USA > Indiana > Allen County > Marion in Allen County > History of Mitchell and Marion Township, Indiana > Part 5
USA > Indiana > Lawrence County > Mitchell > History of Mitchell and Marion Township, Indiana > Part 5
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I cannot give a detailed history of com- pany "H" and the regiment of which it was a part, but will say that no regiment from the state deserves more honor than the 67th, and it is a matter of local pride to know that the boys from Mitchell and Marion township were always at their post. After their capture and parole at Mum- fordville they were permitted to return home, remaining until the following Dec- ember. when they were exchanged and
with other companies of the regiment were ordered first to Indianapolis and from there to Memphis, Tenn. The next battle the company was engaged in was at Chicasaw, Bayou and Arkansas Post, where two mem- bers of the company were killed and others wounded. Other battles in which the com- pany took a part were at Port Gibson, Champion Hill, Black River Bridge, siege and capture of Vicksburg, Grand Coteau, La., where a part of the company was cap- tured by the Rebels, Sabine Cross Roads, Cane River and Alexandria. The company also took part in the movement against Fort Margain and Fort Gaines and was in the campaign against Mobile. The com- pany in its nearly three years of service was engaged in seventeen hotly contested battles besides many skirmishes, was under fire one nundred and forty seven days and traveled more than seventeen thousand miles; surely an honorable record. In December 1864, the ranks of the 67th regiment of which company "H" was still a part. had become so diminished by Rebel bullets and death by disease that it was consolidated with the 24th Indiana regiment. At that time Captain David Kelley, who had proven
himself to be a brave and cautious officer, was made Major of the new regiment. The company was mustered out of service July 19th, 1865, lacking just one month of serving three years. Only thirty-two of one hundred stalwart young men who con- stituted the company when it enlisted, an- swered roll call that day. If the roll of the company was called today, only ten would answer "here", the other ninety having an- swered the roll call "up yonder". The members of the company still living, so far as I am informed are: Isom Burton, Joe A. Burton, William H Edwards, Alexander Edwards, Richard Cox, Laniska Lomax, William Garyes, Riley D. Burton, Gordon Burton and Ab Cross.
In addition to the two companies, which were made up and organized here, quite a number of Mitchell and Marion township boys enlisted at different times of the war and performed gallant service in other reg- iments. In addition to the names already mentioned of Mitchell and Marion Town- ship soldiers I will give the following list which I fear is not complete:
Edward Antoineski Asa Dean William Coleman George Wood William Edwards
Samuel Cook John Cook Geo. W. Cook William R. Hamer Daniel W. Burgess
Tom Edwards Isaac Edwards
John Burgess Corbin Flora
Capt. Hugh Erwin
William Flora
Capt. Joshua Bidd
William Davis
Capt. Am Miller
E. Z. Logan
Henry Morris
Ben Morris
William Mois
George Sutton
Jordon Sutton
Dave Ferguson
Marion Brown
Dave Black well
Henry Brown
George Bass
William Ard
Isom Bass
William Boyd
William Hamilton Joe Toliver
J. W. Manington William M. Manson Nathan Osborn
Charley Harvard
Sol Harris A. W. Jones
James Owen
Bent Jones
Hugh Tirey
William H. Tires
Andy Noe
E. Tirey S. Osborn A. D. Pless
John Hall
John Reeves
Henry Ward
Van B. Kelly William Murphy
Washington Strond William Phipps Isaiah Phipps Jim Seibert
Tom Boyd James Davis Levi Clark Robert Dodson
Thomas Jones C'al Cox
Anslem Wood Emsley Wood T J. Toliver Harry Walker Wesley Walker
Renben Hart
Charley Ennis Samuel Hostetler Dan Hostetler Henry Isom
Henry Walker
Fred Haverly
Elijah Walker William Monyhan
C'aswell B. Burton
William Erwin
Hugh F. Burton
Martin Hall
John Mead
Jacob Blackwell
J. H. Crawford
Clay Wright
J. W. Chess
Green Wright
David Carbin
There are doubtless puite a number of others whose names I fail to recall. Mit- chell and Marion Township surely did a noble part during the great struggle. Be- sides furnishing so large a number of sol - diers the township contributed five thous- and dollars bounty and one thousand dol- lars relief fund for soldiers. The ladies of the town and township also did noble work. They fed the soldiers as they passed through on the trains and during the Morgan raid. They were in full sympathy with the Chris- tian and Soldier's Aid Societies and assist- ed them greatly in relieving our brave soldiers on the battle field and in the hospitals.
