USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana > Part 93
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When Maj. Belles settled in Franklin township . his nearest neighbor was a man named Doyle, who lived midway between Indianapolis and the Belles tavern stand, which was six miles southeast from the town. This tavern was a very popular one with the traveling public, and there was always an extra effort made by travelers to reach it for lodging at night.
After the capital of the State was moved to Indian- apolis the representatives and senators from the southeast part of the State made it a point to stop with the major on their way to and from the General Assembly. Maj. Belles continued to keep this tavern until his death in 1838. His son Caleb settled on the school section in 1838. His wife was Lewis O'Neal's daughter Mary, to whom he was married in 1836. The farm of Maj. John Belles was bought by William Morrison, after which it passed through other hands, and is now owned and occupied by William Sloan.
Although the first settlements in Franklin were among the very earliest made in Marion County, and although within four years from the time when the pioneer, William Rector, built his lonely cabin in the solitude of the Buck Creek Valley the township had become sufficiently populous to entitle it to a separate and independent organization, it appears certain that the greater part of the people living here at that time were but squatters rather than permanent settlers ; for, even as late as nine years after the first settle- ment, it is shown (by the assessment-roll of 1829) that only eight hundred and seventy-five and one- half acres of land was assessed to resident owners or holders, and only eight hundred aeres to non-resident owners, leaving more than nine-tenths of the area of the township still in possession of the government. The roll referred to shows that in the year 1829 only nine persons, residents in Franklin township, were assessed on lands, while those who paid the poll tax, hut were assessed on no real estate, were thirty- nine in number, named as follows, viz. :
Simeon Adams. Joshua Jackson.
William Adams.
Elijah Jackson.
William Adair.
John Miller.
Moses Barker.
George Montgomery.
John Belles.
George R. MeLaughlin.
Robert Brown.
James McLain.
Benson Cornelius. James B. MeLain.
Robert Carthen. John Messinger.
James Greer. Henry Martin.
William Griffith. Aquilla W. Noe.
William Hines. Lewis O'Neal.
Israel Jennings.
John Perkins.
34
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HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.
James Pool. William P. Smith.
Thomas Rowes.
James Turner.
John Smither.
Josiah B. Toon.
John Smither, Jr. John Walden.
Lewis Smither. Marine D. West.
James Smither.
William West.
Willis Smither.
Stephen Yager.
James Skelly.
Following are given the names of the resident landholders of Franklin township in 1829 (excepting William Rector, who has already been mentioned), together with a description of the lands on which each was assessed, as shown by the assessment-roll, viz .:
John Ferguson, the east half of the northeast quarter of section 28, township 15, range 5, and the west half of section 27 in the same township. Mr. Ferguson was appointed by the county commission- ers inspector of the election held at the house of William Rector in June, 1824, which was the first election held in Franklin after it became a separate and independent township.
Jeremiah Burnet, the west half of the northeast quarter of section 3, township 14, range 5. Also one horse, two oxen, and a silver watch.
Thomas Berry, the west half of the northwest quarter of section 3, township 14, range 5.
Peter Carberry, fifty acres in the west half of the southwest quarter of section 15, township 14, range 5. Carberry came to this township in 1826, and settled where the village of Aeton now is.
Jacob Roriek, the east half of the southwest quarter of section 3, township 14, range 5.
Daniel Smith, the southeast quarter of section 10, township 14, range 5.
George Tibbitts, the west half of the southwest quarter of section 10, township 14, range 5. Mr. Tibbitts came here from the south part of the State in 1824. He was a tanner by trade, and built a tannery on his lands in 1828. In 1845 he sold out his property in Franklin township to Samuel Parsley and moved to Iowa.
Daniel Skelly, the east half of the northwest quarter of section 3, township 14, range 5.
Reuben Adams came to Franklin township in
1825, cleared a piece of land, and put in a erop. In 1826 he brought his family here, and died in the same year. He had nine sons and two daughters. His daughter Lorinda married James Skelly about 1830. His son, William Adams, settled on a farm which he afterwards sold to John Smither, who sold to Samuel McGaughey. It is now occupied by John E. MeGaughey.
Lewis O'Neal emigrated from Kentucky in 1825, and settled in Franklin township, near New Bethel, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he purchased from the government about four years later, and which is now owned and occupied by George Adams and Isaac Shimer. O'Neal's daughter Mary married Caleb Belles Nov. 10, 1836. Richard, son of Lewis O'Neal, married Charlotte Vickers. He died in Indianapolis. Susan O'Neal married Harvey Sebern in 1839. Kitty, another daughter of Lewis O'Neal, married Eli Maston and removed to Ken- tucky.
