USA > Indiana > Boone County > History of Boone County, Indiana : With biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families, Volume I > Part 10
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The law was changed in 1848 and the system that we are working under now with modern improvements was instituted. There may be more con- venience without doubt, but the question may be discussed, are there any better men and women produced under the latter than under the former system? Under the old law, Center built seventeen schools outside of Leb- anon and distributed them throughout the township. Under the present sys- tem she is maintaining twelve schools over the same territory.
ROADS.
After the Indian trails were supplanted by the blazed ways came the cut- outs to allow a team to pass. The first great highway was the state road from Indianapolis to Lafayette, which entered near the southeast part of the township, passed diagonally through it and out at near the northwest corner, going through Lebanon. From Lebanon, roads were built towards Craw- fordsville, Noblesville, Frankfort, Jamestown and all other directions in the county. It was many years before these roads reached the grandeur of the present. Through toil and great sacrifice they have come to us as the rich heritage from our fathers.
The railroads soon followed. First the Big Four of our day, then the Central Indiana. Following these steam roads came the tractions to Indi- anapolis, Crawfordsville, Frankfort and Thorntown, so that there is today every convenience of travel, from this township that used to sit back in the woods, to all parts of the world. Think of all this and more coming up from
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the wilderness, from what we now term the poorest of schools, plain churches and homes without any of our modern improvements. It will be a question whether we of today with our rich heritage and with all our wonderful im- provements can do as well.
WORTH.
Worth is the baby township of the county. It was an after thought. It was organized in 1851, twenty-one years after the organization of the county. It is the smallest township in the county as well as the youngest. It was made by cutting four sections off of Perry, four from Eagle, five from Union and six from Center township, making in all nineteen sections. It is not only distinguished by being the youngest and smallest in the county, but also the levelest and the highest. It is a table land township and has no stream of water in it, except it be the source of Fishback. In fact the water is led out of the township by ditches into Fishback creek ; and the head waters of the streams that constitute the sources of Eel river, Prairie creek and other streams flowing northwest into Sugar creek, and those flowing east into Eagle creek. This township was not only covered with a dense forest and underbrush but also with water a good part of the season that did not know which way to run, and lolled around until the sun and earth drank it up after a rain. Take it as a township it was the most unpromising of all for settlement. We often wonder how it was ever formed and what were the influences that led to its formation. Some one must have had the. apostolic idea and could not be satisfied until there were twelve townships in the county, or yet, again, there might have been a little Hebrew in it, and one of the descendants of Abram was determined to have twelve tribes in Israel. At least some one or more within its bounds went to the county com- missioners with a petition for a new township and it was granted. It seems that the county commissioners of early days granted almost any petition that came into the court for the formation of the townships, and any farmer along the border of any township that took a notion that he would like to change residence would go into court and ask the commissioners to move his farm. They would realize the difficulty of moving the farm, although most of them would float in that early day, and would just extend the town- ship line around it. When they made Center township, pussy-corner was the
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game, and they tried to make a corner for each boy and girl and staked off twenty-two corners. Some corners were made for political convenience no doubt; some for railroad taxes and some on account of streams. That is why our township lines are so irregular. If we knew all the pleadings in court for these changes, there might be some interesting history connected with it.
Among the first white men to attempt to build homes in this unpromis- ing part of Boone county were Richard Hall, John and James McCord and James White as early as 1830. These were soon followed by Thomas Har- mon, Adam Kettering, Joseph White and John Smith. Within a few years Philip Lucas, John Neese, Abraham Hedrick, John Isenhour, Samuel Ray, William Staten and scores of others came flocking in. Henry Lucas taught the first school as early as 1837. Rev. John Good was the first minister. Whitestown was organized about the same time as the township and the building of the railroad.
