USA > Indiana > Cass County > History of Cass County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement to the present time; with Biographical Sketches and Reference to Biographies, Volume I > Part 63
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J. Troutman had several brothers and half-brothers who lived and died in Cass and Fulton counties. He also left the following children : Wm. Ambrose, Benjamin Eli, Jane (Lambert), Mary (Hurst), Eliza- beth (Veal), Caroline (Pugh), and Martha Adaline, who became the wife of Jacob Powell. They are all dead, but each left descendants scattered east and west. J. Troutman was a portly, stoutly built man of pleasing manners and a leader in the early history of the township. He affiliated with the Baptist church and the first religious meetings of that denomination were held at his house.
One object to be obtained in writing this history is to collect biographi- cal sketches of the old pioneers, who cleared the forests, developed the county and made history, and place them on record, so that they and their deeds will not be lost, but be permanently preserved.
Sketches of many of these have already been written by Mr. Helms in his history of Cass county in 1886, these as a rule, we will not dupli- cate here, but simply mention their names and refer the reader to that work, which can be seen in the Public Library or in the archives of the Cass County Historical Society.
The following names are included among this number and deserve honorable mention : Geo. W. Anderson; Elias Bookwalter, died Novem- ber 10, 1907; Lewis Brown; J. W. Buchanan; James T. Callihan; Geo. W. Conkling; Walter Conkling; Geo. W. Conrad; David Early; Geo. B. Freshour; Samuel Grable; Abraham Grable; Geo. Horney; David M. Kingrey ; Nathan Kinneman; Isaiah W. Kreider; Harrison Layton; Henry Lemon; Abraham McDonald; Robt. F. McKee; Abner J. Mor- row; Daniel Scott; Samuel A. Williamson; John Yund.
We close these reminiscences of Bethlehem with a retrospect or comparison of 1830 with 1913. The land was covered with a dense forest, with a cabin in the clearing here and there, connected only by an Indian trail, or corduroy and mud roads, over which the ox wagon or cart was drawn, All of this has changed; the log cabin has been replaced by large, handsome, modern houses, the old fireplace has given way to the furnace; the tallow dip to acetylene gas light; the puncheon floor to the hard, polished oak; the pole bed to the brass bed; the oiled paper window to French plate glass, the sugar trough cradle to the fancy go-cart and the piano and organ has been substituted for the fiddle and fife.
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The wire fence, the riding cultivator and plow, the grain drill, the mower, horse-rake, loader, binder, all have been introduced since the pioneer first settled in Bethlehem. The automobile, the telephone that annihilate time and space, all these and many other modern improve- ments would certainly open the eyes of the pioneer. "In what a won- drous age we live! God only knows what next."
REFERENCE BIOGRAPHIES
Biographical sketches of the following persons have been written in Helms' History of Cass County in 1886 and will not be reproduced here, as they can be easily referred to in that work :
George W. Anderson, born 1821; Elias Bookwalter, born 1821, died 1907; Lewis Brown, born 1837; James M. Buchanan, born 1810, died ; James Buchanan, born 1838; G. W. Buchanan, born 1847; James T. Callahan, born 1849; Marion Callendar, 1853; Marcus W. Collett, born 1847; Geo. W. Conkling, born 1812, died -; Walter Conkling, born 1839, died -; Stephen G. Conrad, born 1833; Geo. W. Conrad, born 1835; David Early, 1843; Geo. V. Freshour, 1822, died -; Samuel Grable, 1801, died -; Abraham Grable, 1808, died -; George Hor- ney, 1858; David McKingry, 1840; Nathan Kinnamon, 1838, died - -; Isiah W. Kreider, 1830; Harrison Layton, 1832; Henry Lemon, 1845; Abraham McDonald, 1819, died -; Robt. F. McKee, 1816, died - Abner J. Morrow, 1848; Orlando Powell, 1845; Daniel Scott, 1811, died -; Samuel A. Williamson, 1825, died -; Benjamin F. Yantis, 1831; H. C. Yantis, 1857, died -; John Yind, 1807, died 1888.
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CHAPTER XLIII
BOONE TOWNSHIP
LOCATION-PIONEER LIFE-ORGANIZATION-ROADS-INDUSTRIES-ROYAL CENTER - POSTOFFICE-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-CEMETERIES-LODGES -NEWSPAPERS-PUBLIC OFFICIALS-PHYSICIANS.
