History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 11

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

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was more than fifty miles distant; but that was only a trifle of two or three days' journey, and the entire trip, both to and from, might be accomplished in less than a week. Over roads by no means the best, a few bushels of wheat, and perhaps some vegetables or a pail of butter, were 'hauled' to that distant market. It was rather a holiday jaunt than anything more serious; the farmers of the neighborhood usually went together in caravan style, camping by the roadside at night, and withal making a right merry time of it. The produce was exchanged for salt and some other indispensable house- hold commodity, and now and then a few yards of calico or some ribbons were carried home to the good wife or the grown-up daughters. There was no hardship in all this. The long journey once or twice a year relieved the monotony of pioneer life, and-the markets would certainly be nearer some time.

"And little by little the markets did draw nearer; and there were not only larger crops, but the price of grain was higher, and the farmer began to know, by actually seeing and handling it, what was the color and shape of money. One comfort after another came to lighten the labors of the house- hold. The busy noise of the steam saw-mill, and soon the whistle of the locomotive became familiar sounds. The farmer's boys and girls gradually- discarded homespun and clothed themselves, especially on Sundays, in 'store goods,' and the farmer himself indulged more and more frequently in some inexpensive luxury of which he had long been obliged to deny himself. One after the other he put aside his weaving, and tanning, and shoe-making, and carpentering ; and finally he had nothing to do but to turn his whole attention to his farm and his stock. A neat 'frame-house' was built nearer the road- side and the old log cabin, the scene of many joys as well as sorrows, was deserted. Comfort and plenty abounded on every hand. The blessings of civilization, following in the wake of honest labor, had come at last; and our pioneer, who had hardly hoped to enjoy them himself, but rather win them for his children, deserved his full share of them. For had he not earned them by the sweat of his brow, by cheerful perseverance, by long and hard wrestling with poverty and the savagery of the backwoods?

"But after his life of privation and toil the pioneer was not the man that he might have been had another lot been his. His health had been en- feebled by exposure to the malarial atmosphere of the woods and marshes; his face had been bronzed by the scorching heat of many summers and wrinkled by the bitter cold of many winters; his head had been whitened by many sad experiences, and his hand had lost its former strength and cunning. More than all this, the habits of the backwoodsman, insensibly acquired, clung to him; he was a stranger to the modes of thought and the refinements of

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polished society ; his language was a mixture of localisms and inaccuracies; he could ill adapt himself to the changed order of things which the schools, the railroads, and the development of the natural wealth of the country had brought about. Yet, as a compensation for all his losses and failures, he had this knowledge to console him: He was one of ten thousand veterans who had made conquest of a mighty empire, made its wonderful resources available, and bequeathed it-an inconceivable rich heritage-to coming generations. No hero of history, no warrior-patriot, had ever served his country better, or earned laurels more nobly. For what he had suffered and for what he had accomplished, he was conscious that no one ought to deny to him the lasting gratitude and remembrance which posterity owes to the nation's benefactors.

"And what of the sons and daughters born and bred in the midst of the trying influences of poverty and deprived of what are popularly called 'ad- vantages and opportunities?' It is not an uncommon thing to suppose that they were illiterate, coarse, unambitious; that even after they had acquired competence and wealth, they retained the boorish manners of the backwoods ; that their knowledge of the world was limited to the horizon of their own · neighborhood; and that their aspirations for mental and social culture re- mained undefined and extremely feeble. Such suppositions, although cor- rect in some cases, are far from correct as regards the majority of those who composed what may be termed the first generation of natives. The priva- tions which had been theirs, the necessarily stern discipline under which they had been brought up, the very lack of ready-made opportunities-all tended to foster self-reliance, to kindle ambition, and to encourage invention and the acquisition of knowledge. Were schools established? The slender oppor- tunities which they offered were seized upon and made the most of. Were railways constructed? They not only brought the markets nearer, but they destroyed the isolation of communities and made one neighborhood of the whole world. Were libraries founded? They were eagerly patronized, and the wealth of knowledge which they contained became a source of inspiration to many a hard-working farmer's boy. Was leisure won after years of slavish toil? It was not unfrequently given to mental improvement and to moral and social culture. And thus from among the sons of the Western pioneers, men have come who have stood in the foremost ranks of every department of private or public life. Scholars, teachers, inventors, statesmen, divines- the most celebrated thinkers and doers in the nation-have been among those whose lives were shaped and whose characters were moulded through these influences of poverty and stern discipline."

