USA > Indiana > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 10
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The first license in Noblesville to sell intoxicating liquors was granted to Wilburn Davis & Company in September, 1831. The first in the county was granted James Hughy at his house in Woodville (Strawtown), in Janu- ary, 1831.
The first blacksmith shop was that of Israel Finch, one of the first set- tlers, coming here in 1819. His first work here was making bells and knives for the Indians, and hoes and other necessary implements for the settlers. His reputation reached far and wide, he being particularly efficient in mak- ing hoes, bells and knives. In significant appreciation, the Indians desig- nated his bells "heap much good."
The Indians were allowed three years' residence after the sale of their lands in the fall of 1818, so it was 1822 before the lands were offered for sale. The land office was at Brookville. Mr. Shirts says: "John Conner lived at Connersville and was wealthy. He secured the numbers of all the lands selected and improved by these pioneers, except Lacy and Willason, and entered all of it. The first the settlers knew of this was notice by Conner for them to vacate. They had cleared, fenced and broken about three hun- dred acres of land, and it is said that John Conner refused to pay for any of the improvements." John Conner accumulated vast wealth in his lifetime and died leaving all this great estate to his only son and heir, W. W. Conner, but history says, "It did W. W. Conner but little good. He died a poor man." But the settlers who had worked so laboriously to build their homes and clear and fence their lands had to begin anew, because John Conner took advantage of them.
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Soon after purchasing these lands from the United States, John Conner let a contract for digging a mill race and the construction of a dam across White river, and employed all the men who were willing to work for him in getting out timber for a large grist mill and saw mill. He brought his family from Connersville and they moved into one of the cabins evacuated by the settlers. From the east he imported skilled workmen, such as mill- wrights and carpenters, and put them to work on his mill.
Up to 1822 the settlements increased slowly, as people were waiting for the lands to be offered for sale. But during the latter part of that year many people came from the East for the purpose of examining into the con- ditions of the county, quality of the land and future prospects with the view of entering the land if conditions were favorable.
The Horseshoe Prairie settlement, including William Conner, George Shirts and Charles Lacy as the first settlers, was joined by others in 1822. Josiah Brooks, Michael Wise, Peter Wise, Silas Moffitt, William Wilkinson, John Heaton, Aquilla Cross, Joseph Eller and John Deer entered land below the William Conner place near the river and on both sides of it. Joseph Eller's entry included what is now Ben-Hur Park, which is still in the Eller family. This second settlement extended from the Eller and Moffitt land along both sides of the river almost to the south line of the county. The river cut this settlement in two, but the settlers overcame this difficulty by the use of the old-fashioned canoe, when the river was too high to ford. The men forming this settlement were all farmers and they gave their attention to the erection of homes for their own protection and outbuildings for the protection of their stock, and to clearing and fencing their land. Their mode of living and building homes was similar to those coming before and after them. Every man helped every other man in the big tasks. Each was to a certain extent dependent upon all the others and each in turn helped his neighbors. They depended on the corn crib for bread, the forest and streams furnished their meat, the cows were the medium for milk and butter and the gardens produced vegetables. Up to 1825 the following settlers were added to the settlement: Thomas Barrow, Col. Daniel Heaton, Thomas Morris and Abraham Williams.
A Frenchman by the name of Bruitt settled near the south line of Hamilton county. Before the Indians left he was an Indian trader and made a great deal of money in his dealings with them. He remained at his trading post until the Indian chief Ketcham and a part of his tribe (who lived in this county after the other Indians went away) left the country also. Though he was a white man, he was never considered one of the
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permanent settlers. His chief object was to make money and get away with it, which he did with seeming success.
The first settlers of this county found numerous small prairies on either side of White river. In or near these prairies were naturally the places for the first settlements. At or near the edge of the prairie were built the log cabins and the prairies as being the only clearing were the first fields to be cultivated. A few old Indian fields not far from the river were also used to good advantage. When the land came on the market, these lands were the first entered by those fortunate enough'to be near them. Others less for- tunate had to undertake to conquer the "forest primeval."
