USA > Indiana > Marshall County > History of Indiana : containing a history of Indiana and biographical sketches of governors and other leading men. Also a statement of the growth and prosperity of Marshall County, together with a personal and family histry of many of its citizens, Vol. I > Part 24
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
THE BRIGHT SIDE.
The history of pioneer life generally presents the dark side of the picture; but the toils and privations of the early settlers were not a series of unmitigated sufferings. No; for while the fathers and mothers toiled hard, they were not averse to a little relaxation, and had their seasons of fun and enjoyment. They contrived to do something to break the monotony of their daily life and furnish them a good hearty laugh. Among the more general forms of amusements were the " quilting-bee," "corn-husking," "apple-par- ing," "log-rolling " and "house-raising." Our young readers will doubtless be interested in a description of these forms of amuse. ment, when labor was made to afford fun and enjoyment to all par- ticipating. The "quilting-bee," as its name implies, was when the industrious qualities of the busy little insect that " improves each shining hour " were exemplified in the manufacture of quilts for the household. In the afternoon ladies for miles around gathered at an appointed place, and while their tongues would not cease to play, the hands were as busily engaged in making the quilt; and desire as always manifested to get it out as quickly as possible, for then the fun would begin. In the evening the gentlemen came, and the hours would then pass swiftly by in playing games or dancing, " Corn-huskings " were when both sexes united in the work. They usually assembled in a large barn, which was arranged for the oc. casion; and when each gentleman had selected a lady partner the husking began. When a lady found a red ear she was entitled to a kiss from every gentleman present; when a gentleman found one he was allowed to kiss every lady present. After the corn was all husked a good supper was served; then the "old folks" would leave, and the remainder of the evening was spent in the dance and in having a general good time. The recreation afforded to the young people on the annual recurrence of these festive occasions was as highly enjoyed, and quite as innocent, as the amusements of the present boasted age of refinement and culture.
The amusements of the pioneers were peculiar to themselves. Saturday afternoon was a holiday in which no man was expected to work. A load of produce might be taken to " town " for sale or traffic without violence to custom, but no more serious labor could be tolerated. When on Saturday afternoon the town was reached, "fun commenced." Had two neighbors business to transact, here it was done. Horses were "swapped." Difficulties settled and
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free fights indulged in. £ Blue and red ribbons were not worn in those days, and whisky was as free as water; twelve and a half cents would buy a quart, and thirty-five or forty cents a gallon, and at such prices enormous quantities were consumed. Go to any town in the county and ask the first pioneer you meet, and he would tell yon of notable Saturday-afternoon fights, either of which to-day would fill a column of the Police News, with elaborate engravings to match.
Mr. Sandford C. Cox quaintly describes some of the happy feat- tures of frontier life in this manner:
We cleared land, rolled logs, burned brush, blazed out paths from one neighbor's cabin to another and from one settlement to another, made and used hand-mills and hominy mortars, hunted deer, turkey, otter, and raccoons, caught fish, dug ginseng, hunted bees and the like, and-lived on the fat of the land. We read of a land of " corn and wine," and another "flowing with milk and honey;" but I rather think, in a temporal point of view, taking into account the richness of the soil, timber, stone, wild game and other advantages, that the Sugar creek country would come up to any of them, if not surpass them.
I once cut cord-wood, continues Mr. Cox, at 312 cents per cord, and walked a mile and a half night and morning, where the first frame college was built northwest of town (Crawfordsville). Prof. Curry, the lawyer, would sometimes come down and help for an hour or two at a time, by way of amusement, as there was little or no law business in the town or country at that time. Reader, what would you think of going six to eight miles to help roll logs, or raise a cabin ? or ten to thirteen miles to mill, and wait three or four days and nights for your grist? as many had to do in the first settlement of this country. Such things were of frequent oc- currence then, and there was but little grumbling about it. It was a grand sight to see the log heaps and brush piles burning in the night on a clearing of 10 or 15 acres. A Democratic torchlight procession, or a midnight march of the Sons of Malta with their grand Gyasticutus in the center bearing the grand jewel of the order, would be nowhere in comparison with the log-heaps and brush piles in a blaze.
