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 8
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We have only three old brick hous- es, and James Stalcup built the first brick house in Greene county. He
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The Early Ilistory of Greene County.
afterwards sold that farm to a Mr. were Bailey McCutehan and An- Allen, and moved to White river bot- tom, where he built another brick house. John II. Dixon afterwards built his brick dwelling.
We had no peddlers in carly times. Old Grandmother Baber attended all public gatherings, and sold ginger- cakes at fourpence apiece, for pocket change and pin money.
The names of the first preachers were Elder HI. S. Doaty, Rev. Sam- uel Medley, James Birteh, Thomas Oliphant, Abraham Kcarnes, Obedi- ah Winters and others.
William Welton built the first mill on Richland creek, at the old Benja- min Turley mill seat. Old Doctor Simon Snyder built a little corn mill on the Mosquito branch, and ground about three bushels per day. The toll taken at that mill was the eighth bushel.
Old John Hunter and wife raised ten children, five boys and five girls, all of whom lived to be men and wo- men. The old man and woman lived to see them all buried, except one- Daniel Hunter-who has since died of consumption.
The largest family was old Isaac Staleup's. We have been told that there were twenty-one children in that family.
Mr. Nations and wife raised a fam- ily of deaf and dumb children.
The names and ages of some of the old people now living in this neigh- borhood : James Vandeventer, aged 83; William Bays, aged 75; Aaron MeDaniel, aged 77; John Bucher, William J. McIntosh, and Mrs. Si- sanna Lang, aged respectively 83; Anna McCutchan, aged 82; Mickey Pickard, aged 81; and Elizabeth Moore, aged 82 years.
The first white children born in llighland township, were John G. Owen, Charles Kelly, Armstead Ow- en, A. J. Baber, William W. Baber, Simon Bland, William Staleup, Mary J. Turley, Mary Bland, George and James McCutchan.
The first weddings in this locality,
na Baber; Aaron Bland and Lavina Bryant ; big Isaac Stalcup and Miss < Mournen Martin. It is said that Mr. Stalcup was a drinking man and a widower, having sold his first wife to another man for a new fur hat and ten gallons of whisky. The man and woman then floated down White riy- er in a water craft. The next lucky couple were George Baber, aged 40 years, and Margaret Ilunter, aged 15 years. Next were Reuben Martin and Jennie Beasley ; Hiram Martin and Margaret Cloud ; Eli Martin and Sallie Baber; Charles Turley and Nancy Walker; then Alexander Mar- tin and Olive Walker, of another fam- ily, there being two families named Walker.
We will now give a short sketch of a few of the old pioneer settlers. Old Isaac Stalcup was born in North Carolina, and married Catharine Os- born. They came to Greene county in the year 1817, and settled on White river, and that fall built the first little log cabin, on the old farm where William Crites now lives. Ile crossed at the yellow banks on the Ohio river, and came by way of Vin- cennes to Greene county. Grandfa- ther Staleup and wife had twenty- one children-fifteen boys and six girls.
James Staleup was born in North Carolina, from whence he moved to Sumner county, Tennessee, and mar- ried Miss Margaret Marlin, an Irish lady. They came to Greene county in the year 1818, and settled on the hill just east of where Worthington now stands. He established the first blacksmith shop in this neighborhood. Mr. Staleup afterwards moved over on the east sido of White river, and lived there fifty years. IIc made the best axes and Cary plows of any [blacksmith in Greene county. He also built the first brick house in the county.
Jonathan Quakenbush came from North Carolina about fifty years ago. and settled on White river, and lived
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The Early History of Greene County.
the first year in the old log school house on the farm where John Quak- enbush now lives. Mr. Quakenbush and wife raised three boys and one girl.
James Stalcup and wife had eight children -- three boys and five girls. About three years ago the old man and old lady passed away from among us. He died at the age of eighty-six years, and was buried on the old homestead farm. just west of where Solomon Dixon now lives.
