USA > Indiana > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, Indiana : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 3
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Among the developments of this last half of the nineteenth century, there are few which have impressed themselves more distinctly upon society than that wherein is manifested the neces- sity for a recognition of the fact that it is due from those who now constitute the citizenship of a given locality, to those who succeed them, their children and their children's children, that they should interest themselves in the collection and preservation of the leading facts essential to the accurate determination of local, as opposed to general, history. Until within the past few years, this field has remained almost wholly uncultivated. Recently, however, the demands of the situation have caused to be opened up the avenues to this rich mine of unwrought material, and now invite the interposition of the historian's hand, to collect, digest and arrange it for the general good. In the past, recourse was seldom had, in the preparation of general history, to the gather- ing, determination and investigation of local facts as a means of
justly representing local interests, beyond those which connect themselves, immediately or remotely, with the annals of the State or nation; hence, we have seldom or never seen, in State or na- tional histories, anything tending to inform the general reader that a given county, for example, has a history of its own, to which his attention might with propriety be directed. The case now is different. and that which so interests us as citizens of a town or connty is so arranged as to present in review, under ap- propriate beads, the facts and incidents that have come under our own observation, or connected with the past of our own neighbor- hood, township or county Of this class of material, with such: an arrangement, topically or otherwise, sonkl onr histories of State or nation of the future abonnd, thus adapting them to the wants of both the general and local reader.
A leading article in the department of general history will be found in a liberal review of the public land system of the United States, embracing a statement of the sources and means whence and whereby the title to our general domain was finally settled as a perpetual right in fee simple, vested in the Government of the United States, and thence to her citizens: the systems of surveys adopted from time to time for the determination and per- petnation of boundaries to tracts of laud adapted to the wants of individual purchasers, and that now in force governing all the surveys of public lands over which the General Government exer- cises jurisdiction: the land distriets and land offices as they have been determined and located in the State of Indiana; the, surveys of the public lands in Carroll County, when and by whom made, em- bodying a fund of information rarely to be found in one volume.
The department of local history. however, is the grand feature; of the work. and will be found to contain not only the full and
12
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
accurate recital of the legislative and official proceedings con- nected with the process of organization as a county jurisdiction, and the consequent ontgrowth thereof, but a carefully prepared account of the carly settlements of the county, with incidents. which form the most interesting characteristic reflex of pioneer life: a department of personal reminiscences, in which: the "old settlers " give their own version of the occurrences of the past in which they were participants; the introduction of different forms of Christian worship, the organization and growth of religious so- cieties and churches: our educational system in the several stages of its development. from the methods of the old-fashioned " dees- trick " or " privet scule," down to the highly disciplined and well-regulated " institutions of learning " which are the pride of our county, and underlie the structure and establish the perpetuity of our body politic.
A compact history of the public institutions of the county, the legitimate ontgrowth of its structure, will find a conspicnons place with a summary account of the special economy of each, and of the county edifices also: the organization of the various courts, their province, and something of the proceedings distinguishing them, with their officers, etc .; the learned professions, with occa- sioual personal details; the leading industries of the county, and who have been engaged in them; business establishments and business men: in short, every department of society exerting an active influence in the development and utilization of the resources of our county, will have a hearing to the extent of the infor- mation we may have gleaned concerning them. In addition to all this, something will be found representative of our social sys- teni, as exhibited in the management, infinence and purposes of the benevolent and other social orders that have in times past, or have now, a history worthy of record as examples for the future.
In the department of township history, it has been the aim to collect and preserve, in satisfactory form, a concise review of home life as we find it among the people who give character to society in the immediate neighborhood where they reside. This review necessarily embraces a great diversity of facts, given with more elaborate particularity than would be practicable in the nar- ration of the facts pertinent to the discussions of general history. In this department, also, as a means of preserving with greater fullness the essentials of local history. it has been the aim to pre- sent dates of settlement, names and peculiarities of settlers, and their first homesteads in the township: the establishment of churches and the moving spirits in the movement; the erection of schoolhonses, the character of the schools, with the names of teachers and school officers, as completely as they could be ascer- tained; mechanical and other enterprises that have been the result of applied local talent. Indeed, whatever of value could be ob- tained tending to give a clear and comprehensive reflex of what the past has been, has been collated and given an appropriate place among the incidents of the neighborhood and township.