But it may be asked, Had you any social amusements, or manly pastimes, to recreate and enliven the dwellers in the wilderness? We had. In the social line we had our meetings and our singing- schools, sugar-boilings and weddings, which were as good as ever
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what would you think of going six to eight miles to help roll logs, or raise a cabin ? or ten to thirteen miles to mill, and wait three or four days and nights for your grist? as many had to do in the first settlement of this country. Such things were of frequent occurrence then, and there was but little grumbling about it. It was a grand sight to see the log heaps and brush piles burning in the night on a clearing of 10 or 15 acres. A Democratic torchlight procession, or a midnight march of the Sons of Malta with their grand Gyasticutus in the center bearing the grand jewel of the order, would be nowhere in comparison with the log-heaps and brush-piles in a blaze.
But it may be asked, Had you any social amusements, or manly pastimes, to recreate and enliven the dwellers in the wilderness ? We had. In the social line we had our meetings and our singing- schools, sugar-boilings and weddings, which were as good as ever came off in any country, new or old; and if our youngsters did not " trip the light fantastic toe" under a professor of the Terp- sichorean art or expert French dancing master, they had many a good " hoe-down" on puncheon floors, and were not annoyed by bad whisky. And as for manly sports, requiring mettle and muscle, there were lots of wild hogs running in the cat-tail swamps on Lye creek, and Mill creek, and among them many large boars that Ossian's heroes and Homer's model soldiers, such as Achilles, Hec- tor and Ajax would have delighted to give chase to. The boys and men of those days had quite as much sport, and made more money and health by their hunting excursions than our city gents nowa- days playing chess by telegraph where the players are more than 70 miles apart.
WHAT THE PIONEERS HAVE DONE.
There are few of these old pioneers living as connecting links of the past with the present. What must their thoughts beas with their dim eyes they view the scenes that surround them ? We often hear people talk about the old-fogy ideas and fogy ways, and want of enterprise on the part of the old men who have gone through the experiences of pioneer life. Sometimes, perhaps, such remarks are just, but, considering the experiences, education and entire life of such men, such remarks are better unsaid. They have had their trials, misfortunes, hardships and adventures,
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and shall we now, as they are passing far down the western decliv- ity of life, and many of them gone, point to them the finger of derision, and laugh and sneer at the simplicity of their ways? Let us rather cheer them up, revere and respect them, for beneath those rough exteriors beat hearts as noble as ever throbbed in the human breast. These veterans have been compelled to live for weeks upon hominy and, if bread at all, it was bread made from corn ground in hand-mills, or pounded up with mortors. Their children have been destitute of shoes during the winter; their families had no clothes except what was carded, spun, wove and made into garments by their own hands; schools they had none; churches they had none; afflicted with sickness incident to all new countries, sometimes the entire family at once; luxuries of life they had none; the auxiliaries, improvements, inventions and labor-saving machinery of to-day they had not; and what they possessed they obtained by the hardest of labor and individual ex- ertion, yet they bore these hardships and privations without mur- muring, hoping for better times to come, and often, too, with but little prospect of realization.
As before mentioned, the changes written on every hand are most wonderful. It has been but three-score years since the white man began to exercise dominion over this region, erst the home of the red men, yet the visitor of to-day, ignorant of the past of the country, could scarcely be made to realize that within these years there has grown up a population of 2,000,000 people, who in all the accomplishments of life are as far advanced as are the inhab- itants of the older States. Schools, churches, colleges, palatial dwellings, beautiful grounds, large, well-cultivated and produc- tive farms, as well as cities, towns and busy manufactories, have grown up, and occupy the hunting grounds and camping places of the Indians, and in every direction there are evidences of wealth, comfort and luxury. There is but little left of the old landmarks. Advanced civilization and the progressive demands of revolving years have obliterated all traces of Indian occupancy, until they are only remembered in name.