USA > Indiana > Henry County > History of Henry County, Indiana > Part 23
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Among the settlers of 1819 we may name Asahel Woodard ( who always claimed to have raised the first crop of corn ever secured by a white man in this county ), Andrew Shannon, Alan Shepherd, -Whittinger, David Cray, George Hobson and William Shan- non, all of whom located in Henry Township in 1819; Benjamin Harvey, William Harvey, Uriah Bulla, John Harris, Samuel Howard and Bartley Benbow, in Prairie Township. The earliest settlers in Wayne Township are believed to have been Daniel and Asa Heaton, 1819 or 1820; in Spiceland, Daniel Jackson, Solomon Byrkett, Thomas Greenstreet and others; in Franklin, Moses Keens, George and Charles See and Achilles Morris, about 1821; John Huff and a man named Carter were the first in Dudley; Elisha Long, Thomas R. Stanford, John Leavell and others, in Liberty; Jacob Woods, Samuel Pickering and others, in 1821, in Greensboro; Dempsey Reese and Roderick Craig, 1822, in Harrison; John Hodgson, Andrew Blount, John Good, and others, about 1822, in Stony Creek; the Keeslings, John, Jacob, George, Peter and David, William Stewart, and others, in Fall Creek about 1824; Samue Beavers, Anthony Sanders, James Marsh and others, about 1824, in Jefferson; Michael Conway, the Wilsons, Joseph Corey and others, in Blue River Township, about 1823.
Of course the early settlers labored under many disadvantages; but it is unlikely that any of them ventured thus far into what was then " the wild West," with the hope of finding their pathway strewn with roses. They were blessed with strength and health, and, better than all, with good courage; and sustained by the hope of " a good time coming," could cheerfully and manfully work early and late. Humble as their work may appear when attention is given to its details, there was, nevertheless, an element of
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heroism in it. Men of stout hearts, strong arms and determined spirits have already been in the vanguard in the army of progress. The axes of the backwoodsmen have cleared the road; civilization follows them. The work of the early settlers was a noble work and the memory of it deserves to be perpetuated.
The pioneers of Henry County usually found the lands they had selected covered with a dense growth of timber. After construct- ing a temporary shelter of poles and bark for his family, the farmer took his ax and hoe and proceeded to clear a small spot of ground, or at least to clear it enough so that a small crop of corn could be raised. Wheat, being less hardy, he did not usually attempt to raise until the ground had been planted to corn a few times. As a result corn-bread and wild game with little variation constituted the bill of fare in the settler's household. It was not an easy thing to secure corn meal, even if he had plenty of corn. The early mills were not numerous, nor was their capacity at all extensive. Frequently a dry season would leave every " tub mill " and " corn cracker" in a settlement as dry as the sands of the desert. Then long journeys on horseback must be undertaken to the nearest settlement which had a mill in running order. The roads of those days were mere paths, marked by blazed trees, and very difficult for one not accustomed to them to follow.
In the matter of clothing there was as much simplicity as in food. Every article worn by the family was spun, woven, cut and made by members of the household. Flax and wool made com- fortable and durable garments, good enough to wear on any occasion. Deer-skins were sometimes tanned and fashioned into clothing for men and boys.
For amusements there was no lack. Raisings, log-rollings, huskings and similar gatherings were constantly occurring and were usually well attended. On these occasions whisky was used liberally; sometimes it made great "fun " for the assemblage; at other times it was productive of fights which were also regarded in the light of pleasurable diversion. Visiting was far more fre- quent between neighbors then than now; and any one who lived within half a dozen miles was considered a neighbor. There was a genuine fraternal and helpful spirit prevalent between families; feuds and jealousies were rare. All were in about the same con- dition financially, that is, all were poor, and all stood on equal social footing. Many an early settler, looking back upon that period when his struggles and hardships were greatest, has been heard to declare that those were the happiest days of his life.
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To the hunter Henry County afforded about every kind of game found in this State. Many derived considerable revenue from the results of the chase, while others followed it from inclination, and sometimes from necessity. In 1827 and probably in other years the county paid a bounty on wolf-scalps-$1 for the scalp of a wolf over six months old, and 50 cents for the scalp of a young wolf.