Up to this time no organized effort had been made to attack the great forests on every hand, but the cleared places were all occupied, so it remained for all settlers from this time forward to do their share in turning the forests into broad level fields of waving grain or rustling corn. The follow- ing description of building homes and clearing the forest is given in Shirts' "Primitive History of Hamilton County, Indiana :"
"A site for a cabin was selected and the cabin built. * Then the work of conquering the forest began. This was done by selecting the portion or part of the land to be afterward cultivated. The timber upon such portion of the land as was intended to be cleared, except so much as it was proper to reserve as rail timber or building timber, was deadened or girdled. The settlers, as a rule, had no money to spend upon improvements, so that the work in building houses and stables was done by the settler and his family. The heavy work, such as erecting buildings and rolling logs, was done by the pioneers joining forces and helping each other. It was frequently the case that the pioneers in this exchange of work would be re- quired to travel from three to four miles from home. After the timbers that had been deadened began to die and decay, the pioneer and his sons cut this timber smooth. Then fires were built upon the bodies of the fallen trees about eight feet apart. These fires were kept up until the logs were burned through, making rolling lengths. Then the work of rolling the logs into heaps began. This was a heavy job. The pioneers were known to put in from ten to thirty days each in this kind of work in one season. After the logs had been rolled into heaps the business of picking the brush and trash left on the ground began. This was, as a rule, a tedious and laborious job. Such work frequently extended until late into the night, and it was not uncommon or unusual to see the pioneers' wives assisting their husbands in this work. When we reflect that these pioneer cabins were built upon forty-eight or one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land, with
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not a stick amiss, except what had been taken for the buildings, it would seem to be a hopeless task to convert it in farming lands. Yet, by persever- ance and patience, in time it was done. These early settlers also had to con- tend with the wild animals found in the forests. Bears, wolves and panthers were plenty and were a constant menace to the fowls and young stock, and even small children were liable to attacks from some of them. Hundreds of acts of heroism could be recorded in behalf of the men, women, boys and girls in repelling the attacks of these wild beasts, some of which will be noticed in this work as they occurred." .
In this early time there was much work to do, and everyone, large or small, had his allotted task. But though work was plenty, there was no immediate return from labor. Money was very scarce; beeswax, ginseng, deer horns, deer and coon skins were the only articles of trade. It was said that deer and coon skins were considered legal tender for debts in those days. Hunting ginseng root was quite a paying occupation among the children of the settlers. In the proper season, every boy or girl old enough to go from home might be found in the woods with his "sang hoes" searching every corner and crevice for the ginseng plant. The plants, when safely deposited at home, were washed, cleaned and dried, being then ready for market. They were then, as now, valuable for their medicinal qualities.
· In those early days bee hunting was also a profitable industry. In many cases the bees had occupied one "bee tree" undisturbed for years. Such a hidden store of sweetness was very valuable. The honey was removed from the tree in the comb, the former being pressed out for family use, while the latter was made into beeswax. Sometimes the bee tree was located by means of the bear scratches made by bears in search of the hidden store. The most usual way of determining the location of the honey was by putting out bait. After taking its fill of bait, the bee made a "bee line" for the home tree and the experienced bee hunter had but little difficulty in following the busy little worker to his horde of honey. The raccoon was trapped by means of a trap made of poles set with a trigger, which was so arranged as to catch the raccoon when making his regular trips to the pond for frogs to satisfy his hunger.
The methods of deer hunting were more difficult and varied. In the pioneer days the woods were full of deer. They usually went in droves, having their haunts, their feeding places and their own paths or trails . through the forest. When being pursued the drove ran from place to place in a circle, coming back finally to the starting point. The skillful hunter knew the haunts, trails and peculiarities of the deer and adapted the hunt accordingly. They had several modes of "stalking" the deer, among the
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various ways being by fire hunting on water by night, by use of the salt lick and by the aid of trained ponies, but the most common mode was by running the deer down with the aid of dogs.
