History of Henry County, Indiana, Part 80

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 996

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James Murry, son of William and Mary (Boles) Murry, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., July 19, 1813. He was reared on a farm and educated in the subscription school. He acquired

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sufficient education to enable him to teach and taught during the winter months ten or twelve years. He was married Nov. 19, 1835, to Catharine Taylor, and settled in Wayne County, Ind., but a year later removed to Henry County, and in the spring of 1837 located on a farm which his father had entered from the Govern- ment, and by industry and good management brought it under a good state of cultivation. He lived there forty-six years, and then sold it and bought a smaller place, where he now lives. To him and his wife were born eight children, but four of whom are living -Frank W., Samuel T., Alford L. and Laura E. The deceased are-Mary A., Helen M., Viretta J. and Alice. His sons were all in the late war. Frank enlisted Sept. 20, 1861, in the Thirty-sixth Indiana Infantry, and participated in the battle of Pittsburg Land- ing, where he was wounded in the right elbow. He received a furlough of sixty days, and at the end of that time was discharged. Samuel enlisted in 1863 in the Eighty-fourth Indiana Infantry, and was discharged in June, 1865, serving most of the time as assistant in the hospital. Alford served as a substitute for Ellis Hodson, remaining the greater part of the time in Indianapolis, and was discharged in June, 1865. Mr. Murry is politically a Republican. He served one term as County Assessor, and has held several minor offices. He is not a member of any church, but is a liberal supporter of anything that tends to the welfare of the community. He has always been a temperance man and is a strong advocate of the principles of prohibition.

William Murry was born in 1786, in Pennsylvania. His early life was spent on a farm, receiving a common-school education. After his marriage he settled in Westmoreland County, Pa., re- maining there twelve years, and in October, 1813, removed to Brown County, Ohio. In 1826 he moved to Highland County, Ohio, and in 1832 to Wayne County, Ind., where he bought eighty acres of land of Henry Warren. He also entered 320 acres from the Government, in Henry County, and 160 acres in Delaware County, Ind. He remained in Wayne County five years, keeping the county poor-house while there, and then moved to Henry County. He was married in his twenty-third year to Mary Boles, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1785. They were members of the Presbyterian church, and were among the first members of the church in Stony Creek Township. He purchased the land and helped build the first church in the township, and also gave the land for a cemetery, his wife being the first person buried there.

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She died in 1838. To them were born ten children; but five are living-Cornelius, James, Jane, Rosana and Sarah A. Those de- ceased are-David, Ralph V., William, Mary and Elizabeth. In 1842 Mr. Murry married Martha Swan. He was a soldier in the war of 1812; and a son, Ralph V., was in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting in Wells County, Ind., in the 100 days' service. He died in December, 1883, aged sixty-two years.

Rev. John T. Newhouse was born April 1, 1847, in Columb a, Fayette County, Ind. In 1850 his parents moved to Henry County. On the breaking out of the Rebellion his two elder brothers enlisted and he was left to take care of his parents. They moved to Muncie, Delaware County, where he was employed in various kinds of business and made a comfortable living till the close of the war when his brother returned home and assumed the care of his parents. Mr. Newhouse married Emma Fisher, of Delaware County, and soon after his marriage returned to Henry County. He was converted and joined the Christian church and four years later was licensed to preach, and since then engaged in the active work of the ministry. He has been successful in his calling and has been the means of adding 1,500 to the church. He now has charge of four churches, receiving a salary of $700. His postoffice address is Blountsville, Ind.

Andrew Peirce was born in Blount County, Tenn., Feb. 22, 1812, a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Anderson) Peirce. His father was born in North Carolina, near the border line of Tennes- see, in 1785. He was married to Elizabeth Anderson, in Green County, Va., and subsequently moved to Blount County, Tenn., remaining there eleven years. In the fall of 1822 they moved to Wayne County, Ind., settling near Hagerstown, and remained there till after the mother's death in 1856, when the father sold his farm to the youngest son, Isaac, and came to Henry County, where he died April 23, 1863. There was a family of six children --- Thomas, Andrew, Sarah E., Henry, Ezra and Isaac. Our subject received his education in the primitive log school-house, where only spelling, reading and the rudiments of arithmetic were taught. He remained at home till twenty-three years of age when he married Fanny Brown. He rented land a year and then moved . to Madison County and settled three miles north of Pendleton on land of his own. In 1837 he returned to Wayne County and bought a saw-mill which he ran six years. In 1846 he bought land in Henry County and subsequently made various purchases

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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.

and sales of land. In 1863 his wife died and he sold all his land in Henry County, intending to move West, but changing his mind bought again in this county. He was married in 1864 to M. J. Southwick. They have no children. To his first marriage were born nine children-Isaac W., Julia, Elisha H., Thomas, Elizabeth, James, Nehemiah, Eunice and Lorenzo D. Mr. Peirce has paid taxes in Henry County thirty-eight years and has never let a cent run delinquent. He has served his county and township in some of the public offices. Politically he was originally a Whig, but since its formation has affiliated with the Republican party. He has always been a strong temperance man, and is now in favor of prohibition.

