USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 13
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
of the founder and he removed to Huntington, where he died some years later.
Moses Wiles located a short distance north of the present town of Mount Etna, and in the fall of 1835 Solomon Shideler entered land in Section 33, where he laid out the Town of Lancaster the next spring. Other pioneers who came about this time, or perhaps a little later, were John Heiney, in Section 32; Mollison Fisher and his sons, Simon and Caleb, north of Mount Etna; John Pilcher, a son-in-law of Fisher, who settled in the same locality, and Joshua Powell, in Section 30.
Between 1836 and 1840 a number of immigrants sought homes in Lancaster. Prominent among them was Joel Burkett, who located a farm a short distance east of Lancaster; John Fulton, north of that village; Daniel Sayres, in Section 22, near the center of the township; Rev. Joseph Hardman, a minister of the German Baptist Church, who entered land near Sayres; John Hardman, in the same neighborhood ; George and Henry Kimmel, in the northwestern part; Christian and Jacob Heaston, near the Salamonie River in the southern part; Jacob Funderburg, about a mile north of Mount Etna; Charles Shaffer and his sons, John and Charles, near the Huntington Township line ; Enos Boyd, near Lancaster Village; George Brown, west of that village, and some eight or ten other families, in different parts of the township.
Nathan Jenks, Robert Randall, Robert J. Demmett, Thomas Morris, William Mackey, Isaac Bedsall, Henry W. Moore, William McClurg, Levi Wallisten, John Haller, Abram Allen, Moses Robinson, James Denand, John Steeler, Fletcher Emley, E. W. Madison, Samuel Batson and a few others all entered land in an early day, but several of these gentlemen were speculators and did not become permanent residents.
Early Events-Joseph Sprowl built the first house, and the first log- rolling was on his farm. The first marriage was that of Charles Morgan and Elizabeth Fisher in November, 1837, in that part of the township which was afterward cut off to form Polk Township. The first death was that of a Mrs. Wolgarmoth, in April, 1837. Abraham Nordyke was the first road supervisor. The first religious services were held in a log cabin on the site of the Village of Lancaster, in 1837, by a missionary of the United Brethren denomination. The first church was built at Mount Etna, in 1840, by the Methodist Episcopal Society. The first school was taught by Nancy Hildebrand in 1838, in a log cabin situated near the Salamonie River, in the eastern part of Section 31. The first regular schoolhouse was built at Mount Etna in 1840.
A sawmill was built by William Marks in 1843, on Richland Creek, near the southwest corner of the township. Before that time Henry Hildebrand, Sr., and Henry Hildebrand, Jr., had erected a flour mill on
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
the Salamonie River, not far from Mount Etna. It was a small mill, with only one run of buhrs, and after the erection of better mills within reach of the settlers, it was abandoned. Philip Shutt established a saw- mill at an early date on the Salamonie River, in Section 33, and subse- quently added machinery for carding and spinning wool. It continued in operation for over thirty years.
The schools of the township, in common with those in other parts of the county, were supported by private means until after the adop- tion of the state constitution of 1852 and the inauguration of the frec public school system. The township was then divided into districts and before the close of the decade several schoolhouses had been erected. As the school fund increased better buildings were erected, and as the growth of population demanded, new districts were formed. In 1914 the school property of Lancaster was valued at $32,500. During the school year preceding twelve teachers were employed, two of whom' were in the certified high school, and the amount paid in salaries to teachers was $4,591.85. Twenty-one pupils completed the course and graduated in the spring of 1914.
Mount Etna, in the extreme southwest corner ; Lancaster, about three miles east, and Kelso, near the eastern border, on the gravel road be- tween Huntington and Warren, are the villages in the township. A history of each of these places may be found in Chapter IX.
Lancaster is without a railroad and is essentially an agricultural community. The first settlers were both industrious and intelligent and their descendants followed the example of their sires, hence some of the best improved farms in Huntington County are in this township. In 1913 the value of the taxable property was $1,220,300. The popula- tion in 1910 was 1,468, a slight decrease below the census of 1900.
