USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 25
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REEVE TOWNSHIP.
Reeve township was another division of the county established at the first meeting of the county commissioners. The boundary lines of this township, as described on the records, follow: "Beginning at Aikman's creek and running up said creek to the head, thence on a direct line to the mouth of Lick creek, thence down White river to the place of beginning."
This township took its name from the first settler in that territory, Joshua Reeve. He came from South Carolina to this part of Daviess county in 1808. He is said to have been an active and enterprising pioneer. He built a cabin in the forest, his neighbors being wild cats, bears, panthers, and other denizens of the wild woods around. Vincennes was the nearest point from which Mr. Reeve could obtain needed supplies, and where he could get in touch with people of his own race. Having frequent occasions to visit that place, the journey being made through the unbroken forest, Mr. Reeve blazed a track through the woods from his home to Vincennes. This track was afterward established as a main thoroughfare between these two points, and is now much traveled by the automobile.
James and William Alford came into this territory a year or two after Mr. Reeve. Their advent was about 1809 or 1810. About a year later James and Robert Gilley, and Peter Helphenstine joined this pioneer colony. "Old Bill" Allen, as he was called, came about 1812, and a Mr. Kelso came along soon afterward. The first land entry in the territory comprising the township was made by Joshua Reeve, April 13, 1812, and consisted of the north fraction of section 23, township 1, range 5. The next entry was made by Trice Stafford in 1814; two others in 1815, by Jacob Reeder and William Ballow, respectively. The following year entries were made by Joseph Hays, Isaac Hollingsworth, Edward Adams, Caleb Brock and Henry Foster. From this time on, the settlement increased rapidly and land entries were more frequent. The township has since kept pace with the rest of the county in the general march of progress.
Reeve township had a population of one thousand five hundred and seventy-six in 1910. David S. Jackman, at Alfordsville, is the present town- ship trustee.
BARR TOWNSHIP.
Barr township was organized on August 4, 1819, the territory being taken from the east part of Washington township. Among the early set- tlers of this township were Hugh Barr, after whom the township was named.
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BARR TOWNSHIP SCHOOL.
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Other early settlers were James Montgomery, William Dant, Nicholas Kid- well, Joseph Miller, John Shepard, John Allison, John R. Kendall and Will- iam Williams. These, and most of the first settlers, came from Kentucky. Williams prairie was named after William Williams, the first settler in that section, about two miles west of Montgomery. Barr township is the largest in the county, containing seventy-two sections, and the largest number of early land entries were made in this township. The splendid farming lands of Barr township have been developed by the industry and energy of the early settlers and those who have succeeded them. The township is not only endowed with a wealth of agricultural resources, but is underlaid with an inexhaustible bed of the finest coal. Some of the best coal in the state comes from mines located in Barr township.
Including Cannelburg and Montgomery, Barr township had a popula- tion of three thousand three hundred and thirty-five in 1910. The trustee is Daniel E. Carlin, at Montgomery.
AMUSEMENTS OF THE PIONEERS.
A story related by old inhabitants with a memory dating back to early times, illustrates some of the ways the pioneers had of amusing themselves, in the intervals of clearing the woods and mauling rails. This story relates to a barbecue held at the house of "Billy" Williams, one of the early settlers of Barr township, in 1820. The story has appeared in print before, but it is worthy of reproduction and preservation in the history of Barr township.
It is related that "Billy" Williams was the owner of a pet bear, and it was his boast that this bear could make a successful fight against all the dogs in the neighborhood. So confirmed was he in that belief that he made an open challenge to the owners of dogs in all the country around to come with their dogs on a certain day and he would show what the bear could do with the bunch. The challenge was accepted and about twenty or thirty dogs were gathered for the contest. The dogs were of all breeds, some of them champions in every fight in which they had engaged. The owners thought it would be rare sport to see how quickly either one of these cham- pions could "chaw up" "Billy" Williams's pet bear. It was fierce and excit- ing while it lasted. But it didn't last long. Some of the champion dogs, of which their owners boasted, did not stay to see the finish. With an appar- ently instinctive realization that discretion is the better part of valor, they stuck their tails between their legs and went howling through the woods. One sight of that belligerent bear was enough. Other dogs, with more
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courage and less discretion, entered into the fight. One after another was laid out and the bear was victorious.