W. C. Pidgeon, eldest son of Jesse and Mary Pidgeon, was born in District No. 1, Blue River Township, March 22, 1855. His father, a hard-working, industrious farmer, had settled almost in the unbroken forest of the township; so when William opened his eyes for the reception of light and knowledge, his horizon was not far distant from the log house in which he was born. There was plenty of work in those times, grubbing, picking brush, burn- ing logs, etc .; thus he was early inured to labor, getting a pretty good idea of the hardships of pioneer life, thereby learning a lesson which has been of inestimable value to him in his manhood years, viz .: "There is no royal road to success in life." His ear- liest recollections are of picking brush, deadening the forest trees and fighting "yaller jackets," ditching, sawing, etc. His life thus early was in no wise different from that of other boys in his neighborhood. In the summer of 1864 his father had a boy hired to help him tend the corn crop. William would follow and want to plow day after day, until finally he declared he could plow as well as the hired hand; so the hired man was given up and he went bravely at the work, receiving many a sore shin from spring- ing roots, chuck in the ribs or under the chin from the plow- handle, etc., but he stuck bravely to it from that time forth. The years came and went, with the same routine of work; the horizon gradually widened, letting more sunshine to the earth and into the house. His winters were spent in the district school where he · distinguished himself by his progress and application to study. " At night as we sat around the blazing fire, father would help us ' do our sums,' then pronounce to us from the dictionary in which mother would join the children, and all spell for head. These were happy times," so wrote he years afterward. At the age of

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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.

thirteen he had mastered the branches then taught in the district school. Cyrus Hodgin, at this time, opened a graded school at Hopewell, Dudley Township, to which he was sent, working night and morning and the last of the week to pay his board, his father paying the tuition. At this place, and in the same way, he spent three winter terms of six months each, working for his father dur- ing the summer. During the eighteen months' schooling at this place he was tardy but once, and that was the first morning, and never absent. Such were his father's habits of promptness that rain or shine, hot or cold, his boy was always found at his place in school. He next attended Spiceland Academy, entering it the fall of 1871. Here he was noted for his quiet habits, thorough work and strict attention to his own business. Now, as formerly, he worked with his father in the summer, studying at home, thereby keeping up with his class. This was done for three years, and he was ready for the finishing term; but financial circum- stances rendered it necessary to do something else; so he dropped out of his class, becoming Principal of a graded school at Spice- wood, Hamilton County, during the summer. The next winter 1874-'75, was spent in a school in Howard County, where he had a rough set of scholars in number fifty-five. That school put him oftentimes to his wits' end, but he proved himself equal to the oc- casion. That school gave a tinge to his government which has followed him ever since, and to-day it is known " he is strict," but deals justice to all, not forgetting mercy. He returned to the Academy the summer of 1875, finished its course, and carried home in triumph the diploma of the school. During the summers of 1877 and 1881 we find him again at Spiceland pursuing advanced studies, and teaching to pay his way. In the summer of 1876 he bore a diploma from Eastman's Business College, located at Pough- keepsie, on the Hudson. He visited New York City frequently while at Poughkeepsie. He often says "this was the pleasantest summer of his life." Mountains, rivers, cities and the ocean, with their impressions, will never be forgotten by the " Hoosier boy." On his homeward journey, in September, 1876, he visited Philadel- phia, " taking in " the " never to be forgotten sights " of the Cen- tennial. His life since then has been one of increased toil in the school-room, his only aim being to master his chosen profession. From early childhood his aspirations were to be a teacher, and rise through merited work to a higher place in the educational world. As school-boy, his father told him " if he spent his time fooling

