USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the State of Indiana > Part 27
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This same fat Indian, some years afterward, accidently fell in the fire and was badly burned. Some years ago I enquired about him, and was told by an Indian named Gibo, that he was not in very good health, nor as fat as he had been, that on account of falling in the fire he had lost about 150 pounds. I understand that he died a few years ago; that during the last years of his life he became a common sized man, not weighing more than 150 pounds.
Among the Indians whose homes were in this county was White Loon (Wa-po-mun-quah), Anthony Revard (Sha-pin-e- mo), Big Leg (Ne-we-lin quah), who lived near Roanoke. White Loon and his family are all dead. The family of Revard is still living near Roanoke, consisting of his widow and son, Anthony; she also has a daughter living in Kansas. Big Leg went west with emigrants. The Revard family, Mrs. Engelman and her children, and John La Fontaine, a grandson of the chief, are the only persons of Miami blood now living in the county; in the west part of the county was the residence of Mejineca and family, Black Loon (Wa-cat-te-mun-quah), and Guine. In the southern part was Cah-tah-ke. mun-quah (or Spotted Loon). Wak-shin-gah and family lived on the Wabash, below the mouth of Rock Creek.
The customs peculiar to the Indians, or at least a great many of them, are not easily to be learned by white folks, as the Indians are a people not much in the habit of telling what they are, but on the contrary keep such matters to themselves as much as possi- ble. Polygamy was allowable among them, but was not often practiced; but very few of them having more than one wife.
They had a ceremony which they called adoption; that is when one member of a family died (particularly children), the parents would select some other child to adopt in place of the lost one; the object or origin of this custom is one of those mat- ters that they keep to themselves. The children adopted did not leave their own people, but return home with them, usually pretty well supplied with presents. One part of the ceremony is called
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
the adoption dance. These dances are in one respect like dances of the white folks; a good place to show their best clothes. On such occasions the young Indian fops would appear in their best, which was usually a fine frock coat with vest to match; leggings, upon which some artistic squaw had spent many an hour to orna- ment in diamonds, stripes and blocks (all ribbon work), the edges trimmed with beads. This ornamental work was always upon the flap or seam. Whole width of three-fourths cassimer was used for each legging, which were made to fit as tight as a dude's trowsers, which would leave quite a field for ornamental work.
The shirt was also quite a prominent part of the dress of fancy young Indians. This must always be calico of a fine quality, usually a light color with small set figures, made with ruffled front; it was long enough to come to the knees. All below the vest was in plain view if the coat was unbuttoned. For foot wear moccasons were the proper thing, trimmed to match the leggings. When he had each cheek striped with vermillion, like bars in a jail window, and small dots in each square, a stripe down the centre of his nose, a tinge around the eyes, a good sup- ply of rings in his ears and one in his nose, he was in a presenta- ble condition and ready to be seen. The dances were usually out of doors. A track would be made smooth in a circular form, about twenty or thirty feet in diameter, in the centre of which a fire was built. The dance was a continuous promenade around the fire. The men and women danced usually by themselves; the music was supplied by drum which was usually a keg with a deer skin stretched over the end. If the sound was too sharp there was water put in the keg. This drum was beaten with one stick only, and was accompanied by singing of a peculiar kind which cannot be very easily described. While there was not much music in the sound the time was perfect, as was also the movements of the dancers. I tried the dance myself upon one occasion, and they said I was so awkward that I could not keep time, and that wound up my Indian dancing. In these dances some of the Indians who wanted to outdo their neighbors, would have small bells fastened around their ankles to increase the variety of music: the dances were usually kept up until morn- ing, and in most cases whisky played quite an important part.
Another peculiar custom was the manner in which they treated their children. When infants they were fastened to boards by being strapped to them, upon which they were kept the greater part of the time until they were large enough to notice and want to handle things they see. When the mother wanted to do any work, she would set the board on end against something to support it, and the little papoose would seem to be perfectly con- tented, and were as good natured as children generally are; over the head of the board was a bow of wood to support and keep off the child's face any screen that might be put there to shade it. If "Little Injun " was a boy, the hoop thus formed would be ornamented with a minature bow and a bundle of arrows; if a girl, instead the bow and arrow it would be ornamented with
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something else, usually ornaments belonging to the sex. When the children grew larger, the women carried them upon their backs, holding them in position by blankets which they wore.