And last. though not the least valuable feature of the work, will be found presented in the department of illustrations, which includes accurately drawn and tastefully engraved maps of the civil townships, locating homesteads, schoolhouses, churches, and other notable buildings; home views, landscape illustrations, por- traits, and historical representations-mementoes of the past, which, extending into the future, furnish an interesting reflex of individuals and of scenery, whose identity would otherwise fade from memory and become extinct, and the lessons taught thereby lost to coming generations.
PERIOD OF DISCOVERY.
PRELIMINARY - INDUCEMENTS TO DISCOVERY - PRE-COLUMBIAN VOYAGES, BY THE SCANDINAVIANS, WELSH, NORMANS AND BRE- TONS-VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS AND IHIS IMMEDIATE SUCCESSORS, JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT, CORTEREAL AND OTHERS-EXPE- DITIONS BY THE PORTUGUESE, FRENCH AND SPANIARDS-DIS- COVERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE AND THE COD FISHERIES OF NEW- FOUNDLAND-FRENCH TRADERS AND THEIR TRAFFIC WITH THE INDIANS - THE FUR TRADE- MISSIONARY LABORS OF THE . FRENCH-OCCUPATION OF FLORIDA BY THE SPANIARDS, AND IN- CIDENTS-SUBSEQUENT OCCUPATION BY THE FRENCH-SEARCHI- ING FOR WATER COMMUNICATION WITH THE PACIFIC-EAST INDIES-CHINA-DISCOVERIES OF THE MISSISSIPPI, OIO, ILLI- NOIS, WABASH, ETC .- INCIDENTS.
FROM the time when order sprang from chaos and the sun came forth to gladden the earth, separating the day from the night. the East has been recognized as the source of light, the precursor of knowledge, whence the tide of civilization has since flowed to dispel the darkness of ignorance and to enlighten the world, in the progress of the ages. As in the remote. so in the recent past. Evolutions and revolutions are upward and forward, never downward nor backward. When knowledge began first to enlarge the domain of thought, and the germs of intelligent mo- tives to expand the area of linmau progress-the energies of the moving world of sentient beings actuated by powers emanating from the great fountain, accepted the guidance of destiny, and. with the star of empire, moved Westward. The nations of antiq- uity, the peoples inhabiting the countries of the Old World, directed by the same impulse, turning their faces toward the set- ting sun, took up the line of march for the unseen havens beyond. Such are the experiences which the history of the world-the stream of time-is continually presenting for cu consideration.
Far back in the remote past, beyond the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean Sea, we are told. the first pair, created in the image of God, were placed in the Garden of Eden. The entire human family, by common acceptation, are the offspring, in direct line, of this primitive pair. In the course of time, their posterity having peopled the countries round about, began to disperse, emi- grating into foreign lands, always to the westward, populating the countries between them and the setting sun. Centuries passed, and the descendants of earlier descendants occupied the eastern shores of the Atlantic. All beyond was a vast expanse of waters, seemingly occupying the extremities of the universe. Still they looked forward, and, in their mind's eye, beheld a continent, in- labited they knew not by whom, but the surface of which the foot of white man had never trod. Inspiration told them this, for, following in the wake of the inviting sun, whose cheering rays had thus lighted them on their way, the desire to traverse those trackless waters by the great headlight of the universe would not yield to the impulses of doubt or fear and they moved forward. The history of the world's progress during the succeeding centu- ries fully attests the grandeur of the conception that dictated the discovery of a new world, whose horizon, extending westward be- yond the extremities of the American continent, mingles with and is re-illumined by the morning sunshine of the old.
PRE-COLUMBIAN VOYAGES.
About the middle of the ninth century, the spirit from which the desire for adventure in the direction just indicated was evolved, took form, giving impulse to the schemes of those adventurers, impelling them forward to the attainment of the objects contem- plated.
100
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
THE PIONEER PERIOD.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY PURCHASES OF LAND.
NAMES OF PURCHASERS-DESCRIPTION OF TRACTS PURCHASED AND THE QUANTITY, WITH THE DATE OF PURCHASE, ARRANGED BY CONGRESSIONAL TOWNSHIPS-COVERING A PERIOD OF TEN YEARS AND MORE.