As the settlements grew rapidly, it was not long before each neighborhood began to take on the ways of civilization; they had schools, occasional preaching, and in other things became like the rest of the world, from which they were no longer estranged.
The Indians, whom the earliest settlers of Henry County found still occupying the land which they were reluctantly compelled to yield to the whites, were members of the Delaware tribe. As, by the terms of the treaty of 1818, they were not required to leave the county at once some of them lingered until their white neigh- bors became quite numerous. The early settlers found them peaceable and friendly, and by no means proud. They were not above begging food or " fire-water," but were not given to thiev- ing. Several who lived among them declared that they kept all promises they made with scrupulous fidelity. They were some what uncleanly in their habits, and were much given to gluttony, when viands were furnished at the white man's expense. The settlers wisely treated them with kindness and hospitality, and, so far as known, these friendly relations continued until the remnant of the Indians took their final departure from the county, in 1821.
OLD SETTLERS' MEETINGS.
The first of an interesting series of pioneer reunions in Henry County was held on the fair grounds near New Castle, in 1871, that year being the semi-centennial anniversary of the organiza- tion of the county. The call for the meeting extended a cordial invitation to all citizens of the county, and especially to those who came here prior to 1825. The committee of invitation were Judge M. L. Bundy, Dempsey Reese and Joseph R. Leakley.
On Thursday, Aug. 10, 1871, a large audience assembled at the appointed place. Judge Bundy was chosen President and Eli Mur- phey, Secretary of the meeting. The president then delivered an able and impressive address of welcome, from which we quote the concluding paragraphs :
" The old settlers cannot fail to remember how difficult and in-
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convenient it was to get their corn and wheat manufactured into meal and flour. It was a dreary road to West River and Shuck's mill, but their subsistence demanded frequent visits to that remote region for grinding grain. Hominy was good for every day use, but the luxury of wheat bread and 'store tea' by those who could afford it must be had. The spice brush and sassafras, so abundant in the forest, afforded a pleasant and cheap beverage for every-day use, but a change was often desired by those who · would afford it for Sunday. The era of steam flouring mills with a capacity to manufacture 150 barrels in a day had not arrived, nor would such mills then have been desirable for the county because such a mill would have been able to grind all the wheat raised in the county in less than a week. Wheat was not cultivated as an article of commerce, the farmer raising only for his own consumption. The chief articles of commerce were 'coon' skins and ginseng. And there are ladies perhaps in the sound of my voice who were enabled to purchase their first calico dress by digging and selling ginseng. Many persons paid their axes by the bounty on wolf-scalps and had money left. I have often heard that a wolf-scalp was a lawful tender for a marriage license to the clerk of the court. We must not conclude, however, that the children born of such a marriage were any more wolverine than their neighbors.
" In the early settlement of all new countries the people are dependent upon each other for favors, and are more sociable and more inclined to help one another than they are in older com- munities where society, as wealth increases, becomes more artificial and less dependent one upon the other. Did a man refuse to help his neighbor roll logs or raise his barn or house, when requested, he was at once put out of the pale of society. Such instances, however, were rare in the early settlements of this county. To clear the land and prepare it for cultivation was the first duty of the pioneer, and this required the help of all.
" The old settlers have met to-day to celebrate the fiftieth year since the organization of the county. I have not time to say more than to simply allude to the vast improvements which have taken place during this half century. At the organization of the county, there was not a railroad in the world which used steam- power. The lightning of heaven had not been subdued and ren- dered subservient to the use of man. Steam navigation was in its infancy. There was not a reaper or a mower or threshing machine
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in the world, but agriculture was carried on by ill-contrived im- plements. Considering the vast improvements, moral and phys- ical, we have reason to be thankful that Providence has assigned our existence to the nineteenth century.
"In concluding my remarks I commend to the gray-haired veterans around me, whose sands of life are well-nigh run out, the lines of the gifted poetess, Phœbe Cary, who a few days ago left this world to try the realities of the world to come. I ask your careful attention while I read, for every line speaks a volume:
"' NEARER HOME.
"'One sweetly solemn thought Comes to me o'er and o'er: I am nearer my home to-day Than I ever have been before.