Of course "Billy" Williams was proud of his bear, but his pride did not overcome his sympathy for the humiliated owners of the mutilated and discredited dogs. To make things even, he proposed to have a barbecue and make a sacrificial offering of his champion pet bear. This generous offer was gladly accepted. The bear was killed, roasted and eaten by the forty or fifty people who had come to see the contest.
BOGARD TOWNSHIP.
A section comprising "all that part of Daviess county lying north of Prairie creek," was, by order of the board of county commissioners, May 9, 1820, organized in a township and given the name of Bogard. Among the first settlers in this township was Elias Myers, who came from North Carolina in 1816. The record shows that he made an entry of land in 1817, his entry being one-half of section 30, township 4, range 6. Others who came about the same time were Joseph Summers, John Benefield, John An- derson. John Burch, Smallwood Canwood and David Killion. The record shows that these all made land entries during the year 1817. Among other early settlers were Abraham Snyder, who settled immediately east of Epsom; John Ruminer, who settled west, and Joseph Myers, who settled immediately south of Epsom. The present school house in Epsom is on what was for- merly John Ruminer's land. The township was named for W. Bogard, who was killed by the Indians.
By the United States census of 1910, Bogard township had a popula- tion of one thousand five hundred and seventy-four. Richard M. Williams, Plainville, is the present trustee of the township.
ELMORE TOWNSHIP.
In response to a petition presented to the board of commissioners another township was established, August 13, 1821, by taking a section of territory off the north part of Bogard township. The name given to this new township was Elmore, after the Elmore family, in the vicinity of whose homes the first voting precinct was located. It is claimed that the Elmores were not the first settlers within the boundaries of this township. Among those who are probably entitled to this distinction are Edward Johnson, Will- iam Paddock, Solomon Dixon and Joseph Taylor. Each of these made
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land entries as early as 1816. The first land entry made by an Elmore, as shown by the record, was that of Isaac Elmore, in October, 1818. For the next few years following, there was quite an immigration to this part of the county and land entries were of frequent occurrence. Among those who settled here during these years were James Robinson, Terry Tate, Alexander Rogers, Thomas Rogers, John K. Long, Christopher, Jonathan and Isarah Johnson, and Pascal Rucker, the latter coming from Kentucky in 1825. The Rogerses did not remain many years. With a view of finding a better loca- tion, they built a flatboat and floated down White river, destiny not known. A Tennessee colony came in 1825, among them members of which were William Moore, Jackson Haynes and Stephen, Eleazar and Thomas Reason.
The people who settled in Elmore township in early times were an intelligent and industrious class. By their frugal habits and exemplary lives they established a community characterized by its good citizenship. This character has been maintained by the succeeding generations. As a class the citizens of Elmore township rank with the best.
This township, including the town of Elnora, had a population of two thousand two hundred and sixty-eight in 1910. Clifford Farris, Elnora, is the present township trustee.
MADISON TOWNSHIP.
This township was originally called Wallace, which was organized in 1823. On petition of citizens interested, the name of the township was changed to Madison in 1835. The territory included in this township lies in the northwest corner of the county. Baldwin Howard was among the first settlers of the territory included in this township. He lived about a mile south of the present town of Odon. The first land entry was made by Zebulon Jenkins. Soon following him entries were made by Robert Evans, Sr., Samuel Hughen and William Gilmore. These entries were made in 1821 and 1822. In the few years following other land entries were made by Benjamin Coombs, Joseph B. Van Matre, Joshua Manning, Joseph, John and Harvey Hastings, Reuben and George Rainey and Will- iam Webster, the latter about 1830. Jacob and Eli Kinnaman came to the township in 1838, coming directly from Stark county, Ohio; their father and the rest of the family traveling the entire distance in a four- horse wagon. It is related that Jacob was not highly pleased with the change of location. He declared that he would return to Ohio as soon as he had money enough to pay for the journey. It is also related that he
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was quite successful in making money here and soon had a sufficient amount to pay for his return, but he continued to live in the Daviess county set- tlement.
