USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 8
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The county again returning to the board of three commissioners in
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1847, the following commissioners were elected: Henry S. Burk, Tom Powers and Seth Lowe, the latter of whom had twice previously been a mem- ber of this body. New members elected in 1850, were Smith Reilly and Barton H. Harney. This board passed out of existence in 1853, following the adoption of the new constitution. Commissioners were then elected as follows: Caleb Stark, Andrew McCoy and William Magress. Since that time the board of commissioners has managed the business affairs of Decatur county. The present county commissioners are Charles W. Worland, William H. Logan and John W. Tremain.
SHERIFF.
The office of sheriff has been an elective one from the beginning of the state and was so provided for by the constitution of 1816. The first sheriff, William Ross, was appointed by the governor when the county was formed, to take charge of the first election. He served only from March until August, 1822. Doddridge Alley was the first elected sheriff. He was fol- lowed by John Parks, who was elected in 1826 and again in 1828. When Parks had collected the taxes for the latter year, he bought a large drove of horses and started with them for Lynchburg, Virginia. He was never heard of afterward. Abraham Hendricks was appointed to serve out his un- expired term.
The other incumbents of this office have been: John Thomson, 1829-33 ; James Morgan, 1833-37; Wyatt R. Henderson, 1837-41 ; Abraham Hen- dricks, 1841-45: Michael Swope, 1845-49; John Imlay, 1849-52 (died in office ) ; John D. Wilson, 1852-53; Joseph V. Bemusdaffer, 1853-57; Ed- ward A. Jocelyn, 1857-61; Philip Mowrer, 1861-65; Charles Sherman, 1865-67; Charles Woodward, 1867-69; Henry Reddington (died before taking office ) : Charles Wooward, 1868-70 ( by appointment ), Giles E. White, 1870-74; James Fiscus, 1874-76; John A. Meek, 1876-78; Andrew J. Smith, 1878-80; John W. Stout, 1880-84; Merrit C. Welsh, 1884-88; George S. Dickey, 1888-92; Taylor F. Meek, 1892-96: William T. Stott, 1896-1900; Jeff C. Davis, 1900-04; Jacob Biddinger, 1904-08; S. N. Patterson, 1908-12; John W. DeMoss, 1912.
TREASURER.
General Foley, the first holder of the office, had two opponents at the election, James Johnson, an independent Whig, and John Thompson, the
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regular nominee. Although Foley won the first election in a walk, he was defeated, when he asked for re-election, by Captain James Saunders. Saunders served one term and declined a renomination. One of the songs of his campaign was:
"Get out of the way, ye geese and ganders, Folks can't come it 'gainst Old Jim Saunders."
From the tinie the county was organized until 1841. the county treasurer was appointed by the county commissioners, or the board of justices, for one year. Since the office was made elective, it has been filled by the following : James B. Foley, 1841 ; James Saunders, 1844: Abraham Hendricks, 1847- 50-53-55 : Robert Cones, 1856-58; James Morgan, 1860-62 ; Thomas B. Perry, 1864: William L. Miller, 1866-68; Benjamin F. Henry, 1870; Conway O. Lanham, 1872: Charles Zoller, 1874: Henry C. Stockman, 1876-78; Angus M. McCoy. 1880-82; William D. Dailey, 1884-86; John W. Nation, 1888-90: John P. Thompson, 1892-94: Dyar C. Elder, 1896; George P. Shoemaker. 1898-02: George W. Lanham, 1902-06: Oscar B. Trimble, 1906-10; I. L. Doles, 1910-12; Albert Boling, 1912-16.
RECORDER, CLERK AND AUDITOR.
The recorder's office was filled by the county clerk for several years, the clerk also acting as county auditor. Henry H. Talbott performed the triple duties of clerk, auditor and recorder until 1841, in which year the office of auditor was created by the Legislature, after which he continued to act as clerk and recorder until 1859.