"THE early purchases of land in this county were, for the most part, in Congressional Township 25 north, Range 2 west, of the Second Principal Meridians of Indiana, embracing the lands that lie in the immediate vicinity of Delphi, where the first settle- ments were made. That township and some others adjacent were laid out and subdivided in the latter part of the year 1819, and during the succeeding years of 1820 and 1821. These lands were platted and reported within a year after the completion of the work, and, some time in the year 18:24, a land office was opened at Crawfordsville, and lands in that district, embracing those in Car- roll County, were from that time forward open to entry and sale. The first public sale appears to have commenced on the 24th of December, 1824, yet, prior to that time. numerous entries of land were made in this county, as appears by reference to the record of original entries [Tract Book] in the Recorder's office, which is subject to the inspection of the public.
The first entry in this township as shown by the record before referred to, was the west half of the southwest quarter of Sec- tion 18, which was fractional, containing only sixty-two acres and sixty-eight hundreths. The purchaser was Ephraim Chamberlain, and the date of entry, February 17. 1824. The second was the east half of the same quarter-section. containing seventy-seven (77) acres, entered on the 25th of August. 1824, by Edward Luny. On the 21st of December. 1824, Henry Robinson entered the east half of the southeast quarter of Section twenty (20), which was a full half-quarter section. The same day. Hugh Manary entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section twenty-nine (29). containing eighty (80) acres; Daniel Baum entered the east half. and also the west half, of the southeast quarter of Section thirty (30). The day following. Mr. Baum entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section ten (10); Samnel Williamson entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section eleven (11), and John Beard entered the east half, and also the west half, of the northeast quarter of Section twenty (20). These appear to have been all the entries made prior to the date of the public sale of lands, which commenced. as we have seen, on the 24th of Decem- ber of that year. Purchases were made on that day and subse- quently, as follows, during that year: By James Thornton. of the east half of the southeast quarter of Section seventeen (17). on the 24th; by Daniel Baum, of the east half of the southeast quarter of Section ten (10). December 25, having entered the west half of the same section three days previously: by Robert Beatty, of the west half of the southeast quarter of Section twenty (20), on the same day. On the 27th day of December, 1824, Daniel Baum purchased the west half of the northwest quarter of Section
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thirty-two (32), which comprised the entries and purchases of that year in what is now Carroll County. In 1825, they were more numerous. January 1, Thomas Stirlen purchased the east half of the northwest quarter of Section twenty-four (24): Nathan Clarke, the west half of the northeast quarter of Section twenty- eight (28); Fr. Hoover, the east half of the northwest quarter of the same section; William Clarke, the east half of the southwest quarter of Section twenty-eight (28), also. January 3, Benjamin D. Angell purchased the west half of the northwest quarter, and the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 28, and on the 10th of January, one week later, he purchased the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 20. On the 4th, Aaron Mills purchased the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 22, and on the 10th James Odell purchased the west half of the south- east quarter of the same section. January 31, Alexander C. Black purchased the northwest fractional quarter east of the Wabash River, containing 73.10 acres: and the north fraction of the south- west quarter, containing 71.40 acres, in Section 9. February 16, John Kuns purchased the south fraction of the northwest and all of the southwest quarter of Section 2. March 18, 1825, William G. Bishop entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Sec- tion 33. On the 18th of April, Abram Claypool entered the northeast fractional quarter of Section 19, containing 156.87 acres. And afterward, May 4, 1825, Jacob Abolt entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 23; May 6, 1825, John Cary en- tered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 22; May 9, 1825, Samuel Wise entered the southeast quarter of Section 11; May 9, Samuel Wise entered the southeast quarter of Section 13; May 9, Sanmel Wise entered the northeast quarter of Section 24: May 10, John Kestler entered the south fraction east of river of Section 8: May 10, David Baum entered the east half of the north- west quarter of Section 20; May 10, David Baum entered the south- west quarter of Section 20: May 11, John Abolt entered the north- east quarter of Section 27; May 16, William McCain entered the southeast quarter of Section 21; May 16, William McCain entered the northwest quarter of Section 22; May 16, Benjamin Gilbreath entered the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 21; May 16, William McCain entered the northeast quarter of Section 15; May 16, William McCain entered the southwest quarter of Section 15; May 18, Andrew Burntrager entered the northeast fraction of Sec tion 9; May 18, Andrew Burntrager entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 10: May 18. George I. Baum entered the fractional Section 18; May 18, George Baum entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 20; May 26. Samuel Mil- roy entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 21; June 1, John Hurt entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 28: August 9. Alfred Smith entered the southwest frac- tional quarter of Section 9; September 24, Thomas McGuire en- tered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 14; Octo- ber 30, William McCall entered the fractional northwest quarter north of river of Section 9; November 26, Joseph Smith entered the cast half of the southeast quarter of Section 31; December 21,
101
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
Henry Robinson entered the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 29; December 23, Jesse Clarke entered the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 29: December 23. Jesse Clark entered the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 20.