Madison township had a population of two thousand three hun- dred and seventy-one, including the town of Odon, in 1910. The present trustee is Rufus D. McCarter, of Odon.
Among the early settlers was a colored man by the name of Ben Per- kins. According to a story, handed down from early times, Perkins was a general favorite, notwithstanding his color. It is related of him that he tried to pass himself off for a Portuguese, on account of his color, not being a full black. In this he was not very successful; but he was success- ful in voting regularly and without a challenge, before colored men had the right of franchise in Indiana. Ben's affiliations were with the Whig party, and he always voted that ticket. In the spring of 1856 the Know- Nothing party had candidates for the various offices in Madison township, the Whig party not being represented. This left Ben "up in the air" as to how he ought to cast his ballot. At that time the township elected three school trustees and a clerk. The Democrats, in order to run a bluff on the Know-Nothing party, made Ben their candidate for township clerk. To the surprise of the Democrats, and everybody else, Ben was elected. And it is said he made one of the best clerks the township ever had. At the Presidential election in the following fall the Democrats confidently expected that Ben would return the favor and fall in line for Buchanan. But in this they were disappointed. Ben cast his ballot for John C. Fremont, the first Republican candidate for President. It was several years after before Ben was entitled to vote legally.
STEELE TOWNSHIP.
Steele township was organized in 1835 by taking another slice off of Washington township. Steele lies north of Washington township and borders on White river. The fact that a considerable portion of the land in this township lies along the river, and is low and flat, accounts for the fact that the rush of early settlers to this part of the county was not as great as in other parts. Most of the early settlers of Daviess county came from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. They had been reared among the hills and had been accustomed to the cultivation of land more or less elevated. In coming to this new country the hills and high ground appeared to them the most favorable place for settlement. The lower lands, especially the
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river bottoms, the early settler avoided; not only because of the greater diffi- culty in getting this kind of land in condition for cultivation, but because of the fear of malaria that was supposed to be more prevalent there. The newcomer to Indiana in those days, and for many days and years after, had a holy horror of the "ager" and the "milk sickness." The terror of wolves and wild cats was not a circumstance compared to the dread of these diseases. Whatever ground there may have been for the belief that malaria was more prevalent in the river bottoms than elsewhere, certain it is that when the low lands were cleared up and put in a condition for cultivation, the malaria disappeared. And the venturesome people who had the energy, enterprise and foresight to purchase these lands, and put them in a state of cultivation, were abundantly rewarded in the most valuable and pro- ductive land in the county.
Very few, if any, land entries were made in the territory of Steele township prior to 1820. Entries were made by Andrew Couchman, Abra- ham Case and Alexander R. Hinds in 1821, and by Elias Beddle and Josiah Culbertson in the latter part of the same year. Since the first settlement, Steele township has kept pace with the rest of the county in the way of improved farming. For several years the farmers were at a disadvantage because of the lack of transportation facilities. The construction of the Wabash & Erie canal through the township gave hopes of improvement, but the hopes were blasted when the canal went dry. Several years later the railroad came and relieved the situation. Plainville, a pretty little village in the township, is an important station on the railroad and a convenient shipping point for the abundant produce of the farms in the vicinity.
Steele township had a population of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two in 1910. The present township trustee is Charles A. Banta, Plainville.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP.
Harrison township was created out of parts of Veale and Reeve town- ships, by order of the commissioners, in June, 1841. This was one of the early settled portions of Daviess county. The first to arrive, it is believed, were William and Lewis Jones, who came from South Carolina in 1812. A little later they were joined by Christopher and Jeremiah Gregory, from the same state. These were followed about a year later by others from South Carolina, among whom were Samuel Comer, John Edwards, Green, John and Thomas McCafferty, and Joseph and William Jones. Altogether there
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was quite a colony of people among the first settlers in this township from South Carolina. The first land entries in Harrison township were made in 1814, by Joseph Case, Robert Hays and Elias Stone.