Boone township is located in the northwest corner of the county in congressional township 28 north, range 1 west, and embraces an area of 36 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Fulton county, on the east by Harrison township, on the south by Jefferson township and on the west by White county. It was named in honor of Kentucky's great pioneer hunter, Daniel Boone. The general surface of the township is level, in fact is quite flat, and much of the land was originally marshy and swampy and during the rainy seasons was covered with water and presented the appearance of an inland lake; from this fact, and from the further fact that it was situated remotely from the avenues of travel, it was late in being settled and developed.
Boone township has no rivers or creeks of any size but Big Indian creek, a wet weather stream, runs from east to west through the northern half of the township and is the source of drainage of that half of the township. It flows westward into the Tippecanoe river and has been deepened and widened into a veritable canal and completely drains the land that was formerly covered with water, and nearly all the marshy land of Boone township has thus been reclaimed and converted into the most productive farms. The land was originally covered with heavy timber except in some places in the western part, where swamps and prairies prevailed. The soil is a black loam and very, productive except in a few localities, where sandy, rolling land prevails; and with artificial drainage, which has been extended wherever required, Boone has become one of the richest agricultural districts in the county and produces an abundance of all farm products grown in a temperate climate and stock raising is quite extensively engaged in by the farmers.
FIRST SETTLERS
Prior to 1834 Boone township was an unbroken wilderness; savage tribes of Indians were its sole possessors except as wild beasts might contest with them for supremacy.
Andrew Kline, in the year 1834, was the first white man to make a permanent settlement in the southeast quarter of section 24, on what is known as the Fultz farm. He was followed the same year by John Henry, James Denton, Vincent Calvin and G. D. Washburn, all of whom took an active part in the development of the country. In the year 1835 the little colony was increased by the following persons: John Beckley, Thos. Martindale, David Beckley, Sr., Robt. Bernetha, John Reeder, Henry Long and J. Beede.
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Prominent among the arrivals of 1836 were John Beckley, Jr., and Daniel Weyand, who became influential residents in the development of the township. About the same time Jonas Kistler, Jacob Kistler and James McCauley secured homes.
Martin Key settled on the Klinger farm in section 36 as early as 1833, but soon moved away. About 1836 Wm. and Moses Williamson located' in the southern part of the township, on sections 33 and 34. During the year 1837, Matthew Ralston, Moses Washburn, Thos. Powell, Wm. Washburn, Bryant Button, Solomon Bernetha, David McCombs, Jacob Kistler, Jr., M. T. Harvey, Wm. Guthrie, Jos. Ballou, Wm. Kist- ler, Solomon Berkshire became residents.
In 1838 the following lists were added to the Boone colony: H. Estabrook, Henry Wood, E. B. Waterhouse, James McMillen, Emanuel Growell, Henry Conn, Elias McCawley, Aaron Dawson, H. Kistler, G. M. Fickle, E. Booth, Hugh McCaffrey, Wm. Dale.
The next two years came: Israel Bickle, Philip Shafer, John Nolan, Amos Wisley, N. Minthorn, James Thompson, I. V. Thompson, Andrew Wirwhan, S. Spencer, Geo. Caldwell, D. Caldwell, Richard Gaston, Laban Gaston, the majority of whom became permanent settlers and assisted in making Boone township what it is today. Many others deserv- ing of special mention in the pioneer list of Boone may not have been reported and thus necessarily have been omitted.
LAND ENTRIES
We will give a few of the earliest land entries as shown by the tract book, but these do not indicate the first settlers, for many may have entered land and never occupied it; then again, many settlers may not have secured their entries for years after their occupancy.
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In the year 1838, the following persons made entries: Samuel Black, Wm. Guthrie and J. McMillen in section 1; John Long, G. W. William- son, J. Henderson, J. Burton, J. Thompson in section 2; Jos. Hawkins, James Johnson in section 3; Jeremiah Woods, Hampton Wood, Wm. McCleary, Christian Long, Thos. Vernon, Amos Bishop, Francis Dale in different sections.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION
The township was organized May 8, 1836, by the county commis- sioners and an election ordered at the cabin of David Beckley. At this election 11 votes were cast. John Beckley acted as inspector and Geo. Caldwell was chosen the first justice of the peace and Jacob Kistler, Jr., D. Weyand and John Beckley were elected the first township trustees.
