Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 50

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ;
Number of Pages: 962

USA > Indiana > Whitley County > Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Noble County > Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 50

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There were about forty bark wigwams at Indian Village, Sparta Township, and just about the time the Pottawatomies left for the Wabash, and while they were temporarily absent from their town, a number of heartless settlers applied the torch and burned all their wigwams. These rude houses were standing where the cemetery now is. Prior to the time of their leaving the reservation, the Indians traveled on hunting excursions all over the county, mingling freely with the whites, and no trouble of note transpired. They would approach the settlers' cabins to beg, and in this important particular they rivaled the modern tramp in skill and expediency. They brought forward furs, game and trinkets to be traded for provisions, ammunition, etc. They established one or more temporary villages in almost every township in the county, and were thus brought in close proximity to the settlers. Many interesting anecdotes are narrated concerning them, which will be found in the chapters on the town- ships. The red man is gone, but he cannot be forgotten. His life will long be told as a bright romance of the past.

"Ye say they all have passed away, That noble race and brave; That their light canoes have vanished From off the crested wave; That 'mid the forest where they roamed There rings no hunter's shout ; But their name is on your waters, Ye may not wash it out." -Mrs. Sigourney.

CHAPTER II. BY NELSON PRENTISS.

EARLY ORGANIZATION AND STATISTICS-GENERAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT-

DROUGHT OF 1838-THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT BILL AND THE STATE CANAL-CREATION OF THE FIRST COURT-TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF JOHN LECHNER-THE COUNTY SEAT QUESTION-PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND COUNTY OFFICIALS-THE BENCH AND BAR-ANECDOTES-THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

F NIFTY years ago almost the whole of Northern Indiana, of which Noble County forms a part, was an unbroken wilderness. Its wide and tangled forests and its blooming prairies were the haunts of wild beasts and the home of roving tribes of Indians. Only here and there were to be seen any traces of civilization. At Fort Wayne, there was a trading-post where a few whites were gathered, and at South Bend a similar station. Little was then known of the country, save that it was considered as one of the Far West front- iers, on the outer verge of civilization, with only here and there a " cabin," whose inmates were destined to battle with the dangers and privations of front- ier life. The carly French trader or the zealous missionary, as he urged his " pirogue " through the waters of the St. Joseph, the Wabash or Maumee, could sometimes see peering through the forest a few log cabins, and here and there a clearing, but these were mostly along the banks of the rivers, while back only a few miles was the vast wilderness interior, still occupied by its forest lords, whose hostile attacks were yet dreaded by the defenseless settlers. Bold and determined was the adventurer who at that early day made this West- ern wild his home. But those were found whose daring was equal to the emer- gency and who were well qualified for the task. Of such were the pioneers of Noble County. Kentucky and Ohio, which had recently been settled, amid all the hardships of border life and the alarms of savage warfare, were now pre- pared to furnish recruits for another crusade against barbarism, while from the sterile hills of New England the thrifty Yankee took his way westward, in the hope of finding a home where his honest toil should be repaid by better returns. But it was chiefly those who were inured to perils, and who had met the wily savage in his ambuscade, who first penetrated the wilds of Northern Indiana, and thus laid the foundation for the present happiness and prosperity of the citizens of Noble County.

When Indiana was admitted into the Union as a State in 1816, the whole of Northeastern Indiana was included in Knox County, with the county seat at Vincennes. In 1818, the county of Randolph was created, including the county of Noble, with the county seat at Winchester. In 1823 or 1824 (both dates being given), Allen County was organized, taking in Noble County, with the county seat at Fort Wayne, and this continued until 1832, when the county of

Hiram S. Tousley JUDGE CIRCUIT COURT

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

La Grange was organized by act of the General Assembly, the present county of Noble being included in the new county, the seat of justice being at Lima. The county of Noble was organized in 1836, by act of the Legislature, and an election was ordered to take place on the first Monday of June of that year. In consequence of the destruction of the records in the Clerk's office in 1858, it is impossible to give the number of votes cast at the first election, but we feel sure that there were but few, for, in 1838, according to the returns on the duplicate for that year, there were only eighty-two polls in the county. At this election the following officers were elected : Clerk and Recorder, Isaac Spencer ; Sheriff, James Hostetter ; Associate Judges, Elisha Blackman and James Latta ; Cor- oner, Henry Engle; County Commissioners-Joel Bristol, Henry Hostetter, Sr., and Abraham Pancake.

