USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, from the earliest times to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, etc. > Part 83
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EARLY SETTLEMENT.
years he was traveling salesman for a wholesale grocery house, and during two years he conducted a retail grocery store. In January, 1877, he removed to his present home in Knight township. His attention since 1877 has been given to farming and the dairy business. December 16, 1869, Mr. Ewing was married to Mrs. Nancy Caroline Phar. She was born in this county, Octo- ber 25, 1841, the daughter of Humphrey and Emily R. Barnett. She was married to Jonathan Phar January 28, 1864. He died September 16, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing have had six children: Estella M., Nettie E., Charlotte T., Grace (deceased ), Walter L., Carrie and Bessie. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing are members of the First Bap- tist church, of which their children, Estella, Nettie and Charlotte are also members. Mr. Ewing is a member of the Masonic and G. A. R. lodges.
SAMUEL R. FICKAS was born on the farm he now occupies December II, 1828, son of John and Hannah (Barnett) Fickas, the former of whom was born in Penn- sylvania and the latter in this county. His father was born about 1795, and was the son of Adam and Eve Fiekas. His mother was born in the year 1800, daughter of Humphrey and Nancy Barnett, the former of whom was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and afterward became one of the earliest settlers in this part of Indiana. John Fickas served in the war of 1812, and was present at the battle of New Orleans. He died in Knight township August 4, 1862. His wife survived him until the 2d of the following November. The early life of Samuel was spent on the old homestead. In 1849 he went to California, where for two years he worked at mining. He then re- turned to Knight township, but in 1853, went to Oregon. In the fall of 1854 he re- moved from Oregon to California. During
his residence in those states his chief occu- pation was mining. In January, 1858, he again returned to Knight township. After 1858 his undivided attention was given to farming, and in this connection he has been very successful. He owns 320 acres of good land in Knight township, about 250 of which are in cultivation. In October, 1852, Mr. Fiekas was married to Naney E. James, also a native of this township, the daughter of William and Winnie (Lane) James. She died in Oregon City, Ore., June 3, 1853. His second marriage was June 3, 1859, to Miss Sarah James, a cousin of his first wife, and daughter of Nathaniel and Ruth (Parker) James. She died September 8, 1873, and on the 6th day of October, 1877, Mr. Fickas was married to Miss Eliza- beth Ann Schofield. She was born in Vin- cennes, Knox county, January 20, 1837, and is the daughter of Richard and Mary Mills Schofield. Her father was born in Roch- dale, England, August 22, 1810, son of John and Elizabeth (Clegg) Schofield. Her mother was born in Unsworth, England, May 2, 1814, daughter of Robert and Han- nah (Woods) Mills. Her father came to America at seventeen years of age, and her mother came in 1819. When Mrs. Fickas was born her father was manager of Bon- ner's Cotton factory at Vincennes. In 1861 her parents came to Vanderburgh county, and located in Knight township. Her mother died June 12, 1865, and her father, Feb- ruary 26, 1878. By his second wife Mr. Fickas became the father of five children: John (deceased), Ruth J., Sarah E., Edna and Clara (twins), Clara (deceased). By his present wife Mr. Fickas was the father of one child, Russell O. (deceased). Mrs. Fiekas is a member of the Episcopal church. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is an Odd Fellow.
JOHN PETER GRAF was born in Germany,
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KNIGHT TOWNSHIP.
August 7, 1830, the son of Phillip David and Margaret (Bittinger) Graf. He came with his parents to America in 1837. The family landed at New Orleans, where they remained nearly a year. They then pro- . ceeded to Cincinnati, where they lived three or four years. Afterward they settled on a farm in Clark county, about 1841. There Mr. Graf was married, November 15, 1860, to Mary Catharine Kramb. She is a native of Germany, born March 15, 1842, daughter of Phillip Henry and Mary Catharine (Webber) Kramb, the former of whom died when Catharine was but four years old. Her mother came with her children to America in 1858. For about three years after his marriage Mr. Graf worked at coopering in Clark county. In about 1865 he became the proprietor of an eating saloon in Jeffersonville. In October, 1866, he removed with his family to Evansville and engaged in the grocery business, to which he gave his attention for about thirteen years. In November, 1878, he and family removed to their present beautiful home, one mile east of the city. He and wife have had nine children: David (deceased), George (deceased), Philip (deceased), Emma M., John (deceased), Katie V., Ida C., Lutie M. and Henry C. Mr. and Mrs. Graf are members of the Lutheran church.
