USA > Indiana > Washington County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Harrison County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Crawford County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Clark County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Scott County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Floyd County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Jennings County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Jefferson County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 7
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Organization of the county. In the session of the General Assembly of 1817 and 1818 a Board of Commis- sioners was appointed to survey and lay off another county taken from Harrison county. . They reported the county of Crawford, and it was there- upon organized in 1818, two years after the admission of Indiana into the Union. The officers appointed for the county to fill the first terms were : Wm. Samuels, Clerk and Recorder; Daniel Weathers, Sheriff and Treasurer; Cornelius Hall and
John Samuels, County Commissioners. The Governor appointed Hon. Davis Floyd Presiding Judge, and Henry Green and James Glenn, Associate Judges. The following is a verbatim copy of the early records of the county :
December Term, 1818, 1st day, Dec. 15th, 1818. This being the day appointed for holding the Dec. term of the Crawford County Circuit Court, and accommodations having been made at Mt. Sterling for the said court, the court met at the court house in said town. Present, the Hon. Henry Green and James Glenn, Asso- ciate Judges. The court appointed Ebenezer McDonald Prosecuting At- torney for the term, who thereupon took the oath of office. The sheriff handed into court the following list of grand jurors, to-wit : Martin Scott, Michael Harvey, Elisha Moore, Rob- ert Grimes, Joseph Hawkins, Abra- ham Hobbs, Riggs Pennington, Sam- uel Morrow, Lewis Wyman, William Hart, John Riddle, Moses Penning- ton, Lazarus Stewart, Cornelius Hall, Gory Jones, John McCarty, James Totten and William Anderson. Mar- tin Scott was appointed foreman, who with the other jurors being sworn, retired from the bar to consult of pre- sentments and indictments. On motion, Reuben Wright Nelson, Henry P. Coburn and William Hoggett, Es- quires, were admitted as attorneys of this court. It may be remarked that the court house was an imposing structure of one story, made of rough
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
round logs and belonged to Henry Barker. At first they had no jail. The town of Mt. Sterling consisted of one street and only two houses on the street. It stood in a forest and the frightened deer frequently ran down the street. In this solitary place gathered the solons to deal out jus- tice and here the new county had its birth. When the weather was warm they would adjourn to the shade of a spreading oak to dispense justice. The first indictment found by the grand jury was against John Tibbs and John Scaggs for affray. The record of that trial is as follows :
State of Indiana,
U.S. Affray.
John Tibbs, John Scaggs.
At this time came John Tibbs, one of the defendants, who being arraigned, pleaded not guilty and for his trial put himself upon the county and the prosecuting attorney did the like, whereupon come a jury, to-wit : James Land, Wm. Hallowell, Alex- ander Barnett, Peter . McMickle, Thomas Strond, Constant Williams, Peter Peckinpangh, Jonathan Rice, David Miller, Arthur White, John Tallowell and John Lynch, twelve good and lawful men, who being elected, tried and sworn well and truly to try the issue joined, returned into court the following verdict, to-wit : We, the jury, find the defen- dant guilty and fine him $1.50. It is therefore considered that the State of Indiana recover of the said defendant
$1.50 with costs, and that he stand committed until fine and costs be paid.
This was the first trial held in the county. At the second term of the Circuit Court we find the following entry, viz :
At a Circuit Court began and held at the court house in the town of Mount Sterling, county of Crawford, Monday, the 22nd day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen. Present, the Hon. Davis Floyd, President of the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
Henry Green,
Associate Judges. James Glenn, State of Indiana,
v8.
James McCullum.
Indictment for Larceny.
This day, came as well the prosecu- ting attorney, as the said James McCullum in his proper person, and for plea says he is not guilty in man- ner and form as in the indictment is charged against him; for his trial puts himself upon the county and the prosecuting attorney doth the like, whereupon came a jury, to-wit : John Peckinpangh, Robert Sands, Abraham Wiseman, Thomas Parr, William Matthews, William Riley, Edward Golden, Ephram Blackburn, Ebenezer E. Morgan, Thomas Early, Richard Weathers and James Van- winkle, twelve good and lawful men, who being elected, tried and sworn well and truly to try the issue joined, and true deliverance make between the State of Indiana and the
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
said defendant, McCullum, having heard the evidence " and pleading, retired from the bar to consult, and after some time returned into court the following verdict, to-wit : We, of the jury, do find the defendant guilty of stealing a deep dish, as charged in the indictment, of the value of sixty-two and a half cents, and do further find that he returns the dish stolen and the value thereof, and two-fold the value thereof if the dish stolen be not restored; shall make his fine to the State of Indiana, for the use of Crawford county, to be ren- dered in the like sum of sixty-two and a half cents, and we do further find that he receives two stripes on his bare back. THOMAS PARR, Foreman.