"' Nearer my Father's house, Where the many mansions be, Nearer the great white throne, Nearer the crystal sea.
"' Nearer the bound of life Where we lay our burdens down,
Nearer leaving the cross, Nearer gaining the crown.
" ' But the waves of that silent sea Roll dark beyond my sight, That brightly on the other side Break on a shore of light.
"' Oh! if my mortal feet Have almost gained the brink,
If it be I am nearer home Even to-day than I think,-
"' Father, perfect my trust ; Let my spirit feel in death That her feet are firmly set On the rock of living faith.' "
The address of welcome was followed by "Auld Lang Syne," sung with effect by the choir and audience.
Benjamin Harvey, a veteran of eighty-seven years, fifty-two years a resident of Henry County, then sang the old hymn, "Jesus, my all, to heaven has gone." This incident was very touching; the old man, leaning upon his crutches; the throng of gray-headed men around him; his trembling yet melodious voice giving utterance
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to the familiar words of the old-time hymn, all produced a marked effect upon the audience, and will never be forgotten by those who were present.
Next upon the programme was a picnic dinner, to which all did ample justice. In the afternoon the exercises were resumed in the presence of a larger audience. The people listened with eager attention while Mr. Parker, the poet of the day, delivered the following able production:
THE PIONEER. BY BENJAMIN S. PARKER.
His form is bent; his head is gray ; His limbs are long and slender ; But still, beneath his woolen vest, The heart is true and tender.
His comrades long are in the clay, Their wooden head-boards rotten, And in the modern neighborhood, Their very names forgotten.
He walks serenely through the field, Old shadows seem to follow ; Again he sees the tawny deer Go leaping down the hollow.
He hears once more the rifle's ring, The hunters shouting gladly, On yonder hill the wounded bear, Go leaping down the hollow.
He hears the pheasant's booming drum ; He hears the turkey calling ; The thudding maul, the ringing ax, The crash of timber falling.
He sees the little cabin home, The tiny patch of clearing, . Where once he dwelt with wife and boys, No breath of evil fearing.
" Ah ! well," he sighs; " she's sleeping now ; The eldest boys are with her; I verv soon shall go with them, Since they may come not hither."
The tear that glistens in his eye Falls down a moment after; For, silvery, echoing up the lane, He hears his grandchild's laughter.
The past and present strangely blend Before his mental vision ; Yet love, that makes the dreary worlds Appear like fields Elysian,
Still paints along his early days The fairest scenes of pleasure, And garners stores of happy thought No rythmic art can measure.
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No words bespeak the heart so warm As did the backwoods greeting ; No preacher has such power as he Who held the backwoods meeting.
He knows of many a merry time At reaping, rolling, raising, Or in the jolly husking nights With cheerful torches blazing.
From many a good-wife's quilting bout He treasures homespun blisses, Where old folks talked, and young folks played Their game of forfeit kisses.
The lazy Indian still he scorns; Their squaws and their papooses- The things God made them, but no doubt For undiscovered uses.
Where now a dozen turnpikes stretch Stiff lines between the meadows, He knew a single Indian trail That wound through forest shadows.
A dozen villages he sees Beside their railroad stations,
Where once a single trading post Supplied the settlers' rations.
A hundred rushing trains go by ; He hears them scream and thunder, And laughs to think how they would shake His backwoods world with wonder.
How strange the ways they practice now, This new time emphasizing, He thinks, and with the uttered thought Grows loud, soliloquizing :
With clattering instruments at church, And dapper youngsters preaching, And for the congregation's hymn A dozen lasses screeching.
" And then, for all the social joys And good old-fashioned greetings, The sinners mask at fancy balls, The saints, at public meetings.
" You rest at ease in fancy homes, Your thoughts on high careering, But give mne back my wife and boys And give me back my clearing.
" And give me back my rifle gun, My forests, deer and pheasants, And I will prove you, any day, As tame as British peasants.
" Your girls grow fine, your boys grow proud And vain-Oh! more's the pity. There's scarce a youth in all the land But's crazy 'bout the city.
