History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 59

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1326

USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 59

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It is not generally known that the United States at one time was entirely out of debt and had more money in the treasury than it could use for any immediate or even prospective need. This happened in 1836, during the administration of Andrew Jackson. Congress decided after much discus- sion to deposit all of this surplus fund with the various states with the exception of five million dollars, proportioning it among them on the basis of the representation in Congress. The total amount to be thus distributed, in four equal installments, was $37,468,859, and the act of June 23, 1836, was hailed throughout the Union as the most popular act that Congress had

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

ever enacted. Three installments had been paid to the states before the panic of 1837 swept over the country, and the fourth installment was never paid.

Of the amount actually distributed Indiana received $806,254.44. It is very interesting to note what the various states did with the money thus received. Some prorated their share among the whole population; others devoted it to the construction of roads, canals and railroads; others kept the entire amount intact in the state treasury and used the income for state pur- poses. Indiana was one of the states which made a wise use of their share. The state Legislature in 1837 divided the fund into two equal parts : one-half to be distributed to the counties in proportion to the number of citizens of twenty-one years of age and over, to be loaned out in amounts not to exceed four hundred dollars to any one individual, at eight per cent. interest; the other half was to be invested in stock of the state bank which had been organ- ized in 1834. The interest on loans and the dividends on the bank stock were to be placed in the common-school fund.

The act of 1837 had provided that the first two installments should go to the counties, and the bank therefore shared only in the third installment. Of the total amount received the counties received $537,502.96 and the bank only $268,751.48, and of the latter amount the state took $40,000 to pay interest on internal improvement bonds. Of the amount turned over to the counties a large amount was lost through bad loans, carelessness in enforcing collection and the depression in values following the panic of 1837. The por- tion recovered of the county distribution was turned over to the bank in 1841, and this sum, added to the returns on the bank investment, was sufficient to create a fund actually larger than the amount received from the federal government. When the state bank was discontinued in 1859, the entire fund was placed at the disposal of the common schools, where it still remains.

The legislative act of 1837 providing for the disposition of the fund, created an official for each county to handle the fund distributed to the coun- ties, his title being "agent for loaning of surplus revenue fund." The agents were appointed by the Legislature for a term of one year from March I. The names of the first two agents for Fayette county have not been found, but the third was Robert D. Helm and the fourth, and last, was Samuel Reese, who served from March 1, 1840, until the fund was taken from the counties and invested in state-bank stock.

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

FAYETTE COUNTY'S VOTE ON CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.

The 1816 Constitution provided for a vote every ten years on the ques- tion of a constitutional convention, and pursuant to this provision five elec- tions were held. The vote of Fayette county at the first election, August 23, 1823, was 23 for the proposition and 685 against it. At the second elec- tion, August 4, 1828, there were 123 voters for the proposition. At the third election, August 3, 1840, 130 votes were recorded in favor of a con- stitutional convention and 1,520 against the proposition. On August 4, 1846, 484 votes were cast in favor of the convention and 778 against, while at the decisive election on August 6, 1849, 1,280 votes were cast in favor of the con- vention and 552 against it. At the election of 1912 the voters of Fayette county cast 1,285 votes in favor of the question of calling a constitutional convention and 2,700 votes against the proposition.

AN ADVERTISEMENT OF 1839.

It has often been said that the Hoosiers are possessed of real poetical ability, and a perusal of the newspapers of ante-bellum days shows that poetry then was frequently used as a medium of advertising. In a Con- nersville paper of 1839 some genius attempted a poetical advertisement for the firm of Tully & Tate, the same being an appeal to the public to purchase their hats from the firm. The effusion follows :

Hats! Hats! and Caps of every hue, By wholesale and retail too; The latest fashions, and the best That ever graced a Hoosier's nest.

Both brush and silk, and beaver fine, The otter, seal, rich and sublime, The nuter and the Russia cat, And our domestic musky rat,

And wool, both red and black and white, As fine as silk-(almost, not quite,) But good enough for you and I, And General Jackson, if he'd try ;

Or Davy Wallace, and the rest That sit in our big Hoosier's nest, Unless, by some wild speculation, The silk-worm met their contemplation,

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Whose skill, arranged on nature's plan, Defies the vulgar arts of man, And partial to a man of state, Should weave a silk cap around his pate;

And we poor wretches left to squirm, Because we were not born a worm. But hats and caps of every size, The best that Hoosierland supplied,

Of every touch that you can find,

To suit the gay or solemn mind, We have to sell, for cash in hand; Or corn, or beans, or bacon, ham,

And furs and trimmings, every size,

For hatters that may want supplies,

Whose orders we'll attend with every care,

And send their plunder anywhere.

