History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 11

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664

USA > Indiana > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships > Part 11

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The whole region was previously a surface of limestone. In some places the lime rock is still uncovered, though lying mostly from a few inches to several feet below the surface. Over the whole ground are scattered many kinds of material-stone, clay, soil, sand, loam and alluvium in a mass together. The boulders are of all sizes, from small rubble stones to rocks weighing several tons. The masses are rounded as if water-worn, and possess a structure entirely different from the layers of rock upon which they rest. These boulder rocks have evidently been transported to their present location by some wonderful force, presenting as they do marks of parallel grooves or strice, so-called, caused, as supposed, by the scraping of the boulder masses upon the solid stone-layers lying below. The bedroek at the surface is polished and grooved in the same manner. The locality in question might seem to have been the spot at which the huge glacier stopped its motion and melted away, thus leaving its entire burden of drift. There have been found petrified fish, beech nuts, hickory nuts, wood, worms, etc., all transformed into solid stone. The chief evidences of the approach and resting-place of a glacier are mo- raines, erratic blocks, polished surfaces, stria, etc.

The river flows west and northwest through this tract. The hills are low and gradual in ascent. The ravines extend north and south with the ends running into the river " filled up." In excavating for limestone, different strata of earth and soil, sand, gravel, loam and clay are discovered in a conglomerate mass. In the river valley, below this region, none of the features named are noticed. Some of the boulders are monsters. The surface of the limestone is level ; extending from the river, toward the high- lands on each side upon this ground, are situated the Maxville lime-quarries. The bottom of the river is a solid bed of lime- stone. Many fossils have been found, such as the imprint of leaves. twigs and plants, shells, nuts and small grades of animal life upon the surface of the lime rock. This whole tract possesses great interest for a geologist and would bear a far more careful and extensive exploration.

INLAND WATERS.

There are no lakes, nor even ponds of any size in Randolph County. The rivers are the Mississinewa and its branches in the

north (flowing, i. e., the main stream, nearly west); the White River and its branches in the center, the main stream flowing west; the branches of the Whitewater (but not the Whitewater itself), in the south, flowing southward; and one or two branches of the Miami in the east, tending eastward.

MISSISSINEWA VALLEY.

This valley embraces the entire northern part of the county. It rises in the State of Ohio and enters Ran- dolph County in the northeastern part of Jackson Township, flowing nearly west, veering, however, slightly north through the northern parts of the northern tier of townships, Jackson, Ward, Franklin and Green; it enters Delaware County near the north- west corner of Green Township. It is a considerable stream, flowing into the Wabash, through Randolph, Delaware, Grant and Miami Counties, a little above Peru. The towns near it (in Ran- dolph County) are Allensville, Deerfield, Ridgeville, Steubenville and Fairview, and (out of Randolph) Albany (Delaware County), Jonesboro and Marion (Grant County). Allensville, Steuben- ville and Deerfield are south of the River, and Ridgeville is north of it. None of these towns except Ridgeville are of much im- portance, though it is a thriving little town. Allensville is in Jack- son Township, nearly north of Union City. Deerfield is in Ward Township, north of Winchester; Ridgeville is in Franklin Town- ship, northwest of Winchester. Steubenville and Fairview are in Green Township, the most northwestern part of the county. The chief branches of the Mississinewa arc on the south side, Bush, Bear, Mad, Hickory and Massie's Creeks, and Little Mis- sissinewa River. On the north side, Goshen, Dinner and Day's Creeks. Bush Creek rises in White River, and flows through Franklin, Monroe and Green, entering the Mississinewa a little east of Steubenville. Bear Creek heads in White River, flows through White River and Franklin, emptying three miles below Ridgeville. Mud Creek (there are several) rises in White River, flows through White River and Ward, emptying just west of Deerfield. Hickory Creek heads in White River, flows through White River and Ward, and reaches the Mississinewa, east of Deerfield. Massie's Creek rises in Ward and empties between Allensville and Deerfield. Little Mississinewa River heads in Wayne Township west of Salem, flows nearly north and just west of Union City, through Wayne and Jackson, and meets the Big Mississinewa a little east of Allensville. Goshen (north side) flows from Jay County into Ward Township, emptying near Deerfield. Day's Creek is mostly in Franklin Township, empty- ing east of the mouth of Bear Creek. Dinner Creek flows south- west through Green Township and empties west of the mouth of Bush Creek. Some of these streams are of considerable size, and themselves have affluents ; Bush Creek has Elkhorn and sev- eral others, Bear Creek has Tiger Branch. The towns in this region (not yet mentioned) are, or have been, New Lisbon, Jack- son Township cast of Little Mississinewa ; Mount Holly, west of New Lisbon in Jackson; New Pittsburg, in Jackson, north of the Mississinewa near the Jay County line; New Middletown, Jackson, between Union and Deerfield on the Deerfield State road: Saratoga, on the railroad between Union City and Ridge- ville, in Ward Township; Harrisville, on the " Bee Line," between Union and Winchester in Wayne; Randolph, on the railroad south of Deerfield, Ward Township, Salem, Wayne Township, near the head of Little Mississinewa; Union City, near the Little Mississinewa, at the junction of several railroads.