. In the fall of the year the hunt was often followed by the "fire hunt" method. This hunting outfit consisted of a canoe made from the log of a tree hollowed out with solid front and rear. In the front a large hole was bored, in which was inserted a stout upright about two feet long. Upon this was built a frame work of iron ribs and in this iron frame a bright fire was kept burning during the hunt, Thus equipped with plenty of fuel in the canoe, a good pole and paddle, a trusty rifle and a couple of trained dogs, the hunter was ready for the start. The canoe was then paddled up stream to an advantageous point. The dogs, which were trained to their work, were now turned loose to run through the woods till they found the deer, which they proceeded to chase. Almost invariably at night the deer, when fright- ened from his haunts, flees to the river. The hunter, meanwhile, was very quiet in his canoe, which he left float with the stream, the light being turned in advance of the canoe. The deer, unlike other wild creatures, seems to be fascinated, not frightened, by fire or light. Silently the hunter sat listening. For some time all was stillness but for the ripple of the water or the rustle of the trees. Then would come the welcome sound from the dogs announc- ing their find in the still forest. Nearer and nearer came the sound of the chase. The hunter grasped his rifle closer and awaited the approach of the hunted creature. Then the deer strikes the river, sees the light and, fas- cinated by its beams, heads straight for the hunter. The opportune moment has come, the rifle speaks and a deer with its precious store of meat and skin is added to the hunter's store.
The deer lick process of capturing deer was also successful in those early days. The hunter deposited salt in a suitable spot where the deer would be sure to find it. This was done repeatedly until the deer became accustomed to visiting this spot, which they usually did after night. When the habit of coming to this spot had been firmly established, the hunter built a platform in a nearby tree in which to conceal himself. Then, as night came on, he built a fire on the opposite side of the deer lick from his tree, bringing the deer lick in direct line with the fire and the tree. Then he took his station in the tree and waited for his quarry. When the deer came, it . was not alarmed by the fire, but went to the salt lick, which brought it between the hunter and the light of the fire, so his aim could be as true by the firelight as by daylight and he seldom failed to bring down his game.
In the most common manner of hunting deer, the hunter started for the woods with his trained dogs, making immediately for the well-known haunts.
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When a drove of deer was sighted, the first opportunity was taken to shoot. When the gun was fired, the dogs, though eager and excited, were trained to remain at the heels of the hunter. If the shot was successful, the deer was taken and hung on a tree till the hunt was over. If the deer was only wound- ed, then the dogs were told to go. They followed the wounded animal till they brought it to bay. Then the hunter, following the barkings of his trusty dogs, overtook the wounded deer and again that much meat and deer skin were put between the hunter's family and hunger and cold.
Some of the settlers had trick ponies that went to the hunt with as much eagerness as did their masters. A bell was fastened around the pony's neck before starting. The bowl of the bell was then stuffed with dry grass to keep it from tinkling till the proper time. The hunter, equipped with rifle and hunting knife, mounted his pony and sought the haunts of the deer. When the drove or single deer, as the case might be, was sighted, the hunter quickly and quietly dismounted, took the grass from the bell and hid himself from view. The pony, as he had been trained to do, would commence shak- ing his head and thus ring the bell. The deer, on hearing the bell, would invariably stop still and stare at the pony, who still continued his strange antics, apparently for the deer's benefit. In the meantime, the hunter was moving quietly to a good vantage ground for a shot at the deer. When this was found, the shot rang out and the hunter was usually successful. When the deer was killed, it was hung on a nearby sapling and the chase continued after the rest of the drove. When the drove was again overtaken, the pony performed his bell ringing with the same telling effect, and the hunter brought down another deer. This process was continued during the day and it fre- quently happened that at the end of a day's work, the hunter would have as many as five deer hanging up to be brought home the next day. This was a favorite method of hunting of George Shirts.
