History of Whitley County, Indiana, Part 30

Author: Kaler, Samuel P. 1n; Maring, R. H. (Richard H.), 1859-, jt. auth
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: [Indianapolis, Ind.] : B. F. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 940

USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 30

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Many who first entered the order were actuated by that excitement incident to great popular movements and not realizing the importance and true principles that formed its foundation soon dropped out through

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carelessness, disappointment and other causes so that the order in many places dis- integrated as rapidly as it had formed.

The first general move in Whitley county was in the early spring of 1874, when it swept the country like a tornado. The records show that in April of that year there were eighteen subordinate lodges or granges organized within the county, named and numbered as follows, as far as we have been able to determine from the records : Thorncreek, No. 278; Union, No. 649; Eel River, No. 689; Richland, No. 925: Blue River, No. 945; Lynn, No. 980: Fair Oaks. No. 991: Sugar Grove, No. 1075; Troy, No. 1155; Washington, No. 1163; Jeffer- son. No. 1256; Sugar Grove. No. 1264; West Union, No. 1408; Coesse, No. 1625 : Spring Run, No. 1892; Collins, South Whitley and Pleasant Lake.

A large part of the more prominent and influential farmers and their wives, sons and daughters became members, some to remain true to its principles and others to drop out.

Immediately on the organization of these lodges the necessity for a county or- ganization with general supervision was clearly apparent. A meeting was called in Columbia City and a county council was organized to have general supervision of the affairs of the order within the county. We need only to refer to the ups and downs of the order. Springing so rapidly into exist ence the rebound was sure to come, but the order has survived and is today a living and vital factor for good.

On June 22, 1878, those who were yet members of the council met in Central Hall, Columbia City, and organized in its stead a County Grange. It was first known as Co- lumbia City Pomona Grange, No. 33. but

was soon after changed to the Whitley County Pomona Grange, No. 33, and is still in good working order. No stated times are set for its meeting, but it meets as the business may require on the call of the executive committee, which consists of a member from each subordinate lodge. These meetings are held as often as three weeks and some times not for two months. They are held at the different subordinate lodges and all members of all lodges in the county, being members, participate in the proceedings and assist in deciding all ques- tions. The meetings generally discuss ques- tions of law and general welfare. The ineet- ings of the county grange were at first called by the president and secretary.

Of the original eighteen lodges all but three have passed out of existence, but these three are in good condition. They are Spring Run Grange, No. 1892, held at their hall near Compton church; Sugar Grove Grange, No. 1264, with hall at Laud, and Thorncreek Grange. No. 378. meeting in the upper story of Thorncreek Center schoolhouse. This last one was for a long time dormant, but was recently reorganized and is in healthy condition. More recently Richland Grange was reorganized and be- ing in good condition holds its meetings in the old Odd Fellows' Hall in Larwill.

The executive committee of the county grange consists of Elisha Swan, of Sugar Grove; Daniel Morrolf, of Spring Run : Thomas Briggs, of Thorncreek, and John Butler. of Larwill.

Spring Run Grange is the only one of those organized in 1874 that has never been dormant and has missed but very few regular meetings.

Early in 1906 a committee was appoint-

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ed by the county grange to try and secure the meeting of the next state grange at Columbia City. This committee was Henry H. Lawrence, Eugene Chavey, John Butler and J. E. Baer. Through the united efforts of the committee and the members through- out the county the state meeting was held in Columbia City December 11 and 14. 1906.

Few influences have done more to ele- vate the rural districts, allay prejudice and

cement the cordial relations now existing than the grange. We could name those who were prominent in the movement in the early days of the organization and the few of the pioneers of the order who re- main with those who are today bearing the burden of battle, but so many could demand mention that we hesitate to do so.

Very sincerely yours. HENRY H. LAWRENCE.

TROY TOWNSHIP.

Troy township, the middle of the west tier of townships of the county. township 32, range 8, was organized in 1839, the first township organized after the county organization, and the fifth in the county, Cleveland, Smith, Richland and Thorncreek having organized in advance of the county organization. The matter of township or- ganization was simple. Application was made by written petition to the board of county commissioners for the naming of a congressional township and holding an elec- tion.

