USA > Indiana > Posey County > History and directory of Posey County [Indiana] : containing an account of the early settlement and organization of the county : also a complete list of the tax-payers, their post-office addresses and places of residence, together with a business directory of Mt. Vernon and New Harmony also biographical sketches of prominent citizens of the county > Part 6
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November, and in the battle in front of Nashville on the 15th and 16th of December." Soon after this the regiment went to Washington, D. C., thence to other points South, finally reaching Saulsbury, N. C., May 8, 1865. It remained here until June 26, when it was mustered out of service and immediately left for Indianapolis, whence all that were left, excepting the recruits, went to their homes.
COMPANY " H," ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIXTH REGIMENT, INDIANA VOLUNTEERS-IO0 DAYS.
Captain, Joseph Moore ; First Eieutenant, Ebe W. Murray ; Sec- ond Lieutenant, James J. Barrett. Sergeants-Milton Pearse, Order- ly ; Smith Bloomer, Ist; Charles H. Leonard, 2d; Wm. E. Stiehl, 3d; Ben. F. Wilson, 4th. Corporals-James W. Davis, Ist; Ed. L. Dougherty, 2d; Augustus Gordon, 3d : Virgil Bozeman, 4th; Frank Elliott, 5th; Gilbert Magill, 8th.
This company, composed entirely of Posey County men, went into camp at Indianapolis, and was mustered into service in May, 1864. After remaining at the rendezvous of the regiment one week, they went, with the regiment, to Ft. Sands, on the L. & N. Railway, fifteen miles from Louisville, where they remained for a fortnight, doing guard duty, thence to Nashville, thence to Murfreesboro, thence afoot to McMinville, forty miles distant, where they relieved veteran soldiers on guard duty ; thence they went to Murfreesboro afoot, where they remained until they returned to Indianapolis, about the 15th of August, when they were mustered out, having been in service 102 days. The regiment was never in any engagements, though they were in constant readiness.
COMPANY "F;" EIGHTIETH REGIMENT, INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
Captain, Russell J. Showers; First Lieutenant, James S. Epperson, Second Lieutenant, James H. C. Lowe. Sergeants-Thomas H. En- dicott, Ist; Adam Snyder, 2d; John B. Smith, 3d; Alexander D. Smith, 4th; Erwin Rogers, 5th. Corporals-Thomas C. Craig, Ist; John M. Wolf, 2d; John Brumfield, 3d; Jesse T. M. Whiting, 4th ; William T. Whiting, 5th : William K. Boren, 6th; Samuel N. Mont- gomery, 7th, and James. N. Tyner, 8th. This company was principally recruited in Posey County, the number from the County being sixty-nine. The regiment was recruited under the call of July, 1862. It was rendezvoused at Princeton, in August and September, and was organized at that time. One of the most disastrous battles that the Eightieth was engaged in was that which was fought at Champion Hill, or Perryville, in which it lost 150 men and officers.
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The regiment participated in several active campaigns, and fought the battles of Kingston and Mossy Creek, Tenn. It was also at the bat- tles of the Atlanta campaign, including those of Resacca, Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek, and those before Atlanta. When Atlanta fell, the Eightieth went in pursuit of Hood's army, the pursuit being abandoned at Gaylesville, Ala., when the regiment was transferred from Sherman's army to the command of Gen. Thomas, with whom, from November 25th to December 30th, 1864, it was " constantly kept on active duty." It took part in the desperate battle of Franklin, and also at Nashville, " that proved so victorious to the Union army, under Gen. Thomas." . It participated in the attack upon Ft. Anderson, near Wilmington, N. C., February 19, 1865. It was mustered out of service at Saulsbury, N. C., June 22, 1865. The regiment lost, during its term of service, 325 men and officers, 173 of whom were lost at Resacca, and traveled 7, 245 miles-1,050 by water, 2,445 by railroad and 3,750 miles on foot.
FIELD OFFICERS OF POSEY COUNTY.
The following is a list of the soldiers of Posey County who received promotion as field officers above the position of Captain for gallantry and meritorious services : Genl. Alvin P. Hovey, Col. of the Twenty- fourth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, until the battle of Shiloh, was promoted, April 28th, 1862, a Brigadier General. On July 4th, 1864, he was commissioned a Major General by President Lincoln.
Col. Richard F. Barter was an Adjutant of the Twenty-fourth In- diana Volunteers at its organization, and on April 26th, 1862, was promoted Major; was promoted again to the position of Lieutenant- Colonel for gallantry at Shiloh, which he resigned November 27th, 1863, to re-enter service as Colonel of the hundred and twentieth In- diana Volunteers, remaining in that position until August 8th, 1864, when he resigned. He received a very serious wound in the hand at the battle of Champion Hill while bearing the colors which had fallen from the hands of the standard-bearer, who had received dangerous wounds during the fight.
