USA > Indiana > Porter County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 10
USA > Indiana > Lake County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 10
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Twenty-ninth Infantry .- Warren Babbitt, died at Andersonville Prison September 15, 1864 ; Fred Kocher, died at Andersonville Prison August 10, 1864; John Oliver, killed at Corinth May 9, 1862; Charles F. Skinner, died at Nashville.
Thirty-fifth Infantry .- Charles C. Gaylord, died at Bull's Gap ; Henry Granger, died at Nashville ; George Miller, killed at Stone River January 2, 1863 ; Moses Spangle, died at Indianapolis.
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
Sixty-third Infantry .- Preston Bauhm, died of wounds June 18, 1864; Jacob Jones, died of wounds June 2, 1864.
Seventy-third Infantry .- Andrew Black, died at Gallatin, Tex., February 9, 1863; George J. Bradley, died at Nashville, Tenn., Decem- ber 5, 1862; N. B. Blachley, died at Silver Springs November 16, 1863; Samuel Conner, died at Summersville, Ky., March 11, 1863; William Crisman, died at Nashville, Tenn., December 9, 1863; Curtis Dorsey, died at Nashville, Tenn., November 28, 1862 ; Nelse A. Erickson, died at Scottsville, Ky., November 11, 1862; Josiah B. Fox, died at Bowling Green, Ky., February 27, 1863; Robert Fluellan, killed at Decatur, Ala., October 27, 1864; Asa Glazor, died at Louisville, Ky., December 8, 1862; George N. Gunter, died at Nashville, Tenn., March 28, 1864 ; Lester Hitchcock, died at Danville, Ky., December 8, 1862; John Hine- line, died at Scottsville, Ky., November 17, 1862; Theodore R. Hall, died at Camp Chase, Ohio, June 8, 1863; John Hawkins, died at Camp Lebanon, Ky., October 29, 1862; William H. Hendee, killed at Stone River December 31, 1862; Robert Jackson, killed at Day's Gap, Ala., April 30, 1863 ; Andrew Johnson, died at Indianapolis, Ind., October 23, 1863 ; Daniel Kouts, died of wounds January 18, 1863 ; Charles Munson, died at Silver Springs, Tenn., November 18, 1862; David G. Maine, died at Nashville, Tenn., November 30, 1862; Harlow Marsh, died at Danville, Ky., May 15, 1865 ; James McNally, killed at Stone River ; James E. Piper, died at Louisville, Ky., March 17, 1863 ; Charles S. Spear, died at Stevenson, Ala., December 7, 1864; Thomas Sholl, killed at Stone River; Alexander Smith, died at Murfreesboro July 23, 1863; Charles Stinchcomb, killed at Stone River; Edward S. Squires, died at Danville, Ky., October 20, 1862; John A. Tidball, died at Louisville, Ky., November 9, 1862 ; Stephen Thornton, died in hos- pital January 24, 1865; William H. Underwood, died at Nashville, Feb- ruary 19, 1863 ; Elias Wheeler, died at Gallatin January 28, 1863; Wesley Watson, died at Danville, Ky., October 19, 1862; Hiram W. Walton, died at Nashville, Tenn., February 19, 1863.
Seventy-fourth Infantry .- Chancy R. Coulson, died at Jeffersonville, Ind., February 1, 1865.
Ninety-ninth Infantry .- Justice Bartholomew, died at Anderson- ville, Ga., August 22, 1864; George W. Biggs, died at La Grange, Tenn., January 19, 1863; Benjamin Biggs, died at La Grange, Tenn., March 16, 1863; George W. Birch, died at Scottsboro, Ala., April 21, 1864 ; Hiram A. Case, died at La Grange, Tenn., March 10, 1863 ; Wallace L. Depance, died at Black River, Miss., August 27, 1863; Ira Doolittle, died at Snyder's Bluff, Miss., July 9, 1863 ; James Foster, killed at Atlanta, Ga .; John L. Kesler, died at La Grange, Tenn., Feb-
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
ruary 25, 1863 ; George W. Livingood, died at La Grange, Tenn., Feb- ruary 25, 1863 ; Charles Sleeper, died at La Grange, Tenn., March 7, 1863 ; John W. Taylor, died in Kentucky, November 17, 1862; Harvey White, died at La Grange, Tenn., March 11, 1863; William Wooster, died at Camp Towler, Tenn., February 4, 1863.
