USA > Indiana > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement by the "pale face," in 1818, down to 1882 > Part 19
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JOHN F. SHULTZ,
postmaster in Charlottesville, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1825. His ancestors were of Dutch extraction. Mr. S. came to Charlottesville in 1857, where he has since resided. He is a boot and shoe maker by trade, and for a number of years has followed that business. The building in which the post-office is
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
located, and in which Mr. Shultz has his shop, was built by him in 1859.
Mr. S. has been twice married. First, to Margaret Dungan, in 1858, by whom he had three children, none of whom are living. The second time to Miss Margaret Brown, in 1878. Mrs. Shultz is well-known in Green- field as Miss Maggie Brown, a former teacher in the Greenfield graded schools under the superintendency of the writer.
Mr. Shultz is a consistent member of the M. E. church, a Mason in good standing, and an unwavering republican.
MEREDITH WALKER.
The subject of this sketch was born in Wilkes county, North Carolina, December 10, 1814. He moved with his father to Rush county, Indiana, at the age of fifteen, where he lived until the year 1837, at which time he moved to Jackson township, this county, where he resided until the date of his death, which occurred on the 10th day of January, 1882, at the age of sixty-seven. In early life Mr. W. became a member of the Christian Church, and continued a consistent member the remainder of his life. Having carried a clear conscience void of offense to God and man, he expressed his willingness to die, and said he had no fears of death. Mr. W. was a republican till the later years of his life, when he became an independent. He was an industrious, progressive farmer, and succeeded in amassing a handsome amount of property. Physically, he was a large, square built, robust, broad-shouldered man, with dark eyes and hair, high cheek bones, and a firm countenance, denoting a power and will to act.
CHAPTER XVII.
SUGAR-CREEK TOWNSHIP.
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Scale: Two miles to the inch.
MAP OF SUGAR-CREEK TOWNSHIP.
SHOWING THE SECTIONS, TOWNSHIP AND RANGES OF WHICH IT IS COMPOSED.
Name and Organization .- This township took its name from Sugar Creek, the principal stream in the township.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
It was organized in 1828, at the date of the organization of the county, being one of the three original townships, and at that date included all the western portion of the county that now constitutes the third commissioner's dis- trict, viz. : Sugar-creek, Buck-creek and Vernon. In 1831, it was reduced in size to thirty-six sections, its pres- ent dimensions. In 1838, it was still further reduced by striking off two sections from the north part, which consti- tuted the south half of Jones township from 1838 to 1853. In 1853, the commissioners abolished Jones township, and Sugar-creek again resumed her former size of thirty-six sections, which size and outline she has retained to this date.
Location, Size, Boundaries, etc .- Sugar-creek town- ship is located in the south-west part of the county, and in extent is six miles square, being uniform in size with Jack- son and Buck-creek townships. It is bounded on the north by Buck-creek, on the east by Center and Brandywine, on the south by Shelby county, and on the west by Marion county. It is located in township fifteen north, and in ranges five and six east. The west two tiers of sections are in range flve east, and the remainder in range six east. The range line runs one and a half miles west of Palestine, and forms the east line of the Schramm farm, and the west line of Rev. W. Nichols's farm.
Surface, Soil, Drainage and Productions .- The surface is level and slightly rolling, except along Sugar Creek, which is hilly and broken. The soil is generally black loam, exceedingly fertile and exhaustless in resources. At this date there is really no third-rate land in the town- ship, and but a limited portion of second-rate, since it has been so thoroughly ditched. No other township in the county has given so much attention to drainage as Sugar- creek. Long before tile ditching was thought of in Hancock county, the enterprising, industrious German farmers of this township had elevated their farms from two to five feet by sinking blind wooden ditches and large open ditches through most of the low, black lands ; and since the intro-
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duction of tile, these same close calculating, practical farmers, have not been behind in their use. The chief productions are corn, wheat, hogs, cattle, barley, oats, flax- seed, horses, and Irish potatoes. Sugar-creek produces more barley than all the rest of the county.