James Pool emigrated from Ohio to Marion County, Ind., in 1828, and settled on forty acres of land which he afterwards sold to William Faulkner, and he to David Brumley.
Benson Cornelius came to this township in 1827. He was assessed on no land in 1829, but he settled ou an eighty-acre traet, which he sold to Henry Childers about 1840. Childers sold to - Haven- ridge, and he to John Hill, who is the present owner.
Israel Jennings made his settlement in this town- ship in 1827. He was not assessed on any lands in 1829, but he became the owner of the eighty-aere tract on which he settled. About 1840 he sold it to Isaac Collins, the present owner.
John Messinger came from Decatur County, Ind., to Franklin township about 1824. He was not a land-owner in 1829, but became such immediately afterwards, and built on his land the mill known as the Messinger mill. In 1840 he sold his property in this township and removed to Iowa.
John Miller came to Franklin township about 1826, and located on lands which he purchased three or four years later. In 1853 he sold out to William Miller, who afterwards sold the land to Thomas Porteus.
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FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.
Josiah B. Toon settled in this township in 1828. His name appears ou the assessment-roll of 1829, but he was not at that time assessed on any real estate. M. S. Toon came to the township in 1830, and his father, John Toon, in 1831. The first wife of M. S. Toon was a daughter of James Davis, one of the earliest settlers in Warren township.
Willis Smither (who also married a daughter of James Davis, of Warren township) came to Franklin township in 1827. The assessment-roll of 1829 does not show that he was then a land-holder, but when he came to the township he took up and settled on the land on which he now lives. His brothers John and Lewis had come to this township some time before him, but neither of their names appear as land-holders in 1829. John Smither bought the farm of William Adams (son of Reuben Adams), and afterwards sold it to Samuel MeGaughey.
William P. Smith settled in this township, near New Bethel, in 1826. In 1829 he paid no tax on real estate, but was assessed only on one horse and one silver watch. Only four other persons in the township were the owners of silver watches at the time, viz., Jeremiah Burnet, Maj. John Belles, George R. MeLaughlin, and James B. MeLain. Mr. Smith was one of the first school-teachers in the township. He afterwards became the owner of lands which he sold to David Marrs. Marrs sold the farm to Knowles Shaw, whose widow still owns and occupies it.
John Leeper came from Dearborn County, Ind., about 1832, and settled in this township at the " Pigeon Roost," on land now owned and occupied by Isaac Golden. Joseph Leeper, son of John, set- tled on land now owned and occupied by Oliver Holmes.
Stephen Glasco migrated from Rush County, Ind., to this township about 1837, and settled on lands, a part of which are now owned by Jonas Hamlyn. A part of the Glasco tract passed to the ownership of John Maze.
Richard Hamlyn came from England to America with his wife aud children in 1849 ; located in Hamil- ton County, Ohio, remained there several years, and in 1857 came to Franklin township, where he bought
the farm owned by George Dillender. He died about 1865. His son Jonas came to this township from Franklin County, Ind., in 1860, and bought from William Leeper a tract of land which had been first located and settled on by Stephen Glasco. John Hamlyn, son of Richard and brother of Jonas, mar- ried Amanda Clark (half-sister of James Clark) in 1859, and settled on the farm which his father had owned, and on which he (John) still lives. Elizabeth, sister of Jonas and John Hamlyn, is the wife of Isaac Golden, who owns and lives on the farm on which John Leeper settled at the " Pigeon Roost."
Joseph Wheatley came to this township about 1830, and located on a farm which had been entered by Marine D. West. The farm is still owned by the Wheatley family.
George Eudaly, a native of Virginia, came from Kentucky to this township in 1830, and afterwards settled on what was known as the Nosseman farm, the land of which had been entered by a Mr. Chown- ing, and sold to John Nosseman, who came here from Virginia. Neither Chowning, Nosseman, or Eudaly appear on the assessment-roll of 1829. The land which they owned in succession is now owned and occupied by Henry Laws.
William Beckley came to this township from Ken- tucky in 1832, and lived for about one year on the David Morris farm; then bought from James Grif- fith the farm he now lives on.
Joseph Perkins came here in an early day, and set- tled on and owned the farm where Joseph Clark now lives. Alexander Perkins, son of Joseph, married a daughter of William Griffy.