And merchants that our hats would sell,

Just call and see-We'll use you well,

And fill with care the largest bill

With good hats made in Connersville.

And if the science that ordains

That wisdom is a pile of brains Should want the biggest hat-why then

We'll block one on the chicken pen ;

For hats and caps, both small and great, Are made and sold by TULLY & TATE.

N. B .- Shop at the establishment formerly occupied by J & J. Miller. Connersville, Indiana, Dec. 6, 1839.

THE FIRST GERMAN FAMILY.

The first German family in Connersville lived in a log cabin which was built on a plat of ground near Sixth street. The women wore turbans and wooden shoes, short dress skirts and blue calico aprons. Everything that they carried was placed on their heads. The children of the town were afraid and would keep at long range from them. The family used iron- bound chests for a double purpose-as a piece of furniture in which to keep their clothes and as a dining table. Wooden forks and pocket knives were the eating utensils.

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

FIRST MARRIAGE LICENSE IN COUNTY.

The first marriage license recorded after the organization of Fayette county was issued to Stephen Philpott and Rebecca Hawkins on February 9, 1819. The marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. Adam Banks.

THE FIRST DEED RECORDED IN COUNTY.

The first deed recorded in the county was that of Paul Davis and wife, Margaret, of Connersville township, January 31, 1819, to James Davis. The deed called for the south half of the northeast quarter of section 21, town- ship 14, range 12, east.

FIRST WILL RECORDED.

. The first will recorded in Fayette county was that of George Kirschman, August 26, 1819.

STRICTLY HAND-MADE SHOES.

During the days of early settlement in Fayette county the people wore home-made shoes. A cobbler would go from house to house and make shoes for the entire family. When a beef was killed the hide was taken to the tannery, where it was kept for nearly two years in order that it might be a perfect hide. The hide was then taken home and each member of the family was measured for a pair of shoes which were "strictly hand made." The making of the shoes was usually paid for with butter and eggs and other farm produce.

THE FIRST HORSELESS VEHICLE.

The first horseless vehicle ever made was a steam wagon designed and devised by Harvin Tryon, of Connersville, and antedates the automobile of Haynes. While Tryon was making the wagon everyone thought him of unsound mind. The machine was built in the early seventies for the pur- pose of taking a trip to his old home in Georgia. On his journey he attempted to cross a stream in southern Kentucky and upon getting into quicksand the wagon sank. When the water reached the boiler an explosion occurred and the first horseless vehicle suddenly passed into oblivion.

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

STRIFE OVER FIFTH STREET BRIDGE.

Locating the site for a bridge across the river at Connersville gave rise to a bitter strife. Colonel Hankins and others whose business interests were in the south part of the town wanted the bridge at the end of Third street. Abraham Conwell and those whose property and business were two squares up the street wanted it leading from Fifth street. On the day that the question was to be decided George Frybarger, with a hammer in his hand, stepped to the center of the street, at the intersection of Central avenue and Fifth street and drove a large nail into the earth, at the same time saying, "Gentlemen, for years to come these four corners will be the center of the town," a prediction that has come true, and a decision which meant the ulti- mate selection of a site for the bridge.

FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN COUNTY. 1

Elmer Edwards, father of William T. Edwards, was the first child born in Fayette county. The house in which he was born stood on Main street in Connersville, north of the Heeb rink. The father and mother made the Ohio river trip from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati by flatboat, thence to Connersville by wagon. It was a fond dream of the son to be married in a suit of broad- cloth and in order that this ambition might be accomplished he peeled, cut and dried many bushels of apples which he sold and with the money thus earned bought the suit. Mr. Edwards was the first farmer in the county to use tile in draining land.

FIRST MAP OF FAYETTE COUNTY.

To no other man other than Daniel Morrison should credit be given for drawing the first map of Fayette county. It was Mr. Morrison who assisted the engineers in surveying the route of the canal and it was this training that qualified him to draw the map, a task that required two years to accomplish.

