USA > Indiana > Grant County > Centennial history of Grant County, Indiana, 1812 to 1912 : compiled from records of the Grant county historical society, archives of the county, data of personal interviews, and other authentic sources of local information > Part 26
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"Thomas D. Tharp was the first county superintendent of Graut county. Wages continued to increase and better educated teachers wer . employed. From that time on our schools have advanced. Now we have well advanced schools and good school buildings. In 1852 and for some years after, we had no female teachers in the winter schools of this township. Now we have a large number of lady teachers in our winter scheels. Then we had three months school and nine months for manual labor. This gives Int little industrial education at the very time when habits of life are formed. We may have industrial schools, but the best industrial school on earth is the life invigorating labor of the farm. The boys on the farm have given us many of our best and greatest men. In 1852 the Methodists. Baptists, Christians and Presbyterians each had a church in Jefferson township. The religions spirit of that period was Very zealous and carnest. Now the Methodists and Pree Methodists cach have good parsonages.
"When Dean as auditor let the county printing to Howard county, David W. Jones, who failed to get the county printing. soll his paper and moved to Fort Wayne, where he continued to publish a paper. Only two papers were published in Grant county then, yet the paper that failed to get the county printing could hardly succeed. Now Your dailies are published in Grant county, the Leader, the Chronicle, the Nors- Tribune and the Fairmount Journal. There is a weekly paper in nearly every town in the county. The first railroad in Grant county was built in 1867. Now we have railroad, telephone and telegraph lines over nearly every part of Grant county and extending over nearly every part of the United States. These great lines give us greater speed in com- munication, transportation and travel than ever before known. In these and other great works we have learned to use the forces of nature to a greater extent than ever before. And now our advancement in knowl- edge and industry is the greatest in the history of the world. The forces of nature that give growth to man in knowledge and power are eternally the same, but man's conditions are not always the same.
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"Before the settlement of America the people were deprived of fro dom of opinion for a thousand years, and when not free the mind conld not fully advance in knowledge. That period is called " The Dark Ages ' for the people were losing knowledge. But in the wildls of America the people were naturally free. They had greater freedom than any ohl country could give them. And during the long continued settlement and the great and long continued labor of improvement and building homes in this vast new country, including Grant county, the people of this country and the county had greater freedom and greater labor than any other people. And now they have greater knowledge than any other people. And the greatest workmanship the world has ever seen. With freedom for the mind, free labor and free self government the people of this country have had the greatest achievements in knowledge and work. manship in the annals of the times. in the great problems of self gov ernment the American people have before them the most important and useful knowledge over presented to the mind of man. With our great advancement in science and invention and with our free self goverment. our schools, railroads, telegraph and telephone and our newspapers and news from every part of the world. With all these our advancement in knowledge will certainly be greatly increased.
"But we will need the great knowledge to carry us safely over the rising billows of our industrial evolution or possible revolution. For our industrial condition has greatly changed during the last sixty years Sixty years ago the people were nearly all self employed. and with their farias, shops and small factories they supplied nearly all their wants with their own labor. Wage earners were few. Wages were about $10 per month. We had ahnost no dependent poor. Now great organized companies and factories supply nearly all the wants of the people not supplied by the farm. And great numbers of people are now employed as wage earners by these companies and factories. And now these wage earners have organized. This has divided this part of our industry into two parts, organized capital and organized labor. These companies and factories have paid in wages from $50 to $100 per month, yet with this division of capital and labor they have had almost continued labor strikes to compel them to pay high wages. And in these strikes mitch property has been destroyed and many people killed. The question is now. how shall harmony be restored, with justice alike to capital and labor, and to organized and unorganized industry.
"But our greatest and most important industry is our farm industry. The labor of the farm is more healthy and life invigorating than the lahor of the factory or mine, or the labor of any other great industry Our farmers not only supply us with the bread of life, but with their life invigorating labor they have supplied us with many of our greatest men. And with their industries, sturdy, moral and intelligent character and their great numbers, they are to a certain extent the life of the nation. The labor and business of the farm is as free today as it ever has been at any time, and far more pleasant and profitable than ever before. And our farmers have now the greatest opportunity to increase their knowledge they have ever had. And with their increase in knowl- edge they certainly will become more and more potent in the upbuilding of our country."
