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 42
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Wheat was threshed by tramping it out with the oxen or with horses and the chair fanned out with a sheet. Following this method was a great improvement-the flail. In the years of IS52-53, they took the wheat thus laboriously prepared to Jalapa to mill. Speaking of the modes of travel, horseback was the way best suited to the condi- tions, and a young man wishing to take his sweetheart to a meeting or a social gathering would get the lady to mount the horse behind him and be "just in style." The children, and those of larger growth, went bare-footed the greater part of the year. The mother and older girls spun the thread from flax and from wool, wove the cloth and fashioned the garments for the entire family. Sometimes the older girls "hired ont" to spin and thought it no disgrace to thus help father and mother.
The first gravel road in this township was merely a blazed way from Swayzee to Mier when Isaac Gentis, Sr .. took his family to their new home a mile south from where Swayzee now stands. The township being organized in 1848, the citizens thought they would hold an eler- tion and decided the center of the township would be the proper place in which to hold it. They found what they thought was the center, but no building in which to hold the election. A large poplar stump was there and they held the election, Oliver billiard acting as inspector. The first justice of the peace was Adolphus Long : the second was Jen s Braffett ; the third, Isaac Gentis, Sr., who served acceptably for iw uty years in this capacity. Joseph Olinger was the first to establish a frad- ing post. Henry Olinger was the first successful miller. He built a grain and sawmill on David Pence's farm and operated it successfully for twenty years, building it in 1855.
Among the first deaths were a child of Madison Allen, who was the first person buried in Thrailkill cemetery, and a child of W. Francis Smith and son of John Galbreath. The first schoolhouse was what is now known as the Marks school or No. I. There is a conflict of opinion. -some thinking the Ammon school the first -- at any rate they were both built at an early date. The Marks schoolhouse was built of lyny logs and went by the name of Lynn for years. A description of it will serve for the description of about all the schoolhouses in the early set- tling of this part of the county. Logs formed the walls, puncheons for flooring and slabs for seats. The roofs at first of bark. later of elap- boards. Windows were made by sawing a log ont of one side and instead of glass they placed greased paper in the opening to admit the light. Paper was scarce and hard to get. An elderly gentleman relates that he took a sack of rags to Mier and sold them for four cents, which he invested in paper, getting four sheets. A prouder hoy was not to be found. His mother sewed them together so as to form a book, and fastened a loop to it that he might hang it up when not in use.
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Among the first teachers are A. B. Downs, Martin Buroker, Chris- tian Life, Darlius Pence, Mahala Petty, Maria Scott, and Witham Gen- tis. Neighbors were scarce, and when a visit was made it offen meant for the whole family to go and stay all night. The roads being bad, winding in and out among the trees and saplings, made progress slow and to go any distance required a lot of time. The first society event of which we find any report, was the wedding of Aaron Pennington and Margaret Burns. The guests were obliged to stay all night or mail daynight to find their way home, and to while away the hours, they daneed the whole night through, not daring to risk meeting the big gray wolf of which there were so many. Another carly marriage was Katherine Miller to Peter Rouser.
D. P. Long relates an incident of his early childhood. A man by the name of Davis had been troubling the neighborhood in various ways, and in such a manner as to leave no doubt of his being insane, and a constable came from Marion, placed the insane man on the gray horse he had ridden, tied his feet together under the horse and his hands be- hind him, and the constable, walking beside him, thus took him to the "old log jail" at Marion. The first religious organization to hold a meeting was the Disciples of Christ in 1847. They did not effeet an organization at that time, however, the first church to organize being the Baptist at the Annoon schoolhouse. The first church to creet at building was the Newlight Christian at "Old Yaller, " named on account of the house being painted yellow. Among the preachers were James Matchett, Frank Smith and Freeman Miller. The first assessment was made in 1552, Charles Miller the first assessor. While the citizens of this township are thus peacefully engaged, a cloud seen in the southern horizon and the rumble of war is heard in the land. The question of slavery is attracting the attention of the world. Old political parties are breaking up and the lines reforming upon the slavery question.
