USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Early reminiscences of Indianapolis, with short biographical sketches of its early citizens, and a few of the prominent business men of the present day > Part 13
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When the next Legislature met (at the usual time, the first Monday in December) considerable improvement had been made for their accommodation. The mother of the writer had built a brick house, in addition to her cabins, and was en- abled to furnish board for twelve men. Henderson and Blake and John Hawkins had also made additions which enabled them to accommodate more persons and in better style than the previous year. In after years, when the price of board was increased, the members began to threaten the citizens that. they had once removed the seat of government from Corydon on account of the extortions of its citizens, and they would do so again ; but this was only boasting, for they well knew they could not, it being out of their power, as the four sec- tions of land on which Indianapolis stands was donated by the general government for a permanent seat of government, and
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Fancy Tom.
that when the Legislature accepted the grant the capital was fixed for all time to come.
FANCY TOM
Was one of the citizens we gained when the capital was re- moved to this place. Tom had been connected with the seat of government at Corydon from the birth of the State, and considered himself one of its institutions, and his presence indispensable at its capital.
Thomas Bennett, which was his proper name before he came to Indianapolis, was a professor of the "tonsorial art," prae- tically he was a better cook. The way in which he got the pre- fix to his name was this : He was living with Governor Ray and the Governor sent him to his neighbor, Mr. Wilkins, to borrow a basket of corn; Tom asked for fancy corn, as he wanted it to feed the Governor's horse. From that day he was known as "Fancy Tom." His complexion was a dark mahogany, or horse chestnut; he wore his wool plaited quite around his head, the plaits about two inches in length, and resembled very much the "pigtail " tobacco so much used at that time. He had a very effeminate voice, and were you to hear without seeing him, you would take it to be a female's.
Tom had a barber shop on Washington street, north side, between Pennsylvania street and the alley west. One morn- ing one of his old legislative customers that represented one of the Ohio river counties, named "Tadlock," called in to be shaved ; after Tom had complimented his customer, as was his wont to do on all occasions, he invited him to be seated in his tonsorial chair-this man had one leg off above the knee, which was supplied by a block of wood fastened with a leather strip, which, for the convenience of Tom and the comfort of himself, he took off while the professor was operating upon his phiz.
Tom was very much afraid of Indians and his customer had
8
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Early Reminiscences.
no very high opinion of them himself. Tom had shaved one side of his face and had come round to the other side, so that his back was to the front door, and while he was flourishing his brush over the man's face in fine tonsorial style, very much engaged in conversation, dilating upon the future of the new capital, four or five Indians, unobserved either by him or his customer, come to the door, (an Indian hardly ever passes an open door without looking in). A large and finely painted Indian put his hands on each side of the door, the others were peeping under his arms; Tom was between them and his customer, and in order to see what he was doing the big one gave one of their peculiar ughs. Tom turned round, and as soon as he saw the Indians dropped his professional tools and cried out, " oh, blessed ingins," he made a spring for and through the back window, crying as he went " oh, blessed in- gins." The Indians not understanding his movements fol- lowed to the window to see what he intended. Mr. Tadlock began to think he was in no very enviable situation, alone in the room with the Indians ; he made a spring in the direction of his wooden leg, as he could not get out of the way with- out it; in this jump he fell to the floor, which caused his nose to bleed profusely, but he got hold of his leg and hobbled into the street, crying "ingins " and "murder " at every step. The blood on his face and the presence of the Indians alarmed those that were attracted to the place. The noise and cry of murder had attracted all the whites in the neighborhood and several more Indians, that happened to be in town, to the place, all of whom were alarmed until the frightened legis- lator became composed enough to explain. In the meantime Tom had jumped over the fence and ran down the alley west until he came to Mr. Ungles' yard near Mr. Hawkins' tavern ; he ran into Mr. Ungles' house, crying murder and "ingins " at every step. Mrs. Ungles had a pan of breakfast dishes in her hands at the time Tom entered, and his abrupt enterance
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Henry Brady.
so frightened her that she dropped the pan and broke all her dishes. After things became more quiet a search was made for Tom, but he was no where to be found. Mr. Hawkins had an attic room that he did not often use; that night it was ne- cessary to put some strangers up there to sleep; when they went into the room Tom stuck his head out from under the bed, and inquired if the "ingins had killed many people."