XXVIII. GREEN TOWNSHIP IN HISTORY By Mrs. Anna Matchett Curless
Saturday, March 31, 1906, was Green Township day in the Historical Society, and the entertainment features were music by Mrs. Minnie Mur-
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doff Kimball and a reading by Miss Frone A. Case. In its township alummi Green really possesses a most excellent substitute for an historical society. The historian is an aluimmms. In her acknowledgment. Mrs. ('urless says: " In the preparation of this manuscript I am indebted for the willing services of A. G. Brumtiel, superintendent of the Grant county schools, and William Seeley, trustee of Green township, in collect- ing data for the educational features. Also Andrew Gemmil, ex-trustee, gave valuable information along this particular line. For early inhab. itants and traditional lore I am under obligations to Mrs. Virgil Hale and other pioneer settlers of the township. For accuracy of subject matter, acknowledgment is made of Kingman Brothers' Atlas, a most excellent text for early history work of Grant county."
Before beginning her paper. Mrs. Curless bounded Green township, saying it is located in the southwest corner of Grant county, and is joined on the north by Sims, on the east by Liberty, on the south by Duck Creek of Madison and on the west by Wildeat of Tipton and Union of Howard county. The paper follows:
As early as year 1843 James Burton and Joseph Taylor occupied land in what is now Green township. However, as they made no at- tempt at improvement of any kind they have not been given a very permanent place in the list of early settlers. The year 1815 brought. four energetie men who came for the purpose of changing the dense forest of green into cultivated farms. Their names and places of settle- ment are as follows: Alexander MeCracken, on what is now "The Prairie Grove Stock Farm, " owned by John A. Peterson ; Sammel Ors- burn. on the Moses Harper farm; James Moon, on the Rush farm, and George Ohaver, who was a great hunter, on the Covalt farm. In 1816 Isaac Revis settled on the land now owned by Mrs. John Gossom and Samuel Kelley moved in sight of what is now the village of Normal.
These early settlers were noble men who led a strenuous life of labor and manifested an active part in whatever tended toward the welfare of the township.
The years 1847-48 added quite a number to the population. Prom- inent among these were William Perry, who located on the Samnel Leer farm; Marland Knox, on the Messmore farm: William and John Ham- mer, on the Andrew Miller farm ; Jeremiah Hammer on that lately owned by the children of Wiley Hood ; JJoseph and Frederick Lane, on the Hawk farm, now owned by the MeGraw Brothers; Daniel Bayless settled on the Widow Thrasher farm; James Hamilton, on that owned by Widow Seward; Levi Hiatt, on the old Hiatt homestead; Benjamin Orsbarn and William Curtley on the farm belonging to John Orsbarn ; Peter Knote on the William Knote farm, and Rhoda Keever and sons on the farm still owned by their heirs.
The settlers of 1849-50 were Virgil Hale, Henry Foster. Elijah Ogle, Moses Jordan, Elihu Moon, William Turner, Jacob Tharp and Levi Tolle.
In 1851-52 came the following persons who have since proved them- selves enterprising citizens : John Downing. Andrew Mills Daniel Mat- chett, Jarret Rybolt. Joshua Stillwell, John Foster, Will. Thrasher, Peter Gilam, James Kelley, Sammel Bar, David Kilgore, William MeLain and John Hiser.
Prominent among those who came soon after and shared in the hardships of pioneer life were: Christian Cop, Eleazer John, Johnson Eakins, Jonathan Kilgore, Wiley Hood. Jacob Johns. Michael Echel- barger, Ira Main, John Wright, William Miller, Cyrus Henry, Harrison Cremer, Isaac Ryholt, John Wilson, John Ware, Hugh Hamilton, John Legg and Aaron Brooks.
