USA > Indiana > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, Indiana : With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 62
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C'utler .- During the construction of the Logausport, Craw- fordsville & South-Western (now Terre Haute & Logansport) Railroad, John A. Cook laid out a town on the line of this road, to which he gave the name of Cutler. It has, in the meantime, developed into a flourishing village, and is a good business point. It contains one general merchandise store, kept by Matthew Mc- Innerney; one drug store, by Aquilla Mckinney, a hotel, kept by Daniel Hostler, and a good saw-mill, owned and operated by Bonebrake & Radcliff. The practicing physicians are Drs. R. D. Herron, W. A. Trobangb and C H. Lovell.
JOHN STEPHENSON.
The subject of this review was born in Butler County, Ohio. on the 1st day of October, 1838, and came to Carroll County, Ind., March 16, 1864, locating on the farm in Democrat Township in which he now resides. His father, Samuel Stephenson, was a native of Lancaster County, Penn., and his mother, Jane (Stuart) Stephenson, was born in Butler County, Ohio. The grandfather of John Stephenson. a native of England, was closely related to George and Robert Stephenson. the founders of the railway sys- tem of Great Britain, and the builders of the first high-speed locomotives of the standard modern type.
John Stephenson. in addition to the limited advantages of dis- trict schools when a young man, took an irregular scientific course of study at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Subsequently. for a number of years, he taught school in Ohio, and. after his re- inoval to Indiana, continued for awhile in the same laudable avo- cation, though bis real occupation in life, as was that of his fa- ther, has been, and still is, that of a farmer.
On the 14th of October, 1859. he was joined in marriage to Miss Nancy J. Alexander, also a native of Butler County, Ohio, born May 13, 1842, and the daughter of a farmer, Henry Alex- ander. Six children bless this union-William H., George, Sam- nel A., Darby L., John and Wayne. Mrs. Stephenson and her husband are members of the Presbyterian Church.
In 1865, ou the 3d of March, John Stephenson enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Indiana Vol- unteers, at La Fayette, Col. Marx B. Taylor commanding. Pass- ing their time for the most part in the Shenandoah Valley, the regiment was mustered out on the 17th day of August, 1865, at Indianapolis. Ind.
In 1878, Mr. Stephenson was elected Trustee of Democrat Township, serving with fidelity and ability in this position two years. During his incumbency of this office, he established the graded school at Cutler, and built two schoolhouses. As one of the Viewers, he has assisted in assessing the lands situated along all of the new gravel roads- Range Line, Delphi & Prince Will-
iam, Flora & Michigan, and Delphi & Dayton. - building in Car- roll County.
Mr. Stephenson has always been an ardent member of the Republican party.
It is sufficient to say. as evidence of Mr. Stephenson's bnsi- ness qualifications. that he has accumulated a body of 447 acres of valuable land in the southeastern part of the county. In his dealings with all, he is a man of the strictest probity and whole- hearted honesty. All respect and praise him for his excellent qualities of heart and head.
WILLIAM H. WEAVER, REPRESENTATIVE.
The subject of this sketch is the present Representative of Carroll County in the Indiana Legislature. having been honored with an election to that position in the fall of 1880, by the Dem- ocratic party. His father, Samuel Weaver (born November 6, 1806. in Butler County, Ohio). represented Carroll County one term in the Legislature in 1849. Subsequently, Samuel Weaver served for a period of years as a Justice of the Peace, and as Trustee of Democrat Township. He was a machinist by trade. and is still living, a hale and vigorous man, in his seventy-sixth year. The grandfather of William H. Weaver, while fighting in the Revolutionary war. lost a part of his left hand by a cutlass wielded by a British soldier. Ruth (McNeil) Weaver, mother of William H., was a native of Bedford County, Penn., and was born October 15, 1809. Her death occurred in 1881.
The subject of this short biography was born on the 9th of June, 1832, in Butler County, Ohio. When three years of age, in September. 1835, his father removed to Carroll County, Ind., and. locating in Democrat Township, built the first woolen-mill in the county. In this factory. excepting only the time passed in district schools, working under and with his father, the boy William was reared and grew to manhood, and it was not until he had arrived at manhood's years that he deserted it to engage in farming, his present successful vocation.
December 7, 1854. Mr. Weaver was maried to Miss Martha Long. of Clinton County. Miss Long was one of thirteen chil- dren who lived to maturity, of German-Scotch parents, who had emigrated from Ohio to Indiana in 1835. To Mr. and Mrs. Will- iam H. Weaver six bright and pleasant children have been born ---- Addie L .. Matilda J., Margaret L., James L., Effie B. and Lillie M. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are Presbyterians.
Mr. Weaver, for a number of years. has been connected with the Masonic fraternity.
In addition to his present political office, he served in 1864 as Township Assessor.