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ARTHUR ST. CLAIR, one of the most noted public characters of our early colonial days, was a native of Scotland, being born at Edinburg, in 1735. Becoming a surgeon in the British army, he subsequently crossed the Atlantic with his regiment and thencefor- ward was identified with the history of this country until the day of his death. Serving as a lieutenant with Wolfe in the memorable campaign against Quebec, St. Clair won sufficient reputation to ob- tain appointment as commander of Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where a large tract of land was granted to him. During the Revolu- tionary war he espoused the colonial cause, and before its close had risen to the rank of major general. In 1785 he was elected a dele- gate to the Continental congress, and afterward became its president. After the passage of the ordinance of 1787, St. Clair was appointed first military governor of the Northwest Territory, with headquar- ters at Fort Washington, now Cincinnati. In 1791 he undertook an expedition against the northwestern Indians, which resulted in the great disaster known in western history as "St. Clair's defeat." On the 4th of November, the Indians surprised and routed his whole force of about 1,400 regulars and militia, in what is now Darke county, Ohio, killing over 900 men and capturing his artillery and camp equipage. General St. Clair held the office of territorial gov- ernor until 1802, when he was removed by President Jefferson. He returned to Ligonier, Penn., poor, aged and infirm. The state granted him an annuity which enabled him to pass the last years of life in comfort. He died near Greensburgh, Penn., August 31st, 1818, leaving a family of one son and three daughters.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, first governor of Indiana, and ninth president of the United States, was a native of Virginia, born in the town of Berkeley, Charles City Co., February 9, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harrison, whose signature is affixed to the Declaration of Independence, was a man of note in the early days of Virginia, of which state he was twice elected governor. William Henry Harri- son received a classic education at Hampden Sydney college, and subsequently began the study of medicine, which he soon abandoned
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to join the military force then being raised to repel the Indian aggression on the frontier. He joined his regiment at Fort Washing- ton, Ohio, was soon appointed lieutenant, and afterward joined the new army under Gen. Anthony Wayne. He was made aid-de-camp to the commanding officer, whom he greatly assisted by his advice concerning an expedition to the Miami, and in 1797, was made cap- tain, and given the command of Fort Washington. While in com- mand of this fort he was married to Anna Symmes, daughter of John Cleves Symmes, the original owner of the land occupied by the city of Cincinnati. In 1798 he resigned his commission and retired to his farm near the Ohio river, from which he was almost immediately recalled by President Madison, who tendered him the position of secretary of the Northwest Territory, by virtue of which he became ex-officio lieutenant governor. One year later he was elected a delegate to congress, in which body he distinguished him- self by the introduction of measures to facilitate the easier acquire- ment of land by the early settlers. During the session, part of the Northwest Territory was formed into the territory of Indiana, includ- ing the present states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and Harrison was made its governor and superintendent of Indian affairs - a deserved compliment to his energy and ability. Resign- ing his seat in congress, Mr. Harrison at once removed to Vincennes, the territorial capital, and entered upon the duties of his office which he discharged with such signal ability that he was re-appointed suc- cessively by Presidents Jefferson and Monroe. He organized the legis- lature in 1805, and applied himself especially to improving the condition of the Indians, in his relations with whom his powers were most completely shown. He pursued a conciliatory course, held fre- quent councils with them, and although his life was frequently endangered, he succeeded in averting many outbreaks. In July, 1810, he held his celebrated council with Tecumseh, at Vincennes, in the progress of which a bloody conflict was averted by the coolness and skillful tactics of the general. In the following spring depredations by the savages were frequent, and the governor sent word to the chief that unless they should cease the Indians would be punished. In July, 1811, a second council was held, the result of which promised much for the peace of the settlers, but subsequently being convinced of Tecumseh's insincerity, Gen. Harrison proceeded to establish a
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military fort near Tippecanoe, an Indian village on the upper Wabash . In September, 1811, Harrison with a force of 900 men, marched from Vincennes, and after completing Fort Harrison, near the pres- ent site of Terre Haute, pressed forward toward the prophet's town, where, on November 7, was fought the murderous battle of Tippe- canoe, which resulted in a signal victory for the Americans, and crip- pled for a time the power of the red men in the territory. In the battle of the Thames, and the defense of Fort Meigs, Harrison, who had been appointed to the command of the northwest army, by President Monroe, distinguished himself, but he resigned before the close of the war in consequence of difference of opinion with the secretary of war. In 1816 he was elected a member of congress, in 1824, United States senator from Ohio, and in 1828, was appointed minister to Columbia, by President Adams. In 1836 he made the race for the presidency in opposition to Martin Van Buren, and was ' defeated. In 1840 he was triumphantly elected president of the United States, after one of the most animated and exciting campaigns in the history of the country, the effect of which was too much for his strength, and he died within one month after his inauguration, before any distinctive features of his administration could be seen. His death occurred on the 4th day of April, 1841.