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CHAPTER IV:

ORGANIZATION OF HAMILTON COUNTY.

The land included within the boundaries of Hamilton county was a part of what is known as the New Purchase. By a treaty at St. Mary's, Ohio, October 2, 1818, between Lewis Cass, Jonathan Jennings, governor of Indi- ana, and Benjamin Park, commissioners, and the Delaware Indians, the latter ceded all their territory in Indiana to the United States, agreeing to de- liver the possession in 1821. This was known as the New Purchase. Be- cause of its reputation for beauty and fertility a large number of settlers immediately entered the country and made settlement at various points. In 1820 Delaware county was organized and its boundary lines stretched around much of central Indiana. In 1821 Marion county was carved out of the western part of Delaware county. When a sufficient number of people had settled in the northern part of Marion county they took advantage of the law which provided for the formation of a new county, gave twenty days' notice and presented a petition to the Legislature for a separate and independent county. This was in the summer of 1822 and the application being presented to the Legislature at the session of 1822-23, held at Corydon, was in due time passed and received the signature of Governor William Hendricks. The following are sections one and two of the act: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Indiana, that from and after the first Monday in April next (1823) all that part of the county of Marion, and north of Marion, contained in the following bounds, shall form and con- stitute a searate county, viz: Beginning on the range line dividing ranges 2 and 3, east of the second principal meridian, at the southwest corner of sec- tion seven, in township 17, and range 3, thence running north on the said range line, to the township line dividing townships 20 and 21, thence east on the said township line to the northwest corner of section 5, in township 20, range 6, thence south on the section line to the southeast corner of section 8, township 17, and range 6, and thence west on the section line to the place of beginning.

"Section 2. The said new county shall be known and designated by the name of Hamilton, and shall enjoy all the rights, privileges and jurisdiction,

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which to separate and independent counties do or may properly appertain or belong."

The Legislature appointed Benjamin J. Blythe, of Dearborn county, Martin M. Ray, of Fayette; John Sample, of Randolph; William Reddick, of Bartholomew, and James Wasson, of Sullivan, commissioners to carry out the provisions of this act and to select a site for the seat of justice. These commissioners were to meet at the house of William Conner, in said county of Hamilton, on the first Monday of May, 1823. In a little old commission- er's book, yellow with age, filed carefully away in the auditor's office, is the record of that first meeting. In almost a hundred years the ink has faded a little, but the handwriting, which is excellent, is still very legible. It was done with a quill pen in the hand of J. D. Stephenson. This quaint record begins as follows : "At the first term of the county commissioners,

12th day of May, 1823.". In order to effect an organization of the county in accordance with the law for the organization of new counties, the governor, William Hendricks, appointed William P. Warwick, sheriff of Hamilton county, to discharge the duties of that office until his successor should be chosen. He issued a notice for a primary election and the necessary officers were chosen by the qualified voters. This election was held in the spring of 1823 in the cabin built for Solomon Finch near Horseshoe prairie. At this election William Dyer, Zenas Beckwith and Solomon Finch were elected commissioners.

The record states that "William Dyer produced a certificate of his elec- tion from William P. Warwick, sheriff of said county of Hamilton, to serve as commissioner for three years for said county. On the back whereof was endorsed certificate of his having taken oath to support the constitution of the United States and of the state of Indiana, and the oath of office, and the oath against dueling, and thereon took his seat as a member of the board."