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In the traditions handed down to us from some of these early set- tlers we have interesting stories that deal with the Indians who, while they did not make this their permanent home at that time, came every autumn to hunt and fish in our forests and streams. "Shingle Mary" was the chief of the tribe and he with his Indian braves spent many happy hours in bringing down the fleet-footed deer or feasting on wild turkeys and smaller game. Their favorite camping grounds was hear Grassy Fork creek and on one long-gone Sabbath day a party of sixteen white inhabitants decided to visit their Indian neighbors and thus renew the friendly relation existing between the two. They were treated very kindly by all except the old copper-colored chief, who remained grim and silent the entire afternoon. This caused some uneasiness on the part of the whites, but their Tears were soon banished when, on the next day, the old Indian chief, on meeting one of the visitors of the previous day. explained his peculiar mood by saying that he was very nich afraid that the white men and their families would frighten away the coveted deer that might be feeding in the surrounding woodlands, showing thus, that his heart was ever with the ennning of his bow and arrow and not so much with the friendliness of "the pale face."
Green township was organized in 1847 and was named in memory of the gallant General Greene. It is four miles wide and seven moles long. The first election was held in the cabin of Sauntel Kelley, the same year, 1848. Soon after the place of holding elections was changed to the house of Isaac Rivis, thence to Minor's shop, which stood where we now lind the home of Charles Leer ; from there it was changed to Knotty Corner, and from there to Point Isabel, where it is now held. Among the first trustees were Sammel Kelley, Cyrus Cremer and Virgil Hale, the latter holding this office for ten years. Moses Jordan and James Hamilton were justices of the peace; David Hannah, treasurer, and Marland Knox, clerk. From 1865 to 1877 the office of trustee was filled by the following persous: Eleazer John. James Kelley, Johnson Eakins (our terms). N. J. Leisure (four terms), Parins Nesbitt two terms) and Jarret Coval. For the later day officials of this coveted place We have the names of Luther Hale, J. V. John, Andrew Gemmil, Charles V. Leer, and William Seeley, the present incumbent.
The first school house was built on John Smith's farm in 1850. David Steward had charge of the first school held here, in the winter of 1850- 51. In 1856 a log school house was built on the Cyrus Swan farm, and the year following one on the Knox farm. Some of the carly teachers were Virgil Hale, Marland Knox, Asa Long, Harrison Cremer and William Reed. At that time instructors were very scarce and the ranks wore tilled by importing any one who carried the mystical sheepskin and looked stern and capable of wielding the birch rod, for, then, "Jarnin' and lickin' " went hand in hand.
It seems that in the very early days the district teacher had far more privileges than one dare exercise today.
My father tells an ammising incident of his first school days in the later '50s. The teacher had come to them from New York. His name was Fisher and he was sixty years of age. The schoolhouse, an old log structure, stood in the midst of forest trees with now and then a maple interspersing. The teacher tapped the maple trees and boiled the sugar water on the old-fashioned box stove. When the contents of the kettle would simmer low and the little urchins were busy with their tasks, the teacher would slip quietly ont into the forest and bring in more water to boil. Many a jar of delectable syrup he made that long winter and took it to the home where he was staying.
Perhaps the curriculum was not so crowded as it is today or per- chance that was a part of the teacher's nature study experiments.
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Coming down to more recent years, we have as teachers William Miller, G. W. Kilgore, II. M. MeC'askey, Frank Collins, 1. 1. Salyers, Charles V. Leer, Frank Sherwin, U. S. Collins, and many others we have not space to mention.
There are in the township at present six school houses. A few years ago they numbered eight, but because of the small attendance two have been abandoned. Plans are being formulated for the complete consolida- tion of the schools and the near future will. no doubt, see marked im provement along this line.
Three of the school houses stand on one road just two miles apart. These are characterized by poenliar names which circumstances have given them. First, to the north we have "Striped" or District No. 2. There is nothing in the surroundings today that suggests the name, but many years ago there stood on the spot an old frame school house with perpendicular strips of lumber nailed over the crevices of the sides. There were painted red : the house being white, made it have a "striped" appearance.
Two miles south we have " Knotty Corner" or District No. 3. Some believe today that the word " Knotty" is but a misused Form of the word "naughty" and that the name was given it because of the mischief loving pupils of the school. But the truth about the matter is that it takes its name from an old "knotty" oak tree that stood directly in the center of where the four roads meet today, but what long ago was a forest with a little cabin school house in its midst. The same pedagogue that boiled the maple syrup as he instructed the boys and girls, grew tired of seeing the gnarled form of this old tree and one bright. spring day he set fire to it, and the neighbors, fearing it might cause damage. came forth with axes and felled it to the ground.