George Hickman was a settler who came from Ohio in 1836, and bought a tract of land extending from the eastern border of Franklin township across the eastern line into Hancock County. It was in that county, on the eastern part of his land, that he first built his cabin, but he soon afterwards made his residence on the west part of his tract in this town- ship, where he is now living at the age of sixty-eight years.
Jacob Springer, a carpenter by trade, came from Ohio in 1833, and settled on the old Michigan road near New Bethel. His two sons, John J. and David,
524
HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.
are now living in the township. John J. Springer owns and occupies the land which Ephraim Fray re- ceived as his portion of the estate of his father, who settled on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres on Buck Creek in 1828. The farm of the elder Fray was divided between his son Ephraim and his daugh- ter, Susan Fray.
James Clark came here from Jennings County, Ind., in February, 1835, and settled on the same farm that he now occupies. The land had been entered in 1832 or 1833 by John Van Cleve.
James Turner came from Kentucky in 1828, and settled one hundred and sixty acres of land on Little Buck Creek, and on the line of the Morgau trace, now the Indianapolis and Shelbyville road.
Nehemiah Smith came from Kentucky in 1830, and settled a half-section of land on Little Buck Creek. He died about 1840.
Abraham Hendricks was married in Kentucky in 1825 to a daughter of Nehemiah Smith. He moved to this township in 1830, and settled eighty acres of land on Little Buck Creek, and now owns and lives on the same, being in the eighty-seventh year of his age.
Nimrod Kemper came from Kentucky in 1832, and settled one hundred and sixty acres of land on the line of the Morgan trace. He died about 1867. Nimrod Par and Nimrod Kemper, his grandchildren, now live on his old homestead farm.
Stephen K. Tucker came from Kentucky in 1834, and bought out Hampton Bryan, who then returned to Kentucky. Mr. Tucker still lives on the land which he bought of Bryan.
W. W. White came from Kentucky in 1824, with his mother and her family, and settled on Lick Creek, in Perry township, where he remained until 1833, when he married and moved to this township, and settled on the eighty acres of land which he still owns and occupies.
and John came in possession of his lands, John hav- ing the north half, and James B. the south. The latter removed West and sold his farm here, which is now occupied by Mrs. Wolcott. John McLain died in 1872. His son John now lives on the farm. Another son, Moses G., served in the Seventieth In- diana Volunteer Regiment in the war of the Rebel- lion, losing a hand in the service. He is now clerk of Marion County.
George B. Richardson emigrated from Kentucky in 1831, and settled eighty acres of land, and re- mained on it until 1834, when he moved to New Bethel, Franklin township, where he went to work at his trade of blacksmith. He remained there until 1837, when he bought eighty acres of land of Patrick Catterson, and remained on it several years, after which he sold to Brown, and he to Thomas Schooly, who resides there at the present time. G. B. Rich- ardson moved back to the land on which he first settled, and is still living there.
Samuel Smith came from Kentucky to Fayette County in 1820 with his father. He moved into Rush County in 1821, and remained there until 1834, when he married, and moved to this town- ship, and settled on the fractional quarter-section of one hundred and fifteen acres where he now resides.
William Powers came from Kentucky to Rush County in 1821, and remained there until 1834, when he came to this township and settled eighty acres of land, and lived on it until his death, about 1870. Samuel Smith now owns the land.
Jacob Mathews came from Ohio in 1833, and set- tled on eighty acres, where he lived until his death, about 1872. He was the father of Harvey R. Mathews; of this township.
James Tolen came from Ohio in 1833, and settled on eighty acres of land, where he lived until his death, about 1873. It is now owned by Andrew Collins. James Tolen, sou of Jacob, settled eighty acres adjoining his father's farm, and now lives on the same.
James McLain came from Kentucky in 1828, and settled ou Little Buck Creek, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he purchased a year or two Nathaniel Smith emigrated from Kentucky to Rush County_in 1821, and came to this township in 1834. He was married to a daughter_of_Patrick after his settlement. He erected a horse-mill, which cracked corn for the neighboring farmers for a num- ber of years. After his death his sons James B. | Catterson, and settled on Little Buck Creek, where
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FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.
he commenced a tannery, and carried it on until about 1854, when he closed out and removed to Brazil, Ind.
John Graham came from Pennsylvania in 1821, and settled on Lick Creek, in Perry township, where he died in an early day, leaving a wife, two daugh- ters, and four sons, of whom William M. Graham was the oldest. He was born in December, 1824; was married to Emily Kelley, of Perry township, in 1848, and moved into Franklin township in 1850, and settled on eighty acres of land entered by Patrick Catterson in 1833, and sold by him to Charles B. Watt in 1834. Graham is now living on the same land.
