USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > History of Hendricks County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 13
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William Pope, with the following members: Thomas Hinton and wife, James Thompson and wife and Chris. Pope. This little band met at the house of Elder Pope for several years and in 1831 built a church at Belle- ville, a frame building. After a number of years the church was divided, a portion going to Clayton and organizing the Missionary Baptist church. Many of the first members having died, the Belleville church went down, and finally became defunct and the church building torn down. This church was moved to Pittsboro in 1887. Elder E. A. Williams has been preacher for several years. The membership is about fifty.
The Baptist church at North Salem was organized before the Civil War and a building erected during the war at a cost of one thousand dollars. Among the first members were Preston Pennington, Elizabeth Ballard, Su- san, Levi, Mary and Eliza Pennington, Thomas, Susan and George Barber, John N. and Mary V. Clemens and Eaton Bales. Rev. Fuson is the present pastor.
The Baptist church at Amo was organized near the time of the opening of the Civil War in 1861. A year or two after the organization a frame church was constructed, costing two thousand dollars. Among the early members were Elijah Wheeler, Harding Tincher, Milton Bland, Hiram Bland, Samuel Hubbard, and their wives. The first regular pastor was Rev. Edwards. Following him came Rev. Wilson G. Trent, Moore, Sher- rill, L. A. Clevenger, R. N. Harvey. Rev. Tedford now fills the pulpit.
The Missionary Baptist church at Stilesville was organized about eighty years ago. The frame church first used was constructed in 1840. Among the early members of the society were David Boswell, Abraham Bland, James Walls, Moses Crawford, Josiah Garrin, their wives, and Mary Reese. A brick church was completed in 1882, at a cost of three thousand dollars. Among the early pastors were Revs. John Jones, Benjamin Arnold, John Mugg, Jacob and John Rynearson. Rev. J. E. Sherrill is the latest pastor.
The Missionary Baptist church at Clayton was founded March II, 1854, by John Vawter, Jacob Rynearson, M. Elliott, Davis Boswell and Moses Crawford, who held letters of dismissal from the Belleville church, and a number of others, fifty-eight in all. The first trustees elected were Richard Worrell, Francis Edmondson and John Rynearson. Rev. Hackleman is the pastor in 1914.
The Missionary Baptist church at Coatesville organized their church in 1871, and built a frame church in 1873 at a cost of twelve hundred dollars. Revs. Sherrill, Jesse Buchanan, John F. Crews, G. W. Terry. Rev. J. E.
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Sherrill also preaches at this church. Rev. Richard Oliphant is in charge of the Primitive Baptist church at Coatesville.
The Missionary Baptists at Plainfield have had a regular organization for about sixty years. Among the first members were Adam Jones and wife, Orrin Bonner and wife, Samuel McCormick and wife, William Douglass and wife and children. After a time the society purchased the church which had been occupied by the Friends and used the same for a number of years. In August, 1884, they dedicated a fine brick church, which cost about three thousand dollars. Rev. Bell is the pastor today.
The Regular Baptist church was the first to be organized in Middle township. The Spicklemires, Keeneys and Newman families were among the charter members. Their church building was erected on grounds now comprising the old White Lick cemetery east of Pittsboro, about the year 1837. The earliest preachers were Harrison Darnell, Thomas Hooten, Will- iam Hardie and Peter Keeney. Its membership increased with succeeding years until it was one of the strongest associations in the county.
The first church organization in Eel River township was that of the Regular Baptists, which was organized at Round Town by the Penningtons and others, at an unknown date.
William Pope, a Baptist minister, did the first preaching and organized the first Baptist church in Hendricks county, in his own house, in the autumn of 1823.
The Center Valley Baptists have a church building, dedicated in Octo- ber, 1906.
FRIENDS.
The Western yearly meeting of Friends was organized in September, 1858, the first members being Eleazer Bales, Charles Moore, Matthew Stan- ley and Robert W. Hodson, with their families. At the time of the or- ganization the large new building could not accommodate the crowd. Bar- nabas C. Hobbs, of Bloomingdale, Indiana, was the first presiding clerk and Shiles Moore, of Plainfield, the first treasurer. The women members or- ganized a separate meeting, with Drusilla Wilson, of Indianapolis, the first clerk. Separate sessions of the men and women were continued until 1893, since which time the whole body has met together. The yearly meeting has enjoyed nearly a half century of prosperity. She experienced one schism in 1877, but fortunately this was scarcely felt in any of its limits except Plain- field.
