USA > Indiana > Clay County > Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana : Historical and biographical. > Part 87
USA > Indiana > Owen County > Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana : Historical and biographical. > Part 87
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MISCELLANEOUS.
The first religious services within the present limits of Franklin were held by itinerant preachers of the Methodist Church, at schoolhouses and private dwellings.
The first Methodist society, which was also the first religious organization in the township, dates its history from the year 1824. It was organized by Rev. Eli P. Palmer, at Isaac Brown's dwelling, in the northeast corner of the township. Among the original members were John Chambers and wife, Frederick Sap and wife, James Brown and wife, and John Barnes. The
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HISTORY OF OWEN COUNTY.
organization was in later years moved to the township of Washington, where it is still sustained under the name of Bethel Church.
The following gentlemen have served the township as Trustees since the year 1859, viz., David McBride, M. D. Allan, Alpha Freeman, John T. Hicks, Daniel Wilkes, John S. Figg, John McHaley, William Johnson, Samuel Norris, J. M. Goss and John Robertson.
The present Justices of the Peace are P. C. McIntosh, A. W. Dyar and John Crow.
In the year 1850, taxes were paid on 14,954 acres of land, assessed at $47,185. Improvements that year were valued at $26,942 ; personal prop- erty, $31,080 ; lots and improvements, $617, making the total valuation of taxables $105,823, on which $797.84 taxes were paid.
In 1860, the lands of the township were assessed at $224,920 ; improve- ments, $40,508 ; lots and improvements, $6,076 ; personal property, $107,224 ; total, $378,729 ; total taxes assessed, $2,722.39.
In 1870, number of acres returned for taxation, 21,851.40 ; value, $292,120 ; value of improvements, $77,230 ; personal property, $167,035 ; lots and im- provements, $14,445 ; total value of taxables, $550,850 ; polls, 232; total taxes, $6,442 ; population, 1,512.
In 1882, the lands and lots in the township were assessed at $282,660 ; personal property, $116,720 ; total taxables, $442,080 ; total taxes, $7,459.92 ; population by the census of 1880, 1,407 souls. The foregoing exhibits do not show the actual value of the property within the township, but only the value placed upon it for the purpose of taxation.
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.
BY G. N. BERRY.
HE township of Montgomery is one of the oldest settled divisions of Owen County, and dates its organization from March 4, 1819. As originally formed, the division included the present townships of Morgan, Jackson, Jennings, Taylor and the western parts of Wayne and Harrison. Changes were made in the original boundary from time to time, and the re- duction of the township to its present limits was of comparatively recentdate. It is bounded on the north by the townships of Jennings and Taylor, on the east by Wayne, on the south by Washington, on the west by Morgan, and is admirably situated with reference to railroad communications, and its close proximity to the thriving towns of Spencer and Gosport give it peculiar advantages in the way of markets. The soil of the township is generally a fine quality of calcareous loam mixed considerably with clay. The sand and limestone formation occasionally crops out in certain sections, particularly in the eastern and central parts, but not sufficiently prominent to interfere with cultivation. The surface of the township is undulating, climate agree- able, and general altitude well adapted to agriculture and stock-raising. It is sufficiently well-watered for farming purposes, with abundant springs of pure cold water in every part, and a number of streams which flow through the country in different directions. Rattlesnake Creek, with its tributaries, flows a southerly course through the western part of the township, passing through Sections 14, 23, 26 and 35, of Town 9 north, Range 4 west. Mill Creek heads in the northeastern part of the township, flows a southwesterly course to Section 32, where it takes an easterly course, crossing the southern
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MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.
boundary from Section 33, Town 9 north, Range 3 west. This stream is fed by several smaller creeks and a number of large springs, and flows through an undulating but well-settled portion of the township. Productions of every kind indigenous to this latitude are certain of rapid growth, and large returns, as is attested by the vast wealth that has been drawn from the bosom of the soil during the last half century-a wealth that has covered the township with beautiful homes, and transformed the once unbroken wilderness to a very garden of plenty. The ground, clothed only by natural processes, presents its own testimony to the richness of the soil, which, when properly cultivated, returns a rich yield of grain and fruits of all kinds. Corn has been one of the principal crops in this township ever since the first settlement, and it matures well and yields abundantly almost every season.