At this time there were but five voters in the south third of the township, now a part of Richland township-Jesse S. Perin, Price Goodrich. Timothy F. Devinney, Bela Goodrich and Nathan Chapman.

The voters in that part of the township now Troy were Samuel Hartsock, Thomas Estlick, James Lytle, William Doney, James Keirsey, Joseph Tinkham, Jacob Scott, Ste- phen Martin, Henry Moore, Jonathan Smith and James Joslin.

This was the election for organization

and the only officer elected was a justice of the peace. Nathan Chapman received nine of the votes and Price Goodrich the other seven. Each candidate voted for his com- petitor. The naming of the township was done by Jesse Perin.

No settler had appeared up to 1836, but very early that year Jesse Perin came in the south part, Stephen Martin, Samuel Hart- sock and Thomas Estlick in the north. It is generally conceded that Hartsock came first and Perin next, though but very few days elapsed between their coming.

John Snodgrass, Nathan Chapman, James Keirsey, Joseph Tinkham, T. F. De- vinney and Jacob Scott all came in 1836 or quite early in 1837. Joel Rine came in 1837. and George W. Elder, Price and Bela Goodrich in 1838.

The Martin family came from Oneida county. New York. They came to Buffalo by canal, then took ship on the bark "Old Fulton" for Maumee, but were driven to port at Erie for twenty-four hours during a violent storm. Arriving at Maumee Bay

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the goods were unloaded on the river bank, where work had already begun on the Wa- bash-Erie canal. They hired teams to haul them above the rapids, above what is 110W called Grand Rapids, some twenty miles this side of Toledo. There they hired a keel boat to bring them on the river to Fort Wayne. They arrived at Fort Wayne early in the morning of July 8, 1836, where they were met by Mr. Martin's brother and a neighbor with teams from Wolf Lake, Noble county. They got as far as present Chur- ubusco the first night, where they camped in a dense forest. It took two days more to reach Wolf Lake and two days more to reach their land in the northeast part of present Troy township. Mr. Martin's son, Stephen Martin, Jr., was an early surveyor of the county and was defeated for re-elec- tion because part of the tickets were Ste- phen Martin and a part Stephen Martin, Jr., Asa Shoemaker and others claiming they had voted for Stephen Martin, Sr.

Stephen, Jr., was assessor for the whole county in 1847 and took sick at the home of Mr. Fellows, Mrs. Dr. Ireland's father. Dr. Pierce was called and helped him and he sent for Beaver Edwards to come and get him, which he did and brought him to his own home, the house still standing north of the county jail. Dr. Tyler was called, gave him an overdose of morphine and he died in that house without waking.

Abraham, son of George WV. Elder, says: "We moved from Seneca county, Ohio, with a team of oxen. We first went to mill at Syracuse and it took us two full days to go and return with our oxen. There were no regular schools, only subscription schools. I first went to Mrs. Joel Rine, who taught in her kitchen in 1839. I now own the land

on which this first school room stood. The first death I know of in the township was my grandmother, Elizabeth Rine, in 1839. We buried her over in Kosciusko county. We did not do much store trading, nearly every one produced what they used, but what little trading we did was mostly at Summit, one mile west of present Larwill. We scarcely ever went to Warsaw, Colum- bia or Fort Wayne, but did sometimes go to Oswego. One morning about four o'clock I asked my father if I might go that day to Grandfather Rine's. 'Yes,' said he, 'if you go right now,' and I went. He was more afraid than I was and I had scarcely made the mile in the dark till he was there too. I think the first school house ever built in the town- ship was on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 15."

Lorin Loomis came in 1839. Fielding Barnes in 1843. Settlers came slowly to Troy township till 1840, but the following came before 1841: Robert Adams, Lewis Adams, Jacob Stackhouse, Henry Harpster, Samuel Marrs, James Grant, Samuel Pal- mer, Henry Roberts, Levi Adams, Pearson R. Walton, James Latoon, John J. English, Almond Palmer, Hiram Lampkins and Har- low Barber. Alexander Blain came in 1840, Thomas A. Elliott and Richard Vanderford and Carter McDonald in 1843, Lorin Loomis and John Harrison in 1841 ; Jonathan Sat- tison and A. M. Trumbull in 1842.