This township gives especial attention to wheat, and has a greater per cent. of its lands thus cultivated than any other township in the county, and her average per acre is equal to the best. In 1880, from 5,443 acres, she produced 97,974 bushels of wheat ; from 4,530 acres she produced 145,670 bushels of corn; from 816 acres, she produced 16,320 bushels of oats. The same year she reports 501 tons of hay and 2,900 bushels of Irish potatoes, being the poorest report for hay, and the best of Irish potatoes in the county.
Streams .- Sugar Creek enters the township near the north-east corner, on the north line, and runs west of Phil- adelphia and east of Palestine, passing out of the township near the south-west corner of section thirty-two, on the central southern line.
Buck Creek enters the township a half mile east of the north-west corner, and takes a south by south-west course, passing out on the west line, one and one-fourth miles west of the north-west corner.
First Land Entries and First Settlers .- The first land entry in Sugar-creek township was by George Worthing- ton, on the 18th day of January, 1822, being the north half of the north-east quarter, and the north-west quarter of section three, in township fifteen north, in range six east. The second entry was made by Jacob Murnan, in 1823.
Among the first settlers were Jacob Jones, Amos Dick- ison, Jonathan Evans, Samuel Cones, Jacob Murnan, George Williams, Thomas and Richard Leachman, George Robison, Reuben Barnard, father of William C. Barnard ; David McNamee, Benjamin McNamee's father ; Andrew Magahey, John Delany, William True, J. A. Leonard, John Dye, Mr. Weston, Jacob Schramm, Albert Lange,
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
Mr. Heffermeier, Andrew Fink, Anton Wishmeier, Anton Kirkhoff, Christian Schildmeier, A. and J. Hudson, Wil- liam Brown, Mr. Trevis, and many others.
The reading of the above names will call to mind in a number of our readers, many who have long since bid farewell to mortal scenes, and entered upon an inheritance " immortal, incorruptible, and that fadeth not away." Personally we knew but few of them, and have been unable to write a sketch of each, but we are assured upon good authority that all of them are worthy of the notice given, being modest, unassuming, practical pioneer men. seldom aspiring to office or honors, but ever industrious, hardy and hospitable. Others there may be equally worthy, whose names are not found here, owing to the frailty of the memory of man ; but if such be the case, let their friends rest assured that in that great, unerring, una- bridged history. kept by the recording angel, in which is recorded all the acts of mankind, their names will be found written in perfect order.
A Few First Things .- The first church was the M. E. ; the first teachers, Samuel Valentine and Eliza Barnard : first preacher, Rev. Hawes ; first physician, Dr. Kellogg : first miller, Stephen Bellus ; first merchant, John Delany ; first grocer, Amos Dickison ; first post-office, Sugar Creek, at Palestine ; first postmaster, Amos Dickison ; first black- smith, Reuben Barnard ; first school, near Palestine ; first tanner, John E. Bailey ; first roads, Brookville and old State roads ; first death, Mr. Mattox; first railroad, the Indiana Central ; first village, Philadelphia.
Historical Anecdote : The said John Delaney sold goods in the south-west part of the township, on the Brookville State road. He sold his goods at a good profit. When asked what per cent. he made, he replied that he was not a scholar, and knew nothing about per cent. ; but when he bought goods for one dollar and sold them for two, he didn't think he lost anything.
Mills and Factorics .- The first mill in the township was a small water mill, erected some time prior to 1828, by
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Stephen Bellus, on Sugar Creek, about two miles north of Palestine. It was both a grist and saw mill in a small way, and continued in operation, passing through several hands, till about 1872, when the dam washed out and the mill went down. Among those who owned this first mill after Bellus sold out were Amos Dickison, Myron Brown, Uriah Emmons. George Kingery and Lewis Burke. Burke died, and his heirs run the mill for a few years, till it met with the fate aforesaid, and succumbed to the ele- ments.