The Indians were superstitiously opposed to killing snakes or wolves, and they had a custom of making peace with snakes at certain seasons, by offerings of tobacco, etc. The cliff of rocks on the north side of the canal near the west line of the county, was for many years known as Tobacco Rock, and tobacco has been seen there by early settlers. It was one of the greatest snake dens in the county until the canal was made, which destroyed their hiding places.
One of the early settlers who lived in the west part of Allen County, Mr. Morrissoe, borrowed a gun from an Indian neighbor known as "Old Zeke, " to go hunting. When he returned the gun Zeke asked him what he killed. Mr. Morrissoe, well know- ing the superstition of the Indians in regard to wolves, but not thinking of it at the time, told him he had killed a wolf. at which the old Indian expressed great sorrow, and said that his gun would never shoot straight any more, that it was spoiled; he took it all apart, washed and thoroughly cleaned every par- ticle of it and went through some incantation to remove the spell from it. Mr. Morrissoe, who had lived among the Indians many years, said that it was not an uncommon thing, when In- dians killed more game than they could carry home, to leave a part of it, in a certain place where they could get it the next day. If anyone in the evening would suggest that the wolves might eat it, the reply would always be, " they are eating it," after which they would not go after it, but let it remain there. Another one of their peculiar customs was, cleaning and hang- ing up in their cabins, the skulls of a certain number of the an- imals caught in traps, as they seemed to think it would bring them good luck. They had not at that time attained such civilization as to regard a horse-shoe as a mascotte. At the time of the first settlement in this county the Indians lived in houses, usually cabins, and the squaws were as a rule, good housekeepers, their cabins being very nice and clean, and in that respect would compare well with their white neighbors. They ate all kinds of wild meat except a possum, against which they had some superstition. And no doubt many a white man has eaten muskrat, skunk, ground hog or coon, without knowing what it was, as the squaws were generally good cooks, and had a way of pre- paring such dishes that white folks did not understand. At the close of the winter they all got ready to make sugar, and the nicest sugar that was made was of Indian work, being much whiter than sugar made by the white settlers, because the In- dians never boiled it in iron vessels, the sugar water contain- ing an acid that would make the sugar dark when in contact with iron. They usually used either tin or copper in making sugar. These peculiar people have many customs which were not easy to become acquainted with; their reticence was won- derful. They would not give any information to strangers
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
about their peculiar habits; but only to those white men who had lived amongst them for many years and gained their con- fidence, were posted in their odd ways, they being a class of whites that did pay much attention to recording their observa- tions. People who went to Indians for the purpose of " writing them up, " could get no satisfaction from them, and they were com- pelled to resort for information to the whites with whom the In- dians were acquainted. In many instances these whites instead of telling what they knew, would make up all kinds of balder- dash stories they could think of, which would be accepted by the information seekers as facts and be so published, and in that way many of the stories of Indian peculiarities are entirely founded upon the false stories told them. In the foregoing I have given merely what has come under my observation, and which has been entirely written from recollection, as I can find no date from which to obtain any other facts.
Of the pre historic people Prof. Cox says: "Though the pres- ent site of Huntington and the 'Forks of the Wabash' as the junction of Little River with that stream, was familiarly called by the early settlers of the county, was the favorite abode of the savages, yet, strange to say, no traces of the works of the pre- historic mound builder are found in the county, except along Salamonie River, in the southeast corner, opposite Warren, where, on a high eminence in the bend of the latter river, there are two mounds. The first one visited is at Daniel Adsit's. It is about twenty-five feet in circumference and six feet high. A slight excavation had been made into the top, but so far as could be learned no relics were found. There is a shallow trench com- pletely encircling it. From the top the view overlooks the Sala- monie and its fine fertile bottoms. The other mound is about a quarter of a mile to the northwest, and in a cultivated orchard belonging to John D. Jones, and near his barn. This mound has been nearly destroyed by the plow, and I was unable to learn that it possessed any peculiar features, or contained any relics. Mr. Jones informed me that he had, from time to time, picked up on his farm, stone axes, pipes, flint arrow and spear points, but could give no special account of the existence of other mounds. Though I followed Salamonie River for many miles above War- ren, and made repeated inquiries about mounds, I could not learn of any others in the county."