SAMUEL GRAINGER was born on a farm three miles east of Evansville, April 6, 1835, son of Ira P. and Phoebe J. (Brumfield) Grainger, the former of whom was born in! Sumner county, Tenn., in 1809, and the latter is a native of Kentucky. He grew to manhood on the old homestead in Knight township. In February, 1857, he was mar- rried to Jennie Gibson, the daughter of Robert Gibson. She died March 1, 1858. August 26, 1860, Mr. Grainger was married to Frances M. Barnett. She is also a native |
of Knight township, who was born on the farm where she now lives, October 14, 1845. She is the daughter of Joseph and Abigail (Gillett) Barnett. Mr. Grainger has spent his entire life in Knight township, with the exception of two years,-from the spring of 1884 to 1886-during which he was a resi- dent of Evansville. He has been exten- sively engaged in the growing of pota- toes, having crops as great as 16,000 bushels in a single year. He is the father of eleven children: Jennie F., Mary (de- ceased), Ira P., James W., Charles (de- ceased), Henry H. (deceased), Carlos (de- ceased), Samnel R., Esther, George C., and Maggie O. Mr. Grainger is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges. He has served his township as constable one year, as assessor fourteen years, and as trustee seven and one-half years; in all capacities in a faithful manner. The pa- rents of Mrs. Grainger were both born in Knight township .. Mrs. Grainger owns a farm of 10112 acres, all of which is in culti- vation. She is a good manager and a worthy and esteemed lady.
JOHN JAMES was born near his present home, May 26, 1826. He is the son of Henry and Nancy (Barnett) James, the former of whom was born in Virginia. His father and mother were married in this county and settled on the farm where he was born in a very early day. His mother died there May 28, 1830. His father afterward married Mrs. Cynthia Shultz, with whom he moved to Henry county, Iowa. In the spring of 1846 he returned on a visit to this county and died at the home of his son, Hon. Nathaniel J. James, on April 2. John James was mar- ried to Martha J. Ringer, August 8, 1850. She was born in Kentucky, January II, 1831, daughter of Michael and Martha Ringer. The sole occupation of his life has been farming, and he is now one of the
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EARLY SETTLEMENT.
wealthiest farmers and most extensive free- holders in Vanderburgh county. He owns 619 acres of good land in Knight town- ship. His home farm contains 300 acres, about all of which is in cultivation. The first wife of Mr. James died April 23, 1878. On the 5th day of September, 1878, Mr. James was married to Mary Frances Dewees. She was born in Jackson county, W. Va., July 3, 1858, and is the daughter of John and Sarah (Davault) Dewees, both natives of West Virginia. The first mar- riage of Mr. James resulted in the birth of three children: John J., Henry and Frances M. (deceased). Mr. James and his present wife have had two children: Arthur and Winnie. Mr. and Mrs James are members of the Christian church.
ALEXANDER MADDUX was born in Meade county, Ky., May 7, 1820, the son of Thomas Maddux, who was a native of Green Brier county, Va. The mother died when he was but seven weeks old. His father afterward married Elizabeth Boesinger. When he was fourteen years old he accom- panied his father and stepmother to Perry county, Ind., where his stepmother died about six years later. Shortly after the death of Mrs. Maddux, her husband returned with his children to Kentucky, and located at Cloverport, where he died within a year or so. For a year or two after his father's ROBERT A. POLLOCK was born in Scot- land, April 2, 1840, the son of James and Elizabeth (Gray) Pollock, with whom he came to America when he was between two and three years old. His father was born near Glasgow, Scotland. They found a home in the province of Ontario, where Robert grew to manhood. His father was a blacksmith by trade, and also owned a farm. In addition to a good common school education, he completed a course in a com- mercial college at Toronto. About 1863 death, Mr. Maddux farmed in Perry county, this state. About 1845 he went to Clay county, Mo., where, during the winter of I845-6, he taught school, then he returned to Kentucky, and attended school at Har- densburg. He was then a clerk in a gen- eral store at Stevensport about one year, and in 1847 entered the employ of Dr. James Graves, of Louisville, with whom he was engaged as traveling salesman three years. February 14, 1850, he was married to Susan Edmond; she was born in this county, he came to the United States, and after a
May 9, 1822, the daughter of John Edmond, who was a native of Somerset county, Penn., Mr. and Mrs. Maddux lived on a farm in Union township, this county, for a period of fourteen years, and during the first seven years he was extensively engaged in supply- ing wood to the Ohio river steamboats. In March, 1863, Mr. Maddux removed to Evansville, where he resided about twenty years. His attention during that time was given to his farming interests, which were very extensive, and to the renting of various properties which he owned in the city. In January, 1882, he removed to his present elegant home, one mile east of the city. He owns at this time about 500 acres of farm land in Vanderburgh county. He is also the owner of a number of valuable properties in Evansville, the rentals of which bring him a considerable income. Mr. Maddux and wife have an only child, whose name is Tal- itha J. She was born December 20, 1852, and was married September 23, 1872, to John J. Brose, by whom she is the mother of two children: Susie B. and Effie M. Mr. Brose was born April 7, 1844, and died July 1, 1878. Mr. Maddux is a member of the Baptist church and of the I. O. O. F. Besides serving as justice of the peace he has served as a member of the board of county commissioners one term.
