USA > Indiana > Knox County > History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present; with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. ; together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present; with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. ; together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government > Part 52
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
INDIAN ALARMS.
The killing of the four white men, Mr. McGowen, Mr. Hath- away, Mr. Bogard, and Mr. Eagle, and of the one Indian, are all that occurred within the limits of Daviess County during and in consequence of Indian troubles; but, simultaneously with these difficulties, were other excitements which served to prevent the in- habitants of the county from resting under too great a sense of safety. On one of these occasions Fort Harrison, then held by Capt. Zachary Taylor, was besieged by a large body of Indians, and all who could procure horses were required to repair to its relief. This fort was completed in October, 1811, and was located on the east bank of the Wabash, above the present site of Terre Haute. Probably not over twenty men went, but the hurry and bustle of preparation, the mending of bridles and saddles, the gathering together of the horses, the grinding of corn in the little hand-mill, the baking of bread, etc., caused as much anxiety and wakeful- ness, perhaps, as would the preparation for the march of an entire regiment. After the farewell, full of forebodings, had been bidden, for none knew how many would fail to return alive, nothing was heard of the little band of warriors for sixteen days, at the
579
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
end of which time news came that all had returned safe to Vin- cennes, and two days afterward they reached home.
THE RANGERS.
Early in the spring of 1812, when it was confidently anticipa- ted that a war would soon break out between Great Britain and the United States, a call was made among the residents of Da- viess County for volunteers to fight the Indians. From fifteen to twenty answered the call, none of them heads of families, but all of them of mature age. They were to serve for one year, furnish their own horses and horse-feed, one good rifle gun each, with shot-bag, powder-horn and ammunition; one leather belt, one tomahawk and one large butcher knife, and a small knife from four to five inches long; and were to receive as wages $1 per day. Thus mounted and accoutered they were named "rangers." During the time for which they were enlisted they were called away many times, but reference is here made to only one of these expeditions, mainly to record the kill- ing of two more of the early settlers of Daviess County, but incidentally to illustrate the superior skill and cunning of the Indian in desultory warfare. In the latter part of Septem- ber, 1812, Gen. Samuel Hopkins was in Vincennes in com- mand of about 2,000 volunteers. The duty assigned to his com- mand was that of breaking up and destroying the settlements of Indians along the Wabash and Illinois Rivers. The destruction of one Kickapoo town at the head of Lake Peoria was accom- plished, and the mounted forces returned to Vincennes, most of them being discharged on account of refusing to obey their com- mander. Gen. Hopkins immediately organized another force, chiefly infantry, to operate against the Indians in the vicinity of the Prophet's town. Accompanying this expedition were a num- ber of Daviess County rangers. The Winnebago town, lying on Wild Cat Creek one mile from the Wabash River, had been sur- rounded and found deserted, and Gen. Hopkins' command, to use his own language, was "embarked in the complete destruction of the Prophet's town, which had about forty cabins and huts, and the large Kickapoo village adjoining it on the east side of the riv- er. * Seven miles east of us a party of Indians was dis-
580
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
covered on Ponce Passu (Wild Cat Creek). They had fired on a party of ours on the 21 (of September) and killed a man by the name of Dunn, a gallant soldier in Capt. Duval's company. On the 22d, upward of sixty horsemen, under the command of Lieut .- Cols. Miller and Wilcox, anxious to bury their comrade, as well as to gain a more complete knowledge of the ground, went on to a point near the Indian encampment, fell into an am- bush, and eighteen of the party were killed, wounded and miss- ing." Two of those who were killed in this ambuscade were from the settlement at the forks of the White River-Samuel Culbert- son and Jesse Jones. The former was the son of Josiah Culbert- son, a worthy citizen of Daviess County and a soldier of the Rev- olutionary war, and the latter a son of Ebenezer Jones, who lived in Daviess County from 1811 until 1863. The story of this fatal expedition is thus graphically told by John Thompson in his " Pioneer Papers," herein referred to.
The country immediately around the encampment, a short distance above the site of the present city of Lafayette, was finely timbered, and to all appearances a body of rich land. Some of the men strayed off from the main body for the pur- pose, as they said, of looking at the country. While one of these parties, consisting of three, was out some distance from the main body, they were fired on by the Indians and one of their num- ber killed. His name was probably Dunn. Upon the return of the two survivors to camp, sixty men were detailed to bury the dead man, and the men from this part of the country were in- cluded in those detailed. Approaching the spot where the slain man lay, they discovered an Indian mounted on quite a fine horse. Dropping their burying tools, they, in a very tu- multuous manner, started in pursuit. The Indian at first kept a northeast course, but gradually inclined to the north, until he arrived at the head of a ravine running directly west to the Wa- bash River. He entered the ravine, which was quite steep at the sides, and covered with timber and thick underbrush. When his pursuers had proceeded about 300 yards down the hollow, they received a very heavy fire on both flanks, which added much to their disorder and confusion. A general rout ensued, and every man that could made the best of his way back to camp.
