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 14
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During this period, the subject of our sketch, J. F. Allison, took charge of the out-door business, and as steadily as the years rolled around, make his trips south and from thence east in charge of the river interest. In the year 1839 he was elected to the House of Representatives from the county of Greene, over two oppo- sing candidates, and served, as histo- ry informs us, with credit to himself and constituents.
At that time there stood out in bold relief upon the statute books of the young state a law imprisoning her citizens for debt, and at that session the law was repealed, our young re- presentative winning to himself great honor for his firm and unwavering advocacy for its repeal. This made him some political enemies, but many more friends. In the year 1840, hc took the field, (though not a candi- date) and advocated the election of Wm. Henry Harrison over Martin Van Buren, the incumbent of the Presidential chair, doing signal ser- vice as one of the many orators of the day. In 1841, the Whig party, composing the Senatorial district of the counties of Owen and Greene, in convention at Point Commerce, offered him the nomination as their candidate for the Senate, which he declined, not wishing to identify himself wholly to any exclusive party organization. In 1842 he was again elected to the House of Representa- tives from Greene county by a large majority. His opponent, John F.
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The Early History of Greene County.
O'Neal, being a Democrat, "dyed in | He bought and sold nearly all the the wool," and the county largely Democratic. Resting one year,. again in 1844 he was elected to the Senate from the counties of Owen and Greene, his opponent being the same John F. O'Neal whom he had. defeated before. He served in the Senate for a period of three years, and was one of the advocates of the great compromise measure, known as the Butler Bill, which became a law; the result of which all readers of the history of the young State, and those of his generation can testify, saved the State from bankruptcy and laid the foundation for her pres- ent greatness.
There were many reforms intro-" duced into the State during his con- nection with the law making power, which cannot be introduced here for the want of space; yet, there is one worthy of a place which we will mention. The constitution provided for the election of all State officers by joint ballot of both Houses of the Legislature, and the election also of circuit judges and prosecuting at- torneys. The subject was introduc- ed into the legislature to so change the mode as to make all these ap- pointments directly by the people at the ballot box. This, by many men, was looked upon as being an innova- tion which would result in perfect an- archy and confusion, filling our State offices and judges' seats with dema- gogues, directly from among the rabble. The change was made, the result being the opposite of such fears; and now while the rising gen- eration read of the once existance of such laws, they are astonished at such credulity and short-sightedness among our fathers. In this meas- ure, with many other reforms, Mr. A. was a conspicuous advocate, both at home, among his constituents and in the halls of the State Legislature. At the conclusion of this term in the Senate he gave up politics and turned his attention to trading in and improving real estate.
prairie and timber land west and south of the town of Worthington, and done much by a system of drain- ing in reclaiming lands which had been thought worthless. He made the farms now owned by the followa ing parties : Putnam McKissick, Hastin Owen, the great farm then known as the Freeman farm, centaining near a thousand acres, but now cut up into many. Also the farm now owned by Mr. Shaw aud W. Watson, and several other smaller farms on the uplands. He was always an advocate for inter= nal improvements based upon indi- vidual enterprise, and made great sacrifices in money, time and proper- ty in endeavoring to bring about the great (Air Light) straight line railroad scheme. His losses was much time and money spent in trav- eling, with an addition of twelve hundred acres of land valued at $8,000, but now worth five times more than that sum. Also in the first attempt to get a railroad from Indianapolis to Vincennes, known as the Southwestern, He lost near one year's time as Secretary of the Board of Directors, paying his own expen- ses with an additional advance of over one thousand dollars, all of which was a dead loss. When the I. & V. road was first projected he gave it much time and aided pecunia- rially with a donation of $1,000. In short he lias ever been among the first in all enterprises designed for the advancement of the commercial and agricultural interests of this portion of the State, and a liberal donor to all moral and religious en- terprises, and is still in our midst ready to lend a helping hand to all laudable enterprises, so far as he is able, for the advancement of the higher interest of community at large, and the spread of those great truths which alone can make us & prosperous and happy people.
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The Early History of Greene County.