CORN FAIR AND MUSICAL CONGRESS.

A corn fair and a musical congress was held in September, 1890, under the management of L. J. Edwards. A table seventy-five feet long was con- ered with all kinds of corn. A grand musical was the closing feature, the talent being some of the best in the states of Indiana and Ohio.

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

MANIFESTATIONS OF LIBERAL SPIRIT.

""Tis not what we give, but what we share; For the gift without the giver is bare."

Many years before the above lines were written the city of Connersville was made the beneficiary of gifts at the hands of its public spirited citizens. In fact, history records that at the time the question of the location of the county seat was being discussed that a number of the citizens of the village came forward with gifts of money, land or lots, offering them to the county in return for the privilege of having the seat of justice located in the village. Just who these public spirited men were, and just how much they donated is not on record, but it is known that their joint donations were sufficient to pay for the building of the first court house and jail. This initial generos- ity on the part of the founders of the city has been emulated by many citi- zens during the nearly one hundred years which have elapsed since this first outburst of generosity on the part of the founders of the city.

It is well understood that every church in the city has been built as the result of the donations of citizens, and often many others than the members have contributed of their means to their erection. Private gifts frequently made it possible to maintain schools in the period before the days of free public schools. Thus religion and education, the handmaidens of civiliza- tion, were fostered in the early days by the munificence of the citizens of the village, and if private means had not been forthcoming these two agen- cies would have been sorely tried in their efforts to maintain themselves. The first public library also belongs to that class of public institutions which was made possible only by the voluntary contributions of patriotic, if not always literate, citizens.

In recent years there have been a number of public benefactions made for the general welfare of the city and county. The most valuable of such gifts was made in 1902 by Col. James E. Roberts, now a resident of Indian- apolis, his generosity consisting of the presenting of a tract of eighty acres in the northern part of the city to the county seat, the same to be known as Roberts Park. This park was made the home of a free county fair, the first and only one of its kind in the country, the dedication of the park to such a purpose taking place on September 9, 1903. Further reference to this fair is given in the agricultural chapter.

Since the generous gift of Mr. Roberts a number of citizens of Conners- ville have made various kinds of donations to the city. Manford E. Dale

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has given "Daleview," one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the state; Daniel Hankins left the city Hankins Chapel in honor of his father and mother, while his brother, William E. Hankins, provided all of the interior furnishings; E. V. Hawkins and wife presented the city a tract for a playground for the children of the city, the city later building a suitable house on the grounds and equipping the same with the latest and most improved playground apparatus; Roy Williams and wife have given eight drinking fountains which may be found in various parts of the city; the Clio Club presented the fountain to the city which stands at the corner of Virginia, Central and Ohio streets. B. F. Thiebaud and wife have established a schol- arship to Earlham College for the benefit of graduates of the local high school, the gift being in memory of their daughter, Marguerite, a graduate of the college; in June, 1916, E. W. Ansted presented the city with the buildings and the ground at the corner of Virginia and Fourteenth street, which have been used by the Fayette Sanitarium for several years, the gift being con- tingent upon the citizens of the county to raise the sum of thirty-six thou- sand dollars.

One public spirited citizen of the United States, who has generously given of his millions to thousands of cities throughout the country, has included Connersville in the list of those which have been recipients of his benefactions. This man is Andrew Carnegie and it is to him that the city owes its present beautiful library building, his donation of twenty thousand dol- lars having made its construction possible.

THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF 1916.

The state of Indiana celebrated its centennial in 1916 with a series of county celebrations and one state celebration at Indianapolis, during October. Fayette county had one of the best county celebrations in the state, but only those actually engaged in getting ready for the three-days performance had any idea of the enormous amount of labor involved in making it the splendid spectacle that it proved to be. When it is considered that a pageant of nearly five hours duration, covering as it did, a hundred years of the county's history, was presented by a body of five hundred performers, it may be seen that the task of getting such a spectacle ready entailed a heavy burden on someone.