581
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
Those who effected an escape had to cut their way through the enemy's line. The next day almost the whole army went out to bury the dead, who were found much mutilated, and some that were reported missing never were found.
CHAPTER III.
COMPILED BY JOHN WOOLDRIDGE, A. M.
SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY-CATALOG OF EARLY SETTLERS AND LAND ENTRIES BY TOWNSHIPS-HUNTING AND OTHER INTERESTING ANECDOTES-PIONEER INDUSTRIES AND CUSTOMS-LOCAL NAMES- SLAVERY IN INDIANA-THE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE WARRANTS-THE OLD FRENCH DONATIONS.
A UTHORITIES differ as to who the first settler of Daviess County was. Some say that William Ballow settled in the Sugar Creek Hills, sixteen miles southeast of Washington, in 1801. If this be correct, Mr. Ballow was probably the first settler. Others say that Eli Hawkins, who came from South Carolina and settled near the present site of Maysville in 1806, was the first settler. But this can hardly be correct, as Mr. John Thompson, who wrote a series of "pioneer papers" for The Age, and who is very generally recognized as good authority ou early historic matters, mentions in those pioneer papers seven others who came to this region before Eli Hawkins. One of these seven, however, who is mentioned as the first settler by Mr. Thompson, located on the west bank of the east fork of White River, near the present site of Mount Pleasant, in Martin County. His name was William McGowen. David Flora, who is referred to by Mr. Thompson as the second settler, was therefore the sec- ond settler in Daviess County, admitting William Ballow to have been the first. Mr. Flora lived in a log cabin nearly opposite the present site of the Meredith House in Washington. Then came Aaron Freeland, who lived in a double log cabin. The next was Thomas Ruggles, and then followed in succession Dr. Harris, Richard Palmer, William Hawkins, and finally Eli Hawkins, in
582
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
1806, as mentioned above. That Eli Hawkins did arrive in what is now Daviess County as early as 1806 is not a matter of doubt, as the county records contain the copy of a deed made to him November 8, 1806, by John Rice Jones, and Mary Jones. his wife. The land deeded lay in the vicinity of Maysville, and consisted of 400 acres, and cost Mr. Hawkins $400. It was given to Charles Valle in 1783, according to certain laws of the United States in pursuance of an act of Congress .* John Rice Jones bought the land from the children and horse if Charles Valle. Eli Hawkins, on the 15th of August, 1815, sold 100 acres of this land to Solomon Lillie for $200. This land was a portion of Section 6, Township 2, Range 7. This deed to Eli Hawkins by John Rice Jones and wife was not, however, the earliest deed made to land in Daviess County, as will ap- pear later on in this chapter. But it shows the promptness with which Mr. Hawkins made his title clear to a homestead in the country selected for the future residence of himself and family, and contrasts somewhat strangely with the apparent dila- toriness of William Ballow, who did not, so far as the records of the county show, until April 28, 1809, purchase land, and thus secure a permanent location. The land purchased by Mr. Bal- low was the northwest quarter of Section 9, Township 2, Range 7.
EARLY DEEDS OF LAND.
The first deed to land within the present limits of Daviess County, of which there is any record, was by Jacque Cardinal, and his two sisters and their husbands ( Joseph Tonga and Jen- nette, his wife, and Joseph Severang and Celeste, his wife), to Henry Vanderburgh. This land consisted of 400 acres, which was given to John Baptiste Cardinal by the Congress of the United States, as the head of a family at Vincennes, and was a part or the whole of donation 157, and lay mostly in Section 14, Township 3, Range 8. The price paid for this 400 acres of land by Mr. Vanderburgh was $100, and the date of the deed was May 21, 1792. Mr. Vanderburgh evidently did not purchase for the purpose of settlement, for on the 28th of March, 1797, he sold the entire tract to John Instone for $200. John Instone sold
*These laws are fully set forth in Part I of this volume.
583
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
this land with other lands on August 1, 1802, to Peyton Short. Mr. Short bargained to sell to certain parties, but died before executing the deed, and the court decreed the title to William Crogan, of Pittsburgh, Penn., and appointed a commissioner to convey it to him in 1832. Afterward Mary Shenley proved her- self to be the owner of this land, and sold it to Charles G. Mc- Cord August 27, 1884. Mr. McCord sold it to its present owner, Smiley W. Chambers.
