USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 31
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I824-1834.
The Legislature of 1844 made provision for a more uniform manage- ment of the poor and by the act of January 30, of that year, set forth the following provisions :
"Section I. That the commissioners of the several counties shall, at their first or second session in each and every year, nominate and appoint two substantial inhabitants of every township within their respective counties to be overseers of the poor of such township.
"Section 2. It shall be the duty of the overseer of the poor every year, to cause all poor persons who have or shall hereafter become a public charge to be farmed out, on contracts to be made on the first Monday in May annually in such manner as the said overseers of the poor shall deem best calculated to promote the general good."
Pursuant to this legislative act, the commissioners of Franklin county, on February 9, 1824, appointed two men as "poor masters" in each of the eight townships into which the county was then divided, as follows: Brook- ville, David Moore and R. A. Templeton; Springfield, Richard Keen and William McDonnald; Blooming Grove, Benjamin Nowell and William Mc- Coombs; Posey, John Maple and Edward Toner; Highland, Samuel Price and John H. Rockafellar; White Water, Samuel Rockafellar and Ralph Wildridge; Fairfield, Jacob Duboise and Jacob Barrackman; Bath, Thomas Reed and Michael Cline. The records show that the overseers of Brookville township each received seven dollars for the first six months of their appoint- ment. The compensation of the various overseers was in proportion to the time spent in the performance of their duties. For ten years the act of 1824 governed the management of the poor in all the counties of the state, but by 1834 it became apparent that conditions demanded a change and the legis- lative act of that year ushered in a new era along benevolent lines.
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33I
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
1834-1856.
The legislative act of January 23, 1834, authorized "An Asylum for the Poor of the Counties of Franklin, Fayette and Union." In accordance with the provisions of this act the commissioners of Franklin county ap- pointed James Webb to represent the county and meet with the representatives from Fayette and Union. This joint commission met at Fairfield, Franklin county, on December 26, 1834, and made the preliminary arrangements for the establishment of the asylum to be used by the three counties. It was agreed that the expense of maintenance should be pro rated between the counties in proportion to the voting population. At this time Franklin county had 1,800 voters, Fayette had 1,555, and Union had 1,279.
On January 27, 1835, the commissioners of the three counties con- cluded a contract for the farm of Thomas Clark. This was in Fayette county and consisted of two hundred eight acres, located in township 13, range 13. The farm had no buildings, but, according to the commissioners, had "two good orchards, two good springs, two good wells, is under good fence and has one hundred acres cleared." The contract price was $2,053, of which $1,003 was to be paid March 9, 1835, and the remainder January 13, 1836. The above report was made to the commissioners of Franklin county March 3, 1835.
Since there were no buildings on the farm, the first action of the commis- sioners from the three counties was to provide for the erection of a suitable building to accommodate the inmates. A brick structure, eighteen by forty- eight feet, was built, the same being ordered August 10, 1835. The bids for the proposed building were opened on the 12th of the following month, at which time it appeared that Thomas Lyons, Thomas Waters and Jesse Clements secured the contract for the sum of five hundred dollars, the same to be completed by the first Monday of May, 1836. The building was com- pleted during the summer of 1836, and at the May meeting of that year the commissioners appointed Isaac Gardner, of Union county, as superintendent of the asylum. The superintendent was allowed an annual salary of five hun- dred dollars, and was given general charge of the asylum, being authorized "to purchase furniture, bedding, provisions, etc., for the institution." His first annual report shows an expenditure of $180.8034. From year to year up to 1856, a total of twenty years, the three counties maintained this joint asylum, but by the latter year it was felt that better results could be obtained, at least on the part of Franklin county, by the establishment of a separate asylum. During this period from 1834 to 1856 Franklin county continued
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
to furnish relief to the poor in the various townships, as well as contributing its share towards the maintenance of the joint asylum.