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On March 28, 1913, the splendid church building of the Friends yearly meeting burned. Experts came to contract for the building of a new struc- ture and upon examining the walls of the old church, found that they were eighteen inches thick and sunk ten feet to hard-pan. This wall could not be duplicated without great cost, so the new structure was built upon the foun- dations of the old. It was opened on March 8, 1914, having cost nearly seventeen thousand dollars. One-third of the building is for the local society and the rest for the yearly meeting. The local society has a membership of five hundred. E. J. Carter is pastor. The Western yearly meeting is com- posed of one hundred and ten churches and the meeting is held on the Tues- day before the third Sunday in September.
The Friends church at the town of Amo was organized about the year of 1840. A log church was constructed as the first house of worship. but this was quickly succeeded by a frame structure, which was used for forty years and then gave way to the new structure, which was completed in the fall of 1883, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. Among the early members of this society were Philip Johnson, John Cosner, Annuel Edwards and Asael Hunt.
The Friends church in Danville was organized in the year 1874 with about forty charter members, among them Henry and B. F. Howell, Wyatt Osborn, William F. Hamrick, William Cox, John Warnock, John McPheters and their wives, Mrs. J. W. Estep and E. L. Smith. Within a year steps were taken toward building a church, which was completed in 1876 at a cost of four thousand dollars, located on the corner of Cross and South streets. There were but few resident members of the church when the first effort was made to enter this field. John K. Howell, Anna Mills and Will- iam S. Wooton were the first ministers in the early organization of this . church. John Henry Douglas dedicated the house of worship; David and Sarah Hadley were the first pastors, being in charge at the time the church building was erected. The parsonage was built in 1885. Since the organiza- tion of the church evangelistic services of more than passing interest have been held by John Henry Douglas, Nathan and Esther Frame, George Willis and Mary Moon. The following persons have been pastors of the church : William S. Wooton, Caleb Johnson, Mahlon Perry, Abbie Trueblood, Orvil Jones, Howard Brown, Thomas Brown, Robert Pretlow, Sarah M. Hadley, Hannah Pratt Jessup, Zeno Doane, Fred Smith, David Hadley, Willis Bond. The church has never failed to sustain a regular means of grace, and has always maintained a good Sunday school. The present membership is con- siderably over one hundred.
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Other churches of this denomination in Hendricks county are at Bridge- port, Fairfield, Union Hill, three miles south of Plainfield, and Hadley.
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
St. Malachy's Catholic church at Brownsburg is first written upon the records under the date of August 26, 1867, and this was made by Rev. D. J. McMullen, through whose efforts the church building was constructed. Very Rev. Aug. Bessonies was there February 20, 1869, and the first resident priest began his work there on October 2d of that same year. He was suc- ceeded after a time by Rev. Dennis O'Donavan. The latter served some years at this point and then exchanged with Rev. Thomas Logan, of Green- castle, where he remained a year or two. Returning in 1877, he found the parish in debt for certain improvements made by Father Logan and O'Dona- van denied the validity of the debt. Bishop Chatard took the opposite view and to secure the creditors gave a mortgage on the church property. Fa- ther O'Donovan contested the right of the Bishop to do this and the court decided for the latter. The Bishop then asked and obtained from the su- preme court a writ of ejectment against the priest, who also lost a subse- quent suit for fifty thousand dollars damages for loss of employment, etc. During these troubles mass was regularly held at private houses or in a rented hall by Revs. Patrick Shepherd, Casper Seiler. Charles Curran and E. J. Spelman. The first church was built in 1900, at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars. The fine new structure recently completed has cost thirteen thousand dollars. Father John A. Walsh is the pastor and the congregation numbers eighty families.
OTHER CHURCHES.
The first religious meetings in Franklin township were held by the New Lights and John Smart and Thomas Woods did the preaching. This de- nomination organized a church at Orsburn's horse mill, which was the most noted place in the township until 1835. At this mill the Christian church was organized by Thomas Lockhart in 1832.
A Lutheran church at Pecksburg was organized in the sixties. Will- iam Tinster preached for several years and in 1882 removed to Mud Creek. This church is not active at present.
A Holiness society exists at Cartersburg, with twelve members and in charge of Rev. George Stephenson.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE BENCH AND BAR.
THE FIRST CIRCUIT COURT.