THE BIRTH OF MITCHELL
M ITCHELL is, at present, the only
town in Marion township, three older
towns having fallen into decay. These towns were Redding, Woodville and Juliet. Of these, Redding is the oldest, having been laid out in 1842 by John R. Nugent and Robert Porter. When it was platted it consisted of 84 lots. For many years Redding was the principal trading place for the people of the county south of White river. It was also, for many years, the voting place for the voters of Marion town- ship. Although the town was christened Redding the postoffice established there was called "Sinking Springs". John R. Nugent was appointed postmaster and served until the postoffice was discontinued. Mr. Nugent was also the principal mer- chant of the town. The town and post- office both have long since passed into his- tory. The second town to be established in the township was Woodville, which was laid out by Edwin Wood in 1849. A post- office was established there and Mr. Wood was commissioned postmaster and served until the office was moved to Mitchell. Woodville consisted of 58 lots, lying on the
two sides of what is called Main street through which the Monon railroad runs. The location of the B. & O. railroad sound- ed the death knell of Woodville and it has long since ceased to exist. Juliet the third town was laid out in 1850. For almost two years Juliet was the terminal of the Louis- ville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad, now called the Monon, and was quite a business place. Goods were shipped there by railroad and hauled from there in wag- ons to Bedford, Bloomington and to many other towns north. Stage lines were also established from there almost to Chicago. John D. Thomasson was the principal mer- chant of the thriving little burg and was also the first postmaster to serve the peo- ple there. The completion of the railroad north ruined the prosperity of the town and early death was its fate.
The next town established in Marion township was Mitchell, which was laid out September 29th 1853 by John Sheeks and G. W. Cochran. Mitchell was named in honor of O. M. Mitchell, who was the chief engineer in the location and construction of the Ohio and Mississippi Railway, now the B. & O. S. W., and who also surveyed and
platted the town. The streets of the orig- inal town plat running east and west are Vine, Baker, Frank, Mississippi Avenue, Main, Warren, Brook and Oak. Streets running north and south were not named but numbered consecutively from one to eight. In 1859 West Mitchell was laid out by Jonas Finger, which added one hundred and fifteen lots to the original plat. The streets of the addition were named Brady, Stevens and Finger. Since then quite a number of other additions have been made until the town now occupies more than a section of land.
Where Mitchell now stands was originally a dense forest of large trees. The first of these trees to be cut down was in 1849 when work was commenced on the right of- way of what is now called the Monon Rail- way. During the same year a little spot was cleared and a log cabin built near where Bottorff-Simmen's store now stands. The first to occupy this log cabin was an Irish school teacher named John White. Mr. White did not remain here until the town was laid out and G. W, Dodson was perhaps the first settler of the town proper.
He was followed by Albert Johnson, Marion Brady, Amzi Munson, Silas Moore and John Fitzpatrick. Robert Stroud was the first to purchase a lot after the town was platted, but did not locate here until sev- eral years later,
Mrs. W. T. Moore and Miss Lillie Brady were the first two children born in Mit- chell. The first sermon preached here was by a Presbyterian minister named Bishop. The sermon was preached from a stand which was erected near where the Grand hotel now stands. Dr. Rariden gave the first temperance lecture from a stand on the lot where the Arlington hotel once stood. The first school taught in Mitchell was in the old brick school house now occupied by the colored Baptist church. The teacher was Miss Jane Sheeks, afterward Mrs. Jane Marley. This was a subscription school. The first free schcol was taught in the same building with Eli Baldwin as the the teach- er. The first church built here was the old Methodist church building now owned and occupied by the Church of Christ. The early merchants were Silas Moore and John R. Nugent. The first druggist was G. W. Dodson. Samuel Cook and Dennis Cole-
man were the first blacksmiths and J. T. Briggs was proprietor of the first hotel. Dr. Bulkley, Dr. A. L. Goodwin, Dr. New- kirk and Dr. J. T. Biggs were the early physicians. Dr. Craig was the first Den- tist. Lorenzi Coppersmith was the first to practice law here.
