USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of DeKalb County, Indiana : together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns and biographies of representative citizens : Also a condensed history of Indiana > Part 43
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
lawyers' fees and damages. Had the suit come to trial, it is said, their bill for that 'coon tree would have come to over $150. As it was, the owner sold it for full value after it was felled; and it would seem that the hunters were not only compelled to pay for the tree, but to cut it down gratis.
EARLY WEDDINGS.
As a matter of interest, we give here a list of marriage licenses issued during the first four years after the organization of the county.
1837.
Sept. 5, Francis Smith to Maria Gunsenhouser.
Sept. 5, John Platte to Emeline Walden.
1838.
Jan. 18, Dan Coats to Mary Allan. Feb. 28, Walter Slaughter to Mary Ackley. March 12, William McClure to Eve Moody. May 6, Aaron Vealey to Elinor Nelson.
June 9, Hawley Netterfield to Miranda A. Babcock. June 26, Noah Brooks to Lydia Abbott. June 26, Lemuel De Pew to Sarah Watson.
Aug. 7, William De Pew to Eunice Bell Moore.
Ang. 8, William Watson to Elizabeth Smith. Aug. 8, John W. Rose to Elizabeth Coats. Aug. 11, Adam Hartle to Prudence Boice. Nov. 10, Roland C. Hollister to Fanny Coleman.
Nov. 16, Elias Smith to Thursey Watson. Dec. 25, Peter Simon to Louisa Fair.
1839.
Jan. 19, John Rhodes to Hannah Crouch. Feb. 6, Michael Robinson to Reason R. Spurrier.
Feb. 11, James Thomas to Eunice Strong. March 8, James Means, Jr., to Isabel Watson. April 29, William R. Hesbert to Wealthy Stearns. May 3, Joseph Johnson to Betsey Nelson. May 25, John Rotnoor to Abigail L. Robe. July 1, Peter S. Vester to Annabella Widney. July 9, Cornelius Widener to Elizabeth Bartlett. Ang. 18, Ashell Chapell to Elizabeth Campbell.
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
Aug. 26, Charles Watson to Rachel Wyatt.
Sept. 25, William Rhodes to Betsey Boyle. Nov. 5, Lorenzo D. Alton to Orilla Netterfield. Nov. 21, John Houlton to Nancy Lewis. Nov. 28, William Tanner to Eliza Dickinson. Dec. 9, Isaac Eakright to Emily Handy.
Dec. 23, Uri Phillips to Phebe Abbott.
Dec. 24, Striper Hinkle to Olive Barker.
1840.
Jan. 7, Jacob Mc Clish to Leonora Chaffee. Jan. 15, William S. Goodell to Catherine Herrick.
Jan. 19, Samuel Wasson to Eliza Means. Jan. 30, Elias Gilpin to Susan Fetter.
March 28, John Moody to Mary Ann Patterson.
March 30, Isaac Lawhead to Jane M. Widney. April 27, Asa Shaw to Elizabeth Allen. June 10, Nathaniel Fitch to Sarah DeLong. June 23, John Bates to Mary Jane Hanes.
May 21, Ephraim B. Strong to Mariette Robinson.
July 17, Edward Deeters to Mary Kinsley. Aug. 31, Charles Rohrbough to Rebecca Nelson.
Sept. 10, Martin A. King to Hannah Houlton.
Nov. 12, Zachariah Ackley to Catharine Hull.
Nov. 28, Jacob Sheets to Ellen Burdine.
Dec. 15, Jeremiah Norris to Anne Casebeer.
MANUFACTURES.
De Kalb is an agricultural county, generally speaking, and but few manufacturing interests have sought a location within its bor- ders. The mills and more important enterprises are mentioned in connection with the respective villages. The following figures re- late principally to interests that are found in every well-ordered community, agricultural or otherwise.