With patriotic zeal the boys of Sims responded to the call for sol- diers to go to the front. They left their homes, their parents, their brothers, sisters and sweethearts to give their lives, if need be, to pre serve the Union. Not all of them returned. Some gave up their lives on the battlefield ; some languished in the southern prisons until death was a happy release to their sufferings; and there were many who looked in vain for the discharge from headquarters, which came too late. Many returned, carrying the wound of the southerner's bullet. Twenty-one of the brave boys of Sins cante not back. Following is a list of those who enlisted: Watson Ammon, William Armstrong, Thompson Armstrong. George Coon, William Clannin, Isaac Barngrover, Darius Buroker. Joseph Boswell, Jacob Buroker, James Burns, George Barton, David Boswell, Ephraim Boswell, Joseph Bloxham, George Coffman. Jos .ph Darby, Finley Elliott, David Fox, Zachariah Friermood, George Frier mood, Daniel Fox, Ezra Friermood, Jacob Friermood, William Floyd. Benjamin Floyd, William Gentis, Isaac Gentis, Jacob Grindle, Joab Gant, Frank Gentis, JJohn Grindle, Charles Gilpin, Robert Gilpin, John Hardaere, Alex Hullinger, Benjamin Headly, Lewis Harter, Allen Hay- den, William Jones, Frank Kite, Boyd Ladd, Thomas Lilliard, Marion Long, Isaiah Landis, Polk Miller, Isaac Murray, Charles Martin, Obadiah Mossman, Anthony Monday, Vinton Miller, John Maple, Benjamin Moore, David Olinger, William Peters, John Miller, Braff Myers, Wes- ley Mark, George Martin, William Murray, Silas Monday. William Mil- ler. Elijah Maple, George Olinger, Isaae Parker, Caleb Peters. .. . J Pence, Jesse Rooks. A. J. Smith, E. M. Smith, John Shanahan, Captain E. Reese, John A. Sinclair, William Skinner, Isaac Skinner, Jam s Smith, Samuel Smith, Joshna Thrailkill, Matthew Taylor, Robert Wil
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son, Jacob Wetherow, Henry Thrailkill, John Thrailkill, Milton West, Taylor West, Adam Welker, L. C. Lilliard, James Peters, Henry Miller.
"To go where honor calls, whate er betide, To do and dare in its exalted name, To stand your ground by whomsor er defied Is worthier far than beanty, wealth or fame."
John Shanahan lost his life at Winchester, Virginia. The late Judge Finley Elliott lost an arm while skirmishing in that memorable battle of Vicksburg in 1863; Nicholas Shanahan survived the horrors of Libby prison, and at the close of the war was on his way home, when the vessel on which he was sailing blew up, in the mouth of the Mississippi river, and all on board, fifteen hundred in number, lost their lives. He had written home for his mother to prepare a turkey when he should be there to enjoy Christmas dinner with the family again. We can imagine, in some small degree, the bitter disappointment and the awful heart- ache of which there were so many in the time that tried men's souls and women's souls as well. Mr. James Shanahan, while not having served in the War of the Rebellion, thinks he is entitled to a pension. When asked on what ground, he replied that he was just about the right age, near the close of the war, to be drafted, and he was kept scared nearly to death all the time, and therefore deserves a good pension. The war over, the people began anew to improve the land and engage in the quieter pursuits of life, and we find a goodly list of the younger set coming into prominence.
Information in regard to the schools and school teachers in the early days of Sims township is somewhat meager. An old record of forty-six years ago-1865-shows the following teachers: No. 1, J. O. Spurgeon; 2, Burns Cravens; 3, Rinaldo E. Egbert; 4, Evan Reese. Martin Buroker was township trustee. At that time no institutes were held and teachers met one another incidentally. AH school furniture was home-made, and school supplies few and of but little value. School No. 1 was probably a fair sample of general conditions. Although the house was small, yet almost all the big boys and girls in the district attended school, which at the date named above lasted for a term of sixty days. The highest attendance on any one day in this school was seventy-seven. Among the pupils enrolled were two ex-soldiers, one twenty-two, the other twenty-three of age. The teacher was a beardless boy, and a stranger entering the school one day on business, mistook one of the pupils for the teacher. Classes were sustained in spelling. reading and grammar. The grammar class had one member only. The text book was l'inneo. Most of the pupils studied arithmetic, the teacher instructing ("worked sums for") each pupil individually The singing method was used in the study of geography from wall maps, which con- tained numbers instead of names. On the teacher's desk was kept a book, called a key, and in this key were members corresponding to the numbers on the maps and opposite each mumuber was the name of the continent, country, desert, mountain, river, etc., etc. This was the most general and also the most interesting exercise of the school work. His- tory and physiology were not studied. The blackboard, 3x6 feet, was mainly for the use of the teacher. No school crayons were furnished. but instead lump chalk was used, a half pound lasting a whole terin. Fuel was supplied by dragging logs into the yard and chopping as needed.
Among the prominent men and women are: Dr. J. P. Buroker. of Sweetser; Dr. Emanuel Johnson, of Lima, Ohio: Dr. A. A. Shanahan, of Marion ; Dr. A. C. Boswell, of Kansas City, Missouri : Dr. Cicero Peters,
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of Greentown ; Dr. William Smith, of Huntington, and A. J. Boswell, of South Bend. In the ministry are: David Boswell, of Jonesboro; Frank Morris, of New Castle; Emanuel Jolmson, of the Northern Indiana Con- ference, and A. R. Ladd, of Texas. In the practice of law, Judge P. Il. Elliott, D. P. Long of Swayzee, and the late Finley Elliott of Kokomo, who died quite recently. Prominent instructors: D. P. Barngrover of Kokomo; Andrew Life has charge of the Biological University of South- ern California, at Los Angeles, California, and Professor Life of the Marion Normal College. W. E. Life is manager of the Community Silver Factory, Niagaria Falls. Mrs. Lula MeKinney-Heininger, Valgan, China, is a missionary to China with her husband, to whom she was mar- ried upon her arrival at Tien Sin, at the home of the president of the board of missions. Mrs. Hemninger was a graduate nurse, having taken training in the American Hospital at Chicago, Illinois, after which she took a course at the Moody Bible lustitute. Consequently she is well fitted for the great work that she and her husband have chosen. Miss Alice Kemmer, a graduate nurse in the Baptist hospital of St. Louis, a Sims township girl, too, served as nurse in the Boer war also in the Phil- ippines. She endured many hardships and was of great value to the American army. At one time she was called upon to nurse in a pest- house where some American officers had the smallpox. She has been honored with medals by the United States congress in special recognition of her valnable services to the government. She is now a resident of California.
In the year 1880 a railroad was built through this part of the county, at first a narrow-gauge, afterward changed to a broad-gauge and known as the Clover Leaf Road. Towns soon appeared along its route, and Herbst, Sims and Swayzee began to grow in good-natured rivalry. Herbst received its name from Jacob Herbst, who was about the first man on the ground putting up a store. Thomas C'abe donated the ground for the switch and the other citizens donated the ties for the same. During the winter of 1881 John Comer carried the mail from Roseburg to Herbst twice a week. At present its population is near one hundred and fifty. Herbst is supplied with stores, blacksmith shop and tile mill. This tile mill is turning ont $100 worth of finished prodnet per day, and employs seventeen hands. The Methodist Protestant church bas a neat building in which to worship. This charge is in the Swayzee cir- enit and Rev. E. C. Lucas preaches here at least once every Sabbath. The school was taught this year by Miss Ray. Two miles west on the same railroad is the metropolis of Shus township. Swayzee was named for James Swayzee, who owned the land upon which the original plat was laid out. This was in 1880. Swayzee has not grown by any great "boom," but has had a steady growth until today its population is about eleven hundred.
Among the first persons to engage in business in Swayzee were : John and Elizabeth Kelley, William Herron and Henry Munca. The first postmaster was Mr. Botoff. Other postmasters of Swayzee were : Billy Fisher, Charles Read, and I. R. Lee. 1. F. Lawshe is the present incumbent, serving the people acceptably the third term. Mrs. Myrtle Hardesty is helping distribute the mail. The greatest impetus to the growth of the town, perhaps, was the discovery of gas on Azur Newton's farm in July, 1887. The well was a gusher, and in some way became ignited and created quite a feeling of pride among the citizens of Sway. zee and the farmers as well. The event was celebrated by a mass meet- ing at the well and Mr. J. W. Eward, of Converse, was asked to make a speech in honor of the event. At the close of the eloquent address in the silence that followed, a voice was heard to say, "Azur, don't you
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think a lot of the gas is going to waste?" Careful housewife that she was Mrs. Newton had occasion to make the same inquiry many times in the years that followed. The gas has almost entirely disappeared at this time, but while it lasted, it was indeed a luxury.
Another impetus to the growth of Swayzee was the glass Factory located in 1894, by Robert .I. Main. This gave employment to many, additions to the town were platted and sold, coming nearer to being a boom than at any other time in its history. Competition with larger factories and other impelling interests induced Mr. Main to sell to the Bain Brothers of Muncie, who dismantled it and moved it away. An agricultural association was formed and for a few years the population of Sims township went to the Swayze fair to visit one another, to see the exhibits, the shows and the races. Proving to be more of a social than a financial success the association disbanded, and A. J. Pence's woods pasture is undisturbed again as before. The business men of Swayzee are progressive. Following is a list of the various branches of business located in the town: Niceum Milling Company, grist mill and grain elevator; Cyrus Fultz, cement works: Il. T. Munea, general store; Nes- bit and Peters, general store; D. L. Spears, dry goods; A. W. Fry, grocery ; F. D. Brown, hardware; H. Mark, hardware; Grant County Lumber Company ; A. W. Sims, drugs; Charles Lawsche, drugs; A. W. barkins, drugs; Mullins & Edwards, furniture; S. P. Mullins, barber; 1. 11. Porter, livery and feed; Morgan Brothers, undertaker; A. E. Ileston, undertaker; Mullin Brothers, bakery; Bryan & Woods, genth. men's furnishings; Baker & Garber, meat market; Barnhart's ten-vent store; Marshall brothers, barbers; Florence Mark and Geneva Read, each a millinery store; the First National Bank; W. A. Petro, jewelry; Swayzee Creamery Company ; the Wright Brothers and William Herbst, coal; B. O. Minor, restaurant; Asher Long. restaurant ; A. F. Newkirk, hotel; Ammon & Newkirk, real estate and loans: Doctor Hawkins, Doctor Anderson and Doctor Reasoner take care of the sick people; Doctor Dezoete, dentist. Those engaged in the practice of law are D. P. Long and C. S. Loy.
Swayzee is ten miles southwest of Marion and twenty miles northeast of Kokomo, being on a direet route between the two county seats, and connected with each by the Clover Leaf Railroad and the K. M. & W. traction line. It is also on a direct line between Converse and Fair- mount on the C. I. & E. Railroad. Fraternal orders: F. and A. M .. 1. O. O. F., K. of P. and Modern Woodmen, with their auxiliaries, Eastern Star and Rebekahs.
Swayzee has four churches, Methodist Protestant. Newlight Chris- tian, Methodist Episcopal and Church of Christ. The pastors are : Robert Wearly, the Newlight Christian; Methodist Protestant, E. C. Lucas: Methodist Episcopal, J. J. Fred; Church of Christ, William Weidrick. Each church has a large membership and commodious place of worship.
The school building was built in 1879. O. D. Clawson was the first superintendent. It became a commissioned school in 1902 with (. L. Stubbs, superintendent. The Swayzee high school is the pride of the township, and every year the young men and women go forth as grad- uates, well started on the road to useful lives. The present teachers in the grades are: Virgil Mullin, Anna White, Nellie Thrailkill and Nanna Ray. In the high school: George E. Chenoweth. superintendent; F. R. Gorman, principal ; B. F. Williamson, assistant principal, and Bertha E. Wolk, teacher in music and drawing. There are 229 pupils in the grades and seventy pupils in the high school. The class of high school graduates for 1911 are nine girls and eight boys. The township trus-
1
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tee is William Usher and he reports 370 pupils in the country schools. The schoolhouses are in excellent condition, some of them not being in use, owing to the searcity of children in some districts.
The canning factory of Swayzee gives employment to one hundred people, and in the busy season puts up 30,000 eaus of corn and 20,000 cans of tomatoes per day. The Swayzee creamery is capable of turn ing out 1,000 pounds of butter at a churning. This is the newest indus- try and has not yet shown what it can do. The first newspaper was called the Herald, edited by James Pinkerton. This sheet proved short lived and the next, the Swayzee Press, was launched in 1896, which has continued to exist ever since with varied experiences. The present editor, O. D. Melton, publishes a clean paper. A good newspaper devoted to the interests of the people is one of the town's best assets. We are happy to record no saloon in the township. It is a matter of primary importance. The protection of the youth means the protection
IliGH SCHOOL, SWAYZEE, INDIANA
of the homes and the community. The boy of twelve or fifteen years of age is easily led astray, but if reared to manhood away from the allur- ing temptation the chances are that the saloon will have few attractions for him.
Sims is situated two miles west of Swayzee. It was first known as Cleopas. It has about three hundred inhabitants. It is a thriving and busy little town with a glass factory, the only one in the western part of the county; a grain elevator owned by A. W. Haycock : E. C. Conkling has a general store; Routh & Haines, also Daniel Kelley, have stores. A two-room brick schoolhouse is located in the north part of town. Clyde Leisure and Miss Elsie Galbreath are the teachers. Sims has three churches-Methodist Episcopal, Saints and Baptist, and each have comfortable buildings in which to worship. Doctor Haines looks after the sick and aftheted in a professional way. Sims has beauti- fut residences and a number have put in cement sidewalks.
Sims township ranks well with the rest of the county, and although we cannot record that any of her sons have represented us in state or in nation, the material is here, and should any be so fortunate as to be called upon to till positions of honor and trust, they will be found to be fearless, honest and capable.
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With two railroads and an electric line which furnish ready means of arrival and departure, its brick streets, electric lights, four churches and an intelligent and church-going people, Swayzee is a pretty good place to call your home.
The splendid achievements of this set of pioneers, who have brought about the wonderful results of reducing this township to its present high state of cultivation, bespeak for them great praise. They kept the obligations imposed upon them and handled their forces to the best of their ability. Their whole history was one of industry, frugality, honesty and steadfastness of purpose. Faith in God, faith in man and faith in work-this is the short formula in which we may sum up the. teachings of the founders of Sims township .;
XXXVIII. RICHLAND TOWNSHIP IN HISTORY By Mrs. Cora Minnick Neff
On Richland day in the Historical Society-March 30, 1912 -- the historian delighted all by prefacing her own research with the following poem, which seemed such an apt introductory to a neighborhood sketch, and she scarcely needed to credit it :
O! tell me a tale of the airly days- Of the times as they ust to be; "Pillar of Fire," and Shakespeare plays, Is a most too deep for me! I want plain facts and I want pfain words, Of the good old-fashioned ways, When speech run free as the song of birds- 'Way back in the airly days.
Tell me a tale of the timber lands, And the old-time pioneers- Somepin a poor man understands With his feelin's well as ears: Tell of the old log house,-about The loft, and the puncheon floor- The old fireplace with the crane swung ont, And the latchstring through the door.
Tell of the things just like they wuz -- They don't need no exense! Don't tetch 'em up like the poets does, Till they're all too fine for use! Say they wuz 'leven in the family- Two beds and the chist below ; And the trundle-beds-'at each held three; And the clock and the old bureau.
Then blow the horn at the old back door Till the echoes all halloo; And the children gather home once more, Jest as they ust to do; Blow for Pap till he hears and comes, With Tomps and Elias, too, A marchin' home with the fife and drums, And the old Red, White and Blue!
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Blow and blow-till the sound drops low As the moan of the whipperwill, And wake up Mother, and Rnth and Jo, All sleepin' at Bethel Hill; Blow and call till the faces all Shine out in the back log's blaze,
And the shadders dance on the old hewed wall,
As they did in the airly days. -James Whitcomb Riley.
Beginning with a map of Indiana large enough to trace the congres- sional townships frown base-line and meridian we follow them to town 25 north range 6 cast ..
The western third is a part of Jackson in Miami county. The eastern two-thirds forms the civil township of Richland in Grant. It was named by Elias Burns, who lived until a few years ago, a poor man and who on nearing death, wished to hear his funeral sermon. His request was granted and, services were held for him a day or two before he died. `Otherwise he remained unhonored and unsung.
It is certainly a fitting name today; but seventy years ago it pre- sented a different picture. The southern part has the most rolling sur- face along Pike creek, where it is somewhat broken. The greater part is level and then wilderness covered its length and breadth. Ponds and swamps prevailed and wolves howled near the pioneers' cabins. To the north a few miles lay the Mississinewa and the land along the river was preferred. For these reasons and also because the township was all originally included in the Indian reserve the settlements were not made here as early as others in the country.
The early settlers had not only the clearing to do, but corduroy roads to build, the water to ditch out, mosquitoes to smoke out, and agne to shake ont.
They came to their claims by roads which would not allow their wagons to turn umtil the axe was used some more; and sometimes camped in their wagons until the cabins were put up. Cabins like those are entirely out of date. One of them faced the south and in its old age had sunk abont twelve inches in the ground at its western end; across its tront was a big puncheon floored porch boarded at the west for a wind-brake; a big stone fireplace occupied half the east end. A loan-to kitchen had black walnut frame work, and its door black walnut jams. At least one still stands like Whittier's little schoolhouse by the road. a ragged beggar sunning.
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