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It's true there's boys that grow up now- Pale, sick, unlikely creatures, With foreheads broad and dwindled limbs, And strange unnatural features,
Who might be doctors if they would, Or preach, without much learning, But all the stoutest, brightest ones Should steady stick to farming.
" Give me the lad with sinewy arm For box or wrestle ready, To lift his share at handspike end Or hold a rifle steady,
And I will after show a man, Whose heart is tender, human, And brave in every hour of need, And true as steel to woman.
" But I-why should I moralize ? I'm but a dotard growing, And death cuts now a reaper's swath Beside his ancient mowing.
" It seem so strange- the forests gone, The very stumps are rotten ; And half the fields I helped to clear I've really now forgotten.
" The post-horse, lagging with his load Across th' unbridged morasses, He reached us once or twice a month With letters for the lasses.
" But now they run on flying wheels, Or fly on lightning pinions, And in the twinkling of an eye Arrive from far dominions.
" For church and school-house, once a hut Of logs did half the county, But Heaven as freely, then as now, Dispensed her largest bounty.
" We flailed the wheat with twisted sticks; By steam you thresh and clean it, And rush your four-horse reapers where We used to hook and glean it.
" But why go on this cat'logue style Of what we did and you do ? We did the best we could -- and that's The way in knowledge you grew.
" The old folks labored long and well To build the rude foundation, And you have wrought no more than we With all your cultivation.
" We conquered forests, cleared the land; Our work, let no man scorn it; But you who follow, follow well; Complete, refine, adorn it.
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" The olden music, the olden songs, The pioneer rejoicings, Still linger on my listening ear With myriad happy voicings.
" No wives are like our dear old wives, No neighbors like our neighbors, No boys one half as bold as ours, So cheerful at their labors ;
" No ladies in their rustling silks And gimcracks, half so winning As were our girls in linsey frocks From yarn of their own spinning.
" Full many a rough, unseemly man, Who shared my early labor, Looks noble through the mists of years, For was he not my neighbor ?
" And so when all your heads are white, And Death comes creeping nearer,
You'll think the old ways perfect ways- Old friends grow hourly dearer."
A partridge whistled by the way, A blackbird trilled above it,
A redbird sang "O, sunny day!" The robin, "How I love it! "
" Oh! " cried the pioneer; " you birds Are bent on early pillage; "
And so, his musings spoiled, he walked Quite briskly toward the village.
The poem was followed by a short historical sketch by Mr. Mar- tindale; reminiscences by Dempsey Reese (seventy-four years of age and over fifty years a resident of the county); Mr. Laughlin, of Rush County, who claimed to have brought the first through mail to Henry County; Colonel Miles Murphey; Caleb Wickersham, aged ninety-two; Judge Elliott and others. The meeting then adjourned to meet one year later. Many interesting relics from home and abroad were exhibited, and, on the whole, the celebration was a very enjoyable one.
On the 4th of July of the Centennial year (1876) there was a celebration in New Castle largely attended by the old settlers. Colo- nel Miles Murphey, president of the meeting, delivered the open- ing address. He was followed by Hon. M. L. Bundy with "The History of Henry County," Rev. M. Mahin, D.D., General Grose and Judge Mellett.
A picnic, attended by many pioneers, was held at New Castle, Aug. 25, 1883. The exercises were very interesting, and many choice relics of the olden time were brought forth and exhibited.
THE LOG CABIN.
After arriving and selecting a suitable location, the next thing to do was to build a log cabin, a description of which may be inter-
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esting to many of our younger readers, as in some sections these old-time structures are no more to be seen. Trees of uniform size were chosen and cut into logs of the desired length, generally 12 to 15 feet, and hauled to the spot selected for the future dwelling. On an appointed day the few neighbors who were available would assemble and have a " house-raising." Each end of every log was saddled and notched so that they would lie as close down as possi- ble; the next day the proprietor would proceed to "chink and daub " the cabin, to keep out the rain, wind and cold. The house had to be re-daubed every fall, as the rains of the intervening time would wash out a great part of the mortar. The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by shortening the logs gradually at each end of the building near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout poles suitable distances apart, generally about two and a half feet, from gable to gable, and on these poles were laid the " clap- boards " after the manner of shingling, showing about two and a half feet to the weather. These clapboards were fastened to their place by " weight poles," corresponding in place with the joists just described, and these again were held in their place by "runs " or " knees," which were chunks of wood about 18 or 20 inches long fitted between them near the ends. Clapboards were made from the nicest oaks in the vicinity, by chopping or sawing them into four-foot blocks and riving these with a frow, which was a simple blade fixed at right angles to its handle. This was driven into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down through the wood, the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end being held by a forked piece of timber.
