USA > Indiana > Greene County > Early history of Greene County, Indiana : as taken from the official records, and compiled from authentic recollection, by pioneer settlers including brief sketches of pioneer families. > Part 13
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LYONS STATION,
on the Indianapolis and Vincennes railroad, is a small village with a busy and bustling population of about one hundred, with two dry goods stores, one drug store, ono school house, one church, one black- smith shop, one boarding-house, de- pot and post office.
WORTHINGTON,
Jefferson township, is situated near the junction of Eel and White rivers, on a beautiful high prairie and bot- tom lands. It is a fine, large town, with wide streets beautifully lined with large shade trees. The follow- ing is the number of business houses: Two hotels, eight dry goods and gro- cery stores, four exclusive dealers in groceries, two hardware stores, two printing offices, from which are is- sued, the Journal and Worthington Times ; two saddlery shops, two boot and shoe manufactories, several shoc shops, one stationery store, one ba- kery and confectionery, three under- taking establishments, one bank, two livery stables, one pottery, two meat markets, two watchmakers and jew-
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The Early History of Greene County,
clers, one marble shop, fonr millinery stores, two carriage shops, four black- smith shops, two saw-mills, one plan- ing mill, several real estate, claim, pension and insurance agents, seven physicians, two drug stores, three dentists, two warehouses, two photo- graphers, one packing house, one woolen miHl, two flouring mills, and one gun repair shop. The town is nearly one mile square, and the pop- ulation is about one thousand five hundred. There are six churches and one railroad.
JONESBORO,
as given by Mr. Lawson Oliphant, one of the very early settlers: The name of the post office at Jonesboro is Hobbieville, and is situated on section thirty-five, Center township range three west, one and a half miles from the corner of Monroe and Lawrence counties, on a high, heal- thy and pleasant place, with plenty
FAIRPLAY, the oldest village in Greene county, was at one time the best place in the county for the location of the county seat, was for many years the voting precinct for all the townships in the of water, surrounded with fine, large | southwest part of Greene county, bluffs and abundance of spring wa- ter. Population of the town, one hundred. There are two stores, two doctors, three carpenters, two wagon shops. one steam fruit. distill- ery, one blacksmith . shop, one law- yer, two notary publics, one school house and one church.
POINT COMMERCE
was laid out at the mouth of Eel riv- er, in Eel River township, about thir- ty-five years ago, by the Messrs. Al- lisons. At one time it was quite a business point on the river, but on account of the great amount of sick- ness by cholera and the destruction of the west part of the village by fire many years ago, the most of the busi- ness men there have cast their lots and fortunes in many other localities. A few old pioneers yet reside there, and we will hereafter give their per- sonal family history. The post office and old time business houses were all removed to Worthington ; there is, however, one school house and one church.
SCOTLAND,
the voting precinct and main trading point in Taylor township, is quite a flourishing little village, and contains several good business houses, schools, churches, etc. The population is about three hundred inhabitants.
DRESDEN,
the old log cabin town on the Owens- burg and Bloomfield road, was laid out by old Isaac Johnson, a very no- ted colored citizen of Center town- ship. The proprietor has long since passed away, and the town is also now going down the same natural course. No public building except a school house.
and it was the best place for sport and fun of any neighborhood in west- ern Indiana. When a stranger chanced to pass that way and enjoyed the hospitality of the Dixon family. he always had Fairplay.
BLOOMFIELD,
the capital of the county, has more good substantial dwelling houses in it than any other town of its size in the State. The Bloomfield court house door sill is about four hundred and seventy feet above the level of the sea, and the town has a good out- Jet and home trade. Being an inland town, it has the usual number of dry goods stores, grocery stores, mil- linery shops, carpenter shops, black- smith shops, flouring and saw mills, good church houses, school houses,. saloons and dead-heads, besides two well established home newspapers- weeklies-with a population of about one thousand inhabitants.
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The Early History of Greene County.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
PERSONAL-CORRECTION. NE of the oldest and best citi- zens of Taylor township was Aunt Jane Wallace. Aunt Jane, as she was generally called, was a Scotch lady, having emigrated from Edinburg, Scotland. Her maid- en name was Jane Haig, a sister of old Uncle Jimmie Haig, who lived just over in Martin county. When young, she married a man by the name of Summerville, by whom she had two sons-John and William Summerville. Aunt Jane lost her husband (we can not recall just now how or when, ) and afterwards mar- ried Uncle David Wallace, and lived to a good old age. Uncle David died, we believe, in March, 1855, and his wife (Aunt Jane) died sometime afterwards. Some twenty odd years ago, we made the acquaintance of the family, and were introduced to Mr. John Summerville and also to Mr. William Wallace. Having often heard John Wallace and William Wallace, John Summerville and Wil- liam Summerville spoken of, we were lead to believe there were four boys in the family, when in reality there were but two-John Wallace and William Wallace, John Summerville and William Summerville constitut- ing two instead of four persons- Wallace being their step-father and Summerville their real father.