In 1832, Black & Bro. erected the second water mill in the township. It was a small saw-mill. located on Sugar Creek, about one mile south of Philadelphia. It run for a number of years.
Lewis Burke, in an early day, erected a water saw-mill on Sugar Creek. north by north-east of Palestine, and below the Bellus mill. The Burke mill is still in operation. It is a saw-mill. and unlike most early water mills, never did any grinding.
In about 1850, Kelley & Bro. erected the first steam saw-mill in the township. It was located about a mile west of Philadelphia, and run for a few years. then moved away.
In 1857, Thomas Tuttle had erected a steam flouring and saw-mill. combined, located about two miles south- west of Palestine. and operated for a number of years.
In 1856. James B. Conover built a steam saw-mill about a quarter of a mile west of Sugar Creek, on the National road. It passed through several hands, and was moved away in 1859.
In 1855 or '56, W. W. Matthews erected a steam saw- mill in the central northern part of the township, which was run by Matthews & Reed some four years, and then removed.
In 1856, a two-story steam flouring mill was erected in Palestine. by Gates et al., at a cost of $5,000, with three run of stone. Gates operated it for about nine years and sold to Scott & Davis, and they to Joseph Conner. The
1
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
mill has been put in good repair by the present proprietor, A. P. Hogle, who has added new machinery and the mod- ern improvements.
Rufus Black, a few years since, put in operation a steam circular saw mill at Philadelphia, which is still run- ning and doing an extensive business.
The mills now in operation in Sugar-creek township are six in number, viz. : The Burke saw-mill, the Hogle flouring mill, the Black saw-mill ; the Stutsman mill, near Gem : the Gesler steam saw-mill, in Palestine: and the steam grist-mill in Philadelphia. The Stutsman saw-mill was built in 1871 by Nicholas Stutsman. It burned down in 1879, but was immediately rebuilt, with a planer attached, and put in good running order.
At the early date of 1832, Reuben Barnard, father of Trustee William C. Barnard, carried on a blacksmith shop on his farm, in the south-west corner of the township.
In 1845. John E. Baity opened a tanyard on the Mc- Namee farm. He did a local business, furnished a market for oak bark, had about twenty vats, and operated for four years.
In 1847, Alexander Ogle started a small tannery in a log house near Philadelphia, which he operated for a num- ber of years after the Baity tannery had ceased.
Thomas Swift also carried on a tanyard near Palestine soon after the going down of the Baity tannery.
The first tile factory was erected in 1855, on Jacob Schramm's farm, and was operated for about four years by Weaver.
The next tile factory was erected on the Reasoner farm, by Wicker & Brother. It has changed hands a number of times, but is still in operation.
In 1869, Shellhouse, Spurry & Armstrong erected a tile factory two miles east of Palestine, which is now in operation by Freeman & Reasoner.
Roads .- Sugar-creek township in her early history, much like her sister townships, had no roads worthy of the name, but mere paths, pointed out by the blazed trees,
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meandering through the thick forest. The first roads in the township were the Brookville and old State roads. The next was the National road. The Brookville road run through Palestine, diagonally through the township, on a bee line from Brookville to Indianapolis. The old State road crossed the northern part of the township, pass- ing through Philadelphia. Prior to the late civil war there was not a single gravel road in the township. But since that time there has been sixteen and one-half miles of toll pike built by companies, besides considerable graveling done in working out road taxes and personal privileges.
Railroads .- Sugar-creek township has two railroads crossing her territory. The P., C. and St. L. has six miles running through the northern tier of sections ; the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Indianapolis road passes through the south-west part a distance of seven miles ; making a total of thirteen miles in the township, valued at $170,- 025. Telegraph lines extend along each of the roads, the total valuation of which is $2,235. The Pan-Handle has two stations in the township-Philadelphia and Gem. Pal- estine is the only one on the Junction.