Richard Owen, who entered the service as Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifteenth Indiana Volunteers, was promoted Colonel of the Six- tieth, October 21, 1862, which he resigned July 11, 1863.
Alfred D. Owen, Adjutant of the Eightieth Indiana Volunteers, was first promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and then, on January 27, 1864, elevated to the position of Colonel of the same regiment. He was only twenty one years of age when he received the promotion.
Julian D. Owen, mustered into service as Second Lieutenant of Company "C," First Cavalry, Indiana Volunteers, was promoted Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the same regiment March 2, 1864.
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. 11Mark McCauley entered the First Cavalry as a private in August, 1861, and was promoted to the position of Major of the regiment in July, 1863.
.Walter G. Hodge entered the army as Captain of Company "A," Sixty-fifth Indiana Volunteers, August i1, 1862, and was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the same regiment May 24, 1864, but died of typhoid fever at Marietta, Ga., before he was mustered.
Josiah Forth, who entered the service as First Lieutenant of Com- pany "C," First Cavalry Indiana Volunteers, in July, 1861, was pro- moted Major of the same regiment November 7, 1861.
. Jesse Nash, who entered Company "C," Sixtieth Indiana Volun- teers, as Captain, was promoted Major of the same regiment February 8, 1863; resigned August 2, 1863.
b Sylvanus Milner, who entered the service as Captain of Company "K", Tenth Cavalry, November 20, 1863, was promoted Major of the same regiment, May 1, 1865.
Dewitt C. James entered the Tenth Cavalry as Captain of Company "K", January 11, 1864, and was promoted Major of the same regi- ment June i, 1865.
"James M. Carson entered the service as Captain of Company "A", Ninety-first Indiana Volunteers, September 22, 1862, and was promo- ted Major of that regiment November 1, 1863.
Posey County expended during the war, for local bounties, $203, . 202.60; for the relief of soldiers' families, $34,384.84, and for mis- cellaneous military pursoses, $5, 178.70, making a total of $242, 766. 14.
Besides her liberality in pecuniary donations, it will be seen that she was generous to a very loyal degree in her responses to cails for more recruits. The population of the county, at the beginning of the war, in round numbers, was 16,000. The number of men furnished by her, as stated elsewhere, was (approximated) 1,700. Estimating one vote to five inhabitants, the county contained 3, 200 voters, 15 per cent. of whom were, it is reasonable to suppose, unfit for service be- cause of old age and infirmities. Deducting this proportion from the total number and the number left is 2,720 men. Therefore, the coun- ty furnished 62 12 per cent. of all her able-bodied men for the sup- pression of the rebellion, in active service, while at least 1,000 of those remaining were on duty as "'home guards" almost constantly. No county in the State can show a better war record than Posey, a record; that can always be referred to with pride. Many of her brave "soldier boys" sacrificed their lives in defense of their coun- try, and they are honored the more because they did so with bravery and as an act of duty. We hope, at some future time, to place their names upon the pages of a revised work, so that we may pay a tribute to their memory which will last through all time.
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TOWNSHIPS OF POSEY AND THEIR ORGANIZATION.
MARRS TOWNSHIP,
As it is now bounded, was organized by the Board of County Com- missioners, at a meeting of that body, held at Blackford, March 24, 1817. It was named after Samuel R. Marrs, one of the first Commis- sioners, who came to Posey County from Warrick, of which he was the first Sheriff, and who died in 1818. The first election in this township was held at the house of Wm. Hutcheson. It is among the largest of the ten townships contained in the County, and the character of its soil is excellent. With improved facilities for trans- portation of its products, it is safe to say that Marrs will take second rank to none of her sisters in agricultural wealth. The number of acres of land under cultivation in 1880 was 14,245; the yield of wheat for that year averaging fifteen, while the yield of corn was thirty-five bushels per acre.
ROBB TOWNSHIP
Was named after Thomas and William Robb, the first settlers, the boundaries of which, March 24, 1817, embraced its present limits, all of Bethel and the greater portion of Harmony townships. The first election in Robb was held at the house of Langston Drew. This township is one of the foremost, and its superior natural advantages must and will always keep her at the front. Her soil is rich and her people are intelligent and progressive, keenly alive to their immediate interests and at the same time show a disposition to encourage the welfare of the County in general. The number of acres of land cul- tivated in this township, in 1880, was 9,947, the average yield of wheat being eighteen and that of corn forty bushels per acre.