John Wallace-Summerville mar- ried Miss Miranda Crook, daughter of Asa Crook. (By a mistake on the part of the copyist, the compositor, when setting up Taylor township, page 75, was made to say Miss Mi- randa Brooks, daughter of Asa Brooks, instead of Crook, as it should have been.) They have seven chil- dren-two boys and five girls-all of whom are now , living. Mr. John Summerville is a well-to-do farmer, and resides in the southeast corner of the village of Scotland.
JESSE CRAVENS
came to Sercey's fort, in Kentucky, and afterwards married Rebecca Jane 'Tarleton, a grand-daughter of old General Tarleton, the tory, came to Greene county iu 1835, and settled in Bloomfield, and had twenty-one children-eleven boys and ten girls. Mr. Cravens died in 1847, in time of the high water, and was buried at the Joe West farm cemetery, in Fairplay township, Greene county.
JAMES STONE,
father of John A. Stone, was born in Surry county, North Carolina, and married Martha King, and they came to Greene county about forty-six years ago. They settled on Mr. Leonard Nicholson's farm; and when Mr. Stone built his first house the women folks cooked the dinner for the men at the house-raising out in the woods by the fire made against a big log heap, near where the men were raising the house.
John A. Stone was born in Surry county, North Carolina, and came with his parents to Greene county, forty-six years ago. Mr. Stone mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Cravens, a daughter of Jesse Cravens, near Bloomfield. She was one of a family of twenty-one children, and she can tell all about the early times and pco- ple in the neighborhood of Bloom- field. Mrs. Elizabeth Stone is a di- rect descendant of the noted old Tarle- ton family of Revolutionrry memory. She is a great-grand-daughter of old General Tarleton, the tory ; but, un- like that remarkable personage, she is a true Union woman, with no signs whatever of tory blood in her veins. They have never had any children of their own but adopted several others.
We clip the following from the Owen county Journal :
We append below the autobiogra- phy of Samuel Folsom,'a person who will be remembered as having been a citizen of Owen county in its infan- cy and for a number of years after.
was born in Powell's Valley, and It was such men as hin who gave
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i he Early Ilistory of Greene County.
tone and character to the county, White river, Owen county, crossing and by whose judicious management the county soon took rank among the formost in the State. By an exam- ination of the county records, we find that he served as Justice of the Peace for ten years, and County Commissioner for a number of years. At that time, the Commissioners were elected one for each township. Ilis associates, for part of the time, were F. B. Johnson and Thomas Dunning, he being president of the Board. By a careful and attentive management of his business, he has become one of the solid financial men of the county, and, while enjoying the fruits of his labor, he is ever willing to help those who are in need. He is hale and hearty, and has a prospect of living his "three score and ten."
Samuel Folsom says: I was born August 4th, 1801, in the town of Groton, State of New Hampshire. I have named the heads of families, remained with my parents until Feb- ruary, 1819, following farming. I then went to Boston, Massachusetts; thence to Florida and Mississippi. 1 remained there until the spring of 1827, and then took the steamboat at Natchez, Mississippi, for the upper country, not knowing in what part of the northwest I should stop. On the boat I fell in company with Captain John Johnson, Daniel Harris and Stephen L. Bigger, of Owen county, Indiana. Captain Johnson being a social and pleasant man, he at once attracted my notice and respect as a stranger. I.being without any ac- quaintances or friends on the boat or in the country, I at once sought his acquaintance and counsel. He in- formed me where he lived and of the country ; it was new and needed set- tlers ; that the lands were rich ; plen- ty of it could be bought at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. He pictured the White river country off so well that I concluded to come with him. We left the steamboat at Leavenworth, on the Ohio river, and walked all the way from there to
that river a little below where Free- dom now is. I located on the farm now owned by John Ritter, which.I bought from Captain John Johnson, one of my nearest neighbors. I mar- ried Hannah Nelson, in 1828, who died in 1826, and in 1848 I married Miss Sophia Davis, of Cincinnati, who is still living. The names of some of the settlers were, Samuel Jackson, Sen., Luke Vaughn, Abner Light, Hugh Light, John and Corne- lins Johnson, John Bowen, Sen., Ca- leb Nichols, Richard Bush, Joseph Genang, Joseph Freeland, John Oo- ley, Sen., Samuel Hicks, Sen., Jo- seph Hicks, Moses Hicks, Joseph Landrum, Thomas Harvey, Patrick White, Samuel Scott and Alexander Scott.