Educational .- The first school-houses in this township were pole cabins, covered with clapboards, suppled with " cat and clay " chimneys and puncheon floors. The first three were located at nearly the same time : one near New Palestine, one at Philadelphia, and one in the German set- tlement, near the center of the township. The first teachers were Samuel Valentine, Richard Lindsey, Eliza Barnard and Mr. Barnard. These teachers, like others at this date, were employed by the quarter, of thirteen weeks, at from thirty to thirty-six dollars and "found"-i. c., they boarded around among the patrons. As the township filled up, and new settlements were made, additional schools were estab- lished and better houses erected, in accordance with the demands of the times, until at present she compares favor- ably with the older and earlier settled townships. The
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
following are the numbers and names of the houses and the teachers employed therein at this date :
District No. 1 . . Philadelphia. .
(Charles Rennecamp, Addie Wright.
District No. 2. . Brown
Ella Bottsford.
District No. 3
J. W. Jones.
District No. 4 .. .
C. M. Carr.
District No. 5 .. . Caraway's.
W. B. Bottsford.
District No. 6. N. P. Brandenburg.
(W. A. Wood,
District No. 7. . Palestine Roscoe Anderson.
(Jennie Buchel.
District No. S. B. F. Ewbank.
These eight houses-seven frame and one brick-are valued at $4,500 : apparatus, $150. This is exclusive of the German school, sustained by private enterprise, and located in the central western part of the township. The number of school children in the township under consid- eration in 1853 was 554; in 1860, 712 : in 1870, 690; in 1881, 704. An examination of which shows a fluctuating scholastic population not easily accounted for. Why there should be a less number of school children in 1870 than in 1860, let the citizens answer. More remarkable still is the fact that she has fewer school children to-day than she reported just prior to the civil war. Sugar-creek is one of the three townships in the county that, in the final vote on the free school question in 1849, voted for free schools, her vote standing, "free school," sixty-eight : "no school," forty-one. In her former vote, however, in 1848, on the same question, she voted against free schools, her vote standing at that time, "free school," forty-seven ; " no school," fifty-four ; being a majority of seven against the proposed establishment of free schools.
School Trustees .- Below we give the names of the township trustees, with the date of their election, since 1859, at which time they were clothed with power to levy
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local taxes, and the office assumed some dignity and worth to the people :
Robert P. Brown 1859 William C. Barnard 1874
E. H. Faut. 1 865 David Ulrey 1876
Edward P. Scott 1872 William C. Barnard IS78, 1SSo
Remarks: Robert P. Brown, the first trustee under the new regime, held the office for four terms, and Ernst HI. Faut for six. E. P. Scott was the first to vote for county superintendent. David Ulrey and William C. Barnard are the only trustees that have held two terms each since the change of the law, lengthening the term of office to two years. Said Barnard looks after the financial interests of the township, the poor, pedagogues, and com- pensates the farmers for their sheep killed by dogs, at the present date.
Churches .- Sugar-creek township has six churches, representing three distinct Christian denominations, to-wit : Two M. E. churches, three German and one Christian, a special account of each of which will be given further on.
Population .- An examination of the census reports for the last few decades develops the following facts, to-wit : Population for 1850. 793 ; 1860, 1,646 ; 1870, 1,897: 1880, 2,099. It will be observed that the stride from 1850 to 1860 was remarkably great, being an increase, apparently. of over one hundred per cent. ; but it must be remembered that in 1850 Sugar-creek township was only two-thirds its size in 1860. Our remarks at the head of this chapter show that Jones township, from 1838 to 1853, included part of the territory now embodied in Sugar-creek. Jones, in 1850, reported a population of 670, and as half her territory was added to Sugar-creek. a proportionate and fair esti- mate for the territory embodied in every census report of the township since 1850 would be 1128. This township far surpasses any other in the county in her reports of the number of foreigners. In 1870, she had 245 foreigners. while the highest numbers reported by other townships were ninety-four in Center and seventy-five in Vernon, and
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
a total of 420 in all the townships of the county save Sugar- creek. The foreigners in Sugar-creek are mostly Germans. industrious farmers, who have clustered around a little nucleus early planted in the township.