An interesting story is told of George Shirts, who was the first tavern keeper in Noblesville. Of course, this town at the date of this story was but a straggling village and boasted no market, so Mrs. Shirts was some- times put to her wit's end to supply her table with meat. On one occasion, when she had company, she said to her husband, "George, what will I do for meat for dinner?" "How long can you wait"" he asked. "Why, half an hour," she responded. The landlord, who was a shoemaker, threw off his apron, seized his rifle and went out of the village about five hundred yards to a big spring near the river, where in ten minutes he shot a nice young buck and in twenty minutes more was back with as fine a supply of meat as any market in the world could afford.
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The deer hunt was important to the pioneers in the woods as well as to the inn-keepers for many reasons. Before hog culture became general and successful, the meat was necessary to furnish the table for the pioneer and his family. The hams were salted and smoked just as pork hams are cured today and hung in the rude smoke house, which was often filled with meat which today is "scarcer than hen's teeth." When sold to others, such as tavern keepers, they brought a good price. Usually most of the meat was used at home. The skins of the deer were also utilized in many ways. Mocassins, leather breeches, vests and hunting shirts, also mats for various purposes were made from them. The skins of the raccoon, muskrat and mink were also valuable and used for caps for men and boys. Minks were taken in traps and mink fur was especially valuable.
The hogs ran wild in the woods in these early days. The man fortunate enough to own hogs, marked them with his particular brand and then turned them loose to roam and forage at will. When it came hog-killing time, the pioneer went hunting for his hogs, and shot what he wished of those bearing his mark. However, it was unsafe for any one to kill a hog not bearing his mark without the consent of the owner. The following story is told in Shirts' "Primitive History of Hamilton County, Indiana," of a man by the name of Smith, who claimed to be the owner of hogs running at large: "A good snow had fallen in the winter and Smith approached a man by the name of Brook, who was a good hunter, and proposed hiring him to hunt and kill his (Smith's) hogs. A price was agreed upon, but Brooks had one provi- sion in the contract, which was that Smith was to give Brooks his mark. The preliminaries being arranged, these parties made their way into the tim- ber in search of hogs. They had passed two or three droves when they came to one that Smith claimed was his. Brooks made an earnest effort to find Smith's mark, but failed to find it, and refused to shoot. So they passed on. They came across several droves during the day, but as Brooks could not dis- cover the proper mark, he refused to shoot, and at about dark they ran across another drove with the same result. Smith, by this time, was thoroughly out of humor, and with an oath told Brooks if he was going to be so par- ticular as all that they would get no hogs. Brooks then said to Smith: ‘I don't believe you have any hogs in the woods, and you will pay me now for my day's work or take a thrashing.' The money for the day's work was paid over and Brooks refused to hunt for Smith thereafter."
As a rule, the hunters were honest, and their smoke houses, overflowing with fine deer hams and winter supplies, were left unlocked year in and year out. If a bee hunter found a bee tree and cut his initials on the tree, as a rule it was left untouched. If a coon hunter treed a coon in the night, he
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needed but leave his dogs at the foot of the tree and a handkerchief or other token tied around the limb of it, to be sure of finding his "coon in the morn- ing waiting to be taken." If a hunter killed a deer and left it hanging in the woods, he would find it there when he returned for it. Sometimes, of course, there were exceptions and a few took advantage of all this honesty and open-handed manner of life. But if the guilty party was found, it was not safe for him to remain in this locality. Usually he was given a sound thrashing and quite unceremoniously told to "move on," which injunction was generally followed.