At the house of William Ballard, on October 25, 1824, was held the first term of the circuit court. Then the county was in the fifth judicial circuit. The presiding judge was William W. Wick, commissioned by Jona- than Jennings on January 2, 1822. The associate judges at the same time were Nathan Kirk and James Downard, whose commissions were issued by Governor William Hendricks on July 26, 1824. Levi Jessup was clerk of the court.
The men who acted as grand jurors this first session were Thomas R. Ballard, foreman, Daniel B. Tryer, Jesse Kellum, Pollard Baldwin, John Hawkins, David Demoss, Noah Bateman, John Fowler, John Ballard, James Thompson, Abijah Bray, Adin Ballard, Moses Alderson, Thomas Gilbert, David Ross and Samuel Jones. Jonathan Jessup was selected to attend to the grand jury. Hervey Gregg was the prosecuting attorney.
In this session of court Calvin Fletcher, Gabriel Jones, Mr. Johnson and Daniel B. Wick were admitted to the bar. On the following day Craven P. Heister was also admitted to practice as an attorney.
On this day the first case came up for trial. It was that of Joshua W. Redman vs. Benjamin Benson, for debt. This case was continued. James Brown vs. William H. Henton was then called and tried. This closed the October term, the next beginning in the following April.
On April 25th the first case was tried before a jury, being the case of Brown vs. Hinton, for debt. The men who composed the jury were James McClure, Abijah Pinson, Ezekiel Hornaday, John Leaman, John W. Bryant, James Dunn, Samuel Woodward, Stephen Cook, Thomas Lockhart, David Demoss, David Ballard and Robert Cooper. The result of the trial was a judgment in favor of the plaintiff for thirty dollars.
So ran the trials for a number of years after the establishment of the court. The first really important case was in February, 1827, against Samuel
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K. Barlow for killing George Matlock-charged with manslaughter. He was tried in August and sentenced to one year in the penitentiary, but he was granted a respite until the first day of the next term, Thomas Lockhart, Samuel Jessup, John Ballard and Abel Stanley giving a bond of three hun- dred dollars for his appearance.
FIRST PROBATE COURT.
The first probate court was held in Hendricks county in April, 1825, and Nathan Kirk and James Downard were associate judges. At this meeting the wills of Uriah Hults and William Ballard were admitted to probate.
JUDGES.
The list of judges who have served in the different courts of Hen- dricks county down to the present time will be found in the official sum- mary of county officers.
THE BAR.
James M. Gregg was one of the first active attorneys in Hendricks county. He was born in 1806 in Patrick county, Virginia, and came to Hen- dricks in 1830. After being employed as dry goods clerk by James J. Given in Danville for a season, he became a deputy in the county clerk's office. In 1834 he was made county surveyor, and was later elected to the office of county clerk. At the close of his term of office as clerk he began the prac- tice of law which he followed exclusively until his death with good success. He served one term in Congress, also one in the Legislature, and died in June, 1860.
Simon T. Hadley was another of the early attorneys in the county. He was born in North Carolina in 1801, taught school for a time, and in 1826 came to Hendricks county and settled in Danville. He filled the offices of clerk and recorder in this county, serving as both for seven years and as recorder alone for twenty-two years. He was president of the First Na- tional Bank in Danville for many years. Mr. Hadley never studied law as a profession, his practice being confined almost exclusively to probate mat- ters, conveyancing and the writing of contracts. He was so reasonable in his charge, and possessed so fully the confidence of the people of the county that it was not at all infrequent for a citizen and his wife to drive over muddy roads in a two-horse wagon fifteen or twenty miles to get Uncle Si- mon to write a deed or other simple contract.
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Christian C. Nave was also among the first and also among the most prominent of the Hendricks county lawyers. He was born in eastern Tennes- see in 1803. He was educated for the legal profession and in the fall of 183I, at the age of twenty-eight years, left his native state for Indiana on horseback and after some investigation and inspection, arrived and settled in Danville. December 17, 1831. He had traveled all the way from his eastern Tennessee home to Danville through the woods on horseback, and when he arrived his total belongings was his mount, a few articles of wearing apparel in his saddle bags, a copy of Blackstone's Commentaries, a pistol, and five dollars in money.