ship relief during this period, although there were only nine years when a separate expenditure appears for township relief :
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1840
1841
1842
1845
1846
these three years being as follows: 1839, $1,318.39; 1843, $1,230.71; 1844, was no separate return made to the commissioners, the total amounts for years : 1836, $798.64: 1838, $112.21 ; 1841, $75.18. For three years there There were separate expenditures for the poor of the county in three
of Franklin county on March 3, 1856, discloses the following interesting The report of the board of directors of the asylum to the commissioners
facts :
Number admitted during past year
Number dismissed
Number of deaths
Number in asylum February 26, 1856
Number from Franklin county
Number from Union county Number from Fayette county
1
1
1
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
901.26 429.87
571.00
1,230.7I
811.74
586.76
466.87
80.43
821.33
989.67
$
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1,014.05 $ 850.20
1,105.24
1,160.07
1,257.89
1,062.20
1,701.79
1,479.23
1,506.92
2,065.07
47
24
S
64
35
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1856-1915.
During the winter and spring of 1855-56, the commissioners of Frank-
counties should be sold. On April 15, 1856, they made a proposition to the counties, came to the conclusion that the property held jointly by the three lin, Fayette and Union, having charge of the joint asylum of the three
commissioners of Franklin county, "to sell the farm used now for an asylum
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332
The appended table shows the expenditures for both county and town-
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$1,338.61.
333
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the poor for the sum of fifty dollars per acre, one-half to be paid March 10, 1857, and the residue on March 10, 1858, with interest on deferred pay- ments from day of sale." The Franklin county commissioners accepted a proposition of the asylum commissioners on June 12, 1856, and agreed at that time to the sale of the property jointly owned by Franklin, Fayette and Union counties. The final agreement provided that Union county should pay to Franklin one-half of forty-six dollars per acre of the undivided inter- est of Franklin county, this amount being one thousand eight hundred fifty- eight dollars and twenty-six cents. The three counties were to retain their possession in the land until March 10, 1857, at which time the agreement between them was to go into effect.
One June 19, 1856, the commissioners of Franklin county met at the court house for the purpose of locating and purchasing a site for a poor asylum, and four days later they met in the court house and reported that they had selected a site. It was in Brookville township, about one mile south- west of the county seat, and contained a fraction over one hundred and six acres. This tract of land was owned by William and Anna Stringer and they executed a deed to the county commissioners for this land on August 13, 1856, for a consideration of five thousand five hundred dollars. On August 5, of the same year, the commissioners bought part of a kiln of brick from David Price for the purpose of erecting a suitable building on the new farm. The plans for the building were drawn by Edwin May, who was allowed ten dollars for his services. On August 14, 1856, a contract was let to Edwin May for the construction of the asylum building, the contract calling for five thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. This building was so well constructed that it is still standing (1915) and bids fair to render good service for many years to come.
The last official report of the state board of charities on the Franklin county poor asylum is dated September 16, 1914. From this excellent report which, by the way, is compiled by Amos W. Butler, a former resident of Franklin county, the historian has taken the following facts regarding the institution at that time :
The present superintendent is George W. Gloshen, whose wife acts as matron. The farm comprises two hundred acres of land, which is now valued at one hundred and fifty dollars per acre. Some of the land is good, but much of it is unfit for tillage. A four-acre orchard is in poor condition. The stock on the farm included ten head of cattle, three head of horses and fifty-seven swine. The buildings are three in number. One contains the superintendent's quarters, women's department, dining room and kitchen.
334
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
The men's quarters are in a separate building. The buildings are old and poorly planned and are only in fair repair. There is a cellhouse which is used for the most incorrigible cases. The buildings are heated with steam, lighted with kerosene and under the present management are kept in as good condition as possible. They are handicappel by an old plant which is diffi- cult to keep in good condition. The county pays for the help of one man and one woman and also allows the county physician seventy-five dollars an- nually for his services.
At the time the report was made there were thirty-six inmates, twenty- eight men and eight women. One man is epileptic. The sexes occupy sepa- rate buildings, but eat together. Religious services are not regularly held.
The superintendent is paid $650 a year, while his wife is not on a salary. Repairs for the current year totaled $1.40: salaries, $1,224.75; supplies and maintenance, $1,175.94; total, $2,402.09.
POOR FARM SUPERINTENDENTS.