In conclusion of these pages on the early settler and the work he ac- complished for our county and state, we will give the story of an early settler, as is graphically told by James Baldwin, a native of Hamilton county, in an article entitled "The Centre of the Republic," which appeared in the April number (1888) of Scribner's Magazine :
"The story of one of these pioneers is a fair illustration of the experi- ences of very many. I tell it briefly and without exaggeration, in almost the exact words in which he himself related it to me. A little more than half a century ago-late in the spring of 1832-he began his clearing in the dense, almost impenetrable woods in central Indiana. In a single small wagon he had transported his family and his household goods by a long and toilsome journey from the older settlements farther east. The roads for hundreds of miles were scarcely more than paths; over a part of the course he had been obliged to cut his own way among the trees and thick underbrush. He had invested all his money in the purchase of government land, and when he arrived at his possessions he had not a dollar in his pocket nor, indeed, any immediate means of obtaining one. With the help of his fellow pioneer and nearest neighbor, he felled trees, cut them into proper lengths, and of the round logs constructed the walls of a cabin; he hewed rough puncheons for the floor : he rived long boards for the roof ; he made a great fireplace of clay and sticks ; within six days from the beginning he had erected and made habitable the building which for several years to come was to be his home. Not a nail nor a brick was used in the construction of that house; nails and bricks were luxuries which the onward march of civilization would by-and- by bring into that region-but the time had not yet come for luxuries of any sort. For weeks, during that first spring in the wilderness, the doorway of the cabin was closed simply by hanging a bed-quilt loosely from the top, like a kind of rude curtain. The wolves howled around the cabin at night: the pioneer was not disturbed by such sounds-the hunger-wolf was more to be dreaded than the gray beast which skulked in the thickets. Until his first small crop of corn ripened he was by no means sure of food for the winter.
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He carried his grain ten miles to the mill, and waited for it to be ground, in order that he might not disappoint his expectant family, eagerly waiting for the much needed grist of corn-meal. The first twelve months were months of sore trial; but the end of the year found him firmly established in his new home and out of the reach of want. Even in the very darkest moments, he saw in imagination the wilderness giving place to fields of yellow grain and orchards of over-laden trees; and these thoughts gave him fresh courage and strength for further conquests.
"Little by little the great trees and the thick underwoods were cut down and cleared away ; every year there were new 'deadenings' in the forest and broader patches of corn and wheat and flax in the openings ; herds and flocks increased and flourished in the woodland pastures without expense and with- out especial care; and, sooner than he had dared hope, the pioneer began to see the realization of his dreams. Yet the ordinary comforts of civilized life were long delayed in their coming. For several years all the clothing of the family was homespun-tow-cloth and linen, from flax raised upon the farm; jeans and linsey-woolsey, of flaxen threads interwoven with wool from the farmer's own sheep. Nobody was idle. Wife and daughters were busy from daylight till dark, caring for the cows and the poultry and the garden, carding the wool, turning the spinning-wheel, mending garments, knitting, sewing, churning; and if need required, they were neither afraid nor ashamed to do a day's work in the fields-it was all a part of the family economy. Even the small boy was a manful helper of his father, knowing quite early the meaning of labor. The farmer himself was a jack-of-all-trades, and good at more than one. He manufactured his own chairs and tables; he tanned his own leather; he made his children's shoes and hats; he wove jeans and tow-cloth for his own clothing and that of his boys; he was an adept at coopering and harness making; he could make a spinning-wheel, and knew how to tinker clocks; he built barns and houses for his neighbors; and in the long winter evenings, by the light of the blazing fire in the great chimney, he tied brooms and taught his boys and girls how to read and cipher. Was there, even in the days of republican Rome, nobler nurture and training than that which fell to the lot of these sons and daughters? Such bringing-up would nowadays be regarded as fraught with unendurable hardships, unre- lieved by any redeeming features; but in the West, as it had done before in other countries and communities, it produced men and women of a type that was able to influence humanity, and in a measure shape the national character.
"When, in time, the farm produced more grain than the family and the live stock needed for food, the farmer turned his thoughts to the best methods of disposing of the surplus. During the first few years, the nearest market
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