Tom lived to see many Indians after that, and died in 1850. He was found sitting in the kitchen of the Capital House with a boot in one hand and shoe-brush in the other.
HENRY BRADY.
The name of Mr. Brady has been a household word in Ma- rion County for forty-seven years. He is a native of Penn- sylvania, but emigrated to this State when quite young. His first residence in Indiana was in Jackson County, from whence he came to this county and settled six miles east of town, in Warren Township, in 1822, where he yet resides. He went, as all others did, into the woods, and now, by his own labor principally, has one of the finest farms in that neighborhood.
He was for many years a magistrate of that township. He has represented the county at different times in both branches of the legislature, and was ever popular with the people; the county has nearly always been opposed to the political party to which he belongs, yet when he was a candidate before them the people seemed to forget for awhile their party allegiance ; indeed, he has been successful over some of the most popular leaders of the opposite party. He came to this county a Jackson man, and has strictly adhered to the political party that sprung from the administration of the old hero.
I have before me an " Indianapolis Gazette," printed in the year 1827. In this he offers his services to the people as a surveyor at two dollars per diem.
The old gentleman has moved on in the even tenor of his
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Early Reminiscences.
way ever since. He has lately renewed his youth by taking to himself a young wife, and it is to be hoped by his many friends he will get a renewal of the lease of life.
It is quite unnecessary to say that Esquire Brady is one of the solid farmers of Marion County, and is universally re- spected as far as known.
HUMPHREY GRIFFITH,
The first watch maker to make this city his home, came here from Centerville, Wayne County, in 1825; though there had been one or two itinerant workmen of that kind, there was none to stay any length of time.
Mr. Griffith is a native of Wales, but came to the United States when quite young. He, like many others, made his money by the increase in value of real estate, and possessed the faculty of making a little money go a great ways.
Some ten years since, when those magnificent steamers, the Jacob Strader and Telegraph, were the mail line between Cin- cinnati and Louisville, there was an opposition evening line put upon the route ; the mail company, in order to run the . opposition out of the trade, put the fare down to one dollar between the two points.
At that time Mr. G. was visiting Cincinnati for pleasure and sight-seeing, and was paying first-class hotel bills, which was more than double the daily board on those steamers. He took a state room on the Strader and remained about two weeks, paying his fare every day to the next port. The clerk thought there must be something wrong, and approached him on the subject. Mr. G. gave a shrill whistle ; said he, "don't you know me, I am Humphrey Griffith, of Indianapolis ; I've been watching the manner in which you have managed this boat, and have made up my mind to buy it." After Mr. G. was perfectly satisfied of the good accommodations on the Stra- der, the superior liquors kept in the bar, and, above all, the
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Samuel McGeorge.
polite and gentlemanly captain, he left the boat well satisfied with himself and the balance of mankind.
I am sorry to hear that at this time Mr. Griffith's health is very bad, and that he is unable to leave his house. I fear at his advanced age there is but little hopes of his recovery. Such is Humphrey Griffith, a citizen of this place for forty- four years.
ROBERT TAYLOR,
For many years one of the most respected citizens and indus- trious mechanics of this city, came to this place from Harri- son County, Kentucky, early in the year 1826.
He was one of the founders and leading members of the Christian Church in this place, a worthy man, and was valued for his plain and unassuming manners, unostentatious purity, and his benevolent and charitable acts and sympathy with the poor and laboring classes. He died several years since, leaving a family of several children.
His eldest son, Napoleon B. Taylor, Esq., is one of the pro- minent lawyers of the city, who is also respected as a man of strict integrity and upright deportment, as a lawyer for his legal knowledge and fidelity to the interest of his clients, and as a neighbor, for his social and genial qualities.
SAMUEL McGEORGE.
I had forgot in the proper place, 1821, to notice Mr. Me- George as one of the prominent citizens of that year. He lived on the river bank just below where the National road bridge crosses. Like every person else, he kept a " tavern." As there were no hotels at that time, they were all " taverns," or "private entertainments."
He was a tall, fine-looking man, with light hair and com- plexion. He had six or seven daughters that inherited the father's good looks.