George B. Stalcup was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, in 1814, and came with his parents to Greene county, in the year 1818. When he became a man, he married Miss Mary Buckner, the third daughter of Ed- ward Buckner. Mr. Stalcup and wife have had eleven children, and raised only two of them to be women. Our friend Stalcup is a common farmer, sixty one years old, and owns one of the best farms in this part of Greene county. He lives at home, and says that he can take care of himself without the help of the wo- men crusaders.
John H. Owen came from Stokes county, North Carolina, to the new Indiana Territory, in the year 1814, and settled on Lost river, near Paoli, Indiana, and remained there two years, when he married Miss Susan- nah Elrod. They came to Greene county in the year 1817, and settled on the old farm of Armstead Owen, in Highland township. John H. Owen and wife raised five children- four boys and one girl-and all of them lived to be grown.
The second boy of this family of children was the first white male child born in Greene county.
Old Quaker-style, John Gallettley Owen was born on the 8th day of the 8th month. in the year 1818, or Aug- ust 8th, 1818. John- G. Owen mar- ried Miss Margaret Mock, eldest daughter of David and Elizabeth Mock. Mr. Owen and wife have had seven children -- three boys and four girls. Mr. Owen is a common farm-
er, fifty-seven years old, and lives of a good farm, five miles north of Bloomfield.
John H. Owen and his wife, and their son, Armstead Owen, are all buried in the old homestead Owen cemetery.
Old Uncle Evan Owen came from North Carolina to Lost river, in Or- ange county, Indiana, in 1814, and from there to White river, in 1817. He brought apple and peach secd from North Carolina, and planted out the first orchard in Highland township. Mr. Owen married Miss Priscilla Sanders, and they had twelve children-six boys and six girls- and among them are our fellow-citi- zens, Charles G. Owen, Hastin B Owen, Mrs. Verlin Jessup and Mrs. Martha Allen. Uncle Evan Owen died about fifteen years ago, aged seventy-four years.
Mr. James Gallettley,a Scotchman, while stopping at Chillicothe, Ohio, wrote a letter to Colonel Jack Stoke- ly, of Greene county, asking inform- ation about the new territory, oppor- tunities, mode of living, etc.
Colonel Stokely, in reply, said: " We have fat pork, turkey soup, and mush-and-milk plenty. By the Lord, come on !"
The first school teacher was John S. Owen, and among the pupils were Lott Lindley, Amos Owen, Samuel Owen, William and Robert Owen, Aaron Bland, Jesse Osborn, Ruth Lindley, Hannah Owen, Susan Bur- ris, Ruth Owen, Iredell Green, Frank Jessup, George B. Stalcup and others.
JOHN II. DIXON'S BIG TREE.
On the east side of White river, in Highland township, on the land of John H. Dixon, stands the giant tree of the forest. This monster old syc- amore tree is perhaps a thousand years old, nearly a hundred feet high and measures thirteen feet in diame- ter. We undertake to say that the tall sycamore of the White river val- ley, rather beats the Tall Sycamore of the Wabash valley, by at least
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The Early History of Greene County.
ninety feet in heighth and thirty feet in circumference. Our old tall, giant sycamore never meddles with politics or religion, and therefore occupies a very high position among men, and we hope the old tree may always be spared by the storms and the wood- man's ax.
On the third day of August, 1875, at five o'clock p. m., when the water in White river bottoms was at the highest mark, Mr. John D. Allen, John W. Padgett, John W. Carmi- chael, Thomas Walker and William Goodwin, paddled John D. Allen's big canoe, and ran it up in the fork of Dixon's big sycamore tree, and on the south side of each tree, above the fork, cut the notch for high water mark for the year 1875. Having a. bottle full of good whisky, they all took a big dram, and had a grand, high old time, while standing on the fork of that big tree.
CHAPTER XVII.