ROADS
When Boone township was first settled in 1834, there was not a road :pened up for travel. Indian trails through the dense forest were the only means of ingress or egress, and these wove around in all directions through the woods. The pioneers cut down the trees and opened up roads through the forests with a view to benefit the greatest number with the smallest possible inconvenience and no attention was paid to section lines.
The first road of any importance in the township was the state road known as the Logansport and Chicago road, now called the Royal Center pike. This road was established in 1838 and the route to and through
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Boone was viewed by, John W. Wright and Daniel Dale, with Abner Vanness as surveyor.
Other roads were opened through the township, but all these roads were practically impassable during the spring and in rainy weather, and the only improvement to the roads in pioneer days was to throw brush and logs in the road and cover them over with dirt. This made the cele- brated and popular "corduroy roads."
Chas. Berkshire graphically described a trip he made with his father in 1838 to Logansport over the Chicago road, then just opened to travel. They had to weave in and out and around stumps, over corduroy in some sections, with the wagon jolting so you had to hold on with both hands to prevent you from being pitched out in the mud. Again, the wagon would strike a stump or go hub deep in a mud hole, requiring a lever to release it, or the horses would mire in the mud and require a "lift" to release them, or perchance the harness would break or the wagon give way. What a contrast between then and now. Over this same road, the Royal Center pike, a trip to Logansport can be made in an automobile in less than an hour, whereas in 1838 Uncle Charlie Berkshire was the entire day and far into the night to make the same journey, saying nothing of the trials and vexations caused by obstruct- ing stumps, corduroy or mud holes into which you may be pitched, and taking no account of the temptations and strain to which your religious precepts may be put and Uncle Charlie Berkshire is authority for the statement that even a preacher was not censured for using "cuss words" when he was pitched head first into a mud hole on the Chicago road in pioneer days.
Boone township today has 18 miles of stone road and all the main thoroughfares are graveled so you can travel to any section of the township with comfort and ease in automobile or rubber-tired buggy. The first automobile in the township was purchased by: Geo. S. Akers.
First Birth. The first white child born within the limits of the township was Clarinda, daughter of Andrew and Hannah Kline, in the year 1834. She became the wife of C. Minthorn.
First Death. Probably the first death within the township was Mrs. John Henry, who died suddenly of heart disease in 1834.
First Marriage. The first marriage was solemnized on November 14, 1835, the contracting parties being Elijah Booth and Sallie Beckley. The ceremony was performed by the associate judge of the Cass circuit court, Robt. Edwards, and the event was celebrated in an old-fashioned pioneer way by the whole settlement turning out with a "fandango" in the evening.
INDUSTRIES
Boone township is essentially an agricultural district and but little necessity or opportunity for manufacturing enterprises, and those that have been started were generally erected in Royal Center and will be noticed under the industries of that town.
The first sawmill in the township was a primitive affair, erected by Geo. Conn and Geo. Hendee, about 1845, in section 1. It was a tread- mill, run by a yoke of oxen, but was a great convenience to the early settlers and furnished lumber for their buildings. It was later enlarged and run by steam and did quite a business for a number of years.
A steam sawmill was erected about 1846, in section 14, just north- east of Royal Center, by Goodrich and Minthorn, who operated it for a number of years. The last owners were Corbett and Thrush, who ran it until it was destroyed by fire over forty years ago.
Emanuel Growell established a tannery in section 24 about 1840
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and manufactured a good quality of leather, out of which the pioneer cobbler made coarse boots and shoes for the early settlers. The tannery was operated for 15 years or more, but centralization of industries drove it out of business and no vestige of this primitive industry remains to mark the place and like many of the pioneer institutions, exists only in memory.
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The first blacksmith shop in Boone township was operated by Solo- mon Berkshire, a short distance northwest of Royal Center, who located here about 1835. Among other duties of a smith, he made rough knives for the Indians, who had a village on Big Indian creek, to the northeast, and often came to his shop to purchase knives.
ROYAL CENTER
The history of Royal Center is largely the history of Boone town- ship, as the town has been the center of most of its activities for the past half century. This enterprising town dates from April, 1846, at which time E. Andrews laid out the original plat of 41 lots, situated in the north half of section 23. It being located ten miles northwest of Logansport, he hoped to build up an inland town to accommodate all that section of territory, but it was necessarily of slow growth. The first house in the new town was erected on lot 8 by C. W. Anderson, who opened a blacksmith shop in 1846, and soon after Wm. Kreider came and entered into a partnership with Mr. Anderson and the two erected a shop on lot 11. Another early resident was G. W. Strode, who opened a shop and made planes and other wooden tools, and John Beckley, carpenter and builder.