The growth of Mitchell for the first few years was slow but steady and in the year 1860 when the first census was taken it con- tained six hundred and twelve people. On December 23rd, 1864 Mitchell was incor - porated as a town and an election was held soon after, for the election of town officers. The first officers elected were, for Trustees, Joshua Budd, Robert Barnard and Z. L. Warren. A. T. McCoy was, at the same time, elected Clerk, but resigned at the first meeting of the council and Henry Manington was appointed to fill the vacancy. One of the first acts of the council was to purchase grounds for the cemetery, which is now one of the most beautiful and well kept cemeteries in the state, and is admir- ed and favorably commented upon by all visitors. The Civic League, an organiza- tion of Mitchell ladies, has been a moving spirit in beautifying the cemetery.
Mitchell remained an incorporated town for forty-three years. On July 29, 1907 an election was held to determine whether it should remain an incorporated town or should be incorporated as a city under the statutes of the state. The result of the election was a large majority in favor of incorporating as a city. The town was then divided into three wards and an election ordered to be held August 23, 1907 to elect a mayor, clerk, treasurer and five councilmen, one for each ward and two at large. The result of this election was for mayor, William L. Brown; treasurer, Harry V. Shepherd; clerk, Clyde Burton; council- men, Thos, W. Welsh, William H Dings, John L. Holmes, John B. Sims and John A. Dalton. William L. Brown resigned before completing his term and Clyde Burton be- came mayor. Mr. Burton resigned in a short time and William E. Stipp was ap- pointed to fill the unexpired term.
When Mitchell became a city it had a population of more than three thousand people. This was quite an increase from the time it was incorporated as a town and an increase of more than a thousand during
the five years just previous.
For many years there was but little manufacturing done in Mitchell and con- sequently but little demand for labor. In fact, previous to the year 1865 there was no manufacturing established here at all, and there was but little inducement for laboring men to locate here, except to work on the railroads.
It should be noted here that railroads and their equipments were quite different sixty years ago, from what they are today. What was called a good railroad when the two roads passing through Mitchell were built, would be considered quite a bummy affair today. This is especially true of the Monon. Instead of heavy steel rails, such as are now used, flat iron bars about the weight of the tires on a wagon, were spiked to wooden stringers braced apart and bound together every six feet to wooden cross ties.
Some of the older people can remember the first little wheezy engines used by this road with their balloon shaped smoke stacks and their canvas covered bow topped cabins which were about the size and shape
of an ordinary wagon bed. The first freight cars were small and light, having a capacity of not more than seven or eight tons. A train of ten of these cars, when loaded, was considered quite a heavy train. For the first year or two of the road's exist- ence there were but two regular passenger trains on the southern division of the road but some of the freight trains had a pas- senger coach and were called mixed trains. The limit of a passenger train was fifteen miles an hour and it usually took all day to make the run from here to New Albany. As there were no telegraph or telephone connections at that time, trains were run according to a printed schedule. They were expected to pass at specific sidings but if one reached the siding first, the orders were to wait ten minutes and if the other train could not be heard or sighted, to pro· ceed cautiously to the next siding. When this was done a member of the crew was sent ahead to be on the lookout for the be- lated train. Passenger trains were required to stop for passengers whenever and where. ever flagged. As the engines, used to pull the passenger trains, as well as the freight
engines, burned wood for fuel, frequent stops had to be made to load the tender with wood. Water for the boilers was pro- cured from ponds or creeks near the rail- road by carrying it in buckets. The brake- men called this "jerking water", which gave the road the nickname "Jerkwater railroad ' In the work of procuring wood and water the passengers would often assist.