W. C: ANDREWS,
who was one of the early settlers of Point Commerce, was born in Essex county, New York, in 1812, came to this county in 1839, and in company with Dayton Topping, engaged in mercantile business. He was mar- ried in 1840, to Mr. Topping's sister, a most estimable woman as a wife, mother and useful Christian member of society. Mr. Andrews continued his business in Point Commerce un- til the opening of the Wabash & Erie canal, when, in company with C. J. Barrackman, he laid out the town of Worthington, and brought the first stock of goods that was opened in that town. During his residence in Point Commerce, he was elected a Justice of the Peace, and held the office continuously there and in Wor- thington for a quarter of a century. Mr. Andrews is now sixty-three years old, and apparently just in the prime of life ; executes more deeds, mort- gages, contracts, etc., than any other man in Greene county, and is the President of the Worthington bank.
JOHN LAVERTY,
though not an early settler of Greene county, was born in 1822 in Parke county, near the Wabash river. His father settled eighteen miles north of Terre Haute, in 1819, when white inhabitants were not more than one- tenth as numerous as red men.
The subject of this sketch is the third of five brothers, and had five sisters who lived to mature age. He was one among the early graduates of Indiana Asbury University, at Greencastle. Was the first editor of the first weekly newspaper published in Mooresville, Morgan county. Said paper was called the Mooresville Chronicle. He represented Morgan county in the Legislature during the long session in 1851-52, the first ses- sion under the new constitution. Having enjoyed a complete surfeit of political honors during that long drawn out session, he declined a sec- ond race for Legislative honors. In
1853, he entered the ministry,. in which calling he continued fourteen years ; after which he retired with broken health and spent some years in teaching. While thus engaged, he was elected to take charge of the mathematical department in the high school at Point Commerce, in Janu- ary, 1871, since which time he has been a citizen of Greene county. And, judging from the manner: in which he is fixing up his little cot- tage home in Worthington, he must expect to remain a citizen of tlie "free State of Greene," the great center of creation.
UNCLE JACK BABER
is a bachelor, on the shady-side of fifty years of boyhood, and was born in Richland township, Greene coun- ty, Indiana, on Saturday, the 10th day of February, 1821, at dinner time ! He was raised in Clay coun- ty, on the old Baber farm, at the Coffee post office place, fifteen miles from Worthington. Uncle Jack has had two brothers and two sisters, and one of the brothers died in 1855, and one of the sisters died many years ago. His brother, William W. Baber, and his sister, Mrs. Emiline Fires, both live in Greene county. Uncle Jack Baber is a common farm- er and market gardener, and has re- cently established a first-class agri- cultural fair ground and exchange trade, for all kinds of choice poultry, fine hogs, evergreen shrubbery, and ornamental trees, at Worthington, Greene county, Indiana.
M. GARD
is a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and is now in his fifty-ninth year. He emigrated to Owen coun- ty, Indiana, in August, 1854, and en- gaged in farming. He removed to Worthington in 1872, and embarked in the mercantile business, and by strict attention to his business has secured a good patronage.
GEORGE W. LANGWORTHIY
is a native of Saratoga county, New York. He is fifty-nine years of age.
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The Early History of Greene County ..
lle came to Indiana thirty-six years | had many ups and downs in life. He ago, and settled at Terre Haute. He is one of our pioneer merchants, hav- ing commenced business in Worth- ington in 1850. He has been very successful, and has accumulated con- DR. W. B. SQUIRE siderable property.
S. B. HARRAH
was born in Flemming county, Ken- tucky, in 1816, and moved to Greene county, Indiana, in 1825, began bus- iness for himself in 1850, and is now one of our most prosperous merchants. By honesty and strict attention to business, he has made some money and many friends. We are not ap- prised of the date of his marriage, but suffice it to say that in his wife, Mrs. A. M. S. Harrah, who was born in Milford Centre, Union county, Ohio, in 1817, all causes having the good welfare of mankind at heart, have always found in her a true friend. She is a staunch advocate of the cause of temperance, and her voice and her pen are ever ready to defend the good cause.
