USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 2
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After the treaty at St. Mary's the Delawares began pre- paring to leave for their new home beyond the Father of Waters, and on the 20th of September, 1821, they started. They went by way of Noblesville to Vincennes, their chat- tels being conveyed on horses. Many. however, preferred to go by water. and as the Government had provided them with a large number of canoes, they left for their new home by way of the river. " Uncle " John Allen, who is still kindly remembered by the remaining old settlers and their descend- ant- in Anderson township, recalled distinctly the departure of the Indians from this locality. He stated that no less than twenty canoe loads of them left at one point, and that they were the last of the Indians in Madison county.
CHAPTER III.
EARLY INDIAN HISTORY-THE BURNING OF THE DELA- WARE VILLAGES NEAR ANDERSON-KIK-THA-WE-NUND AND CAPT. PIPE.
The Delaware Indians, who at one time inhabited Madi- son county, were originally known as the Leni Lenapes. They began to remove from the eastern side of the Allegheny mountains to the country northwest of the Ohio river about ยท the middle of the eighteenth century. They wended their way into the wilderness of what is now the state of Indiana, and for many years were undisturbed in their wild and savage natures. In the spring of 1801 a few Christian Indians came from the Delaware villages on the Muskingum river, in Ohio, to the lodges of the Delawares on White river, in Indiana territory. These Christian red men came for the purpose of establishing missions for the enlightenment and in- struction of the tribes in this locality. The missionary band was composed of the brethren Natuge and Luckenbach from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and three families of civilized Indians, among whom was one named Joshua, a national in- terpreter. These missionaries accomplished much good among the aborigines until about the year 1806. when the Shawnee prophet Ellskwatawa, made his appearance upon the scene and through his wonderful influence, led the peaceably in- clined Indians again astray. Thus the good work of the mission was destroyed. The prophet was a brother of Techumseh, the great chief. who with his warriors opposed Gen. William Henry Harrison and his soldiers at the battle of Tippecanoe. They were sons of Pukeesheno, a brave who fell in battle when Ellsk watawa was a child. The Delawares retrograded and again became a war-like nation, although they were never so hostile as their kindred of other tribes and were possessed of many noble traits.
The prophet fought bitterly the intermarriage of Indian squaws with white men, and the selling of lands by the Indians to the whites. He also made a bitter warfare against the christianized Indians who had settled among the tribes,
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
. and accused them of witch-craft. He caused an old Delaware chief of the name of Tat-e-bock-o-she, through whose influ- ence a treaty with the United States had been accomplished in 1804, to be put to death by being tomahawked, and his body burned, on this charge.
The Indian missionary, " Joshua," above referred to was also taken at the instigation of the prophet, and brought before a council held just across the border of Madison county near where the town of Yorktown now stands, and was tried and convicted of witch-craft, and was burned at the stake as a punishment for his crime. The wife of Tat-e-bock-o-she was also convicted and sentenced to death, but was rescued by an Indian warior, and thus escaped a horrible death. Joshua was at the time of his terrible torture and death very old and infirm.
TREATY AT GREENVILLE.
After a long and serious warfare with the Indians throughout the west, a council wascalled by General Anthony Wayne, to be held at Greenville, Ohio, for the purpose of making peace, and trying to induce the Indians to abandon the war-path and to become civilized. At this meeting, which took place on the 3rd of August, 1795, the different tribes entered into an agreement with General Wayne on behalf of the United States to become citizens of the government and for certain valuable considerations to " cede, sell and convey to the States " large. valuable tracts of lands, composing nearly all territory northwest of the Ohio. At this council there were present many representatives of the Wyandots, the Delawares, the Shawnees, the Miamis, the Ottowas, the Chippewas, the Pottawattomies, the Kickapoos, the Eels and the Weas. The consideration given the tribes to be divided among themselves was an amount of goods and merchandise then paid in hand, $20.000 and the sum of $1,000 to be paid to each of the tribes signing the treaty " annually forever." These to be by the United States delivered at some convenient place north of the Ohio river. and to be reckoned at first cost. It was also stipu- lated that in lieu of goods or merchandise any of the tribes might take their portion or any part in domestic animals or implements with which to till the soil.