In Township 24 north, Range 2 west, David Mount, on the 23d of December, 1824, entered the cast fraction of the southwest quarter of Section 6, and also the west fraction of the same quar- ter-section - the first tracts entered in that township.
In Township 26. Range 2 west, on the 3d of January, 1825, Newberry Stockton purchased the cast half of the southeast quar- ter of Section 25: on the 22d day of the same month and year, Lewis Paddock entered the east half of the northeast quarter of the same section. February 16, 1825, John Knns entered the southwest fractional quarter of Section 26, containing 63.17 acres. and the southeast fractional quarter of Section 25, containing 21.77 acres. December 7, 1925, William Vermillion entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 26.
In Township 25, Range 1 west. John Odell. on the 6th of May, 1825, entered the cast fraction of the southwest quarter of Section 18, and the west half of the southeast quarter of the same section.
On the 1Sth of May. 1825, Fr. Hoover entered the west frac- tion of the southwest quarter of Section 30. Township 26 north, Range 1 west, containing 78.79 acres -- the first entry made in that township.
The first entry made in Township 2f north. Range 1 west, was the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 30, on the 7th of March, 1828, by David Cleaver. The next traet was the north fraction of the northwest quarter of Section 4. entered by Joseph Buckner on the 30th of September, 182S.
The first entry made in Township 23 north, Rango 2 west, was on the 19th of March, 1828, by James Enoch, of the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 4. On the same day, Alexander Murphy, entered the southwest quarter of the same section. May 3, 1528. Nicholas Garst entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section :2, and three days later he entered the southwest of the same section.
In Township 24, Range 2 west. the first original entry was made on the 4th day of February, 1829. by Thomas Stoops, of the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 12. The next entry was made by Enoch Cox, on the 26th of April. 1830. of the north fraction of the northwest quarter of Section 6. containing 82.10 acres, and the south fraction of the same quarter-section, contain- ing 76.94 acres. On the 30th of October of the same year, Johu Robbins entered the north half of he northwest quarter of Section 5, containing 82.82 acres, and on the same day. William McCrary entered the south half of the same quarter-section. containing So acres.
The first entries in Township 23 north. Range I west, were made on the 18th of September. 1929-of the northwest quarter of Section 5, containing 156.93 acres, by Benjamin McGee, and of the northwest quarter. containing 152.63 acres. by Andrew Cee. both traets in the same section.
In Township 26 north, Range 1 east, the first purchases were made by Moses Standley. on the 18th day of March, 1829, of the west half of the sontheast quarter of Section 32. and the cast half of the southwest quarter of the same section. On the 11th of September, Eleazer Gray entered the west half of the northeast quarter of the same section.
Samuel Salyers, on the 27th of Jannary, 1830, entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 19. in Township 25 north, Range 1 east-the first entry made in that township.
In Township 23, Range 1 east, George A. Kent entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 14, August 23, 1830.
In Township 24. Range 1 east, the first entry was made by Israel T. Canby, of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 34, on the 11th of March, 1830. The next entry was made May 11, 1830, by John Shively, of the northeast quarter of Section 6.
In Township 25 north, Range 3 west, the first purchases were made on the 6th of October, 1830, of the whole of Section 12, by John Burkholder; of the northeast quarter, the west half of the southeast quarter, and the southwest quarter of Section 13, by Thomas Smith; of the fractional west part of the northeast, and the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 25. by Daniel J'. Vandeventer; of the northwest quarter of Section 24. by Na- thaniel Hamilton; of the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 27. by Abram Hornback.
CHAPTER IL.
PIONEER REMINISCENCES.
THE FAMILY OF HENRY ROBINSON -- AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR EMI- GRATION HITHER-SELECTION OF SITE FOR AND BUILDING OF THE FIRST HABITATION-SUBSEQUENT EXPERIENCES-EARLY DAYS IN CARROLL COUNTY, AS RELATED BY THE FAMILY -- VALUABLE MEMORANDA GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF EARLY DEATHS IN THE SETTLEMENT-SOME DETAILS OF PROGRESS- INCIDENTS.