At this election two of the Commissioners elected lived in the same town- ship, why, I do not know. It may have been that there was no one in the Mid- dle District qualified to hold the office. However, Hostetter only held the office for a short time before he resigned, and Zenas Wright, of York Township, was elected. The county of Noble as organized was eighteen miles in extent from north to south, and twenty-four from east to west, containing 432 square miles. In 1860, upon petition of the citizens residing thereon, a strip two miles in width across the south side of Township 33, Range 8 (Washington Township), was attached to Whitley County, leaving in Noble 420 square miles. At the first session of the Board of Commissioners the county was divided into civil townships, corresponding to the Congressional townships, and were by the Com- missioners named, which names they still retain. The record of this action by the Commissioners was destroyed at the burning of the court house at Augusta in 1843, but the fact remains. Commencing at the southwest corner of the county, they numbered and named the townships as follows: No. 1, Washington ; No. 2, Sparta ; No. 3, Perry ; No. 4, Elkhart; No. 5. York ; No. 6, Noble ; No. 7, Jefferson ; No. 8, Orange; No. 10, Wayne; No. 11, Allen ; No. 12, Swan. Each of these townships was six miles square, and all remain so at present, except that two sections (18 and 19) were taken from Jefferson, and two sections (13 and 24) were taken from York, and these four sections were made Albion Township, No. 13. Before the organization of Noble County, and while it was a part of La Grange, there was but one township organization, and this included a part of what is now La Grange. This township was called Perry, and, at an election held at the house of John Hostetter in April, 1833, Jacob Wolf was elected Justice of the Peace, he being the first officer elected within the limits of Noble County. Mr. Wolf is still living where he located fifty years ago, advanced in life, but still in the enjoyment of a reasonable degree of health, and a fine representative of that spirit of genuine hospitality so common at that early date.

The first settlement made in Noble County by white people was that made by Joel Bristol in April, 1827, in Noble Township. The family consisted of

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

Mr. Bristol and his wife, and the orphan children of Mrs. Bristol's sister, six in number. The name of these children was Tibbott, and two of them, Isaac Tib- bott, Esq., of Wawaka, and Mrs. A. G. Gibson, are still residents of Noble County, and are both in comfortable circumstances, and are respected by all good citizens. Bristol and his wife have long since passed away. For several years after the settlement of Bristol, but few settlers stopped in Noble County, as the beautiful prairies lying to the north and west presented greater attrac- tions. John Knight settled in the county in 1829, and, in 1830, Isaiah Dun- gan, Levi Perry and Richard Stone came, and the next year the population was further increased by the arrival of Jacob Wolf, Henry Hostetter, Sr., and his family, Adam Engle and family, Jacob Shobe and family, and Henry Miller and wife, Joseph Smalley and family, Leonard Danner, and perhaps some few others whose names may have been forgotten. A few continued to come, and all were heartily welcomed by the settlers, and, at the time the county was organized, there were probably less than one hundred families in the county, more than half the number being within the present limits of Perry Township, where "Perry's Prairie" and the "Haw Patch" offered inducements not found in any other part of the county. The first land purchased of the Government in the county was in Perry, and was entered in 1831, and by an examination of the Tract Book it appears that the following lands were entered during that year :

NAME OF PURCHASER. DATE.

DESCRIPTION.

Isaiah Dungan

June 11, 1831

Northeast quarter of Section 33.

Levi Perry June 11, 1831. East half of southeast quarter of Section 33.

Jacob Shobe July 29, 1831 .Northeast quarter of Section 31.

Jacob Shobe July 29, 1831 West half of northwest quarter of Section 32.

Jacob Shobe July 29, 1831. West half of north west quarter of Section 33.

Susanna Hagan August 2, 1831 West half of northwest quarter of Section 34.

Adam Engle.

August 12, 1831 Southeast quarter of Section 28.

Adam Engle.

. August 12, 1831.

.East half of southwest quarter of Section 27.

Henry Engle

Jacob Wolf

August 20, 1831 West half of southwest quarter of Section 27. August 20, 1831 Northeast quarter of Section 28.

John Iles

August 20, 1831

East half of northwest quarter of Section 28.

William Engle

August 20, 1831 East half of northwest quarter of Section 34.

Daniel Harsh August 22, 1831 West half of southeast quarter of Section 33. .Southwest quarter of Section 28.

Joseph Smalley September 13, 1831

Northeast quarter of Section 32.