One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Infantry .- Amos Coleman, died at Knoxville, Tenn., April 1, 1864 ; William Coleman, died near Mari- etta, Ga., August, 1864; Giles E. Cole, died at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., December 12, 1864; Thomas Dolan, died at Michigan City, Ind., March 22, 1864; Samuel Furgeson, died at New Berne, N. C., March 14, 1865; George W. Hunt, wounded, supposed to be dead; Frederick Keene, died at Nashville, Tenn., April, 1864; John B. Millard, died at Nashville, Tenn., January 5, 1865; William Marshall, died of wounds at Calumet, Ind., January, 1864; Oliver P. Quinn, died at Alexandria, Va., June 12, 1865; Myron S. Robinson, died at Cleveland, Tenn., August 1, 1864 ; Chris. S. Sholer, died near Kenesaw, Ga., June 23, 1864.
One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Infantry .- Edward J. Garwood, died at Tullahoma, Tenn., September 16, 1864; Frank Johnson, died at Tullahoma, Tenn., September 15, 1864.
One Hundred and Fifty-first Infantry .- Elbridge Clark, died at Louisville, Ky., August 11, 1865; Reuben Clark, died at home March 5, 1865 ; Edgar Field, died at Tullahoma, Tenn., May 18, 1865 ; John P. Jones, died at Nashville, Tenn., June 30, 1865; George Lansing, died at Jeffersonville, Ind., April 7, 1865 ; Luther Smith, died at Deep River, Ind .; Ambrose S. White, died at Nashville, Tenn, July 19, 1865.
Fifth Cavalry .- John R. Alyea, died at Florence, S. C .; John Billings, died at Indianapolis ; Daniel C. Bagley, died at Cleveland, Ohio, May 22, 1864 ; Homer O. Cadwell, died in rebel prison, Florence, S. C., in January, 1865; Isaac L. Downes, died in Andersonville Pris- on September 29, 1864; Leander Lightfoot, killed at Marrowbone May 26, 1863 ; Edwin W. Shumaker, died in Andersonville Prison August 12, 1864 ; James Southward, died at Knoxville, Tenn., October 13, 1863, of wounds ; William Terrica, died at Knoxville September 23, 1862 ; Philip Walters, died at Kingston, Tenn .; Jacob Walters, died at Andersonville Prison October 28, 1864; Lewis Walters, killed at Re- saca Ga., May 15, 1864.
Seventh Cavalry .- Stephen Adams, died at Memphis, Tenn., March 13, 1864 ; John L. Babcock, died May 24, 1864; Edward Carpenter, drowned in the Mississippi River ; Samuel P. Dunn, accidentally shot January 3, 1864 ; John Johnson, died at Andersonville Prison January 28, 1864; Henry Miller, died at Memphis, Tenn., May 4, 1864; Isaac
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
Margeston, died at Andersonville Prison August 14, 1864 ; John Marsh, killed at Guntown, Miss., June 10, 1864; Cornelius O'Neil, died at Cahawba, Ala., March 16, 1864; Clark S. Williams, died at Indianapo- lis, December 31, 1863; Alvin Welsh, died on hospital steamer August 15, 1864.