In 1856 and 1857 an apology for a telegraph line was constructed along both railroads passing through Mitchell. The lines consisted of a single strand of common wire strung on black-jack and sassafras poles such as are now used by farmers for telephone poles. For several years the telegraph messages were, what was termed, sight-written; that is, were compressed on a long, narrow white paper ribbon by run- ning it through a little dot and dash re. ceiver and then cutting it out and trans- lating it from a code. The early telegraph- ers here were Charles Moler, Mr. Hayward William and Joe Yandel for the O. & M. Wheeler Putnam was perhaps the first to
serve the Monon and served for quite a number of years The first ticket office of the Monon was in a room of the old Arlington Hotel The road was operated for many years before building a depot here. Silas Moore was the first agent of this road and also the first to serve the O. & M. in the same capacity, but served that company but a short time until he re- signed and was succeeded by A. M. Mills- paw. Other railroad men who were promi- nent in the early history of Mitchell were Joshua Budd, Harve Marley, James Mann- ing, Mr. Lovejoy, A. T. McCoy, William Humston, I. H. Crim and Robert L. Stroud.
For many years there was no method of turning a locomotive and the engines had to run backward while going in one direction. Later a turn table was built near the Monon depot. Engines were run upon this and men then turned them around. A little later the "Y" was dis- covered. This discovery is said to have been made by a boy playing with his toys.
FIRST MERCHANTS
A complete directory of the early mer- chants of Mitchell cannot be given. Silas Moore was perhaps the first merchant to locate here and, in connection with his son, the late Milton N. Moore, continued in business for many years. Other early mer- chants were John R Nugent, Robert Harn- ard, Z. L. Warren, G. W. Dodson. J. T. Biggs, George Webb and others. As the amount of money in circulation, prior to 1860, was very small, a large percent of the business transacted by the merchants was by barter, very little money changing hands. Farmers ers would bring in to ex- change for goods such articles as butter, eggs, wool, home-made Jeans cloth, woolen socks and stockings knit by hand, dried fruit, feathers and, last but not least, gin- seng, which once grew in abundance in this community and was always in demand.
In 1870 the following persons and firms were engaged in business here; drygoods and groceries, Crim & Burton, Henry Clark, Emsley Wood, Sheeks & Monroe, Moore & Bro .; Groceries, Allen Edwards & Henry Mannington; Stationers, Anderson & Ham- ilton; Boots and Shoes, Wood and Brother;
Milliners, Mrs. E. A. Brown, Mrs. Tanks- ley, Mrs. Moffit, Mrs. Newby and Mrs. Gresham; Tinware and Stoves, Hill & Owen; Physicians, A. L Goodwin, M. D. Crim, J. Trush, E. S. McIntire, W. A. Burton, J. B. Larkin, J. T. Biggs and Isom Burton; Dentist, J. H. McPheeters; Under- takcr and Cabinet Maker, A. P Adams; Harness Makers, Rice M. Brown and Wm. M. Munson; Shoemakers, M. C. Keane, Chris Vossler, Fred Brown, Amzi Munson; Lawyers, Wm. H. Edwards and Charles G Berry; Flour mill, D. Kelly & Co; Druggist, G. W. Dodson and Burton & Burton; Hotel keepers, Jas. Richardson, Sarah Day- son and I. B. Falkner; Blacksmiths, Hugh McNabb, Sam Cook, Dennis Colemar, John Laswell, James Head and Kin Owen; Butchers, Sant McNabb, Dave Ferguson and Cole Smart. As we scan the above list we find but two names whose faces are familiar to the people of Mitchell today, W. H. Edwards and Isom Burton. Span - ning a decade and a half a directory of Mitchell in 1885 would show the following named persons and firms doing business here: Dry Goods, A. Wood & Co .; Jas. D Moore, Moore & McPheeters, Malott &
Glover; Groceries, Edwin Wood, Burton & Malott, Jas. H. Brown. E. P. Eversole; Drugs, W. A. Burton, Isom Burton, W. H. Tapp, G. W. Dodson, J. T. Biggs; Hard- ware, Gus Davis, Crawford & Son; Milli- ners, Mrs. S. E. Newby, Mrs. Tanksley, Mrs. Williams; Stoves and Tinware, Jos- Dale; Grist Mill, David Kelly; Saw Mill, Charley Lemon; Bank of Mitchell, Milton N. and Wm. T. Moore; Saddler and Har- ness, Wm. M. Munson, Rice M. Brown; Stave Factory, Tilson Harlan; Editors- Commercial, John V. Smith, Times, Chas. L. Yockey; Marble Shop. Ed J. Salyards; Book Store, Geo. Wood; Jewelers, S. F. Martin, Chas. L. Barton; Lawyers Wm. H, Edwards. Chas. G. Berry; Physicians, J. L. W. Yost, J. B. Larkin. G. W. Burton, E. S. McIntire, Jas. C Pearson, A. J. Mc- Donald; Lumber Dealers, Vinnedge Bros .; Shoemakers, Lyman Beebe, Chris Vosler, Amzi L. Munson; Ministers, Pastor of Bap- tist Church, Rev. Davis, Presbyterian, Rev. McKee, Methodist Rev. Hutchinson.