You can poke all the fun at little Worth you please, but after she got out of the woods and the water run off, she proved to be a jewel of first water and shines out among her sister townships today equal to the very best. She is bounded on the north by Center and Union townships; on the west by Center and Perry townships; on the south by Perry and Eagle townships; on the east by Eagle and Union townships. She is located mathematically as follows, to-wit: Sections 35 and 36 in town 19 north, range I east, also sections 1, 2 and II to 14 inclusive, and 23 to 26 inclusive, in town 18 north, range I east; also sections 6, 7, 8 and sections 17 to 20 and sections 29, 30, in town 18 north, range 2 east. She was covered with such dense forest that the early settlers were delayed in cropping. The honor of making the first crop is credited to James White and John McCord.
The development of the township has been marvelous. Although the youngest, she has measured up to her sister townships in the county and her farm life is as highly developed today as the best of them. The Big Four railroad runs across her center from southeast to northwest, and on this road near the center of the township is the thriving town of Whitestown, the only town in the township. It is the trade center, election center and is surrounded by as rich and as beautiful country as there is in the county. You could not say more than this of any county. The steam railway is now paralleled by a traction line, which gives ready transportation to any point.
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The roads of the township have kept pace with the best and in all seasons of the year you can go about with pleasure and comfort. There is nothing omitted that is necessary for the comfort and happiness of the people.
Her first school was a "Free School," supported by the Congressional funds and have been so from the beginning, saving a little subscription aid at the beginning. The schools multiplied until there were eight, all brick. This was one school to less than two and one-half sections. The township readily fell into the consolidation plan of this day. In 1906 there were eleven teachers with six months' schools and no high school, tax levy one dollar and eighty-two cents. In 1911 there were eight teachers, eight months' school and three years' high school, tax levy, one dollar and sixty-five cents. The benefits of consolidation in this township are very evident. It had too many schools to begin with; the happy location of the high school near the center at Whitestown all worked for the advantage in consolidation and its fruits are evident. Of late the township has had trouble in regard to con- structing a new high school, but in a late decision of the court, it has been settled in favor of the new building and it will be built.
CHURCHES.
It was a happy circumstance for Worth township that the principal town, Whitestown, was laid out about the same time as the township and that it was centrally located. It afforded church facilities for all the citizens. There were no country churches established, hence, there were none to pass away. At Whitestown there were three churches built. The Evangelical Lutheran church with a membership in 1911 of two hundred and forty- seven and in a growing condition. The Baptist, membership one hundred and thirty and losing ground. The Methodist, with ninety-five members, standing still. The pastor of this church has in his circuit, five churches with membership as follows: ninety-five, fifty-nine, forty-nine, forty-four and six. These figures are taken from the report of the Presbyterian Mis- sion Board of 1911. The same report states that in Boone county there are at the above date eighty-two churches. Seventeen have resident pastors. Fifty have non-resident pastors; fifteen have no ministers. These churches are divided among twenty-one different denominations, with scarcely any strife.
CHAPTER VI.
ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORY-RIGHT OF OCCUPATION-ORIGIN OF NAME HOOSIER.
Previous to this, we have shown how we obtained our title to this country from the Indian. It may be well to trace the abstract through the white man's occupancy, that we may know from whence our right of possession comes. They had a title in the land by reason of possession, as far back as we have knowledge and farther, for we know not who deeded to him. The basis of the white man's ownership comes from what he terms discovery. This does not look like a very good title, but he claims it, and it is the base of the white man's claim to this new world. We have all heard of the story of Columbus in 1492, as the first white man to see this new world. He took possession in the name of Queen Isabel of Spain, and upon the right of dis- covery. We presume that this queen was the first white person that ever laid claim to land in the new world and under this title she owned the entire continent. Columbus found the Indian here in full possession. The next title was under the right of exploration. Every nation in the old world that could get a boat strong enough to cross the sea and a captain with skill and bravery to make the voyage, started out to explore the new found world, and lay claim to at least a part of its domain. Under this title, every live nation in Europe got a foothold here in this new land and sought to hold it by settle- ments. It was under these titles that much confliction arose over claims to the land that grew into bitter disputes and bred wars between the nations. They each made settlements to hold their claims. The English, French, Germans and Spaniards were especially in the fight along these lines for ownership of this country and each secured a portion.