It is very strange that no record can be found of the indictment, trial and execution of Ooley, but it is true. There is not the scratch of a pen in the records as to the trial. The only way that we account for its loss is the fact that it is very evident that the original records of proceedings were kept on loose paper. For this reason, we find an entry by the presiding judge himself in 1823, "that the clerk shall be relieved of making any full record of cases that had been tried prior to that term, (May, 1823), because he has not been provided with a book before that time." So it is supposed during the removal of the records, the history of this criminal trial was lost. We have been able to find two witnesses as to this execu- tion. In the year 1819, Ooley killed
a man named Briley, at or near White Oak Hill, in the north part of the county. He was captured on Big Blue river and taken to Mount Ster- ling, tried for murder in the first degree, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged at that place. From the time of the trial, till the execution, he was kept near where Marengo now stands, in the old block house, there being no jail in the county at that time. The settlers guarded him, turn about, and on the day of his execution he was hauled in a cart to the gallows. When all was ready, the sheriff, Dan- iel Weathers, drove the cart out from under him and he swung into eternity. He was buried near the gallows. Robert Sharp, who still lives, wit- nessed the execution from the top of a beech bush. The first record of the Common Pleas Court of the county is as follows : "House of James Barker," December 7, 1818. This being the day for holding court for the county of Crawford, at the house of James Barker, pursuant to an act of the Gen- eral Assembly passed at the first ses- sion of the Second General Assembly, entitled an act to attach the county of Crawford to the second circuit court, met ; present, the Hon. Henry Green and James Glenn, Associate Judges. Jonathan Rice, Administrator of Isaac Edwards, returned into court an inven- tory and ordered it to be filed. Or- dered that the court adjourn to Mt. Sterling. Mt. Sterling, December 7, 1818. Court met pursuant to adjourn- ment, December 7, 1818. Ordered
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
that court adjourn until court in course. Henry Green and James Glenn, Judges. February term, 1819. February 15, 1819. This being the day appointed for holding the Febru- ary term of the Crawford Probate Court. The court met at court house in Mount Sterling in said coun- ty. Present, the HIon. James Glenn, Associate Judge. Ordered that court adjourn until court in course. James Glenn, May term, May 17, 1819. This being the day appointed for hold- ing the May term of the Crawford Probate Court, the court met at the court house in Mount Sterling, there- fore present the Hon. Henry Green and James Glenn, Associate Judges.
At this term Nancy Cochran, administratrix of Nathaniel Cochran, deceased, returned into court her bill of appraisement. Ordered to be filed. Ordered that court adjourn until court in course. Henry Green and James Glenn, associate judges. First divorce case was brought by Andrew Mason against Clara Mason at the Feb- ruary term of court, 1819. Divorce was granted. All legal publications were made in the Indiana Gazette, published in the town of Corydon. The village of Mt. Sterling was the only one in the county at the time the commissioners selected it as the seat of justice. In a short time, how- ever, the settlers turned their eyes toward the river as their best outlet, and it was thought best to remove the county seat to the river. Fredonia, laid out by General Thom, and Leav-
enworth, laid out by the Leavenworth brothers, went into competition for the honor. General Thom built a pretentious court house for that day, in the town of Fredonia and gave it to the county for its use, and owing to that fact Fredonia came out victorious. So the county seat was removed to Fredonia. The last term of court was held in Mt. Sterling, in October, 1821. There is no record of the removal that has been preserved. At the October term of the Circuit Court a seal was adopted for the county as follows: "Brass metal; on the outer edge, the words 'Crawford Circuit Court, Ind- iana,' are engraved, an eagle in the center with wings extended, having scale in the lower part of the eagle, with a flag from the eagle's mouth, with these words, Lex et veritas."