For future reference the following busi- ness directory July 10 1916 is given;
Banks The Bank of Mitchell The First National
Hardware H. H. Crawford Bottorff-Simmen Co
Clothing Jacob Effron Cecil Murray
Furniture W. M. Shanks J. M. Cardwell J. W. Howe C. E., Harrison
Dry Goods
Braman's Dept Store
Harry Chapple E. Sharashewsky G. Michael
Joe Keane
Grocers L. B. Mather A. R. Ewing & Sons
J. F. Mathews
Bramans Wm. Morarity
Sarah Alvey
Ben Deifendorf
Holmes Brothers
Chapples J. D. Sanders W. F. Lagle Chas. Coyle L. A. Morgan
S P. Cornwell
J. Hildebrand Wm. Sutton
Druggists
W. R. Richardson Jesse Godwin Carr & Jones City Drug Store
Restaurants Evans & Gordon Lyman Ficklin Depnty Restaurant Josiah Bevers
Jewelers N. P. Martin Harry Clements
Insurance
J. H. Landretli E. P. Moore T. J. Wood
Dentists
J. B. Gambrel R. J. Seigmund
Novelty Stores Claude Bryan C. D. Nangle Wm :. Mantler
T. J. Wood
Barbers John Clark Fred Parrot Jas. Lowery Pruett Bros.
Allspaw & Hopper
Milliners Miller & Alexander Mrs. K. B. Mischo Mrs Joel White Deischer & Reed Mrs. Hubbard
Newspapers The Commercial The Tribune
Lawyers .l. H. Edwards Giles & Doman C. Faris Harold Kelley
Physicians
J. D. Byrns J. C. Kelly
W. C. Sherwood
J. A. Gibbons Geo. Gibbons J. S. Atchinson
Blacksmiths A. D. Sanders Sam Gray Doane & Routh
Pool Rooms Lynn Terrell Jacob Irwin
Garages Frank Chastain Earl Trabue
Miscellaneous
Mitchell Hard-wood
Lumber Co.
Mite hel 1-Hostetler Lumber Co. O. F. Thome, Flour, Feed, etc.