637
KNIGHT TOWNSHIP.
few weeks at Pithole City, Pa., came to Vevay, Ind., where for three years he had charge of the wharf-boat. He was then in the employ, first, of John and William Charlton, and afterward of W. B. Owen, and it was his duty to attend to the business of the American Express company. Du- ring this time, however, he spent the winter of 1865-6, in the city of New Orleans. In the spring of 1867, he left Vevay and passed the following summer in Cincinnati. In the fall of 1867 he went back to Northumberland county, Ontario, and in 1868 visited Buffalo, N. Y., Cincinnati, O., Vevay, Ind., and Hamilton, O. In November, 1868, he came from Vevay to Vanderburgh county, and soon afterward purchased a farm in Knight township. Here he settled, and he has since given his attention to farming. Mr. Pollock was married on New Year's day, 1871, to Elizabeth H. Aiken. She was born in Knight township, March 7, 1851, the daughter of Moses and Nancy J. (Fickas) Aiken. Their marriage has re- sulted in the birth of seven children: Ma- mie J., Ella M., deceased, Mora D., Cicero D., and Cora A. Mrs. Pollock is a mem- ber of the Christian church; he is a inember of the Presbyterian church.
HENRY B. SMYTH was born in Evans- ville, March 21, 1849, the son of Thomas D. and Mary L. (Rowley) Smyth, the former of whom was born in the County Mona- ghan, Ireland, in 1824, and the latter in the city of Evansville. At the age of fifteen he became a student in Behme's Commercial College, of Evansville, in which he obtained a good knowledge of book-keeping. In March, 1864, his parents removed to Knight township, and settled on the farm where he now resides, in section 24. This has been his home ever since. He helped to clear and cultivate the farm until 1871, and in connec- tion with his father, engaged in the manu- 'a high degree of proficiency with the pen
facture of tile. The firm continued under the name of Thomas D. Smyth & Son, un- til it was dissolved by the death of his father on the 14th of May, 1880. Since then Henry B. has conducted the business alone. He has also in connection with the manu- facture of tile, controlled extensive farming interests. His farm of 176 acres contains a handsome residence and other substantial improvements. There is probably not an- other farm in Vanderburgh county upon which so much work has been done in the way of under-drainage. It now has be- tween six and seven miles of tile drainage, to which additional lines are added each year. Mr. Smyth was married March 13, 1872, to Emma J. Stroud. She was born in Union township, this county, March 16, 1854, the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Sarah J. (Cloud) Stroud. Mr. and Mrs. Smyth have had five children: Harry B., Richard G., Helen M. (deceased ), Mabel C., and Clarence B. Mrs. Smyth is a mem- ber of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. In ISSo he was elected trustee of Knight township. He served one term to the entire satisfaction of the public.