Stephen Barnes came and settled near. Rattlesnake creek, the same spring that I came. In the above I
and only those of Franklin township; perhaps not all of them, as my mem- ory is bad. I believe all the above list are now dead except Hugh Light and Cornelius Johnson. I believe Thomas Harvey and Joseph Landrum were magistrates at that time. In a short time after I came, Circuit Court set in Spencer. I went and spent a week at court and witnessed an "Irish wedding" between Christo- pher Wilburn and Reuben Fullen- Fullen coming out second best. The officers of the court, as far as I can remember, were John Freeland, Clerk; Andy Evans, Sheriff; Whit- comb, Hester, Naylor and T. G. Ad- ams, attorneys; John Dunn and Philip Hedges, hotel keepers, in Spencer. Some of the leading citi- zens of Spencer were David Johnson, J. R. Freeland, Samuel Howe, James Allison, John Dunn, James Galletly, John Galletly and Nathan Clark. That summer Lorenzo Dow preached in the court house, though not fin- ished or near as large as it is now. As to roads, there was but few, and they poor and unfit for wheeled car-
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The Early History of Greene County.
hiages as now used. There had been | is rather feeble. I am seventy-four a road opened from Indianapolis years old to-day, August 4th, 1875, and my weight is about two hundred and twenty pounds. I have never had a fight or a charge of crime of any kind brought against me, either in the courts or in my church, and I have been a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church for near fifty years past. down White river to Vincennes, and the streams bridged, but were all gone when 1 came. From Indianap- olis to Eel river the country was very heavily timbered and but very little cleared-now and then a small open- ing. All kinds of stock could live in the woods with but little feed, there- fore meat was plenty and cheap. IRA DANLEY. Wild game was plenty. A man could Old Uncle Ira Dunley, of Eel Riv. er township, is sixty-nine years old, und was born in Surrey county, North Carolina. His parents died when he was but six years old, and he was cast out into society at that eurly age, among the old Friend Qua- kers. He was raised by William Dunnegan, and they came to White river and settled near the mouth of Eel river. He married Miss Olive Jessup and they had thirteen chil- dren, raising twelve of them to be men and women-six boys and six girls. We yet sce Old Uncle Ira Danley among us. He is now a wide otrer, and casts one eye at the pleass ant class of weeping widows. supply his family with plenty of meat by the use of his gun. I have known large quantities of hogs to sell at one dollar and twenty-five cents per hun- dred, net, but the usual price was two dollars for many years. Cows from five to eight dollars; heavy steers, from seven to nine dollars ; corn, from twelve and a half to twen- ty-five cents per bushel; wheat, from twenty-five to fifty cents. As to the state of society, it was not what late customs would call refined. No school houses, no churches, but log cabins, and but few of them; no pub- lic schools. The men were rough in their manners, looks and dress, but hospitable and kind; had an honest und kind heart, always ready to ac- ROBERT SCOTT. commodate any one if in their power. Uncle Robert Scott, of Point Com- merce, was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, and moved to Greene county, thirty-six years ago. He is a very modest, unassuming gentle- man and a good citizen. He carries his age well. He is now in his sixty- ninth year, and looks as though he was good for two or three decades yet. He has recently married again and commenced life anew. If in need of help to roll logs or raise a cabin, if for a turn of corn, or a side of bacon, or anything else, they were always willing to share with you. Or if you wished a fist-fight they would give you the best they had. The women were more refined and neat in their appenrance, and equally kind and very industrious. Men were not so constantly at work, but spent much of their time in fun, such DR. R. S. J. BENEFIELD as shooting-matches, foot racing, pitching quoits, etc., in which whis- ky was an accompaniment and the fountain of their pleasure, in which things I never participated. Most all of us lived in little log cabins with mud chimneys, and often dirt floors. I left Owen county in the year 1850, and came to Greene coun- ty, where I have since resided. We now live in Worthington. My health
was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, September 22, 1829, was the young- est of a family of eleven children, and moved with his father to Knox coun- ty, Indiana, in the Spring of 1836. His father, Colonel Robert Benefield, was the oldest son of Colonel John Benefield, who was a delegate from Knox county (when Knox, Greene, Sullivan, Davis, Clay and Vigo coun- ties were all Knox) to frame the first
The Early History of Greene County,
constitution for the State. 'The Doc- tor was left an orphan when young, his father dying when he was eight and his mother when he was thirteen years old. He may be said to be a self-made man. He graduated in medicine at the Ohio Medical Col- lege, February 27, 1853. In Novem- ber, same year, he married Miss Sa- rah P. Johnston, of Wytheville, Vir- ginia. They had a family of ten children, six boys and four girls, hav- ing lost three girls .and one boy in infancy. He had the misfortune to lose his excellent wife December 19, 1871, and has never married since. He has five sons and one daughter living, and she is the youngest, being now eight years old. The Doctor time to Greene county April, 1854, lived four years at Scotland and in 1858 moved to where he how lives at Marco.