From 1834 down to 1856, Franklin county was coupled with Union and Fayette counties in the caring for the unfortunate poor. The records of the commissioners show that Isaac Gardner, of Union county, was superin- tendent from 1837 to 1840; at that date there were fifteen inmates. William Rigsbee was superintendent from 1840 to 1844: Thomas Curry, in 1855 and a part of 1856, and was succeeded by Samuel Henderson, who was the last to hold the position before the county commenced caring for its paupers. The list of Franklin county superintendents is as follows: Jacob Bly, Octo- ber, 1857-1859; John H. Farrott, 1859-60: Daniel Kyger. 1860-64; Elmer Hiatt, 1864-65; Joseph R. Clark, 1865-68; Alfred Deter, 1868-72; Abial Shaw, 1872-1883; Adam Sottong, 1884; Smith B. Scott, 1885-92; Joseph Marxer, 1892-1901 ; Atwell J. Shriner, 1901-07; Jacob Young, 1907-10; William Peterson filled out the latter's term of office; George W. Gloshen, 1914, and still serving.
CHILDREN'S HOME.
It was not until the year 1882 that Franklin county had a children's home, although there had been much agitation toward providing a suitable home for the children of the poor asylum. An act of the Legislature ( April 7, 1881) furnished the basis for definite action along this line, and on March II, 1882, Rev. David R. Moore and some other interested parties appeared before the county commissioners-(Levi W. Buckingham, Thomas Ap-
335
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
pleton and Edward Waechter)-and urged upon them the necessity for im- mediate action in providing a suitable home for the pauper children of the county. The commissioners were convinced that something ought to be done and appointed a committee, composed of Rev. D. R. Moore, Rev. Meinrad Fleischman, J. F. McKee, M. A. Mess and Abail Shaw, "to take some action as provided by the legislative act of April 7, 1881, concerning the care of the pauper children in the poor asylum." They were further instructed to find a suitable person to take charge of the children and report to the commissioners at their next meeting. On April 12, 1882, the com- missioners of the proposed children's home reported that they had decided upon Mrs. William Hughes as matron, and made the further recommenda- tion that the old Speer homestead be bought for this use. The county com- missioners decided to defer action until their next meeting, and at that time, June 8, 1882, appointed Missouri Hanna as matron. She was to receive thirty cents per day for each child under her care, and was to furnish a home for the children on her own farm in Fairfield township. At this same time the commissioners directed Superintendent Shaw, of the poor asylum, to de- liver to Miss Hanna all of the children under his charge between the ages of one and sixteen and on July 10 of the same year he turned over to her eleven children. A visiting committee was appointed by the commissioners, con- sisting of Rev. D. R. Moore, Mrs. A. J. King and Mrs. Joseph M. Vawter.
The visiting committee made their first report to the county commis- sioners on December 5, 1882. At that time sixteen children were in charge of Miss Hanna and eight of them were attending school at Fairfield. The committee reported that the children were being given the best of attention and to the best of their knowledge were being cared for in a very satisfactory manner.
For seven years Missouri Hanna, assisted by her sister, Sarah A., gave the pauper children of Franklin county a good home. Each quarterly report of the visiting committee to the children's home indicated that the children were given every possible attention. The following extract from their report of June 6, 1884, is illustrative of the good opinion which the visiting committee entertained toward the home: "The home is unquestionably an honor to the county and the Misses Hanna have certainly shown a capability for the work which challenges all comparison." The Misses Hanna had . charge of the pauper children until June 6, 1889, when they were transferred to the new children's home. The visiting committee were at the home in Fairfield township for the last time on June 4. 1889, and their report to the county commissioners speaks in glowing terms of the excellent management
336
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the children during the seven years while Missouri Hanna was the matron. Their last words on this occasion were: "Well done, good and faithful servants."
