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. II > Part 3
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
during all these years has been a most estimable and respected citizen.
David R. Voreis came to Marshall county in 1836, and first lived about four and a half miles south of Plymouth, but in a few years took up his residence in Union township, about one mile north of Maxinkuckee village, where he still lives. He is hale and hearty, although about eighty years old. He has witnessed and helped to make as great changes around him as any man now living in the county. He has ever been an honest, upright and esteemed citizen, and it is meet, right and proper that he should be permitted to live long to enjoy the fruits of the home he has so well earned.
James Voreis is an older brother of David R. Voreis, and came to the county, also, in 1836. He has resided in Green township, one mile south of Wolf Creek Mills, constantly since his arrival in Marshall county. He has raised a large family of respected and influential sons and daughters, most of whom live near him, but some have passed away. A more honest man and a better neighbor and friend has never lived in the county, than he. He is yet enjoying good health and will doubtless live many years more, although he is now over eighty-five years of age. Of such material were the pioneers of Marshall county made.
At the election held in Center township, Samuel D. Tabor was inspector, John Ray and William Bishop, judges, and Har- rison Metcalf and John Blair were clerks. At the same election held in Green township, there were nineteen votes cast. Ewel Kendall was inspector, Fielden Bowles and Samuel B. Patterson were judges, and Jeremiah Muncy and John A. Boots were clerks.
As has already been stated, the first election after the organi- zation of the county, was held on the Ist day of August, 1836, that being the "first Monday in August," as was provided by the statutes of the state. At this election 138 votes were cast. The voting precincts and names of inspectors, judges and clerks are given above. The result of the election was as follows: The candidates for senator were Jonathan A. Liston and Lot Day. Liston received 68 votes and Day 65. The candidates for rep- resentative were Stephen Marsters and "Joll" Long, and in Marshall county Marsters received 102, and Long 32. The can- didates for sheriff were H. Blakely, Jesse Roberts, A. Caldwell and D. Hill. Blakely received 34; Roberts, 47; Caldwell, 49, and D. Hill, 5 votes. The candidates for commissioner for the second district, which was then Center township, but now com- prises Bourbon, Center and West townships, were Charles Ousterhout, M. Coe and John Gibson. Ousterhout received 66; M. Coe, 28, and John Gibson, 36 votes. The candidates for school commissioner -an office long since obsolete- were John
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Houghton, A. C. Hickman and A. W. Roberts. Houghton re- ceived 56; Hickman 30, and Roberts, 37 votes. The candidates for probate judge were Grove Pomeroy and Oliver Rose. Pomeroy received 92, and Rose, 46 votes. The candidates for coroner were John Johnson and John Williamson. Johnson received 49, and Williamson, 33 votes.
The senatorial and representative district was then composed of Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, and although Mr. Marsters went out of Marshall county with a handsome ma- jority, he was defeated by the vote in the other counties consti- tuting the district. In politics he was a whig, and although deficient in book learning, was a shrewd and wily politician. He was one of the pioneer preachers. At that time party lines were closely drawn between the democrats and the whigs, and then, as now, a man's religious pretensions did not prevent him from taking part in politics, in all its phases. At the election held August 6, 1838, there were 236 votes cast; of these, 157 were cast at the county seat, thirty-five in Green township, eighteen in North, eight in Union and eighteen in German.
The election in Union township was held at the house of William Thompson, and the following is a list of the names of those who voted at that election:
Eleazor Thompson, T. (Theophilus) Jones, P. B. Dickson, Lewis Thompson, Ephraim Moore, James Houghton, John Mor- ris, John Thompson. Union had been organized May 1, 1838. The election in German township, which had been organized May 11, 1838, was held at the house of George Metcalf. The following is a list of the voters: Samuel D. Tabor, Peter Schroeder, George Metcalf, Robinson W. Hughes, Edward M. Page, John Ringle, Charles Rhodes, John Coil, Francis Bash- ford, John Gibson, John Steel, William Hughes, Henry Augus- tine, Henry Yockey, Jacob Kuns, Jacob Yockey, John A. Lash- baugh, George Beiler.
The election in North township was held at the house of James Sherland. The following were the voters: Seymour Stilson, Robert Johnson, Isaac B. Pierson, David Vinnedge, James Sherland, Garrison B. Packard, Nathaniel Palmer, James Jones, John P. Benson, George Vinnedge, Robert Schroeder, Adam Snyder, G. Pomeroy, John Johnson, Timothy Garrigus, Charles Thompson, James Palmer, S. N. Champlin, James M. Collester, Thomas B. Owen, Pleasant Owen, John Thompson, Alfred Vinnedge, Asa St. John.