There are in the county sixteen blacksmith shops, with an invested capital of $6,500. These use raw material in a year to the value of $5,400, and turn out work to the value of $7,800; they employ forty hands, at an average daily compensation of $1.50; while their other expenses, including insurance, repairs and taxes, amount to $1,085. There are fourteen boot and shoe shops, with an invested capital of $12,000; these use $6,000 worth of raw ma-
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
terial in a year, and turn out goods to the value of $10,000; they employ twenty-two hands. There is one cigar manufactory with an invested capital of $1,200, using $1,500 worth of raw material in a year, turning out $3,000 worth of products, employing four hands at $1.50 per day.
The cooper shops number four; they employ $10,000 of in- vested capital, use $15,800 worth of raw material, and turn out product valued at $26,000; twenty-six hands are employed, at an average daily compensation of $1.50 each. Two drain-tile manu- factories have $6,400 of invested capital, use $300 worth of ma- terial, turn out $5,000 worth of products, and employ ten hands, at $1.00 per day. The items for repairs, taxes and insurance are re- ported at $300.
Flour and grist mills number twelve, and use $38,000 of invested capital; consume $45,000 worth of raw material, producing $80,- 000 of flour and meal; employ thirty-six hands at $1.50 per day, and pay $2,000 for taxes, repairs and insurance. The twelve fur- niture factories and cabinet shops have invested in them $24,000, use $6,000 of raw material, and turn out $12,000 worth of products; employ twenty-four hands at $1.50 per day, and pay $500 for in- surance, taxes and repairs. Eight harness and saddle establish- ments use $65,000 of invested capital, consume $9,500 worth of raw material, produce $18,800 in products, employ eighteen lands at $1.50 per day, and pay for insurance, repairs and taxes the sum of $1,400. One marble establishment has $1,000 of invested capital, consumes $2,000 worth of raw material, turns out $7,000 worth of work, employs four hands at $1.75 per day, and pays $75 for re- pairs, taxes and insurance. Five photograph galleries have in- vested $2,500, use $300 of raw material, produce $5,000 worth of work, and employ five hands, at an average compensation of $1.50 per day.
Eight planing and saw mills combined have $35,000 of invested capital, use $18,000 worth of raw material, turn out $36,000 of products, employ forty hands at $1.75 each per day, and pay $1,200 for taxes, repairs and insurance. The saw-mills number thirty-six, employ $55,000 of capital and give work to 110 hands at $1.50 per day. The five stave and heading factories have $16,000 of capital invested, use $30,000 of raw material, produce $65,000 in manufactured articles, and employ thirty-eight hands at $1.50 per day. There are twelve wagon manufactories; and these, with an investment of $14,500, use $42,000 of raw material, produce
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
$65,000 worth of wagons, and employ fifty hands at $1.75 each per day.
There are thus in the county altogether 128 manufacturing es- tablishments. These have invested as capital $258,000, consume raw material to the amount of $262,000, turn out $460,000 in value of manufactured products, employ 450 hands, and pay for insur- ance, taxes and repairs $4,500.
This is no mean showing, but there will sometime be thrice the number of similar enterprises, and those are now living who will see that accomplished.
ECONOMIC STATISTICS.
The county of De Kalb, comprising nine whole congressional townships and three fractional ones, the latter caused by the bound- ary between the States of Ohio and Indiana, has an area officially reported at 370 square miles, or 236,800 acres. The population of the census of 1880 was 20,225; but the Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics for the State of Indiana estimates the popula- tion in 1883 to be 19,990, a falling off of 235. The latter popula- tion is equal to fifty-four to the square mile, on an average. Taking out the towns, and the agricultural population remaining av- erages about forty to the square mile.
The expenditures of the county for its county officials was in 1882, $3,969, and in 1883, $4,000; for grand and petit jurors and bailiffs they were $4,650 and $3,190 in the respective years; for coroners inquests, $135 and $54; for enumerating, assessing and ap- praising, $1,579 and $1,315; county superintendent and institutes, $637 and $853; for prisoners and criminals, $1,347 and $849; for poor, $6,780 and $62; for State benevolent and reformatory institu- tions, $106 and $528; for repairs on public buildings, $704 and $ 525; for interest on county bonds, $918 and $600; for county or- ders, $3,789 and $4,479; for books, stationery, printing and adver- tising, $4,470 and $1,837; for new bridges and repairs, $7,541 and $11,040; for redemption of county bonds, $6,500 and $2,000; for all other purposes, $10,352 and $2,372. Total, 1882, $53,477; and 1883, $33,704.