THE EARLY SETTLERS.
It is designed to enumerate and locate as many as possible of those who became inhabitants of Daviess County previous to "forting times" --- times remembered now by very few. And in order to locate them intelligently, it is necessary to state that in 1783 the Congress of the United States made numerous donations of land to the early French settlers about Vincennes, and in 1807 the Congress made what have since been called French locations. The donations lie mostly in what is now Knox County, in the his- tory of which county, elsewhere in this volume, may be found a full account of the origin of both donations and locations. A portion of the locations are within the limits of Daviess County, and their boundary lines run east and west, and north and south ; while those of the donations run at an angle of nearly 45 degrees from the true meridian. Eli Hawkins settled on location No. 62, and his brother, William, on location No. 63, recently the property of Joseph M. Taylor. William McIntosh settled on location No. 87; William Morrison, on location No. 134; David Flora, on No. 159; Toussaint Dubois, on No. 300; Emanuel Van Trees, on No. 304; Samuel Baird, on No. 144; Jesse Purcell, on No. 185; Eli- jah Purcell, on No. 192; John Allen, on No. 258; William Flint, on No. 189; William Baker, on No. 193; John Aikman, on No. 192; James Barr, on No. 210; Amable Godall, on No. 202; and John McDonald, the old Government surveyor, on No. 242. It is not easy to determine the exact dates of the above mentioned settlements, but it is sufficient to know that most of them were made prior to the war of 1812. According to the records of the county, John McDonald purchased the northeast quarter of Sec- tion. 8, Township 2, Range 7 May 30, 1807, and Abraham Rod-
584
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
armel the southwest quarter of Section 5, Township 2, Range 7 June 10, 1807.
Others to obtain land titles prior to 1814 were the following: In 1808, Daniel Comer, May 16, southeast quarter of Section 4, Township 2, Range 7; Richard Steen, May 20, southwest quarter of Section 4, Township 2, Range 7; Josiah Culbertson, August 2, northwest quarter of Section 5, Township 2, Range 7; Simon Nicholas, November 25, southwest quarter of Section 8, Town- ship 2, Range 7; Friend Spears, December 13, southwest quarter Section 3, Township 2, Range 7; Amos Rogers, December 28, east fraction of Section 13, Township 2, Range 8. In 1809: William Ballow, April 28, northwest quarter of Section 9,Township 2, Range 7; John Wallace, April 28, northeast quarter of Section 9, Town- ship 2, Range 7; Clayton Rogers, September 7, east fraction of Section 24, Township 2, Range 8; Daniel Gregory, southeast quarter of Section 8, Township 2, Range 7. In 1810: Thomas Aikman, May 5, northeast quarter of Section 4, Township 2, Range 7; William Horrall, October 10, southwest quarter of Section 9, Township 2, Range 7; Thomas Horrall, October 13, southeast quarter of Section 9, Township 2, Range 7. In 1811: Hezekiah Ragsdale, April 29. northwest quarter of Section 4, Township 2, Range 7; Ebenezer Jones, August 5, southwest quarter of Section 3, Township 2, Range 7; Vance Jones, De- cember 11, northwest quarter of Section 10, Township 2, Range 7; John Aikman, December 14, southwest quarter of Section 10, Township 2, Range 7. There was no land entry made in 1812 and only one in 1813, indicating an unsettled or even a disturbed state of society, which rendered it questionable whether Daviess County was the proper place to locate. The one made in 1813 was by Jeremiah Lucas, September 18, northeast quarter of Sec- tion 3, Township 2, Range 7. It will be observed that all of the above mentioned individuals settled within the present limits of Washington Township, except Clayton Rogers, whose land lay in Veal Township, and who was, therefore, somewhat isolated from his neighbors. During the period which elapsed while these entries were being made, additions were constantly being made to the settlement. The pioneers were prosperous and were making steady progress in clearing up their claims, in improving and
585
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
adding to the comforts of their homes, until the latter part of 1811, when troubles with the Indians began and lasted for a number of years.
LAND ENTRIES CONTINUED.