JAMES MCCUTCHAN
is a common farmer and a bachelor on the cold side of fifty years of age. Ile was born in Highland township, and has always lived and worked on the same old farm, seven miles east of Worthington. We hear his neigh- bors say that he is an honest man, and that he minds his own business and lets other people's affairs alone.
K. B. OSBORN
was born in Cayuga county, New York, and came to Indiana in 1842. He was first engaged as superintend- ent of the Wabash & Erie canal, from Lafayette to Evansville. He came to Greene county in 1849, and is now engaged in the hotel business. He is fifty-three years of age.
WILLIAM H. OSBORN
is from the same county and State, came to Greene county in 1859, and was one of the contractors on the ca- nal. He has been engaged in vari- ous branches of business, and has
has amassed a considerable amount of property, and is now engaged in the mercantile business. He was born April 3d, 1822.
was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, June 30th, 1830, and came to Greene county, Indiana, in April, 1855. He graduated as doctor of medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio, February, 1857. Served as Captain in the 31st Indi- ana volunteers, and afterwards as surgeon of the 14th Indiana's, during the war of the rebellion. His wife having died in 1871, he was married the following year to a daughter of Jonas Smith, of Evansville, Indiana. At this writing, the doctor is engage ed in the drug business at Worthing- ton, Greene county, Indiana.
ROBERT BABEP.
is a native of North Carolina, and a hatter by trade in his younger days, and he was one of six children-four boys and two girls. He came from Surry county, North Carolina, to Pulaski county, Kentucky, married Miss Katie Wiles, and they came to Greene county, Indiana, on horse- back (pack horse,) and stopped with an old Quaker friend-Timothy Jes- sup-who had came the year before (1818,) and settled in the northeast corner of Richland township, on the old Jolin S. Moore farm, where Hen- derson Sarver now lives. Mr. Baber was one of the hands in building the old Welton mill, on Richland creek, fifty-five years ago. A few years af- terwards, several of the old pioneers from that neighborhood went out to hunt about the Lone Tree prairie and Rawley's mill, on Eel river-be- ing a great place for game up there, and very sparsley settled.
Robert Baber bought a little Con- gress improvement of John Saverree, and shortly afterwards moved over into Clay county. Hle planted six acres of corn, in the year 1828, and lost it by the high waters in the bot- toms. He then built a small log
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The Early History of Greene County.
house on the Terre Haute road, fif- [ every district in each township. The teen miles from Smith's ferry, and rising generation now have the means of acquiring a liberal education. lived there nearly fifty years. The old man and his wife are both dead, OBED MERCER, and are buried in the Woodrow Bluff cemetery, one mile from Coffee post- office. . Old Uncle Robert Baber was eighty-one years of age, at the time of his death, and his wife sixty-four.
DR. W. C. SMYDTH
was born in Nicholas county, Ken- tucky, on the 16th day of July, 1816. He came to Monroe county, Indiana, with his father and family in October, 1818 ; was educated at the State Un- iyersity, at Bloomington, where he attended from 1834 to 1837, and stu- died medicine under Dr. W. C. Fos- ter. He took his first course of lec- tures in the winter of 1839-40, at the Transylvania University, Kentucky. He practiced medicine at Ellettsville one year, in 1840. He moved to Bloomfield, Greene county, in 1841, where he practiced most of his time till 1851. During that year he at- tended a course of lectures at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated in medicine. He settled in Worthington, Greene coun- ty, in June, 1853, where he has re- sided and practiced his profession most of the time since. In 1861, he was commissioned by Governor O. P. Morton, as surgeon of the 43d regi- ment of Indiana volunteers, in which capacity he served nearly one year, but had to resign, owing to ill health. When he first came to this county, there were not more than seven hun- dred voters. Most of the people liv- ed in log cabins. Deer, turkeys and squirrels were very abundant. Hunt- ing game was carried on by nearly all of the settlers, and wild meat was very plentiful. Nearly every body dressed in homespun garments. The cost of living was but little. He has lived to see the population increased to over five thousand voters. Large farms and handsome houses have been made all over the county. School houses have been erected in