WHITE RIVER VALLEY.

Is in the center of the county, extending from cast to west.

White River is the largest stream in the county. It rises in the east part of Washington Township, flows northeast several miles through Washington, White River and Wayne, then turn- ing westerly (in Wayne) it passes out of Wayne and through White River and Stony Creek, across a very small corner of Mon- roe, leaving Randolph near Windsor ; thence through Delaware,

HISTORY OF RANDOLPHI COUNTY.

Madison, Hamilton, Marion, Johnson, Morgan, Owen, Greene, between Daviess and Knox, and between Knox and Pike, and Gibson Counties, with a general southwesterly course, it enters Wabash opposite Mount Carmel (a town in Illinois) a long distance below Vincennes.

The towns near White River (in Randolph) are : Snow Hill, Washington Township; Harrisville, Wayne Township ; Winchester, White River Township ; Maxville, White River Township ; Farmland, Monroe Township; Windsor, Stony Creek Township. These towns are all south of the river but Snow Hill, Harrisville and Farmland. Snow Hill and Farmland are north, and Harrisville east, of White River. White River takes its westerly course near Harrisville in Wayne.

. Winchester is a considerable town, and a railroad center ; the others, except Farmland, are small and of little importance. Harrisville is on a railroad and so are Farmland and Winchester.

The towns (out of Randolph) on White River are : Muncie, county seat of Delaware ; Anderson, county seat of Madison ; Noblesville, county seat of Hamilton : Indianapolis, county seat of Marion and capital of the State; Martinsville, county seat of Morgan ; Spencer, county seat of Owen ; Bloomfield, county seat of Greene.

These towns are railroad towns also, and more or less active and flourishing. They are important centers of business and trade for the region around them.

Indianapolis is one of the greatest railroad centers in the world, is by far the largest town in the State, and rapidly reach- ing its older rivals throughout the country.

The chief branches of the White River are on the south side, the water on the north draining mostly into the Mississinewa.

The affluents are: Stony, Cabin, Eight Mile, Sparrow, Spring Branch, Sugar and Salt Creeks.

Stony Creek is mostly in Delaware County, entering Ran- dolph south of Windsor, and emptying not far from that town.

Cabin Creek rises west of Huntsville in West River, flows northwest through West River, White River and Stony Creek, emptying midway between Maxville and Windsor.

Eight-Mile Creek begins in Washington, flows through Washington, West River and White River, and empties into White River (stream) in the northeast corner of Stony Creek, a little west of Maxville.

Spring Branch is wholly in White River, between Sparrow and Sugar Creeks.

Sparrow Creek heads in West River, flows through White River, and empties a mile east of Maxville.

Sugar Creek rises in Crane Pond in Washington ; flows through Washington and White River, and empties a little north- west of Winchester.

Salt Creek begins in Washington, flows north through Wash- ington, White River (and the town of Winchester), and empties a short distance north of Winchester.

Stony Creek has a large branch, Little White River. It rises in Nettle Creek, flows through Nettle Creek and Stony Creek, and enters Stony Creek (stream) in the west part of the township.

The towns in this region are: Losantville, Huntsville, Pleasant View, Unionsport and Buena Vista.

Losantville is in Nettle Creek at the head of Little White River.

Unionsport is in West River and White River on Cabin Creek.

Huntsville is in West River at the head of Cabin Creek.

Buena Vista is cast of Unionsport in West River and White River.

Pleasant View is in Stony Creek and Nettle Creek, north- east of Losantville.

WHITE WATER VALLEY

Embraces most of the southern portion of Randolph County, though no part of the river itself is found therein. Its chief

. branches in Randolph are: Nolan's Fork, Greensfork, Mar- tindale Creek and West River.

Nolan's Fork drains the southern part of Greensfork Town- ship.