The following figures relate to court business: There were com- menced during the year ending June 30, 1883, 312 civil cases and sixty-four criminal cases; forty-eight indictments were returned, of which fifteen were pending at the end of the year; forty-two convic- tions were obtained in criminal cases; ten State cases were pending
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
at the end of the year; 147 administrations were pending at begin- ning of year; forty-one letters of administration were granted; 182 guardianships were pending at the beginning of the year; thirty- nine guardianships were issued during the year; eighty-five execu- tions were issued; twenty-two decrees of foreclosure were issued.
The following shows the number of owners of real estate for four years, those owning both land and lots being classed as land own- ers, and those owning city or town lots only being classed as lot owners: 1879, land owners, 2,923; lot owners, 1,432; 1880, land owners 2,960; lot owners, 1,440; 1881, land owners, 3,033; lot own- ers, 1,555; 1882, land owners, 3,034; lot owners, 1,456.
The following statistics of mortgages are for the year ending May 31, 1883: Twenty-one mortgages were issued to the school fund, for $6,578; and twelve were satisfied, amounting to $2,515; 406 other real-estate mortgages were recorded, amounting to $329,- 767; and 200 were satisfied, amounting to $16,600; 103 chattel mortgages were recorded for $31,470, and fifteen were satisfied for $4,500.
During the same year there were thirty-eight mechanic's liens for $3,332; 786 voluntary transfers of land for $871,165; twenty- seven administrator's, executor's and guardian's transfers, for $38,840; fifteen sheriff's transfers for $11,620; thirteen tax-title transfers, for $756; total transfers, 841 in number, amounting to $922,241.
For the same year, the taxation for all purposes was: State tax, $25,566; county tax, $47,750; township tax, $1,286; special school tax, $15,267; road tax, $17,561; all other taxes, $19,070; total, $126,600; delinquent taxes, penalty, interest, etc., from former years, $14,060.
Following is the abstract of taxable property in 1882: Value of lands, $3,679,852; value ofimprovements, $603,224; value of lots, $235,544; value of improvements, $416,601; value of personal property, telegraphs and railroads, $2,413,232; total taxables, $7,348, 453. The number of polls was 3,528; dogs, male, 1,578, fe- male, eighty-two. The debt of the county, June 30, 1883, was $47,- 255. At the same time, the debt of Auburn was $9,700; Garrett, $13,000; Butler, $4,750.
CENSUS STATISTICS.
De Kalb County has experienced a moderate, steady, healthful growth in population. In 1840 it had about 3,000 inhabitants.
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
This number was increased to over 8,000 by 1850, and the census of 1860 gives the total population as 13,880. In 1870 this county had 17,167, while by the last census, 1880, the total is placed at 20,225. Some immigrants are received each year, but many also leave for the promising new counties of the West, so that the in- crease of population is now very moderate. The number of souls may now be estimated at 22,000. Following is the report for 1880 by townships:
Butler, 833; Concord, 1,630; Fairfield, 1,518; Franklin, 1,311; Jackson, 1,342; Keyser, 2,258; Newville, 744; Richland, 1,350; Smithfield, 1,423; Stafford, 509; Troy, 606; Union, 4,121: Wil- mington, 2,580.
In Union Township are included Auburn, with a population of 1,542, and Waterloo, with 1,376. Butler, in Wilmington Town- ship, had by this census 1,056; and Garrett City, 1,268.
Of the total population in 1880, 19,026 were born in the United States, and 1,199 were of foreign birth. Of the former number, 10,940 were born in the State of Indiana, 5,321 in Ohio, 1,271 in Pennsylvania, 588 in New York, fifty-five in Illinois, and sixteen in Kentucky. Of the foreign population, 676 were natives of the German Empire, 142 of England and Wales, eiglity-two of British America, seventy-four of France, sixty-four of Ireland, eighteen of Scotland and four of Sweden and Norway.