The election in Green township was held at the house of Sidney Williams, and the following is the list of those who voted: S. Williams, Williamson Owen, Isaac Williamson, John A. Boots, William Boots, Edwin Partridge, George Deferd, D. A. Moore, John Scot, Tarlton Caldwell, E. Noe, Jacob Boots,
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
Henry L. Brown, Moses N. Leland, John Williamson, John Lou- don, Charles Brown, R. G. Prater, Lester White, Fielden Bowles, James W. Moore, Ewell Kendall, John Williams, Na- than B. Collins, A. W. Roberts, G. W. Owens, William Johnson, J. W. Owens, John Compton, Isaac Butler, Daniel Jones, Sorin Cooley, Samuel B. Patterson, George Clark.
The election in Center township was held at the court house in Plymouth. The list of voters is partly gone. The following are all that can be found: Joseph Griffith, Sr., Ephraim Goble, Abner Caldwell, Joel James, Asahel H. Mathews, William Bishop, E. G. Collins, Amzi L. Wheeler, Charles Ousterhout, William G. Pomeroy, Harbert Blakely, Nathan Mclaughlin, James S. Milner, James Cummins, William Blakely, Patrick Logan, Timothy Barber, Benjamin Cruzan, John Gibson, David W. Bates, Warren Brewster, Adam Vinnedge, Oliver Rose, Jacob Case, Lyman Griffin, Seth Baily, John Thompson, George Taylor, James Logan, Hiram A. Ranck, James Paddock, George King, Conrad Kleine, Jacob Taylor, Robert Blakely, Oscar F. Norton, E. B. Hobson, Thomas Gibson, James O. Parks, Joseph Griffith, Jr., A. S. Bunnel, John Brown, John Townsend, William M. Dunham, Grove O. Pomeroy, John Jes- sup, John Ray, Abraham Cole, William Clarke, Enos Ward, James McCollister, Jacob K. Hupp, John Congle, John S. Hop- kins, William D. Farnsworth, S. D. Alger, David Steel, S. D. Tabor, Johnson E. Woodward, Chester Rose, David Ray, Jere- miah Grover, Allen Leach, Asahel Mathews, John Hall, Will- iam N. Bailey, Jesse Roberts, Benton Connor, John Rinehart, William C. Edwards, Isaac How, James Westervelt, Samuel Hutchins, Daniel Roberts, Valentine Shuffler, Bennett Small- wood, William Bailey, James Nash, Peter Quivey, Uriah Metcalf.
But few of those whose names appear above are still living, James O. Parks, of Bourbon; James S. Milner, and William C. Edwards, of Plymouth, and William N. Bailey, now of Florida, are all that are now known to be living.
Township Histories .- Under this caption will be compiled and written a brief history of the respective townships in Mar- shall county, as they are now named, numbered and bounded, beginning with
Union Township, No. I, was organized May 1, 1838. It was taken from the west part of what was originally Green town- ship. It is six miles wide from east to west, and seven miles long from north to south. It is bounded on the north by West township, on the east by Green township, on the south by Fulton county, and on the west by Stark county.
" The first settlement in this part of the" unorganized terri- tory was made in 1835. John Anderson's and another family or 3-B.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
two were, however, the only ones now known, who were there in that year. In the spring and summer of 1836, in the vicinity of Maxinkuckee lake and farther north and east in the direction of Plymouth, the Voreises, Morrises, Thompsons, McDonalds, Dicksons, Brownlees, Houghtons, Blakelys and others arrived and made a permanent settlement. From this on the settlement of this region was rapid.