H ENRY ROBINSON, who was the first permanent settler in this county, was born in the Stateof Pennsylvania. in March. 1778, the son of James and Sarah (Best) Robinson, the former having descended from Irish parentage. About the time of attaining his majority, he was married to Elizabeth Coleman, a daughter of Benjamin and Esther Coleman. On the 12th of (c- tober, 1824, Mr. Robinson, with his family, consisting of Abner. Sarah B., Coleman, Sophronia. Lydia Ann. Elizabeth and Samuel H., accompanied by Joseph Clymer and his son, and a Mr. James French, left the place of their former domicile, in the neighbor- hood of Dayton, Montgomery Co., Ohio, en ronte for the Wabash Valley. After leaving Dayton, they came by the road usually trav- eled by emigrants on their way to the West, passing through Richmond. Centerville, Jacksonboro, to the northward of New- castle, and thence to Makepeace Station, or "Old Bucktowi," as it was sometimes called -one of the most popular stopping-places on the road; thence, on the south side of White River. through Anderson [town] to Strawtown, situated on the margin of White River, at that time a place of considerable notoriety. being a kind of general trading point and stopping place; hence the name of the road [Strawtown Road]. to distinguish the route as the most popular one from the fact that the major part of the travel went that way. From Strawtown, the road traversed the wilderness in the direction of and through Thorntown, the site of an old village of the Thorntown or Miami Indians. to the Wea Plains in the vicinityof La Fayette. This point was reached on the fourteenth day from the starting. The family remained on the Wea from the time of their arrival, in the latter part of October, until after the land sales at Crawfordsville, which commenced the day before Christmas. In the meantime, Mr. Robinson and his eldest son, Abner, had been up on Deer Creek, prospecting for and locating suitable vacant tracts, preparatory to purchase. Having done so,
102
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
they returned to their families, and thence repaired to the land office at Crawfordsville in time to enter the lots selected. The entry was effected on the 21st of December, 1824, the tracts pur. chased being described as the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 20, Township 25 north, Range 2 west, and the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 29. in the same township and range. The latter of these two tracts selected for the homestead, upon which, as soon as they could reach the place of making the mrchase, the first "cabin home" was erected with all the activity at command. The building party consisted of Henry Robinson, the father; Abner and Coleman Robinson, his sons; with a Mr. Starks and his son-five in number, the two latter having been brought from the Wea for the purpose. The party arrived at the place selected about midday,"on Friday, December 31, 1824. They left tlie place of their temporary residence on Tuesday, De- cember 28, the parties above named being in company, Mr. Starks and his son taking with them an ox team to facilitate their prog- ress, and to assist in getting the logs together for the cabin.
On the first day, after laboring assiduously and traveling as rapidly as circumstances would permit, they reached and crossed Wild Cat Creek, and encamped that evening on the bluff. The crossing proved to be somewhat difficult, because of their non- acquaintance with the route. The next day, after leaving the creek, they began their journey by cutting their way through the thick woods, without other pioneers and guides than themselves, avoiding, as best they could, the creeks that run toward the river on the left, and the swamps likely to obstruct their passage on the right. During the day, they were overtaken by Benjamin D. An- gell (father of Dr. Charles Angell), who traveled with them most of the remaining distance. On the evening of the second day. the party encamped about one mile beyond Sugar Creek. The follow- ing day they proceeded, with their usual cantion, encamping for the night on " Walker's Branch," or "Bridge Creek," as it was sometimes called, all enjoying themselves as only such pioneers- men can. On Friday, the last day of the year 1824, they started early, but, meeting with considerable difficulty in crossing a swamp that ran parallel with Deer Creek, about three-fourths of a mile south of the site of Delphi, they did not arrive at the place of their destination until about midday. The first proceeding after their arrival was to ascertain where the section line was located, to determine if they were right before fixing a place to encamp until better quarters could be provided in the proposed cabin. In the meantime, the bushes and undergrowth had been ent ont of sufficient dimensions for their fuinre domicile. Having thus com- pleted the day, the month and the year. they retired to the enjoy- ment of peaceful slumbers in the midst of an unbroken wilderness, withi the tall forest trees standing guard over the unconscious "sleepers!
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