Twelfth Cavalry .- Isaac Beam, died at Huntsville, Ala., July 3, 1864 ; John H. N. Beck, died at Edgefield June 13, 1865; W. B. Dor- rance, died at New York Harbor April 19, 1865; Charles Friend, died at Nashville, Tenn., February 13, 1865; Ira Green, died at Huntsville, Ala., July 24, 1864 ; James Garrison, died at home ; John S. Gillman, died at Huntsville, Ala., July 22, 1864; William H. Huntly, died at Indianapolis August 5, 1864; Erasmus J. Jones, died at Vicksburg March 22, 1865; Benjamin O. Jones, died at New Orleans ; Seth P. Sherman, died at Valparaiso, Ind., July 9, 1864 ; Arza B. Spencer, died at Jeffersonville, Ind., August 27, 1864; Thomas Welch, died at Stark's Landing, Ala., April 10, 1865.
On record, but not properly assigned .-- Thomas Buchanan, died June 13, 1862, of wounds received at Shiloh.
Popular Feeling .- During the progress of the war, there were in Porter County as in every other part of the country, those who either were from the first, or who afterward became disaffected. There were those who were always discouraged and engaged in discouraging others, continually predicting disasters and the ultimate ruin of the country. There were those who were always criticizing the conduct of the war, not making allowances for the fact that as a people, we were unaccustomed to warfare, greatly destitute of experienced leaders, and that the work to be done was gigantic. There were those who were deeply grieved at the proclamation of emancipation, and many who thought, in 1863 and 1864, that the war should be ended and peace procured at any price. But it is to be said to the credit of Porter County, that her citizens never thought of making resistance to the power of the Federal Government; that within her borders there were no treasonable organizations. Nine-tenths of her citizens would at any time have joined in hearty efforts to put down any treasonable practices or attempts in their own midst. Men, indeed, be- came bitter in their feelings, because of reckless charges made against them of sympathy with secession, charges that often emanated from malice or from selfish or designing purposes. When the news came of disaster, deep was the feeling of sorrow on the part of all. If there were any who rejoiced, and it has been charged that a few did rejoice at the tidings of disaster, it was in secret. The power of party prejudice is often strong, and whatever may have been seen on such occasions to indicate a want of sympathy in the common feeling of horror at the defeats of which
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sometimes there was news, it should have been attributed rather to gratifi- cation felt that their own predictions and forebodings had been verified, rather than to any sentiments of disloyalty to their country, or sympathy with those who were attempting its destruction. It was the feeling that so often prompts the " I told you so," when we hear of calamities of any kind which we have predicted.
When, just in the midst of the intense joy that was felt over the capt- ure of Richmond and the surrender of Gen. Lee, there came the news of the assassination of President Lincoln, there was an almost universal ex- pression of horror. An incident somewhat remarkable took place in Valparaiso at that time. F. W. Hunt had a clerk in his employ who had been in the habit of voting the Democratic ticket, and who was some- times accused of not being in sympathy with the prosecution of the war. In the midst of the excitement caused by the assassination, and when the people were ripe for thoughtless revenge, the assertion was made by some one, that he had heard this clerk expressing joy at the death of Lincoln. Immediately, without any inquiry into the truth of the charge, the report spread from mouth to mouth, and for a time the life of the young man was in danger. He was deeply hurt, soon after left the place, and, it was said, never recovered from the effect produced upon his mind by the affair. Within a year of the time, perhaps, he sank disheartened into an early grave, having returned to his home in the East. In the mean time, his accuser removed to the far West, and the matter had almost passed from the minds of men, when he, being upon his deathbed, confessed, with deep repentance, that the charge which had cast a blight upon the repu- tation of another, and had caused his life to wither, had been an inven- tion of his own, not planned in express malice, perhaps, but in reckless- ness, and in the desire to add to the excitement, and to bring himself into some prominence and notoriety. At that time, public meetings were held, the usual resolutions were adopted, appropriate sermons were preached in the various churches, and the appointed fast observed with due solemnity. At length the cruel war was over, and Johnny came marching home, and nearly every Johnny had friends to give him a glad welcome. The men who had been over Dixie from the Island No. 10 to Galveston, following Sherman on his march to the sea, or fighting "mit Sigel " on the Rappa- hannock, made the grateful change from the wild trade of warfare to the tamer pursuits of peace in agriculture or trade, and by industry and thrift, have helped to build up the nation's wealth with their own. The record of Porter County during the war, whether as to the number and the valor of her troops in the field, or the loyalty and liberality of her citizens who remained at home, is an honorable one. To the women of Porter County not less than to the men, praise is due for the loyal
