USA > Indiana > Henry County > Henry County; past and present: a brief history of the county from 1821 to 1871 > Part 3
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The population numbers 1,868, almost exclusively rural. Its 21,000 acres are divided into 203 farms; an average of 120 acres each. Its population numbers about 49 to the square mile, and is divided between 376 families. There are 6 persons of color, 19 foreigners, 64 North Carolinians, and 32 Virginians, within the township.
The wealth of the township was estimated for the purpose of taxation, in 1870, as follows: Farms and improvements,
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STONY CREEK TOWNSHIP.
$712,430; town lots and improvements, $5,950 ; personal proper- tv, $325,410; total valuation, $1,043,790.
The first election was held at the house of Ezekiel Leavell, on the first Saturday in May, 1823, for the election of two Jus- tices of the Peace. Ezekiel Leavell was Inspector. John Smith
was made Supervisor of all the roads in the' township. Jacob Tharp and Cyrus Cotton were appointed Overseers of the Poor. In 1825, the elections were ordered to be held at the house of Samuel D. Wells, and continued to be held at his house for a number of years.
STONY CREEK TOWNSHIP.
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This township, the next in order of organization, was "set up" November 11, 1828. By its creation Prairie Township lost about one-third of its "independent jurisdiction," as Stony Creek was bounded on the west by the range line separating ten and eleven, and extending, as it did, to the eastern boundary of the county, including all north of Liberty township, made it a region of no small consequence. It was at first eight miles from north to south, six miles wide on the north, and about six and . three-fourths on its south line, and had in its ample area about forty-nine and one-half sections of land. A tier of eight sec- tions have since been re-annexed to Prairie to compensate, no doubt, in a measure, for the loss of more than two townships on the west. Blue River township has also been carved out of Stony Creek, thus reducing it in size to bare twenty square iniles, about two-fifths of its primal area, and leaving it the smallest of our "baker's dozen."
The township is fittingly named from a creek, which, rising near, runs nearly parallel with, its southern border, then runs north across the township and finally into White River. The immense quantities of bowlders or "traveled stones" scattered over some of the highest ridges and points in the township 4
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HENRY COUNTY; PAST AND PRESENT.
must not only arrest the attention and excite the curiosity of the observer, but at once obviate the necessity of inquiry as to the township's name.
This township presents, perhaps, a greater variety of wirface and soil than any other equal area in the county, and while there is every variety of timber to be found in the county, so far as our observation has gone, there is a larger proportion of oak here than elsewhere, and less poplar, ash, &c., than in any place south of township eighteen.
There is a portion of two or more prairies in this township, similar to those in Prairie. The bottom lands are doubtless equal to any in the county, while the higher lands, which the casual observer would, perhaps, pronounce thin or poor, not only produce abundant crops of the smaller grains, but Indian corn of more than average size. There are 118 farms in the township; an average of about 109 acres cach. Blountsville and Rogersville are the only villages. The population is 934; divided between 197 families. There are thirteen colored per- wons, 10 foreigners, 21 natives of North Carolina, and 35 Virgin- lans in the township.
This township can boast of capacious barns, some of which, for style and finish, would put to shame the dwellings of some of our well-to-do farmers.
The assessed value of farms and improvements is $178,010; of town lots, $0,500; and of personal, $112,330, making a total of $332,590.
The first election was held at the house of Thomas Hobson. Jr., December 20, 1828, for the purpose of electing one Justice of the Peace, Win. Wyatt, Inspector.
FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP.
The next township in order was named Fall Creek, organ- ized August, 1820. This was at first declared to be eight miles
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FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP.
in length, from north to south, by seven in width. It thus em- braced within its limits fifty-six square miles, or 35,810 acres, and yet with this ample domain the township could only muster twenty-nine votes at an exciting election, in 1830, and of these but three were Whig votes. Since this day, a strip two miles in width has been given to Harrison township, and two miles on the east to Jefferson, leaving the township six miles in length, from north to south, and five miles in width.