the subject of this sketch, is a citizen of Worthington, and engaged in the restaurant business, has been a man of active business habits for many years, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in the year 1820. He lived on a farm until 1837, when he commenced working at the carpenter. business. In 1839 he came with his father to Martin county, Indiana, and continued to work at his trade in Martin and Lawrence counties until 1846, when he engaged in the mercantile business in Harrisonville, Martin county, a place of much promise on account of the mineral springs. In 1848 he was married to Miss Ann McBride, who was born in Carroll county, Ohio. He was very successful in business for many years. He made several trips to New Or- leans with produce, taking in ex- change for other goods. In 1855 he commenced gambling in hogs, which was continued for four years, which soon swept away all he had accumu- lated by close application to business. Since that time he has not been able to look two kinds of hogs in the face with any degree of allowance -- the porcine and the biped. The same year was the sickliest that he has any knowledge of; he having been appointed by the Commissioners of Martin county as a safe person to sell intoxicating liquors in Mitchelltree township under the then existing law. He finds on examination that he commenced on the 4th of August and closed on the 10th day of De- cember following, made 776 sales for medicinal purposes, and 6 for me- chanical. The Judge of the Court required two gallons during one term of court for medicinal purposes.
In the year 1861, he moved to.Hu- ron, Lawrence county, on the Ohio & Mississippi railroad, where he con- tinued in the mercantile business un-
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The Early History of Greene County.
til the year 1869, when he removed ( to Worthington, where he was em- ployed for two years to superintend the interest of Proser, a partner in the saw-mill business with J. A. Barker. In the year 1871, he acted as marshal for the town of Worth- ington, and Constable for Jefferson, Eel River and Fairplay townships, for which he ever prays for forgive- ness. He lost his wife in 1873, since which time he has been diligently en- gaged in the restaurant business."
CHAPTER XXXIV.
STORE HOUSES.
IN EARLY times, there were on- ly a few store houses at Terre Haute, and but one at Bloom- field, and then William Smith estab- lished a small store just in the east edge of the prairie where Worthing- ton now stands. Wickliff Wines sold dry goods at Linton, and there was a small store at Fairplay.
We have the names of many of the old road wagoners, who hauled dry goods from Louisville, Kentucky, to supply all of those olden-tine store- houses. Among the old wagoners, we will name Warner Davis, Philip Shintaffer, Adam Stropes, Elias Crance, Thomas Stalcup, Elias Day- hoff, William Dayhoff, George R. Taylor, William Cunningham, Rob- ert Cunningham, John Davis, Rob- ert Bratton, William Merris, James Merris, Elijah Cumpton and Howard Crance.
CHAPTER XXXV.
LAWRENCE COUNTY, INDIANA.
IN THIS chapter, we will give a very brief notice of Lawrence county, according to our recol- lection : The first old pioneer or frontier settlers in this county came from Lee county, Virginia, and set- tled in the woods and named the place Leesville. They left Virginia in 1809, and came over to Kentucky, and then to their new home, at a -
fort, half a mile north of Leesville, in the year 1810.
We notice by these dates, that the white people settled in the fort, near Leesville, just about ten years before any permanent settlement was made. here in Greene county. In the fall of 1813, Roderick Rawlins and oth- ers made the first settlement, in the bottoms near Scottsville. In the year 1815, Mr. Edward Johnston made another neighborhood settle- ment, on the farm of Harry Bright, opposite the place where Scottsville now stands. All of the old frontier settlers were sorely and sadly trou- bled with savage, war-like tribes of Indians ; and many are the distress- ing circumstances that are being told over and over again about the Indian massacre among the old settlers of Lawrence county.
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PRESIDENTS.