Or If, Green
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
spirit that prevailed and the earnest efforts that were made to succor the wounded, and minister to the wants of the suffering heroes of the county. Since the close of the war, there have been occasional re-unions at Val- paraiso which have called forth the battle-scarred veterans to recount their adventures in camp and prison and conflict, and to laugh over their an- cient jests retold. On these occasions, the citizens have taken pleasure in furnishing the needed refreshments, not only for the soldiers, but for their families. For Johnny is now not so much of a son and lover as he is husband and father. The boys, many of them, are turning gray-beards, and after the saving of the nation, are now helping to develop and con- trol it. They are the Road Supervisors, School Directors and Town- ship Trustees. Some of them have held county offices. Some are in the employ of the General Government in various departments. At least two of them write M. C. after their names, and more of them would be willing to. Nor has the national custom of honoring the heroic dead by annual visits to the local cemetery been forgotten. Large numbers of the people assemble for these rites, and leave upon the graves of deceased soldiers coronals and bouquets of evergreens and such flowers as this northern latitude produces on the 30th of May. No effort, however, has been made to perpetuate or develop the warlike spirit in this commu- nity by military organizations. There has not been, since the war, a military company or battalion or squad in the county, and hence neither drill nor encampment, nor parades. But the spirit of patriotism that abides in the hearts of the people is strengthened by the remembrance of the treasure and blood which our country and her institutions have cost. May God grant us perpetual and honorable peace, and bring in the day when swords shall be beaten into plow shares and spears into pruning hooks, and the nations learn war no more. Amen.
F
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
CHAPTER IV.
BY REV. ROBERT BEER.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION-MINERALS-EARLY SETTLEMENT OF CENTRE TOWNSHIP-INDIAN INCIDENTS-STATISTICS-INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS- FLINTVILLE-PORTERVILLE AND PORTERSVILLE-THE LAND COMPANY -PORTER COUNTY SEAT-THE PUBLIC SQUARE-FIRST AND SUBSE- QUENT HOUSES-MERCHANDISING AND MANUFACTURING-PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS MEN-GENERAL GROWTH OF VALPARAISO-SECRET ORGANIZATIONS-INCORPORATION-THE WOMAN'S TEMPERANCE CRU- SADE-PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES-THE NOR- MAL -- RELIGIOUS RECORD-CONCLUDING ANECDOTES.
HE Main Branch of the stream known as Crooked Creek, T
which empties into the Kankakee, and is one of the few consider- able streams in the county, has its origin at the southeastern part of Flint Lake, running in a southeast direction to the Washington Township line. Another stream rises near the southwest corner of Section 3, runs in a northwest direction through Section 4 to the extreme northwest cor- ner of the township, and presently empties into Salt Creek, in Portage Township. Upon this creek Henry's Mill is located. The northern branch of Salt Creek also rises in this township, having its origin near to Round Lake in the southeast corner of Section 13, runs in a southeastern direction through Sections 24, 19 and 30, when it barely cuts the line of Washington Township, on the Starr farm, whence it runs in a south- westerly and westerly direction, through Section 30 to Section 25, whence, after leaving Sager's Pond, it runs in a northwesterly direction to its junction with the main branch, thus making at least two-thirds the circuit of Valparaiso. On this branch is Sager's Mill, having one of the best water-powers in the county. The other branch, which rises in the south- western corner of Washington Township, and makes a circuit of about three miles through Morgan Township, enters Centre Township at the southwest corner of Section 36, runs in a northwesterly direction through Sections 35 and 26 to the junction near the southwestern corner of Val- paraiso, whence the united stream runs in a northwesterly direction to the line of Union Township. On this main stream, at a distance of three miles northwest from Valparaiso, is McConkey's Mill.