EEL RIVER TOWNSHIP. ICHARD WALL, of Eel River township, is now eighty-four years old. He was born in North Hampton county, North Carolina. His father and mother were poof und made their living on a small farm, about thirty miles from Halifax Court House. Mr. Wall is the youngest of twelve children, six boys and six girls. His parents died when he was a boy, only thirteen years old, and at that carly age he was cast out into the world an honest orphan boy. He managed to keep one eye open to shun all bad company, and the other open to see the plainest way to make a man of himself. When he was twen- ty-one years old he came to Indiana and worked for a good honest Quaker farmer named David Lindley, near Paoli, Indiana. He remained there two summers, as a farin boy and chicken peddler.
The first settlers in this locality were Edmon Jean, Richard Wall, George Griffith, Caleb Jessup, Samt- uel and Edward Dyer, Jonathan Os= bron, Thomas Clark, and William Dunnegan-"who never went to a house but what he come again:" John Sanders, Alexander Craig, Benjamin Huey and a few others.
The first land purchase was at the first land sale at Evansville, by Da- vid and Jonathan Lindley, embracing all that good bottom land on the north side of White river from Wat- son's Station down to Israel Glover's line. Old Uncle Ira Danely bought of David Lindley one hundred and sixty-six acres of that land and has made a good farm and has lived af that place for forty years.
The first log cabin was built by Uncle Edmon Jean, on the farm where Jesse Griffith now lives.
The first land entered was the farm where Israel Glover now lives, by old John Sanders. The next entry was made by Payton Owen and Sam- uel Dyer, and Payton Owen sold that land to Richard Wall, who planted the first apple seed, and raised the first crop of wheat. Mr. Wall brought about a quart of apple seeds in an old- fashioned pair of saddle-bags, all the way from Stokes county, North Carolina, and the apple seeds were planted on the old Wall farm, now owned by Henry Newsom. We can yet see fair samples of these little ap- ple trees, which were divided out among the old settlers, and were planted in the old orchards of the Sanders', Jessup's, Arney's, Wall's, Newsom's, Clarks', Dyer's and many othei's.
The first crop of wheat was raised by Richard Wall and Sam Dyer, on the farm where Garey Workman now lives, and the first sample of that crop of wheat was beat out with a flail and cleaned up by the wind, while empty- ing the half bushel of wheat on a quilt iu the door yard, spread on the
Edmon Jean, Samuel Dyer and Richard Wall then came to White river and built the first log cabins in ground. Part of that wheat was ta- iken to Craig's new mill on White
Kel River township.
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The Earlg History of Greene County.
river and ground into flour, but not bolted for want of a bolting-clothi. But Mrs. Mary Wall seived the flour with.a seive made of a wooden hoop and a dressed buck-skin bottom, with holes made by punching through the bottom with a hot iron fork.
The remainder of that little crop of wheat was taken to Ketcham's mill, near Bloomington, in Monroe county, and made into flour and was brought home and divided between the families of Richard Wall, Sam- uel Dyer and Robert Baber -- Mr. Baber doing the milling for part of the flour.
William Dyer is now seventy four years old, and was one among the first new comers on White river, in jold Unole Tommy Clark was elected the year 1818. William Dyer is the Justice of the Peace, a party of about youngest of his father's family, hav- la half dozen young people went there ing three brothers and four sisters. after bed-time, wishing to see the He was born in Washington county, Justice marry a couple for the first Virginia, in August, 1801. He came time, etc. They called the 'Squire to Indiana in the year 1814, and stop- ; up, and he asked them to come in ; ped among the first settlers on Lost !and they said they were in a hurry, river, near Paoli, Indiana. He then came to Greene county, in the year 1818, with his older brothers and Mr. Wall.