Successors to him as county clerk have been elected in the following order: James Gavin, 1863; Ira G. Grover, 1867; John M. Stevens, 1875; Evander F. Dyer, 1879: John G. Garrison, 1883: Jesse M. Thompson, 1887; Alfred Gaines, 1891 ; Marine D. Tackett, 1899; M. C. Jenkins, 1903; J. W. Rhodes, 1911, and George W. Fraley, 1915.
Putnam Ewing followed Talbott as recorder in 1859 and since that time the office has been filled by the officers whose names follow: James R. Cox, 1863; William B. Harvey, 1867; Edward Kessing, 1875; James E. Mendenhall, 1879: Rufus P. Hamilton, 1885: Aaron Parker, 1895: Marsh Thomas, 1903: Newton Paramore, 1911 (died in office), and James A. Meek, 1912.
County auditors have been elected as follows: Andrew Dyer, 1841 : Joseph Remusdaffer, 1855; William H. Reed, 1859; John D. Spillman.
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1863; Frank M. Weadon, 1871; John L. Dobyns, 1875; James Kennedy. 1882; John J. Puttman, 1890; Coleman T. Pleak, 1894; Frank E. Ryan. 1902 ; Linton W. Sands, 1910, and John C. Barbe, 1914.
Andrew Dyer, the first county auditor, was re-elected three times and held the office for a period of fourteen years and three months. The records do not disclose the reason of this seeming irregularity. Dyer was defeated for a fifth term by Remusdaffer. Of the first eight men who held the office of county auditor, none was a native of Decatur county. Dyer came from Tennessee, Remusdaffer and Weadon from Virginia, Spillman and Dobyns from Kentucky, Reed from Franklin county, Kennedy from Union county and Puttman from Ripley county.
STATE SENATORS.
Decatur county has been represented in the state Senate since 1825, on which year it was served by James Gregory, who represented seven other counties. It had no senator of its own until 1836, by which time it had so increased in population that it was given separate representation in the upper house of the Legislature. This continued until 1869, when, in order to maintain an equitable representation in the Senate, the county was again thrown into a joint-senatorial district. Decatur county has had the following representation in the state Senate :
1825-6-James Gregory, joint senator, Hamilton, Marion, Madison, Henry, Shelby, Decatur, Rush and Johnson counties.
1826-7-8-James Gregory, joint senator. Decatur, Shelby, Johnson and Morgan counties.
1829-James Gregory, joint senator, Decatur, Shelby and Morgan counties.
1830-James Gregory, joint senator, Decatur, Shelby and Johnson counties.
1831-2-3-Thomas Hendricks. joint senator, Shelby and Decatur counties.
1834-5-William Fowler, joint senator, Shelby and Decatur counties.
1836-William Fowler, senator, Decatur county.
1837-45-James Morgan, senator, Decatur county.
1846-8-Joseph Robinson, senator, Decatur county.
1849-50-James Morgan, senator, Decatur county.
1851-Robert H. Crawford, senator, Decatur county.
1853-5-W. J. Robinson, senator, Decatur county.
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1857-John F. Stevens, senator, Decatur county. ** 1858-59-J. F. Stevens, senator, Decatur county. ** 1861-Richard Robins, senator, Decatur county. 1863-Joseph Pleak, senator, Decatur county. ** 1865-Dan R. Van Buskirk, senator, Decatur county. 1867-Will Cumback, senator, Decatur county. ** 1869-William J. Robinson, joint senator, Rush and Decatur counties. 1871-William J. Robinson, joint senator, Rush and Decatur counties. ** 1872-5-George B. Sleeth, joint senator, Rush and Decatur counties. ** 1877-9-William A. Moore, joint senator. Rush and Decatur counties. ** 1881-Francis M. Howard, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties. 1883-Francis M. Howard, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties. ** 1885-Francis M. Howard, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties. 1887-Francis M. Howard, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties. 1889-S. J. Carpenter, joint senator. Decatur and Shelby bounties. 1891-Cortez Ewing. joint senator. Decatur and Shelby counties. 1893-5-Albert E. Wray, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties. 1897-Everett F. Stroup, joint senator, Decatur and Shelby counties.