The first term of court held at Fre- donia began on March 18th, 1822. Hon. James Glenn, Judge. Although Fredonia succeeded in getting the county seat, her rival, Leavenworth, was not vanquished and in fact soon outstripped Fredonia in trade, popu- lation, etc. That in 1843 the county seat was removed from Fredonia to Leavenworth, where it still remains. In 1846, James Fields murdered his mother in the neighborhood of Mill- town. He was arrested, tried, con- victed and hanged in this county. Ile was convicted at the November term of court and excuted on Dec. 18, 1846, at Leavenworth. Samuel Clark was the sheriff. Many are the amus- ing incidents told of the early litigants.
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
One told us by a friend was to this effect ; Judge Lockhart fined a fellow and sentenced him to jail for twelve hours for assault and battery and order. ed the sheriff to take him to jail. The sheriff, John Barnett, and the prisoner were good friends, so he told the prison- er to keep out of the Judge's sight and all would be right.
In an hour or two the Judge, look- ing out of the window, saw the pris- oner pitching dollars in the yard, and turning to Clerk, says: "Mr. Clerk' enter a fine of $10 against the Sheriff. Mr. Coroner, you will please take charge of the Sheriff ;" but, on looking over to where the Coroner sat, he saw that official was "too utterly full" to comply with his request, and, taking in the absurdity of the whole thing, he broke into a smile and ordered court to stand adjourned. The first marriage license was issued July 4th, 1818, to Joseph Bohall to wed Miss Sarah Milstid. They were married July 10th, 1818, by J. Newberry, Jus- tice of the Peace. The following is a list of the County Clerks in the order of their service: Wm. Samuels began 1818; Ebenezer E. Morgan's term ended 1846 ; Samuel Sands, 1847; Wm. Mansfield, September, 1848; C. W. Kendall, 1853; Wm. A Jackson, 1857; C. W. Kendall, 1859; James M. Lemonds, 1867; David G. Barnett, 1867; W. L. Seacat, 1871; W. L. Temple, 1875; Thad. P. Kelso, 1883; Wm. Shelby . Ross is the present clerk. The county was first laid off into five townships, afterwards increased to
seven. This number was increased to nine as follows: Jennings, Whiskey Run, Liberty, Sterling, Potoka, John- son, Union, Ohio and Boone. Leaven- worth, the present county seat, was laid off in 1818 by Zebulon and Seth Leavenworth. Wm. M. Wilber and Zebulon Leavenworth built the first cabins in 1818. In 1819 the first stores were opened by Z. Leavenworth and John L. Smith. The Methodists organized a society here in 1820 and in 1825 built a church. In 1820 the first school was established. A school- house was built the same year. Zeb- ulon Leavenworth established a ferry across the Ohio at this place in 1820. Some of the early inhabitants were the Wilbers, Kendalls, Edwards, Phelps, Woodfords, Datsons, Saner- hebers and Coles. Leavenworth soon became a great trading point. In those early days vast numbers of steamboats plied the waters from Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Louisville to New Orleans. A great many flat boats were running also at that time. People had wood yards and sold to boats. Hoop-poles, lime, corn, pork and produce were shipped to the South. Leavenworth was the ship- ping point for Crawford, Orange, Du- bois and part of Perry counties. Peo- ple engaged in manufacture of barrels and lime, etc. Fredonia which is only three miles down the river never pros- pered on account of having no port and Leavenworth drew from the trade. Indian Hollow which is one mile west of Leavenworth was a favorite resort
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
of the Indians. It derives its name according to "Uncle Bob Sharp" from the fact that upon one occasion when the Indians were having a "Green Corn" dance at that point one of the Indians stepped in the fire and burned his foot very badly and running down the bank and into the river to cool his burn, his foot was caught between two roots, and his companions being pretty well under the influence of "firewater" not noticing him he was drowned. Since that, this has been known as Indian Hollow. First news- paper printed in the county was pub- lished at Leavenworth by Langdon in 1839. It was aten by twelve inch folio, called "The Crisis." The first serions back-set Leavenworth received was the building of the Louisville and St. Louis Air Line Railway. This took from her a large amount of the trade from the northern part of the county. Since the opening of the road for traf- fic, Leavenworth has not done so much business as before, but it is still the best business point in the county. The county has always been torn up by its county seat fights. We have seen how Fredonia and Leavenworth combated for the place. Then after the removal to Leavenworth there was quietude until about 1875, when Eng. lish made an attempt to remove the capitol to that place. After much litigation and bad feeling English was defeated. Marengo was the next town to make the attempt but she, too, failed. In 1884 Grantsburg made an attempt to get the prize. The removal
was granted by the board of commis- sioners but after an appeal and vexa- tious law suit the decision of the board was reversed. In 1886 English made another attempt, the law having been changed from petition to election, and after one of the closest and most excit- ing contests ever carried on in the county, she again failed. Marengo it now appears is marshaling her forces for another contest.