"Zenas Beckwith produced a certificate of his election from William P. Warwick, sheriff, and having made proof that he had taken the prescribed oaths, entered upon the discharge of his duties for a term of two years."

"Solomon Finch produced his certificate also to serve for one year and took his seat," having previously shown by the indorsement on his certificate, taken and subscribed the necessary oaths of office.

"John D. Stephenson produced his commission as clerk of the circuit court of the said county of Hamilton of the state of Indiana.

"Likewise. William P. Warwick produced his commission as sheriff of said county from the governor."

Thus the official organization of the commissioners' court was com-

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pleted, and immediately began to transact business. Quoting from the record, "The board now proceeded to lay off this county into the following townships, to-wit:

"The following territory shall be established and known by the name of White River township, to-wit: Beginning at the most easterly boundary of said county, on the line dividing sections 17 and 20, in township 19, range 5, thence on said line until it strikes the western line of said county; thence north running with the said county line to the northwest corner; thence east to the northeast corner; thence with said line to the beginning"; and "That all that part of the county lying south of a line drawn from the most east- wardly boundary of said county, running with the line dividing sections 17 and 20 in township 19 until it strikes the most westwardly boundary, shall be laid off, established and known by the name of Delaware township."

The board appointed Jacob Hyer and Henry Foland overseers of the poor for White River township and George Kirkendall and James Williams for Delaware township. At this first session the board also ordered that two magistrates be elected in White River township, that the election be held the 24th day of May at the house of Henry Foland in Strawtown, and appointed Jeremiah Leaming inspector.

Two magistrates were ordered elected in Delaware township on the same day, the election being held at the house of John Conner, who was to serve as inspector. Jerry K. Leaming was appointed lister of taxable property and persons in the county. William Conner was appointed to serve as treasurer of the county until the next February term.

Jeremiah Leaming was appointed superintendent of school section num- ber 16, in township 19, range 5, and Thomas Morris for section 16, town- ship 18, range 4.

Three fence viewers were appointed for each township. Having set the machinery in motion and appointed or arranged for the election of all neces- sary officers to carry on the government of the county, the board adjourned.

On the 29th day of May the board of commissioners held a special ses- sion to receive the report of the tax lister, Jerry K. Leaming. He filed his list and was allowed eight dollars for his services. (The amount paid for assessing in 1913 was $3,136.50.)

The board fixed the following rates of taxation :

"For every horse, mare, gelding, mule or ass over three years old, 371/2 cents; tavern, $10.00; for every ferry, $6.00; for each and every pleasure carriage of two wheels, $1.00; for each pleasure carriage of four wheels, $1.25; for each gold watch, 50 cents; for each silver watch, 25 cents; for

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every head of work oxen, three years old and upward, twenty-five cents, and on each male person over the age of twenty-one years, fifty cents, provided that person over the age of fifty years and not freeholders and such as are unable from bodily disability to follow any useful occupation for a livelihood and all idiots and paupers shall be exempt from said mentioned tax."

At the May session, 1824, the treasurer, William Conner, made his re- port of taxes collected, deducting from the list the delinquents, and the com- missioners paid the sheriff for collecting, and his own commission for re- ceiving and disbursing the funds, the remainder to the county $116.49. At the same time he filed county orders amounting to $122.32. As shown by the report, the treasurer had overpaid to the amount of $5.83, and an order was given him for this amount. (The amount of taxes collected in Hamilton county in 1913 was $446,436.74. ) At the August session of the board the first petit jury was drawn, consisting of thirty-six discreet householders. The names were selected from the list of owners of taxable property as follows: "Allen Baxter, Chapel W. Brown, Thomas Morris, Andrew W. Ingraham, Michael Wise, John Duncan, Archibald Bayless, James Headdy, John Dick- son, Levi Dickson, William Richey, John Tresel, John Osburn, John Car- penter, Andrew Wilson, James Freed, Jr., Asa O. Ives, Henry Shetterly, Henry Foland, John Conner, George Conner, Peter Custer, John Nickerson, Timothy Heron, Alexander McClintick, Lemuel Anton, Solomon Wise, John Provault, Elias Hoddy, John Bingam, David Conner, John Alman, Francis Booker, George Wise, Jerry K. Leaming and Edward M. Dwyer."