KIK-THA.WE-NUND.
This treaty was duly signed by Anthony Wayne as the party of the first part and by the several tribes by their chiefs
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
and warriors. The second name signed was Kik-tha-we-nund, or Anderson (his x mark ), on behalf of the Delawares. Kik- tha-we-nund was the old chief after whom the city of Ander- son took its name.
A treaty prior to the one above recited was made at Fort Harmar, on the Muskingum river, in Ohio, in which the Del- awares took part. This was on the 9th of January, 1789, and was signed by Gen. Arthur St. Clair, for the government, to which was subscribed the name of Capt. Pipe (his x mark ) , on behalf of the Delawares. Capt. Pipe was either afterward a resident of what is now Madison county, or an immediate descendant of one of the same name who resided here, as the stream, Pipe creek, took its name from a chief of that tribe known as Captain Pipe.
AN ARMY SENT OUT.
These treaties of peace were afterward broken by the Indians, who were, perhaps, not wholly to blame. as many speculating and unscrupulous whites found their way into the new country and committed depredations among the red men and trouble ensued. The war-like actions of the Indians be- came so alarming that in the month of June. 1818, a small army consisting of 100 mounted men, organized at Vincennes by order of Governor Posey, was sent out under the command of Colonel Joseph Bartholomew. to move upon the Indian- on the west fork of White river, and to destroy their villages and all their means of sustenance. The troops consisted of parts of three companies of rangers, commanded severally by Captains Williamson Dunn, James Bigger and C. Peyton, and a small detachment of militia under command of Major Depauw, of Harrison county.
The army moved on the 11th of June to the upper villages of the Delawares, which must have been situated in Delaware county near where Yorktown now stands, and then down the White river through the present site of Anderson. The des- cription given by the colonel in command in a letter to the governor describes the route covering this territory. Ile says : " We pursued a course between north and northeast about one hundred miles to the upper Delaware town on White river, where we arrived on the 15th. where we found the principal part of the town had been burnt three or four weeks previ- ously. We found, however, another village that had not been burnt. at a distance of twelve miles below the upper
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
town. At this point many horses and a goodly quantity of corn were captured and destroyed and the village laid in waste." This is supposed to be at or near where the city of .Anderson now stands. Possibly a few miles to the west.
The troops made a tour of the surrounding country and became engaged with some straggling Indians in the neigh- borhood. In attempting to surround them the Indians were fired upon and one was killed. One of Captain Peyton's rangers was thrown from his horse and was shot by an Indian lurking in ambush and was severely wounded. About one thousand bushels of corn was captured and destroyed. The army returned to its headquarters on the 21st of June, carry. ing the wounded ranger on a horse litter.
PEACEABLE DELAWARES.
The Delaware Indians were not disposed to go to war with the whites when not influenced by other tribes and were often censured by their red skinned brothers, and accused of friendliness to pale faces. They often sent messages of peace and words of love and affection to General Harrison, who always gave them a kindly hearing.
FURTHER INDIAN HISTORY.
A tradition has been handed down from the earliest set- tlement of Madison county that Tecumseh, the famous Indian warrior, was at one time a resident of the county. This, we think, is clearly a mistake. In Dillon's early history of Indiana, we find the following allusion to that illustrious per- sonage : " In the early part of the year 1505, the Shawnee warrior and his brother, the prophet, resided at one of the Dela - ware villages which stood on the borders of the west fork of the White river. within the present boundaries of Delaware county." This clearly establishes the fact that Tecumseh at one time resided very close to the borders of this county : but there is no record of his ever having been an actual resident here.
We wish to state further that there is a difference among the authorities as to the proper name of the Shawnee prophet. Appleton's Encyclopedia of American Biography, gives his name as Ellks-wa-ta-wa, and his birthplace as being near the present city of Chillicothe, Ohio, on the banks of the Scioto river. He was the son of Pu-Ke-She-no, a Shawnee chief. Dillon gives his name as Law-le-was-i-kaw, which signifies a loud voice. He also says that the prophet afterward assumed 2
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
the name of Pems-quat-a-wa, which in the dialect of the Shawnees, means an open door.