As a wheat district, this division stands at the head, both in the quality and quantity, while the oats grown here are generally heavy, and contain an unusual proportion of nutritious constituents. Rye yields a good aver- age ; barley, timothy, clover, flax, are always sure, while the native blue grass, which covers all the uncultivated ground, is famous for the nourish- ment it contains. The richness and abundance of this grass naturally at- tracted the attention of stock men at an early day, and stock-raising is now an important industry of this part of the country. It was found that pasturage frequently continued fair until winter time, and in the spring grass made its appearance very early, and grew so rapidly that the feeding seasons were of comparatively short duration. This fact has led a number of farmers to engage in cattle and sheep raising, and the business has already assumed considerable magnitude, involving in the aggregate a large proportion of capital.
The inhabitants of the township are mostly descendants of the original settlers, who were drawn hither from the Southern States. As a class, they are intelligent and thrifty, and are justly noted for hospitality and the many social virtues, while their broad charity and public spirit find them foremost in every enterprise conducive to the general welfare.
THE PIONEERS.
The early pioneers who first settled among the interminable forests of Montgomery, the men who came while yet the footprint of the savage still pressed the sand are those around whom linger the most thrilling interest. Some of the first settlers in the county found homes within the present limits of this township, and here, too, have figured some of the most promi- nent citizens the county has ever known. Land was entered in the township as early as 1816, and about two years later may be fixed as the date of the first permanent settlement. Although some claim that the first family located here in the spring of 1817. Be this as it may, we are safe in saying that one John Hudson was the first white man who broke the wilderness solitude of Montgomery by making improvements. He made the first entry of land in the month of October, 1816, and obtained a patent for the north- west quarter of Section 27, Town 9 north, Range 3 west, and moved his family in the spring of 1818. He was a native of Tennessee, and a man of many fine qualities, and was a highly respected citizen in the community which he was instrumental in founding. He made a fair fame, and in later years did a thriving business in boating grain and lumber to New Orleans. He moved to Gosport about the time that village became a permanent trad- ing point, and afterward to Texas, in which State his death occurred a num- ber of years ago. The land which he entered is owned and occupied at the present time by Henry Brown.
Early in 1818 came Lloyd Cummings and settled in Section 22, where
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HISTORY OF OWEN COUNTY.
F. Steele lives. He purchased land and improved a good farm, which he afterward sold, and moved to Putnam County.
Two brothers, Henry and Samuel French, were among the first arrivals, settling in Section 27 as early as the summer of 1818. They were unmar- ried men, and lived together, doing their own housework, in which they took as much pride as the most fastidious housekeeper in the entire neighbor- hood ; later in life, they both married, and were residents of the township until about the year 1858, at which time they sold their respective farms, and with several other families emigrated to Texas. Among the earliest inhabitants of Montgomery was Joseph Bartholomew, who made the second entry of land in the township in November, 1816, selecting for his home the southeast quarter of Section 20, Town 9 north, Range 3 west. He visited this purchase one year later, and with the help of a comrade erected a small cabin, into which his family was moved in the summer of 1818. Richard Morris came about the same time, and made an improvement on Mill Creek, in Section 32, near the southern boundary of the township, where Maria Steele lives. This land Mr. Morris entered in 1817, and sold it some years afterward to Samuel Steele.
During the year 1817, entries were made by Neely Beem in Section 22, Benjamin Freeland in Section 27, Ninian. Steele in Section 22, James Steele in Section 27, S. Gwathney in Section 32, Hugh Barnes in the same section, John McNaught, Jesse Steele and William Dent in Section 31, all of whom became prominent residents of the township.