Van Wray, Meat Market The Mitchell Tele-
phone Co. Lehigh Portland Ce- ment Company Heise Bros. Ice Plant Sherwood's Livery John Schamer, Har- ness Smith & Smith, Pho- tographers H. S. Scheibe, Tailor
Coal Dealers
T. W. Welsh John Rodarmel
Joe Keane J. F Collier Hotels
The New Putnam The New Grand
MITCHELL CHURCHES
The oldest building in Mitchell. now used for church services, is the little brick building belonging to tne Colored Baptist Church which was built in the year 1855 and is located near the cement mills. This little structure was originally a school house and used for that purpose for many years. It was in this school house the first Sabbath School in Mitchell was organized, which was in the year 1859, This was organized on a union basis. Silas Moore was the superintendent and Ollie Owen the first secretary. In the latter part of the same year a denominational Sunday School was organized by the Methodists. William Meris was the first superintendent of this school
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The oldest church organization is the Presbyterian. The history of this church begins with the organization of the Presby- terian church in a little log school house a mile and a half north of Mitchell, on the 24th of Jan. 1855 by Rev. John A. Tiffany and Rev. John M. Bishop. Those who
took part in the organization and became members of the new church were John L. Dodson and wife, J. H, Crawford and wife, G. W. Dodson, Elmira Braxtan, Agnes Cook and Mary J. Pless. Mrs. Solomon Bass was the ffrst to be received into the church by examination and Baptism. Ser- vices were held in the rude school house for two or three years and a small frame church building was started at Woodville but was never finished. In 1859 the meet- ing place of the church was changed to Mitchell and during that year a frame building was erected on the lot where the present building stands. This building was dedicated January 8, 1860. In 1870 this frame building was moved away and a brick structure erected in its place. In 1875 a steeple was added to the building in which a town clock was placed. The same building of 1870 with alterations and im- provements is still in use. The Presby- terian Sunday School, while not large, is fully as vigorous as any in Mitchell and for several years maintained a rest station in Korea for missionaries in foreign fields. Rev J. M. Bisphop preached for the
church as a supply until May 27, 1864 when Rev. Thomas A. Steele, who had ac- cepted a call, began his labors. Mr. Steele served the church faithfully and earnestly for fourteen years and was respected and loved, not only by his own congregation but by the people of the town and com- munity at large. He is lovingly remem- bered by many of the older people here. Pastors of the church since then have been Rev. Telle 1879 to 1882; Rev. McKee 1883 to 1884; J. H. Reed 1885 to 1887; W. E. B. Harris 1887 to 1890; H. J. Van Dyne 1891 to 1896; William Hall 1896 to 1898; G. W. Applegate 1898 to 1900; H. C. Johnson 1900 to 1904; E. O Sutherland 1905 to 1907: S. M. Morton 1907 to 1912; Rev. A. F. Davis was called in 1912 and is still pastor. On Jan. 1, 1870 Silas Moore and wife made the church a gift of $2,000. The late Milton N. Moore also left, by his will, a sum for the benefit of the church. This bequest is to be kept intact, nothing but the interest being expended.
METHODIST CHURCH
The Methodist Church of Mitchell was
organized in the spring of 1856 by Rev. G. F. Culmer of the Orangeville circuit. The church was organized at the fall con- ference the same year. In a grove near where the present church stands the first quarterly meeting was held in 1856. In 1858 a frame building was erected, the building now used by the Church of Christ. In 1874 the present building was completed at a cost of $8,000. Of this sum Jacob Finger contributed $2,000. On a slab in the east wall of the church building may be seen this inscription "Jacob Finger, M. E. Church." Rev. Charles Cross and Rev. W. S. Carter preached for the church until 1858 when Rev. Francis Walker was appointed by conference as pastor, followed by J. M. O. Fling in 1860; A. J. Clark in 1861; J. W. Julian 1862; W. M. Zaring 1863, J Wharton 1865, I. N. Thompson 1866, W. P. Armstrong 1868, Edward Hamer 1870, John Poucher 1871, F. A. Friedly 1873, W. R. Halstead 1876, J. H. Ketcham 1879, M. S. Heavenridge 1880, J. W. Asbury 1881, H. J. Barr 1882, F. A. Hutchinson 1883, R. A. Kemp 1884, John Speer 1885, S. W. Troyer, Geo. Reed, H. S.
Headen 1890, A. L Bennett 1895, W. M. Zaring 1896, E. C. Jordon 1899, E, H. Tav- lor 1902, W. N. Gaither 1904. M. S. Heavenridge 1905, D. P Holt 1909, R. R. Bryan 1911, W. R Ashby 1913, C. S Whitted 1915. Mr. Whitted is the present pastor.
Recently the interior of the church build- ing has been redecorated and is one of the prettiest church auditoriums in this part of the state. The Sunday School is one of the most prosperous in the city The work of the church is ably supported by a capa . ble official board and a most efficient Ladies' Aid Society.
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