Fall Creek is a well watered and very fertile township, and well improved farms and good buildings indicate that the hus- bandman is being well repaid for his labors. The ercek from which the township takes its name, rising near the north-cast corner, and meandering through, leaves the township, near the southwest corner, having sufficient fall to furnish valuable water power. Deer Creek, a tributary, rising in Harrison township, near Cadiz, emptying into Fall Creek, about one and one-half miles north of Mechanicsburg, also furnishes fair water power. A "corn cracker" was erected on this stream, about the year 1826. Benjamin Franklin, then a boy, now a noted preacher, is said to have dug the race. This was the first mill in that part of the county, and, notwithstanding these carly facilities for procuring the "staff of life," Lewis Swain and others might have been seen living on grated corn bread or mush, for weeks at a time, some eight years afterward.
A very rude log school house, with split pole benches and greased paper windows, did service in the Keesling neighbor- hood, as late as 1831 or 1832. Robert Price, a brother of Rice Price, was the first teacher. Lewis Swain was af- terward Principal of this institution. Some of the earlier settlers can remember attending log rollings every day for weeks to- gether.
Middletown, Mechaniesburg, and Honey Creek are the vil- lages of the township, and contain nearly one-half the popula- lation of the township; 197 families living in town, and 209 in the country. The total population of the township is 2,004, or about 66 to the square mile. Of these 31 are foreigners, 36 North Carolinians, 321 Virginians, and 4 colored persons.
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HENRY COUNTY; PAST AND PRESENT.
The wealth of the township was estimated, last year, for the purpose of taxation, as follows : Farms, $522,270 : town lots, $72,650 ; personal property, $112,280; total, $1.007,100.
All elections were ordered to be held at the house of Abra- ham Thomas, but, in 1832, it was ordered that they hereafter be held at Middletown.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.
Franklin township was organized on the 5th of January. 15.30. It was constructed out of Dudley and Wayne townships, and, from the order making it a township, we learn that the west line was about three-fourths of mile west of the village of Ogden, and continued north to the line dividing town- ships sixteen and seventeen, which would make the northwest corner of Franklin, about one mile west of the Dnek Creek Meeting House. From this point the northern boundary ran east eight miles, or within three-fourths of a mile of the present eastern limits of the township. This gave it jurisdiction over nearly all its present territory, all of Spiecland, a small fraction of Wayne (just north of the "stone quarry"), and three sections now claimed by Greensboro. In the following year, a change was made in the western boundary, which gave Wayne another tier of sections and made the northwest corner of Franklin township, just about where the Duck Creek Meeting House now stands, and, perhaps, within the corporate limits of Greensboro.
All elections were ordered to be held at the house of Joseph Copelan1. John Copeland was appointed Inspector, and Joseph Kellun, Lister: and the first election was ordered on the first Saturday in February, 1830. Upon the setting up of Spiceland township, in 1822, Franklin, which underwent another mutation, was given a slice off of Dudley, and was then contracted to its present limits of five miles in width, from east to west, by six in length.
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GREENSBORO TOWNSIIIP.
Flatrock "drags its slow length along" near the middle of the township, and, although at two or three points it has been compelled to do duty as a mill stream, it has never established much of a character for energy. It, however, is the natural drain of a remarkably fertile body of land. Buck Creek drains the northwest corner of the township.
The present area of the township is about 17,200 aeres, di- vided into 151 farms; an average of about 114 acres each. Lewisville is the only village, 86 families residing in it, while 213 "reside in the country." Of the population 42 are foreigners, 13 are colored, 124 are North Carolinans, and 29 Virginians.
The wealth of the township is reported thus: Farms and improvements, $500,750; town lots and improvements, $42,960 ; personal property, $332,260; total, $875,970.
GREENSBORO TOWNSHIP.
Greensboro township, so named from an ancient village of North Carolina, was organized September 7, 1831. It was at first described as "all that part of the territory of Henry town- ship west of the rango line dividing nine and ten." This made it seven miles from east to west, and six from north to south, which would include nearly all of the prsent area of the town- ship and three-fifths of Harrison. In 1838, one-half its territo- ry was given to Harrison, and a small addition-four square' miles-was made to it, taken from the townships of Wayne and Franklin. This change removed the township line one mile south from the village of Greensboro, and left the township with an area of twenty-five square miles, or about 16,000 acres, divided into HIS farms: an average of about 135 acres each.
Greensboro and Woodville, on the line between Harrison and Greensboro, are the only villages. Of the 315 families in the township 70 live in Greensboro. The population of the township numbers 1,490. Of these but 6. are reported of for-
HENRY COUNTY; PAST AND PRESENT.
eign birth, 81 are colored, while 221 are North Carolinians, and 32 natives of Virginia.