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Early Reminiscences.
He moved from this place to an Indian reserve on Wild Cat, in Tippecanoe County, near where Dayton now stands. He became a contractor with the government for furnishing provisions, horses, &c., for the Indian treaties and payments ; he finally bought of Chief Rickardville the reservation of the six sections on which he lived, and managed to get a special act of Congress passed granting him a patent ; this made him quite wealthy.
The writer spent a month at his house in the fall of 1828, when he was surrounded by his friends, the dusky Pottawat- amies and Miamis, and many a ramble have I had with his beautiful daughters in visiting the many Indian graves and procuring the remnants of silver jewelry yet to be found, one of which was in a log; a slab was split from the top of the log the proper length, then the log was dug out sufficient in depth to hold the corpse, and the slab replaced ; in this grave there was nothing but the bones and the remnants of jewelry.
Mr. McGeorge was a liberal, whole-souled man, and such a one that if he made money would do it at a single dash (as he did) ; he had no idea of saving and making it in dribs. He died many years since, at his farm on the reservation refer- red to.
His eldest daughter, Emily, was the wife of a Mr. Hollo- way, the first merchant in Lafayette ; another married a Meth- odist preacher, named Tarkington; another Ezra Bush, the son of a neighboring farmer ; Nancy was the wife of Doctor Lank and owns her father's old farm, one of the finest on Wild Cat prairie. I have no knowledge who the others married, but am sure their good looks secured them good husbands, although sometimes the reverse is the case.
I hope my fair companions that I have referred to, nor my- self, by obtaining those antiquities, will ever be charged with robbing "Lo, the poor Indian," or a grave, for pecuniary benefit.
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John W. Foudray.
JOHN W. FOUDRAY,
Or brother Foudray, as he was generally called by young and old, came from Champaign County, Ohio, in the fall of 1824. His son John showed me a silver Mexican dollar, bearing the date of that year, which his mother had kept as a memento of their arrival here.
Brother Foudray was very active in organizing the church, and one of the founders of Methodism in this place. He was the compeer in the church of Billy Ray, Jimmy Kittleman and Francis and William McLaughlin, and was a class-leader from the organization of the church to the time of his death, in 1850.
His family consisted of himself, wife and three children, Milton, John, and his daughter Jane; all are now dead with the exception of John.
John E. Foudray was many years a constable, then sheriff of the county ; he is now engaged in farming and the livery business.
I often meet him on the street, and am reminded by him of a circumstance that occurred between Christmas and New Year, 1836.
His brother Milton was clerking in a store at Bloomington ; my sister, afterwards Mrs. Rousseau, was there at school and the sleigh ing was very fine; he and myself rigged out a cut- ter with a fine pair of horses, well decked out with sleigh- bells, in order to pay our relatives a visit ; we invited a young man (yet a resident of the city) to accompany us. We started about dark with the intention to, and did, drive all night. The great noise made by our bells brought the inmates of the cabins along our route to their doors, often only to hear us in the distance after passing. Just after daylight next morning we reached the Bean Blossom Hills, about seven miles from our place of destination. As we were ascending one of those
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Early Reminiscenses.
hills we saw a man just before us on horseback, and heard cries of " wo, Bally ! wo, Bally ! wo !" Before we could check up our horses and stop the noise that had evidently fright- ened his, the man, with a gun in his hand, was thrown into the deep snow on one side of the road, and a dead hog, which he was carrying before him on the horse, on the other side, his horse keeping straight forward as fast as his legs would carry him. When we came up the man was on his feet, brushing the snow from his clothes.
" Wal, stranger," said he, "what tarnal things ar' them
you're got thar ?" They are organs, replied John quickly. "Orgings, orgings," said the man ; "what ar' tha ?" "They are a kind of music they have in churches ;" answered Mr. Foudray. "Churches," said the man ; "do you mean meeting houses ?" "Yes," was the answer, "meeting houses." "Wal, stranger, my house is jest on this road, if you'll gather up my hog I'll show you whar I live. I would like the ole 'oman and the youngsters to see these 'ere orgings."