The first taxes assessed in 1838 were : John Burns, $1.25; Thomas Estlick, $1.85: Samuel Hartsock, $3.16; Stephen Martin, Sr., $1.30; Jesse S. Perin, $3.40; Joel Rine, $2.51 ; John Snodgrass, $3.17; Joseph Tink- ham, $2.75. Total, $19.31. The taxes lev- ied in 1906 amounted to $8,559.61.

The first child born in this township was

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Thomas Estlick. The next was a daughter of Joel Rine, and this child was the second death. The first marriage was Rev. Samuel Smith to Clarissa Blanchard; the second. David James to Eunice Goodrich.

The first school in the township was taught by Stephen Martin, Jr., in his own house in 1838-1839. The first log school house was built at Grant's Corners, and Clarissa Blanchard was the first teacher; the second, Old North school house, on A. M. Trumbull's land. The next was called Black Rock because built near the land of Joel Casey, a negro.

The first church organization was the Protestant Methodist in 1840. Rev. Bratt came from over in Kosciusko county and preached in the cabins of the settlers in the south and west part of present Troy. This resulted in the organization of a class of the society and preparation was made for the building of a log church on section 18 in 1841, but it fell through and the organiza- tion soon after disbanded, as the Methodist Episcopal denomination had organized near the center of the township in 1840. They met at settlers' cabins and in school houses until they built their first house of . worship in 1849. The present brick church was built about 1879. About 1844 a Baptist organi- zation was formed and they held services for several years at private houses and at the Center school house, but never erected a house of worship in Troy. The Baptist church in Etna township is its successor.

The Presbyterian church was organized in 1846. Thomas Elliott was its real found- er. The society now worships in the sec- ond house built on the same spot. It is at this place that Rev. W. S. Harker died on

duty. He lived at Larwill and was the reg- ularly installed pastor of this church. On the first Sunday morning of August. 1869, he was on hand, and just before going into the pulpit remarked that he was in a perfect state of health. To John Harrison he said, "I am as hearty as a bear." He had been speaking for a few minutes when he weak- ened and a few words he attempted to say were a rattling ramble, then taking a deep breath, he said, "Friends, I can say 110 more." He then called his wife and sank into a seat. She ran to him, ordered the windows opened and then had him carried out and back of the house and laid on the grass. He at once lost consciousness and never regained it. Dr. Kirkpatrick was sent for and bled him, but it did no good, and he died in about two hours from the time he was stricken.

The Free Methodist church was built in 1879 on the farm of Jacob Klingerman at the northeast corner of section 34, Richland township. The trustees were Thomas Pritchard, Jacob Klingerman and Jackson Tannehill. The building was torn down in 1882 and moved to Steam Corners or Lorane in Troy township, where it was rebuilt and was rededicated by Rev. Hammer. It now has a membership of nineteen. The trustees are Edward Russell and Charles Sellers. The present pastor is Rev. Perry E. Morgan.

Levi Adams settled on section fourteen in 1842 and in 1845 he laid off a spot on his land for a cemetery and deeded it to the county. It is still known as the Adams cemetery. The first burial was Mrs. Lo- renzo Havens in 1845, and the second was Levi Adams' first wife in 1846.

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Jacob Scott owned the southwest quarter of section one in 1847 when his wife, Lydia. died, and he buried her on the southwest cor- ner of the farm and dedicated a plat for a public cemetery and it is still known as the Scott cemetery. There were many earlier burials at various places in the settlement but most of the bodies were taken up and reinterred at Scott's.

The Presbyterian cemetery was laid out at the time land for the church was secured and we are not advised of the first burial.

June 3, 1867, Samuel and William Snod- grass and Adam C. Brosman, all of Troy township, and Samuel Firestone, from Kos- ciusko county, organized themselves as Reg- ulators, and were incorporated as the "In- vincibles" and given the power of constables to make arrests of persons violating the criminal laws.