Except that portion of the township known as the "Burr Oak Flats" and the wet prairies or marshes, the land was thickly timbered and full of undergrowth. Cabins of the rough- est of logs were, for many years, built and covered with clap- boards "rived" out of oak timber, and were held to their place by "weight-poles" lain on and fastened over the lap of the boards. The chimneys were generally built out of sticks riven out similar to the manner of riving the clapboards, but the sticks were more narrow and thicker than the boards. The cracks be- tween these sticks were daubed with mud, as were also the cracks between the logs that made the walls of the house, after they were properly "chincked " with short blocks of wood of proper size. If it was desirable to have a window, part of a log in the wall was cut out and a rough frame covered with greased paper, would be put in. The furniture, except such articles as had been transported by wagons when the emigrants came, was of the most primitive workmanship. At this time there were no white people nearer than the Michigan road, and few of these. The Indians outnumbered the whites two to one, and it was uncertain at that time whether or not the treaty entered into between them and the government, by which they were to leave the country, could be carried out. The average Indian that inhab- ited this region could hardly be made to see the justice of being forced to leave his hunting grounds for the accommodation of what he looked upon as being a few white adventurers, and, un- til they were driven away, two years later, they were imaginary terror of timid men and women and children, generally. They remained peaceable, however, and the anticipations of danger were never, in a single instance, realized, and no disturbances of any kind ever occurred.
There were no regularly laid out roads, nor any bridges, in those days, and he who did the. milling for the neighborhood often " blazed his way as he went," and if he succeeded in mak- ing the trip to Logansport or to Delphi (the nearest grist-mill) and returned in two weeks he was applauded as having accom- plished a great feat. Sometimes he would break his wagon, sometimes get "stuck" in a mud hole and have to unload - pry and pull out, or wait until some fellow traveler in distress would come along and "double teams" with him, " put his shoulder to the wheel" and lift him up and out of his present troubles. In
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1794097
MARSHALL COUNTY.
case of delay the rations would run short and those dependent upon his return would have to crack corn with such appliances as were at hand, live on lye hominy and such wild game as the hunters of the neighborhood could procure.
If the fire was not properly "covered up" and went out at night, which was not an infrequent occurrence, then the fleetest boy in the family would be stirred out of bed and sent on the " double quick " to the nearest neighbor for a " chunk " of fire, or a sun glass, or a jackknife and a piece of "punk " attached to a flint, had to be brought into requisition. In those days these articles were considered essential in every well regulated family, for there were no friction matches in those days; nor did they en- joy the luxury of the kinds of tea, coffee, sugar, molasses, etc., that are in general use now-a-days, but the only tea that could be afforded was made of spice wood or sassafras roots-the coffee of roasted rye and all the sugar and molasses was made from the sugar trees that were quite plentiful .in many parts of the timbered lands. There were no churches then, no school- houses, no country stores, no shoe shops, no blacksmith shops, no wagon shops, in fact nothing that the people needed. Home- spun flax pants and shirts of a little finer material, the sleeves and collars being fastened with a needle and thread, a home- made straw hat, and boots or shoes of an inferior quality, gener- ally badly worn, constituted the average Sunday outhit for many years after the organization of the township. The habit our mothers had of fastening our sleeves and collars with needle and thread induced every boy of average tact to have his needle and thread properly secreted near his usual swimming place. By the aid of these and the proper drying of your hair when you had come out the "last time," you could go home and face the "frowning world," or your suspecting and inquisitive mother. The country was full of swamps and wet places, and the malaria that arose therefrom in the spring and summer was sufficient to prostrate more than half the population annually. Then there were no driven wells and but few wells that were dug deep enough to get good or pure water, and the water used from sur- face springs and shallow wells undoubtedly added much to the sickness of the early settlers of this entire region. Such a time as was experienced with bilious fever, ague and all other bilious diseases will doubtless never again afflict any people on "God's footstool." The proper medical remedies could not be pre- scribed, and many died for want of care and medical attention.
Dr. Thomas Logan, who came with those who arrived in 1836, was the first doctor who practiced the profession in this region. He rode on horse-back, far and near, often "sleeping in the saddle" from overwork and want of sleep, but was, at times, unable to attend to half the calls made upon him. He
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
saved many lives and did much to alleviate the suffering that was everywhere prevalent. Later on, Drs. Crum, Hard, Bennett and White came and practiced the "healing art" in the county generally, for many years. But these doctors, too, had to suc- cumb to the fell destroyer, and all have since passed away.