The total number of males was 10,432; of females, 9,793; of males from five to seventeen years of age (school age), 2,147; of females, same age, 3,039; of males from eighteen to forty-four (military age), 4,265; of males over twenty-one (voting age), 5,357.
VITAL STATISTICS.
The following figures are for the year ending Sept. 30, 1883: The births during the year were, by months and sex: October, male, eight; female, four; November, male, nine; female, five; Decem- ber, male, four; female, six; January, male, ten; female, six; Feb- ruary, male, nine; female, ten; March, male, five; female, ten; April, male, six; female, four; May, male, five; female, two; June, male, six; female, eight; July, male, ten; female, five; August, male, four; female, four; September, male, three; female, one.
The total number of births was 144, of which seventy-nine were male and sixty-five female. Of these, 109 were of both Ameri- can parents, eleven of both foreign, three father foreign and
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
mother American, four mother foreign, father American, fourteen father not reported, fifteen mother not reported.
There were 175 marriages, as follows: October, twelve; No- vember, twenty-one; January, fourteen; February, nine; March, nineteen; . April, nineteen; May, sixteen; June, three; July, nine; August, nine; September, forty-four. In 144 cases, both parties were American born, eighteen both foreign, and thirteen mixed.
The deaths were, in October, three males and three females; November, five males and two females; December, four males and three females; January, two males and two females; February, three males and two females; March, five males and three females; April, one female; May, four males and six females; June, three males and five females; July, one male and eight females; August, two males and six females; September, six males and seven fe- males; total males, thirty-eight; females, forty-eight.
RELIGIOUS.
There are in the county forty-six religious organizations, having forty-four church buildings. The forty-six include five United Brethren, five Campbellite, four Evangelical Association, eight Evangelical Lutheran, two Presbyterian, one German Lutheran, four Catholic, one Baptist, four Reformed churches, eleven Method- ist Episcopal and one Dunkard.
The five United Brethren churches have a membership of 500 -245 male and 255 female. During the year forty-seven persons were admitted to full membership. The church property is valued at $12,000; $1,100 are paid ministers for salaries, and $500 for other expenses; $75 are given for missionary and charitable pur- poses. There are thirty-eight Sunday-school teachers with 320 pupils. The regular church attendance is 650.
The five Campbellite churches have 200 male and 250 female members, or 450 in all. They have church property to the value of $12,000, pay their ministers $2,500 in salaries, for other purposes $450, and for missionary and charitable contributions, $75. They have thirty Sunday-school teachers, with 250 pupils. The usual attendance on church services is 550.
The four Evangelical Associations have three church buildings, and a membership of 235, including ninety-five males and 140 fe- males. During the year, fifteen persons were admitted into full membership. The church property is valued at $6,000; they pay $475 to their ministers, $125 for missionary and charitable pur-
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
poses, and $150 for miscellaneous items. There are sixteen Sun- day-school teachers, with 140 pupils, and the attendance at church each Sunday averages 200.
The eight Evangelical Lutheran churches have 198 male and 279 female members, 477 in all. During the year twenty-four persons were admitted into full membership. The church property is valned at $19,500; $1,684 pay the ministers; $214 are given for charitable and missionary purposes, and $275 for other items. At Sunday-school, sixty-two teachers have charge of 702 pupils. The church attendance is about 1,200.
The two Presbyterian churches have fifty-seven male and 113 fe. male members, or 170 in all. Ten persons were admitted to full mem- bership within a year. The church property is valued at $9,500; the ministers are paid $900; charitable and missionary objects receive $25; and $200 go for other purposes. Sunday-school teachers number seventeen, and pupils 195. The church attendance aver- ages 200.
The German Lutheran church has ten male and twelve female members, twenty-two in all. The church property is valued at $500. The minister is paid $100, and $10 cover sundry expenses.