Jacob Scott named New Lake, because the Scott family found it after the one to the north, which they called Old Lake. Thom- as Estlick named Loon and Goose lakes. In 1837 he shot a loon on the former and had a great deal of trouble to get it ashore, then gave the body of water the name. He named the other Goose Lake because in early days he shot so many wild geese on it. Cedar Lake took its name from the large number of cedar trees that early grew on its banks.

As before noted. James Lyttle was an early settler in Troy. He was a negro. Soon after his settlement in the township his wife died, leaving several children, all full-blood negroes.

There was a family named Sutton liv- ing on the northwest quarter of section 18, Thorncreek township, adjoining Troy, and one daughter. Charity, lived with Nathan Chapman in the strip now belonging to

Richland. She was a comely maiden, but the family was rather shiftless and not of the highest order. Lyttle was fairly well- to-do and had some money and determined to marry Charity Sutton at all hazards. though the law forbade such marriages un- der severe penalties. It was evident he could not marry her and stay. here, so he arranged to move west, promised Nathan Chapman $100 to secure the girl's consent and help consummate the deal. He also secured the consent of the girl's family and took them along. In October, 1841. the Lyttle family and the Sutton family, accompanied by Chapman, started west. In Michigan at that time no marriage license was required, but the laws strictly forbade the intermarriage of whites and blacks. On October 30. 1841. Chauncey May, a justice of the peace in St. Joseph county, Michigan, married Lyttle and Miss Sutton. What he got for disobey- ing the law is not known and as the parties moved on and Chapman returned, the jus- tice of the peace was never brought to book.

In 1888 a letter was received by the clerk of the Whitley circuit court from a daughter of this union at Pineville, Oregon. offering fifty dollars for a certificate of the marriage if it could be made to appear the marriage took place four months earlier than it occurred. A certificate was pro- cured from St. Joseph county, but as no one wished to perjure themselves or falsify the record the Oregon parties would not pay for it.

There has never been a saloon in Troy township. The people are industrious and thrifty and a greater per cent. of them are church-going people than of any other town- ship in the county.

It is a fine farming community and its

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people are prosperous and happy. Having neither town nor railroad, it is somewhat isolated, but is near enough to Columbia City. Larwill and Pierceton that the people do not suffer any special inconvenience. Neither a doctor or a lawyer has a residence in the township.

RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY TROY. BY MRS. FANNIE MARRS.

This brings to my mind the scenes of my childhood and those dear old faces that have nearly all passed away. If I could only re- member dates I could give you a great deal of interesting early history. My father, Price Goodrich, landed here in June, 1838. James Joslin, John Black and Harlow Bar- ber, with their families, came in 1839. Blanchard and Harry Roberts about a year and a half later. Samuel Marrs came in 1837, the year my father came to buy land. They both picked on the same piece, and Marrs got it, but I got one of his boys. I have lived on the place for fifty-four years.

It was Levi Little* and not James who came in 1838. He settled on the bank of Wilson Lake and the lake went by the name of Lyttle's Lake. Alex Wilson bought him out and the lake took his name. When Un- cle Billy Jameson came to the county he wanted to find Lorin Loomis. The trees were marked "L" and he followed them and came to Lyttle's.

I was present at the Presbyterian church

*The record of his marriage to Charity Sutton says James, but he may have changed it for that occasion to better avoid trouble if any came.

when Rev. Harker fell and died. The church was organized in 1846 by Mr. Sad. Lorin Loomis, William Jameson, Thomas and Robert Elliott, John and William Har- rison, Salmon and Lyman Noble, John Mc- Keehan and Myron Noble, with their wives. constituted the first membership.

The first Methodist I heard preach was at my father's house, Anderson Parrett and Edwin Cone alternately. They held services around in the homes of the brethren.