The question of purchasing a home for the pauper children had been agitated for some years before 1889. On April 5, 1889, the commissioners (Alfred Deeter, Abraham Bossert and J. M. Vawter) took definite steps towards the establishment of a new children's home for the county. From the record it seems that there were two considerations which led to the change. It was maintained by many people that it would be more economical for the county to own its own home for the pauper children instead of paying a per diem of thirty cents for the care of each child. Under the new arrangement which was entered into with Mrs. Eudora Hamlin on April 5, 1889, she was to receive an annual salary of six hundred dollars. On February 13, 1889, the commissioners bought thirty-two acres adjoining the poor asylum on the south. This was purchased from Mrs. Cecilia Wright, William Wright, Frank Wright. Rachel Lewis and Leander L. Lewis for a consideration of five thousand dollars. There were other heirs who had an interest in this farm and it was necessary to get quit-claim deeds from them before the county had a clear title to the land. The interest of William and Mary A. Robeson was satisfied by the payment of 'eighteen hundred dollars on March 6, 1889. The interest of Frank Wright was purchased on December 3, 1890, for the sum of eleven hundred eleven dol- lars and ninety cents. These three separate payments made the children's home cost the county $7,911.90. The farm was well improved with a large two-story brick house, which had been built by Thomas Robeson, one of the best constructed barns in the county at that time, as well as other outbuild- ings.
This same building has been the home of the unfortunate poor since it was purchased in 1889. Mrs. Hamlin continued as matron until October I, 1905, when Mrs. Belle Koerner was appointed. Mrs. Koerner has given excellent satisfaction, as did her predecessor. There are now (April, 1915) several children in the home. It is the intent of the state board of charities that dependent children shall be placed in permanent homes as soon as pos- sible. Something of this work in Franklin county may be seen when it is known that in 1910 four children were placed in good homes, one in 191I, five in 1912, sixteen in 1913 and seven in 1914. According to the statistical report of the state board of charities for December, 1914, Franklin county paid $1,483.85 for the support of fourteen children for the year previous to September 14, 1914.
FRANKLIN COUNTY CHILDREN'S HOME.
FRANKLIN COUNTY INFIRMARY
337
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
The general management of the institution is in the hands of a board of children's guardians, which is now composed of the following: Mrs. S. S. Harrell (president), Mrs. J. C. Shirk, Frank J. Baker, Mrs. J. F. Burdick, William D. Moore and Mrs. Josephine Fries. It should be mentioned that Mrs. Harrell has been on the board continuously since her first appointment on June 9, 1884. She has always taken a very active interest in the welfare of the institution and no little credit for the success of the children's home is due to her.
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CHAPTER XV.
SECRET SOCIETIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS.
The Masons established the first secret society in Franklin county, and at Brookville was opened the fourth Masonic lodge in Indiana. As other fraternities came into existence, they established lodges at various places in the county, and at the present time there are many different fraternal and benevolent organizations in the county. In addition, the Catholic population have a number of societies whose membership is restricted to those of the Catholic faith.
Harmony Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, is really the fourth Ma- sonic lodge to be organized within the state of Indiana, although it is now numbered eleven. The first three lodges were Vincennes (March 1, 1809), Madison (August 30, 1815) and Charlestown (April, 1816). In the spring of 1817, sometime prior to May, the resident Masons of Brookville met in private council and decided to petition for dispensation to form a lodge in the town. At one of their meetings-probably in April -- Stephen C. Stephens. afterward a member of the supreme court of Indiana, was selected to pro- cure a dispensation from the grand lodge of Ohio. At that time a grand lodge had not yet been organized in Indiana, the first three lodges of the state receiving their dispensations from the grand lodge of Kentucky. The grand lodge of Indiana dates from January 12, 1818.
On May 9, 1817, Henry Brush, grand master of Ohio, issued a dispen- sation in response to the petitioners from Brookville and on the 4th of the following August the grand lodge of Ohio approved the action of the grand master. The lodge at Brookville was called Harmony Lodge No. 41.
Shortly after high twelve, June 4, 1817, the gavel sounded for the first time in a Masonic hall in eastern Indiana. Thomas Kelsey, of Hamilton, Ohio, acted as worshipful master and appointed the following officers pro tem .: John Sheets, senior warden; Alexander R. Meek, junior warden; Jere- miah Sullivan, secretary-treasurer ; W. S. Rose, junior deacon; Thomas Blair, tyler. The charter members were S. C. Stephens, Luther Hinman, C. Dart,
339
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
Enoch McCarty, Thomas Terrell, Hervey Bates, John Noble, George L. Mur- dock, John Jacobs, John Test, W. D. Gallion, J. B. Rose and John Winchel. A lodge of entered apprentices was opened and closed and then a lodge of past masters was opened. Stephen C. Stephens was installed as a first wor- shipful master of Harmony Lodge. The other officers were as follow: John Jacob, senior warden; George L. Murdock, junior warden. On June 17, petitions were received from Martin M. Ray, Noah Noble, Henry A. Reed, Enoch D. John and Joseph D. Clements, and these me'n became the first initiates of Harmony Lodge No. 41.