At present, an attempt is being made to change the law. It is gener- ally conceded that, sooner or later, Leavenworth must lose the county seat. This prevents capitalists from investing, and tends to weaken her commercially. Another thing that has injured Leavenworth and crippled her to a certain extent, is the floods of 1882, 1883 and 1884. A great por- tion of the town is below high-water mark, and the unprecedented over- flows of those three years, racked and destroyed a great many of the houses. Some were floated entirely away. The citizens were discouraged by these repeated disasters, but since five years have passed without bringing any recurrence of high-water, they have . again taken heart. Leavenworth has a population of one thousand souls. The county buildings are getting dilapidated to some extent. There are a number of handsome residences, a spoke factory, two saw mills, one roller process flouring mill, two skiff factories, two churches, a town hall, a number of good business houses and four hotels. The "Odd Fellows" have
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
an elegant two story building. A substantial brick school building cost- ing some 85,000. There are three news- papers: The Crawford County Dem- ocrat, published by Wm. Ellsworth and Son. It was established in 1879, and now has a circulation of 750. The Crawford County Republican, pub- lished by A. F. Funkhouser, was established in 1888. It has attained a good circulation. The Saturday Hustler, a small weekly published by Wm. Romaine.
MILLTOWN is a village of about 400 inhabitants, situated where the L. E. & St. Louis railway enters the county from the east, on Big Blue River. Here are the celebrated lime kilns of J. B. Speed & Co.
A large force of men are employed in these kilns. As its name indicates, it has a fine mill owned by Hostetter Bros. It has a good school building and two churches. Milltown was laid out in the year, 1839. It has never grown very rapidly. It is in the midst of a fine farming region and its citizens are, in a general sense, well to-do. Big Springs was laid out by David Stewart in 1839, D. M. Stew- art's addition in 1859, M. T. Stewart's addition in 1856 and James M. Walts' in 1871. The first post office was called Tuckersville. It was changed to Proctorsville, where it was kept until 1851. A committee consisting of Dr. Mattingly, Hugh Taylor, Rob- ert Walts, D. S. Tucker and M. T. Stewart was appointed to arrange for removing it. A new name being
necessary, Dr. Mattingly suggested the name of Marengo, which was adopted. The town is now known by the name of Marengo. An attempt is being made to incorporate it. Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was the guest of David Stewart during his term of office as Governor. He cut his name on a tree, the stump of which stands in the Academy sugar grove. Marengo is thirteen miles from Leavenworth and thirty-six miles from Louisville. It is noted on account of the beautiful cave recently discovered which bears its name, and which has been already described in this pages. But that which has made Marengo the "Boston" of Crawford county is the Marengo Academy, founded and established by Prof. Jno. M. Johnson. His father, Wm. B. Johnson, emigrated to this State from Kentucky in 1821. He married Charlotte H. Pankey in 1822. Wm. B. Johnson was a pioneer school- teacher and commanded the enormous salary of one dollar a day and board. His son, John M., was bred to look upon education as ennobling to man. His father gave him a collegiate edu- cation, but the young man had to struggle to get through. He gradu- ated at Bloomington, in perhaps 1852. He had, however, taught his first school in the year 1848, and introduced the first blackboard ever used in the community. The story of the founding and establishment of the Academy we tell in his own simple words : " Fate, or rather as I prefer to believe, a kind, beneficent all-wise Providence,
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
has confined almost my entire life's labor to Crawford county. After I graduated, Bishop Glossbrenner sent special word to me to go east and cast in my lot with some of the eastern conferences, where, in his opinion, I could do as much good as in this far west, and would be better remuner- ated financially. I could see no way open for me to leave my native county, hence I did not go. I was invited to Illinois to teach, where teachers' wages were there said to be higher than here. I could not go. I was chosen a member of the Faculty of Hartsville University, now Hartsville College. I accepted; took one of Crawford county's best girls for a life- partner, and went; filled my place satisfactorily to those concerned. But I could not see the way open for me to stay. I came back. I went to Spencer county. Taught two five- months terms. All, so far as I know, were well pleased. I returned to Crawford. I was offered the princi- palship of a high school in Greene county, at a salary of two thousand dollars per annum, I to select my own assistant. I thought I would go. 1 spoke to a young lady to take the position of assistant, provided I made the arrangements to go. I never made them. I do not know why. An opening for a school that should be above the common school, and that would give young men and young ladies an opportunity for a higher education, developed in the town of Big Springs. I walked in. My cir-