CHAPTER VII
TOWNSHIP HISTORY-CONTINUED
POLK TOWNSHIP CUT OFF FROM LANCASTER-FIGHT WITH A BEAR-ROCK CREEK TOWNSHIP-A NERVOUS JUSTICE OF THE PEACE-SALAMONIE ONE OF THE FIRST TOWNSHIPS TO BE SETTLED-UNION-STORY OF A TRAMP WHO BECAME A USEFUL CITIZEN-WARREN-WAYNE-AN ABOLITIONIST-LOCATION', BOUNDARIES AND PHYSICAL CHARACTER- ISTICS OF EACH TOWNSHIP-FIRST SETTLERS-EARLY BIRTHS, MAR- RIAGES, DEATHS AND INDUSTRIES-EDUCATION-HIGHWAYS AND RAIL- ROADS-TOWNS AND VILLAGES-POPULATION AND WEALTH.
POLK TOWNSHIP
The Township of Polk was cut off from Lancaster and erected as a separate jurisdiction by order of the county commissioners at their March term in 1846. It was named in honor of James K. Polk, at that time President of the United States. It forms one of the western tier of townships; it is bounded on the north by the Township of Dallas; on the east by Lancaster; on the south by Wayne, and on the west by Wabash County. Polk embraces the eastern two-thirds of Congres- sional Township 27, Range 8, being four miles in extent from east to west and six miles from north to south, with an area of twenty-four square miles, or 15,360 acres.
The principal stream is the Salamonie River, which enters near the southeast corner and flows in a northwesterly direction, crossing the western boundary of the county near the center of Polk Township. It has several small tributaries. Along the Salamonie the surface is some- what broken, but more than 80 per cent of the township is compara. tively level, with a soil that in depth and fertility is equal to any in the county. Originally the entire surface was covered with a dense growth of timber, with thickets of undergrowth that afforded excellent haunts for the wild animals that infested the region. Much of the valuable timber was wantonly destroyed in early days, but the loss has been more than offset by the agricultural development, some of the finest farms in the county being located within the borders of this township.
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Later came the sawmill and many black walnut, poplar, ash and oak trees were manufactured into lumber and shipped to distant cities.
In September, 1836, Jacob Fisher came with his family of nine per- sons from Wilmington, Ohio, and settled on the northwest quarter of Section 24, near the eastern boundary. For nearly half a century he remained a resident of the township, his death occurring in 1885. The sound of his ax was the first to break the deep stillness of the primeval forest, which up to the time of his coming had been the retreat of the wild beast and the hunting ground of the uncivilized Indian. A little later he was joined by his brother, Nathan Fisher, who settled near by, and some of the descendants of these two pioncers still reside in the township.
Shortly after the Fishers came Willis Jeffrey, from Randolph County, Indiana. He was accompanied by John D. Campbell and both settled in the eastern part of the township. Not long afterward Rich- ard Cummings joined the little colony.
In 1837 a number of immigrants to Huntington County established homes in Polk Township. Among them were Daniel Webb and his son- in-law, Leonard Parrott, Aaron R. Sayres, Oliver Jones, John Watson, Lorenzo D. Belt, William Mahoney and a few others.
During the next two years the population was increased by the arrival of Greenbury Martin, Jacob and Henry Fullhart, Daniel James, Samuel Jennings, Jacob Branson, Thomas Webb, Allen Dowell, John and Joseph Wagoner, George and Elias Fisher, Robert Thomas, Benjamin B. Hart, John D. Fisher, Martin McFarland, James Parrott, Matthew Taylor, Samuel Fisher, Henry Andrews, Isaac Heffner, Hamilton Gilt- ner, George Smith, Charles and William Watson, the Leedy and Hilde- brand families, Alexander Brannon, David Ridgeway and a number of others.
A few Miami Indians continued to live in this township until the tribe was removed to Kansas in 1847, and after that date it was visited at intervals by small bands of these Indians for several years. Near the present village of Monument City was a small Indian village, ruled over by a minor chief called Tuck-a-ming-wa, who was always friendly to the early settlers.
Of the first settlers in Polk Township nearly all were expert in the use of the rifle, but perhaps the most noted hunters were Greenbury Martin and Daniel James, who frequently broke the monotony of farm work by hunting excursions. Deer, wild turkey and an occasional bear were brought home by these intrepid sportsmen. Deer were so plentiful that a good marksman, skilled in woodcraft, had no trouble in killing a half a dozen or more in a day's hunt, while squirrels, quail,
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
rabbits and other small game were not considered worth a waste of ammunition.