THOMAS CLARK
was born in North Carolina and mar- ried Miss Rhoda Dunnegan. They came to Greene county in the year 1818 and settled in Eel River town- ship. Mr. Clark and wife had twelve children, seven boys and five girls.
SOLOMON CARMICHAEL
is the oldest man now living in Cen- ter township. He was born in Stokes county, North Carolina, June 27, 1794, was married at the age of sev- enteen years, and then come to Greene county as one among the old pioneer brush-choppers. Mr. Car- michael has had two wives and twelve children. He is now eighty-one years old.
WILLIAM J. McINTOSHI
was born in Mercer county, Kentuc- ky, In 1802, and Is a member of a family of ten children-four boys and six girls. He came to Indiana on a batteau, in 1822, and settled in High- land township, Greene county. He was married in Marion county, Indi- ana, in May, 1829. His wife's name tas Sarah Negley. They have eight children living. There is no romance connected with his marriage.
ELI DINSON,
son of Solomon and Sarah Dixson, was born in the year 1769, in Vir- ginia, near the Blue Ridge, and emi- grated to Georgia, near Augusta, where he married Rebecca Ilart, in the year 1799, and moved to Preble county, Ohio, in the year 1806, and settled in what is now called Dixson township. He being the first settler in the township it was called Dixson township, his nearest neighbor being twelve miles distant. He remained there about twelve years, during which time he cleared him a farm and filled a prominent place in the set= tling up of the neighborhood, served as a justies of the peace a portion of the time, and was noted for always being able to settle difficulties be- tween neighbors without going to law. He moved to Greene county, Indiana, in the year 1818, and set- tled in Smith township, in said coun- ty, where he improved a farm and carried out his profession as a farmer to a considerable extent, in raising grain, which enabled him to be of help to his neighbors and others in a newly settled country, and, as was stated by Martin Wines some years since, in a publication in the White River Valley Times, as a history of the first settling of Greene county, "among other things he was noted for his liberality and benevolence in helping such as were not able to help themselves." If a person would go to him and tell him he was out of bread, and had no money to buy with he was sure of a grist of corn or wheat. He served two terms in the State legislature as representative of the people of Greene, Owen and Put- nam counties, the Legislature then sitting in Corydon. He died respect- ed by all who knew him March 9th, 1836, aged sixty-six years and six months. He had six brothers and three sisters, viz : Samuel, John, Jo- seph, Henry, Solomon and Stephen were the brothers, and Ruth, Sarah and Elizabeth his sisters.
Samuel died at the residence of
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The Early History of Greene County.
Eli Dixson, in Greene county, Indi- (aged sixty-six years, six months and ana, and was buried on his farm, his twenty-five days. grave being the first in what is now Rebecca, his wife, died October 1, 1851, aged seventy-one years, nine months and twenty-nine days. known as the Dixon grave-yard, Au- gust 30, 1850, aged fifty-three years and thirteen days.
John Dixson was drowned in the Ohio river, near Shawneetown.
Joseph Dixson died at his residence in Greene county, near Black creek. Henry Dixson, died in Tennessee. Solomon Dixson was born October 4, 1771, died October 8, 1824, and was buried by his brother Samuel.
Stephen Dixson was killed by the Indians on the Wabash river, near Terre Haute, during the war of 1812.
