had his tickets printed with the picture of a soldier in the position of " Attention," upon them. His hobby was "the My-shag-in road." His plan was to make a road- bed of charcoal, by making a pit the entire length of the road, and placing the wood in it, burn it, thus leaving the charcoal as the road. Had he succeeded in his plan, there would have been a road resulting from it, far ahead of any we now have, in all of its parts.
This was an entirely new departure, and was looked upon in that day as a chimera of the brain of a man who was what would now be called a crank. Whether it was an original idea of his or not, it has been tested since then, and is found to be of great worth and permanence as a road material. This man's name was Samuel Welsh.
Abolitionism .- This county was settled largely by a class of people coming from slave States, who were
convinced that human slavery was a sin, and for that reason fled from it in order to raise their families in a ter- ritory where its blight would not affect their children. As the Act of Congress passed July 13, 1787, estab- lishing the territory north-west of the Ohio river, provided : " Article 6 There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said ter- ritory, otherwise than in the punish- ment of crime." These men made Indiana their home.
This feeling of the wrong of slavery was only strengthened by their resi- dence here, and finally developed into what was known as the "Underground Railroad." This incorporal corpora- tion had two distinct routes through Jefferson county. The eastern route having its entrepot in the region of Eagle Hollow, and route of travel by way of " Ryker's Ridge," along Indian Kentucky Creek through Shelby township, thence towards Canada. The western route had its entrepot in Saluda township; route of travel through Hanover, Smyrna, Lancaster and Monroe townships into Ripley county. There were many stations along each of these routes. At each station there was generally a change of conductors. A very lively business was carried on along this road. Many of the active employees are still living.
Many of them were known to the detectives of those days, but so well and secretly did they carry on their work, and so true were they to each other, and to what they held to be the
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
great principle of right for which they strove, that but few convictions were ever made under the law, which they were breaking, or at least disregarding. They will have their reward. It was very seldom that a convoy was seen during daylight. The mode of operat- ing has never been fully divulged, but it ought to be ; and a full history of this work and the men engaged in it would make a most facinating book.
County Court .- The first County Court was convened June 15th, 1812. It was entitled, "The Court of Common Pleas, for Jefferson county, Indiana Territory." The first judges were : Samuel Smock, William Cotton and Williamson Dunn. The court com- bined civil, probate and county busi- ness, and continued to transact all of the legal business of the county until Nov. 7th, 1814. At this time the "Circuit Court " was established and the criminal and civil business was transferred to that court, leaving only the probate and county business in the Common Pleas Court. The Court of Common Pleas was abolished at the time that Indiana became a State. The name of Jesse L. IIolman is found upon the records as Prosecutor of the Court of Common Pleas Court. His name appears as the first Presiding Judge of the Circuit Court. Williamson Dunn and Samuel Smock as Associate Judges.
John Vawter was the first Sheriff of the county; John Paul the first Clerk and Recorder. John Sering was first Treasurer.
The County Jail .- The first jail was built in the year 1811. Like the first court house, it was built of logs. One of the early chroniclers says: "It was one house built inside of another." It was supposed to be a place of secure keep for the rogues and malefactors of that day. It was located on the alley back of the present one. As mentioned elsewhere, the first item of record in the way of business in the Commis- sioners' Court was: "Thomas Strib- ling, Sheriff of the county aforesaid, filed his petition against the jail of this county, which was ordered filed," Feb. 11th, 1817. On the 29th of Septem- ber, 1817, the contract was awarded to David Hillis, "to build a jail of logs, hewed ten by twelve inches. Dimensions twenty-two by twenty-four feet from out to out, of two stories in height, with a shingle roof ; a stairway to lead from the lower to the upper floor, inside of the rooms." Amount to be paid $800. This house was built east of the first one, nearer to Walnut street. The young men and boys of that period used the east side of this building as a fives-court, for playing that game of ball.
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