In Brant & Fuller's "History of Huntington County," published in 1887, is the following account of an encounter between James Parrott and a bear near the western border of Polk Township: "Mr. Parrott while hunting suddenly ran upon two cubs that were playing near a thicket, and, before taking time to look for the mother bear, that was concealed near by, shot and killed one of the young ones. No sooner was the gun discharged than the old bear rushed from her hiding place, and before the hunter had time to reload his piece or escape she was close upon him, and he was compelled to fight for his life with a large club which he found lying near. The bear, rendered furious by the death of her young, made a desperate effort to clasp the hunter in her powerful embrace, and he, being a perfect giant in strength, wielded his club so vigorously as to keep her at a safe distance. The struggle continued some time with doubtful result, but the hunter following up every advantage, finally succeeded in putting the savage beast hors de combat. He was severely wounded in the struggle, and his clothing literally torn to shreds."
Early Events-The first white child born within the present limits of Polk Township was Silas Fisher, son of Nathan Fisher, the date of his birth having been December 11, 1836. The first death was also in Nathan Fisher's family, his daughter Susannah departing this life soon after the family settled in Huntington County. The first log-rolling was on the farm of Willis Jeffrey. The first marriage occurred in November, 1837, Charles Morgan and Elizabeth Fisher being the con- tracting parties. This marriage occurred while Polk was still a part of Lancaster Township. The first school was taught by Hugh Anderson in 1838, in a log cabin located in the northeast corner of Section 25. The first public highway through the township was the one "surveyed and located along the Salamonie River, from Lagro, Wabash County, to Warren, Huntington County." In the spring of 1837 John D. Campbell built a sawmill on the Little Majenica Creek, in the ,western part, and it is credited with having been the first institution of the kind in Polk Township. Subsequently Mr. Campbell added a small set of corn buhrs and on certain days did custom grinding. On these occasions the settlers would come from far and near with their "turns of corn," and while waiting for their grist would exchange gossip or pass away the time in shooting at a mark or pitching horseshoes. After the Hildebrand mill was built near the present Village of Mount Etna, Mr. Campbell's patronage decreased, and he ultimately abandoned his mill. The Hildebrand mill was burned in the '70s, but was rebuilt
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by David Myers and operated until it was again destroyed by fire in 1885. The first frame house was probably that of Henry Hildebrand, and the first frame barn was built by Henry Fullhart, about 1840. Allen Dowell was the first carpenter and William Watson the first cab- inct-maker. The first religious meeting is said to have been held in Jacob Fullhart's barn in June,' 1840, Rev. Mr. Moss, a minister of the German Baptist Church, conducting the services. The first church was built by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1856. It was located in Section 16, near the western boundary.
Polk Township was a little in advance of some of the others in the county in establishing free schools. The first public school of this character was opened in 1844. Under the system then in vogue the school fund was rather meager, and to supply the deficiency the citi- zens "went down into their pockets." After the constitution of 1852 went into effect there was a marked improvement in the public schools all over the state. Polk was divided into districts and schoolhouses of . a better type were erected. T. J. Jeffrey was one of the pioneer teach- ers, and his son and two daughters were likewise engaged in the work for several years. At the close of the school year in 1914 thirteen ยท pupils were graduated. The estimated value of the school property was then twenty-five thousand dollars. Nine teachers were employed during the school year of 1912-13, two of whom were in the certified high school at Monument City, and the amount paid in teachers' salaries was $2,455.80.
Monument City and Harlansburgh are the only villages in the town- ship. Their history will be found in Chapter IX. Polk Township is without transportation facilities, hence it has no manufacturing inter- ests of any kind, and agriculture is practically the only occupation of the people. In 1910 the population was 787, and in 1913 the property was assessed at $631,130 for tax purposes.
ROCK CREEK TOWNSHIP
This township is one of the eastern tier and embraces Congressional Township 27 north, Range 10 east. On the north it is bounded by Union Township; on the east by Wells County; on the south by Sala- monie Township, and on the west by the Township of Lancaster. It is six miles square and contains an area of 23,040 acres, nearly all of which is capable of being cultivated. The Wabash River flows across the northeast corner. Its principal tributary is Rock Creek, the stream from which the township derives its name. It enters the township from Wells County about midway of the eastern boundary and follows a
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
northwesterly course until it empties into the Wabash about a mile west of Markle. Loon Creek rises in Section 28, in the southern part, flows in a northwesterly direction and crosses the western boundary about a mile from the northwest corner. These streams afford good natural drainage to the greater part of the township. The surface is slightly rolling and the soil is above the average in this part of the state in fertility.