Greensfork drains the west part of Greensfork and the south part of Washington Township.

Martindale Creek and West River drain the south part of West River Township.

Arba is on the west side of Nolan's Fork in Greensfork Township.

Lynn is on the west side of Greensfork in Washington Township.

Bloomingsport is near one of the western branches of Greens- fork in Washington Township.

These branches of White River, in Randolph County, flow chiefly southward.

MIAMI VALLEY.

The only affluents of the Miami in Randolph County are Greenville and Dismal Creeks. Greenville Creek rises in Greens- fork Township, southeast of Spartansburg, flows north and north- east through Greensfork and Wayne, near and east of Spar- tansburg and Bartonia, and enters Ohio in the northeastern part of Wayne; Dismal heads in the north part of Greensfork, flows northeast through Wayne, and enters Ohio a mile south of Union City. Spartansburg is on the west side of Greenville Creck in Greensfork Township. Bartonia is also west of Greenville Creek and in Wayne Township.

" CROSSINGS."

The streams are crossed by the numerous highways extending in all directions. Large bridges are required over the White and Mississinewa in several places. The chief crossings of the Mississinewa are: 1. North of Allensville, a pike. 2. South of New Pittsburg, a pike. 3. North of Deerfield, a pike. 4. South of Ridgeville, an iron bridge. 5. Midway between Ridgeville and Deerfield, a ford. 6. South of Fair- view, an iron bridge.

The main crossings of White River are: 1. Near Mount Zion Meeting-house, southeast of Winchester. 2. East of Win- chester on the Greenville State Road. 3. Two or three crossings in the region of Harrisville. 4. East of Winchester, near White River Friends' Meeting-house. 5. Not very far from Winchester, northwest of the fair grounds. 6. Not far from Stephen Moor- man's in the region where Sampletown used to be. 7. Near Maxville. 8. Just south of Farmland. 9. South of Morris- town. There is a large bridge over Stony Creek just east of Windsor.

VALLEYS AND DIVIDES.

The Mississinewa Valley embraces the northern part of the county, chiefly Jackson, Ward, Franklin and Green Townships. White River Valley is in the center, taking (parts of) Wayne and White River, Stony Creek, Nettle Creek, and (parts of) Wash- ington and West Rivers.

The Whitewater Valley includes most of Greensfork, Wash- ington and West River. Miami Valley takes (parts of) Greens- fork and Wayne. There are three " divides," mostly low and marshy-(1) between Mississinewa and White Rivers ; (2) between White and Whitewater Rivers ; (3) between White and White River and Miami. The " divide " between Mississinewa and White begins near the center of Wayne southwest of Salem, and passing near Harrisville, extends on the north side of, and not very far from White River stream, through White River and Monroo Townships.

The " divide " between White and Whitewater begins in the west part of Greensfork, and, passing into the north part of Washington and bending southward, it extends near the center of West River Township, and through the south part of Nettle Creek. The "divide," setting off the Miami waters from those of the White and the Whitewater, commences in Wayne

James allowman

HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

south of Union City, extends southwest through Wayne into Greensfork, and thence south and southeast to the southeast part of Greensfork.

USES OF THE STREAMS.

Many of these streams were in early times used for water- power for grist-mills, saw-mills and other machinery.

The most important in these respects were Mississinewa River, White River and Cabin Creek, the last being in some respects the best of the three for water power.

In the latter days the amount of water is much more vari- able and uncertain than of old in all the streams. The clearing of the timber and the drainage of the low lands seem to have greatly lessened the quantity of water in the rivers and creeks. And for these, and perhaps other reasons, steam has almost wholly superseded the use of water as a power for the propelling of machinery in this county.

There is still a water mill on White River at Maxville and one at Windsor, one on Mississinewa at Ridgeville, one on Cabin Creck near its mouth, and perhaps one or two others. The slope of the streams is very slight, and water has to be conveyed a long distance to secure sufficient fall for the requisite power.

In earlier times many more mills, both for sawing and grind- ing, carding machines, etc., were to be found, most of which are now discontinued.

Mississinewa and White were at first (especially the former) used during the spring floods for boating, rafting, etc.

Wayne and Randolph were settled before the main portions of the White River, the Mississinewa and the Wabash valleys ; and, when these latter named regions began to be settled, about the only way to reach them with supplies of fruit, potatoes, flour, pork, etc., was to haul the merchandise to the Mississinewa at Ridgeville, build or buy a flatboat, load it, and guide the awk- ward, unwieldy thing down the current of the river to the set- tlers below. Sometimes a number of boats would be taken down together.