The four Catholic churches have 187 male and 263 female mem- bers, or 450 in all. Five persons were received into the church during the year. The property is valued at $13,800; the priests receive $1,025; $1,001 are used for charitable and missionary pur- poses; and $350 are used for sundry expenses. There are six Sunday-school teachers, with 160 pupils, and the attendance at church is 587.
The Baptist church reports forty male and fifty female members, or ninety in all, and thirteen were admitted to membership within one year. The church property is valued at $3,000; the minister is paid $600; $139 are devoted to missionary and charitable pur- poses, and $75 for other items. The ten Sunday-school teachers have charge of ninety pupils, and eighty is the average attendance at church.
The Reformed churches, four in number, have a male member- ship of 121, a female membership of 168, a total of 289. Within a year twelve were admitted to membership. The church property is valued at $11,500; the amount paid ministers is $1,000; amount given for charitable and missionary purposes, $75; paid for other expenses, $150. At Snnday-school, twenty-eight teachers attend to 225 pupils. The church attendance is about 325.
31
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
The Methodist Episcopal denomination has eleven organizations and ten churches, and a total membership of 738, of whom 301 are males and 437 females. There were admitted to full mem- bership within a year 121 persons. The church property is esti- mated to be worth $26,000. The ministers are paid $4,350; charitable and missionary objects receive $472; and other expenses amount to $1,030. There are 100 Sunday-school teachers, with 976 pupils. The church attendance is 1,425.
The Dunkard church reports a membership of eighty-nine, of whom forty-two are males and forty-seven females. Three were admitted to membership within a year. The church property is valued at $2,500. The amount given for missionary and chari- table purposes is $25, and [other expenses amount to $40. There are cight Sunday-school teachers, with seventy pupils, and the attendance is 100.
Summing up, we find the total church membership to be 3,510, of whom 1,496 are males and 2,014 are females, a little over one- sixth of the population. The number admitted to membership in one year is 250. The church .property is valued at $116,300. The ministers are paid $13,734. Charitable and missionary aims re- ceive $2,226, and other purposes $3,230. There are 315 Sunday- school teachers, and 3,131 pupils. The church attendance is 5,317.
SOCIAL STATISTICS.
There are held in private libraries in this county 7,611 volumes, and in public libraries 999 volumes. There are fifty-five pianos, 541 organs, and 1,943 sewing machines.
Divorces were granted to the number of twenty-nine during the year ending June 30, 1883. Of these, twenty-five were granted po the wife and four to the husband. There were naturalized during. the year two persons from the British Empire, twenty-four from the German Empire, three from Russia and three from Switzer- land; total, thirty-two.
The number of inmates of the county asylum was twenty-six; of these, thirteen males and eleven females were over sixteen years of age, and two females were under that age. There are 242 acres in the poor farm. The poor-house was erected in 1865. The sanitary condition of the poor-house is good.
The quota of the county in the State Hospital for the Insane is thirteen. There are at present in that institution, charged to this county, fifteen males and two females, seventeen in all. At
5
487
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
the State Deaf and Dumb Asylum are four from De Kalb County.
EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS.
There are in De Kalb County; seventy brick and fifty-one frame school-houses, or 121 in all. The estimated value of the school- houses and grounds is $137,140; estimated value of apparatus, maps, globes, etc., $3,260; total, $14,400. Three school-houses were built during 1883, at a cost of $11,600. Township insti- tntes were held to the number of thirty-two. Of the 251 teachers employed, ninety are male and 161 female. The average daily com- pensation of male teachers in the townships is $1.45; of female teachers, $1.14; of male teachers in the towns, $2.64; of female teachers, $1.56.
The enumeration of children of school age gave 3,680 white males, 3,310 white females, one colored male and one colored fe- male; total, 6,992, against 7,118 for 1882, a decrease of 126. The children who cannot read or write are reported as four males and five females, or nine in all.
There are 1,793 volumes in the township libraries, of which fifteen were added in 1883. The number drawn by readers was 199. There are five private schools held in public school-houses, employing five female teachers. To these, ninety-three pupils were admitted, and the average daily attendance was forty-four. Average tuition, $1.12. The amount of common-school and con- gressional township funds held by De Kalb County is $45,351.60.