When the first white men came to this part of the county they found here a great forest of the finest timber, with here and there thickets of undergrowth so dense that it was almost impossible to pass through them. Gradually the forest and thicket disappeared before the ax of the sturdy pioneer, and today some of the finest farms in the Wabash Valley are in Rock Creek Township.
By the treaty of 1826 Chief Richardville was granted a reservation of one section of land on the south side of the Wabash River, about a
HERD OF SHEEP, ROCK CREEK TOWNSHIP
mile below where Markle now stands, and it was upon this reservation that the first settler erected his cabin. That man was Albert Draper, who came to the township in 1832. He was industrious and accumulated considerable property as the years rolled by, was one of the first jus- tices of the peace after the township was organized, and was otherwise . identified with local affairs. After a residence of several years he sold his farm and removed to Illinois. While living in Huntington County he built the Indian mills for the United States Government.
'In 1833 J. Tracy came into the township and later opened a store : where the Town of Markle is now located. The next year Moses Sparks,
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
a North Carolinian, located a short distance southwest of Markle, where he entered land and developed a farm. His brother Isaac also settled in the locality about the same time and their father located just across the line in Wells County. A man named Adams also came in this year and settled not far from the Sparks brothers. His son-in-law, John Schoolcraft, lived with him for awhile and then went to the Town of Huntington, where he continued to reside for many years.
It appears that settlement was slow for the next two or three years. In 1837 Jacob Souers, of Wayne County, Indiana, visited the township and entered a tract of land in Section 33, near the southern border, to which he moved his family a year or two later. His brother, Reason Souers, came with him and selected land in Section 32. Others who came about this time and located in the southern and western parts of the township were John Sheets and his son-in-law, George Poff, Israel First, Gideon Lantis, Jacob Shively, Samuel Wolf and William Poul- son. Mr. Poff soon afterward entered land in the eastern part of the township.
During the next three years a number of immigrants sought homes in this part of the county. Among them were Peter and Abraham Becker, the five Smiths-Daniel, Solomon, William, John and Nathan- who settled in different parts of the township; John Becker, in Section 34; Benjamin Sheets, near his brother John; Burdine Bonham, in Sec- tion 35; Edward Roberts, Sidney Crandall, Daniel Cupp and one or two others, in the northeastern part; Hiram Sale, near the north line of the township; John J. Scotton, on Rock Creek; Samuel Mills and the Miner, Cline, Detroe, Johnson, Alspach, Kelsey and Scott families were likewise among the Rock Creek pioneers.
Some time in the spring or early summer of 1842 a movement was . started for the organization of a new township. The question was pre- sented to the county commissioners when they met in September of that year, and after due consideration it was ordered "That all that part of Lancaster township situated east of the line dividing Ranges 9 and 10 east shall hereafter be known by the name of Rock Creek town- ship." No clection for township officers until April, 1843. The vot- ing place was at the house of George Poff, and William Clark was the inspector. In the absence of a ballot-box a hat was used as a receptacle for the ballots. Twelve votes were cast and the election resulted in the choice of John Shects, Jacob Souers and N. Poulson, trustees ; Albert Draper, justice of the peace, and William Clark, clerk.
According to one account, "Squire" Draper was not called upon to act in his official capacity until about two years later, when two young couples presented themselves to be united in marriage. The Vol. I-8
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
"Squire" is said to have been somewhat "flustered," but he managed to get through with the ceremony, and it is supposed that the young people "lived happily ever after."
Early Events-It is not certain who were the first pair to be married in the township. Albert Draper was a single man when he came to the county in 1832, and one authority states that he was married in Rock Creek Township in 1835, but fails to give the maiden name of his wife. The first white child born within the limits of the township was Riley, son of Albert and Rachel Draper, who was born in 1836. Mrs. Adams died in 1838, and it is believed that this was the first death. Israel first's wife, Eliza, died the same year. The first sawmill was built in the fall of 1832 by the United States Government for the use of the Miami Indians. The work of building it was done by Albert Draper, the first white settler. The first grist mill was built near the saw- mill in 1835. It was also erected by the Government for the convenience of the Indians, though it was patronized by the white people for a number of years. The first log-rolling was on the farm of Moses Sparks. The first school was taught in 1839 by Thomas O'Thigh, in a log cabin in Section 3, near the west line of the Richardville reserve. The first schoolhouse was erected the following year in Section 31, in the south- west corner of the township. The first religious meetings were held by itinerant ministers of the Methodist Episcopal faith, but the date when the first meeting was held cannot be ascertained. The first church build- ing was erected by the Missionary Baptists in 1861. Robert Allen, Sam- uel Wolf, and William Poulson were the first blacksmiths, and Dr. Joseph Scott the first resident physician. The first orchard was planted by Rea- son Souers soon after he came to the county. He and his brother Jacob built the first frame houses, and George Souers built the first brick house.