Early in the year it was decided to hold the celebration from July 3 to July 5, inclusive, and plans were laid in February, 1916, to that end. In order to handle the celebration it was necessary to build up a large organi- zation. The general officers consisted of the following: E. P. Hawkins,

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chairman; J. L. Kennedy, secretary; T. C. Bryson, treasurer; O. M. Hempleman, superintendent of amusements and concessions ; Gilbert Hannah, grand marshal; Arthur Dixon, assistant marshal. These officers were supplemented by M. Holberg and M. Hassett to form an executive com- mittee. The executive committee appointed twenty-five other committees composed of from three to thirty-five members each. Besides there was a com- mittee of three from each township. Another one of the committees had charge of the pageant proper. E. P. Hawkins gave practically all of five months of his time to the centennial and during much of this time employed a number of stenographers to handle the multitude of details which had to be looked after. The pageant itself was written and directed by Harriett E. Williams. It was printed in a brochure containing the dialogue, all of the various committees, the banquet toasts in full and the official program of the three-days' celebration-the whole making a booklet of sixty pages.

CENTENNIAL FEATURE OF CELEBRATION.

The pageant, the central feature of the celebration, was given on Wed- nesday evening, July 5, on the ground south of the plant of the Connersville Furniture Company. The pageant was divided into ten episodes which may be briefly summarized as follows :

Episode I. Capture of John Conner by Indians in 1788; escape of Jonas Williams' family.

Episode II. John Conner's post in 1813; a plat of the post, arrival of Indian traders; coming of new emigrants.

Episode III. Pioneer life in 1820-Claypool's Inn : a member of the new capital committee; the pioneer preacher arrives; the Masonic lodge; Indian captures ; the murder of Ben Davis; fiddlers' contest.

Episode IV. Wedding scene in 1834: an Indianapolis-Connersville wedding; twin McCormick sisters married twin Mart brothers.

Episode V. A school of the forties.

Episode VI. The singing school.

Episode VII. Life in the forties and fifties: apple peeling; husking bees; a Harrison-Tyler parade.

Episode VIII. Civil War period: band drill; boys' drill; girls' drill. Episode IX. A centennial committee meeting in 1916.

Episode X. A memorial party : pageant of old fashioned games; a Commercial Club banquet ; song-"Indiana."

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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.

FORMAL OPENING OF CELEBRATION.

The program opened on Sunday evening, July 2, 1916, with an address by Rev. I. E. Brown, of the local Christian church. On the following morn- ing the formal opening of the celebration took place at the corner of Ninth street and Central avenue, where a handsome arch, sixty-two feet high, had been thrown across the street. The arch represented the gates of the city and when Mayor Braun presented the keys of the arch to E. P. Hawkins, the chairman of the centennial committee, the formal opening may be said to have taken place. Following this performance the queen of the centennial, Irene Smith, was crowned with all the regal formality befitting her Hoosier dignity. The parade which followed was by all odds the most spectacular the county has ever witnessed. There were floats representing every industry in the county, all the fraternal orders, the churches, schools and other phases of the county's history, while hundreds of marching children added to the beauty of the parade. It took two hours and forty minutes for the parade to pass a given point.

The speakers of the centennial celebration included Senator James E. Watson, Gov. Samuel R. Ralston and Judge Marshall Williams. Besides these orators there were a number of addresses made by local citizens, and others by former residents of the county. Music during the three days was furnished by the children's chorus, the Connersville Commercial Club boys' band, Carl Smith's orchestra and the Indianapolis News newsboys band.

A feature of the centennial was the exhibition of old relics and curios in the windows of the business houses of the city. Many old buildings were suitably labeled, telling the passerby what part they had once played in the history of the county. Not the least important phase of the whole celebra- tion was the bringing together of a large number of former residents of the city, many of whom had not been back for years. It was estimated that there were at least twenty thousand visitors in the city each day, while probably thirty thousand were in the city on Wednesday night when the pageant was given. The pageant was the climax of the three-days performance, and it is not too much to say that the credit for this particular part of the centennial was due to the efforts of Miss Harriett Williams, who not only wrote the dialogue but also directed its staging and actual presentation.

Future generations may wonder what kind of a centennial celebration

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Fayette county had and for this reason it seems fitting to include at this point the full program. The county will give another celebration in 2016 and while few of this generation will be here to participate in it, yet those who have it in charge will be sure to examine with a great deal of interest this program of 1916. It follows:

JULY 2-CENTENNIAL SUNDAY.