Mr. Joab Ward, of Ridgeville (see Thomas Ward's remin- iscences), built many boats and sold them to parties who wished to convey their produce down the stream. Generally the man who owned the commodities would purchase a boat and do his own boating. or hire some person for that special trip.

Mr. Ward would furnish a boat, all complete, forty feet long, for $25. Many stories are told by the early settlers of the in- cidents of boating life, and of the dangers and the losses in- curred during the voyage down the stream. Sometimes the owners of the "crafts". would have to "run the mill-dams," and the boats would be broken and wrecked, and some men were drowned. In a few instances the owners of the mills would for- bid the passage of the dams by the boats, and one mill-owner drew his rifle to his shoulder and threatened to shoot the boat- man. The boat passed the dam, however, and the man did not shoot.

Once a man from Deerfield, Mr. Searl, gathered several boat- loads of charcoal and started down, but near Fairview the car- goes were wrecked and lost.

This business of boating continued for several years; but, before very long, those valleys became settled and raised their own supplies and, of course, that put a stop to the flat-boating on the Mississinewa.

This kind of craft could only " float," and of course could not be brought back up stream ; and therefore a boat never went but one voyage, and frequently (as already stated) did not even accomplish that. When the boatmen had made their downward trip, the boats were disposed of in some way, and the gallant fellows came on shore and went home by land, and, of course, on foot. A group of jolly chaps would frequently have a merry time (and sometimes a hard one) in " footing" it in company, from Marion or the mouth of the Mississinewa or somewhere

else in that region, to their homes near Ridgeville. It was not uncommon for persons who were expert boatmen to hire out to take a boat down the stream to the Wabash and then walk back.

It seems hard now, butthe brave. stalwart fellows thought it no special hardship then. In fact, the flatboatmen on the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans had to come home from that far distant market on foot. One thing sometimes gave special trouble to the footmen on the Mississinewa. The boating could be done only in time of the spring floods, and the crecks and bottoms would be flooded too, and the footmen in returning wore in danger of of having to wade and almost to swim. One old boatman stated that he was obliged on coming home from one of his trips to wade up to his neck. But dear me! What did they care? It all went in a life time, and life was dull without adventures and mishaps.

It would seem a wonder that no town grew up at Ridgeville. Lewellyn's mill and Ward's " boat-buildery" (to coin a word) both were there, and surely less than that would start a town now- a-days. But the " boating" would only last for a single trip-and not every year at that. And a mill alone will not make a town even now. It will help somewhat but cannot make one, and much less could it do so then. And Lewellyn's was not very much of a mill. So Ridgeville had to wait fifteen or twenty years for its first laying out, and sixteen or seventeen years more for another start, and then some twelve years longer before it really took to growing in earnest.

It was first platted in 1837, twenty years after Meshach Lewellyn first settled on the tract. But the town was a failure and the lots were never sold. "Newtown" was laid out in 1853, when the railroad from Union City was in process of construc- tion. The place made a beginning, but the road " flatted out," and the town hardly " got out of the shell." But in 1867 the Logansport road became a fact and Ridgeville began to become a reality. Not very long afterward the north and south road was built. giving the embryo town a crossing, and Ridge- ville seems at last to be making a somewhat important center of trade. But its real and certain growth as a permanent thing only began to be on the completion of the Grand Rapids track, full fifty years from its original settlement and the building of its first mill.

About fourteen years ago the Free Will Baptists founded Ridgeville College, which has been struggling on with more or less efficiency and success ever since.

[It is a curious fact as to the name of the new town at Ridgeville, that a soldier who died there during the war, is said, upon the " Company Roll," to have died at "Newtown," Ind., showing that by some the town was still called by the name given at the new laying out, which name, however, seems at the present time to have entirely disappeared. ]

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CHAPTER IV.

EARLY HISTORY.

GENERAL -- SETTLEMENT-FIRST THINGS-MANNER OF LIFE-BUILD- ING, CLEARING, LANDS, FURNITURE, FOOD, COOKING, WORK, CLOTHING, MONEY, AMUSEMENTS, RELIGION, ETC.

GENERAL HISTORY.

W HEN Indiana was made a State, in 1816, Wayne County embraced all the territory north of her south line and east and south of the outer boundary of the " twelve-mile strip," (probably).