The first school districts were established in 1842. From the humble beginning made at that time the present excellent public school system has been gradually evolved. In the school year of 1913-14 eighteen pupils in the township schools completed the course and received their diplomas. The school property has an estimated value of $20,000, exclu- sive of the building in the incorporated Town of Markle, and in 1912-13 twelve teachers were employed, receiving in salaries the sum of $4,475. Three of the teachers taught in the certified high school of the township. Eight additional teachers are employed in the Markle schools, making a total of twenty in the township.
Rock Creek is well supplied with gravel roads, but the only rail- roads are the Chicago & Erie, and the Cincinnati, Bluffton & Chicago, both of which pass through Markle, in the extreme northeastern corner. The southern portion of the township finds it more convenient to go to
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Warren, Buckeye or Boehmer, on the Clover Leaf Railroad, in Sala- monie Township.
Most of the industries, aside from the farming interests, are now centered at Markle, an incorporated town on the Wabash River. Before Markle was laid out and the Erie Railroad built, sawmills were located at several places in the township. John J. Scotton built a sawmill on Rock Creek at an early date. It was first operated by water power, but a steam engine was later installed and the mill was in successful opera- tion for a number of years. Since his mill, there have been several steam sawmills in the township, but with the disappearance of the native forests the mills found themselves without raw material, and the only one doing a successful business at the present time is situated at Markle. Tile mills and lime kilns have been operated at several points, and a few of these concerns are still in existence.
Besides Markle, the only towns or villages in the township are Brown's Corners or Toledo, about four miles west of Markle; Rock Creek Center, in the exact geographical center, and Plum Tree, on the southern boundary. Quite a number of families living in the western part do their trading at Kelso, which is just across the line in Lancas- ter Township. A history of the towns and villages may be found in Chapter IX.
Of the several townships in Huntington County, Rock Creek stands third in population and sixth in the assessed valuation of property. In 1910 the population was 1,992, and the tax duplicate for 1913 shows the value of taxable property to be $1,244,690.
SALAMONIE TOWNSHIP
This township occupies the southeast corner of the county. It is six miles square, with an area of 23,040 acres, and is identical with Congressional Township 26, Range 10 east. When it was first created, in February, 1835, it was six miles wide from north to south and sixteen miles in extent from east to west, including all the present townships of Jefferson and Waync. It was reduced to its present dimensions at the March term in 1843. The Salamonie, from which the township takes its name, flows across the southwest corner and is the only watercourse of any consequence. Along the river the surface is broken in places, but the greater part of the township is a gently undulating plain, with a reasonably fertile soil, and is well adapted to all the crops grown in this section of the state.
In September, 1833, Samuel Jones and his family came from High- land County, Ohio, and settled where the Town of Warren now stands.
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
Mr. Jones had visited the county the preceding spring and entered the land, after which he returned to Ohio for his wife and children. He is credited with being the first settler in the township. His cabin was built near the old Fort Wayne and Indianapolis state road, which was then one of the leading thoroughfares from the older states to the West, over which traveled a large number of immigrants, homeseekers and specu- lators. With a view to accommodating these travelers, and at the same time adding to his income, Mr. Jones built his house large enough to fur- nish lodging and meals for a few guests, and "Jones' Place" soon came to be widely known as hospitable tavern, providing entertainment for both man and beast. Mr. Jones was born in Pennsylvania in 1790 and passed through the Wabash Valley while serving as a soldier under Gen- eral Harrison in the War of 1812. The impressions he then gained of the country were responsible for his becoming a permanent resident some twenty years later. After locating in the county he took an active part in local political affairs; introduced the first schools in the southern part of the county by employing a private tutor for his own sons and daugh- ters, and in 1848 represented the district composed of Huntington and Whitley counties in the state legislature.
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