HE Presidents of the United States and their respective oc- cupations in life, are given as follows :
John Adams was a lawyer; Thom- as Jefferson, lawyer ; James Madison, statesman ; James Monroe, lawyer ; John Quincy Adams, lawyer ; ; An- drew Jackson, a soldier 'and a num- ber one lawyer ; Martin Van Buren, lawyer ; William H. Harrison, farm- er and soldier ; James K. Polk, law- yer ; Zachariah Taylor, soldier ; Mil- lard Fillmore, lawyer ; Franklin Pierce, lawyer ; James Buchanan, lawyer; Abraham Lincoln, lawyer ; Andrew Johnson, lawyer; Ulysses S. Grant, saddler, tanner and soldier.
REMARKS.
We will say that old General Jack- son was also a prominent Judge, a good lawyer and a true soldier ; but it was being a good General that made him President. So was Pierce a Brigadier-General in the Mexican war, but he did not distinguish him- self as much of a fighter.
It should be explained with respect
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The Early History of Greene County.
to James Madison. He studied law, [ nouncing to the people that it was but seems to have been dragged into public life too soon to make any pro- gress in practice.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE OLD SETTLERS' FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION.
CONCLUSION.
Y WAY of conclusion, we give the following account of the Old Settlers' meeting and bas- ket pic-nic, as taken from the Worth- ington Times of July 8th, 1875:
'The Old Pioneer Settlers' Meeting and Basket Pic-nic, on Saturday, Ju- ly 4th, 1875, in honor of the 99th Anniversary of American Indepen- dence, was a splendid success. Ear- ly in the morning the people took up their line of march, and began to gather at the pic-nic grounds, just west of town, by hundreds; and at ten o'clock the "Stalcup Martial Band " arrived and began to play. Old Jimmy Newsom was the oldest man present, and was the first to take a seat in the stand. He was in feeble health, and said he would nev- er be at another celebration. By re- quest of Uncle Jack Baber, the exer- cises were opened with prayer by Rev. John Laverty, following which was a very nice little speech, of fif- teen minutes' length, by the same gentleman, in which he explained to the young people the reasons why Our book, originally, was to con- tain over a hundred pages, but ow- ing to scarcity of time and failure on the part of numerous correspondents on whom we depended for informa- tion, to comply with our wishes on time, we are compelled to close right where we are. We will, however, endeavor to revise this edition, at no distant day, and issue a larger and the fourth day of July was made a national holiday. The Declaration of Independence was read by Benja- min Stalcup, after which Rev. Rob- ert Blount came to the front and oc- enpied about ten minutes in the de- livery of a very interesting oration. Captain E. E. Rose excused himself very agreeably to all, by making a five minutes' speech, and then an- more complete book in every respect.
dinner time, and the old folks could talk and be social, while the young folks might court and enjoy them- selves for a couple of hours.
The old people and young folks fully enjoyed the pleasures during recess, and at two o'clock the audi - ence reassembled at the stand, and while the band played "Jay-Bird," the following-named old pioneers took their seats : Elias Dayhoff, George R. Taylor, William Griffith, William J. McIntosh, William Huey, William Dyer, Cyrus Conant, Ira Danely, James Harrah, Rice Elgan, David Heaton, Alfred Kutch, J. F. Allison, Virgil Crance and others. We could not determine just who was managing the pic-nic besides the old settlers, as we noticed Captain E. E. Rose, Mahlon Neal, James Beach, Dr. William L. Green, Dr. J. S. R. Benefield, Reverend James Hughes and others on the stand. During the afternoon, short speech- es were made by Elias Dayhoff, Wil- liam J. McIntosh and Colonel E. II. C. Cavins, and at three o'clock the people were dismissed by Uncle Jack Baber, who promised them a big cen- tennial and old-fashioned barbecue, July 4th, 1876, just west of Worth- ington. The crowd numbered about two thousand, and be it said to the credit of all present, that no man was seen drunk on the grounds.
1865
1822 1
R-87-Prominent persons living in Greene County in 1879 and Beech Creek Town- ship: G. R. AXTELL; farmer, b. Washington County, Pa., settled here 1855; Dr. D. F. BUTCHER, physician, b. Greene County, 1852; Williams B. CRAWFORD, farmer, b. Stark County, Q., settled 1860; Samuel JUNKIN, miller, b. Chester, S.C., settled 1862; Edward THOMPSON, miller, b. Ireland, settled 1862; Na- than PRYOR, farmer, b. Bel- mont, O., here 1866; J. W.