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with the girls he would bring him home and put him to work. So fearful was he of having to leave school that he rarely was seen in the company of ladies, consequently was very bashful. In August, 1881, he was married to Carrie Benedict, whose acquaint- ance he had formed while teaching at Springport, her father's resi- dence. Her father's family came from Sullivan County, N. Y., to this county in 1875. A daughter, Edna Theresa, was born April 18, 1883. For the past two years he has been Principal of the Blounts- ville schools, where the same uniform success characterizes his work that has always followed his well-planned efforts. He is a member of the Society of Friends, in whose doctrine he is a firm believer; is an active Sabbath-school and temperance worker; would vote any day for Woman Suffrage and the total suppression of the liquor traffic. He has a library of nearly 200 volumes, in- cluding the American Cyclopedia, to which additions are fre- quently made. He is Republican in principle, but has not always supported the straight ticket; holds decided views on all points of general interest, from which he is not easily turned; believes in the centralization of school power as the only means of secur- ing the best results of our schools. Is working, watching, waiting, hoping for the time when parents will co-operate with teachers in securing good behavior from pupils, regardless of methods of pun- ishment.

G. W. Rees, tile manufacturer, was born March 20, 1827, in Delaware County, Ind., remaining with his parents till he was twenty-three years of age, when he was married to Mary Palsley. Of their eight children six are living-John R., Amanda A., Cas- sius M., Jacob B., Ollie and Mallie. Rebecca P. and William O. are deceased. After his marriage Mr. Rees lived in Delaware County about fifteen years, when he moved to Henry County, Ind., residing on a farm eight years. He then moved to Madison County, Ind., where he was engaged in the manufacture of tile five years, after which he returned to Henry County and estab- lished his present business. Mrs. Rees died June 20, 1871. Mr. Rees was again married Dec. 8, 1882, to Rachel Hyatt, who died Jan. 2, 1883. Mr. Rees has served two terms as VTownship Trus- tee. He is a member of Independence Lodge, No. 281, A. F. & A. M., of Grant County, Ind., and also belongs to Oneida Lodge, No. 81, Independent Order of Red Men. In politics Mr. Rees is a Republican. His parents were natives of West Virginia, and emigrated to Indiana in 1825, and settled on West River, above

Jacob HC Swearingen

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Hagerstown, where they remained only a few months. They then moved to Delaware County, Ind., where they resided till their death, which occurred, the father's April 1, 1864, and the mother's May 2, 1876.

Jacob H. Swearingen was born in Marion County, W. Va., in 1822, and at the age of nineteen was married to Mary Bechtelheimer, after which he lived on his father's farm in Henry County two years. He then moved to the farm in Stony Creek Township, where he has since resided. To Mr. and Mrs. Swearingen were born fourteen children, of whom four survive-Selina, Samuel B., Aaron and John B. Lerena and nine unmarried are deceased. His son Samuel B. enlisted in the spring of 1864, and was discharged at Indianapolis at the close of the war. Mrs. Swearingen died Dec. 28, 1864, and Nov. 26, 1865, Mr. Swearingen married Minerva Wilson, who died March 30, 1878. He was married to his present wife, Elizabeth Brown, Jan. 8. 1880. Mr. Swearingen owns and operates the only creamery in Henry County, which he established about two years ago. He has a capacity for churning 1,000 pounds per day, but the average at the present time is 100 pounds daily. He also has a dairy in connection with the creamery, milking at present forty-five cows, and shipping butter to several parts of the United States. He also owns 600 acres of excellent land in a high state of cultivation. Politically he is a Republican.

Henry C. Teetor, farmer, was born in Hagerstown, Wayne Co., Ind., July 25, 1862. His father, Zachariah Teetor, is a native of Indiana, and was reared on a farm, receiving no education till after his marriage. He was married in 1859 to Barbara Hoover, of Pennsylvania. They are the parents of seven children-John H., Henry C., Sarah E., Charles N., Joseph C., Emma F. and Benja- min F. After his marriage Mr. Teetor purchased a grist-mill in Hagerstown, which he carried on very successfully till September, 1883. He is an energetic business man, and held in high esteem by all who know him. His wife is a member of the German Bap- tist church. Our subject spent his early life with his parents, receiving a good business education in the public schools of Hagers- town. He worked in the grist-mill with his father till August, 1883, when he was married to Josephine Wright, and moved to a farm in Stony Creek Township, Henry Co., Ind. They have a good farm of thirty-two acres. Mr. Teetor is the champion bicycle rider of Indiana, and has taken several prizes at both State and county fairs.

Hagerstown

Perfect circle Piston Co.

CHAPTER XXIV.

WAYNE TOWNSHIP.

A WEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS TOWNSHIP .- ORGANIZATION. - FIRST OFFICERS .- FIRST LAND ENTRIES AND EARLY SETTLERS .- HEA- TON'S MILL .- WEST LIBERTY, AN EXTINCT VILLAGE .- THE VIL- LAGE OF RAYSVILLE. - KNIGHTSTOWN, THE SECOND TOWN IN IMPORTANCE IN HENRY COUNTY .- ITS ORIGIN AND HISTORY .- EARLY TIMES .- ATTEMPTS AT IMPROVEMENT .- THE FIRST RAIL- ROAD .- GROWTH. - PROSPERITY .- PRESENT BUSINESS INTERESTS. -SOCIETIES .- CHURCHES .- BIOGRAPHICAL.

Wayne Township, forming the southwestern corner of Henry County, has an undulating surface, good soil and excellent farming lands. It was settled early and has been steadily progressive and prosperous. It contains the wealthy town of Knightstown, and other villages of less importance which are mentioned hereafter. It is watered by Blue River, Montgomery Creek, Buck Creek and Six-Mile Creek.

In the record of the Commissioners' Court may be found the following entry, under the date June 11, 1822:

" Ordered by the board, that all that tract of land within the following boundaries shall form and constitute a new township, to be known and designated by the name and style of Wayne Town- ship, to wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of the west cor- ner of Dudley Township, and running thence west with the line dividing Rush and Henry counties, to the southwest corner of Henry County; thence north with the western boundaries of Henry County to the township line dividing townships 16 and 17, range 8, east; thence east on the line dividing townships 16 and 17, to the northwest corner of Dudley Township; thence south with the line of said township to the place of beginning. The said new township of Wayne shall from and after the first Saturday in July next enjoy all the rights and privileges and jurisdiction which to

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separate and independent townships do or may properly belong and appertain."

At the same date

"Ordered by the board, that an election be held on Saturday, the 6th day of July next, at the house of Joseph Watts, for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace for Wayne Township. Ordered still further by the board, that Abraham Heaton be ap- pointed inspector for said township."

The township as then formed was about eleven miles long by six in width, and included portions of the present townships of Frank- lin, Greensboro and Spiceland.

In 1825 the commissioners directed that elections for Wayne Township be held in future at the house of Prudence Jackson. In November, 1827, the place of election was changed from Mrs. Jackson's to Solomon Byrkett's; Jacob Parkhurst's house, Rays- ville, and then Knightstown became successively the election place of the township. The township officers in 1822 were: Elijah Mc- Cray, E. Hardin and Daniel Priddy, Constables; Ebenezer Goble and Samuel Furgason, Overseers of the Poor; Daniel Heaton, Shaphet McCray and Jacob Parkhurst, Fence Viewers.

The following persons made purchases of land in this township in the year 1821, at the dates given:

Aug. 11, Samuel Furgason; Aug. 13, Waitsel M. Cary, Abra- ham Heaton, Daniel Heaton, Samuel Carey, David Lauderback, Edward Patterson, William Macy, Jacob Parkhurst, Thomas Estell, Henry Ballenger, Isaac Pugh, Shaphet McCray; Aug. 14, David Dalrymple, William Criswell, Ebenezer Goble, Joseph Watts; Aug. 20, Samuel Goble, Stephen Cook; Aug. 22, John Daily; Aug. 23, Jacob Whitter; Sept. 18, John Freeland; Oct. 13, Charles Smith; Oct 31, Edmund Lewis, John Lewis.

Probably the first white men who resided in the township were Daniel and Asa Heaton, who were temporarily located at the site of Raysville and trading with the Indians as early as 1818. They became permanent settlers a little later. Samuel Furgason pur- chased the first land in the township, on the 11th of August, 1821. He built a log cabin at the mouth of Montgomery's Creek as early as 1820, and made enough money by hauling corn from the White- water to pay for his claim. Samuel Goble, who was a member ot the first Board of County Commissioners, had a cabin and ten acres of land partly cleared, as early as 1821. His land, however, was bought from under him by David Lauderback, who did not settle here.

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At the time the township was organized about forty families had located within its limits, most of them in the Heaton neighbor- hood.