One has but to enjoy the hospitalities for a short time of Mr. Weaver and his excellent wife to be convinced of several things namely, that Mr. Weaver is a thoroughly systematic and intelli. gent farmer, and that Mrs. Weaver is a woman of rare domestic habits. In its appointments, improvements and general appear anse, Mr. Weaver's farm of 335 acres is certainly a model to the farmers of Carroll County, amply testifying, also, to the businese success of its owner. He is a man, socially, who speaks on all topics with becoming modesty. yet is firm and earnest in support of his convictions. Such a person cannot be otherwise than an excellent citizen and a valuable and agreeable neighbor.
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RES. OF F. G.ARMSTRONG, M.D. MAIN ST. CAMDEN CARROLL CO. IND.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
295
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
LOCATION, BOUNDARY, ETt'.
Jackson lies very near the center of the county. It is in the form of an irregular square, being five miles wide and six miles long. It is surrounded by the following townships: Rock Creek on the north, Washington and Carrollton on the east. Monroe on the sonth, and Deer Creek on the west. Deer Creek flows from east to west. through the central part of the township, and Bach- elor's Run Hows in a northwesterly direction, joining Deer Crock at a point in Section 19. Paint Creek has its source in the east- ern part of the county, and, flowing in n westerly direction. forms a continence with Deer Creek ut a point in Section 21. Besides these, there are numerous little branches, viz. : Robinson's Run. Snuke Creek. Hoff's Branch, and others npon which no names have been bestowed. The township is well watered, and the character of the land is such as to afford excellent natural drainage. Between Deer Creek and Bachelor's Run, the surface presents a high pla- toan. quite level in some places. while in others it may be said to be almost hilly. Approaching the streams, it slopes gently in places, while in others it terminates abruptly in bluff banks. The soil throughout the township is uniformly fine, and eminently adapted to the purposes of agrienlture. This is particularly true of the lands in the immediate vicinity of Deer Creek and Bach- elor's Run, and it was in the vicinity of these streams that the earliest settlements were made. By a singular coincidence. five unmarried men-Moses Aldridge. Elisha Browu. Adam Porter. Jeremiah Ballard and John Ballard all settled along the banks of one of these streams, which circumstance gave rise to the name it now bears. In those days, maps were issued by the officials of the Government Lund Office, as a guide to purchasers. and one of these was in the possession of Adam Porter on the occasion of a " log-rolling" at the farm of John Little, in Deer Creek Town- ship. It was an object of interest to those present. and. as they scanned it, they noticed that quite a large stream in the present bounds of Jackson had not been named by the surveyors, while others much smaller had been, and were so marked on the map. It occurred to the gentlemen there assembled that this stream should be uamed. and " Unele " John Little, who. nufortunately. was troubled with an impediment in his speech, delivered the fol- lowing suggestion: " B-b-better call it B.b.bachelor's Run there's n-nothing but oll b-b-bachelors living on it. auy way!" The story reached the land office by some means. und perhaps from its peculiar appropriateness, the name was adopted, and on the next official maps issned. it was phinly marked, and Bachel- or's Run was no longer unhonored und annamed.
While the lund in this township is all high. there were pluces which, in the early days, were called the lowlands, from the fact that they were covered by springs, and therefore usually wet or swampy. A judicions system of artificial drainage in later years hus redeemed them, and they are now equal to the best lands in the township in point of productiveness and the quality of prod- nets.
KARLY SETTLEMENT.
The public lands within the present boundaries of Jackson began to be sought by settlers as early as 1826, and one tract of 160 acres was entered in May. 1525. It was usual for those who contemplated a residence in these wilds to come ont from their homes and select their lands. They received u certificate from the official in charge of the Government Land Office, after which they usually returned to their former homes to await the arrival of their patents. duly signed by the President. Often an entire your would elapse between the date of purchase and the receipt. of the patent. and only rarely did the settlers locate upon their lands before receiving this important document. The first white man who came to reside permanently in this township was John Odell. It was he who entered the quarter-section of land before referred to. in May. 1525. This tract was the east huff of the southwest quarter and the west half of the southeast quarter of Section IS. It is probable that Mr. Odell 'came to live on his land late in the year 1825, or early in 1826. as the condition of his farm for " improvement." as it was then calledi was such as to in- dieate that it had been cultivated for more than a year when Adam Porter first saw it. in 1827. Mr. Odell had then raised and garnered a crop of corn. He was a native of North Carolina. but was identified with the early settlement of Wayne County. Ind .. prior to his removal hither. Ho was a true specimen of the pioneer -- sturdy. honest and industrions, a good neighbor, and a man well liked by all who knew him. He was successful in a financial sense, and became the owner of a large landed estate. by studry purchase- and exchanges. The farm on which he first settled is now owned and occupied by Enoch Sieber. In 1851. he sold his lands and removed to Oregon, accompanied by his family, where his son. William H .. became n distinguished eiti- zen. The latter is now the editor of the Oregon Stateoman, and. in the Presidential emopaign of 1876. was one of the Electors on the Republican ticket. John Odell, the father, died at his West- ern home in the year 1570, at a ripo old age, leaving behind him the record of an honorable life and holding an honored place in the memory of all who knew bim.