Before he had permanently located himself in the county seat of Dan- ville, he was called upon to defend, for a nominal fee, a citizen for the murder of his neighbor. It was Nave's opportunity and right well he recognized it. Being naturally of great energy and shrewdness, he at once set about the construction of a defense, in what was generally thought to be a desperate case, which resulted not only in his client's acquittal, but also in extending Mr. Nave's reputation as an able advocate throughout central Indiana and which served him well and brought him many good fees throughout his subsequent action and eventful career. He was the subject of many amusing anecdotes, never accused of wrong or unprofessional conduct. He led the Third Indiana Regiment into Mexico as colonel, was liberal and public spirited and died in Danville in 1884. He was unfaltering in the study and practice of his profession up to the hour of his death, in his eighty-second year, and in his last sickness had his daughter sit by his bedside and read to him all the current opinions of the supreme court as they appeared.
Leander M. Campbell, a Kentuckian, was admitted to the Hendricks county bar in 1854. He was an educated man, had been a previous school teacher. He had a remarkable memory and seemed always to have at hand, ready for immediate use, any legal principle or ruling that had ever before attracted his attention. His social qualities were of the very best and his acquaintance with the people of the county was so thorough that he used to say there was not a family living in the county for a period of five years that he could not tell its blood and marriage relations with all other families in the county.
In making up of juries and in the examination of witnesses this thorough acquaintance with the people was a great advantage he had over his opponents in a trial.
He was a forceful and lucid speaker, carrying always the air of sincerity
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and always put forth his best endeavor to win his cases in the circuit court. He disliked the supreme court and seldom appealed a case-seldom had an occasion to appeal, for he was renowned as a "verdict getter." He enjoyed up to the time of his death, in 1890, a large and lucrative practice in central Indiana and in his prime was generally regarded as the Napoleon of the Hendricks county bar.
Peter S. Kennedy, another Kentuckian, was contemporaneous with Mr. Campbell and was generally regarded as his yoke-fellow. He was a ripe lawyer, a good writer and really enjoyed presenting his argument to the supreme court better than to the circuit court or jury. In 1865 he moved with his family to Crawfordsville, where he spent the balance of his days.
In 1866 there came to the Hendricks county bar Jesse S. Ogden, a Virginian, who, for brilliancy in letters, eloquence in speech and loveableness in social intercourse, never had a superior, and perhaps never an equal, at this bar. Mr. Ogden left his mountain home in 1858 to seek his fortune in the West. He arrived in Danville in November, impecunious, but full of am- bition. His first job of work was to undertake, with a negro, to cut ten cords of wood for Levi Ritter for ten dollars. He entered the Danville Academy as janitor in 1859 and thus, in services, he paid his tuition for two school years and until August, 1861, when he left his school and enlisted in the Seventh Indiana Infantry. On the 22d of March, 1862, at the battle of Winchester, Virginia, he received a severe wound in the right hand-in fact, three of his fingers were literally carried away with a minie ball and thus he was disqualified for further army service. He returned to Danville, was elected recorder of the county and while serving in that capacity spent his idle hours in reading law. He subsequently attended law school at Indian- apolis and was admitted to the bar in 1866 and took up the practice of law as his life work. He at once took high rank at the bar and was elected prose- cuting attorney in 1870. He was a hard worker and a close thinker and seldom went before court or jury without having the merits of his case and the law well in hand and also his course of procedure and the points in his argument fully determined. His eloquence was not excelled in central Indi- ana. Its excellence consisted chiefly in its grace of delivery, sweet musical voice and superb selection of his words. He spoke with ease and energy, without being boisterous, and never put himself forward or overtaxed his andience. In 1869 he formed a partnership for the practice of his profession, with his friend and comrade in the army, John V. Hadley, which partnership continued happily and profitably until Mr. Ogden's death, on February 20, 1897, in the thirty-eighth year of his age.
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Many other members of the local bar deserve special mention, but space forbids. The bar from the beginning has always maintained, for strength and character, a high place among the bars of the state. It has been uni- formly composed of citizens of high character-enterprising, moral, debt paying, temperate, with a very rare exception and strictly honorable with the court and with each other professionally. It has always been held that a promise or statement of fact to an opposing attorney relative to a pending cause was as binding as an order of the court. Except in cases where oppos- ing counsel desires the facts relied on in the record preparatory to an appeal, an affidavit for a continuance or other matter is unknown to the Danville bar. If delay is desired the counsel desiring appears before the court in the presence of his opponent and states his reasons for the request. The request is often resisted, but the facts as stated upon which it rests are never called in question. The effect is that the bar is always on the most friendly terms.