Round Lake, with a reef of pond lilies surrounding its deeper parts, is a small but deep and clear body of water, as nearly circular as possible, from which feature its name is derived. It is one of those lakes whose depth, according to the belief of all the small boys and of some men, has
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never been measured. It is nearly two and a half miles northwest of Valparaiso, on the west side of the Chesterton road. Flint Lake, the most considerable body of water in the township, is a little more than three miles in a northeasterly direction from Valparaiso ; is nearly circu- lar in shape ; is about forty feet in depth, and is depended upon as the future source of water supply for Valparaiso, its water being very pure and free from all mineral substances. It covers an area of nearly 200 acres, abounds in black bass of the large-mouthed variety, and in fine speckled bass and perch, and is a great resort for boating and fishing. Long Lake, so named from its shape, extending from north to south, is north and west of Flint Lake, into which it empties its waters by a connecting ditch. It covers nearly the same area as Flint Lake, but is of less depth. About one-third of it lies in Liberty Township.
In the neighborhood of Salt Creek are peat bogs of considerable extent. In general, the water which percolates through these bogs is strongly impregnated with iron, and underlying them in many places are considerable layers of bog ore. There are also occasional deposits of pyrites of iron, and various kinds of iron ore in the hills about Valparaiso, and it is no uncommon thing to find clays highly colored with oxide of iron. These are the only minerals of importance in the township so far as known.
An unsuccessful attempt was made at boring for petroleum in the neighborhood of Valparaiso about the year 1864. The signs of iron ore are so abundant as to lead to the conjecture that at some not very distant day that substance may be found in such quantities as to warrant the establishment of smelting works at Valparaiso. No use has been found for the peat, as it is not of such quality as to render its use for fuel economical. There are also deposits of marl in the Salt Creek Valley, and it is said that it was once used in the township for the production of lime. In the neighborhood of Flint Lake are cranberry marshes, but not of great extent. From Valparaiso to the northeast, Morgan Prairie, a sandy loam, lies south of the La Porte road, with the " thick timber " to the north of it, and from Valparaiso to the southwest, Horse Prairie, a rich mold with subsoil of blue clay, extends along the south side of the Hebron road, while on the north of it are clay knobs with oak timber. Originally, about three-fourths of the township was covered with timber. Around Valparaiso, to the south and southwest, and to the northwest, are hills and ravines. From the high grounds to the north of the city, the valley of the Salt Creek presents a prospect of rare beauty, while from a point on the farm of James Fulton, about four and one-half miles north- west from Valparaiso, may be seen, on a clear day, the sand hills which skirt Lake Michigan. Going west from Valparaiso on the Joliet road,
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY.
the soil is of alternate sand and clay, while to the north of Valparaiso, the soil is largely a stiff clay. The original forests were chiefly of the different varieties of oak, white predominating, though there were also con- siderable quantities of hard and soft maple, beech, black walnut, butternut, hickory, basswood, white ash and several varieties of the elm. Wild flowers are found in abundance from early spring till after the heavy frosts of autumn. In the lakes, there is an abundance of the white pond lily, and it would take a botanist to name all the flowers of wood and marsh and field, from the modest violet of the springtime, to the glorious golden rod of September. The prairie soils of the township are well adapted both to grains and grass, while the clay soils, with proper drainage and culture, will well repay the husbandman, either for dairy purposes or crops. The larger fruits have proved very uncertain, failing more frequently than they succeed. Grapes have not ripened well for several years past. Black- berries are liable to suffer from severe winters, while raspberries more frequently succeed. The strawberry is here on its native heath, and is not only productive but of excellent quality. Several attempts have been made to cultivate the cranberry on our marshes, but without success, while the native marshes yielding that fruit have been more profitable than any equal quantity of farming lands. The cultivation of the potato and other esculent roots has generally been profitable. All the ordinary domestic animals and poultry of the Northern States do well here. The black and fox and red squirrels, which were once abundant, have almost disappeared. Gophers are found in considerable, but not in annoying numbers. Ground hogs are still sufficiently numerous to foretell the speedy coming or delay of spring, for such as care to or can observe. From the earliest settlement of the township until within two or three years, wild turkeys have annually been killed in its northern parts. From the sand hills of Lake Michigan to the " islands " of the Kankakee was the original paradise of the wild deer, nor had they entirely disappeared from the northern part of the township until within the last twenty years.