Polls and Vote .- The polls for Sugar-creek in 1840 were eighty-six ; in 1854, 219 ; in 1860, 259; in 1870, 385 : in 1880, 509. She cast, in 1860, a vote of 343 ; in 1870. 485. In 1880 her vote for President stood as follows : Democratic, 308 ; republican, 190 ; independent, eleven, being a democratic majority of 118. This township has two voting precincts : first, at New Palestine : second, at Philadelphia.
T'aluc of Real and Personal Property .- This township reports 21,805 acres of land, valued at $503,475 ; value of improvements on the same, $97,215 : value of lots, $1,985 : improvements on the same, $5,395 ; value of personal property, $269,115 ; value of railroads and telegraph, pre- viously given ; total value of taxables, exclusive of Pales- tine, $993.590.
Taxes .- Sugar-creek township, in 1840, paid $417.64 ; her assessment for ISSI, to be paid in 1882, is $7.982.24. The levy is eighty-two cents on each $100 on all the taxable property in the township, excepting Palestine. which is ninety-two. The following men of the township pay taxes of $40 and upwards in 1882 :
Black, Rufus * 86 32
Hittle, George $ 55 78
Briar, Charles
94 06
Knape, C. H. 61 83
Briar, W. F
70 00
Kirkhoff, Anton 75 60
Barnard, Eliza.
49 90
Lantz, J. G ..
94 30
Caraway, Samuel
46 39
Langanbarger, A to ot
Freeman, Benjamin .. .
265 37
Meier, Henry 78 40
Faut, E. H
53 71
Murnan, G.
43 10
Faut, E. W
90 65
Miller, F. C.
41 27
Fowler, Benjamin 61 65
McNamee, Benjamin .. 83 10
Fink, Henry. 116 54
Murlow, Henry 45 84
Fink, John. 55 20
Murlow, H. A.
54 75 Gundrum. C.
100 47
Moon, W. H. 41 35
Hawk, J. C 63 36
Nichols, William 54 65
0
MATILDA GOODING.
7
7
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
Ostermeier, C. H. $ 42 77
Parish, Thomas. SI 24
Pitcher, J. M. 44 74
Rosener, C. F 49 42
Richmond, A. F. G. . . 58 54
Schlosser, Peter, heirs .. 105 48
Stutsman, Nicholas. . . $ 46 S4
Schildmeier, A 156 13
Schramm, August. . 142 97
Schramm, Gustavus .. . 158 13
Weber, Henry 49 74
In Palestine the following men pay $40 or more :
Espy, Paul. $365 65 Eaton, W. T., & Son. . $ 48 76
Ely. J. M.