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COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
CHAPTER III.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION - ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE - EARLY ACTS OF THE COUNTY BOARD - BUILDING OF THE COUNTY JAIL - THE COURT HOUSE -THE POOR FARM - BRIDGES,
ROADS, ETC. - COUNTY FINANCES - MEDICAL SOCIETY - COUNTY OFFICERS - EARLY LAND ENTRIES - ELECTIONS - AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, ETC.
H UNTINGTON COUNTY, one of the northeastern counties: of the state, was so named in honor of Samuel Huntington, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and was organized May 5, 1834, in accordance with an act of the Legisla- ture.
The members of the organizing board were John Burke, Stearns Fisher and Lewis Rogers, and held their first meeting in an old log house. The Territory embraced in the new county in- cluded what is now known as Wabash and Whitley counties.
Prior to the organization of the county, Gen. Tipton, of Lo- gansport, who was then the owner of a certain tract of land en- tered by the Helveys, proposed to transfer to the new county upon its organization, a number of valuable lots in the newly laid out town of Huntington, and to erect a suitable building in which to hold courts, on condition that the county seat should be located in said town. His offer was accepted, and the Legisla- ture appointed a committee to locate said county seat by an act of their body, of which the following is a copy, viz .:
" AN ACT authorizing the location of the Seat of Justice of Hun- tington County, and for other purposes ..
"Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: That the County of Huntington shall here- after enjoy all the rights and privileges, benefits and jurisdic- tions, which to separate or independent counties do or may properly belong or appertain.
"Section 2. Philip Moore, of the County of Delaware; Joseph Holman, of the County of Miami; David Rankin, of the County of Allen; Daniel R. Bearss, of the County of Elkhart, and Benja- min Berry, of the County of Grant, be, and they are hereby ap- pointed commissioners agreeably to the act entitled, 'an act fixing the seat of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid off.' The commission as aforesaid shall meet on the second Mon- day in May, next, at the house of Elias Murray, in said county of Huntington, and shall immediately proceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law, and it shall be the duty of the Sheriff of Grant County to notify said commissioners either in person or by writing of their appointment, on or before the 15th of April, next, and for such service he shall receive such com-
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
pensation as the board, doing county business in said county of Huntington may, when organized, deem just and reasonable, to be allowed and paid as other county claims.
"Section 3. The Circuit Court and the Board of County Com- missioners, when elected under the writ of election from the executive department, shall hold their sessions as near the centre of the county as a convenient place can be had, until the public buildings shall have been erected; and the said county commis- sioners shall each be entitled to the sum of $2 per day for their services whilst transacting county business.
"Section 4. The agent who shall be appointed to superintend the sale of lots at the county seat of said county of Huntington, shall reserve ten per cent. out of the proceeds thereof, and pay the same over to such person or persons as may be appointed by law to receive the same for the use of a county library.
" Section 5. The Board of Commissioners at their first meeting after they are elected, shall appoint some suitable person to assess and collect the county and State revenue of said county of Huntington (and the county of Wabash which is hereby at- tached to the County of Huntington for judicial and all other civil purposes), in the assessing and collecting of which, the said assessor and collector shall be governed by the provisions of 'an act for the assessing and collecting of the revenue,' except that he shall not be required to complete the assessing before the Ist of May, as by that act provided.
"Section 6. The County of Grant shall not hereafter assess and collect any revenue from off the citizens of Huntington or Wa- bash counties.
" This act to be in force from and after its publication in the Indiana Journal."
'T'he report of the locating commissioners is not on file and the records do not show that any was ever filed.