The first school-house, or rather the first house where school was taught, was located nearly exactly in the center of the south- west quarter of section II, in township 32, north of range I east. This tract of land was then owned and occupied by Vin- cent Brownlee, later by Jeremiah Mosher, and at this writing by Elsworth Thompson, a grandson and heir of Mr. Mosher, Mr. Mosher having died several years ago, on the farm. The school was taught by Thomas McDonald in the winter of 1836-37. He taught during the day, and at night, by the light of a " turnip" lamp, mended and made boots and shoes for his family and his neighbors. This school was afterward taught by "Uncle" Ed. Thompson, and then a new " hewed log" school-house was built about eighty rods east of the old or first one. The new one was quite a pretentious building, being of hewn logs, an extra "pun- cheon " floor, two long windows - one in the south and the other in the north side- made by cutting out a log and fastening in greased paper, the seats were benches made by boring holes in split and hewn slabs of wood, with long and short legs in them, to suit the size of the "scholars," and in the east end there was a brick chimney and fire place, made from the first kiln of brick ever burnt in the county. The bricks were made by the Dickson brothers- Elias B., John B., Bayless L. and Hugh B. Dickson, and the chimney and fire place were built by "Uncle Sam. McDonald." All of the last named parties have passed away except Hugh B. Dickson, who, at the age of " three score and ten," is still hale and hearty-"walks as straight as an Injun," and bids fair to live yet many years to run a very successful business he has engaged in, in Indianapolis, within the last three years. In this new school-house, schools were taught by Theophilus Jones, Hugh B. Dickson, Lois H. Leland, James M. Wickizer and Hugh Brownlee, all of whom are still living except Theophilus Jones, who died some forty years ago.
Among the first religious services in the township were those held at the house of Grandfather William Thompson, who con- ducted the services and preached the gospel to the original sin- ners in that neighborhood, " without money and without price." Uncle Henry Logan and Grandfather Voreis, also preached there and at other places in the vicinity.
The petitioners for the organization of the township were: Vincent Brownlee, William Thompson, John A. Shirley, Lewis Thompson, John (B.) Dickson, William Hornady, John M. Mor- ris, James Houghton, Elihu Morris, D. C. Hults, Thomas Mc-
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
Donald, John Morris, John H. Voreis, Platt B. Dickson, Elias Dickson, John McDonald, Eleazer Thompson. No change has been made in this township, as to its boundary lines, since its organization.
The following notice appeared in the Marshall County Repub- lican of February 15, 1858, and indicates that the people of this part of the county were alive, even at that early date, to the im- portance of preserving for future generations the early history of the county:
"NOTICE-Ist. That a meeting will be held at the school- house in Union Town on the evening of March 4, 1858, to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society to be known as the "Antiquarian and Historical society," for the purpose of collecting as many of the circumstances and incidents relative to the settlement of this region of country from the first settlement by the white man to the present time, that it may be read by pos- terity, which we believe will be of great interest.
"Union Town, February 15, 1858."
Who the movers in the matter were, or whether the organiza- tion was effected, nothing can be ascertained. Bayless L. Dick- son, who was founder of Union Town, and one of the earliest settlers in that region, was, probably, at the head of it. Isaac N .. Morris, who was something of a historian and a great reader, and who lived near by, was, undoubtedly of those who were in- terested in preserving the history of that locality, but these early pioneers, and many others who resided here then, have passed away, leaving no record to perpetuate the history they helped to make.
Early Settlers .- Among the early settlers, those who came prior to the year 1840, are the following: Jacob Bickel, Vincent Brownlee, Amos Brown, Joseph Conklin, Elias B. Dickson, Platt B. Dickson, Hugh B. Dickson, Bayless L. Dickson, John B. Dick- son, George Francis, Daniel C. Hults, Joseph L. Hults, Uriah S. Hults, James Houghton, Emery Hallet, George Jessup, Theo- philus Jones, Noah S. Lawson, George C. Lawson, John Lindsey, William F. Lewis, James Logan, Ephraim Moore, Levi Moore, Elihu Morris, Samuel McDonald, Thomas McDonald, James Moore, David C. Morris, William McMillen, Ransom H. Norris, George M. Osborne, Tivis Porter, Robert S Piper, Daniel Romig, John A. Shirley, Samuel Shirley, Reuben F. Shirley, George S. Stone, Eleazer Thompson, William Thompson, William E. Thompson, Lewis Thompson, John Thompson, John H. Voreis, Abraham Voreis, David R. Voreis, Ezra Willard, George W. Wilson. Of these, all have passed away, except Hugh B. Dick- son, who resides in Indianapolis; George C. Lawson, who was recently known to be living in Missouri; Reuben F. Shirley, near Sterling, Ill .; William E. Thompson, near Lincoln, Neb., and
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
David R. Voreis, who alone, out of all his old neighbors and ac- quaintances of those days, still lives in Union township.