The population of Harrison township in 1910 was one thousand one. hundred and nine. The present township trustee is Bernard Gillooly, Mont- gomery.
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP.
The last township organized in Daviess county was Van Buren. It was created out of parts of Barr and Madison townships, by order of the commissioners, in September, 1841, in accordance with a petition of citizens interested. Very few land entries were made within the limits of this town- ship prior to 1820, and very few early settlers. That section of the country was frequently visited by hunters and trappers in early times, before there were any permanent settlers. Among these, two brothers, named Peterson, are mentioned. Jabez Osmon and William Baker are mentioned among the first to locate permanently in the township. Francis Williams was an early settler and also an early justice of the peace. Squire Bruce and Joseph Bruce came later, also Asbury Sims and Cyrus Crook, who came in 1827 and lived where Raglesville is now situated.
One of the early industries of Van Buren township was a small dis- tillery. It was located in the south part of the township and was built and operated by a man named Lentz. What the capacity of this distillery was is not a matter of record, but the product was probably sufficient to supply the home demand. It is stated that there was quite a little settlement around the distillery.
Van Buren had a population of one thousand one hundred and ninety- nine in 1910. Albert M. Clark, of Raglesville, is the present trustee of the township.
CHAPTER XIX.
DAVIESS COUNTY TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
It will be something of a surprise to many people to know that nearly forty towns have been located on the Daviess county map since the organ- ization of the county. Many of these were simply "locations," with an ambitious name, promoted by individuals in the community who entertained roseate visions of the future. Some of these visions were stimulated by the construction of the old Wabash & Erie canal, and the promise of the great commercial traffic that would be established by that watercourse. All along the canal route, little towns sprang up like mushrooms in a night. While the digging of the canal was in progress most of these mushroom towns did a flourishing business in supplying the canal diggers with the necessaries of life-the fruit of the still being one of the "necessaries." The building of the railroads through the county was the occasion for other little towns finding a location on the map. Several of these early municipal ventures proved a success and have become thriving towns, peopled with intelligent and enterprising citizens. Some of the best schools and the best churches in the county are found in these towns.
A brief history of the towns in Daviess county, including those that never made progress farther than to get a name, will be an interesting sub- ject for this chapter. Taking them in alphabetical order, the first of the list is :
ALFORDSVILLE.
Alfordsville, in Reeve township, is the principal village in the south- eastern portion of the county. It was laid off, June 3, 1845, by Isaac Harris. The original plat of the place shows sixty-four lots. To these, additions have been made, the first being an addition of eight lots by Joseph . A. Mc- Cord, in 1867. The first settler in that vicinity was James Alford, after whom the town was named. Among the other early settlers were James P. Gilley and James Allen. These families came from North Carolina about the year 1828. In the early thirties James Alford built the first house on the ground now occupied by the town. This house stood for many years as-
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one of the old landmarks. The establishment of a school was one of the first concerns of the early settlers of Alfordsville, and it is noted that Tol Bartle and Barton Alford were engaged in that occupation in the early days, these being the first resident school teachers in the town. At present a two-room school house accommodates the lower grades and another room is rented for the high school. Efficient teachers are employed. The Meth- odist, Baptist and Christian denominations each has a comfortable and well- appointed church in the town, and the Knights of Pythias order has a lodge with an active membership.
ALBRIGHT.
This is a station on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad. One store supplies the trade of the community, and a grain elevator . handles the produce of the surrounding farms. A considerable amount of business is furnished the railroad in the shipment of grain and melons from this point during the season. The shipment of logs is one of the active industries at this place, a considerable amount of good timber being found in the vicinity.
BLACK OAK.
This is a switch on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, located in Barr township.
CANNELBURG.