The reader will remember that the Indian troubles, independ- ently of and connected with the war of 1812, caused a cessation of land entries during the years 1812 and 1813, no entry being made in 1812 and only one in 1813. A list of those made during the next subsequent four years is here introduced. In 1814 the following: February 8, Joseph Case, north fraction Section 7, Township 1, Range 6; June 20, Thrice Stafford, southwest quar- ter of Section 7, Township 1, Range 5; September 22, Robert Hays, southwest quarter of Section 9, Township 1, Range 6; No- vember 5, John Tranter, east fraction of Section 7, Township 2, Range 7; November 12, John Case, north fraction of Section 22, Township 1, Range 6; November 25, Elias Stone, southeast quarter of Section 6, Township 1, Range 6. In 1815: February 25, Jonathan Morgan, east fraction of Section 25, Township 2. Range 8; March 8, Daniel Clift, northwest quarter of Section 9, Township 1, Range 6; and George W. Clift, southeast quarter of Section 9, Township 1, Range 6; April 29, William Ballow, southeast quarter of Section 7, Township 1, Range 5; November 1, William Williams, southeast quarter of Section 29, Township 3, Range 6; November 24, Jacob Reeder, north fraction of Sec- tion 20, Township 1, Range 5. In 1816: February 23, Joseph Hays, southwest quarter of Section 14, Township 1, Range 5; April 4, Edward Adams, southwest "seven-eighths " of Section 9, Township 1, Range 5; April 15, John Davidson, north fraction of Section 13, Township 1, Range 6; April 19, Benjamin Haw- kins, east half of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 1, Range 5; and George Gregory, west half of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 1, Range 5; August 30, Caleb Brock, southeast quarter of Section 10, Township 1, Range 5; October 1, Henry Foster, west half of the southwest quarter of Section 10, Township 1, Range 5; October 21, William Peterson, south- west quarter of Section 31, Township 3, Range 5; October 25, Nicholas Hutson, southwest quarter of Section 26, Township 3,
586
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
Range 6; and James Montgomery, half southeast quarter of Sec- tion 23, Township 3, Range 6; December 2, John Johnson, north- west quarter of Section 6, Township 2, Range 5. In 1817: Jan- uary 11, Robert Burris, east half of the southeast quarter of Section 20, Township 3, Range 6; August 12, Alexander Stephenson, northwest quarter of Section 3, Townhip 2, Range 6; August 30, James Henry, southeast quarter of Section 17, Township 2, Range 6; September 26, Dennis Clark, northeast quarter of Section 17, Township 3, Range 6; and George Keith, east half of the northwest quarter of Section 17, Township 3, Range 6; October 9, Jesse Morgan, northwest quarter of Section 31, Township 3, Range 5; No- vember 1, Alexander Bruce, southwest quarter of Section 32,- Township 3, Range 5; November 16, Samuel Comer, southeast quarter of Section 10, Township 1, Range 6; November 24, Thomas Patten, southwest quarter of Section 11, Township 1, Range 5.
The above list will serve to give an idea as to the rapidity of the settlement of the county in those early days, and the location of the settlements as well as to furnish the names of many of the early settlers.
ORIGIN OF LOCAL NAMES.
Steele Prairie was named from a family by the name of Steele, as also was Steele Township. English Prairie took its name from John and Alexander English; Owl Prairie from the great number and variety of owls found there in early times. The name of the township comprising Owl Prairie and other lands is Elmore, from a family of early settlers in that portion of the county. Peterson Prairie was named after Frank and Will- iam Peterson. William Peterson settled where the town of Odon now stands, but Frank settled on the prairie which has since borne his and his brother's name. Veal Creek was named after James C. Veal. Prairie Creek was named from the nature of country through which it flows. Smothers' Creek derived its name from an early settler by the name of Smothers.
EARLY MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE.
Most of the early settlers of Daviess County came from the
587
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
Southern States, about one-half of them from South Carolina, one- fourth from Kentucky and the rest from North Carolina and Ten- nessee. Their object in coming was to secure homes in the prairies and timber lands of this portion of Indiana Territory. To obtain a livelihood was the first prime and principal duty of all, and in accomplishing this purpose, it was necessary to use considerable ingenuity and all the means nature had placed with- in their reach. Their houses or cabins were for years wholly of logs, round or hewn, as the case might be. During "forting times" most of these were abandoned for the forts, but some families, possessing an extraordinary amount of courage, reckless- ness or means of defense, remained at their homes. The food of these early settlers consisted in part of game, which abounded in great variety in the woods. Deer were very plentiful for several years. "If Friend Spears, who lived down in the edge of what is now Salty Row, or Jacob, Charles or Abner Cosby, all of whom ived just beyond Veal Creek, wanted a mess of venison, they would take a little walk out in the barrens, be out an hour and return, having killed the deer and hung him up; then take a horse, bring him in, and live fat until they wanted more. As it was with them, so it was in most places throughout the county, and for many years after I moved on this lot I bought venison hams at from 12 to 16 cents per ham. At two different times while in the peltry trade I had in the house 800 deer skins all bought in that winter's collection, all killed that season."* There were also im- mense numbers of squirrels, quails, wild ducks, wild geese and wild turkeys.