Until the fall of 1826. or perhaps ourly in 1827. Mr. Odell and his family were the sole white inhabitants of Jackson Town- ship. In November. 1526. Moses Aldridge entered the southwest quarter of Section 19, and came to live in the township soon after. He was a young man, unmarried. and took up his abode at Odell's honse while be cleared away the timber from the premises he had selected for his farm. He was a man of industrions habits, and just the one to succeed in a field wherein hard work und energy were required. During the winter of 1826-27. he cleared ono acre, upon which he erected a little cabin nud set ont n small nursery of apple trees, from which many of the orchards now bearing fruit in the township were obtained. He was married to Miss Harter. daughter of David Harter, and was long identified with the improvement of the township. From here he removed
296
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.
to Cass County, Ind., at a later day, and subsequently to Iowa. After several removals, he died in Wabash County, Ind., in 1878 or 1879.
Following closely upon the settlement of Mr. Aldridge came the arrival of his former play-mate and school-fellow, Adam Por- ter. They had been friends in boyhood. in Fayette County, Ind .. and joined hands in the warfare of civilization against the wil- derness in maturer yours. Mr. Porter had not at that time decid- ed to settle here. Indeed, he thought rather of locating in Cass County, and, accompanied by his friend Aldridge, went thither, in the spring of 1827, to examine land. but finally came back to this locality withont purchasing. From the falls of Eel River (now Logansport), they floated down the Wabash to the month of Deer Creek on a raft, which they had constructed for that pur- pose, and, having moored their craft securely, made their way back to the settlement in this township. Subsequently, Mr. Por- ter decided nopn a voynge to La Fayette, and again embarked on his raft. He made the mouth of Wild Cat Creek just as the shades of evening began to fall, and, about a mile further along he was caught in an eddy in the river, and whirled about at the mercy of the stream. His bark was unmanageable, but. fortu- nately, he was near the shore, upon which he sprang, walking to La Fayette. From thence he walked to Crawfordsville, where the land office was situated, and purchased the west half of the south- west quarter of Section 20, in Jackson Township. This tract, which contained eighty acres, was purchased on the 30th of April. 1827, and on the 24th of March, 1828, Mr. Porter purchased the east half of the same quarter, containing the same number of acres. The patent for the former was signed by John Quincy Adams, and that for the second, by his successor, Andrew Jackson. These documents, which are still in the possession of Mr. Porter, are hundsomely engrossed on parchment, and, to ns of these later duys, are objects of no little curiosity. Mr. Porter was born in Bath County. Va., in 1805, and came to Franklin (now Fayette) County, Ind., with his parents, in 1815. At the age of twenty years, he began work as a farm laborer. at SS per month, and continued until he had earned sufficient to purchase the land he entered in this township. After purchasing this land, he gir- dled, or " deadened," the trees on thirty acres of it, then went away to wait for them to die. During this time, he visited his parents, who were then living in Rush County, Ind., and after- ward extended his trip to Virginia and Tennessee. His aetnal residence in Jackson Township dates from the fall of 1829. at which time he returned and begau the labor of clearing his land. On the Ist of April, 1830, he married Miss Catharina, daughter of George Holman, of Richmond. Ind. This was the first mar. riage ceremony ever celebrated in Jackson Township, and, in the absence of a clergyman, John Carey, who was then Judge of the Carroll Probate Court, officiated. For half a century. this de- voted couple were spared to each other, bearing their mutual burdens and sharing the worldly prosperity that crowned their mutual labors. On the 1st of April, 1880, they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of a happy wedded life, and, in August of the same year, the golden chain wus severed by the death of the wife. Mr. Porter alone, of what may fairly be called the advance corps of the pioneers in this township, now remains to witness the changes wrought in fifty years, and his farm is one of the few whose boundaries remain precisely as described in the Government patent. The house in which he now lives was erected in 1859, and the brick of which it is constructed were manufactured on his farm.
David Hartor was prominent as one of the early settlers, his family being the second in the township. He located here in 1827, and purchased several hundred acres of land. He belonged to the austere sect of German Baptists, and consequently never served in any official positions. Yet he was a prominent citizen, and did as much. perhaps. for the public good of the township as any of its settlers. He was enterprising and industrious, and, in addition to clearing and improving a farm, he constructed and operated a saw-mill, which is mentioned more particularly under another topic in this chapter. He possessed the good will and confidence of all, and was associated with the development and improvement of the township until his decense.