The English formed settlements along the Atlantic coast and claimed the territory westward for an indefinite distance, for at that time they did not know the extent. They met with no dispute on the eastern slope of the Appalachian mountains. The French had gone up the St. Lawrence river, through the Great Lakes and passed over the ridges, into the headwaters of
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the Mississippi system. The French were the first men to explore the Ohio river and its tributaries and establish settlements at Vincennes, Ft. Wayne, Pittsburgh and various other trading points with the natives. By this pro- cedure, the French claimed the entire Mississippi valley and controverted the same with England.
Spain also, by like process, laid claim to Florida and bordering on the gulf and in Mexico. These conflicting claims overlapped each other and con- tinued for years, before they were settled by treaties and purchases, until, England had undisputed claim to all the territory bordering on the Atlantic coast of North America. All of her rights on the south of the St. Lawrence basin passed to the colonies at the close of the Revolutionary war. During this controversy the territory of which Indiana was a part was known by different names. At one time it belonged to the Province of Quebec, and again it went by the name of Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV.
Robert Cavelier, de LaSalle, the principal French explorer of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi valleys, who was commandant at Ft. Frontenac, now Kingston, on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, sailed down the Ohio river in 1669, skirting along the southern border of what is now Indiana. It is fairly certain that LaSalle also crossed the northwest corner of the state in 1671 or 72. This was done in his trip by way of the St. Joseph on the lake and by the Kankakee on his way to the Illinois river. Later in 1680, he established a fort on the St. Joseph river called Ft. Miami. He was friendly with the natives and induced all the Indians of Indiana to form an alliance, for mutual protection against the Iroquois, who were making a war upon the Indiana tribes. He carried on a lively trade with the Indians along the Wabash and Ohio rivers. We can conclude with almost a certainty, that this intrepid Frenchman drove frequent trades with the Eel river tribe at Thorntown.
The Miami confederation of Indians in Indiana was always friendly with the Jesuit missionaries. Allouez, one of the missionaries, visited with the Indians in this section and worked with the Miami tribes for their souls' interest. The silver crosses found in the Indian graves in Thorntown, marked Detroit and Montreal, are doubtless evidence of the earnest work of this faithful Frenchman in this state. The day of Judgment only can reveal the fruits of his labors among the Indians.
Beginning with the years of LaSalle's later explorations, Indiana was
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visited by many zealous French Jesuit missionaries, seeking to convert the Indians to the Christian religion. Through their fearless and self-sacrificing activities, and the restless enterprise of the wood rangers, hunters and trap- pers, no part of Indiana remained unexplored. The traders ever moved along with the missionaries, sometimes in advance, bartering for their furs. This was the forerunner of the permanent settlers seeking a place to build a home.
The French first made permanent settlements at Port Royal in 1605, and founded Quebec in 1608, and the English settled at Jamestown in 1607, and the question for the right of territory, commerce and trade began and con- tinued for over one hundred and fifty years. The battle of rivalries between England and France closed in 1763. By this treaty at Paris, France and Spain gave up their dominion in North America. The closing deal was in the year 1803, when France quit claimed to the United States all of her territory for the sum of fifteen million dollars. The most prominent battles in this contro- versy were Braddock's defeat in 1755; the success of the English at Ticon- deroga in 1759; and the victory of Wolf over Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham, which led to the close of the French dream of an empire in the new world. Spain was an ally with France in this war and lost out in North America also. England took possession of forts Miami and Ouiatenon in Indiana in 1761. Vincennes, being under the jurisdiction of New Orleans, did not become subject to British control until after the treaty of Paris in 1763, and actual possession was not assumed until 1777, one year after the Declaration. England hardly got possession of the valley of the Mississippi before she had to give it all up to her colonies and acknowledge the Inde- pendence of the United States of America. In a word, England fought out a good quietus of title to this country and was able to make a clear deed to the United States and then, the United States was able to make a good deed to each person that wanted a farm in Boone county or any place within the northwest territory.