Quite a number who had their early and first training at the Danville bar afterwards became eminent lawyers and jurists elsewhere. Solomon Blair, William Irvin, Joshua G. Adams and Newton M. Taylor were after- ward elected to the bench in Indianapolis. Richard B. Blake was the first judge elected to the superior bench in the city of Spokane under the organ- ization of the state of Washington and continued thereon for years and until he voluntarily resigned to take up in the city a general practice more lucrative. Enoch G. Hogate was called years ago to become dean of the law school of the State University where he still presides with great credit to himself and profit to the young men under his instructions.
John V. Hadley was the first member of the local bar elected to the circuit bench, then composed of Marion and Hendricks counties. He was first elected in the fall of 1886, re-elected in 1892, elected to the state supreme bench in 1898 and re-elected to the latter in 1904, and voluntarily retired therefrom January 2, 191I.
Thomas J. Cofer, by appointment and election, occupied the local circuit bench from the fall of 1898 to the fall of 1906.
James L. Clark was elected in 1906 to succeed Judge Cofer and in January, 1913, was appointed by the governor to the public utilities com- mission and is now serving thereon with much credit for fairness and com- mercial comprehension.
George W. Brill was elected in 1912 to succeed Judge Clark and is now occupying the bench with ability and general satisfaction.
The Hendricks County Bar Association is now composed of the following
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gentlemen : Thad S. Adams, Levi A. Barnett, Edgar M. Blessing, James L. Clark, Thomas J. Cofer, Zimri Dougan, James A. Downard, George E. Easley, S. A. Enloe, Fred D. Ensminger, D. P. Etris. William J. Goff, Otis E. Gulley, Horace L. Hanna, Geo. C. Harvey, Drennen Harvey, George Harvey, Jr., C. L. Hollowell, Robert T. Hollowell, John Hume, C. E. Gaston, J. W. Nichols, George T. Pattison, Charles V. Sears, J. P. Snodgrass, John C. Taylor, John W. Trotter, Alf. Walters, and William Westerfield.
CHAPTER XXII.
EDUCATION.
The growth of education in Hendricks county has been very rapid. From the very beginning of the county until the present day the thought of education has been a predominate one. The first settler thought of the learn- ing which should be imparted to his child and until the day of school houses, or the teacher who "boarded around," the child drew his letters at his mother's knee. Of the early schools and school houses there are many interesting things which have been written. The sturdy beech trees for the most part supplied the material from which the first school houses were constructed. The walls were built of the trunks, the puncheon floors, log seats and desks arranged around the wall were likewise split from the trunk of forest trees. Heat was forthcoming from a huge fireplace at one end of the cabin ; windows were opened by sawing out sections of logs and placing in the opening a rude sash, with oiled paper in place of glass.
The course of study provided by the stern pedagogue was nearly as crude as the house in which he taught. Geography, reading, spelling and arithmetic and writing were the standard subjects and whenever a pupil exhibited a dis- like to them he was often helped over the difficulty by the beech rod, which reposed on two pegs above the master's desk. It is told that many of the early masters were possessed of very little more knowledge of their subjects than the pupils. Many a bright youngster came to grief because he took ex- ceptions to assertions of his teacher.
FIRST SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTY.
In the summer of 1823 two school houses had been built, one of them in Liberty township, half a mile south of Cartersburg, and the other on Thomas Lockhart's land in Guilford township. William Hinton and Abijah Pinson were engaged as teachers. In 1824 a school was taught in Danville by Wesley Mckinley. The first school in Eel River township was taught about 1829 in a house a half mile southeast of North Salem, by William Dewitt. It was said this man had fled from New Orleans for some crime, joined a
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pirate vessel, and with it sailed more than once around the world, finally leaving the vessel to seek a new life in the North. He was a man of intel- ligence and one of the best of the pioneer instructors. He died in North Salem, it is said, at the unusual age of one hundred and fifteen years. The first school in Franklin township was taught in 1831 by Judiah White, one mile south of Stilesville. The district consisted of two townships. Thomas Barker was successor to White in this school. He was a good teacher, but somewhat fond of "red-eye." Often, at noon recess, he would go to the village and return in an intoxicated condition and then would devote the after- noon to amusing the scholars by his antics. In 1831 Eli Lee taught the first school in Stilesville, in connection with his trade of shoemaker. Alfred Lineberry taught the first school in Middle township in 1835 on Samuel Hill's farm, for ten dollars per month.
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