The Bible, which cost the lodge six dollars on September 13, 1817, is still in the lodge room, although it shows that it has been in use for nearly a century. It is interesting to note some of the other expenses of the lodge in its early days. During the first six months of its career forty-one dollars was appropriated for expenses, and of this amount twenty-three dollars was expended for refreshments.
As has been stated, Harmony lodge was organized under a dispensation from the grand lodge of Ohio. At a meeting held in Corydon, to consider the advisability of establishing a grand lodge for Indiana, this lodge was represented by S. C. Stephens, who voted against the proposition. Andrew Wallace represented the local lodge at the session of the Ohio grand lodge, December 14, 1818, when Harmony was granted its charter. In 1819, John B. Rose represented the lodge at Columbus, Ohio, and presented a petition asking for permission to withdraw from the grand lodge of Ohio for the pur- pose of affiliating with the grand lodge of Indiana, and the petition was granted. Although the grand lodge of Indiana was organized January 12, 1818, it was not until 1820 that Hervey Bates presented a petition from the members of Harmony lodge to the grand lodge of Indiana praying for a charter to work under the jurisdiction of the grand lodge of Indiana. The petition was granted, the lodge was permitted to retain its name, but its num- ber was changed from 41 to II on the Indiana register. Thus, although it was really the fourth lodge organized within the state, it is numbered II be- cause it was organized under the grand lodge of Ohio.
The lodge did not always live up to its name, and by 1847 the harmony which is supposed to reign in Masonic lodges seems to have disappeared. From the minutes of the lodge it appears that on December 4, 1847, a num- ber of members presented a petition, asking Harmony lodge to recommend to the grand master the organization of a new lodge in Brookville to be known as Elliott lodge, and the officers to be as follow: George W. Kimble, worshipful master; O. M. Bartlow, senior warden; Jacob Laforge, junior
340
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
warden; R. M. McCleery, secretary; J. O. St. John, treasurer; Fred La- forge, senior deacon; J. E. Clark, junior deacon; John Campbell, tyler. Kimble was charged with trying to run the lodge according to his own ideas, and evidently had enough followers to bring about a division in the lodge. This petition of the seceders was unanimously granted, and the grand lodge of Indiana, on December 31, 1847, issued a dispensation for the establish- ment, in Brookville, of Elliott Lodge No. 52. Brookville, however, was not large enough to support two Masonic lodges, and as soon as the members of the two rival lodges regained their better judgment they began to gradually get together. The minutes of Elliott Lodge show that its first meeting was held January 18, 1848, and its last meeting March 19, 1851. At this last regular meeting it was unanimously moved that Elliott Lodge surrender its charter and unite with Harmony Lodge. The latter lodge agreed to assume all the assets and liabilities of Elliott Lodge, and, after the union, met in the hall of Elliott Lodge. Since that time Harmony Lodge has allowed no rift to appear in its ranks and year after year it has gone forward, dispensing that loving charity which forms the cornerstone of the fraternity.
No other lodge in Indiana can boast of having three governors on its roll, and James B. Ray, Noah Noble and David Wallace were all made mas- ter Masons in Harmony Lodge. No less than three members of the supreme court of Indiana were members at Brookville, namely: Stephen C. Stephens, John T. Mckinney and Isaac Blackford. James Noble, United States sen- ator for many years, was also a member of Harmony Lodge. This includes only a few of the more noted men who have belonged to the local lodge, and does not make mention of the scores of excellent citizens who took their first steps in Masonry in Harmony Lodge.
During its career of nearly a century five hundred and fifty-eight men have been members of Harmony Lodge, with a present active membership of one hundred and twenty-three. The lodge owns the third story of the Frank- lin Furniture Company building, the same being dedicated June 1, 1904.
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