Two miles to the south we have the school of " Nauvoo" or District No. 6. It is told that it derives its name from a Mormon settlement in Illinois, a man of that faith having lived in the community.
The present corps of teachers is: Orpha Mae Morgan, John Downing. James Curless, William Pinkerman, Eugene Goble and L. L. Davis.
Green township has always had her quota of graduates, the first class appearing in 1882. It was made up of ten young men all of whom except one are still living and occupying positions of trust and honor. Some of their names are household words and are well known over the county. The list is as Follows: William A. Seeley, William (. Haggerty, Charles Leer. William Salyers (deceased, Ralph Stogadall, Mva Nes- bitt. Homer G. Hale, William Armstrong, Charles S. Langston and James 1. Hood.
June 10, 1593, is a very important date in the writer's life. Then Green township had another graduating class of ten young people who appeared in the arena of public usefulness. There were live girls and five boys in the number and like the first all are living except one. Mrs. Anna John-Main. The members were: Charles Knote, Lemmel Shull, Clarence Salyers, Carl MeCaskey, Harlan O. Kilgore, Manta Lane, Birdie Peterson-Leisure, Minnie Kilgore, Anna John-Main and Anna Matchett Curless.
Five of the members have taught school and the others have ocen pied places of equal note and importance. F. M. Searles was then county superintendent and J. V. John was trustee of the township.
The last class included Edna Collins, Oral MeGraw, Jesse Eakins, Ralph John and Edna Brizendine.
Green township has three times won the first prize offered for the highest average scholarship in the common schools of the county. C. J. Goble, one of the carly graduates, was first to bring the laurels to his
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home township; the writer was thus pleasantly surprised in 1893. and Grace Agnes Leer was awarded first place in 1903. In 1906 we lost this honor by the small fraction of 1 3 per cent, Miss Thana Smith of Monroe winning over our representative, Ethel Matchett Henderson. The township tied with one of the sister townships in 1898 for highest honors in oratory. Our contestant then was Lodema Mills Curless.
The Green township alumni was the first township organization of its kind in the county. It was organized at the home of dames F. Hood in Point Isabel on March 28, 1889. A committee of three persons was ap. pointed to draft a constitution and by-laws for the society. The fol- lowing officers were elected : James F. Hood, president ; Frank Sherwin, W. C. Goble and James Sisson, vice presidents; Frank Nesbitt, treasurer, and Ella B. Carroll, secretary. The first public program was given in the M. E. elmurch at Point Isabel on August 9, 1890. The purpose of the alumni is to raise the standard of education in the community and to foster the spirit of culture among the young. Any one who has ever been granted a diploma in the township is entitled to membership. This. however, is the necessary requisite. The present officers were elected May 24. 1905: Mrs. Ella B. Carroll, president ; Carl Livezey, Sena Rybolt and F. M. Brizendine, vice presidents; Mrs. Anna M. Curless, secretary, and Ethel Planck, treasurer. The last meeting was an all- day reunion and pienie at the pleasant country home of the president, Mrs. Carroll, on July 4, 1905.
The first religious services held in the township were at the cabin of Samuel Kelley in 1517, Cain Mullen preaching. The members called themselves Christians or Disciples. The first church was built on the Jeremiah Hammer farm in 1853, by the Methodists, Hammer donating the land for the church and graveyard. It is now the little burial plot just west of Point Isabel and the church house has long since been re placed by a plain frame structure which stands in the village. Some of the early Methodist preachers were Martin Morrison, Nathan Shackel- ford and Wilton Mahan. The last named was a presiding elder and conducted the first quarterly meeting held in the township.
The Christian church at Rigdon was built in 1864 and was perhaps the first frame church in the township.
We have today live churches scattered at even distances over the districts and representing four different denominations, The famous burial ground of " Knox Chapel," so-called from the founder of the church, is known for miles around and it is in every respect a beautiful "city of the dead."