1899-1901-W. W. Lambert, joint senator, Bartholomew and Decatur counties.
1903-5-MI. E. Newhouse, joint senator, Bartholomew and Decatur counties.
1907-9-William E. Springer, joint senator. Bartholomew and Decatur counties.
19IT-13-Emanuel Trautman, joint senator, Bartholomew and Decatur counties.
1915 -- E. A. Norman, joint senator, Bartholomew and Decatur counties.
*Special session. ¡Regular session.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES.
Being organized by the Session Laws of 1821, Decatur county first secured representation in the House of Representatives of the state Legisla- ture in its eighth session, 1823. It has since been served by representatives. by joint representatives and by both. The representation of the county in the lower house has been as follows :
1823-5-Thomas Hendricks, joint representative, Rush, Decatur, Shelby and Henry counties.
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1825-6-Thomas R. Stanford, joint representative, Rush, Henry, Decatur and Shelby counties.
1826-Doddridge Ally, representative, Decatur county.
1827-30-Thomas Hendricks, representative, Decatur county.
1831-Doddridge Ally, representative, Decatur county. 1832-3-Willian Fowler, representative, Decatur county. 1834-5-Samuel Bryan, representative, Decatur county. 1836-7-James Elder, representative. Decatur county. 1838-Abram Hendricks, representative, Decatur county. 1839-Martin Jamison, representative, Decatur county. 18440-James Blair, representative, Decatur county. 1841-James Saunders, representative, Decatur county. 1842-3-James Montague, representative, Decatur county. 1844-Ralph Robinson, representative, Decatur county.
1845-William J. Robinson, representative, Decatur county. 1846-P. Hamilton, representative, Decatur county. 1847-Philander Hamilton, representative, Decatur county. 1848-James Morgan, representative, Decatur county.
1849-William J. Robinson, representative, Decatur county.
1850-Robert H. Crawford, representative, Decatur county. 1851-John Stevens, representative, Decatur county. 1853-Alex. L. Underwood, representative, Decatur county. 1855-Samuel A. Bonner, representative, Decatur county.
1857-Davis Batterton, representative, Decatur county.
** 1858-59-William J. Robinson, representative, Decatur county. ** 1861-Ira C. Grover. representative, Decatur county. 1863-Daniel Van Buskirk, representative, Decatur county. ** 1865-William H. Bonner, representative, Decatur county.
1867-William A. Moore, representative, Decatur county.
** 1869-Oliver P. Gilhamn. representative: David M. Stewart, joint representative ; Decatur and Rush counties.
1871-William T. Strickland, representative: Benjamin T. Hill, joint representative : Decatur and Rush counties.
*1872-73-George Goudie, representative; John D. Miller, joint repre- sentative : Decatur and Rush counties.
** 1875-John W. Shaw, representative; Barker Brown, joint represen- tative : Ripley, Rush and Decatur counties.
** 1877-Zachariah T. Riley, representative: Arch M. Kennedy, joint representative : Ripley, Ruslı and Decatur counties.
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** 1879-John S. Donnell, representative; Chester E. Faulkner, joint representative ; Ripley, Rush and Decatur counties.
** 1881-James B. Robinson, representative, Decatur county. 1883-Oscar L. Pulse, representative, Decatur county. ** 1885-Erastus L. Floyd, representative, Decatur county. 1887-William R. Pleak, representative, Decatur county. 1889-James B. Robinson, representative, Decatur county. 1891-Jacob L. Doll, representative, Decatur county. 1893-5-Marshal Newhouse, representative, Decatur county. 1897-William H. Goddard, representative, Decatur county. 1899-John W. Holcomb, representative, Decatur county. 1901-Noah T. Rogers, representative, Decatur county. 1903-Henry B. Sherman, representative, Decatur county. 1905-7-Webb Woodfill, representative, Decatur county. 1909-Jethro C. Meek, representative, Decatur county. 1911-S. B. Eward, representative, Decatur county. 1913-15-W. J. Kincaid, representative, Decatur county.