About fifty-seven years ago Old Uncle Billy Dyer was a mill boy, and he rode on horse back and brought the first sack of seed wheat to Greene county from Warner Davis', on In- dian creek, in the southern part of
The first weddings in the township were Mr. Payton Owen and Miss Rachael Griffith, Richard Wall and Miss Mary Dyer as waiters. The next lucky couple were Mr. Wall and Miss Mary Dyer. Harbert Sanders and Miss Jensie Jessup ; John Fires and Martha Craig; Edward Dyer and Katy Danely ; Henry Jackson and Nancy Dyer; William Parsley and Anna Osborh ; Isaat Jackson and Elizabeth Griffith ; Samuel Dyer and Celia Arney ; Acquilla Walker and Elizabeth Dyer ; William Foley and Jane Osborn ; Ira Danely and Miss Olive Jessup. And, by the way, the young folks had fun at all of those early weddings; and when
jand wanted to see a wedding in the door-yard, by moonlight. The old bee hunter just stepped back, lighted a candle, picked up the book, and while he stood in the presence of the witnesses said the ceremony "in his shirt-tail !" All the party Jeft for home, fully enjoying a Hoosier wed- ding.
Old Caleb Jessup had the largest Monroe county, Indiana. This wheat family, having bad three wives and was sowed and cut by Mr. Wall and , nineteen children-eight boys and the Dyer boys, and was the first crop. of wheat made in this part of Greene county. This family also raised the firet corn crop that was grown in this township. eleven girls. Alexander Craig and wife raised ten children-five boys and five girls. They all lived to be men and women. James Newsom and wife raised eight boys and five Mr. Dyer and wife raised eight children-four boys and four girls. girls. Uncle Richard Wall and wife had six children, and raised five of The first peach orchards were grown from peach seeds brought by the farmers who went to the Shaker prairie to that old mill on Busron. them to be men and women. George Griffith and wife raised two boys and four girls. Uncle Ira Danely and wife had thirteen children, and rais- Among the first white children born in the neighborhood were John | except one, and he wants a mate. Archer, Rachel Wall, William Wall, Anna and Jot. Osborn, and some of the Sanders, Jessup and Clark children. ed six boys and six girls ; all married Ira Danely was born in Surry coun- ty, North Carolina, and was an or- phan boy, raised among the friendly
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The Early History of Greene County.
Quaker farmers, by William Dunne- days, did not preach for the salary, gan. He was married February 20th, but traveled and preached for the good of the people and the church. 1828, at the age of twenty-two years.
We have had two distill houses built by Richard Wall, who made a pure article when he made whisky and brandy. It was not the kind that kills two hundred yards, off-hand.
Our first mills were hand mills and hominy mortars. Old - Alexander Craig built the first water-mill, at Point Commerce bluff, on White riv- er. He also built a cotton gin to pick out cotton seed, in that mill. Squire Tommy Clark built a little tub mill on Clark's creek, and ground corn into meal for the first settlers on that creek. James Jessup and Dan- iel Ingersoll built the Junction mills on Eel river, at the Rock ford at Point Commerce. Ira Danely, Amos Owen and Orren Talley built the old White river mills, just above the mouth of Clark's creek, about thirty years ago ; and White river changed Its channel there, and left the mill site and mill pond in a patch of wil- lows on the sand-bar.
'The first school in Eel river town- ship was taught by George Baber, in n log cabin at Caleb Jessup's. Among the pupils were James, Frank and Verlin Jessup, Harbert, John and Charles Sanders, Ira Danely, and Jensie and Mary Jessup, besides some of the Griffith children. The next school was taught by Amos Roark, with several small pupils. Among them were William and Ellen Wall, N. Watson, Elizabeth Watson, John, Frank and Amey Clark, Clara San- ders, Caleb Jessup's children and others.