Tecumseh was born near Springfield, Ohio, in 1768. 'It is stated on good authority that he once visited this locality, and held a council with Kik-tha-we-nund. or Anderson, the chief of the Delaware tribe which dwelt on the spot upon which the city of Anderson now stands. His mission being for the purpose of enlisting the Delawares in a combina- tion of all the different tribes of the northwest, to take part with Great Britain against the whites in this territory during the struggle of 1812, but it is said that Anderson re- fused his overtures, and this ended the negotiations.
Many of the older settlers of Madison county claimed the distinction of having been personally acquainted with the Del. aware Indians in this county, and to have enjoyed a personal acquaintance with Chief Anderson. This, the writers have the best of reasons to doubt. There is, perhaps, but one living white man now in Madison county who ever saw Chief An- derson, and, if so, it must have been when he was but a child. We refer to the venerable James Hollingsworth, at present a resident of Anderson. Mr. Hollingsworth came to this county with his parents from the state of Ohio in 1820.
According to Dillon's history, on the 31st of October, 1818, a treaty was concluded at St. Mary's, Ohio, whereby the Delaware Indians ceded to the United States all their claims to lands lying within the boundaries of the State of In- diana in which the United States agreed to pay a perpetual annuity of four thousand dollars to the Delawares, and to pro- vide for them a residence country on the western side of the Mississippi river, and guaranteed to them the peaceful pos- session of the same.
The commissioners who negotiated this treaty on the part of the United States were Jonathan Jennings, Lewis Cass and Benjamin Parke. The Delawares reserved the right to occupy their lands in Indiana for a period of three years from the date of this treaty, at which time, it is said, they took their depar- ture, and, if Mr. Hollingsworth ever saw them at all, it must have been a very short time prior to their leaving.
John Rogers, who is said to have been the first white in- habitant of Madison county, and who came here about the year 1818, and settled on Fall Creek, may possibly, and, in all probability did have a personal acquaintance with this tribe.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
About the year 1813, a battle was fought between the United States Army, under Gen. Harrison, with the Miamis and other tribes on the Mississinewa, after which a message was conveyed to the Delaware tribes by Gen. Harrison, through. Lieut .- Col. Campbell, requesting them to abandon their towns and to remove to the state of Ohio, and also regretting the unfortunate killing of some of their people in the battle. Soon after these negotiations the main body of the Delawares, together with a small number of Miamis moved into the State of Ohio. and placed themselves under the protection of the government of the United States. The remaining few Indians in this county lingered here with Chief Anderson until his departure as above recited.
The Shawnee prophet, and some of the principal chiefs of the Miamis, retired from the borders of the Wabash, and moved to Detroit, where they were received as the friends and allies of Great Britain.
Gen. Harrison, in giving Col. Campbell orders to proceed to the Mississinewa country to fight the Indians, instructed him to avoid coming in contact with the Delawares on White river, and to pass around their villages in such manner as to in no way disturb them, as they were friendly to the whites. He also instructed him to counsel with William Conner as to his movements, and to court friendly relations with one " God- froy," a Canadian living in what is now Grant county, who had for his wife an Indian squaw, and was friendly to the white people, and had great influence with the Miamis and other Indians in the country.
CONCERNING WILLIAM AND JOHN CONNER.
