History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, Part 68

Author: Goodspeed Bros. & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 901

USA > Indiana > Greene County > History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana > Part 68
USA > Indiana > Sullivan County > History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana > Part 68

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

AID SOCIETIES, BOUNTY, ETC.

During the early summer of 1861, the ladies of the county, and the citizens generally, contributed from their private means and labor to assist the families of volunteers, and to supply the hospitals with band- ages, fruits, stores, etc. And again in the winter of 1861-62, private help was furnished quite liberally, though appropriation of public funds was not regarded with favor. In the spring of 1862, the action taken is re- ferred to back in this chapter. The winter of 1862-63, revived the do- nation of local relief, but it was not until November, 1863, that a Ladies' Aid Society was organized at the county seat. At that time, at a meet- ing held at the court house, presided over by George Parks, President, and Daniel Langdon, Secretary, Sewell Coulson moved that a committee of one dozen ladies should be appointed to solicit money and supplies of clothing and provisions for soldiers' families, whereupon the following committee was appointed: Mrs. F. D. Neff, Mrs. Dr. Thompson, Mrs.

Digitized by Google

603

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.'

M. Malott, Mrs. William Griffith, Miss Mattie Stark, Miss C. M. Reed, and Messrs. J. H. Weir, J. H. Wilson, Matthew McCammon, James W. Hinkle, W. G. Neff and William Griffith. On motion, the following com- mittee was appointed to distribute the supplies: Murray Briggs, George Parks and James W. Brodie. This organization did excellent service during the winter, hauling wood, buying clothing, groceries, meat, flour, etc., for the families of soldiers. After this winter, no action seems to have been taken in this direction. What was done in other localities of the county, if anything, cannot be stated. The county paid no bounty until near the close of the war, when a heavy drain was made upon the treasury to make up for lost time, besides which large amounts were paid by the townships. The following, taken from the Adjutant General's reporta, is the best statement of the bounty paid that can be given:

Bounty.

Relief.

Sullivan County

$=3,600

$18,458 71

Jackson Township.

1,600

600 00

Curry Township

3,300

830 00

Fairbanks Township.

1,800

500 00

Turman Township.

2,200

815 00

Hamilton Township

27,500

8,100 00

Cass Township.

1,200

400 00

Jefferson Township.

2,750

505 00

Haddon Township.

33,000

2,125 00

Gill Township.

9,800

1,075 00

Total

166,750

33,408 71

Grand total

$200,158 71

CHAPTER X.

BY JAMES W. HINKLE.

SETTLEMENT OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP-FLAT-BOATING-PIONEERS-DEATH BY DAMPS-COUNTRY SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES-SULLIVAN -- THE SURVEY AND SALE OF LOTS-EARLY RESIDENTS-THE MERCHANTS-THE PUBLIC SQUARE-THE RAILROADS-THE SCHOOLS OF SULLIVAN-THE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING-PRESENT BUSINESS-MILLS-LUMBER YARDS-THE WOOLEN FACTORY-OTHER MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS-THE SULLIVAN BANKS-NEWSPAPER VENTURES.

THE county seat not having been located in this township until 1842,

T it had not so much early settlement, and consequently not so much early history as some other parts of the county. Yet a number of pioneer fathers found their way to this part of the county, and availed themselves of its advantages, and endured its privations at an early day. One of the first, and said to be the only man who is still living, that came to Sulli-

Digitized by

Google

604

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

van County with a wife and children in 1816, was Christian Canary. Some time after the close of the war of 1812, he removed with his wife and three children, in a two-wheeled cart, to what is now Hamilton Town- ship; where he has resided ever since. He found three families near enough to be called neighbors in those days-Charles Scott, Robert Polk and Moses Milam-Charles Scott having brought hands from Vincennes to aid him in erecting his first cabin home. Another pioneer of this township was Jordan Peter, who came here in 1818. Jordan Peter was a pioneer, not only in the settlement and civilization of this country, but a pioneer in Methodism. It has been said, and we believe very truly, that he was one of the most earneet, pure-hearted, sweet-spirited Chris- tian gentlemen that this country has ever known. Another pioneer father, and pillar in the same church, was Solomon Walls, who settled here in 1819. He was a man of very great energy and perseverance; in labors abundant in subduing the forests; providing for the wants of family and friends, and aiding church and State. He built, and ran out of Busseron Creek not less than fifty flat-boats of those built on its banks before the day of railroads.

FLAT-BOATING AT CALEDONIA.