Ethelbert Bryan settled in 1836 on the farm now owned by Shepler Fry, who came here in 1854, and purchased from Bryan. Mr. Fry's farm is the most thoroughly underdrained and the best cultivated of any in the township.
William Morris came in 1834, and settled on the farm since well known as the David Morris farm.
Thomas E. Moore came from Kentucky in 1834, and settled on the farm where his son Daniel now lives.
William C. Adair came to Franklin township in 1836, and settled on land now owned by John Fikc.
Morgan Bryant, a comparatively early settler in this township, located on the land now owned and occupied by William McGregor.
Thomas Craft made his first settlement in this township on land which had been previously entered by James Fisk. John Craft, son of Thomas, now owns a part of the tract.
Jacob Smock came to Marion County from Jeffer- son County, Ind., Jan. 1, 1837. He at first located in Perry township, where he remained two years, and in 1838 came to Franklin township, and entered the land on which he now lives, and which was the last tract entered in Marion County.
New Bethel, a village of one hundred and fifty inhabitants, situated in the northern central part of the township, was laid out by J. H. Messinger for Mary Adams in the year 1834, the town plat
being recorded on the 24th of March in that year.
The first store in the village was opened by Davis & McFarland, who were followed in the busi- ness successively by Greer & Toon, Patrick Catter- son, Samson Barbee. Lewis B. Wilsey, the last named commencing in 1850. Another store was opened by Richard O'Neal and W. G. Toon, who sold out to Wilson, who was succeeded by Harlan & McMullen, and Harlan & Silvers, who continued till 1863. J. C. Van Sickel commenced merchandising about 1865, and continued till 1869, when he sold to L. B. Wilsey and John Wilson. In 1872 Wilsey sold his interest to Wilson, who in 1875 sold to David Brumley, who in 1876 sold a half interest to Henry Brown. In 1877 Brumley sold his remain- ing interest to A. Helms, and he in 1879 sold to Henry Brown, who is still in trade. The other store of the village at the present time is carried on by John Wilson and Henry Bond.
The pottery business was established by Patrick Catterson at the commencement of the village in 1834. Mrs. James Pool now has a jar made by Catterson in 1836. The first blacksmith of the village was George B. Richardson. The first wagon-maker was Jacob Springer. A saw-mill was built at this place in 1835 by John Smither, Lewis O'Neal, and Jacob Springer.
The first physician of the village was Dr. Lawrence. Then came Drs. Hoyt, Orsemus Richmond, and Wil- liam Presley. The last named practiced in New Bethel and vicinity from 1845 to 1847, after which he moved to Indianapolis. During the last year of his practice in New Bethel he was associated in partnership with Dr. S. M. Brown, who has from that time to the present remained in practice as the physician of the village and surrounding country. In 1852, Dr. Brown was married to Mahala Brady, who died in 1867. She was a daughter of Henry Brady, Esq., a pioneer settler of Warren township.
Poplar Grove is a cluster of five or six houses located on the railroad in the northwestern part of the township. There was once a post-office there, but it was discontinued, and now the place has no pretensions to the name of a village.
526
HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.
Gallaudet is not a village, but merely a post-office and station on the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway.
The village of Acton is situated in the southeastern part of Franklin township, on the line of the Cin- cinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway. The land which forms the site of the village is a part of the tract originally owned by the pioneer settler, Peter Carbery, but which in 1852 was owned by Thomas Wallace. The village was laid out in that year by John E. Stretcher, surveyor, for Thomas Wallace and Thomas Ferguson, the town plat being recorded October 22d in the year named. There would probably never have been any village at that point but for the building of the railroad, which was at that time approaching completion, and which was opened for travel in September of the following year. The original name of the town was Farmersville, which was afterwards changed to Acton, to avoid confusion in the mail service, as there was already a post-office named Farmersville in the State.
Upon the establishment of the post-office at Acton, John Daily was appointed postmaster; and his suc- cessors in the office have been (in the order named) Joseph Pierson, Samuel Rosengarten, Reuben Con- way, Joseph Brenton, George W. Morgan, N. T. Parker, George W. Vaughn, D. W. Pierson, John Foley, and (again) D. W. Pierson, who is the present incumbent.
The first merchants of the village were John Al- bright and William Duval, who opened their store in a log building in 1852. The next was John Daily, who opened in 1853, and continued until 1855, when he sold to Joseph Pierson and William Leeper. The latter sold his interest in the store to Pierson, who carried on the business until 1858, when he sold out at auction and removed to Iowa.