The first cemetery in this township was on the land owned by Samuel McDonald, afterward for many years, by Alfred Buck- lew and at this time by Harvey Thornburg, and is situated about three-fourths of a mile southwest from Rutland, a station and postoffice on the " Nickel Plate" railroad. A large number of those who came, in an early day, are there buried, and as the years go by, those who fall by the wayside, are laid there, and this "silent city of the dead" is now one of the largest in the county, outside of the city of Plymouth and the towns.
Lake Maxinkuckee and its beautiful surroundings, its flowing wells and other peculiarities, makes Union township the most noted and interesting township, undoubtedly, in the county. This is evidenced by the fact that the state geologist thought it of sufficient importance to incorporate in his report for the years 1885-86, the following concerning the lake, its surroundings, etc .:
Maxinkuckec .*- "In many respects this is the most beautiful of the multitude of small lakes with which northern and northeast- ern Indiana are studded. Its shores are high, beautifully rounded, and clothed with the native forest. The waters are clear and cold. Hundreds of springs flow out from the banks, and many more rise from the bottom of the lake. Very few weeds grow in the water, and there is far less of moss and peaty formation than is common to our Indiana lakes. Here, to a large extent, sand gives place to gravel, and the beach is firm and clean Though it is one of the deepest of our small lakes, it scarcely merits the name of "bottomless," given it by many of the people who reside on its shores and allow their imagination to fill the blue depths with wonders.
"We were gravely told by one that every attempt to find bot- tom was a failure; by another that he knew that the water was more than 300 feet deep, and by another that he had seen 180 feet of line let down only 100 yards off shore and no bottom was found. When we informed them that we did not expect to find any water 100 feet deep they smiled contemptuously.
" The result of our soundings gave seventy-six feet as the max- imum depth. This was found at a point almost in the center of the lake, being very slightly to the west of the middle on an east and west line drawn through Rochester Point and a little to the north of that line. There is, however, a large area of this deep water, perhaps 1,000 acres, which will average a depth of fifty feet. The bottom of the lake is very compact bowlder clay, cov- ered in places with gravel, at others with sand, and at a few places, notably along the northwest shore, with heavy black
* By W. H. Thompson and S. E. Lee, assistant geologists.
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
muck. In many places a deposit of marl was found. A cross section taken by a line of soundings from Rochester Point on the west shore, in a direction about thirty degrees north of east, to West Point on the east shore, gave the following depths: 6 feet, 7 feet, 34 feet, 72 feet, 68 feet, 66 feet, 76 feet, 62 feet, 60 feet, 41 feet, 31 feet, 17 feet. These soundings were taken at intervals of about 120 yards. The lake abounds in excellent fish. The big-mouthed black bass (Micropteros salmoides) was at one time very plentiful, but has either been too largely fished out or has become so wary that only the skilled and patient fisherman can succeed in sticking him with his hook. The perch are very abund- ant, and fine strings of croppies are taken early in the spring. The fish are now being protected from the seine, the net and spear, and it is hoped that the lake may again become as noted for fine fish as it was a dozen years ago.
"The springs which feed Maxinkuckee are very abundant, not only from the shores, but they may be seen in the clear water at a depth of ten feet gushing up from the bottom, and from the deepest parts of the lake rise columns of cold water, chilling the bather like an ice bath. These springs suggested the probability of obtaining successful flowing wells, and now so many have been found that all along the east shore one can scarcely get beyond the sound of the spouting waters. The water from these wells is very clear and cold, and more or less ferruginous, a few of the wells being so highly impregnated with iron as to render the water slightly unpleasant to the taste until one gets used to it.
" Mr. Vajen dug a well several years ago, which, on reaching a depth of eight feet, began to flow a milk-white water of about the consistency of cream, and which deposited a silicious, lime- like marl, and whitened the water of the lake for a distance of thirty feet from the water's edge. In the back part of Mr. Vajen's lot was a low, wet spot, which began to sink when the well began to flow, and continued to sink until the white flow changed to clear, pure water. Mr. Vajen has utilized the pressure of water from his well, the stream running a ram which supplies his prem- ises with water, and also furnishes the power which revolves the beautiful colored light at the landing pier before his gate. High upon the hill beside the Plymouth road, about 100 yards from the lake, and fully thirty feet above it, gushes out the 'Original Spring,' as it is known, which pointed the index finger toward the first flowing well. This spring pours out a four-inch stream, and the boring of wells has never diminished the flow."
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