HUNTING THE BEAR, ETC.
Rare sport was occasionally had in hunting Bruin. At one time a big black bear passed by William Ballow's house. Mr. Ballow had two sons, and a slave named "Buck." The dogs attacked and treed the bear. The boys and Buck cut down the tree, which fell with the bear into a ravine. Buck was anxiously hissing on the dogs, when he slipped and fell headlong into the crowd. While the dogs kept the bear busy, Buck safely scram- bled out. Mr. Ballow then shot the bear in the head. George Ballow, one of the boys, thought the world of Buck, and said,
*Recollections of Robert Stephens who came to this county in May, 1822, and is still living.
37
588
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
when he saw him come out safe, he did not care what became of the bear.
Friend Spears also had an adventure with a bear. He went to "Paddy's Garden" one day to hunt; stepped up on the body of a large tree that had been blown down. The roots of the tree were large and, standing upright, made a fine hiding and sleeping place for the bear in the daytime. A bear raised himself up on his hind feet, just high enough for Mr. Spears to see his head, at which he took deliberate aim and laid Mr. Bruin low. There were also in those early days large numbers of bees, which col- lected honey from the blossom of the "Spanish needle," with which all the low, wet lands were overgrown. Every hollow tree and stump was filled with this delicious wild honey. The Peter- son brothers, mentioned above, gathered this honey by the barrel, which they hauled to and sold at the falls of the Ohio. When the country became too densely settled for the carrying on of this business they moved to Illinois.
IMPLEMENTS OF LABOR.
But civilized man cannot subsist on what nature in her wild state produces. His labor must assist, his genius must direct nature's forces. Timber lands must be cleared, marshy lands must be drained; cleared, drained and prairie lands must be culti- vated. These various kinds of necessary labor require implements of industry. These, in the early days in Daviess County, were few, simple and rude. For clearing away the timber and shaping into building material, recourse was had to the ax, broadax and whip-saw, augur and draw-knife. The first lumber, which it is proper to call by that name, was made by the whip-saw, which it does not seem necessary to describe. This kind of saw continued to be used after saw-mills were introduced. It is generally con- ceded that James C. Veal built the first saw-mill, but authorities differ as to the year in which it was built. It could not have been earlier than 1808, nor later than 1810. It was located on Veal's Creek, but did not make sufficient lumber to supply the demand. Slabs from this mill, however, to some extent, super- seded, for the flooring of cabins and other dwellings, the use of what the early settlers called "puncheons." Logs were split into
.
589
HISTORY OF DAVIESS COUNTY.
pieces, which were hewed on ouly one side, brought to an even thickness at each end, jointed with the broadax, and laid with the hewn side up for the floor. These were the puncheons. Veal's mill was carried away by a freshet in the spring of 1812, and after a considerable time rebuilt. The second mill of this kind was built, also on Veal's Creek, by Eli Chapman in 1815. It was of greater capacity than Veal's mill, furnished more lumber, and continued longer in existence, but was finally suffered to decay. The third mill was of a different design from either of the above. The motive power, instead of being water, consisted of two or three yoke of oxen walking on an inclined wheel. This mill fur- nished a considerable quantity of lumber, but not sufficient to supply the home demand, hence the broadax and whip-saw still continued to be used. This ox-mill was located in the town of Washington, and was erected by William McCormick. The next saw-mill, and the last that it is deemed necessary to mention specifically, was also erected in Washington, by B. Duncan, .William and R. Graham and J. Thompson. This was the first mill to manufacture lumber for export, the surplus being shipped in considerable quantities down the river to a Southern market. After this steam saw-mills began to be erected, and, of course, for the most part superseded other kinds.
Corn was the first of the cereals to be raised in Daviess County by the early settlers. It was more easily cultivated than wheat, yielded a quicker return and was better adapted to the use of both man and beast, being used by the inhabitants for bread and also the chief food during the winter for horses, cattle and hogs. The main difficulty experienced at that time was in the preparation of the ground for the seed, as the plow, harrow and cultivator were then not nearly so perfect as at the present day. Plow irons, hoes, mattocks, etc., were brought here from the original home of the settler, and by dint of ingenuity and hard labor he managed to "stock " them, as it was called, or furnish the necessary woodwork, at first out of green timber and to content himself with a very rough and unhandy implement. But as his means and facilities improved, he has supplanted the unhandy and unwieldy with the convenient and durable.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.