The first official act of the board was the division of the county into commissioner's district, as follows: "That all that portion of the County of Huntington being and lying east of Range 8, shall compose the first commissioner's district, viz .: No. 1. That all that portion lying in Range 7 and 8 shall compose the second commissioner's district, viz .: No. 2. And all that por- tion lying west of Range 7 shall compose the third commission- er's district, viz .: No. 3."
At this meeting it was ordered that the County of Huntington compose the Township of Huntington, and an election was ordered to be held at the house of Jonathan Keller, in said town- ship on the first Monday in June for the purpose of electing two Justices of the Peace for said township.
Elias Murray was appointed treasurer, and Amos Harris was appointed assessor for the County of Huntington for one year.
The following rate of taxation was adopted, viz .:
On each 100 acres of first rate land, 40 cents; second rate, 30 cents; third rate 20 cents; town and out-lots each $100 valua- tion, 50 cents; for each yoke of work oxen over three years old,
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COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
50 cents; brass clocks, gold, silver and composition watches, 50 cents each; horses and mules, 50 cents each; every white male citizen over the age of 21 years, not exempt from taxation by the statute of the State of Indiana, 50 cents.
It was ordered that grocery licenses be fixed at the rate of $10 per year for each license.
The first license granted was to S. & H. Hanna, for a consider- ation of $10 allowing them to sell goods.
Before adjourning the board appointed Charles G. Voorhees County Agent.
The board met again on the 27th day of August, 1834, at the same place and with the same officers. At this session the clerk was ordered to advertise the building of a jail, to be let to the lowest bidder, sale to take place on the first Saturday in October, 1834. The following certificate was filed and ordered spread upon the records, viz .:
" HUNTINGTON, August 25, 1834.
"I hereby certify that I have assessed a fine of $3 against Daniel Johnson for swearing three profane oaths, and have collected the same. Given under my hand and seal this day and date above written.
" JOHN BURKE. J. P.
"JOHN F. MERRILL, Deputy Clerk."
It was ordered that Elias Murray be appointed trustee of county Seminary for one year. At the October term 1834 a con- tract was entered into with William H. Wallis for building a jail for the sum of $400, he being the lowest bidder. And at same term an order was issued to Wm. G. Johnson, in the sum of $5 for services rendered the county as sheriff. At the February term 1835, a new township was established taken off the south end of Huntington County and was designated and known by the name of Salamonie; its boundary was as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of Township 26, north of Range 10 east, thence west sixteen miles to the western boundary of the county, thence south six miles to the southern boundary, thence east sixteen miles to the eastern boundary, thence north to the place of beginning. An election was ordered to be held at the house of Samuel Jones on the 6th day of April, 1835, to elect a justice of the peace for said township, and Samuel Jones was appointed inspector of elections. At this term of the court, Capt. Elias T. Murray, county treasurer, made report showing that there had come into his hands as treasurer from all sources the sum of $155.23 and that he had expended the sum of $147.63. He was allowed the sum of $4.50 for his services as treasurer for that year. The following persons were selected to serve as grand jurors at the August term of the Circuit Court, viz .: Elias Murray, Joel Grover, John F. Merrill, John Burke, Paul Burke, Thomas Brackenridge, George A. Fate, Obediah Ward, John Thompson, Channing Madison, Edwin Madison, William Delvin, Richard Adams, John Emley, James Delvin, Obediah Brown, Samuel Jones and Louis Purviance. At the same term of court the petit
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
jury was composed of the following persons: Jeremiah Barcu, William Walker, Sr., Champion Helvey, Joel Helvey, Jesse Griffith, Henry Miller, Elden Brown, Patrick Johnson, Hugh McCowen, Hugh O'Neal, Daniel Johnson, John E. George, David Kite, Albert Draper, Alexander McLane, Joseph Watson, Levi Turner, Stephen Chapman, Simon Cochrane, Edward Wall, Harrison Wall, Harrison Warner, James Gillece, Thomas Del- vin, Robert Wilson and George Turner.