The amount derived from State school tax was $7,328.10; amount collected as 'interest on school fund, $1,125.25; total col- lected, $8,453.35; ampunt apportioned to this county, $9,998.56. The' enumeration of children of school age in May, 1884, is as follows, for the various townships and towns: Butler, 220, a loss of ten in one year; Jackson, 505, a loss of two; Concord, 559, a gain of sixty-fonr'; Newville, 246, a gain of eight; Stafford, 175, a loss of twenty-four; Wilmington, 522, a loss of three; Union, 386, a gain of one; Richland, 612, a gain of seven; Fairfield, 462, a loss of thirty-two; Smithfield, 431, a loss of seventeen; Frank- lin, 415, a loss of nine; Troy, 214, a gain of twenty-four; Keyser, 319, a loss of one; Auburn, 626, a gain of thirty-two; Waterloo, 522, a gain of twenty; Butler, 469, a gain of twenty-two; Garrett, 321, a loss of sixty-eight; total for the county, 7,004, a gain of twelve.
CHAPTER XII.
BUTLER TOWNSHIP.
SITUATION .- GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY .- ORGANIZATION. -FIRST SETTLERS .- FIRST CHURCHES .- EARLY JUSTICES, CONSTABLES AND TRUSTEES. - SOMETHING OF ABRAHAM FAIR, A PIONEER .- POPULATION .-- PROPERTY AND TAXA- TION .- AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS .- BIOGRAPHICAL.
Lying in the extreme southwestern corner of De Kalb County is Butler Township. It is bounded on the north by Keyser Township, on the east by Jackson, on the south by Perry Town- ship, Allen County, and on the west by Swan Township, Noble County. It is well watered by Cedar Creek in the eastern part and the Little Cedar and the Black in the western part. Two railroads traverse it,-the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, and the Michigan Southern,-both running southwest and northeast. Thus the farmers have three shipping points-Cedar Creek on the Wabash, and New Era and St. John on the Michigan Southern. Garrett, the nearest trading town, is only two miles from its north line. The soil is generally rich, and the town- ship is advancing to the front as an agricultural and stock rais- ing section.
The first regular meeting of the County Board of Commis- sioners was held Sept. 4, 5 and 6, 1837, attended by the full board. On the second day's session they "ordered that the congres- sional township 33 north, range 12 east, be and it is hereby organized as a civil township, to be known by the name of But- ler Township." It was also resolved " that Andrew Surface be appointed Supervisor for the road district No. I, comprising the whole of Butler Township, and all the hands in said town- ship shall be assigned to the same district." The first election was afterward appointed for the first Monday in April, 1838, at the house of Robert Work. As thus organized, Butler was six miles square ; and it remained that large until 1876, when twelve sections were taken from its northern side, toward the new
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HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
township of Keyser-thus reducing Butler to its present dimen- sions, four miles by six, or twenty-four sections.
The pioneers of Butler Township were Peter Fair and his sons Charles and Abraham (Peter Fair was Chairman of the first Board of Commissioners of De Kalb County, and held the position for several years), Charles Crouse, George De Long, and the Surface family, Andrew, and his sons Jacob and John. The year 1835 witnessed their permanent settlement, although they came in the fall previous with a wagon and two spans of horses, and built their cabins. They had to cut their own road from 'Squire Caswell's, in Allen County, beyond Huntertown, five miles, to the place where they settled ; and also a consider- able part of the way from Fort Wayne, as the track was too narrow and crooked for a four-horse team. Later in the same year Lewis Holbrook, Lyman Holbrook, Joseph Stroup, Henry Miller and Michael Miller moved into the township. In the spring of 1836 the population was increased by the arrival of William Surface, John Gregg and James Bell. Sanford Bas- sett, now of Waterloo, came to the township in 1838, and John Noel, John C. Clark, John Embry and Henry Fair came in 1839. George Ensley, of Auburn, came to make his home in Butler in 1841. Among other families who are identified with the progress of the township are the Moodys, Works, Ensleys and Hoffmans.
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