The very next year, in 1778, George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia and Captain Leonard Helm occupied Vincennes. Both of these men being ยท citizens of Virginia, that state claimed sovereignty by right of conquest over all of the northwest territory. This claim was made good by the final con- quest of Vincennes the next year by General Clark. Virginia organized all of this territory under the title of Illinois and appointed Colonel John Todd
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as governor under the title of County Lieutenant. The county of Illinois embraced all the territory that is now included in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, also that part of Minnesota that lies east of the Mississippi river. This was the first time that the white man had real authority over what is now the state of Indiana and John Todd was the governor. It is clear that Virginia never extended her laws over Indiana. She only gave it a name and appointed a governor. Virginia also claimed this territory by the authority of a charter of the King of England to the London Company in 1609, which grant ceded to Virginia a strip of land two hundred miles north and two hundred miles south of Port Comfort, and stretching from sea to sea, meaning from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
In the treaty with France in 1763, Great Britain gave up her right west of the Mississppi. Virginia held her title to be good as far as the British title extended, which was to the east bank of the Great river. The people, living within the bounds of the county of Illinois were to be governed by officers elected by a majority of votes of the citizens in their respective dis- tricts.
The election that took place soon after this act was the first popular elec- tion ever held within the bounds of Indiana. In 1784, Virginia signed a deed of the northwest territory to the United States. In 1787 was passed the ordinance which was the great "Magna Charta" of the West. It was signed by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe acting as delegates for the commonwealth of Virginia. It provided for the appoint- ment of a governor by Congress whose term of office should be three years ; a secretary for four years and a court of three judges, tenure of office during good behavior. The judges and governors were empowered to make and publish laws until a legislative body was provided. A general assembly was authorized whenever there would be five thousand nine hundred and ninety- nine votes in a district. In short the ordinance provided for all the ma- chinery of government, for a free and independent people until they were so organized that they could arrange details for themselves.
Article I, of the compact guarantees religious liberty. Article 2, guar- antees civil rights. Article 3, in part, states that "Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of man- kind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The
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BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
16th section of each congressional township was reserved for a permanent school fund.
Article 5, provides for the formation of not less than three nor more than five states from the territory covered by the ordinance. Article 6, reads, "That there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said Territory."
Arthur St. Clair was appointed by Congress, October 5, 1787, as the first governor of the northwest territory. Winthrop Sargent was made secre- tary and the seat of government was fixed at Marietta, Ohio. The first ses- sion of territorial court was held there in 1788. On the 7th day of May, 1800, the President approved the law dividing the northwest territory into two parts by the line that now forms the boundary between Ohio and Indiana. It is called the first meridian. (The second meridian passes through the court house at Lebanon). All the land that was in Indiana territory east of the first meridan forms the state of Ohio, which was admitted into the Union in 1802, and the portion west of that line was designated as Indiana Territory.
The people of Indiana Territory had to reorganize and William Henry Harrison was appointed governor, May 13, 1800, and John Gibson was made secretary and the seat of government placed at Vincennes. Its first terri- torial courts was composed of William Clark, Henry Vanderburg and John Griffin as judges. The first general court was opened at Vincennes, March 3, 1801. The population at that date was four thousand eight hundred and seventy-five. In 1804 Congress enlarged the territory by attaching all that part of Louisiana north of latitude north 33 and called it Louisiana Terri- tory. For a short time Indiana Territory went by that name. All the ma- chinery of territorial government was established and installed; in a few days after its completion there was another disturbance. On the IIth of January, 1805, Congress made another division of the territory by detaching Michigan. This was consummated 1805. Still another change on the Ist day of May, 1809 was demanded. At this time it was the people of our own state that were clamoring for a government of their own. Congress detached all that territory west of the present west boundary line of Indiana and called it Illinois Territory and the name Illinois is retained to this day by the state.
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BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
1820-Dec. 1820_laa.
LAND HELD BY INDIANY
Miami Indian Reservation
PANDOLFI
NEW PURCHASE
WAYNE
VIGO
18 18
FRANKLIN
SULLIVAN
MONROE
RIPLEY
Carlisle
LAWER- ENCE
JACKSON
KNOX
DAVIESS
SWITZER LAND
WVincennes .Liverpool
WASHING- JEFFERSON TON
ORANGE
Porterz
CLARK
Princeton GIBSON
PIKE
DUBOIS
FORD
HARRISONEL
VAN. WARRICK DER- BERG
PERRY
POSEY
SPEN CEC
Rome
Twelve Mile
Purchase 1802 __
Terre Heute
JENNING
DEARBORN
Peters. burg
CRAW
INDIANA IN 1818.