*Special session.
¡Regular session.
CHAPTER V.
TOWNSHIPS AND TOWNS OF DECATUR COUNTY.
The townships of Decatur county were organized by the county board in the following order: Washington, May 14, 1822; Fugit, May 14, 1822; Adams, May 14. 1822; Sand Creek, May 2, 1825: Clinton, July 6, 1829; Marion, May 3. 1831: Jackson, in March 1834: Clay, March 3, 1836; Salt Creek, September 6, 1836.
ADAMS TOWNSINIP.
On May 14, 1822, the county commissioners established Adams town- ship with the following limits: Beginning at the county line on the township line dividing townships 10 and 11, range 8, thence east with the township line to the line dividing sections 32 and 33, range 9, township 11 ; thence north to the southwest corner of section 21 in the town and range aforesaid; thence east to the southwest corner of section 23. range 9, township 11; thence north with the section line to the southwest corner of section 14, thence east to the southwest corner of section 17, range 10. township 11; thence north with the section line to the county line; thence west with the county line to the northwest corner of said county; thence south with the county line to the place of beginning.
This was one of the three original townships laid out in the county, and has been cut down three different times: First, by the formation of Clay township in 1825, sections 27, 26, 25, 30, 34, 35, 36 and 31, township 11, range 8, being cut off to give Clay its present size ; second, when Clinton township was formed. Adams suffering the loss of fourteen whole sections and five half-sections, township II, range 9, as follow : 23, 24, 14, 13, 18, II, 12, 7, 2, 1, 6, 35, 31 and the half sections. 34, 3, 10, 15 and 22 ; third, two sections, 19 and 20, township 11, range 9, were added to Washington township. This left the limits of Adams rather ill defined and after the last cut was made from this township, is found the following extract in the minutes of the commissioners' records : Adams township limits (Vol. I, page 135) : "On May 2, 1825, the limits of Adams township were rede- fined by the board of justices as follows : Beginning at the county line on the
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range line dividing ranges 9 and 10; thence south five miles to the southeast corner of section 24, range 9. township II ; thence west to the county line ; thence with the county line to the place of beginning."
THE SQUATTER.
Prior to 1818 a small portion of southeastern Indiana, only, had been purchased from the Indians and partially settled. In that year a treaty was concluded with various tribes of Indians, by which most of the land in the interior of the state, south of the Wabash river and not previously purchased. was deeded to the United States. Immediately, emigrants began to push their way into the "New Purchase." as it was called. The lands were not yet sur- veyed nor ready for sale: still, choice selections could be made preparatory to purchase when the land should be offered for sale-the "squatter." in the meantime, clearing a small piece of ground in some eligible situation, where he hoped soon to buy. This small tract, with the game, which was abundant, produced sufficient to satisfy his wants.
THE FIRST SETTLER.
The first white man to take up his abode in Adams township is believed to have been John Gullion. He came from Switzerland county, and was an old Revolutionary soldier-said to have been perfectly irrepressible and uncontrollable in battle. He had been shot through the cheek and mouth in some of the battles of that war, and was greatly disfigured. It is believed he visited the country above Big Flatrock in the fall of 1818, building a "shanty" and, perhaps, clearing some ground in the bottom near where the Michigan road crosses that stream. In the spring of 1819 he moved his family and took up his permanent residence. In the same spring. Abraham Heaton set- tled about one mile further up that stream. He cleared land and raised a crop of corn in the bottom just below the month of Little Flatrock, in what in later years has been known as the Manley Kimble bottom.