WALKER, teacher, b. Greene County, here 1858.
Center Township: William S. BRIDWELL, farmer, Crab Orchard, Ky., settled here 1843; T. J/ CARMICHAEL, miller, Greene County, 1847; Wesley CARTER, miller,: b. Monroe County, settled 1869; Dr. C. Gastineau, physician, b .: Martin County, here 1877; Jasper HOLTSCLAW, teach- er, b. Greene County, 1851; T. J. JACKSON, teacher, Ches- settled here 185 1.
Cass Township: Samuel ASDEL, farmer, b. Columbi- ana County, Ohio, settlement date 1853; A. J. COX, stock dealer, b. Monroe County, here 1869; Uriah CHRISTEN- BERRY, farmer, b. Greene County 1833; Dr. C. R. DUR- MENT, physician, b. Clark County, here 1876; Susannah S. HENSHAW, farmer, b. Greene County 1827; W. L. HASTINGS, Justice of Peace, b. Lawrence County, settled 1859; R. C. HILBURN, teach- er, b. South Carolina, here 1835; John LILES, farmer, and trustee, b. Greene Coun- ty 1839; Mark Liles, farmer, b. Greene County 1854.
Daniel MILLER, merchant, b. Holmes County, Ohio, set- tlement date of 1866; John D. MOORE, farmer, b. Da- viess County, here 1872; H. D. NUGENT, ,farmer, b. Greene County, 1858; Alex- ander NEFF, miller, b. Ger-
many, here 1849; H. C. OWEN
Sr., landlord, b. Madison County; Kentucky,' here 1839; Hannah SLOMP, farmer, b. Columbiana County, Ohio, here 1854; S. A. SLINKARD, farmer, b. Greene County 1838; C. C. THAYER, farmer, b. Bartholomew County, here 1866; Mrs. E. J. WADS- WORTH, landlady, b. Greene County.
Fairplay Township: Henry BOVENSHEN, farmer, b. Eu- rope, settlement date 1848; Henry " BAKER, Justice of Peace, b. Niagara County, New York, here 1839; J. H. BALLERMAN, farmer, b. Germany, here 1849; Marion BENNETT, farmer, b. Greene County 1844; Harmon BULL- ERMAN, farmer, b. Germany, here 1849; Henry DAUBEN- SPECK, farmer, .b. Germary, here 1849; I. W. INGER- SOLL, farmer, b. Greene County 1847.
John NEWSOM, farmer, b. Greene County 1827; W. R. NEWMAN, ' physician and surgeon, b. North Carolina, settlement date 1873; C. H. ROBERT, farmer, b. New York, here 1859; J. J. RUSH, farmer, b. Vermillion County, here 1874; D. F. SHRYER, farmer, b. Monroe County, here 1855; Nelson SINCLAIR, farmer, b. Wayne County, Kentucky, here 1833; Eli STARNES, farmer, b. Monroe County, here 1866.
Uncle Jack Baber,
SHIPPER AND DEALER IN
20
Ornamental Trees
OSAGE HEDGE PLANTS, EVERGREEN SHRUBBERY, AND GARDEN VEGETABLES. NEW FAIR GROUNDS, JUST WEST OF WORTHINGTON, INDIANA.
THE WORTHINGTON 0
TIMES
NEWS & JOB PRINTING OFFICE,
LOCATED AT WORTHINGTON, INDIANA:
PHIE TIMES is the oldest periodical in Greene county, a fine, seven-colrimn folio, Republican in politics, and is always filled with choice miscellaneous, news and local matter, and is furnished to subscribers at $1. 75 per annum.
THE JOB DEPARTMENT
is well supplied with all kinds of material, and is capable of producing as fine work as muyy country office in this section of the State
NO SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, both in QUALITY and PRICE OF WORK. Address:
W. J. WARD, Publisher, Worthington, Indiana.
CE
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