My father used to take brother Silas and myself by the hand and take us as far north as Etna to Kinney's and as far south as Benoni Mosher's and as far west as David Hayden's. I remember well once when my father, Aunt Lucinda Goodrich and myself went down to Hayden's to meeting. We had only one horse, which we took turns rid- ing. We were on the old Squawbuck trail and I was walking ahead and I saw just ahead of me in the roots of a beech tree a little fawn. I slipped up and sprang after it, but it was too quick for me. I think it was in the year 1850 that the first old Meth- odist church was built. Among the first members were my father and mother, Blanchard and wife, Harlow Barber and wife. Harry Roberts, Joseph and Robert Tinkham and wives. Samuel Smith was our first circuit preacher. He married Clarissa Blanchard for his second wife. and my fa- ther broke his team to sell him a horse so his wife could ride the circuit with him. I think the old school house at Grant's Cor- ners was built in the year 1840. Clarissa Blanchard was the first teacher and among her pupils were Edwin, and Joseph Joslin, Delila Loomis, Jane, John and Hannalı Hartsock, Henry and Ezra Grant, Sarah J.

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Black, Permelia Chapman, my brother Silas and myself. I do not know sure, but think old Mrs. Hartsock and her son Wil- liam were the first burials at the Presbyte- rian church.

My grandfather, Bela Goodrich, was a feeble old man when we came here, but was able to hunt and fish a great deal. He used to hunt young wolves and bring them in the house before they had their eyes open and lay them down on the floor. We children would want to keep them as pets, but he said he would pet them with a club.

The first deer my brother Silas ever shot was when he was eleven years old. He came to have me go and help hang it up. I went with him and we worked and worked and tried very hard to bend a sapling, but finally gave it up. I want to tell how the children of those days had to work for a living. To get a few cents we had no other way except picking cranberries and digging ginseng and other roots. Didn't have a place even to sell these before there was a store in Columbia. I remember once of going east of Columbia to what was called Polander's store at Heller's Corners-a neighbor girl and I on horseback. I rode a three-year- old colt. Sometimes we crossed Loon Lake to a little store kept by a man named Richards and in 1843 I think the first store was started in Columbia. I could give a perfect history of the early Columbia

if I could remember the dates. I remember the first peaches we sold in Columbia. We had a few very nice red and yellow ones, rare ripes. My father took a patent pail full to town and sold them by the dozen. Bever Edwards bought them and took a few and tied them up in his red bandana handker- chief and started out and I watched him go across the way to old Jakey Thompson's, where his girl, Becky Thompson, met him at the door. She was his wife later.

I think Horace Tuttle and old Dr. Mc- Hugh's place of settlement was about a mile southwest of where Sam Shoemaker now lives. Their wives were sisters-Irish wo- men. Once when I was down at Asa Shoe- maker's their girls and I went over to Tut- tle's to see the baby and they let us hold it. Mrs. Tuttle said they called it Colwell Wol- cott. I never forgot his name. I have heard he was born in Columbia City, but that is not true.

Once when I went to pick swamp goose- berries I saw a rattlesnake run into the moss at the roots of a willow tree. I took hold of its tail and threw it up on the high ground and killed it. When deer were plenty, one day the children came in and told mother her geese were all flying away. They saw the deer jumping the fence and their white tails bobbing, and they mistook them for the geese.

I was born in Delaware county, Ohio, November 5, 1831.

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COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP.

BY G. K. MADISON.

Columbia township was organized by the board of commissioners May 5, 1840, the election for one justice of the peace being held on the 3d of August at the house of David E. Long in the village of Columbia. and resulted in the selection of Elijah C. Os- born, who received four of the six votes cast. Failing to qualify, Joseph W. Baker was appoined, being succeeded itpon his res- ignation by Horace Tuttle September 6, 1841.

February 1, 1840, Elihu Chauncey, of Philadelphia, laid out Columbia, the original plat showing two hundred and twenty-eight lots in twenty-seven whole and three frac- tional blocks, all north of Blue river. It was located on the west side of section elev- en (II), township thirty-one (31), range nine (9) east. See Deed Record "A," pp. 184-5-6.

The streets surrounding block fourteen- the court house square-were niney-nine feet wide and the plat shows that the streets are out of the true meridian (north and south) five degrees and thirty-five minutes. