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 71
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
The strong lieksite community north of Grant county explains the extensive patronage of Mrs. Hannah Branson, who was a "night rider," her territory reaching from the Mississinewa to the Salamone, and she never refused her ministrations because of the poverty of the settlers. Mrs. Branson was a stalwart woman, and while she did not possess an electric self-starting automobile, when a call came to her from a remote settler, she would mount a bare back horse and go at all hours - day or night-and she welcomed the children in many primitive homes in early history. Equally famous as "night riders" or midwives among later Orthodox Quakers were Charity Benbow and Polly Harris, and those courageons women played well their parts in the development of Grant county. Dr. Nellie Moon was another midwife, although not of Quaker family, and while accouchers and other practitioners must have license today, none question the skill of those women who lived near to nature, and were governed by common sense in their ministrations to suffering humanity in the wilderness days of Grant coutity.
While casting about for certain old time pictures to be used in this Centennial History, it developed that .1. If. Hartsook, who is the senior Marion photographer, had lost a fortune in the river when years ago the Hockett and Hartsook gallery had acemulated so many negatives that it was necessary to dispose of them. They were so many pieces of glass, and Dr. A. A. Bobbs, who owned the building in which the gallery was located, objected to them on account of their weight, saying they were damaging his property. Two dray loads of the accumulation were thrown into the Mississinewa to relieve the strain on the building. and now some of those old negatives would be immensely valuable if Mr. Hartsook had them. They were on the best grade of glass and nowadays all negatives are sold to mirror frms, who utilize them -- an economy of waste -- although when this collection was dumped into the river there was no market for them. They had a great collection of ont of door negatives, and Mr. Harisook would print from some of them again il he had them. Older Marion photographers were: Simon Cary. C. E. Neal. S. P. Eversole and J. C. Littler, and Fred Clark in Jonesboro, and Lorenzo Mendenhall in Fairmount. While some of those old time photographers made daguerreotypes, others only made tintypes, and sometimes patrons had to wait for them to bring a lacket of water From the town pump with which to developed them-something Larrimer, Dexheimer and other later day photographers only know about from history.
Many years ago when there was more timber in Grant county, there were more wild animals and it was nothing unnsnal to see signs: "Furs wanted." abont the country-cross-roads places. When Jacob New- burger, who conducted a general store in New Cumberland, put out such a sign, some one shot a black squirrel, skinned it and sold the hide to him "minkum." the old man's broken English being familiar to all. Mr. Newburger paid fifty cents for the squirrel hide, tossed it under the counter, and a "practical joker" of the community purloined it and after a little while sold it to him again. The process went on among the jokers nutil he had bonght the same skin several times. when he re- marked that it was a good day for "minkum, " and concluded to count
193
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
the skins, when he found out the trick, and the traffic m "munkum" was at an end. Mr. Newburger's rule of business was to make three cents off of each customer, and as he had many of them, he said they did not mind and it made him a rich man. There used to be more practical jokers around than nowadays, and such tricks were of frequent oreur rence. The story used to be told of how the boys would take advan- tage of store keepers and slip out their watermelons do it right in front of them-but business is conducted differently now and there are more clerks to handle trade, and such things are seldom reported. With the advent of the daily newspaper, people did not have to invent so many pastime tricks. They had entertainment of a different nature.
When capital and labor learn to consider each other's best interests, then will the Seripture be fulfilled about the "lion and the lamb " lying down together. The fact that G. A. II. Shideler was called into the Green Bottle Blowers' Association convention to introduce the speaker, Dennis A. Hayes, at the Civic hall at its open meeting, August 10, 1913, was a good omen and it looked like an amicable relation existed between two necessarily opposing interests. Each was disposed to call the other honest, and the national secretary said that Marion Factory men showed evidence of prosperity, that many owned their own homes, and Mr. Shid- eler stated from the platform that there had never been a strike in his factory. Mr. Hayes said one thing that should be remembered, that labor need not expect things from the church unless it allies itself with the institution -- and Christianity should regulate the relations between capital and labor. It is the business of the labor union to regulate its hours and wages, but it should not dictate to the employer of labor farther than its own wage protection. The employer furnishes plants and tools, but men are not to be manipulated as machinery. Organized labor is skilled and profitable, and it is incumbent upon men to look out for themselves. While Mr. Shideler looks out for himself from the standpoint of an investment, he recognized that Mr. Hayes was equally interested-labor is the working man's capital, and he declared that brotherhood conditions are a possibility. Mr. Hayes said: "What we want is more than a bare living wage. We want healthful working conditions, the opportunity to educate our children and live up to our duty to society. In this civilized land of ours there is no working man who is willing to merely exist, and lay aside nothing for a tinte of adversity," and there was comment among the delegates about the uu usual spectacle, both sides represented on the same platform in a con- vention, and the effect was at least wholesome.
The Grant County Fish and Game Association, organized in July, 1913, with W. A. Brown, president, M. G. Bish, secretary, and Ora Drischel, treasurer, had its inception when 2,000 barrels of beer in storage iu vats in the Indiana Brewery were emptied into the Mis- sissinewa, July 2. and caused wholesale destruction of fish from the brewery down the river to Battle Ground farm and Conner's mill, the fish becoming intoxicated within a few hours and even ducks at Con ner's mill, nine miles below the brewery becoming so badly intoxicated that they could not walk straight when a grain of corn was before them. There was a most disagreeable stench arising from decomposing fish for several days, and the Grant County Fish and Game Protective Association proposes to create different sentiment in the community. When the Indiana brewery had no market for its product under exist- ing temperance restrictions, it suffered its stock of beer to be emptied into the sewer connected with the river rather than pay the revenue duty upon it as the most economie way out of the difficulty. The fancet was opened at four o'clock in the afternoon and next morning the fish
494
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
in the river were intoxicated and easily captured by boys wading in the stream, although when placed immediately in fresh water they soon recovered from the effects of the beer -- heavily charged with alcohol or the fish would not have lost control of themselves. The beer was emptied into the brewery sewer through a hose in the presence of United States Revenue Collector C. R. Jones, simply in conformity with the law of Indiana and withoat thought of the wholesale destruction to the fish in the Mississinewa. The Grant County Fish and Game Protective Isso- ciation proposes to establish a fish halchery in Matter Park, utilizing the wading pool for children as a winter quarters for the fish, and the club has become popular and had many supporters in the community.
Along with livestock development a number of farmers have given attention to seed beds and seed specialties, and Frank Rybolt has developed Ryholt's Favorite Corn from parent stock secured from Burpee mastodon dent and crossed with a sixteen-inch corn obtained From Jamies Hoggatt-and after several years of experiment he has a corn that yields well, one ear weighing three and one quarter pounds and shelling 1.860 grains, and it has weighed out more than one hundred Itshels which is about three times the average Indiana yield as reported in farm bulletins. Mr. Rybolt exhibited his growing crop in the pres- ence of County Agent Ofis Crane and Professor A. Jottes, and the historian is glad to enroll Rybolt's Favorite in the Centennial History.
While an invitation was given to all Secret Orders to Furnish their own history not all responded, and since there are half a hundred of them one not admitted to their sessions would encounter difficulties in writing it. The membership of most of the lodges is large and all are in prosperous condition. Many women take an active part in lodge work and there are flourishing auxiliaries to most orders. While a num- ber of lodges own their own homes, others occupy leased quarters and regular meetings are held, the order offering both social and benefit advantages. A number of lodges have insurance as an objective Feature, and many place the lodge above the church in enumerating its advan- tages. All lodges were given the same opportunity to enroll in the Centennial History, and those enrolled furnished their own data their own individual history.
While a Grant County Horsethiet Protective Association flourished many years ago, the people active in promoting it were growing old and many died, and the association "went out of business" with consider- able money in the treasury. The question arises as to the need of such an organization, and one who is given to retrospeet has heard many stories about locking the stable door after the horse was stolen. While there are churches and schoolhouses as required, it has been nothing un usual for horses to change their residence and men who have suffered loss feel the need of protection against it. In 1907 the Grant County Horsethief Protective Association was again organized. the scattered members of the older association voting to turn over its fund on deposit and affiliate in a passive way with the younger men, and when asking the Secretary-treasurer for information. Phill Harris said : " Ask E. T. Med'lure about it, " and there are now about five hundred members of the association in Grant county. The original Horsethiel Protective .Isso- cation in Indiana dates back to April 13, 1867, and there is an associa- tion at Swayzee that has been in continuous existence much longer than the present county organization with which it affiliates in annual meetings, Tony George is president, and he has been an active member in the association. While many of the members come to the annual meet- ings in automobiles, they have valuable horses at their homes and by paying the ammal membership fee of one dollar they are assured of
495
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
assistance in locating stolen property, and mutual protection, and in- demnity causes many to affiliate with the county organization. When one suffers a loss all are alert to apprehend the stolen property, and to bring the culprit to justice.
There is a sun dial memorial to the late Mexander Buchanan in front of the mess hall at the Soldiers' Home, placed there with filial regard by his son, the late James Monroe Buchanan, and beside enumer- ating the fact that the senior Mr. Buchanan was captain of Company K, Twelfth Indiana Volunteers, the inscription reads:
"Let others tell of storms and showers- I only mark the shining hours,"
and it may well be made the life motto of all who see it there.
While people are familiar with the limekim in Matter Park, once owned and operated by Nathan Frazier, only the older citizens remember another owned by Jacob Smith, just over the "forty foot pitch, " when Mr. Smith owned the Smith-Me Kinney Fankboner farm along the Wabash pike northwest of town. The Smith limekiln was built just like the one in Matter Park, although there is now no trace of it. The top was on a level with the "forty foot pitch " above, while the furnace was below, and it was built by George Hendricks. While at work on the limekiln a stone was being raised into position by use of a rope and pul- ley, and just at the critical moment when it was being lowered into posi- tion the rope broke and the stone fell, and Mr. Smith, who was a Meth- odist, used language about it, not found in Sunday-school literature. le was a devout man, and when that day at dinner he invoked God's blesy- ing, Mr. Hendricks was overcome and exclaimed: "It was a h-1 of a heavy stone, wasn't it, Jacob, " and the churchman admitted his weak- ness when the provocation was strong-that swearing did not help the matter at all. While Mr. Smith'argued that the world did not turn over because none of the water ever fell out of his well, he was a man of character in the community. The limekiln disappeared and the "forty foot pitch" has been graded and thus the landmarks of the past are being forgotten. The "dug hill" across from Barley's mill is no longer traveled, and only a few remain who remember the Smith limekiln.
There was a pottery in Gas City along in boom days there, and there was loss of human life when it burned. Many remember it because of souvenir pieces of ware obtained from it, but it is said now to be an impossibility to procure any of the ware from the old Blinn pottery that onve flourished in Marion in the vicinity of Washington and Second streets, where the "Forty-niners" assembled when they started for C'ali- fornia. The Blinn pottery was later sold to JJoseph beufesty, and the clay for operating it was procured between Boots ereck and the mill rage from the present site of the Baptist church south to the Panhandle Railway. There was a mill race from the Panhandle to Third street, where Ephraim Pilling and sons operated a woolen mill, and later sold it to Daniel Mowrer, who operated it there for years. It is said that one William Gregg was caught in the machinery of that old woolen mill and killed by the tumbling shaft, a man relating the incident who remembered it distinctly-better than he remembers later events. Race street now marks the site of the old Pilling-Mowrer mill race, and after the Blin pottery had taken off all the soil and used it in the manufacture of ware, there was a mill pond covering most of that locality, and boys went swim- ming and fishing frequently in the vicinity of the Baptist church north to the Mississinewa. This mill pond extended from Boots creek to the hills on the west, and there used to be a wagon load of fish left in it whenever they drained it, and when the 1913 Easter flood covered that
496
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
locality older citizens were reminded of the mill pond they had known in their childhood days, but the Pilling-Mowrer woolen und and the Blinn-Lenfesty pottery have not been duplicated quite so recently W. I. Lenfesty said that if there is any pottery from that factory still in es istence it is in the Blind family, and he would purchase it at almost any price as a souvenir of the old time Marion industry -pottery made withm the shadow of the Grant county courthouse by his Father.