We give here a little sketch, the recollection of John C. Brodie, who came to what is now Hamilton Township in 1817: Assisted Gen. Depauw, father of the Hon. Washington C. Depauw, to load two flat-boats at Cale- donia on Busseron Creek, with pork and venison hams in 1833. The venison hams of these loads, from deer killed in the vicinity, and bought by this one purchaser, were 700 pairs.

Samuel Brodie, father of John C., was Captain of these boats in run- ning them to the Southern market. Owing to insufficiency of water at the time, they experienced great difficulty in getting these boats out of creek into the Wabash River, hanging on the dam at Ledgerwood's mill near Carlisle, shoving their boats over the dam after very great contriv- ance and labor. By the time they arrived ot the Ohio River, the season had so far advanced, that they declined to proceed to New Orleans in the heated season, and stored their load in a cave on the bank of the Ohio River; sunk their boats until fall, when they re-loaded, and completed this enterprise in a little less than a year from the commencement of purchase.

PIONEERS, EX-SOLDIERS, ETC.

Richard Ingle, Edmond Boles (other early settlers), Peter Moore, Robert MoCreary, Abram Mcclellan, Joshua Walls, Benjamin Long, An- drew Mason, Robert Gilkison, Dr. Job Walls, William Eaton, John Eaton, Charles Eaton, Edward and William Marlow, Miner, Joel Thomas and William Rusher, Adam, Allen and William Rains, Thomas and Jacob Marta, Samuel Oaks, Ezekiel MoGarvey, George Plew, Ed Liston, Hardy and John Hill, Thomas Nesbit, Champion and Richmond

Digitized by Google

605

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

Shelburn, Samuel McClanahan, Jacob Ridge, William Catlin, John Elli- ott, Jacob Borders, Isaac Draper, Jacob Gray, Jacob B. Miller, Canada Hughs, Joshua Park, William Eslinger, Elza Walls, James Eaton, John Conner, John Curtis, Gideon Curtis, Thomas, Robert, James and Ran- som Dudley, John C. Brodie, Samuel Brodie, Thomas Creager, Preston Nash, David Huff, James Case, Jackson Rich, John S. and Valentine Moore. B. B. Neal, Shacklett Rogers.

THE FIRST MILL.

Thomas Hamilton was another pioneer, who owned the first little grist mill in this part of the county, propelled by horse power attached to a sweep, situated on the farm since known as the Timmons farm, about one mile west of Sullivan.

DEATH BY DAMPS.

On this farm, before the location of the county seat at Sullivan, James Hamilton and James Crabtree lost their lives by going into a well, in which gas, called damps, had accumulated. On the circulation of the petitions for the re-location of the county seat at the geographical center of the county, this was urged as an argument against it, by those opposed to re-location, that a well could not be sunk here without men losing their lives.

INDIAN TRAILS.

There was one Indian trail passing almost centrally through this town- ship, from the Lower Wabash to the Upper Wabash country, crossing Busseron Creek just above the present Hamilton's Bridge, at the bend of the creek, passing north through Mcclellan's Prairie, and almost cen- trally through the present town of Sullivan. There being a camping ground about the southeast corner of the public square.

COUNTRY SCHOOLS.

The first schoolhouse built in this township was about fifty years ago, a log honse on the Gilkison farm, north of the road leading from Sullivan to Merom, about one and a half miles from Sullivan. The first teachers in this house successively were Jesse Ray, Preston Peter and Cynthia (Gilkison) Hadley. Another similar schoolhouse was erected a little later south of William Eslinger's. One near William Osborn's; one near Capt. Marlow's; one near Jordan Peter's. Probably the first professional teacher who taught some of the first schools in these houses was William McCreary, a very prudent Presbyterian gentleman. Other early teachers of the township, Enoch Walls, Jackson O'Haver, Milton McCreary and James Eaton.

There are in Hamilton Township, sixteen good brick and frame school- houses, in which public schools are being successfully conducted for about six months in each year.

Digitized by Google

606

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

COUNTRY CHURCHES.

There are but two church buildings in this township outside of the town of Sullivan. The Palmer's Prairie Christian Church, near the northeast corner of the township-a good frame church building-the pulpit having been filled by Elder A. Ward, and others. A Baptist Church, near the east side of the township-a comfortable log church building, owned and occupied by the Old School Baptists. William M. Moore engaged to fill the pulpit at the present. Other church buildings contiguous to this township on all sides, but outside its boundaries.

SULLIVAN.