SMITH TOWNSHIP
Was formed and officially recorded by the Board of County Com- missioners, March 24, 1817, and at that time included its present boundaries, with additional territory that has since become a part of Warrick and Gibson Counties. It was named after George Smith, one of the earliest and most prominent settlers, at whose house the first election was held. On August 15, 1817, "all that part of Smith township lying North of the main Big Creek and South of Reeter's race" was added to and became a part of Lynn. Smith was the first of the townships in the Northern part of the County to secure the advantages of railway communication, a subsidy being voted to the
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E. & T. H. R. R. for an extension of its line from Owensville, in Gibson County, to Cynthiana, in that township, in 1880. The number of acres of land cultivated in Smith in 1880 was 5,897, the production of wheat averaging fifteen, while the yield of corn was thirty-five bushels per acre for that year.
LYNN TOWNSHIP
Was also organized in 1817, and at that time embraced a part of Harmo- ny township, the town of Harmonie (now known as New Harmony) being the place where the first election was held. It was named after Dann Lynn, the first Representative of the County in the Legislature and who was also a member of the Convention which adopted the Constitution under which the State was admitted to the Union. In 1880 the number of acres of land under cultivation in the township was 12, 119, and the average yield of wheat was fourteen, while that of corn was twenty-five bushels per acre. The greater portion of the surface is rolling and the character of the soil is splendid. It contains a thrifty and prosperous class of farmers, while its schools and churches compare very favorably with those of more pretentious townships.
BLACK TOWNSHIP
Was named after Hugh, William and Thomas Black, three brothers, who were among the very earliest settlers, and who were highly re- spected by their acquaintances. On March 24, 1817, when the town- ship was organized its territory included what is now known as Point. which, from August 14, 1821, until May 13, 1822, was called Daniel township, named in honor of John Daniel, the first permanent settler there. The first election held in this township was at the house of Thomas Givens, in Mt. Vernon. It is the wealthiest township in the County, and, in 1880, had under cultivation 43,007 acres of land, the yield of wheat and corn per acre averaging respectively fifteen and thirty-five bushels. Its surface is gently undulating, its soil is very fertile and its inhabitants, as a class, are frugal, industrious and enter- prising. It contained, according to the census report of 1880, 7,000 inhabitants. Its educational facilities are superior, its standard of morality is high and its sanitary condition is excellent. Among the earliest settlers of this township were Wm. Curtis, father of Thomas, Joshua and Wm. B. (who is the father of George W., the incumbent of the County Clerk's office), and his cousin, Kel Curtis. They came to the County in 1811. "Aunt Becky" McFaddin, who died at Mt. Vernon, February 3, 1873, in the eighty-seventh year of her age, and who was the widow of Andrew McFaddin, was a resident of this
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township sixty-eight years. "Aunt Becky" was found dead in her . bed with the Bible in her arms.
WAGNON TOWNSHIP
Was organized in March, 1817, and when Vanderburgh was formed, January 7, 1818, it became a part of that county and is now known as Perry township. It was named after Wm. Wagnon, a very early settler and one of the first panel of grand jurors that ever sat in Posey County.
BETHEL TOWNSHIP
Was formed August 14, 1821, and was named after P. C. Bethel, the first white man who settled within its confines. It is in the extreme Northern part of the County, comprises a great deal of superior soil, and, in 1880, had under cultivation 4,993 acres of land, which pro- duced 53,650 bushels of wheat and 80, 011 bushels of corn, averaging fifteen of the former and thirty-five bushels per acre of the latter cereal. It is abundantly supplied with an excellent growth of timber, has good schools and good society.
HARMONY TOWNSHIP
Was organized August 14, 1821, and derives its name from the pecu- liar class of people who settled it in 1814-15, and who styled them- selves the "Harmonie Society," an account of which will be found under the sketch of New Harmony. In population and wealth it is second only to Black. Its inhabitants are intelligent, industrious and public spirited. There were 8,573 acres of land under cultivation in the township in 1880, and the yield of wheat and corn for that year aggregated 265,402 bushels, the average production being respectively, fifteen and thirty-five bushels per acre.