Joseph Smalley .September 14, 1831

Joseph Smalley September 14, 1831

East half of southwest quarter of Section 33.

Joseph Smalley .September 14, 1831. .West half of southwest quarter of Section 34.

H. Hostetter November 1, 1831 East half of northwest quarter of Section 34.

L. Danner. November 21, 1831 Southeast quarter of Section 18.

Henry Miller November 25, 1831 .East half of southwest quarter of Section 34.

All of said land being in Township 35 north, Range 8 east, in Perry Township. The foregoing entries embrace all the land entered in Noble County in 1831, and amount to 2,120 acres. In 1832, the entries amounted to 3,320; in 1833, 2,820; in 1834, 5,860; in 1835, 18,222; and in 1836, before the county was organized, which was in March, 1,006 acres, making in all, of

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

land entered before the county was organized, 33,048 acres, or about one-ninth of all the land embraced within the limits of the county. There was, without doubt, more land entered in 1836 than in all the years that preceded it, for- this was the time of the great rush to Northern Indiana. During all the season land buyers thronged the country, and all the talk was of section corners and quarter sections. Most of those who came were looking for future homes, and were cordially welcomed by those who were already here, and to them the. "latch-string " was always out and every assistance rendered to assist them in making good purchases. But there was another class of land buyers, who met with little encouragement from the settlers. I refer to those who came here for the purpose of buying large tracts of land, not for cultivation, but to hold for the purpose of speculation. Frequently large tracts were bought up by these men (land-sharks, the settlers called them), and held at prices that the poor- man could not afford to pay, and hence the growth and development of the country was crippled. A system of swindling was also practiced extensively" about the land office at Fort Wayne by a set of sharpers, which was at once" dishonest and cruel. When some honest farmer, who had selected and would) apply to purchase the land he wanted for a home, one of these thieves would look him up, and say that he wanted the same tract, and threaten to bid on the land unless a compromise was made. Frequently considerable sums were- thus stolen from the settler, when the rascal who pocketed his ill-gotten gains- had no intention of buying the land, and, in fact, had never seen it. But not- withstanding all the difficulties and drawbacks that beset the early settlers,. much land was entered by men who at once took possession of it, erected their cabins, and, with willing hearts and strong hands, leveled the forests, cleared the land, and, as soon as possible, started some crop to furnish the means of living for themselves and their families. In those early days, a large family" of children was the rule, a small family the exception. The rule seems to be- reversed in these later days, owing, probably, to the fact that the soil is not as- productive now as it was at that early day. If a small patch could be pre- pared in season, it was planted in corn; if too late for corn, then some pota- toes were put out; if too late for potatoes, the pioneer would try turnips; and if too late for turnips, some of the ground would be sown for wheat in the fall ... Most of the settlers of 1836 came too late in the season to raise anything for- their support the first season, and had to depend upon buying from those who had been here long enough to raise a surplus. Their chief dependence was :. upon those who had settled on "Perry's Prairie," in this county, and upon the: prairies of La Grange, Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties, where the settlers had found the land already cleared and where many of the farmers had large and productive farms under cultivation.

The lack of the settlers during this year to raise enough to supply their- wants created an unusual demand for the necessaries of life, and prices rose in proportion to the demand; and as most of the early settlers were men of lim .---

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

ited means, and had invested all, or nearly all their means in the purchase of their land, it would not be strange if there occurred some cases of actual suf- fering for the necessaries of life. Let us hope that if such cases did occur that they were few, for it is painful to contemplate the possibility of such a state of affairs. To make matters more trying on the new settlers, there was consider- able suffering from fever and ague during the later part of the summer and the fall, and medicine and physicians were not to be had, and the only resource was such domestic remedies as were within reach of the settlers. Winter checked the ravages or the disease, and there was no difficulty in keeping the cabin warm and comfortable, for wood was about the only commodity that was plenty, and the greatest difficulty was to get it out of the way. The winter months were devoted to chopping and preparing to clear more land in the spring. Let it not be supposed that the settler of that day was selfish or un- social ; far from it. They had their social gatherings, their log-rollings, and their dances; and if the young people of that day did not "Trip the light fantastic toe," under the direction of the French dancing-master, and to the music of a full orchestra, yet they did trip the toe, and that frequently a bare one, on the puncheon floor, as they danced the "Square French-four," shuffled through the " Virginia reel," or threaded the mazes of "Hunt the Squirrel," to the inspiring strains of the " Devil's Dream," " Silver Creek," or " Sally Johnson," ground out by the ancient fiddler on the fiddle which was his grandfather's delight in his young days. Then the people met upon a level ; they felt that all were equal ; they had no high, no low ; and to-day the old pioneers look back upon those days with feelings of regret and long for the days of "Lang Syne."