The first store was opened by G. B. Moore in a small frame building on lot 8, and he ran it for several years. The second merchant was Thos. Kendrick, who sold goods in an old school building that stood a short distance east of the original town plat. He only continued in business for a few years, when he moved to Georgetown. Dennis Brown ran a general store from 1856 to '58 and was replaced by A. P. Philips for two years thereafter. Royal Center was only a small inland country village with blacksmith and repair shops and a country store to accom- modate the neighborhood until about 1861, when the Logansport & Chicago Railroad was completed, since which time the town has steadily grown.
Some of the principal early merchants have been: James Mehaffy, 1860 to 1884; Mr. Wade, 1860 to '72; C. W. Anderson, Jerry Falvey, J. J. Smith, Fred Shrader, James Wilson and Sweet Bros., the latter still one of the leading merchants.
Drs. D. Rea and James Thomas opened the first drug store over fifty years ago.
The first hotel was opened in 1855, by Nathaniel Minthorn, in the Kendrick building.
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INDUSTRIES
The first industry of any importance to be established in Royal Cen- ter was the large cooper shop of Michael O'Brien, shortly after the completion of the railroad in 1861. He carried on an extensive busi- ness for over twenty years, manufacturing barrels for the Chicago market, but timber becoming scarce he was compelled to quit business.
A sawmill has always been in operation in Royal Center and is still operated by Wm. Funk, but only on a small scale as there is but little timber to be found at this time, but formerly large quantities of walnut, poplar, oak and other lumber were shipped, but this industry,
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like many others, has yielded to advancing improvements of the country and has necessarily been closed.
In 1881 a large steam flouring mill was erected by Messrs. Wm. Davidson, Kellogg Dill and Daniel Watts, and did a prosperous busi- ness until it was destroyed by fire in 1884 and since then there has been no mill in the town.
A canning factory was started about ten years ago, but after a few years of precarious existence, closed its doors. The building is still standing but unoccupied. A creamery was also started up about the same time, but did not prove profitable and ceased its operations.
Wm. Winslow & Company are operating a fertilizing factory run by, a gasoline engine. They sell their product to the farmers of the surrounding country. The cement works furnish cement blocks and other products manufactured from cement and is a great accommoda- tion to the community.
ADDITIONS TO THE TOWN
Since the advent of the railroad over fifty years ago, the town has gradually grown, demanding larger quarters .and several additions have been made. An addition of 59 lots by Hugh Wooley and John Beckley was made in 1859 and a year later Beckley and McComb's addition of 35 lots was surveyed and recorded. In March, 1863, Henry Wisely platted an addition of 28 lots and in 1886 an addition of 15 lots was made by C. W. Anderson. Since then other additions have been made until the corporation limits include nearly one mile square.
INCORPORATION
In 1880 the town was incorporated under the laws of the state and the following are the names of the first trustees that composed the town board: Jacob H. Walters, Wm. Hauselman and Lewis Washburn. The present officers are :
Wm. Goodrich, president of the board. Councilmen: Wm. J. Goodrich, J. W. Kistler, Herman Smith; clerk, Wm. Spencer; treasurer, James H. Sullivan; marshal, Benj. Safford; chief of fire department, John Ubelhauser.
Royal Center is now a prosperous town of one thousand inhabitants, with graded and improved streets, cement sidewalks, creditable brick business blocks, handsome modern residences and business interests too numerous to particularize, only to say; that there are 35 to 40 busi- ness firms, five dry goods, clothing and general stores, four grocery and meat market stores, three hardware and agricultural implement dealers, two drug stores, two restaurants, one bakery, two milliner shops, two hotels, two livery stables and an automobile garage, two lumber and coal dealers, two elevators and stock yards, with other business houses and shops too numerous to mention, as barber shops, blacksmith and repair shops, plumbing shop, etc.
Three doctors look after the health of the community, one dentist, B. A. Conrad, keeps their teeth ready for active service, James F. Fry removes all legal entanglements, L. R. Day insures them against loss and Oliver M. Hand, the versatile editor of the Record, sends out the weekly news to the people.
BANKS
Royal Center Bank was established in 1890 with D. P. Baldwin as president and W. C. Thomas, cashier. The present officers are: W.
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C .. Thomas, president; Geo. A. Rea, vice-president ; E. B. Thomas, cashier. Capital stock, $25,000. Deposits, $165,000.