We took them, i. e., the man and hog, as well as gun, in our sleigh, and soon landed them at the cabin door, where the "ole 'oman and youngsters " were awaiting us, attracted by the unexpected and unceremonious arrival of Bally, as well as the noise of our bells. "Ole 'oman," said he, " these fel- lers have got orgings, and they ring um in metin' houses."
John gave his horses a turn in the road to give them an- other tune on the organs.
"Now, stranger," said the man, "as you're so kine as to haul my hog in your sled, you must wait til the ole 'oman cooks some of it for breakfast, and I'll gin your horses some fodder ; I'll skin away a place on the hine leg and we'll soon have some on't fried." This invitation to breakfast we respect- fully declined, as the animal heat was still in the hog, and it was yet smoking.
This man had only done what was customary in the country
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David Burkhart.
at that time, i. e., when they were out of meat they would go to the woods and kill any unmarked or wild hog they found.
After our arrival at Bloomington, and we had met our friends, we were invited to spend the evening at the house where my sister boarded, and where there were several young ladies. While one of them was performing on the piano a loud noise was heard as an accompaniment to the music, which was found to procced from the nasal organ of the young man who had accompanied us ; he sat in the corner fast asleep, and had to be roused up when we left. This incident he yet hears of when he chances to meet Mr. Foudray or myself.
DAVID BURKHART.
About the time of which I am now writing, 1824, there came to this place a man that became renowned in after years for fighting, and a terror to the colored population; indeed, they would tremble in their boots at the mention of his name. He was a stout-built, stoop-shouldered man, about five feet eight inches in height, with an arm as muscular as a bear, red hair, sandy whiskers, and a florid complexion ; when drinking he was a very dangerous man, and seemed crazed from the effect of the liquor. When he took a liking to a person he would do anything for them in his power; at least I found it so until I incurred his displeasure ; when sober he was a very good-hearted man, and liberal in money matters.
He kept a grocery on the southwest corner of New York and Tennessee streets and Indiana avenue. This place he called " The first and last Grocery," i. e., it was the first in coming into town on Indiana avenue, and the last in going out.
Dave was a man of considerable influence with a certain class that were in the habit of congregating at " The first and last." Out of this class he formed what he called the " chain gang," of which he was the leader. This gang was formed to take care of any son of Ham that should be so unfortunate
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Early Reminiscences.
as to incur the displeasure of the leader or any of his party, and wo be unto any of them that should get the " chain gang" after them. Any mandate issued by the gang, or their leader, was faithfully obeyed by the colored society.
There was a negro, called Colonel Hunter, that lived in a cabin on the back part of my mother's lot; he became trou- blesome on account of the free use he made of our chickens, wood, &c. My eldest brother had loaded a log of wood with a charge of powder that had no other effect than to cover the colonel's floor with hot ashes and coals. This only made him more careful to leave all logs he found with a plug in them alone. My brother then tried the Dave Burkhart remedy, and it produced the desired effect.
One evening my brother addressed him in this way : " Col- onel, what is the difficulty between you and Dave Burkhart ?" " Why, has massa Burkhart got anything agin me, massa Mat ?" "I don't know," said my brother ; " I heard him and one of the chain gang talking ; they said you had better move to where the white people were not so thickly settled."
The colonel requested my brother to see "massa Burk- hart," and tell him he would leave as soon as he could get .a cabin to go into ; and in a few days we were rid of our neigh- bor.
In September, 1836, there was a camp meeting, under the direction of the late Rev. James Havens, on the military ground, just west of the canal, between Market and Ohio streets. For some weeks before the meeting was to take place there was a great deal of talk as to the course Burkhart would probably take in regard to it.
Finally, Dave was heard from. He said, "Ole Sorrel (as Mr. Havens was sometimes called) should get a whipping on the occasion, and he, himself would do it." The meeting was progressing very quietly, and nothing was seen of Dave until Saturday afternoon.
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David Burkhart.
I was sitting on the end of one of the seats next to the main aisle. Mr. Havens had given out the hymn, and the congregation had kneeled in prayer ; he then left the preach- er's stand, and, as he passed me, gave me to understand that he wished to see me outside of the congregation.