All through the summer of 1836 the white covers of the emigrants' wagons could be seen winding along the crooked paths that had been cut through the timber-for we had not then any laid-out roads ; the first teamster cut out a track, and the others followed until the mud became too deep for travel, when another road was cut out, so that there were roads everywhere. This applies to the heavy timbered lands. On the openings, where the soil was sandy, the roads were generally good, and when a new track became necessary, you could drive anywhere without hindrance, for at that day the country pre- sented a very different appearance from what we see at the present day. It was the custom of the Indians to burn the woods, marshes and prairies, each spring, and this annual burning kept down the under growth, so that on the openings nothing was left to obstruct the view, except the large trees scattered here and there. In many places, where to-day a second growth of timber completely covers the ground, the openings then were like an open prairie, with here and there a giant oak.

No more enchanting scene was ever presented to the human eye than these openings in the spring. As far as the eye could reach was spread out a scene of surpassing loveliness. The tender grass just springing up and spreading a

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

carpet of green over the whole landscape, which was further beautified by flowers of every hue, and as you survey the scene, a herd of deer appear in the distance, or the impudent prairie-wolf approaches just near enough to be out of range of the trusty rifle-our inseparable companion in these rambles. Nor should we forget to bring upon the stage as a part of the picture the na- tive, who once held undisputed control over all this land, nor dreamed that the day would come when he would be driven from these scenes of his youth, and leave to desecration the graves of his fathers. Talk of your flower-gardens or your parks, or anything that man has made in his weak efforts to imitate na- ture! To one who has seen the oak openings of Noble County, in all their pristine glory and loveliness, man's imitations are tame and insipid. The year of 1837 was not marked by anything peculiar, except that more settlers came than during any previous year. Many who entered land in 1836 returned to their former homes to settle their business, and in the spring of 1837 returned with their families to this county-their future home.

The year of 1838 will be remembered by the early settlers as long as one is left ; many settled here in 1837, and others came in the early part of 1838. The spring opened wet, and the season continued so until about the middle of June, when the rain ceased and no more fell during the remainder of the sum- mer and fall, and some wheat sown that fall did not germinate until after snow fell. The swamps and marshes were filled with water, and the heat of the summer was intense. As a consequence, the water in the swamps was rapidly evaporated, and the atmosphere became contaminated and poisoned by the noxious exhalations, and the whole country was transformed into one vast hos- pital, filled with suffering patients, but destitute of physicians, medicines or

nurses. Never before or since has such a time been experienced in Noble County. There was scarcely a house in the whole county where all were well, and in many all were prostrated by disease. Physicians were scarce and diffi- cult to obtain ; nor were they exempt from the ravages of disease. Medicines could not be obtained, and the sufferings then endured will never be known. Many of the early settlers died during this season, and it is sad to think that probably some perished from lack of proper treatment. But let no one for a moment suppose that this lack arose from any willful neglect on the part of the settlers. A woman has been known to walk several miles along an Indian trail to wait upon a sick neighbor, and frequently she was compelled to carry a child in her arms. And this was no unusual occurrence. The people were kind and sympathetic, and warm and tender hearts throbbed beneath the buck- skin hunting shirt and the linsey dress. But there was a point they could not pass. Strong though they were, they must succumb to disease, and they could not attend to others when they needed the same attention themselves. In one house at Rochester, thirteen persons lay sick, and in the whole village only two people were able to go from house to house, and these two were busy day and night ministering to the necessities of the suffering with the most unselfish