The Citizens' State Bank was organized in 1910, with a capital stock of $25,000, divided among 52 shareholders. The officers are: A. Ross Beckley, president ; J. J. Schmidt, vice-president; Ira A. Kistler, cashier. Deposits, $91,000.
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
The Royal Center Telephone Exchange was established by Thomas and McCombs in 1901 and three years later Geo. S. Akers and Wm. B. Ford purchased the exchange and are successfully conducting the busi- ness, which has gradually increased until they have 375 local patrons extending all over the town and surrounding country. Nearly every farmer for miles around is supplied with telephones The exchange is connected by long distance with Logansport, and through it is in communication with every part of Cass county and adjoining cities and states.
FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WATERWORKS
Feeling the necessity of better fire protection the corporation dur- ing the year 1896 constructed a complete system of waterworks, con- sisting of two deep wells (300 feet deep), a gravity tank with pumps and one and a half miles of street mains with fire plugs on all street corners. The total cost of the improvement was over $6,000.
Royal Center now boasts of a complete system of waterworks, which furnishes an abundant supply of pure water, not only for fire protection, but also for domestic use.
Prior to the building of the waterworks the town had organized a "fire department," February 19, 1883, with a hand engine and water was supplied by large cisterns, but these were dispensed with and now the town has a regularly organized volunteer fire company with hose reels to attach to the waterworks plugs, giving the town as efficient pro- tection from fire as our large cities.
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT
Royal Center has a complete up-to-date electric light plant, which is owned and operated by citizens of the town. It was first installed by T. P. Sweet, E. B. Thomas, W. H. Bingaman and J. J. Smith, in January, 1898. In 1900 the company was reorganized and incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000, under the name of "Royal Electric Light, Limited." The directors are W. G. Sweet, W. H. Bingaman, E. B. Thomas, O. M. Hand and O. M. McCombs. The company lights the streets for $60 per year, per light, and also private lights to all who apply and the majority of the business houses and better residences are thus lighted. The company also furnishes steam power to run the waterworks pumps, as they can do it with less expense to the town than the latter can do it with an independent power plant.
POSTOFFICE
Royal Center postoffice was established about 1841 or '42, some years before the town was laid out and was named by Daniel Weyand, father of Geo. W. Weyand, who lived at the time about a mile or more south- east of Royal Center and became its first postmaster. This office was on the mail route from Logansport to Winamac, which was at that early_ day carried on horseback. The name Royal Center was suggested by
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Daniel Weyand, from a town near his brother, in the state of New York. After Royal Center was laid out and began to build up, about 1846, the office was moved to the town and David Beckley was the first post- master. The original notification to David Beckley by W. J. Brown, then second assistant postmaster general, notifying him of his appoint- ment, dated October 23, 184-, is in possession of Geo. Beckley and is a relic of the past, as at that time envelopes were not in use, neither were postage stamps and this document is neatly folded in the shape of an envelope, with the blank side out, upon which the address is written and is a good object lesson to those of this generation, and shows the changes and improvements since Royal Center postoffice was established nearly seventy years ago, when the mail was carried from Logansport on horseback, over a corduroy and mud road, where the traveler would have to dodge in and out between the stumps.
Royal Center became a third class or presidential office in October, 1907. The postal receipts for last year amounted to $2,700. Five rural mail routes, Nos. 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, lead out from Royal Cen- ter, carrying mail over stone and gravel roads, delivering it daily at the doors of the farmers in all that section of country. Wm. D. Lutes is the present postmaster.
NEWSPAPERS
For many years Royal Center has had the advantages of a local newspaper, The Royal Center Record, which was established in 1890 by Dr. J. J. Burton. In a short time he sold out to Grimes and Went- worth, a year or two later G. A. Rea and E. B. Thomas became. owners of the printing outfit because of a lack of funds of the managers and they sold the fixtures to M. A. Krans, but early in 1896 it fell back into the hands of Rea and Thomas, who, on September 1, 1896, sold the plant to Oliver H. Hand, a wide-awake as well as honorable newspaper man, who has successfully published the Record to the present time. It is an independent weekly paper, upholding the right and condemning the wrong regardless of consequences and from a high moral stand- point is the most fearless and best edited paper in the county. Oliver H. Hand, its editor, was born in New Albany, Indiana, October 1, 1864; moved to Cass county in 1873; educated in Logansport's public schools; married to Jennie L. Wood in 1896, and is blessed with two sons.
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