The Twentieth Century church problem is how to enlist attendance. saying nothing of denomination at all, and when Liberty, the first United Brethren church in Grant county, was built on what is now the William Painter land along the Sand pike near Deer creek, it was open to all. While it was a United Brethren church, the edifice built from logs and the door swinging outside, the Methodists sought the use of it and it was granted. with the one restriction-none were to be barred from the service. It was in the early 'forties, before the Wesleyan separation on account of the slavery question, and prominent among them were Alfred Tharp, Robert Beatty, Caleb Morris and William Jones. When Mrs. Marion Hall Perry of the United Brethren church arrived on a hot Suu day morning in summer, she found the door closed and forcibly opened it, walking in and taking her seat among the worshipers. When Mrs. Perry entered she left the door wide open, but no sooner was she stated than a Methodist closed it. She forthwith opened it, and when it was closed again she sat down with her foot in the door and sat there through the service-Liberty United Brethren church open to all. When her son, Rev. James M. Perry, visited the eleventh annual meeting of the Grant County Octogenarian Club the story was told again. The Perry, Thomas and Carter families were prominent among United Brethren in Christ in Liberty church, long since a thing of the past in Grant county.
O. G. Fankboner, who furnished a picture of the Oldl Back Creek Quaker meeting house, relates that the first time his father, L. L. Fank- boner, ever visited the Quaker Quarterly Meeting held there, he was accompanied by "Old Unele Johnny Fankboner, " and they had been deer hunting at Lake Galatia. When the two hunters were passing the log church then marking the site each was carrying a quarter of venison on his shoulder, and some acquaintances invited them to sit in the church service. They had never been to Quaker meeting, and the younger man climbed a sapling, bending it to the ground, while his unele fastened the venison to the limbs for safe keeping, and they attended Quaker quarterly meeting together. When the service ended he again climbed the sapling, bent down the limbs and the venison was undisturbed. That day L. L. Fankboner said to his uncle that he would like to own the farm along Back creek that now belongs to the Fankboner estate-the dreams of a youth realized, although the deer long since disappeared from Grant county. The Fankboner farm has long been a landmark about the country.
Henry Bradford of Maplehurst in Huntington remembers well when he came as a child with his father. Gaspar Bradford, to Grant county in 1853, and that all the Bradford children were taken to visit the Missis- sinewa battle ground now so much discussed in local circles. The trees were still disfigured with bullets and tomahawks. Mr. Bradford remem bers the bones and horseshoes left on the battle field so many years, and he accepts the truthfulness of stories told about horseshoes being plowed out years later in the vicinity. Mr. Bradford saw Meshingom sia at the time of this visit, and through Fleming Prickett, who acted as an inter preter, his father talked with the chieftain. He saw him frequently after he had grown to manhood, and learned to meet him without the fear that
497
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
had possessed him at the first encounter. Meshingomesia told them something of the battle.
The Greek Letter sorieties in Grant county seem to be contined to the student body of the high schools, the private schools having literary societies but no fraternities. While most active members had their initia- tion in high school days, since the societies are under restrictions by Indiana statutes and school boards, high school students no longer wear the insignia and many associate members who have passed their school days are active in Greek Letter fraternities. Most of them are wage earn ers and chapter houses are maintained by the Beta Phi Sigmas and Phi Delta Kappas, although the Theta Phi Lambda and P. E. I. How affiliated with the Psi lota Xi sororities, do not maintain homes for their chapters. While there are Greeks there are also Barbarians, and those outside the Fraternities and Sororities seem to have sufficient social advantages. The local Beta Phi Sigma was the second organization in the country, and its members feel certain pride in that fact since its popularity is spreading. There are two Marion chapters of the Phi Delta Kappa and one in Fairmount. All Fraternity and Sorority mem- bers claim the same objective points, better citizenship and higher ideals of living, and the members come from excellent families. While the Mecca Club does not come under the same classification, it is a social organization and some of the bachelor members live in the house --- the Jones homestead on Fourth street.