The Legislature having passed an act to abolish the board of commis- sioners and substitute therefor the government of counties by a board of justices, the following entry was made on the record for the September session, 1824: "Be it remembered that on Monday, the 6th day of September. 1824, William Bush, Foster Andrews, W. Ingraham and William Dyer, es- quires, met at the house of William Conner, in the county of Hamilton, and each of them produced commissions from the governor of the state, com- missioning them justices of the peace within and for the county aforesaid, upon which said commissions were endorsements of their having taken the several oaths as required by the constitution and laws of the state, and there- upon agreeable to an act entitled 'an act to regulate the mode of doing county business,' approved January 31st, 1824, took their seats as members of this board."

The members of this board proceeded to elect Andrew W. Ingraham, president. This must have been considered a great honor. as he is called, from this time on, in the records the "Worshipful Andrew W. Ingraham."

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The business of the county had thus far been transacted at the house of William Conner. On the first day of March, 1824, the three commis- sioners who had been appointed by the Legislature to fix the seat of justice, under an act approved January 2, 1818, met at the home of William Conner for the purpose of selecting a site. The three commissioners were Martin M. Ray, John Sample and Benjamin I. Blythe. These commissioners pro- . ceeded to examine the different sites submitted to them for the location of the county seat. In the commissioner's report only two sites are mentioned, the present site of Noblesville and that of Strawtown. They did not consider the latter, as, in their judgment, it was too far from the center of the county. However, there must have been other locations submitted, for the record states that these commissioners met on the first day of March, "and not hav- ing been agreed whereon to fix the same, adjourned from day to day until Thursday, the 4th day of March, 1824, when, having met at the home of William Conner, aforesaid, after having carefully, deliberately and diligently viewed and examined the several donations offered to our choice, and having examined and duly considered as well present and future population and inquired what land could be obtained by donation and otherwise, and having, in all respects, endeavored to fix upon the most eligible spot; taking into view the advantages of all the different situations offered to our consideration as also from every inquiry which we could make, have, therefore, finally fixed and established the permanent seat of justice for the county of Hamilton, in the state of Indiana, on the east side of White river, and on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 31, township 19 north, range 5 east; and all that part of the southeast quarter of section 36, township 19 north, range 5 east; thence north with the line dividing the quarter, one hundred and twenty- two poles; thence west to White river; thence with the meandering of the said river, to where the line between townships eighteen and nineteen crosses the same; thence, with said township line east to the beginning." Reference is then made to the plat of Noblesville as filed by Joseph F. Polk and William Conner. In the commissioners' record this plat is preserved and bears the title, "Plat of Noblesville, laid out by William Conner and J. F. Polk, January, 1823, embracing about seventy-five acres."

Square number ten, as shown on the plat, was donated to the county as the public square, whereon should be erected public buildings for the use of the county forever; also each odd numbered lot in the whole plat was to be donated to the county, except that Polk and Conner reserved the whole south half of square number nine, lying on the west side of the public square,

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and the entire east half of square number fifteen, lying on the south side of the public square.

A bond in the sum of ten thousand dollars in good and lawful money of the state of Indiana and the United States was given by said Polk and Conner to the county commissioners to make good the terms and conditions . on which the site for the seat of justice was offered and accepted. This bond contains in detail the terms of the contract. At the same session of the board of county commissioners the report of the commission to fix the seat of jus- tice was accepted, thus making Noblesville the county seat. Josiah F. Polk was appointed county agent, and his bond fixed at five thousand dollars. He was then authorized and directed to sell on Monday, the 19th day of April, 1824, a part of the lots in the town of Noblesville that belonged to the county. The terms of payment to be as follows: "One-fourth in hand, one-fourth in nine, and one-fourth in eighteen months, and the remainder in twenty-seven months."