All elections were ordered to be held at Greensboro. The first was held on the fourth Saturday of September, 1831, and Thomas Reagan wis maide the first Inspector of Elections.
Greensboro is a well watered and fertile township. Blue River, skirting through the southeast corner, and Duck Creek, running across the eastern end, furnish fine water power. Much of the land along these water courses is quite rolling, and knolls, supplied with the most excellent gravel, render turn- pike building a comparatively easy matter. Montgomery's Creek, crossing the township near the middle, and Six-mile, rising In, andl running across, the western part of the township, renders the complete drainage of a large and fertile portion of the township (originally counted as wet,) a matter of no great difficulty.
The assessed value of Greensboro township is: Farms, $304,850; town lots, $31,190 ; personal, $196,330; total, $513,370.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP. -
The large and important township of Harrison was formed out of the north half of Greensboro and two tiers of sections of the south side of Fall Creek, November 7, 1838, and all elec- tions were ordered to be held at Cadiz.
The general aspect of this township, which is five miles from north to south and seven from east to west, is that of high gently undulating table land, with considerable portions inelin- ing to wet, but very fertile under a system of intelligent drain- age already extensively begun. A larger number of small streams find their head waters in this than any other township of the county perhaps. A small portion of the northeast cor- nor of the township finds drainage into Bell Creek, and runs north, and near the san.e spot rises Honey Creek, also running
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EPICELAND TOWNSHIP.
north. Deer Creek, rising near the center of the township, also runs north by west, and empties into Fall Creek near Mechan- lesburg, while two other small tributaries of Fall Creek have their source in the north and northwest portions of the town- ship, and in the central and western portions, Sugar Creek takes its rise and runs west, while Montgomery's Creek rises in the south part and runs south, and the west fork of Duck Creek rising near Cadiz, also runs south, while the principal branch of that ercek, with some small tributaries, pretty effectually drains the eastern end of the township. A little south and west of Cadiz can doubtless be found some of the highest land in the West part of the county. Cadiz and a part of Woodville are the only villages of the township.
Harrison has 183 farms, which would make the average about 122 aeres each.
The township is assessed as follows : Farms, $145,010; town lots, $11,030; personal, $217,300; total. $673,430.
At the first election, on the first Saturday in December, 1838, William Tucker Inspector, there were thirty-two votes cast -- sixteen for each of the opposing candidates for Justice of the Peace-which state of facts rendered another election necessary. Considering that the county had been settling up for a score of years, thirty-two voters must be countedl rather slow progress. Harrison has to-day a population of 1,916, of whom 32 are colored, 15 are foreign born, 101 are na- tives of North Carolina, and 109 were born in Virginia.
The first church and school house was probably at Clear Spring, in the southeast corner of the township, constructed in 1831-2, while it was a part of Greensboro township.
SPICELAND TOWNSHIP.
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This township the smallest in the county except Stony Creek, was organized June, 1842, "with headquarters" at Ogden.
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HENRY COUNTY; PAST AND PRESENT.
Room for it was found by taking a slice off Wayne and a four- mile slip off the west side of Franklin township. It is of irreg- ular shape, being six miles in length on the eastern side, with an average length of five miles and width of four and one-half miles. Blue River forms the boundary for about three miles on the northwest. Its area is a little short of twenty-two square miles, or about 13,000 acres, which is divided among 173 farms, Living an average of only about 75 acres each, the smallest av- erage in the county.
Pack Creek. running in a southwest course, crosses the southeastern corner of the township into Rush, where it makes a short turn and re-enters Henry county about the middle of the south line of the township and bearing in a northwest course, nearly four miles, passes into Wayne township and falls into Blue River at the old Ileaton or White Mills, furnishing more valuable water power, perhaps, than any other stream of its size in the county, notwithstanding it is a very sluggish stream for six or seven miles, or at least one-half its length. Blue River, on the northwest, and the classic little stream veleped Brook Bezor, which rises near the center of the town- ship and runs north two and one-half miles with an average descent of about thirty feet to the mile, constitute the only Water courses of note in the township.