Beem settled near Hudson's place, and was among the earliest pioneers of Owen County. He was in every sense of the word a pioneer of the true backwoods type, being as much at home with his dogs and gun in the forest as with his family around the cabin hearthstone. The period of his resi- dence in Montgomery was not ascertained, although he was identified with the township for a great many years. Richard Beem, a relative of the pre- ceding, entered land in Section 22 in 1817, and became a resident of the township a couple of years later .* Ninian Steele was one of the prominent citizens of Montgomery, and did as much, if not more, than any other man toward the moral and physical development of the township. He was born in Daviess County, Ky., and his youth and early manhood were passed amid the genial airs of his native State, where he acquired, by following a life of constant exercise, a stock of that rugged vitality so necessary to a man who locates in a new and undeveloped country. He came to this State when it was in the infancy of its existence, when there were but two or three sparse settlements within the present bounds of the county, and passed the vigor of his manhood in helping to build up the country, especially this township, in which he always took great pride.
Unlike many of the early settlers on the frontier, he was a man of Chris- tian character, sterling integrity, and was widely and favorably known throughout the entire county during the early days of its history. He was among the first in the settlement to take an interest in the cause of religion, and as soon as a sufficient number of settlers could be gathered together a Presbyterian Church was organized at his residence, a history of which will be found further on. He accumulated a handsome property during his resi- dence in the township, and made a fine farm, which is owned at the present time by the Widow Milligan. His death occurred about the year 1858. One son, Ninian, lives in Greencastle, and several descendants of the family reside in this and adjoining townships.
Hugh Barnes was one of the pioneer preachers of the county, and a very estimable citizen. He was a member of the M. E. Church, and opened his
*A sketch of the Beem family will be found in the biographical department.
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MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.
house for religious services, when there were only four or five families living within a radius of five miles.
In later years, he turned his attention to the medical profession, and achieved some notoriety as a " steam doctor," meeting with as much suc- cess in treating physical ailments as in ministering to the wants of souls. Joseph Montgomery, Henry Devore and John Treat all became residents of the township as early as the year 1819. About a year later, the population was increased by the arrival of William Milligan, who settled in Section 33; William McDonald, who settled near the southern boundary of the township ; William Devore, a brother of Hugh Devore, who obtained a patent for land in Section 17, in the northern .part of the township ; David Fain, who set- tled not far from Santa Fe, on land where John Miller now lives, and Thomas and William Bull, who secured homes in the southwest part of the township.
In 1823 came Jonathan Payne and his son William, the latter of whom entered land in Section 15, in the northeast corner of the township, one year later. Jonathan Payne settled near Steele's Run, on the place now owned by Wesley Cheatwood. Here he erected the first hewed-log house in the township, which was looked upon as quite an aristocratic mansion by the neighbors, whose means allowed them to live in nothing more pretentious than rough pole cabins.
Cornelius T. Gwinn and Joseph Wering came in 1824. William Mont- gomery, a native of Kentucky, and step-son of Samuel Steele, came in 1826, since which time he has been a resident of the township and one of its lead- ing citizens. Other early settlers, who came when the country was new, were William Willoughby, Joseph Clark, Henry McAlister, Joseph Warren, George Walker, William Watson, Isaac Teal, David Kerr, Samuel Pickens, James Smith, David Owens, Martin Melick, Abraham Keller, John Couch- man, William Coffman, George Couchman, Samuel Faris, Zebedee Parish, Frank Brown, M. Westfall, Jeremiah Hill, Andrew Taylor, Isaac Hendricks, Jonathan Howard, Moses Acres, and others whose names were not learned.
It may be that several names given above are of persons who settled across the lines in adjoining townships, but according to the most re- liable information the list comprises the majority, at least of the early pioneers, who selected homes within the present boundaries of Montgom- ery. It may be also that the dates are not exact in every particular, but as the persons who volunteered the information were obliged to rely upon memories somewhat treacherous, owing to advancing years, we will be obliged to take them as the nearest possible approximations to the truth. Taking the township as a whole, its first settlements were made by a strong and vigorous class of men, who shrank from no danger, and who were appalled at no obstacles.