THOMAS POSEY, the last governor of Indiana territory, was born near Alexandria, Va., on the 9th of July, 1750. His educational training was limited, being confined to the branches taught in the different schools of those days. In 1774 he took part in the expedi- tion originated by Governor Dunmore, of Virginia, against the In- dians, and was present at the battle of Mt. Pleasant. At the close of this war Mr. Posey went back to his home in Virginia, but did not long pursue his peaceful avocations, being called upon the following year, to take the part of the colonies in their struggle for liberty against the mother country. He participated in the battle of Bemis Heights, as captain in Col. Morgan's command, in 1779 was colonel of the Eleventh Virginia regiment, and afterward commanded a bat- tery under Gen. Wayne. He bore a gallant part in the storming of Stony Point, was at the capitulation of Cornwallis at Yorktown - and continued in the service some time after peace was declared. In 1793, he was appointed brigadier general in the army of the North- west, and being pleased with the appearance of the country, settled
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in Kentucky not long after. In that state he was a member of the state senate, being president of the body from November 4, 1805, to November 3, 1806, performing the duties of lieutenant governor at the same time. He removed to Louisiana in 1812, and afterward rep- resented the state in the senate of the United States. While a resi- dent of Louisiana he was appointed governor of Indiana territory, by President Madison, and in May, 1813, he moved to Vincennes, and entered upon the discharge of his official duties. When his term as governor expired by reason of the admission of Indiana into the Union, Col. Posey was appointed Indian agent for Illinois Territory, with headquarters at Shawneetown, where his death occurred March 19, 1818.
JONATHAN JENNINGS, the first governor of Indiana, was born in Hunterdon county, N. J., in the year 1784. His father, a Presbyter- ian clergyman, moved to Pennsylvania shortly after Jonathan's birth, in which state the future governor received his early educa- tional training and grew to manhood. He early began training him- self for the legal profession, but before his admission to the bar he left Pennsylvania, and located at Jeffersonville, Ind., where he com- pleted his preparatory study of the law, and became a practitioner in the courts of that and other towns in the territory. He was sub- sequently made clerk of the Territorial legislature, and while dis- charging the duties of that position, became a candidate for con- gress, against Thomas Randolph, attorney general of the territory. The contest between the two was exciting and bitter, the principal question at issue being slavery, which Mr. Randolph opposed, while his competitor was a firm believer in the divine right of the institu- tion. Jennings was elected by a small majority. He was re-elected in 1811, over Walter Taylor, and in 1813 was chosen the third time, his competitor in the last race being Judge Sparks, a very worthy and popular man. Early in 1816, Mr. Jennings reported a bill to congress, enabling the people of the territory to take the necessary steps to convert it into a state. Delegates to a convention to form a state constitution were elected in May, 1816, Mr. Jennings being chosen one from the county of Clark. He was honored by being chosen to preside over this convention, and in the election which fol- lowed he was elected governor of the new state by a majority of 1,277 votes over his competitor, Gov. Posey. In this office he served six years, also acting as Indian commissioner in 1818 by appoint-
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ment of President Monroe. At the close of his term as governor he was elected representative in congress, and was chosen for four terms in succession. He was nearly always in public life and filled his places acceptably. He died near Charleston, July 26, 1834.
RATLIFF BOON, who became governor of Indiana upon the resig- nation of Jonathan Jennings, September 12, 1822, was born in the state of Georgia, January 18, 1781. While he was young his father emigrated to Kentucky, settling in Warren county. Ratliff Boon learned the gunsmith trade in Danville, Ky., and in 1809 came to Indiana and settled on the present site of Boonville, in what is now Warrick county. In the organization of this county he took a promi- nent part, was elected its first treasurer, in the session of 1816-17 he was a member of the house of representatives, and in 1818 was elected to the state senate. In 1819 he was elected lientenant gov- ernor on the ticket with Jonathan Jennings, whom he succeeded as stated above. He was re-elected to the office of lieutenant governor in 1822, but resigned that office in 1824, to become a candidate for congress, to which he was elected in August of the same year. He was re-elected in 1829-1831-1833-1835 and in 1837, serving most of the time as chairman of the committee of public lands. In 1836 he was a candidate for United States senator, but was defeated by Oliver H. Smith. His congressional career ended March, 1839, and a few months afterward he removed to Missouri, settling in Pike county. In that state Gov. Boon became active in public affairs. and was one of the leading men of the state. Placing himself in an- tagonism to Col. Thomas H. Benton, who then controlled the politics of Missouri, he incurred the latter's deadly enmity. He again be- came a candidate for congress in 1844, but his death on Novem- ber 20th of that year put an end to his earthly career. Mr. Boon was a pioneer of two states and left the impress of his character upon both.