7:30-8:00-Sacred Concert In charge of Music Committee 8:00-Address One Hundred Years of Hoosier History. Rev. L. E. Brown At the Central Christian Church.

MONDAY, JULY 3-CORNER NINTH AND CENTRAL.

10:00-Formal Opening of Centennial and Crowning of the Queen.

10 :30-Historical, Fraternal, Civic, Industrial and Automobile Parade.

AFTERNOON-COURT HOUSE.

1:30-2:00-Band Concert. Connersville Commercial Boys' Band 2:00-2:30-Children's Chorus-

1. The Call to Arms. Veazie

2. O Columbia the Gem of the Ocean Shaw

3. A Merry Life: Denza

4. America -Carey

5. My Own United States Edwards

6. Indiana Meissner

7. Home, Home, Sweet Home. Payne

Under the Direction of A. A. Glockzin. Supervisor of Music in the Public Schools.

2:30-3 :30-Address. Judge Marshall Williams

3:30-4 :40-Indianapolis News Boys' Band.

EVENINO.

6:30-Connersville High School Alumni Banquet, Auditorium Hall,

7 :15-7 :45-Connersville Commercial Club Boys' Band, Court House.

7:45.Address-Hon. James E. Watson, Court House.

DAILY PARK PROGRAM. White Water Base Ball Park.

2:30-Base Ball Games between Professional Teams. Followed by Balloon Ascensions and Parachute Leaps. AUDITORIUM THEATRE. The Historical Indiana Moving Picture. Every Afternoon and Evening. Clean Amusement Features at Various Places on Main Streets of Business Districts. AMUSEMENTS-EXHIBITS.

Exhibits of Relics and Curios Were Displayed in the Windows of the Stores Daily.

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TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1916-HOME-COMING DAY-COURT HOUSE.

10:30-Band Concert, Indianapolis News Boys' Band.

11:00-Reception to Visitors and Reunion of Former Residents.

AFTERNOON-HAWKINS PLAYGROUND.

1:30-2:00-Band Concert, Connersville Commercial Club Boys' Band.

2:00-2:45-Home Coming Addresses-L. J. Edwards, James McIntosh, E. V. Hawkins, Rev. E. E. Lines, O. K. Jones, Bernel Tatman, James Roberts, Nat Wright, and others

2:45-Athletic Events and Drills.

EVENING-HAWKINS BLAYGROUND.

7:30-Band Concert, Indianapolis News Boys' Band.

8:30-Grand Display of Pyrotechnics.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5. At Intersection of Virginia and Central Avenue.

10:00-Band Concert, Connersville Commercial Club Boys' Band.

10:30-Formal Presentation of Fountain to the City of Connersville by the Clio Club, Accepted by E. P. Hawkins. Presentation and Dedication of the Centennial Memorial Hospital, Accepted by E. P. Hawkins.

COURT HOUSE.

2:00-Band Concert, Indianapolis News Boys' Band.

2:30-Centennial Address Hon. Samuel M. Ralston, Governor of Indiana

Reception to Governor and Other Distinguished Visitors.

EVENING-CENTENNIAL PAGEANT. Grounds South of Connersville Furniture Company.

7:30-Band Concert, Connersville Commercial Club Boys' Band.

7:50-Overture, Carl Smith's Orchestra.

S:00-Centennial Pageant of Connersville and Fayette County. Miss Harriett Williams, Director.

It should be said in conclusion that the centennial was a financial suc- cess. It was so well managed that it not only paid all of its expenses, but even had nearly one thousand dollars to turn over to the hospital fund. None of the actual performers or members of the various committees received any compensation. Even Miss Williams, who wrote, staged and directed the pageant, contributed her services. The Pathe Film Company had a representative on the ground during the three days and took several thou- sand feet of film. This preserves for future generations the main spectacular features of the centennial.

F. In. Roots

BIOGRAPHICAL

FRANCIS M. ROOTS.

The life of Francis M. Roots meant much to the development of Con- nersville and of Fayette county and was full of inspiration to lofty aims and diligent effort. Although Francis M. Roots has been dead for more than a quarter of a century, his influence still lives, a continuing and potent factor hereabout, and no history of the time would be complete without the pres- entation in that connection of a fitting memorial to the man whose industry and upright walk before men exerted so large an influence on the life of the past generation in this community.

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History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 59

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1326

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1326