It is not to be supposed that the persons who came here expected an easy task in subjugating the wilderness, but it is doubtful if they had in their minds even a shadow of the colossal undertaking before them. The fact that they remained and persevered in their labors to redeem the soil from its primitive chaos, should be an everlasting honor to their names, and should link them inseparably with great deeds well wrought. It is a greater thing to make a home than to win a battle or conquer a province. The early settlers were men in very moderate circumstances in the States which they left, and came here desirous of securing cheap homes and bettering their fortunes. For several years it required the united exertion of all members of the family to obtain the necessaries of life and keep the hungry wolf from the door. Poverty was the common
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HISTORY OF OWEN COUNTY.
lot, and no class distinction was known in the little democratic commu- nity where every man's house was always open, and hospitality reigned supreme. Game abounded in quantity, and in quality it probably could not be excelled. Deer, wild turkeys and squirrels were almost as com- mon to the first settlers as the leaves beneath their feet, while bears were plentiful in the country skirting the water-courses, and gray wolves, cat- amounts and wild hogs swarmed the woods in vast numbers. Meat was the staple article of food, without which it would have been almost im- possible for the early settlers to live at all, as it required several years to clear and fit the ground for cultivation. The nimble footed raccoon ex- isted in such numbers that its pelt almost acquired the dignity of a cir- culating medium of exchange. It was several years from the time of the first settlement before any market for hogs or grain was accessible, and during this period the necessities of home, which the woods did not yield, were obtained in exchange for the skins of coon, deer and bear. About the year 1820, the first wheat in the township was raised by David Fain, who realized about sixteen bushels from two acres of ground. Almost all of this crop was used for seed, Mr. Fain very generously furnishing sufficient seed for each of his scattering neighbors to sow a small patch of ground, and waiting until the following year for his pay.
Mr. Montgomery relates that upon one occasion David Fain and a man by name of Mitchell went as far as Vincennes for a supply of bread corn, as none could be obtained any nearer, owing to a general failure of the crop. They made the journey with a single horse, on which they packed a part of the grain, and took their turn in carrying the rest.
An early employment for the younger members of the settlement, was the digging of ginseng, for which there appears to have been quite an extensive demand. When dried, the root sold for 25 cents per pound, and some boys were known to have marketed enough during a single season to supply themselves with clothing sufficient to last a year or longer. Mr. Montgomery relates that he and his step-brother, Ninian Steele, Jr., when lads of about fifteen years of age, digged a four-bushel sack full of "sang" in one spring. They took it to the nearest market place, and exchanged it for two large bell-crowned hats, and enough course factory sheeting to make them each a suit of clothes.
When the boys appeared at church in their new striped clothes, bell- crowned hats, and bare feet, they excited the astonishment of all the rest of the urchins in the neighborhood, who gazed upon their gorgeous attire with something akin to veneration.
AMUSEMENTS.
Every person has need of amusement and recreation, the desire for such being inherent in man. In our own day there are many means de. vised for the gratification of this desire, such as plays, theaters, concerts, dancing masquerades, and the more vigorous field sports, base ball and horse-racing. To all of these amusements our forefathers were strangers, except dancing, which was indulged at intervals. The favorite pastime seems to have been the shooting match, where old and young met for the purpose of testing their skill with the rifle-giving rise to much friendly rivalry. If any settler had more turkeys or chickens than he needed for his own use, he gave out a "shooting match," which all the neighbors would attend.
Each participant would pay so much for one or more shots, and the
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MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.
best marksman carried home the spoils. In these days a man's gun was his pride, and his skill in using it at the tournament had not a little to do in determining his standing among his neighbors. In addition to this sport, there was a species of pastime, which was more practical in its re- sults.
House raisings, log rollings and wood choppings, would no doubt be considered arduous labor, and such it in reality was, even to the brawny muscled pioneers; but under the stimulating influence of whisky, a com- mon beverage at that time, and the assurance of a rich repast of game, corn dodgers, hominy, etc., the labor was transformed into a pleasure, and the hardship into an accommodation.
This reference to ardent spirits is not meant to reflect any discredit to those who used alcoholic stimulants. It was one of the unbroken cus- toms of the times. Liquors were regarded as any other cheer, and were .even partaken of by the temperate. Seldom indeed were they taken in sufficient quantities to cause intoxication. A jug of whisky was found in every household, and it was considered almost as indispensable as any other article of food or drink. The most reputable citizens thought it no disgrace to engage in its manufacture, and to withhold it upon any oc- casion was considered a breach of hospitality, and who will say they were wrong, and in a spasm of assumed virtue, write of them in rebuke. In judging men by the lives they have lived, an intelligent and just opin- ion can only be formed by taking into account the surrounding circum- stances and conditions, from which those lives would almost necessa - rily take their direction.