WILLIAM HENDRICKS, governor of Indiana from 1822 to 1825, was born at Ligonier, Westmoreland Co., Penn., in 1783. His par- ents were Abraham and Ann (Jamison) Hendricks, descendants from old families of New Jersey. William Hendricks was educated at Can- nonsburg, Penn., and shortly after his graduation in 1810, went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied law in the office of Mr. Carry, supporting himself in the meantime by teaching school. In 1814 he removed to Indiana, and located at Madison, which continued to be
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his home during the rest of his life. He began the practice of law at Madison, where he was also identified with journalism for some time, and shortly after his removal to the state he was made secre- tary of the Territorial legislature at Vincennes. In June, 1816, he was appointed secretary of the constitutional convention, and in August of the same year was elected as the first and sole representa- tive to congress from the newly created state, serving three succes- sive terms. He discharged the duties of his high position with so much acceptability that at the end of his third term, in 1822, he was elected governor of the state without opposition. Before the expira- tion of his term as governor, the legislature elected him a senator of the United States, and on February 12, 1825, he filed his resignation as governor. In 1831 he was re-elected, and at the expiration of this term, in 1837, he retired to private life and never afterward took upon himself the cares of public office. In 1840 he was one of the state electors on the Van Buren ticket, and it was during the campaign of that year that he contracted a disease from which he suffered the remainder of his life. Gov. Hendricks was a man of imposing ap- pearance. He was six feet in height, handsome in face and figure, and had a ruddy complexion. He was easy in manner, genial and kind in disposition, and was a man who attracted the attention of all and won the warm friendship of many. He was brought up in the Presbyterian faith, early united with that church, and lived a consist- ent, earnest, Christian through life. The Indiana Gazette, of 1850, has the following mention of him: "Gov. Hendricks was for many years by far the most popular man in the state. He had been its sole representative in congress for six years, elected on each occasion by large majorities, and no member of that body, probably, was more attentive to the interests of the state he represented, or more indus- trious in arranging all the private or local business intrusted to hin. He left no letter unanswered, no public office or document did he fail to visit or examine on request; with personal manners. very engag- ing, he long retained his popularity." He died May 16, 1850.
JAMES BROWN RAY, governor of Indiana, was born in Jefferson county, Ky., February 19, 1794. Early in life he went to Cin- «cinnati, Ohio, and after studying law in that city he was admitted to the bar. He began the practice at Brookville, Ind., where he soon ranked among the ablest and most influential of an able and ambi- tious bar. In 1822 he was elected to the legislature. On the 30th of
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January, 1824, Lieut. Gov. Ratliff Boon resigned his office, and Mr. Ray was elected president pro tempore of the senate, and presided during the remainder of the session. He was governor of the state from 1825 to 1831, and during this time was appointed United States commissioner with Lewis Cass and John Tipton, to negotiate a treaty with the Miami and Pottawatomie Indians. The constitution of the state prevented the governor from holding any office under the United States government, in consequence of which he became involved in a controversy. He remembered the difficulty Jonathan Jennings had encountered under like circumstances, and sought to avoid trouble by acting without a regular commission, but his pre- caution did not save him from trouble. Through his exertions the Indians gave land to aid in building a road from Lake Michigan to the Ohio river. Gov. Ray was active in promoting railroad concen- tration in Indianapolis, and took an active part in the internal im- provement of the state. At the expiration of his term of office he resumed the practice of law, and in 1837 was candidate for congress in the Indianapolis district, but was defeated by a large majority. This want of appreciation by the public soured him, and in later years he became very eccentric. In 1848, while at Cincinnati, he was taken with the cholera, which terminated in his death, August 4, of that year. In person, Gov. Ray in his younger days was very pre- possessing. He was tall and straight, with a body well proportioned. He wore his hair long and tied in a queue. His forehead was broad and high, and his features denoted intelligence of a high order. For many years he was a leading man of Indiana, and no full history of the state can be written without a mention of his name.
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