Notwithstanding the smallness of Spiceland township in respect to area, it is by no means insignificant in some other respects, as it is the third in point of population in the county, and an average in point of wealth, while its farm lands are as- sessed, for purposes of taxation, about twice as high as some other parts of the county, and more than five dollars higher upor the aere than the next highest in the county. This is doubtless owing in part to its division into smaller farms and consequent thorough tillage, but much is owing to the high average quality of the land for general farming purposes.
The population of Spiceland township numbers 2,020, or about 92 per square mile ; of these 334 were born in North Car- dina, 45 in Virginia, 17 out of the United States, and 65 are colored persons.
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JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
The first election was held at Ogden, August, 1812. A few years afterward, the poll was divided, and elections have been held both at Spiceland and Ogden ever since, Spieeland gener- ally giving the strongest poll for ten years past.
The assessed value is, in farms, $457,460; town lots, $65,870; personal, 296,310; total $819,640.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
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This township was organized September 5, 1843, out of the spare territory of Fall Creek and Prairie. The eastern half of it is eight miles in length, while on the west line it is but six miles. It is four miles in width and contains twenty-eight square miles, or nearly 18,000 acres, all passably good land, and mueh of it very fine farming land. Its principal stream is Bell Creek, which, with its tributaries, traverses nearly the entire length of the township. Honey Creek is in the southwest, and a branch or tributary of Buek Creek, in the northeast corner, carries into white River a portion of its surplus waters. Of the soil and general characteristics of the township we can speak less from actual observation than of any other equal portion of the county. Sulphur Springs is the only village.
The population of the township numbers 1,234, divided into . 330 families, 172 of whom live in the agricultural districts. There are 23 foreigners, 12 North Carolinians, and 169 Virgin- ians in the township. The average size of a farm in this town- ship is about 103 acres, and the population numbers about 46 to the square mile.
The farms and. improvements are valued, for the purpose of taxation, at $359,200; town lots, $13,300; personal, $188,050 ; total, $565,140.
The elections were first ordered to be held at the house of Michael Swope, on the 2nd day of October, 1843, for the pur- pose of electing a Justice.
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HENRY COUNTY ; PAST AND PRESENT.
BLUE RIVER TOWNSHIP,
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The last organized, and one of the smallest townships of the county, contains a trife more than twenty-two square miles. It was formed from the south half of Stony Creek township, by the art of the Commissioners, on the 6th day of June, 1848.
All elections were to be held at the house of "Philip Moore, or at the meeting house near his house."
Blue River township takes its name quite aptly from being the source of both branches of the stream of that name, so inti- mately connected with the prosperity and history of our coun- ty. "Big Blue," as it is often called, rises near the middle of the western portion of the township, and runs nearly north about three and one-half miles to within about one-half mile of Rog- ersville, in Stony Creek township, where it bears to the west and is soon wending its way amid the prairies of Prairie town- ship. The slashes or head waters of this branch of the river are known in the G. W. Duke neighborhood by the classic cogno- men of Googe Creek. The stream has a fall of perhaps twenty fret per mile for the first three and one-half or four miles, and, although the volume of water is small, at the ordinary stage, there are two pretty valuable mill seats on it before it reaches J'rairie. "Little Blue" rises near the north line and northeast corner of the township. and, running in a general southwest direction into Prairie township, unites with the main branch xhout two miles north of New Castle. On this branch of Blue River are situated the flourishing woolen mills of Ice, Dunn & Co., and the celebrated Hernley Mills, as well as some of the finest farms in the north part of the county. Flatrock also rises in the northeastern portion of this township, and takes a southwesterly direction, while a small branch of Stony Creek. almost interlapping with "Little Blue," somehow finds its way through the "water shed" of this part of the county, and runs north into White River, near the western boundary of Randolph
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THE FIRST COURTS.
county. From the number of streams finding their initial point in the township, and running in opposite directions, we easily reach the very correct conclusion that some of the highest lands in the county are to be found here; but being the highest by no ineans signifies the dryest. Large portions of the township re- quire drainage to make them available to the husbandman, but when so reclaimed are of the very best quality.
This little township if exclusively rural, having neither vil- lage nor postoffice within its limits, unless a half interest in this bali' dozen houses known as Circleville is claimed as a village. The population numbers S61-the smallest number of any of these civil divisions of our county. Of its population 13 are colored persons, 7 are foreigners, 25 are Virginians, and 70 are North Carolinians.