The county seat of Sullivan County is situated in Hamilton Town- ship, near the center of the county, having the E. & T. H. R. R. running on its eastern border, and the S. E. &. S. E. on its southern border. The town was located for the seat of justice for the county in 1842, under an act of the State Legislature, authorizing a re-location of the county seat, and requiring the same to be located within one and a half miles of the geographical center of the county. The County Com- missioners, William Reed, Samuel Brodie and Abraham F. Snapp, were to designate the point. After several days spent in examination of the central portion of the county, they fixed upon the present location, had the town plat surveyed, and called it Benton. It was afterward ascer- tained that there was a town of that name in the State, and William B. Baker, of Palestine, Ill., who, aided by John H. Wilson and others, made the survey, when he made the plat and placed the name Sullivan upon the same, which name it has been allowed to retain, which was a great gratification to James Harris, the County Agent for the sale of the lots, who was an ardent Old-Line Whig, and could not well endure the name Benton. The survey was completed and signed up May the 25th. 1842.

SALE OF LOTS.

On the 26th of May, 1842, the first sale of lots occurred, some thirty - five lotu being sold at public sale on this first day, at prices ranging from about $20 to $100 each.

THE WALLS' DEED.

The town, as per the original plat, was located upon eighty acres of land, entered of the United States by Enoch Walls, March the 6th, 1838, as appears of record in entry record in the Recorder's office of the county, and being the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 34, Town- ship 8 north, Range 9 west, and deeded by Enoch Walls and Nancy Walls, his wife, to James H. Reed as County Agent, July 30,1841, to be laid off into town lots, and to be held, sold and used as a site for the seat of justice for the county, and for no other purpose, Mr. Walls reserving one-sixth of the proceeds of the sale of the lots in his own interest. This original deed to the County Agent, and the record thereof having been

Digitized by Google

607

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

destroyed in the burning of the court house February 7, 1850, a deed was made in lieu thereof by Enoch Walls and Nancy Walls, his wife, to James Harris, as County Agent, August 8, 1850, reciting the facts as set forth in the former deed, and with the same reservation, as shown on Record of Deeds, H or 8, page 396. Also a deed by Solomon Walls and Lucy Walls, his wife, August 8, 1850, to James Harris, as County Agent, for the same eighty acres of land, reciting that Enoch Walls and Nancy Walls, his wife, had sold and conveyed to Solomon Walls his undivided one sixth interest in and to the eighty acres of land, and the lots laidout therefrom, and comfirming to James Harris, as County Agent, all their right, title, and interest in and to the same, binding it to the original purpose as a county seat, and retaining the one-sixth interest in the proceeds of the sale thereof. Record of Deeds, H or 8, page 397. Also, ten acres entered of the United States. by Elias Walls July the 20th, 1837, Entry Record, and deeded by Elias Walls and Margaret Walls, his wife, to James H. Reed, as County Agent, July 30, 1841, to wit: Ten sores off the north end of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 34, Township 8 north, Range 9 west. This deed and the rec. ord thereof having been destroyed by fire, a deed was made in lieu there. of by the said Elias Walls and Margaret Walls, his wife, to James Har- ris. as County Agent, August 8, 1850, specifying the same purposes and conditions as the one made by Enoch Walls, and reserving to the said Elias Walls the one-sixth interest in the proceeds of the sales there- from. Record of Deeds, H or 8, page 395.

Also twenty acres entered of the United States by Job Walls August 6, 1838, and deeded by Job Walls and Lovice Walls, his wife, to James H. Reed, as County Agent, July 30, 1841, to wit: Twenty acres off of the east side of the northeast quarter of Section 33, Township 8 north, Range 9 west. After the burning, as heretofore, a deed was made by Job Walls and Lovice Walls, his wife, to James Harris, as County Agent, Angust 8, 1850, confirming the same to the county for the sume purposes, and on the same conditions as the foregoing ones, and reserving to Solomon Walls one-sixth of the proceeds of the sale of lots laid out thereon. Record of Deeds H or 8, page 396. The interest of the eighty acres of land deeded by Enoch Walls for this seat of justice was really in Solo- mon Walls, the same having been deeded by Enoch Walls and Nancy Walls, his wife, to said Solomon Walls. But the deed and the record thereof having been destroyed by the burning of the court house, Feb- ruary 7, 1850, they severally make deeds, as hereinbefore shown, to the County Agent. And Solomon Walls exchanged other land to Job Walls to induce him to deed twenty acres for this purpose.

Twenty acres off of the west side of the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 34, Town 8 north, Range 9 west, was entered of the United States by Matthew Mahan October 24, 1838, and deeded by him

Digitized by Google

608

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

to James Harris as County Agent March 29, 1842. This deed, and the record thereof being destroyed, a deed was made in lien thereof May 17, 1870, reciting the purposes and conditions of the former one, and reserv- ing to the said Matthew Mahan the one-sixth interest in the proceeds of the sale of the lots laid out thereon. Deed record 8 or H, page 338. Making in all of the original plat, according to the survey of May the 25th, 1842, 129,5% acres.