Among the first white men to visit the present site of Anderson, if not the first, were the Conner brothers, William and John. The former entered the tract of land upon which the most valuable portion of the city is situated, and subse- quently (1823) transferred it to Captain John Berry. The Conners were taken when quite young by the Shawnee Indians and were reared among them. William was intimate- ly acquainted with the great Shawnee chief and warrior, Tecumseh, and being familiar with the language of many of the tribes, acted as interpreter at several treaties. He was at the battle of the Thames, and was the first man that identi- fied the dead Tecumseh after the engagement.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
The following concerning his brother John and his visit to " Andersontown," is reproduced from O. H. Smith's "Early Indiana Trials, Sketches and Reminiscences :"
" John Conner, the proprietor of Connersville, was one of Nature's strong men. Taken by the Shawnee Indians when a mere youth, he was raised and educated in Indian life, language and manners. When dressed in their costume, and painted, it was difficult to distinguish him from a real savage. On one occasion, as he told me, he came to Andersontown, then the lodge of a large band of Indians under Chief Ander- son. Ile was dressed and painted as a Shawnee, and pre- tended to be a representative of Tecumseh. As is usual with the Indians, he took his seat on a log barely in sight of the Indian encampment, quietly smoked his pipe, waiting the action of Anderson and his under chiefs. After an hour he saw approaching the old chief himself, in full dress, smoking his pipe. I give his language. ' As the old chief walked up to me I rose from my seat, looked him in the eyes, we ex- changed pipes, and walked down to the lodge, smoking with- out a word. I was pointed to a bear skin-took my seat with my back to the chiefs. A few minutes after I noticed an Indian by the name of Gillaway, who knew me well, eyeing me closely. I tried to evade his glances, when he bawled out in the Indian language, at the top of his voice, interpreted, . You great Shawnee Indian, you John Conner.' The next moment the camp was in a perfect roar of laughter. Chief Anderson ran up to me, throwing off his dignity. 'You great representative of Tecumseh,' and burst out in a loud laugh." The scene of this meeting was prob- ably where the Catholic Church now stands, at the corner of Eleventh and Fletcher streets.
TRADITIONS CONCERNING CHIEF ANDERSON.
The interesting legend contributed to this work by Mrs. Earle Reeve, me Lovett. concerning Kik-tha-we-nund, or Chief Anderson, which may be found elsewhere. is out one of the many transmitted by the early pioneers to their descend- ants, relative to the fate of the noted chief. There are several others, however, that are worthy of mention. It is said that he came to his death while riding a pony by plunging from the high bluff on White river, just cast of Anderson. It is also said that he died before his people left for their reserva- tion beyond the Mississippi, and that he was buried in the
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
burial ground of his tribe. This burial ground was situated where the residences of Major Doxey. T. M. Norton and Martin Gruenewald, in Anderson, are located.
Another tradition is to the effect that he removed to Ohio with a remnant of his people and died there. And still another that he went west with his people. and, being dissat- istied with the country, started to return to his old home, and was poisoned to death while on his way.
It is a matter of regret that nothing definite is known con- cerning his last days. He was a noble Indian, and always the steadfast friend of the whites.
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CHAPTER IV.
EARLY SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
A majority of the early settlers of this county came from Virginia and Kentucky, the former State being more largely represented than the latter. The first man who came to the county for the purpose of locating permanently was John Rogers, an Irishman. Rogers faced the perils and hardships of the wilderness and located in Fall Creek township in No- vember, 1818, two years after the territory of Indiana had been organized as a State, and while the seat of the State government was yet at Corydon. He left the county some- time after coming here, but subsequently returned and located about two and a half miles east of the town of Pendleton, where he reared a family. A sketch of Mr. Rogers will be found elsewhere in these pages.
But it was not until 1820 that any considerable number of pioneers located within the borders of the county. Those who came at that early day, like those who followed, saw that the land was well watered and that the soil with proper culti- vation would yield abundantly. They settled in the primeval wilderness and began the arduous labor of cutting and hewing out of the unbroken forests, homes for themselves and their descendants. It was in this year that the nucleus for Madi- son county's present population settled near the falls of Fall Creek. Among the number were Elias Hollingsworth and family, William Curtis, Nathaniel Richmond and family, John Linsey, Israel Cox, Conrad Crossley, Saul Shaul, Samuel Holliday, Thomas and William McCartney. These were soon followed by Adam Dobson, Manly Richards, Stephen Corwin, the Silvers, William and Thomas, Palmer Patrick and many others who have long since gone to their reward.
About this time other settlements sprang up in the vicin- ity of Chesterfield, at Anderson and Perkinsville, with a soli- tary cabin here and there between these places.