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

devotion. Their names deserve to be held in grateful remembrance as long as a pioncer or any of his descendants survive. They were Mr. Dorus Swift and Miss Achsah Kent. The frosts of autumn checked the ravages of disease, and health once more visited the settlers, although the effects of the season remained with some, and during the following fall and winter several old persons died. At the session of the General Assembly for 1836-37, a bill was passed called " The Internal Improvement Bill." By the provisions of this act, the State under- took a scheme of digging canals all over the land, and among the works con- templated was a canal from Fort Wayne to Michigan City. This was to enter Noble County in Swan Township, thence in a northwesterly direction through Swan, Green, York and Perry Townships, passing through Port Mitchell; and between Augusta and Albion, and into the Elkhart River west of the present residence of James J. Knox, in Elkhart Township. Here it was to enter the backwater of a seven-foot dam, to be built across the Elkhart River at Roch- ester. Thence it was to pass through Rochester and Ligonier, and follow the river to the west line of the county. Near the place where the canal was to enter the river, it was to be intersected by a navigable feeder from Northport, where a dam was to be erected to form a reservoir. There was also a reservoir to be made in Green Township to feed the canal at the Summit, which is in this township. Work was commenced in Noble County in Green, and also at Northport, the work on the summit which divides the waters flowing north into the Elkhart River and the waters flowing south into the Tippecanoe. Here the greatest amount of work was done, but there was considerable done in the vicinity of Northport, where the feeder dam was erected, and some of the canal excavated, and now, in passing from Albion to Rome City, the trav- eler passes along the bed of what was intended to be the navigable feeder, had this grand scheme ever been completed. But the State soon found that she had undertaken too much, and, being unable to meet her obligations, the work was suspended, and the amount expended became a total loss. The dam at Northport was built, but was subsequently washed out, and three persons who were on the dam at the time were drowned. Subsequently one of the bodies was found floating in a small pond below, but the others were never found. The State afterward rebuilt the dam, and donated the water-power to Noble County for the benefit of common schools, making the Board of Commissioners the custodians of the property. The Commissioners leased the water-power for a term of ninety-nine years, at an annual rental of $30. A grist-mill, a saw- mill, and quite an extensive woolen factory were erected and propelled by the water-power created by the dam. The factory was destroyed by fire, since which only the mills before referred to are run by the water from the reservoir. The affairs of the canal were closed up in the spring of 1840, and all that is now left of this magnificent enterprise is the dam, and some excavations here and there to mar the face of the country. Probably nearly $200,000 was expended by the State.

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.

From the first settlement of Northern Indiana the country was infested with a gang of desperadoes, and of these Noble County had her full share. These men were engaged in theft, robbery and passing counterfeit money, and it was at times darkly hinted that even murder was committed by them. Among them there appeared to be a passion for horses, and so far did this pre- vail that it made little difference to whom the horse belonged, and the settler frequently found his log stable empty in the morning, when it had the evening before been occupied by his horse. Horses were at this time (1839) scarce, and the loss of one a great calamity, as on the team depended to a great extent the support of the family. Hence, it is not surprising that curses deep and sincere were breathed by the settlers against these rascals, and it is probable that, had any of them been caught in the act, retribution swift and certain would have followed without waiting for due process of law. So many confederates were scattered through the county that pursuit was generally useless, for they had a regular organization, and stations where stolen property could be secreted in such a manner as to elude all search. Late in the fall of 1838, one of the gang, who had partaken too freely of " dead shot " or "tangle foot," became very communicative and confidential, and made propositions to one of the citi- zens who kept a small store to join them, urging, as an inducement, that he would have superior advantages for passing counterfeit money. The citizen, after consulting with neighbors, agreed to the proposition, intending to act the part of a spy, and when he had learned all he could to make it public, and try to break up the gang. To say the least, the undertaking was a hazardous one, and rendered doubly so by the desperate character of the men he sought to entrap, but before he had made any progress in the matter, two horse-thieves were arrested in the Haw Patch, and a stolen horse found in the neighborhood, where they had turned it loose, having stolen a blind horse by mistake. The news soon spread that horse-thieves had been captured, and were at Stone's, on the Fort Wayne & Goshen road. The whole country was aroused, and the men from far and near gathered at the place, and it required all the efforts of the officers, backed by the conservative element among the citizens, to save their lives. Nor is this to be thought strange. The settlers had suffered so much from their depredations, and had seen them escape so easily when arrested, that they determined to take the law into their own hands and mete out con- dign punishment upon the heads of the offenders. Being assured that the thieves should be dealt with according to law, they desisted from further hostile demonstrations, and assisted the officers in executing the process of the court. Warrants were issued for about twenty persons, many of whom were arrested, but some having had warning left the county and never returned. The trials were held at Stone's tavern, three miles south of Ligonier, before Nelson Pren- tiss, a Justice of the Peace of Sparta Township, and lasted ten days. There were present at these examinations all the settlers for a circuit of many miles, many of whom remained all night to prevent any attempt at a rescue of the

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Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 50

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ; Number of Pages: 962

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ;
Number of Pages: 962