Besides those above named, the following persons were either born in the township or settled in it at about the dates given : Benjamin Fort, Washington Lewis, P. C. Welborn, 1822; Geo. D. Porter, Edmund Lewis, 1823; Thomas Estell, Jr., J. I. Furgason, W. J. Welborn, 1824; S. R. Allee, Jacob Burris, W. H. Estell, Newton Wright, 1825; Jonathan Manlove, W. P. Manlove, Ga- briel Fort and Luther Dillee, 1826; Abraham Carey, Freeman Fort, 1827; W. H. Maxwell, John and Lewis Watson, Henry Watson, 1828; Robert Woods, J. M. Whitesell, M. D., James C. Ramsey, Job Hiatt, John Allee, David S. Heaton, 1829; Joseph Woods, Harvey Bell, Henry Shinn, 1830; John Sparks, Thomas Porter, Levi Stratton, Cyrus Willetts, James McColly and others were also early settlers.

One of the first grist-mills in the county was Abraham Heaton's, at the mouth of Buck Creek, which was in existence when the township was organized. It stood near the site afterward occu- pied by the White Mill. The second county road ordered by the commissioners ran from New Castle via Heaton's mill, along the Blue River Valley, to West Liberty. This and the old State road from Richmond to Indianapolis were for several years the only public roads in the township. Paths through the woods from house to house constituted the remainder of the traveled routes.

John Anderson, the founder of Raysville, was an early and prominent citizen, who, for a time, held the office of associate judge. He dug the mill-race for Abraham Heaton's mill, receiv- ing $100 for the job. He at once took the proceeds, walked to Brookville and entered a tract of land, a part of which is now in- cluded in Raysville.

Among the old residents is Mr. B. Boren, who came to the county and entered land in 1831. He was born in North Carolina in 1801, and was one of the early pioneers.

The oldest woman in the township is Mrs. Jane Manlove, widow of John Manlove. They came to Indiana in 1815, and to Henry County when the country was new and wild. Mrs. Manlove was born in North Carolina in 1791. She is remarkably active for one of her age.

Of recent years the farmers of this township have taken great interest in the improvement of stock by the importation of high- grade blooded animals of known pedigree.

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On the farm of J. F. Saddler, two miles west of Knightstown, may be found a herd of five head of Hereford cattle, thoroughbred and pedigreed. They were imported in 1882 from England by Mr. Saddler. He, in partnership with J. F. Bell, is the owner of the above stock. The firm have now twenty head of full-blooded Herefords and twenty-five head of Shorthorns, which they are breeding with them. The Green Mound stock farm of E. E. Elliott is the abode of the well-bred and pedigreed horse Tom Walker, of which Mr. Elliott is the owner, together with other fine stock. The people of this vicinity are fully awake to the importance of fine stock, and there is steady progress in the improvement of every kind of live stock.

WEST LIBERTY.

The town-plat of this now extinct village was recorded April 8, 1823, Samuel Furgason, proprietor. On the same day and date the plat of New Castle was recorded. West Liberty was situated on the county line, on the old State road, three-fourths of a mile southwest of Knightstown. The first mail route through Henry County was from Greensburg and Rushville, via West Liberty and New Castle, to Muncie, and for some time the only postoffices in the county were at West Liberty and New Castle. At the former place Bicknell Cole was the first Postmaster.

For a few years West Liberty grew and prospered. At one time it had sixteen or more houses and several stores and taverns. The location of the National road north of the village in 1827 caused the incipient town to decline, and at last to fall, no more to flourish.

The first merchant at West Liberty was Aaron Maxwell. W. M. Cary, who subsequently founded Knightstown, was also an early settler. Maxwell's store was a log cabin, consisting of one room, in which was kept his family, his stock of goods and a whisky barrel. Dr. John Elliott, who afterward moved to New Castle, was the first physician. Dr. J. M. Whitesell settled at West Liberty in 1829, and moved thence to Knightstown in 1831. William Winkoop was licensed to keep tavern in West Liberty in 1826.

RAYSVILLE.

This old village is pleasantly situated on the east bank of Blue River, opposite Knightstown. It was laid out by Judge John Anderson about the time the National road was located and named

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in honor of Governor Ray. It is a pretty, well-built rural village, containing two stores, a postoffice, two churches and a good school building, where an excellent school in three grades is maintained.

The population was 353 in 1880, showing a slight decrease as compared with former census returns.

Among the early residents of the village were Judge Anderson, Elijah Knight and John Death. The two last named were tavern- keepers, and their houses were situated on opposite sides of the street. Travelers were wont to look at the signs, and say: "Knight on one side, Death on the other," and pass on. Isaac Scott was another early settler who kept tavern several years. Joel Pusey, Caleb White and Robert Wilson were early merchants.

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History of Henry County, Indiana, Part 80

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 996

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 996