Our pioneer preachers were Elder Hugh Barnes, Elder James Arm- strong, Rev. Eli P. Farmer, Rev. Abraham Kearnes, Rev. Obediah Winters, and a few traveling Shak- ers, who preached at Alexander Craig's, at the mouth of Eel river. We had our'first Methodist camp- meeting by moon-light, in the woods just north of Fairplay, more than fif- ty years ago. Our ministers, in those
Among our oldest people now liv- ing here, we will name Richard Wall, aged 84 years ; James Newsom, aged 83 years; Aunt Lydia Baber, aged 80 years ; Richard Haxton and wife, aged 70 years; William Griffith, aged 70 years ; William Dyer, aged 74 years ; Mary Sanders, Elizabeth Griffith, J. M. H. Allison and a few others.
One of the most remarkable wed- ding parties that ever assembled in the western part of Indiana, met at the mouth of Eel river, when John Fires and Martha Craig were married at Alexander Craig's, on Sunday, September 30th, 1819. On that day, about noon, while the young people of this neighborhood were enjoying themselves and having a very good time generally, a tribe of Indians, numbering about two hundred strong, floated down White river, from near Indianapolis, and landed their bark canoes at the mouth of Eel river, camped over night, and all the wed- ding party and many of the neighbors went to see the Indians, and the In- dians passed through and took a cu- rious look at the many workings of Mr. Craig's new mill. One young brave who had recently married a young Indian squaw, offered to make a wager with Mr. Fires, and leave it to the crowd to say which had the best and prettiest squaw, but it has been said that. John Fires crawfished. Within a few days after that time, about three hundred Indian warriors and their chief passed down the old Indian trail and crossed over Eel riv- er, at the old gravel ford, on horse- back. The old ford and Indian camps, where they made sugar, is on the east banks of Eel river, just west of Henry Newsom's. Those were the last Indians that camped in this lo- cality.
The old Indian tea-table, located in the bluff of rock on the west side of White river, just above the mouth
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The Early History of Greene County.
of Eel river, on Mr. Marcus Hays'| of four of the neighbor boys or young land, half mile east of Point Com- men-Caleb Jessup's two sons, and James Smith's two sons-who were coming up the river on the steamer, "Car of Commerce." .; The boiler ex- ploded and many passengers were scalded to death. merce, is perhaps the most notable rock in the western part of Indiana. This table rock towers up in the bluff nearly a hundred feet high, above the level of White river. We notice many names, scratches, dates and marks, made on the top of this old rock table CHAPTER XVIII. by old pioneer trappers and hunters, JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP AND WORTH- INGTON. seeking public notice from all visitors passing that way. All our young people should go and see this old In- dian tea-table.
Where Point Commerce now stands was a heavy forest of beech timber, when the first white people came to the mouth of Eel river, about fifty- seven years ago, and the first settlers on that hill were Alexander Craig, Jehu Inman, Charles Inman, Benja- min Huey, James Smith, Henry Lit- tlejohn, James Banyan, Mr. Nickles and a few others.
Old Uncle Alexander Craig built the first log cabin there, and he also built the first water mill and the first cotton gin to pick cotton seed.
There were about half as many families living at the Craig mill; fifty years ago, as there are living in Point Commerce now, and more people have died on that hill. than now live there.
Mr. 'James Banyan was the first white person that died in Ecl River township, and there being no saw mill with which to make plank within fifty miles of that place, old; Henry Littlejohn, Jehu Inman and John Craig went to the woods and dug out a poplar trough for a coffin, and Mr. Banyan was put in the trough and buried on the hill, among the forest trees, just cast of where the old brick chapel now stands.
The first flat-boat ever sent to New Orleans from any place in"Greene county, was built at Point Commerce, by the Craigs', and was loaded with staves and hoop-poles. Afterwards, several boats were sent down the river, loaded with corn and pork ; and we have a sad history of the fate
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HLE first white persons that set- tled on the west side of the riv- er, in this neighborhood, were old Thomas Smith, Benjamin Shu- maker, James and Thomas Stalcup, Grandfather Winters, Ell Dixon, John Craig, Joab Witcher, William Lemons, John Jessup, John Stanley, Benjamin Huey, Hiram Hicks and & few others.