Among those who settled in Union township in the vicin-
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ity of Chesterfield were Frederick Bronnenberg, sr., William Diltz, John Suman, Daniel Noland and Amasa Makepeace. Those who first settled at Anderson were John Berry, William Allen, Samuel Cory, William Curtis and William Stogdon. These pioneers were soon followed by others who will receive honorable mention elsewhere in this work.
Two families of the name of Kinser and Dewey settled in the vicinity of Perkinsville, and were followed by Benoni Frell, of Ohio. Then came Daniel Wise. who made the first entry of land in Jackson township. In the fall of 1825. Will- iam Parkins, with his family, which consisted of his wife and seven children, came from Ohio, and located where Perkins- ville now stands. Other immigrants followed and the settle- ment flourished.
Following the organization of the territory of Indiana into a state, the agitation of the matter of organizing the county began in earnest in the infant settlements and did not cease until the metes and bounds of the territory which now comprises the county were established. At the session of the legislature which assembled at Corydon on the first Monday in December, 1822, an enabling act was passed and received the signature of Governor William Hendricks on the 4th of January, 1823, granting the residents of the county the right to organize a separate and independent jurisdiction for the ad- ministration of affairs. That act is as follows :
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, that from and after the first day of July next, all that tract of land which is included in the following boundaries, shall constitute and form a new county, to be known and designated by the name of the county of Madison, to-wit : Beginning at the south-west corner of the county of Henry. thence north with the line of the same and to the township line dividing 20 and 21 north, thence west to the north-east corner of Section 5, in Township 20 north, range 6 cast, thence south 20 miles; thence west to the north-east corner of the county of Marion ; thence south to the north- west corner of Shelby county; thence east with the line of Shelby until the same intersects Rush county ; thence north with Rush county to the north-west corner of the same : thence east to the place of beginning.
SEC. 2. The said new county of Madison shall from and after the first day of July next, enjoy all the rights, privi-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
leges and jurisdictions, which to separate and independent counties, do or may properly belong or appertain.
SEC. 3. Abijah Bayless, of Harrison county ; William Williams, of Jackson county; Jesse Reddick, of Bartholo- mew county ; Rollin C. Dewey, of Lawrence county, and James Dill, of Dearborn county, are hereby appointed Com- missioners, agreeably to an act entitled, " An act for fixing the seats of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid off." The Commissioners above named shall meet at the house of William McCartney, in said new county of Madison on the first Monday in September next, and shall immediately pro- ceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law. It is hereby made the duty of the sheriff of Marion county to no- . tify the said Commissioners, either in person or by written notification, of their appointment, on or before the 15th day of August next, and the said sheriff of Marion county shall be allowed therefor by the County Commissioners of the county of Madison, such compensation as by them shall be deemed just and reasonable, to be paid out of the county treasury of the county of Madison in the same manner other allowances are paid.
SEC. 4. The Circuit and other courts of the county of Madison shall meet and be holden at the house of William McCartney until suitable accommodations can be had at the county seat of said county ; and so soon as the courts of said county are satisfied that suitable accommodations are provided at the county seat of said county they shall adjourn thereto ; after which time, all the courts of said county shall be held at the seat of justice thereof ; provided, however, that the circuit court of said county shall have authority to remove from the house of said William McCartney to any more suit- able place in said county previous to the completion of the public buildings if they should deem the same expedient.
SEC. 5. The agent who shall be appointed for said county to superintend the sales of lots at the county seat of said county or receive donations for said county shall reserve 10 per cent of the proceeds of such sale and donations, which he shall pay over to such person or persons, as by law may be author- ized to receive the same, for the use of a county library for said county, which he shall pay over at such time or times and manner as shall be directed by law.
SEC. 6. The Board of County Commissioners of said county shall. within twelve months after the permanent seat
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
or justice shall have been selected, proceed to erect the neces- sary public buildings thereon.
SEC. 7. Provides for the organization, conduct and sup- port of a county library, as provided by the act organizing Dubois county, approved January 23, 1818.
SEC. 8. The county is attached to and made a part of the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Indiana. This act to be in force from and after July 1. 1823."
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