culars were struck, stating when the "Marengo Graded School" would begin. As no person knew where Marengo was, for that was only the name of an obscure postoffice, I had to tell in my circulars that the "Marengo Graded School" would be in the town of Big Springs, Crawford county, Indi- ana. The school opened March 20th, 1869, in the house now occupied by Edward Mitchell, with sixty pupils in attendance. That session turned out three preachers, six physicians, four attorneys, and one who intended to study law, but died, and one who yet contemplates law ; one surveyor, one trustee, and, to me, an unknown num- ber of teachers. Four terms were taught in the old house. The fifth opened in the new Academy building, which took the name of "Marengo Academy." The school has been running for, within a few weeks, twenty years. Many young ladies and gentlemen have been helped to a better education than they ever could have gotten had there been no Marengo Academy. Board and tui- tion have always been cheap here. The school has tried to be the poor man's friend. Those with plenty of money can always go where they wish; those of only moderate means can come to Marengo on account of the cheapness. Those with no means have never been turned away, but they have been boarded and taught, and time given them to make the money, after they had received the education ; enough to teach school or
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
engage in some other employment by which to make money to pay their board and school bills. Young men preparing for the ministry have been given their tuition at one-half of reg- ular prices regardless to what denomi- nation they might have belonged ; the same half prices to the children of all ministers actively engaged in min- isterial work. Owing to the short time allotted me for writing, only an estimate can be made of the number of those who have been educated wholly, or in part, at the Academy. The attendance has never been large, but often large enough for the good of those attending. There have been probably about two thousand different persons who have attended the Acad- emy. Some of these are dead. Most of the living ones are honorably employed. Marengo Academy's stu- dents can be found in legislative halls, on the judges' bench, in the sacred desk, at the bar, in the sick-room, as physicians relieving the suffering, in the school-room teaching "the young idea how to shoot," and in every hon- orable calling or business common to our country. Long may it live to bless Crawford county, my own native county ! I shall soon be numbered with the dead. May my memory live in the kind heart of some one or more, who has loved to linger within the Academy's consecrated walls !
MARENGO is, next to Leavenworth, the largest town in the county, with three mills, three churches, a public school building and various other
buildings and enterprises. It is a pushing place and has a bright future.
ENGLISHI was laid out as Hartford in 1839. The name was changed when it was incorporated, to English. It was nothing more than a straggling little village with a few stores, grocery and blacksmith shop until the comple- tion of the Air Line road. For a few years it grew rapidly but seems now on a stand still. It is celebrated on account of the "Hazlewood Sulphur Springs," which are situated one half mile north. This is a famous watering place. A large and commodious hotel stands in the midst of delightful grounds. There is a beautiful fountain in the yard and every known conven- ience is there. The building alone cost $40,000. It is now owned and controlled by Dr. George R. Hazle- wood. English has a population of some five hundred people or more; has one church, school building, some handsome residences and good busi- ness houses. One newspaper, "The English News," is published there. It was founded in 1886 and has at- tained a fair circulation-Taswell is a village of some two hundred people. It consists of school-house, hotel, black- smith shop, business houses, etc., on the Air Line railroad, about seven miles west of English. It has grown up since the railroad was built and has about reached its zenith.
ECKERTY is a pretty little town, four miles west of Taswell, on the railroad. Laid out by Christopher Eckerty in 1873. It has a handsome church,
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
a good school building, one of the pret- tiest hotels in the county, a good "roller process", mill, and quite a number of good business houses. It is a neat clean little town with an ap- pearance of thrift.
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