In Section 21. a tract was entered, on the 13th of October, 1828. by Samuel Hilton. Of this gentleman, however, little is known. as he did not identify himself to any great extent with the settlement, and, in about a year after his arrival. sold his land to William Hance, who came here with his family in 1828. Mr. Hance was a prominent member of this community, and was after- ward actively identified with the interests of Carroll County. in the capacity of County Commissioner. He erected the first brick house in Jackson Township, and occupied it as a residence until his death. This house is now occupied by his wife, who still sur- vives. Mr. Hance was a good citizen in the fullest sense of that term, and reared a family whose members are now among the honored citizens of the community. His son, John P., who was one of the first white children born in this township, grew to manhood here, and served faithfully for two terms as Treasurer of Carroll County.
In the fall of 1829, the scanty population of the litlte settle- ment received an addition to its numbers by the arrival of two families. These were the families of John Lenon and William Armstrong, both formerly of Ohio. They reached the township on the 21st day of October, when Mr. Lenon stopped at the house of William Hance, while Mr. Armstrong stopped with John Odell, : who was his consin. Mr. Lenon had formerly been a resident of Miami County. Ohio, from whence he came to this township. He had the usual disposition of the pioneer -- was honest, industrious : and frugal. He devoted his energies to clearing and improving a farm in Section 14, which is now owned and occupied by Levi Lenon and others. Four years after locating here, he purchased land on Deer Creek, where he constructed a little corn-mill. After operating this mill for about four years, he sold it to David Fisher, and again located in Section 14, where he cultivated a farm until his death.
William Armstrong, a native of Virginia. removed to Wayne County, Ind., in 1819. He was married there. and. in 1825, re- moved to Miami County, Ohio, where he remained until he ac- companied his friend Lenon to Jackson Township. After remain- ing for a year with his cousin, Mr. Odell, he entered a tract of land two and a half miles southeast of Camden, and was the first white settler between Deer Creek and Paint Creek. He cleared and improved a farm, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1869. Mr. Armstrong was particularly the friend of public education, and was one of those who voted for the establishment of the first free school in the township as early as the year 1831, and lent his encouragement to the public school system in many substantial ways. He was always recognized as a good citizen, and his death was deplored by many. There were four children in his family when he came to this township. The eldest, Franklin G., is now a practicing physician at Camden; James H., the second son, was a soldier in
297
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
the Mexican war, and died in the service of the United States, on the Rio Grande: Nancy A. married David Fisher, of Jackson Township, and died in IS51: und Stephen G., the youngest of the family, died in the same year.
Among the earlier settlers of the township was Peter Replogel. On the 18th of November, 1826. he entered the cast half of the southeast quarter of Section 21, and subsequently added other tracts, until his possessions in this township muounted to several linndred acres. He came here to live probably ubout the year 1828, and was always an enterprising, industrions citizen, and was identified with the interests of the township for a number of years. In 1832, he erected a saw-mill on Deer Creek, which was one of the first of its kind in the township.
Philip Hewitt settled in Section 20 in 1828, and in 1529 erected a little inill for grinding corn. He died a short time afterward. Johnson Earnest came some time prior to 1530, and. within a short time after his arrival. erected n tannery, which was con- ducted with more or less profit to its proprietor nutil it was worn ont and finally abandoned.
Levi Cline, with his family, came from Kentucky in 1530. and settled upon a tract of land in Section 15, which he had pur- chased in December of the preceding year. Ho cleared and im- proved a farm, upon which he resided until death, honored aud respected by all.
Jumes and William Martin came to the township abont 1832. The land upon which James located was the southeast quarter of Section 10, and wus entered for purchased at the Goverumient Land Office October 25. 1830. On the 3d of September. 1831. William purchased the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 24. and subsequently purchased other tracts in varions portions of the township.
In 1833, Jacob Hnmrickhonse came to the township with his family. He was a Virginian by birth. but was one of the pioneers of Fairfield County, Ohio. He was u clever. good-hearted man. but was never successful as a money-maker -- at least. in his younger days. Later in life. however, he succeeded in accnum. lating some property, and. at the time of his death. owned a fine farm in Miami County. Ind .. valued at $4,000. He first came to Carroll County in 1829, und, after residing for four years at Del- phi, he rented the Jonathan Martin farm, near Camden. and. several years later, purchased the farm in Section 16, where his son, Johu L .. now lives. Mr. Hunrickhouse was a veteran of the war of 1812, having served under Gen. Harrison in his cam- paigns during thut war. He was a man of more than ordinary ability, and was for several yours a Justice of the Peace. Ho died in October, 1871. at the age of eighty. three years.
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