Cannelburg is an incorporated town with a population of three hun- dred, by the census of 1910. It sprang into existence on account of the extensive operations of the Buckeye Cannel-Coal Company in the early sev- enties. The town was laid out by A. J. Shotwell, L. C. Harris and Anthony Moots, who composed the coal company. In 1872 ten blocks were platted and divided into one hundred and two lots. In 1884 an addition of forty- four lots was made. The principal industry of the community is coal min- ing, which furnishes employment for a large number of men, and furnishes support for most of the families in town: The cannel coal mined here is regarded as being superior to any in the state, and immense quantities of it are mined and shipped to various parts of the country. Both cannel and bituminous coal are worked from the same vein, the cannel-coal overlying the other in a vein from two and one-half to five feet thick. The Buckeye Cannel-Coal Company's mine was opened in 1870, by A. J. Shotwell and
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Clapp & Bailey. It was purchased by Washington and Cincinnati capitalists in 1881. The late Austin F. Cabel, one of Washington's leading citizens, was connected with the company as secretary under this organization. Most of the property in Cannelburg is owned by the company and the only store is kept by them. In the winter of 1881-82, an epidemic of smallpox affected the town, causing a large number of deaths among the inhabitants. In late years there has been a decrease in the amount of coal taken from these mines and the number of men employed is much less than formerly. This has had a marked effect upon the prosperity of the town.
Cannelburg is well provided with educational facilities. In 1914 a new consolidated high-school building was erected, with all the modern improve- ments and educational equipment. This is a certified high school, recog- nized by the state educational authorities. The community is largely of the Catholic faith. They have a frame building, All Saints' church, as their place of worship.
CHELSEA.
This town had an air of aristocracy about its name, and inherited something of distinction from its founder and promoter. But it was not able to measure up to the one, nor to justify the ambition of the other. Chelsea was an effort to build up a great city at the junction of the Ohio & Mississippi railroad and the proposed "Straight-line" railroad, of which the well-known Willard Carpenter, of Evansville, was the promoter. A town of fifteen streets and sixty-four blocks, divided into lots, was laid out by Mr. Carpenter in 1857. A number of these lots were sold, a few houses were built and at least one store was opened in the town, of which John Meads was the proprietor. In the beginning of its career Chelsea was not without prospects, but these prospects were dependent upon the prospects of Carpenter's "Straight-line." But the "Straight-line" failed and the name of Chelsea was changed to "Ichabod."
CORNETTSVILLE.
This town, located in Bogard township, was laid out by John F. Myers and Samuel Cornett, in 1875. It is nine miles northeast from Washington and is very pleasantly located in an excellent farming community. It has a population of about two hundred, one store, a blacksmith shop, a two- room brick school building, two frame churches, one of the Methodist and
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the other of the Baptist denomination. One on the hunt for a nice, quiet and respectable place in which to live would overlook a chance if he should pass by Cornettsville.
CORBYTOWN.
Looking at the matter from a distant and disinterested standpoint, one can conceive of no reason why a town of this name should long exist. And it didn't long exist. It was located in Veale township, about six miles south of Washington, on the proposed route of the old "Straight-line." If it ever had any prospects they went glimmering with the failure of Willard Carpenter's railroad enterprise.
COSBY.
Cosby was another Veale township town that staked a chance on Car- penter's railroad project, and lost. It had a saw-mill and several houses, and enough open space around to build several more houses. But this space was found to be more profitable for raising corn. No more houses were built and Cosby is only a memory of the oldest inhabitant.
CORNING.
Corning is an unpretentious little village in the northwestern part of Reeve township, with a small population, mostly of the Catholic faith. St. Patrick's church, a brick building, and a brick parochial residence, are prominent buildings of the town. A new public school house is being built. One store supplies the trade of the people near by.
CUMBACK.
In the southeastern part of Veale township is another modest little village, designated on the map as Cumback. Whether the founders and promoters of this village ever came back to see how the project prospered is not a matter of record. As a town it never got very far on the road to prosperity, but has been able to hold its own and attract the notice of the map-makers of Daviess county. There are two stores and a few houses in the village, also a Methodist church. A public school is near by.
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