All west of the " twelve-mile strip " to Vigo, Knox and Sulli- van, was Indian land. There had been no white inbabitants in Indiana north of the settlers in (what was then) Wayne County, except a few soldiers and some two or three white families on the

IIISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

present site of the city of Fort Wayne, and the soldiers had been removed from that post the year before (1815). There was nothing anywhere else north but forts at Green Bay, Detroit, Fort Dearborn (Chicago), and Mackinaw (the last named on the Straits of Michilimackinac, and a far northern region with a bleak and inhospitable climate). In this respect, indeed, the present town of Mackinaw is a worthy successor of the old village and fort. Not many years ago, perhaps in the spring of 1871, ice was still found solid and unbroken in the Straits of Mackinaw to the depth of four feet. That cool and breezy region makes, how- ever, a delightful summer resort, and many from the country in general, and from Randolph County as well, find health and pleasure combined amid the picturesque scenery of that rugged country.

The two Indian boundaries cut off from the territory occu- pied by the savage tribes, only a small portion of the east side, widest at the south, and running to a point at Fort Recovery, Ohio.

It will be seen that almost the whole State was at that time a dense wilderness. The settled portions comprised a small, nar- row tract in the southeast part, and "patches " along the Ohio and Wabash Rivers, at Vevay, Corydon, Evansville, Vincennes and Terre Haute. The French had settled Vincennes more than a century before, and the Swiss had colonized Vevay in 1803.

Other emigrants were flocking in and pushing settlements forward, and numbers of Carolinians, Virginians, Tennesseeans, Kentuckiana, etc., had located in the State (or Territory, rather) in Dearborn, Franklin and Wayne Counties, before the purchase of the twelve-mile strip (1809), and the settlers' wave had reached Randolph in 1814. The State was admitted to the Union in 1816, and in 1818 emigrants enough had entered the region to entitle the people thereof to form a county. The settlers had occupied Nolan's Fork, Greensfork, Martindale Creek, West River and White River with some of its creeks east of the " boundary."

The new county was named Randolph from old Randolph County in North Carolina, because many of the residents within its limits had come from that county in the " Old North State ;" and because a member of the Legislature, living within its bounds, was also a native of the same.

Its boundaries at first were only from the present north line of Wayne County, and east of the twelve-mile boundary.

In 1824, the State capital was permanently located at Indian- apolis, then a mere hamlet in the woods. The Indian title to the lands in the central and northern parts of the State was mostly extinguished in 1818.

Winchester was located as the county seat of Randolph in 1818 (the same ycar that the county was established, and some years before Indianapolis was founded), in the unbroken forest, and for a considerable time Winchester was the sent of justice for all the white people north, including those who were making their homes at Fort Wayne.

The counties now comprising the territory which had been, at some previous time, included in either Wayne or Randolph Coun- ties, are as follows, with the date of their respective creation :

Wayne, 1810; Randolph, 1818; Allen, 1823; Delaware, 1827; Grant, 1831; Henry, -; Huntington, 1834; Adams, Wells, Jay, 1836; Blackford, Whitley, 1839.

[NOTE. Other northern counties are not here mentioned. Theoretically, Randolph extended northward to the northern line of Indiana ; practically it is not known that she exercised any jurisdiction beyond the vicinity of Fort Wayne].

SETTLEMENT.

The first settlement in Randolph County was made in April, 1814, by Thomas W. Parker, with his wife and three children, a Quaker family from North Carolina. He selected his land, brought his family to the place he had chosen, built a "camp" and lived in it four weeks, till his cabin was raised and covered, and then they crawled in, the first night, under the end logs of

the cabin, dragging their scanty furniture inside after them. The cabin was like ten thousand others built before and since, made of poles or small trees, and covered with clap boards, i. e., short boards split from a straight, smooth-grained oak, and about four feet long, to be used in place of shingles. How long the cabin remained without door or floor is not known. Probably the door hole was cut out the next day. But as to floor, the cases are numerous, where settlers have lived for years without floora or windows either ; and some have been with neither fire- place nor chimney, the fire being built on the ground in the middle of the house, and the smoke spreading all through the room like a smoke-house. Instances have been known where families have lived through the winter with not even chinking between the logs. Indeed, the fifth settler in Randolph County. as we shall presently see, lived from November till the next fall in a "camp." How or why human beings in a civilized land should do such things is hard for us to understand, but some of the settlers did it. Yet, it is to be recollected that every thing had to be made by hand. There were no saw-mills, no boards, no plank, no anything, and very little money to buy anything from elsewhere. And there were very few wagons, and no roads at all to travel from place to place.

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History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 11

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman Number of Pages: 664

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664