Measuring the pioneers of Montgomery by this standard, they are found abreast of the best classes of men who have turned the somber silence of the wilderness into fair and fruitful fields, rife with industry, and made wooded wastes smile and blossom as a garden. Their only in- temperance consisted in excessive toil; their only dissipation in sleepless nights, spent in keeping vigils by the weird light of their burning log heaps.
EARLY IMPROVEMENTS, INDUSTRIES, ETC.
The first frame house in the township was erected in the year 1825, by John Hudson. James Steele built the first brick house the same year, and George Couchman erected a brick residence early in the spring or summer of 1826. Both these houses were small, but were looked upon at that early day as mansions worthy a prince.
Richard Morris planted the first orchard about sixty years ago. Un- til this orchard began bearing, the early settlers tasted no fruit except that which grew wild in the woods. Other early orchards were set out by James Steele, George Couchman, John Hudson and David Fain.
One of the first industries of the township was a small distillery, built by Henry Devore, as early as the year 1828.
It was in operation but few years, but during that time was kept run- ning to its utmost capacity, and furnished a market for all the surplus corn of the neighborhood. Another small distillery was operated in an early day by Thomas Bull, who made a specialty of manufacturing ap- ple and peach brandies, which acquired a widespread reputation.
The first mill put in operation in what is now Montgomery Township was due to the enterprise and thrift of "Bass " Milligan. Water was the motive power, and grinding corn the occupation, although the mill
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HISTORY OF OWEN COUNTY.
was afterward supplied with a buhr for grinding wheat. This mill was,
as may well be supposed, an unpretentious structure, It was composed of unhewn logs, and stood on a small spring branch in Section 33. The machinery was operated by an overshot wheel, and the bolting was done by hand, each person being obliged to bolt his own grist.
Milligan did but little with the mill, and sold it after a few years to a man by name of Bull, who, after operating it about four years, tore it down, and used the machinery in the construction of a new mill on Mill Creek.
The latter mill was a decided improvement on the original structure, having been supplied with better machinery, while the mill house was a more substantial building of hewed logs. It was in operation as early as the year 1828, but how long thereafter could not be learned.
The next mill was built in the year 1832 by Thomas Allan, and stood on the East Fork of Mill Creek, near the central part of the township. It was constructed on a very simple plan, contained but one buhr, and received its motive power from the creek. The building was of logs, a story and a half high, to the upper floor of which the unbolted flour had to be carried in order to pass it through the rude bolting apparatus, which was operated by hand. It was in operation about twenty-five years, dur- ing which period it passed through the hands of several proprietors, the last one being Cornelius Jones. The first saw mill in the township was erected by a man by name of Wills, and stood on Mill Creek, in Section 19. The date of its erection was not learned, though it is supposed to have been prior to the year 1840. It was in operation several years, and did a good business, furnishing the lumber for nearly all the early frame houses in the central part of the township. The mill was washed out during a large freshet, and at the present time but few vestiges remain to mark the spot where it stood.
In the year 1853, James Baker erected a combination saw and grist mill on the creek a short distance below the Allan Mill. It was con- structed in the first place as a water-mill, but, owing to scarcity of the water in the creek, an engine was afterward supplied, by means of which the machinery was kept running very successfully for several years. The last owners were Alexander Allan and John Modrell. It was washed out by a freshet in the year 1865.
Prior to the erection of the mills mentioned, the early settlers patron- ized small horse mills, several of which were in operation in the adjoin- ing townships of Wayne and Jackson. Every neighbor who wanted to use these mills put his own horse to the lever and ground out his grist. This was the custom, and it was invariably followed, except in cases where the customer had no horse. We of this generation may think this method of supplying meal for corn-pone inconvenient and unsatis- factory, but it was one of the necessities of the times, and as such was recognized by the settlers as a blessing.
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