EARLY RESIDENTS OF SULLIVAN.

In 1842, we find in Sullivan about four log residences-that of Hugh S. Orr, Mason F. Buchanan, George Smith and Squire McDonald. and the blacksmith shop of H. S. Orr. The county records being brought here in 1843 gave quite an impetus to the little village. A two-story frame court house was built on Washington street, near the north west corner of the public square; a two-story solid log jail and jailer's resi- dence on State street, on the Lot 66, on which the present brick jail stands; a one-story frame hotel on the southeast corner of Section and Washington streets, by Sanders M. Howard, to which he soon added a two-story and much more commodious addition, occupied by Howard only three or four years, then kept by Washington Lilley for a number of years. We soon find Dr. John E. Lloyd, Elias Albertson, Henry K. Wil- son, Hon. James C. Allen, Dr. James H. and D. B. Weir, John Bridwell, A. J. Thixton and James W. Hinkle, all in one-story frame residences on Section street; Joseph Gray in a two-story; a two-story frame hotel, by John R. Mahan, on Court street, second lot from northwest corner of Public Square; on Washington street, residence of Maj. Isaac Stewart, Dr. William M. Crowder and of James H. Reed, and cabinet shop and turning lathe, first of L. Stewart, soon after of F. C. Freeman; residence of M. E. Chace, in the northwest of the town; of Daniel Turner, south of the square; F. C. Freeman, southeast of the square; G. W. A. Luzader, at the south end of Section street; two one-story frame store buildings on Washington street, near the northwest corner of the Square, built by Maj. Isaac Stewart, of lumber sawed entirely by hand with the whip saw by Redman and George Malone and others. These, with a very few others, and a few little eating and drinking houses, was Sullivan in 1848. These residents and their families, with John H. Wilson, James B. Hol- loway, Drs. James and Samuel Thompson and Dr. John J. Thompson and few others were the population of Sullivan in 1848.

The first child born in the town was Mary J., daughter of Hugh S. and Frances Orr, January 4, 1843.

The only young lady in Sullivan in 1845 was Miss Margaret Doty, now Mrs. B. C. Sherman.

THE MERCHANTS.

The first merchants of Sullivan were the Weisard Brothers, of Louis- ville, for a short time; Maj. Isaac Stewart, Christison & Crowder, and

Digitized by Google

609

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

John Bridwell. During the first five or six years, these early merchants kept little mixed stocks of dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hard- ware, clothing, hats and cape, drugs, etc. Their entire stocks amounting probably, in the aggregate, to $4,000. As an illustration of the mer. chandising of that early day, a little incident as related by Maj. Stewart himself would seem appropriate. After making his trip to Louisville, Ky., and bringing his wagon loaded with the many articles necessary to replenish his stock to his little frame store, the question was how to ar- range them so as to fill bis shelves and show to the best advantage. Af. ter arranging, and re-arranging, he still had vacant shelves. He then opened his box of palm hats, and his bale of cotton batting, and spread these out to fill the vacant shelves, and had just stepped back to deter- mine if his arrangement would do, when a stalwart young settler stepped in, took a view of the situation, and said "Hi! you are pretty well jammed up here." The Major said he thought that would do. The first political speech made in Sullivan was by James Whitcomb, who was can- vassing for the Governorship in 1843. The first election held in the town was in 1844. The first sermon preached in the town was by Rev. Silas Osborn, who was afterward elected to the State Legislature-ob- jected to by some of the electors during his canvass, on account of his ministerial office, but he convinced them that he was not a preacher to hurt, and was successful.

THE COURT HOUSE SQUARE.

Near the center of the original plat of the town of Sullivan is the public or court house square, 300 feet each way, containing a little over two acres-surrounded by a substantial iron fence, and carpeted with a rich sward of lawn grass, and well set in forest trees, growing luxuri- antly, making a beautiful park-in the center of which stands the present court house, with an elevated foundation of solid stone, the succeeding two stories being of brick, with Mansard slate roof, and a magnificent cupola, about 120 feet in height, which, under favorable circumstances, can be seen from Merom, which is nine miles distant.

THE RAILROADB.

The E. & C. Railroad, now the E. & T. H. Railroad was completed from Evansville to Terre Haute late in the month of December, 1854. In 1856, this road ran one mail train north and one south each day, and a freight train north Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and south Tues- days, Thursdays and Saturdays. Now we have sız passenger and siz reg- ular freight trains passing over this road each day.