The first marriage celebrated in the township was that of David. son of Samuel Kelley. to Charlotte, daughter of David Thomas, in 184%. The first death was that of Alexander MeCracken, which occurred in 1847 from the effects of poison.
The villages of the township are low and scattered. the largest being Point Isabel, situated in the south-central part. It was named for a small town in Ohio and is a thriving little hamlet with the necessary vorations of village life well represented. It has always been the center of the township in educational, religious and political life. Ont front its quiet haunts there have grown orators, ports, doctors, teachers, mechanies, artists, scientists, authors, musicians, humorists, scholars and thinkers. It has been the scene of tragedy, fire, eyelone, robbery and crime. These facts linked with its romance and traditional lore would furnish ample material for a thrilling little volume that might be read with more than passing interest.
The town of Independence or Rigdon was laid out February 25. 1851. It lies partly in two counties and in four townships, quite a good
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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
range of territory for so small a place. It is the scene of many pretty homes and enterprising places of business.
In 1852 a postoffice was established in the north-central part of the township. It was given the name of Slash, later called Normal.
While Green township is one of the smallest of the county, it is one of thrift, industry and undivided progress. It has excellent highways, nearly every mile of public road having been built of gravel and carefully improved. Almost every home has its telephone and the free mail de- livery is at every door.
However it has no lines of railway or interurban tracks that intersecet its broad fields or divide its wooded knolls. No busy factories rear their giant chimneys to the skies and the lond din of city strife and turmoil is unknown. Yet we do not want for the luxuries of these improve- ments, as they surround us in adjoining distriets and within a few min- utes' drive they are ours for the asking, while our own tiresides remain quiet and homelike, a haven of rest when we return.
Several small brooks glide through it with just murmur enough to lull one to repose, while the occasional note of some wild bird's song or the lowing of peaceful herds is perhaps the only echo that ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquillity of its sequested woodlands.
Nature has dropped a bit of her choicest scenery in this part of the earth and Providence has peopled it with most excellent men and women.
Having lived here all my life, Lean well say in the language of Wash- ington Irving as he eulogizes his favorite valley: "If I should ever wish for a retreat, whither I might steal from the world and its dis- tractions and dream quietly away the remnant of a troubled life, I know of none more promising than this little township of Green."
XXIX. VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP IN HISTORY
By W. H. Niccranger
Saturday, September 29, 1906, was Van Buren Township day in the Historical Society, and the historian, coming under a provision of the constitution : "Persons who have distinguished themselves in historical inquiry, or those who by reason of advanced age are the source of much information on the history of Grant county, may be chosen as honorary members of the society, " was thus honored. W. Il. Nicewanger was the first historian appearing before the Historical Society to die, although he had passed his golden wedding day, and for many years had observed November 21 as a special anniversary, inviting friends to dinner with him, thus commemorating the day on which as a boy he came to the farm where the remainder of his life was spent most happily.
Mr. Nicewanger was a member of the township advisory board from the time it was organized until his death, and when a tablet was being prepared for the new township high school in Van Buren, his son, Stephen A. Nicewanger, who succeeded him as a member of the board. deferred to his memory by asking that his father's name appear in this honorary way -- simply filial courtesy. In a short extempore talk before the society, Mr. Nicewanger admitted that the charcoal industry had given him his start in life, and then he asked that his daughter, Mrs. Martha Nieuwanger Blin, be allowed to represent him in reading the following history :
The township of Van Buren, Grant county, comprises all of town 25, range 9 east, and is bounded on the east by Wells county, on the north
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by Huntington county, on the west by Washington township, and on the south by the township of Monroe.
This township was originally covered with a heavy forest of most kinds of timber that grow in this part of the state of Indiana. The gen eral surface of Van Buren is possessed of more inequalities than most other parts situated in this part of the county, which. in the state of nature, appeared to be quite level, but as time advanced and the forest disappeared, and ponds and "sloughs" were drained, the eye of the oh server is struck with inequalities which were not seen in years gone by, nor even thought of by the early settlers. The facilities for drainage are good and before this every pond has disappeared, and the passerhy beholds instead fields of waving grain, gardens and orchards adorning the country onee a howling wilderness where the prowling panther and sneaking wolf had undisputed sway.
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