Salathiel T. Pierson commenced merchandising at Acton in 1853, and continued till his death in Sep- tember, 1855. Dugald McDougall commenced in 1854, and continued about one year. James Morgan and Peter Swigart commenced at about the same time. John Threlkill commenced in 1855, and continued in trade about three years. N. J. Parker commenced
about 1858 and continued till 1864. Rev. Thomas Ray was a merchant in Acton from 1858 to 1860, and Warren Stacy from 1860 to 1866. The three general stores of the village at the present time (January, 1884) are carried on respectively by D. W .. Pierson, George W. Swails, and James W. Swails.
The first physician of Acton was Dr. William Scott, who came in 1855, and remained but a short time. Dr. - Johnson located in the village in the fall of 1855, and remained about one year. Dr. Samuel Mc- Gaughey, who was reared and educated in Franklin County, and married a daughter of Madison Morgan, of Shelby County, Ind., located in Acton in 1856, and has remained in practice in the village and vicinity until the present time. Dr. T. N. Bryant came about 1857. He was in partnership with Dr. McGaughey for about a year, after which he removed to Illinois, but returned to Marion County and located in Indian- apolis. Dr. Philander C. Leavitt, who resided at Pleasant View, Shelby Co., at the opening of the war of the Rebellion, entered the service of the United States as a private soldier, was promoted to surgeon, and soon after the close of the war located in Acton, where he remained in practice till his death in 1882. Dr. J. W. Spicer, who is now in practice in Acton, located in the village about 1879.
Acton is now a village of about three hundred and fifteen inhabitants, and has four churches (three Prot- estant and one Catholic), one school-house (built in 1876, at a cost of six thousand dollars), one graded school, three physicians, three general stores, one boot- and shoe-store (by Henry Baas), one drug-store (by John Curry), two wagon-shops (by Daniel Gillespie and Hamilton Brothers), two blacksmith-shops, a steam saw-mill (huilt in 1853 by John McCollum & Sons, and now operated by A. H. Plymate), a steam flouring-mill (built about 1860 by Jacob Rubush, John Ferrin, and Solomon Habn, and now operated by Mr. Hahn), a Masonic lodge, and a lodge of the order of Odd-Fellows.
Pleasant Lodge, No. 134, F. and A. M., was organized at Pleasant View, Shelby Co., in May, 1852, with eight members. About four years after the organization it was removed to Acton, where a frame building, twenty-five by fifty feet in size, was
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FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.
erected, and the upper story fitted and furnished as a lodge-room, while the lower story was rented for store purposes. In 1873 the building was destroyed by fire, with a total loss of the furniture and records of the lodge. In 1875 a brick building, twenty-four by sixty feet in size, was erected on the same site, at a cost of four thousand one hundred and sixty dollars. The lower story is occupied as a store by D. W. Pierson, and above it is the Masonic Hall. The lodge has now a membership of fifty. The present officers are William Cooper, W. M .; William T. Cummins, S. W .; Joho Hanahan, J. W .; Austin Daugherty, Sec. ; Solomon Hahn, Treas .; George Clover, S. D .; Dr. J. W. Spicer, J. D .; John Means, Tiler.
Acton Lodge, No. 279, I. O. O. F., was instituted June 20, 1867, with the following-named members : J. C. P. Stage, E. T. Wells, Joseph Fittsgeval, C. C. Weaver, Charles J. Phemister, J. G. Clark, Allen Drake, S. Rosengarten, John A. Johnson, William C. Nicholas, John Porter, James H. Clark, Joseph R. Johnson.
The lodge now has fifteen past grand officers, sixteen active members, and property valued at about one thousand dollars. The hall is in the second story of the building, over the store of George W. Swails. The present officers of the lodge are : John Craft, N. G .; James Matthews, V. G .; J. Swails, Sec .; G. W. Swails, Treas .; Charles C. Weaver, Per. Sec.
The grounds of the Acton Camp-Meeting Associa- tion, adjoining the village of Acton on the north west, being the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 16, township 14, north of range 5 east, were purchased of the Rev. John V. R. Miller for abont one thousand dollars, and laid out and buildings erected for camp-meeting purposes about 1859. The buildings were destroyed by fire about 1863; were rebuilt, and again burned about three years later, when the present buildings were erected. The camp-meetings held yearly on this ground are very largely attended, as many as forty thousand people having sometimes been present in a single day.
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