Centre Township is six miles north and south by five miles east and west, being four miles in width on the east side of Town 35, Range 6, and one mile in width from the west side of Town 35, Range 5. It was or- ganized by the first Board of County Commissioners at their first session, which was held April 12 and 13, 1836, and was so named from its geo- graphical position, the round house of the P. Ft. W. & C. R. R., at Val- paraiso, which is about a half mile south of the center of the township, being as near as may be the center of the county. The first white set- tlers in this region found, on the west side of the southeast quarter of Section 19, Range 5, a little north of the La Porte road, a small Indian village of perhaps a dozen lodges, which was called Chiqua's town, from
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VALPARAISO AND CENTRE TOWNSHIP.
an Indian who had been a chief of a remnant of the Pottawatomies, the former owners of the soil, but who had been degraded from his chieftain- ship after a big drunk in which he had participated, and during which his cabin had taken fire and his wife had been burned to death. He was, however, still regarded as a man of some importance in his band. These Indians were not permanent residents of the village, but often absented them- selves to spend a considerable time in their favorite hunting and fishing grounds on the Kankakee. For a few years after the first settlement of the township, they would occasionally return to that spot and spend the time in feasting and dancing, dog meat being their favorite dish. G. W. Bartholomew once told the writer of an invitation he had to one of these feasts on fat dog at some place not far from the Kankakee. An Indian named Wap-muk had aimed and fired off his gun in such a way as to take off the top of the head of another brave. Of course, according to the In- dian law, the life of the slayer was forfeited, but the matter was compro- mised by his paying to the widow the estimated value of the dead Indian. This was the more feasible, from the fact that the deceased had been a drunken and worthless fellow, and hence, judged to be worth little either to his family or the band. This happy ending of a deplorable affair was celebrated by killing the fatted dog and an invitation to young Barthol- omew to participate.
The pioneers, in selecting their claims previous to the Government survey and the land sale, took their course from Door Prairie westward along the line which divided the thick timber from the prairie, so as to have the advantages offered by each, and the last comer built his cabin just a little beyond that of the previous one. In the fall of 1833, this border land of wood and prairie, had been claimed to the very eastern edge of Centre Township. Adam S. Campbell, with his family, having come from the State of New York, it was their hap to light upon the last piece of unoccupied land in Washington Township, lying upon that highly- favored line of wood and prairie. This was in May, 1833. His son, Samuel A. Campbell, now resides at the same place. There were, at that time, no settlers in Centre Township.
Shortly after Mr. Campbell had set his stakes, there came a man named Seth Hull, who passed over the invisible boundary into Centre Township, made his claim on the site of Chiqua's Town, whereis now the residence of the venerable Judge Jesse Johnson, and built himself a cabin there. He did not remain long, however, but it is said went farther West into Illinois, having sold his claim, to Selah Wallace, who became the purchaser of the tract at the land sale in 1835. He was, however, the first white settler of the township. In the fall and winter of 1833, Thomas A. E. Campbell, a young man, and the nephew of Adam S. Campbell,
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