Rebecca, the wife of Eli Dixson, was the daughter of Isaac and Hester Hart, and was born in Georgia, near Augusta, September 2d, 1779, died ! Oct Ist, 1852, aged seventy-one years eleven months and twenty-nine days. She had four brothers, viz: William,
Stephen moved to Warren county, Ills., in 1854, and settled on the mil- itary tract, in the Mississippi valley, when it was almost one vast prairie, Isaac, Thomas and Phineas ; two half | but never forgot his first love, and brothers, viz: Amosand Jerry Greene ! made annual visits to the old home-
and one-half sister, who married a Jones.
HIer brother William died in Geor- gia, Isaac and Thomas died in Preble county, Ohio, and Phineas in Peoria county, Illinois.
Her half brothers, sister and moth- er emigrated to Michigan at an early day.
of eight sons and three daughters, viz : Samuel, Sarah, Solomon, Eliza- beth, Rebecca, Eli, Stephen, John, Phineas, William and Pryor.
Elizabeth died before they left Ohio, when quite small.
Phineas, born April 1, 1817, died April 27, 1830.
Sarah Johnston, born August 27, 1801, died April 29, 1839.
Samuel was born June 22, 1800, died Dec. 17, 1844.
Solomon, born June 21, 1803, died June 20, 1851.
Eli Dixson, born March 10, 1822, died Sept. 10, 1850, aged twenty- eight years, six months.
Eli Dixson died March 9, 1836,
William Dixson died February 9, 1870, in the forty-eighth year of his age.
Eli and Rebecca (senior), Samuel, Solomon, Sarah, Rebecca, Eli, James, Phineas, William and Pryor, all be- ing buried in the before mentioned Dixson graveyard, including which there was about four acres of ground, deeded to the Trustees of Smith township (for use as a public burying ground) by Stephen and Amanda Dixson, his wife.
At present only the two brothers, Stephen and John, are living.
stead, which he owned until 1873, when, with many regrets, it was con- veyed to strange hands, having been in possession of father and son about fifty-five years.
JOHN F. ALLISON,
a resident of Point Commerce, is a native of the state of Kentucky, was
Eli and Rebecca's family consisted born in Bourbon county on the 10th of July, 1814. His parents emigra- ted from the State of Maryland in an early day, crossing the mountains with teams, striking the Ohio river at Wheeling, Virginia, where, in com- pany with others from the same State, | they constructed a rude boat, and floated down the Ohio river, landing near the mouth of the Kentucky riv- er. There they disembarked, put their wagons and teams in order, and hauled their effects to the aforesaid. county.
Early in life, John B. Allison, the father of John F., though raised up with the institution of slavery, be- came convinced that the institution was not warranted by the word of
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The Early History of Greene County.
Eternal Truth, and that it was wick- (dred men continually. They first ed in him to uphold it. Acting upon this conviction, in the Spring of 1819 he liberated his slaves, and moved to Monroe county, in the State of Indi- ana. His slaves were much attached to their master and family, and two young men came with them, remain- ing for many years with different members of the family.
In politics, the Allison family were biased in favor of the Old Whig party, and so continued throughout the existence of that party. The elder boys, Noah and James Allison, were the first to set up a mercantile business in Bloomington, Monroe county, and in Spencer, Owen coun- ty, were the first to commence the sending of produce of the country to the markets of the South in flat boats on White river, and continued the same from 1828 to 1856.
J. F. Allison went into partner- ship with his brother J. M. H. Alli- son in the year 1832, in the mercan- tile and produce business in Spencer, and continued with him until 1846, supplying the larger portions of the counties of Owen, Clay, and part of Monroe and Greene with the staples of commerce, taking in return the produce of the country, shipping it to the southern markets, and on re- ceiving their returns, paying all the taxes of their customers ; this being the only means of raising money to defray county and State expenses.
In the year 1835 they purchased the lands at the junction of White and Eel rivers, and laid out the old town of Point Commerce, built a store-house, opened a stock of goods on the 17th day of November of that year, and from that time on sold goods to a large scope of country for many years, their average purchases being about thirty thousand dollars annually, selling all on time, and re- ceiving their pay in produce.
As it required room and men to transact such a business, they called to their assistance and employ upon an average, at least fifty to one. hun-
erected a steam saw and grist mill at the mouth of Eel river in 1836, next built a pork house and a large ware house for the reception of small grain and tobacco, not unfrequently in- specting and shipping the product of from two thousand to four thousand hogs, and from two hundred to four hundred of tobacco, and all. other kinds of produce, requiring upon an average from fifteen to twenty-five boats to send off the annual products of the country.
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