In November, 1819, Edward Tannor arrived and settled on the school section near where Nelson Jewett now lives, building a shanty and covering it with bark taken from an abandoned Indian shanty near by. In the spring of 1820, Heaton was joined by Peter Zeigler and Philip Isley, who raised a crop of corn in the same bottom, buying corn of Heaton of the previous year's raising, at one dollar in silver per bushel.
The Miami tribe of Indians were still in the country. The new settlers
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hunted with them, and lived on terms of mutual friendship. In the fall of 1820, the land, having been surveyed, was offered for sale at Brookville. Abraham Heaton bought one hundred and sixty acres where he had located. Peter Zeigler bought one hundred and sixty acres, which was soon after- ward sold to Martin Adkins, and is now owned by Joseph D. Pleak. He also bought one hundred and sixty acres just west of the present site of St. Omer, on which he lived until within a few years. Jonathan McCarty bought one hundred and sixty acres where the Michigan road crosses Big Flatrock; J. M. Robison, two hundred and forty acres immediately south of McCarty's, and Mr. Sanford, one hundred and sixty acres east of the same .. Jonathan Paul entered a half section or more at the falls of Mill creek, near to the present St. Paul, and was one of the first, if not the very first, to erect a mill in the county. Col. W. W. Pearce entered one hundred and sixty acres one mile northwest of St. Omer, on the Michigan road, and William Peterson, one hundred and sixty acres just east of the present site of St. Omer. John Shelhorn entered lands between Big and Little Flatrock, and erected a mill on the latter stream about the time, or soon after, that Paul built on Mill creek. Of course, these were small affairs compared with modern mills. They were devoted mostly to grinding corn, but were provided with bolts which were turned by hand and each customer had to turn his own grist.
SHATTERED HOPES.
Shelhorn also, in 1821, laid off a town on the bluff immediately above the confluence of Big and Little Flatrock, called Rockville, which was the first town laid off in the county. The county line not yet having been established nor the county seat located, it was hoped to make it a county seat. The town plat is recorded at Brookville, and the only evidence of its existence in our records is in the records of deeds to certain lots-Main street and Broadway being given as part of the boundary. The site was a beautiful one for a town, but, failing to be made a county seat, all further effort to build up a town was abandoned.
David Jewett entered a considerable tract of land just east of Shelhorn, on Little Flatrock. Daniel Stoggsdill arrived either in the fall of 1820, or very early in 1821, and was the first minister of the gospel in this section of the country. His home was in the corner of Washington township, yet the church which he founded, and to which for a long time he ministered, was in Adams, with whose people he would be more properly classed than
(7)
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anywhere else. The same may be said of Richard Guthrie, who settled in 1821, in the corner of Clay, just below the present town of Adams. Solo- mon Turpin entered one hundred and sixty acres of land on Clifty, where the Michigan road crosses that stream, and Jonas Long, it is believed, the same year entered eighty acres one mile farther west, just east of the present town of Adams. Rev. Joel Clark entered lands in the east part of the town- ship in 1821, where Phillip Martin subsequently lived. He was a Baptist minister and quite an old man at that time. His son, Austin Clark, was a Methodist exhorter and, in connection with Jonathan Tindale, who came at the same time, established the first Methodist society in the township. Archi- bald Clark, a brother of Austin, settled on Little Flatrock, near the center of the township. Joseph Lee came in the fall of this year and settled on the school section. Enoch McCarty. Hershon Lee, Daniel Howard, and perhaps others, were in the county, but had not at this date, entered lands with a pros- pect of becoming permanent residents.
Enoch James, a young man who had accompanied a family to which he was related, was the first to procure a marriage license in the township, and, it is believed. in the county. He was married in the spring of 1822.
EARLY MAIL FACILITIES.