THE SCHOOLS OF SULLIVAN.

The first school building erected in Sullivan was a very good two- story brick building, known as the County Seminary; builders, F. G. Mc-

Digitized by Google

610

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

Grew and James Pound. The building was erected in 1844, by the county under the old seminary law. Mr. A. J. Mails taught the first schools in this building, teaching some two years.

In the fall of 1848, the Trustees, Joseph Gray, Dr. William Crowder and A. J. Thixton, employed James W. Hinkle to take charge of this school, which he did in October, 1848, continuing in charge thereof for three years, until the abolishing of county seminaries by act of the State Legislature. During these years, the one teacher was teacher of primary, intermediate, grammar and high school departments. Having charge of all those of school age in town and vicinity, and many young gentleman and ladies from contiguous counties, and if the teacher of to-day thinks his labors too arduous, let him take seventy-five students, all grades, from the alphabet to the higher mathematics, Latin, etc., and try that. And when we remember the absolute moral control exerted by the teacher in those days over all those brought under his influence both in and out of school, we fear that the new devices have not been improvements. As an ex- ample, a widow lady of Knox County removed to this town to give her fifteen-year-old son the advantages of this school. Not having been ac- customed to this kind of confinement and labor, he became restless, and took to the streets and elsewhere for pastime. The mother appealed to the teacher, the teacher appealed to the young man, with a statement of the trouble and expense that the mother had been to, to give him the privi- leges of the school, and the order now was positive that while she re- mained, he must be in his place; if not, there would be a penalty, if it had to be imposed in the street, and he was in his place henceforth. Neither did we expel a lad from twelve to fifteen years of age in those days for insubordination. When a case of this kind occurred, it was " you walk the chalk or there will be a conflict right here, and now " -and he walked every time.

During the years from 1852 to 1872, some very good work was done in teaching, both public and private schools in this new town; and in the performance of this work, quite a number of teachers were successively en - gaged, the number and names of which we may not be expected to give in full, without some record to which to refer. But of these were Prof. Penfield, Prof. Wilkey, Mr. and Mrs. I. W. Booth, James Booth, Prof. J. H. Gans and his sister, Miss Hal Gans, afterward Mrs. Dr. Tuttle; Miss Stowell and Miss Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Coffey, a Mr. Thair, Charles R. Wallace, John Osburn, Prof. Morton, Mrs. Car- rie Russell, Clark McIntire, S. . T. Langdon, Mrs. Hanchett, Mrs. Ada Young, Miss Jennie Young, the Rev. Montgomery, Prof. Cain et al.

Some of these teachers, Mr. and Miss Gans at least, were employed by a school stock company, to take charge of the school there. Directors or Managers for said company: Bowyer E., Brodie J. W., Briggs J. W. Basler F., Briggs M., Hammill S. R., Hinkle J. W.

Digitized by Google

611

HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY.

Miss A. A. Clement, of Newberry, Vt., was also employed by this county in 1866, to take charge of a select school here, which she did for about two years, with very general satisfaction to pupils and patrons. This first school building after the passage of the law abolishing county sem- inaries was sold to the town for school purposes, and after the erection of the new school building in 1872, the old one was sold to the Masonic fra- tarnity.

THE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.

The new school building here was erected in the spring and summer of 1872, at a cost of $25,000. It is au elegant three-story brick structure, on the second block north of the court house square, and is said to be one of the finest in the State in architecture and furnishing. It contains nine recitation rooms, with a capacity for seating 600 pupils, exclusive of the literary hall, which has a seating capacity for 500 persons. The building stands on a beautiful lot of about two acres inclosed by a substantial iron fence. We may say here that Sullivan has been most fortunate in the erection of her public buildings, very few counties or county towns in the State having so good, so commodious, and so beau- tiful public buildings with so little burden to the citizens, the entire expense of their construction having been paid. After the completion of this new school building in the fall of 1872, the Trustees employed Prof. W. T. Crawford to take charge of the same, which he did, asso- ciating with himself, and as assistant teachers, Profs. John T. Hays, W. H. Cain, A. P. Allen, J. C. Adams and the Misses Amanda Debaun, Sarah Cain and Alice Hawkins. Under their management and training the school became very prosperous and efficient, there being in addition to all the students of the town about 100 foreign students in the high school department. And we deem the words of one very apt who said he had never known students trained and fitted so rapidly for teaching and other business pursuits as was being done in this school by the unusual interest and vigor with which they were inspired.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, Part 68

Author: Goodspeed Bros. & Co. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Number of Pages: 901

Author: Goodspeed Bros. & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 901