At the May term 1835, the license fee for wooden and brass clock peddlers was fixed at $10 per year. The rate of taxation for the year 1834 was adopted for 1835. W. G. Johnson was allowed $70 in full for his services as Sheriff, and John Thomp- son was allowed $20 for making assessment for Huntington County for 1835. The following addition to the Township of Salamonie was ordered to be made viz .: "Commencing at the northeast corner of Section 24, Range 10 east, thence running west by the section line to the western boundary sixteen miles, thence south three miles to the north west corner of Section 4, in Township 26, Range 8; thence east 16 miles to the eastern bound- ary of Huntington County, thence north to the place of begin- ning. At the September term 1835, the county agent made report showing that he had received the sum of $906.32, and that the same had been fully disbursed by him. The commissioners at the November term 1835 accepted the county jail, the same hav- ing been completed. At the January term 1836, Riley Madison was elected a student to the Indiana College for the time pre- scribed by law. The County Treasurer made report that he had received the sum of $11.25 and expended the same, and at the November term of the same year, he reported that he had re- ceived the further sum of $257.90, making a total for the year of $269.15, all of which had been duly expended for the benefit of the county. At the May term 1837, it was ordered that a new township be struck off from the original Township of Salamonie and to be bounded as follows, "To commence at the section line dividing Sections 14 and 15, in Township 27, Range 9 east, run- ning south along said line to the south line of Huntington County, said township to be called Lancaster. In February, 1838, Clear Creek Township was organized. It was six miles wide, north and south, and sixteen miles long. John R. Emley was appointed Inspector of Elections, and election ordered to be held on the first Monday in April, at the house of said Emley. The tax levy for 1838 was 50 cents poll, 50 cents county tax, and 25 cents for roads. Isaac N. Harlan was allowed $8, for making the assess- ment roll of 1837. The amount of taxes collected for the year 1840 was $764.11, all of which was expended. At the May term 1841, the commissioners adopted a seal as follows: The seal shall be a "circular metalic seal with the words on the margin Board of Commissioners, Huntington County, Indiana," including in the centre, a sheaf of wheat, plow, harrow, rake and fork. In September, 1841, it was ordered that "Congressional Township 29 north, of Range 10 east, be constituted a body politic and corpo-
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rate, and be named Jackson Township. An election was ordered to be held at the house of Samuel Gettis. Andrew Boggs was appointed Inspector of Elections. The County Agent, was ordered at the June term 1842, to build an estray pen to be located on the northwest corner of the public square, and notice was given of the time of letting the contract for the same. At the September Term the Board ordered that Township No. 27 north, of Range 10 east, be organized as a civil township, and assume the name of Rock Creek. An election was ordered to be held at the house of George Poff. William Clark was appointed Inspec- tor of Elections. On the day set for the election, the ballot box used was a hat, and twelve votes were cast. At the same term it was also ordered that Township No. 28 north, of Range 10 east, be organized as a civil township and that the same be called Monroe. An election was ordered to be held at the house of John A. Freel who was appointed Inspector of Elections. This Township was reorganized in 1845, and name changed to Union. At the March term 1843, it was ordered by the Board that Town- ship 26, Range 9 east, be organized as a civil township and to be called Jefferson Township. William Purviance appointed In- spector of Elections and an election ordered to be held at his residence. John Roche appointed County Treasurer and filed bond in the sum of $20,000.
At the June term, 1843, Warren Township was organized, and an election was ordered to be held at the school house near John Altman's. Jacob Shull was appointed Inspector of Elections. In June, 1884, it was ordered that Township 26, Range 8 east, be organized as a civil township, to be called Wayne, that name being suggested in honor of Wayne County, Indiana. The first election was held at the house of Joseph Weaver. Henry Kline was appointed Inspector. Polk Township was organized at the March term, 1846. Samuel Jennings was appointed Inspector, and an election was ordered to be held at the house of Willis Jeffery. At the March term, 1847, it was ordered that Township 28, north of Range 8 east, be organized as a civil township, to be known as Dallas Township. Joseph Chesebro was appointed In- spector of Elections, and an election ordered to be held at the house lately occupied by Alexander McClain. The tax levy for 1848 was made at the March term, and was 35 cents on each $100 valuation, and 50 cents on each poll. The same rates of tax- ation were adopted for 1849.
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