HON. JESSE M. STONE, born in Genesee (now Wyoming) county, N. Y., August 3, 1825, is the son of Bela and Sarah M. (Heacox) Stone, the former of whom was born at Greenville, on the Hudson river, and the latter near Canandaigua, N. Y. When he was three years old his parents removed to Rochester, N. Y. His father was a blacksmith by trade, which vocation he pur- sued in various places in the western part of the state of New York. At nineteen years of age Jesse M. Stone became employed with an older brother in Rochester, who was a manufacturer of steel springs. He entered upon a course in the commercial college of George W. Eastman, and after he attained
638
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
he became the assistant of Mr. Eastman, and for some time thereafter he was engaged at teaching writing at different places in New York; also studied in an academy at Canan- daigua. In 1847 he came to Illinois by way of the lakes and reached Waukegan on July 4. He joined his father's family in Mc- Henry county, Ill., but during the winter taught a writing school in Racine, Wis. He then returned to Woodstock, McHenry county, and for some time acted as deputy county recorder, afterward taking a position as clerk in a store, being so engaged until the fall of I851, when he went to St. Paul, Minn. There he was employed in the recorder's office, and afterward as book- keeper and clerk for John R. Irvine. He became the partner of Mr. Irvine and with him was engaged in the real estate and banking business until the latter part of 1858. In the summer of 1859 he went to Fort Abercrombie, on the Red River of the North, where he was afterward appointed sutler. In June, 1862, he purchased a stock of goods in St. Louis and went to Memphis, Tenn., where he had intended to retail them. He soon disposed of the stock, how- ever, but remained in Memphis, where he conducted a bakery until the fall of 1863. In December, 1863, he leased a plantation of 4,000 acres, 2,500 of which were under cultivation, on the west bank of the Missis- sippi river in northern Louisiana. He after- ward leased two other plantations in Concor- dia parish, La., and during the season of 1864 he controlled the three. His cotton crop during that year covered over 2,000 acres and he had over 700 acres of corn. Early in 1865 he became a controlling partner in a wholesale grocery store in New Orleans, in which he retained an interest until 186S, when he sold to one of his partners and pur- chased a plantation in Madison county, Miss., upon which he resided until 1875. In
the fall of 1869 he was elected a member of the Mississippi legislature and served three consecutive terms. In the fall of 1875 he came to Vanderburgh county. His chief attention for a number of years past has been given to the lumber business. Mr. Stone was married September 10, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth Stone, who was born in Rome, N. Y., May 30, 1833, the daughter of Jesse M. and Mary Stone. Their mar- riage has resulted in the birth of seven children: Dakota H. (deceased), Lizzie M., Jesse M. (deceased), Harry B., Lulu, Frank- lin B., and Charles H. Mrs. Stone is a member of the Cumberland church.
WILLIAM R. VANN was born in Center township, July 28, 1830, the son of Absalom and Delight (Comstock) Vann, who were respectively natives of South Carolina and Connecticut. Mrs. Vann had been previ- ously the wife of Oliver H. Williams, to whom she was married in Connecticut. Absalom Vann settled in Henderson county, Ky., opposite, and a little above, Evansville, in the year 1806. He served in the war of 1812, after which he came to Vanderburgh county, where he spent the rest of his life. Mr. Vann died January 8, 1845, and his wife on the 5th of March of the same year. She had been a church member over forty years. When Absalom was between one and two years old, his parents removed from Center to Knight township, and located on the farm he now occupies. He was married March 22, 1855, to Mrs. Ellen Carney, born in Washington county, Ohio, October 3, 1832, the daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Racer) Middleswart. She was married September 6, 1849, to Andrew J. Carney, who died in February, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Vann have had three children: Olive S., George L. and Ernest E. (deceased). By her first husband Mrs. Vann had two chil- dren: Eugene M. (deceased), and Mary F.,
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UNION TOWNSHIP.
who was accidentally shot by a man who was firing at a hawk. Mr. and Mrs. Vann are members of the Cumberland Presby- terian church. He has served his township as justice of the peace for twenty-five years. He became a member of a temperance so- ciety in 1847, and has ever since been a total abstainer.
Union township was organized May 10, 1819. It lies in the southwest corner of the county, and is really at times an island, being surrounded by the bayou and the Ohio river. Here the river makes a bend like a horseshoe, there being one place where it is scarcely three miles across the township. Its surface is very low, being almost entirely composed of "river bottom" lands. In 1884 the entire township was submerged, with the exception of two or three very small spots of land. The soil in the lower part of the township is sandy and very productive. Its yield of corn, tobacco and potatoes is exceedingly great. In the northern part there is more of a clay soil, and wheat, hay, and clover are more generally grown. Its surface, as is usual in the alluvial lands along the river, is much cut up by ponds and sloughs. When cleared and drained, the beds of these water reser- voirs furnish the richest and most productive soil to be found.
Early Settlers .- Being on the river border, and thus easy of access, Union town- ship was one of the first to invite the ad- venturous pioneer. As early as 1806 or 1807, a number of settlers had invaded its limits. The settlement most widely known in early times, and probably among the first in the township, was that of William Anthony, opposite Henderson or Red Banks, as it was then called. William Anthony was a sturdy, independent, manly character, a farmer, hunter and ferryman. For years his place was known as Anthony's ferry.