ROBINSON TOWNSHIP
Is probably one of the oldest townships in the County, having been formed in the first days of the Territory's history, the exact time not being known, as there is no record in possession of the County in reference to its organization. Enough is known, however, for stating that it was named after Jonathan Robinson, a man who was promi- nently identified with that section of the County in the "days of long ago." The fact that nothing can be found regarding the formation of the township tends to confirm the opinion that all documentary evi- dence concerning this and the other townships that existed before
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those that are now comprised in the County was destroyed at Vincennes in January, 1814, when the office of the Register of the Territorial Land Department, with its contents, was burned. The Legislature, by an act passed September 7, 1814, appointed Benjamin Parke, John D. Hay and Nathaniel Ewing, Commissioners, to receive and record evi- dence relating to all papers involving titles to lands that were jeopardized by the loss of all instruments of writing consequent upon the destruc- tion of the Register's office. The population of this township is largely composed of Germans, who have made it one of the most productive quarters of the County. No township, taken on the whole, is a source of greater pride to the County than this. Its schools are of a superior character, its people are thrifty and law abiding and its sanitary con- dition is superb. Hon. Wm. Heilman, now a member of Congress from the First Congressional District of Indiana, spent the first years of his residence in the United States in this township. In 1880 there were 9,323 acres of land under cultivation in Robinson, the yield of wheat and corn averaging, respectively, fifteen and thirty-five bushels per acre.
CENTER TOWNSHIP
Was so named because of its central location in the county, and was formed from parts of Robinson, Lynn and Harmony, in March, 1859. Although it is youngest, it is by no means the least, in point of wealth and productiveness. In 1880, there were 7,071 acres of land under cul- tivation, the yield of wheat and corn for that year aggregating 153,- 140 bushels, of which there were 92,445 bushels of corn, which aver- aged a yield of 43 bushels per acre. The inhabitants of the township are prosperous and thrifty, and show a disposition to improve in every. particular that is highly commendable. The superior natural advanta- ges of the township cannot be ignored, and for that reason we predict for it a glorious destiny.
POINT TOWNSHIP
Was organized May 13, 1822, and it still retains the boundaries which were given it in that year, previous to which time, from August 14, 1821, it was called Daniel township. Very little of its area, compar- tively, has been brought under cultivation, though, in 1880, there were 5,155 acres sown to grain, from which 96,305 bushels of corn and 17,030 bushels of wheat were harvested. A large proportion of its timbered lands, particularly those that lie along the Wabash and Ohio rivers, could, and will be, ere long, tilled and made a great source of revenue. The first election in the township was held at the house
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of Daniel Owen. The capabilities of Point township, while they are not so great as those of her sisters, must be recognized, and when that is done, the township will "bloom and blossom as the rose" and will be one of the brightest of the constellations of townships found in other quarters of the Union.
" HOOP-POLE " TOWNSHIP.
As a great many of our readers have frequently heard the word " hoop-pole" applied to a township of this county, and as a majority of them perhaps do not know how it originated, we give the following version, hoping to disabuse the minds of a great many who may entertain the idea that such a township had actual existence: About fifty years ago, there was a large class of robust, fearless men who fol- lowed the river for a livelihood, and who were known as flat-boatmen. Generally they were perfect types of physical manhood. men of nerve, and by their occupation innured to endurance and hardships. At that period the business of transporting goods by means of flat-boats was more extensively engaged in than now, and it was not uncommon to see a dozen or more of this kind of water craft afloat in mid stream or ly- ing at the landing simultaneously. Mt. Vernon was noted abroad as a place that claimed, as her residents, a number of hard "cases." They were not what is known as desperadoes, but merely men who would not scruple at running horse races, playing poker or indulging in fisti-cuffs whenever the opportunity was offered. It was some time in the year 1834 or '35, when several crews of flat-boatmen were on their boats at the landing at Mt. Vernon, and when the idea occurred to them that it would be a source of amusement to " turn up the town." The first place they stopped was at the saloon kept by John Carson, on Water street. Directly opposite this dram shop was a cooper shop, owned by John Cooper, in whose employ were several men, who were not averse to " sport" and who soon joined the flat-boatmen, with whom they tapped glasses and drank frequently. The drinking con- tinued until a general fight ensued, in which the coopers were badly beaten. The news of this defeat and outrage came to the ears of the rough element mentioned, and to avenge the wrong perpetrated upon their fellow-citizens, they congregated in numbers at the cooper shop, equipped themselves with hoop-poles, and, accompanied by the bruised and bleeding coopers, attacked the flat-boatmen. It is said that the combat was a long and bloody one, the chances being equally divided . between the belligerants ; brick-bats whizzed through the air and hoop- poles were brandished and fell relentlessly upon the backs of the in- vaders like the wrath of the avenging angels. Evidences were final- ly shown that the river men were weakening, though this end was slow
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to come about. The citizens were not slow to discover their condi- tion, and they charged the enemy furiously, who began a retreat, which terminated in a complete rout. The water men beat a hasty retreat, pursued by the incensed " land lubbers" to their boats, which they quickly unloosed and pushed into the stream.