51 47 Vansickle & Smith. . . 45 51
Eaton. W. T 62 00
Law and Justice .- Our first law-makers very wisely adopted the policy of our mother country, of bringing justice near the door of every man, rich or poor, whereby an oppor- tunity is offered for the speedy, convenient and inexpensive adjustment of petty grievances, civil or criminal. The constitution of 1852 authorizes the election of a competent. number of justices of the peace, by the voters in each township in the several counties in the state, who shall con- tinue in office four years, and whose powers and duties shall be prescribed by law. In the prosecution of this contemplated township system for promoting justice, the legislature enacted laws for the election by the people of two officers only, a justice and constable, the latter for a term of two years, who is the executive officer, and corre- sponds with the sheriff in his duties. The former acts as judge, clerk and treasurer. Sugar-creek township has always been well supplied with these ministerial, judicial, and executive officers. The first of these acting in the ter- ritory under consideration were George Leachman and Charles Atherton, the exact date of whose election we are unable to ascertain, there being no record of the same in the clerk's office to our knowledge, though we have made diligent search. Succeeding these were the following. elected at the date set opposite their names, viz. :
George Leachman,- G. W. Robison
I843, '49, '54, '58, '66, '70 George O'Brien IS46
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Adam Hawk. 851, 1860 Henry A. Schreiber . IS74
George Barnett. 1856 George W. Kingery S78
W. H. Dye .. IS6S John M. McKelvey ISSO
E. S. Bottsford IS72
For the fifteen years that Jones township existed, the south half of which was attached to Sugar-creek after her dissolution, the following ex-justices officiated, being elected at the dates set opposite their names, some of whom properly belonged to Sugar-creek, but just who and how many we cannot say with absolute certainty ; hence we give the full list, and the good citizens of the two townships,-Sugar-creek and Buck-creek, which absorbed Jones,-may give honor to whom honor is due, and place the credit where it belongs :
Charles Atherton .. . Unknown Joseph Marshall 1849 Dan'l Skinner. 1840, 1845, 1850 Abraham Stutsman IS51
Charles Atherton .. 1843 John II. Hazen. IS52
Isaac Travis. IS46 Allen Caylor. I852
Remarks : There were probably one or two justices in Jones elected prior to 1840, our first date given, but we have been unable to ascertain their names. The practice in this and other counties has been to elect one or more jus- tices immediately after the organization thereof. Esquire Leachman, we are reliably informed, began his adminis- tration contemporary with the organization of the county. and served continuously till some time after the date of his election in 1870, officiating longer, perhaps, than any other man in the history of the county. He served at least eleven terms, or forty-four years, possibly longer. Adam Hawk and Charles Atherton each served two terms. Dan- iel Skinner filled the place for twelve years. None of the others, we believe, were re-elected. Esquires George W. Kingery and John M. McKelvey preside at the bar of justice at this date.
Ex-County Oficers .- Sugar-creek township has fur- nished a number of popular men willing to subject their
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
private interests to the popular good, and endure the scathing, sarcastic criticisms always heaped upon our pub- lic servants by their antagonists and political opponents. Here flourished in their day the following chosen men, to stem the tide and oppose the current of petty jealousies, and paddle safely over the billowy waves the little county bark with her precious cargo of glittering gold and immor- tal souls : Samuel Shockley, commissioner and represent- ative ; William McCance, Enos O'Brien, John O'Brien, and William H. Dye, ex-commissioners. All of the above are with us no more, save in memory, records and history. Still living among us, and well-known to the readers of these lines, are the following: R. P. Brown, treasurer and sheriff; E. H. Faut, treasurer ; Edward P. Scott, com- missioner ; J. V. Coyner, surveyor ; and John E. Dye, present commissioner of the third district.
Murders, Suicides, and Remarkable Deaths .- We will first call the attention of our readers to one of the most shocking, heart-rending, irrational, fatal family feuds that it has ever been our painful duty to record-one which resulted in the cold-blooded murder of an innocent wife and the suicide of an excited, crazed and drunken hus- band. The plain facts in the case, as near as we can gather from circumstantial evidence, are about as fol- lows : George Knapp, a man of dissipated habits, lived about one mile west of Palestine in 1845, the date of the occurrence of this sad tragedy. It was Pentecostal Sab- bath, the family had been to church in the forenoon, returned home and ate dinner together, when Mr. Knapp, being intoxicated, and somewhat quarrelsome, as usual under such circumstances, accused Mrs. Knapp of infi- delity ; and reason being dethroned by the vile destroyer and arch demon, Rum, he gathered up an ax and wildly menaced it before her face, and threatened to spill the life-blood of her whom but a few short years before he had solemnly pledged in divine presence. before living witnesses, to love and cherish, protect and defend, as long as life to them should be spared. Mrs. Knapp, fearing
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