His sons, James and Frank, were honorable men. James went to the front with the Union armies in 1861, rose to the rank of captain, made a bright record, and died in the service. The Anthonys were Kentuck- ians, possessed some means, and became influential in local political matters.
Another of the earlier settlements was that made in section 15 and thereabouts, some five miles below Evansville, by George Sirkle, Nicholas Long, Jonathan Jones, and others. George Edmond and John Stoner afterward, but in early times, came into this neighborhood from the adjoining town- ship of Perry. George Sirkle, a Virginian, was a man of character and influence. He had proved his patriotism in the country's early wars, and became a valuable citizen. He served on the first board of commission- ers for Vanderburgh county, and occupied other positions of trust and honor in the community, always with credit to himself and profit to the public, whose confidence he had won. His sons, Lewis and Andrew, were useful citizens in their day. Nicholas Long was a German, who came to the west from Virginia. He was industrious and thrifty, and accumulated considerable property, consid- ering the limited advantages of his times. His family, large in numbers, was eminently respectable, and his sons attained local prominence. Jonathan Jones, an upright, sterling character, was the father of Judge James G. Jones, a brilliant lawyer and prom- inent man in his day. George Edmond was a sturdy pioneer, who raised a respectable family, one of whom, Michael, still lives in Union township, and is, perhaps, the oldest resident native born citizen in the county.
Between the Sirkle and Anthony settle- ments there were many cabins. Along the old Red Bank trail many favorite spots for the building of a cabin presented themselves to the pioneers. The Kings, Neals, and
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EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Chapmans were tolerably early settlers, though not among the first. Subsequently these names represented large and influen- tial families. Jacob Sprinkle came into the township before 1817, and afterward be- came well-known.
One of the most prominent and most widely known of the early settlers in this neighborhood was Joseph M. McDowell. He lived about four miles above Henderson, and his house early became a favorite stop- ping place for the weary hunter or traveler. It became a public tavern, and the genuine hospitality found there gave the host an enviable reputation in all the country round. His sons, Joseph P. and William G., became well-known and useful citizens.
Below Henderson ferry, the Strouds, Damons, Gerards, Allens, Chisenhalls, Wrights, and Williamsons were among the early settlers. These people of simple hab- its and manners were never drawn aside from the pioneer customs. They dealt fairly with their fellow men, lived unevent- ful lives, but were good and valuable citi- zens. In this same strip of territory lived in early times, Fred Ensley, of German de- scent, a thrifty, economical, God-fearing man, who gave to the community a good family, supporters of the church and one a Baptist minister. By great industry this pioneer cleared a farm, and accumulated a very comfortable estate. Still further up on the western side of the township, following the river in its curve, in or near section 20, lived William Greathouse, whose name was well-known in early days though now, his descendants having gone to other lands, it is unknown in these parts.
The farmers of Union and other town- ships immediately on the river had a better source of revenue than the ordinary work of the farmer. The as yet almost unbroken forests were in demand for the fuel of the |
steamers then passing up and down at fre- quent intervals. The use of coal had not then been commenced. Many farmers en- gaged in chopping wood, and the wood yards established along the river were well- known points.' That of William Great- house was the chief factor in his property accumulations. Another industry common among the farmers of that day, and engaged in prominently by Mr. Greathouse, was pork-raising. The mast furnished excellent food, and at times the woods were full of hogs. Many of the Union township farmers got their start on the road to wealth by the prosecution of these industries, and not by a strict application to tilling the soil.
Among the first settlers in the interior of the township were Chapman Carter, Lewis F. Ragar, and the Chapmans. Owing to the low and at times inundated nature of this locality, there were no particularly large settlements. A single cabin on some high point was generally surrounded for miles by an unbroken forest. This condition re- mained until long after the entire settlement of the other more favorable parts of the township. A sturdy settler who came as early as 1818 or 1819, was John Shaffner, a hardworking, honest German, who was not known out of his township, but was re- spected by all his neighbors as a quiet, good man. He was industrious enough to buy his land; there he lived and died; his sons, worthy people, grew to manhood, lived and died on the same place; but there are now no survivors of the name in the township. Among the early settlers not elsewhere mentioned, were Lewis Rouse, the head of a large family of eleven people, the Dar- nels, Asas, Slovers, and Harmons. James J. Sanders was an old settler, a farmer and blacksmith. He had a shop in early times about a mile from the Henderson road and three miles from Henderson, which was a
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