It is interesting to note, too, that the board allowed Martin M. Ray for his services as commissioner, $30.00; Benjamin I. Blythe, $34.50; John Sample, $28.00.

At the May session of the board Josiah F. Polk, county agent, made a . report of the sale of lots on April 19, 1824. His statement showed that the entire sale amounted to $183.75 ; one-fourth, $45.9334, according to the terms, were "paid in hand." After deducting expenses he turned over to the county $26.781/2.

At the September session, 1825, the board of justices having replaced the board of commissioners, "believing that it would be to the interest of the county to donate some of the lots belonging to the county, in the town of Noblesville, for the encouragement of mechanics settling in the town," do- nated four lots for that purpose. In addition to these lots, Polk and Conner donated four more lots for a similar purpose. These lots were to be given to the following kinds of mechanics : "One tanner and currier, one shoemaker, one hatter, one tailor, one wheelwright, one cabinetmaker, one house car- penter, or joiner, one blacksmith." The conditions were "that each of the aforesaid mechanics shall be good workmen at their respective trades and well recommended." They were to settle on these lots and improve them and carry on their trade in said town for at least two years. Those settling on the lots donated by the county should pay to the county agent the sum of ten per cent. on the valuation of each lot for the use of a county library.

At the January session, 1825, of the board of justices, it was decided to inaugurate a lottery under the name of "The Hamilton County Court House

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Lottery," for the purpose of raising funds to build a court house. This scheme was submitted by Josiah F. Polk. The prizes were as follows: One prize of $400 cash, one prize of $200 cash, one prize of $100 cash, one prize of $50 cash. Then followed a number of lots in Noblesville and a large number of tickets, making a total of $2,000 offered in prizes. William Con- ner, Curtis Mallery and Josiah F. Polk were appointed managers, and John D. Stephenson, secretary.

The scheme, however, failed, and at the September session of the same year the following entry is made: "It is ordered by the board that the order establishing The Hamilton County Court House Lottery be annulled and set aside, and the agents of the same are directed recalled and take up all tickets that they may have disposed of and wind up the business of same."

At the first session of the board of commissioners the county was divided into two townships, White River and Delaware, as noted above. At the March session of the board of justices of Hamilton county it was "ordered by the board that all that territory lying north of Madison county and at- tached to this county by an act of the General Assembly approved the 13th day of January, 1826, form a township which shall be called and known by the name of Anderson township." This township embraced the greater part of what is now Madison county. The board of justices ordered an election of justices held on April 15, 1826. John Berry and Robert Blair were elected, and at the May session of the board produced their commissions and took their seats as members of the board. At the January session, 1827, an elec- tion was ordered held in Anderson township, at the town of Anderson, and all township officers were elected for the year 1827. By an act of the Legis- lature, approved January 26. 1827, for the re-location of the seat of justice of Madison county, and the formation of Hancock county, Anderson township became a part of Madison county.

At the March session of the board it was decided to sub-divide Delaware township into three townships, and said board proceeded to lay out bound- aries and organize Noblesville, Delaware and Fall Creek townships out of this territory.

The county commissioners, at their session in November, 1833, pro- ceeded to lay off the whole county into nine civil townships, viz. : Adams, Jackson, White River. Washington, Noblesville, Wayne, Clay, Delaware and Fall Creek. and establish their boundaries and, with a slight correction in Fall Creek, the boundaries have remained the same unto this day.

At the January session, 1839, the county commissioners ordered "that all territory north of White River, Jackson and Adams townships, to the Miami

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reserve, be attached to and form a part of said township." Afterward this territory was divided into Jefferson, Cicero and Madison townships. These three townships comprised the land north of the present county line and over which the Legislature had given this county jurisdiction. In May, 1844, upon the organization of Tipton county, these townships became a part of that county.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 11

Author: John F. Haines Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051