Jonathan McCarty and Edward Tannor were the first justices of the peace, elected in 1823. The first postoffice was established in 1822, or 1823; W. W. Pierce was postmaster. The mails were carried on horseback from Lawrenceburgh to Indianapolis, once in two weeks, and afterwards weekly. The streams were all unbridged, and in times of high water, which sometimes continued for weeks, the mail carrier had no means of crossing but to swim. A canoe was usually kept at the crossing, and sometimes he would go over in that with the mail bags, swimming the horse by the side of the canoe : but if the canoe happened to be on the other side, or no one could be found to row it, he would plunge boldly in, protecting the mail bags as best he could. Samuel Frazier was for a long time the carrier, a good-natured, lively young fellow, and, let the weather or streams be what they would, he seldom failed to get the mails through on time. He was long remembered by the old set- tlers on that route.
PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS.
This sketch would be imperfect if it did not give some idea of the state of the country and of the difficulties these first settlers had to encounter,
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yet no description can give to one who never saw the country in its native wildness, any just conception of what it was. Half the country seemed to be under water, hence settlers mostly selected lands near water courses, where. the lands being more broken, dryer situations could be found. In passing from Flatrock to Clifty, in the spring of the year. and sometimes a good part of the year, water from one to three feet deep would have to be waded for near half the distance, the scene being enlivened by the croaking of innumerable frogs, and occasionally by a deer which went bounding through. or over, the thickets of spice and other underbrush.
Of roads there were none that deserved the name. Wilson's "trace," from Napoleon through by the present site of Greensburg and on to Flat- rock, and perhaps farther west: Freel's "trace," which, branching off from the former at the big fallen timber, ran through by the forks of Clifty and on to Connersville ; and another from Brookville, through or near the present town of Clarksburg and on to the settlements on Clifty and Flatrock, were the roads followed by settlers. The trees along the route were merely "blazed," and a few brushes cut out. The logs that could be easily removed were taken from the track, and others were frequently crossed by piling chunks on each side which enabled the teams to draw the wagons over ..
There were no mills in the country, and meal was made by pounding corn in a mortar. This was made by burning a hole a foot or so deep in a solid sugartree, beech or other log, setting this up on end and erecting over this something exactly like a well sweep, only, in place of rope or chain to attach to a bucket. was a pole with the butt end down, and fitted nicely to the shape of the mortar. A small portion of corn was put in at a time and pounded till sufficiently fine, and the coarse parts removed by a sieve. This process, hard and tedious as it was, was easier for most than going to mill- the most convenient being four miles below Brookville. Colonel Pierce, who was the first to sow wheat in the township, and perhaps in the county, that being in the fall of 1821, was compelled to go to that distance to get it ground -taking two days to go and two to come back.
EARLY WEARING APPAREL.
It was some years before a store was established in the township, the nearest being Benson's, where Spring Hill now is, and at Arthur Major's, two or three miles below the present St. Paul. But very little store goods sufficed in that day; all articles of wear were home-made; spinning and weaving were a part of the regular employment of the women of every
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household, wool being carded into rolls for spinning by hand, and flax was frequently partly prepared for spinning by the same hands: some, before flax could be raised. substituted nettles, which grew luxuriantly on bottom land to the height of three or four feet; when they had lain sufficiently long to become rotted. they were prepared the same as flax, and made a very good article of linen. Garments were made with but little regard to fashion. The men sometimes wore what was called a hunting-shirt. fringed round the edges with red or blue fringes, and a coonskin cap, with the striped tail hanging down the back-these being the only efforts at style.
The women wore dresses of home-made linsey, or linen striped with indigo or copperas color. to suit the taste, exactly such as can be seen at the present day worn by emigrants from the mountainous regions of Ten- nessee and North Carolina. Deerskins were, after a home tanning, con- verted into moccasins. Some of the more well-to-do aspired to shoes ( boots were not thought of ), but one pair usually lasted a good while, and so care- ful were the girls of their shoes, that it was the custom, when they went to meeting, to carry their shoes and stockings in their hands, putting them on only when they arrived within a short distance of the meeting-house. Hats were frequently made of buckeye splits, plaited and sewn together, and were quite a stylish article when new, the only draw-back being that after two or three wettings they turned a mouldy, dirty-looking brown color that was anything but handsome.
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