At the edge of the encampment he said to me that " Dave Burkhart was on the ground raising a disturbance, and that he was going to take him before Esquire Stevens ; and," said Mr. Havens, "when I take him by the right arm I wish you to take him by the left." We came up rather behind Dave, and had him as above indicated before he saw either of us. When he saw Mr. Havens, " Ah," said he, "Ole Sorrel, I've got you, han't I?" "No," said Mr. Havens, "we've got you, Davy, and you must go to 'Squire Stevens' with us."
He floundered around for awhile, but soon became con- vinced that he had to go. Mr. Havens was a stout, athletic and determined man, just in the pride of manhood and strength, and I considered myself rather on the double-jointed order at that time. We had no difficulty in getting him before the 'Squire, who fined him very light and sent him to jail for two or three days, and until the meeting should be over. Mr. Havens managed to have him released on Monday morning, Dave promising not to disturb the meeting again, which pro- mise he honorably kept.
Ever after this circumstance, when Dave was drinking, he would have something to say about John Nowland, although quite friendly when sober. In 1843, seven years after the incident above narrated (and when I was at my store seven- teen miles from town), he got into a fight with an Irishman in front of the Palmer House; the Irishman was rather too heavy for him, and had the best of the fight. When Dave arose from the gutter, and had wiped the blood and dirt from his face, he jumped up and cracked his heels together, and made a request of me, which, although I was not present, I
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Early Reminiscences.
do not think I should have complied with had I been there. All the old citizens, and many of the new ones, will under- stand what I refer to. As this was the second time he had been conquered, he supposed I had something to do with it. Dave has some children yet living in the city, who are quite respectable people. Mr. Burkhart has long since been able to exclaim with the poet,
" My race is run, my warfare's o'er, The solemn hour has come."
JOSEPH BEELER
Was born in a " Block House," situated in what is now Ohio County, West Virginia, about twelve miles from Wheeling, in the year 1797 ; his father, being in command of the station established for the protection of the people, as well as a place of refuge for the settlers when attacked by the Indians, which was frequently the case. This Block house was called " Bee- ler's Station," and up to the present time it still retains the name.
He, with his mother's family, descended the Ohio River in a kind of " dug out," called a pirogue, in the year 1818 or 1819. The latter year he visited where this city now stands, before there was a cabin of a white man in it.
In the year 1820 he, with his mother and brother (George H. Beeler, who was the first clerk of Morgan County), settled near what was then, and is yet, known as the bluffs of White River.
In the rear 1822 he was married to Miss Hannah Matthews, the daughter of one of their neighbors, and settled, with his young wife, in Marion County, about seven miles southwest of this city, on the west side of White River, in Decatur town- ship, where he resided up to the time of his death. Mr. Beeler underwent all the privations and trials incident to a pioneer or backwoods life.
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Joseph Beeler.
He was for many years a justice of the peace-in fact as long as he would consent to serve. He was often solicited to become a candidate for higher positions, but always declined. He ever advised his neighbors, as well as others, against liti- gation, and was a peacemaker as far as his mild and persua- sive manner could accomplish that end.
Mr. Beeler was a man of untiring perseverance and indus- try, and considered his vocation, that of a farmer, of the high- est respectability, and had a great ambition to excel in his calling.
He was one of the first farmers of the county to import improved breeds of stock. His cattle, sheep and hogs early gained the reputation of being the best in the county, as the records of the first agricultural societies of the county and State will show by the premiums awarded.
He also took a deep interest in horticulture and the culti- vation of improved varieties of fruits. Were I writing for the eye only of those who knew Joseph Beeler, it would be unnecessary to say he was a man of the strictest integrity, and one whose word was as good as his bond, and was never questioned.
He was at the time of his death, and for many years prior, a member of the Christian Church. He died on the 12th of July, 1851, well satisfied with his experience in life, and in the full vigor and strength of manhood; and when his days of toil and hardships were over, he found the forest had given place to cultivated fields, the log cabin to stately mansions, the unpretending log churches of our city to those magnifi- cent temples of worship we now have.
Mrs. Beeler still survives him, and makes her home with her son, who will be the subject of my next sketch.
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Eurly Reminiscences.
FIELDING BEELER
Was the first-born, and is the eldest son of the worthy gen- tleman I have noticed in the preceding sketch. He is one of the oldest native born citizens of Marion County, having made his first appearance upon the stage of action on the 30th day of March, 1823.
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