The victory was a "glorious one" and the reputation of the village for fighting men was grandly sustained. The boatmen, with swollen noses and blackened eyes, were carried away on the majestic bosom of the Ohio to the sunny clime of the South, where the fragrance of the magnolia and orange blossom is perpetual; where the balmy air is healing and where dreams of happiness "dance o'er the mind". They passed and were passed in turn by flat boatmen; their unsightly appear- ance elicited inquiry and inquiry produced facts ; facts that confirmed the prevalent idea that "they were a bad set at 'Vernon". Whenever a man on the rivers, after that event, was seen with a damaged facial member, a broken nose or a "mourning" eye, he was accosted with : "Been to 'Vernon, pard? Hoop-pole township, Posey County, is a hard un, ain't she ?"
MOUNT VERNON, BLACK TOWNSHIP.
EMBRYONIC-THE FIRST SETTLER AND HIS HOME-THE FIRST STORE AND THE FIRST HOTEL-THE TOWN'S INCORPORATION-FIRST OFFICERS- THE FIRST FERRYMAN-THE FIRST AND SUCCEEDING POSTMAS- TERS-ADDITIONS AND ENLARGEMENTS-THE FIRST AND OTHER BANKS-THE CITY'S INCORPORATION AND HER OFFICERS -- THE FIRST DAILY MAIL-THE FIRST AND OTHER SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES-CON- FLAGRATIONS-RAILROADS-NEWSPA- PERS, SOCIETIES, ETC., ETC.
The town of Mt. Vernon received its name in 1816, when the first official plats were recorded by John Wagner, John Givens and Aaron Williams, as will be seen under the heading of "additions and enlarge- ments," the purchase of the site having been made by those gentlemen from Gen. Wm. H. Harrison, as will also be seen under that heading. In the year 1795, Andrew McFaddin, ("Tiddle de-dum") a native of North Carolina, crossed the Ohio river into Posey County from Ken- tucky, at Diamond Island, on a hunting expedition, and it was while he was in pursuit of game in the county that he discovered the location of the present town of Mt. Vernon. A few years after his return to the "dark and bloody ground", or in 1805, he concluded to remove his family to Indiana, and he came directly to this place. After he had erected his dwelling, 'Slim" Andrew and William McFaddin, two
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cousins, followed him, and they gave the name of McFaddin's Bluff to the locality, by which it was known until and some time after the town of Mt. Vernon was laid out.
For a year after their advent into this country they resided on the land which is now owned by Frederick Hagerman, and which for- merly belonged to Jesse Oatman. Trading boats landed at the rocks in front of this farm until about the year 1810, when they began to stop at the present wharf, which was constructed by Moses Ross, contractor, in 1851, at a cost to the city of $40,000. The McFaddins remained at the original landing until the year 1806, when they re- moved to the present site of Mt. Vernon, where others soon afterward lo- cated and engaged in various pursuits. At the time the McFaddins settled here there was a dense growth of heavy timber on the site of Mt. Vernon, and as late as 1824 deer were killed at that part of the town where Second crosses Main street There were also at that time large ponds of water on the block in which Evertson Brothers' Mills are situated and on that block now owned by Messrs. Edward Evertson, Wm P. Daniel and Noble Craig, and it was to these bodies of water that the Nimrods of that day went in search of wild geese and ducks. Many of the old residents of Mt. Vernon on pleasant afternoons and evenings, wooed and won their wives in the shade of the majestic oaks, stately poplars and graceful maples that covered the territory extending from Third street to the banks of the river. Some are still living who remember with what joyful expectancy they looked forward to that moment when they should take a ramble through the forest and listen to the sweet caroling of the feathered songsters and enjoy the blissful moments of courtship alone. They will remember, too, the wildness of the scene that was presented in a few scattering, rudely-constructed log huts in a wilderness of forest, and will recall the exciting moments that passed while chasing the bears, wolves and other animals that inhabited the locality at that day, when the dusky savage, with his rifle and tomahawk, was a familiar sight. The first dwelling house built on the territory occupied by Mt. Vernon was erected by Andrew McFaddin ("Tiddle-de-dum") at the foot of Store street, about the year 1806, where the warehouses of G. W. Thomas now stand. It was a primitive structure in every sense. Its floor was earthen, while the "bedsteads" were constructed in a manner that did not display a great deal of ingenuity on the part of the workman. They were made of two horizontal poles fastened at one end to the wall and supported by two upright pieces of the same materiał, while the "slats" were round pieces of unhewn timber. The clothing worn in those days was made of the skins of wild animals, while mocca- sins were the only protection to their feet from the blasts of Winter, 'a majority of the people wearing nothing at other seasons on their pedal
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