The chimney to the Western pioneer's cabin was made by leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cut- ting one after the structure was up, and by building on the out- side from the ground up, a stone column, or a column of sticks and mud, the sticks being laid up cob-house fashion. The fire-place thus made was often large enough to receive fire-wood six to eight feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the " back-log," would be nearly as large as a saw-log. The more rapidly the pioneer could burn up the wood in his vicinity the sooner he had his little farm cleared and ready for cultivation. For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of one of the wall logs, and the hole closed sometimes by glass, but generally with greased paper. Even greased deer-hide was sometimes used. A doorway was cut
John Real e. D.
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through one of the walls if a saw was to be had; otherwise the door would be left by shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinning clapboards to two or three wood bars, and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with catch, then finished the door, and the latch was raised by any one on the outside by pulling a leather string. For security at night this latch-string was drawn in; but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the " latch-string was always hanging out," as a welcome. In the interior, over the fire-place would be a shelf, called "the mantel," on which stood the candlestick or lamp, some cooking and table ware, possibly an old clock, and other articles; in the fire- place would be the crane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood; on it the pots were hung for cooking; over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever trustful rifle and powder-horn; in one corner stood the larger bed for the " old folks," and under it the trundle bed for the children; in another stood the old-fashioned spinning-wheel, with a smaller one by its side; in another the heavy table, the only table, of course, there was in the house; in the remaining corner was a rude cupboard holding the table-ware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers and blue-edged plates, standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous; while around the room were scattered a few splint-bottomed or Windsor chairs and two or three stools.
These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true-hearted people. They were strangers to mock modesty, and the traveler, seeking lodgings for the night, or desirous of spending a few days in the community, if willing to accept the rude offering, was always welcome, although how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily imagine; for, as described, a single room was made to answer for kitchen, dining-room, sitting-room, bed-room and parlor, and many families consisted of six or eight members.
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS.
The bed was very often made by fixing a post in the floor about six feet from one wall and four feet from the adjoining wall, and fastening a stick to this post about two feet above the floor, on each of two sides, so that the other end of each of the two sticks could be fastened in the opposite wall; clapboards were laid across these, and thus the bed was made complete. Guests were given this bed, while the family disposed of themselves in another corner of the room, or in the " loft." When several guests were on hand
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at once, they were sometimes kept over night in the following manner: when bed-time came the men were requested to step out of doors while the women spread out a broad bed upon the mid- floor, and put themselves to bed in the center; the signal was given and the men came in and each husband took his place in bed next his own wife, and the single men outside beyond them again. They were generally so crowded that they had to lie "spoon" fashion, and when any one wished to turn over he would say "Spoon," and the whole company of sleepers would turn over at once. This was the only way they could all keep in bed.
COOKING.
To witness the various processes of cooking in those days would alike surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cooking stoves and ranges came into use. Kettles were hung over the large fire, suspended with pot-hooks, iron or wooden, on the crane, or on poles, one end of which would rest upon a chair. The long- handled frying-pan was used for cooking meat. It was either held over the blaze by hand or set down upon coals drawn out upon the hearth. This pan was also used for baking pan-cakes, also called "flap-jacks," " batter-cakes," etc. A better article for this, how- ever, was the cast-iron spider or Dutch skillet. The best thing for baking bread those days, and possibly even yet in these latter days, was the flat-bottomed bake kettle, of greater depth, with closely fitting cast-iron cover, and commonly known as the “ Dutch- oven." With coals over and under it, bread and biscuit would quickly and nicely bake. Turkey and spare ribs were sometimes roasted before the fire, suspended by a string, a dish being placed underneath to catch the drippings.
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