By cutting off Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, Indiana Territory was whit- tled down to the present size of the state, and Congress had divided it into nine districts for representation. The first election held wholly within the bounds of Indiana as it is now, was called and held by Governor Harrison and it was declared illegal because it was divided into eight districts instead of nine and the election had to be held over again. In the first election held in Indiana after it was reduced to its present size by cutting off Ohio, Michigan and Illi- nois, the slavery question was to the front. Thomas Randolph, candidate for Congress stood for slavery and Jonathan Jennings stood against the institu-
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BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
tion of slavery and was elected. In 1810 the first complete census was taken and showed the population to be 24,520. The statistics of that date show that in the territory there were 33 grist mills, 14 saw-mills, 3 horse mills, 18 tanneries, 28 distilleries, 3 powder mills, 1,256 looms and 1,350 spinning wheels. Total value of manufactures, $196,532.
In 1811 the property qualification of voters was abolished, and the right to vote was extended to every free white male person twenty-one years old or over, who had paid a county or territorial tax and had been a resident one year.
Thomas Posey was appointed Governor by the President in 1813, to succeed Harrison, who had been made commander in chief of the army in the west. He was the second and the last governor of the territory. In 18II the capital was changed from Vincennes to Corydon, in Harrison county. A new state house was built of blue limestone, taken from the near-by hills. It was two stories high and forty feet square. On the fourteenth day of December, 1813, the Legislature adopted a resolution asking Con- gress to admit Indiana into the Union. In the memorial the Legislature asked that the state be admitted according to the sixth article of the ordin- ance-without slavery. In 1814 the voting privilege was further extended to every free white male having a free-hold in the territory and being a resident thereof. In 1815 a census was taken showing a voting population of 12,112 voters and a total population of 53,897, a gain of 39,377 in five years. The 19th day of April, 1816, Congress asked for the calling of an election to select delegates to a convention to form a state constitution. The election was held on the 16th day of May, 1816, and the convention met at Corydon, June 10, 1816. There were forty-two delegates of patriotic, level- headed men. Jonathan Jennings was chosen president of the convention and William Hendricks as secretary. They attended strictly to business and in nineteen days completed the work for which they were called. Con- gress approved, and Indiana was admitted as one of the states into the Union on the 11th day of December, 1816.
The election of officers preceded the formal admission of the state, which took place on the first Monday of August, 1816, and resulted in the election of Jonathan Jennings for governor, Christopher Harrison for lieu- tenant governor and William Hendricks as member to Congress. Thomas Posey was the opposing candidate for governor. The vote stood 5,211 for
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BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Jennings and 3,934 for Posey. The other state officers were elected by the Legislature, which met at Corydon on the 4th day of November, 1816.
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Isaac Blackford was elected Speaker of the House. The governor and lieutenant governor were inaugurated on November 7th. Robert A. New was chosen secretary of state, William H. Lilly, auditor, Daniel C. Lane, treasurer, James Noble and Walter Taylor, senators. The tax levy on land in 1817, based on one hundred acres, was one dollar an acre on first- class land. The second class land eighty-seven and one-half cents on one hundred acres, and fifty cents on one hundred acres third rate land. An additional tax was levied for county purposes. The national government was assumed by thirteen states. It is a singular coincidence that the re- sponsibility of statehood of Indiana began with thirteen counties, (viz. : Knox, Posey, Gibson, Warrick, Perry, Washington, Harrison, Clark, Jef- ferson, Switzerland, Dearborn, Franklin, and Wayne. It will be observed that Wayne is the most northern of the counties at that time. Over three- fourths of the territory of the state at the adoption of the constitution was still held and occupied by the Indians, that had no part in this action of the white men, and were not in any way considered in the matter more than the beasts of the woods.
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