The farms and improvements were valued, last year, at $269,250, and the personal property at $88,990; total, $358,240; an average of about $2,250 per family at the assessed value, or less than one-half of the real value.
THE FIRST COURTS.
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The act of the Legislature organizing the county provide.} that the "Circuit Court and all other courts shall meet and be holden at the house of Joseph Hobson, until suitable accommo- dation can be had at the county seat." The same act, however, provided that the Circuit Court mnight, if in its wisdom it deeined it advisable, remove to some more suitable place.
COMMISSIONERS' COURr.
In accordance with these provisions, the Commissionera' Court assembled at the house of Joseph Hobson (elsewhere mentioned as being on the Stephen Elliott farm), on the 10th day of June, 1822, and we find the following as the first record of an official character ever made in the county of Henry :
1149133
HENRY COUNTY; PAST AND PRESENT.
"June Termi fer the year 1822.
"At a meeting of the Board of County commissioners, in and for the county of Henry, State of Indiana, on Mohu, the 10'h1 day of June. A. D. 182. present Allan Shepherd and .Hondt Guide, Esqrs, who produced their respective certificates and were sworn into offee be Jesse Healy, Esq. Sheriff of the county alore- .att, as is required by the constitution and laws of this State."
As the Commissioners meant business, their first act, after thing the oath of office, was the appointment of Rene Julian Clerk of the Board, he being the C'terk of the Circuit Court elect, and the second order reads :
"onteret by the Board, that the Court adjourn until to-morrow morn- ing at ten o'clock. (Signe I.) "ALAN SHEPHERD.
"SAMUEL GORLE."
Elisha Shortridge, who was doubtless elected at the same time as Shepherd and Coble, did not put in an appearance until the July term, when he "appeared and presented his credentials in due form," and now Goble was absent, from some cause not mentioned. From time to time the record shows that the Board met at Holson's house, until the May term following, when they v. it met at the house of Charles Jamison, in New Castle. The Board met in June, July, August, and November, and yet the records of their doings till but eighteen small paiges, while the proceedings of three terms are crowded into eight pages, cach one of which was about four times as large as this page. The adopted court-house was a second-hand cabin," which had been . move I up from the bottom, west of town, and was, perhaps, 12 by 16 or 16 by 18 feet square, and without thinking or danbing.
The secoil day of the first term seems to have been a busy dav. as Win. Shannon, Dilwin Bales, and Abraham Heaton were appointed Superintendents of several school sections. Shannon was also made Treasurer and fohn Dorrah Lister of the county, a poll tax of twenty-five cents was levied for county purposes. and Dudley, Wayne, Henry and Prairie townships were created and election- were ordered to be held in each. Inspectors were appointed for each. after which the Board adjourned "until the first Monday in July next."
The art of the Legislature organizing the county provided for the appointment of an Agent for the county, who was to
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THE FIRST COURTS.
receive donations of grounds made for the purpose of a county seat, buildings, &c. The July term was called for the purpose of appointing such Agent, and "the lot fell upon" Ezekiel Leavell, who was duly charged with the duty of superintending the sale of town lots in the New Castle that was to be, the mak- ing of deeds, and, in addition, when a court-house, a jail, or a stray pen was to be constructed, the Agent was ordered to "offer for sale to the lowest bidder, in the town of New Castle, the building of the court-house of Henry county," or the erecting of a "pound, commonly called a stray pen," or the "jail of IIen- ry county," as the case might be.
The Commissioners' Court was a very important institution in early times. Treasurers, Collectors, Listers, Constables, Pound-keepers, Supervisors, Road-viewers, County Agents, Township Agents, Superintendents of school sections, School Commissioners, County Surveyors, Inspectors, &c., were all the creatures of this body. It not only was the keeper of the pub- lie funds, levied or remitted the taxes, made the allowances of the other officers, but granted permits to "keep tavern," "keep store," "keep grocery," or "peddle clocks," and with equal facil- ity fixed the price of "liquors, lodgings, horse feed, and stablage." The early Commissioner seemed equally at home, whether al- lowing the Treasurer fifteen dollars for his annual services, or regulating the cost of a half pint of whisky, quart of eider or "gallon of oats or corn."
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