Benjamin Shumaker made the first land entry, after which he built the first house, which was located upon the ground where Uncle Jonny My- ers' dwelling now stands, in Worth- ington. Old Thomas Smith settled on the hill-side, about two hundred yards east of where Verlin. Jessup's dwelling house now stands ; and Mr. Smith set out that old apple orchard, built the first ferry-boat, and kept the old Smith's ferry, on White river; for nearly forty years. James Stal- cup built a log house and set out those apple trees in George R. Tay- lor's field, on the hill. just east of Worthington. Thomas Stalcup built his house and lived on the north side of the old State road, opposite where 'Squire Spainhower now lives. Un- cle Eli Dixon entered the most land, made the biggest farm, built the best dwelling house, and set out the old apple orchard on the farm now own- ed by Willis Watson, just south of Worthington.
Old Eli Dixon was the big "bell sheep" among the Dixon's, and he was twice elected as Representative of Greene county in the State Legis- lature. Being a great favorite among the people, he was elected to office be- cause he was an honest man.
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The Early History of Greene County.
Old William Winters built a house / places to work among the owners, and set out those apple trees near the canal, on what is now known as the furnace place, north of Worthington.
Thomas J. Fires' great-grandfa- ther, old John Craig, entered the land, built the house, and set out the apple orchard at the old Anderson Harvey place, just northwest of Worthington. William Lemons built his house and settled in the grove, on the south side of the creek, a lit- tle north of where Eli Stalcup now lives, and the stream of water was named Lemons' creek for him.
The Black swamp was named by the old pioneer hunters, and so call- ed by all the old road wagoners from Louisville to Terre Haute. In early times the names of New Albany, Sa- lem, Wood's ferry, Smith's ferry, Black swamp, Scaffold prairie, Lone tree, Splunge creek and Terre Haute were all very familiar household words. The names of all those old road wagoners will yet be given.
John Craig built the first distill- house, in the branch east of where John B. Poe's chair factory now stands ; and then Benjamin Huey built another distill-house, at the Fuller spring, on the Terre Haute road, three miles from Worthington, where he made whisky.
Old Benjamin Huey then removed the cotton gin from Craig's mill, and inade a tramp-wheel cotton gin and a little horse mill on the hill, at the Fuller place, in this township.
Fifty years ago, the land on which Worthington now stands was a large and beautiful cotton field, of nearly fifty acres of choice cotton, in full bloom about the 1st of August, 1824. This cotton field was cultivated by Benjamin Shumaker, William Win- ters, William Huey, Jehu Inman, Jolın Craig, Thomas Staleup and a few others ; and that cotton field in bloom was said to be the nicest place and the prettiest crop in the western part of Indiana. A great number of young folks from other localities came to the mouth of Eel river to look for
and labor in that large and handsome cotton patch. Young men, with home-spun clothes, and young wo- men, with nice check cotton dresses, were in full fashion in those days, and when a help-mate was chosen for life, the working class of young men were "taken in out of the wet," and the best cotton spinners among the girls were always counted among the lucky birds.
In the fall of the year 1819, the Indians set fire to the prairie around the Dixon grove, just south of our new fair ground, and within less than half a day, one old Indian killed six- teen fine, fat dcer.
After the Indians had left here and gone west to Arkansas, the old set- tlers in Jefferson township were call- ed the Pottawatamies, and the white people over in Eel river township were called the Delawares, besides many other nick names-such as North Carolina Shabs, Tuckeyhoes, Buckeyes, Corncrackers, Suckers and Hoosiers.
When the first white families came to Jefferson township, the nearest mills were about forty miles distant, being located on the Shaker Prairie, above Vincennes. Afterwards ono known as Ketcham's mill, went into operation near Bloomington, Monroe county, and another called Rawley's mill, on Eel river, at the old hill, near the old reservoir.
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