While a man once said in jest that he would plow up dalapa and plant it to vorn again, just that thing happened to some other town plats in Grant county. New Cumberland changed its name to Matthews along about the time Harrisburg became Gas City and Leachburg became Fowl- erton, and Cleopas was once the designation of the now thriving village of Sims. While there is a Chaotic Corner in every community, Roseburg, Areana, Jadden, Farrville, Hanfield, Dildaville and Slash or Normal have never been incorporated towns, but an old plat book carefully pre- served in the office of the Marion Title and Loan Company shows Con- cord. Brownstown. New Lexington, Darling, Wrightstown, Galatia and Prospertown, and while lots were sold none of these ancient sites became "continuing cities." In recent years Marion abstractors have had to do with elearing up titles to property since reverted to farm land in some of these, and aside from the plats on file there is little evidence that they ever existed. This plat book is a duplicate of one in the courthouse. While there is not much data connected with the plats, it is known that New Lexington was at the Home Corner, and since it contained a public square and was laid out by John Lamb in 1832, no doubt he was ambitious to locate the county courthouse there. Mention is made of some of these towns in the different township chapters.
The 'seventies and 'eighties were eventful years, and while few fam- ilies had carriages-automobiles had not yet entered into the minds of men-everybody for miles around went to Back Crock in June and to Weaver in Angust-Quaker Quarterly and "darkey camp meeting." Memories of Northern Quarterly Meeting at Back Creek will never be ell'aved from those who enjoyed it. Quaker Quarterly Meeting at Back Crock each June had assumed something of the nature of a big family reunion without thought of ereed or nationality, and every year much the same crowd assembled at Hill's Chapel camp ground, and " Ward's Camp Meeting." Tickets are still in existence. The whole countryside simply made it a point to be at Baek Creek, although many never listened to a sermon-just spent the day visiting together, the religious oppor- tunity overshadowed by social intercourse. Livery rigs in all the nearby towus were engaged a year in advance and "Quaker Quarterly " was the Vol 1-32
498
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
gala day for all Grant and adjoining counties until "older heads in the meeting-conscientious Friends," felt that it was not proper Sabbath observance, and Quakers certainly were the victims of pureumstances In the matter. People walked from Marion to Back Creek- would not miss the annual gathering -- and that long ago many quaint Quaker costumes were worn by Grant county Friends. When better church accommoda- tions were necessary, Northern was swallowed up by Fairmount Quar- terly Meeting.
Northern Quarterly Meeting of Friends at Back Creek in June came at a time when everybody wanted a little recreation corn all planted and gardens all made and all had their new summer clothing, and on that day the first fried chicken of the season was packed in many family din- ner baskets. Early vegetables were always used on that particular Sun- day for the first time in the year, and while family rendions are a product of the Twentieth century, those annual basket dinners at Back Creek Were an excellent substitute. When rural Grant county had stronger neighborhood center sentiment than now, when the tendency of the coun- try family is to worship in the towns. Back Creek was a center known far and near, and what pleasant memories are still cherished of those old June Quarterly occasions! The men and women of today were children then, and had not assumed life's manifold responsibilities, and what splendid examples of citizenship were before them when the communny was assembled at Back Creek ! There used to be overflow meetings in the grove and preaching in both ends of the meeting house, and the children used to visit all of the meetings. When children were taken to church their tired mothers were not deprived of all social privileges, but it used to take a lot of cookies, home-made sugar and drinks of water to keep them quiet. Who would not live over their happy childhood days again?
The Twentieth century young man studies civil, mechanical or che- trical engineering in the colleges about the country, but in the carly history of Grant county John Seerist and Samuel Campbell performed a most necessary service to the community, and without a college degree to fit them for it. They were millwrights, and in the days of water mills along the Mississinewa they knew all about mill races. forebays and how to utilize the current-did what architects and engineers are doing today, and their services were in demand all over the country. The word millwright is not often heard, and engineers and machinists now perform the same important service -- adjust milling machinery. Mill- wrights and cabinetmakers were necessary in the development of the country, but machinery has supplanted hand labor in many depart- ments of human industry.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.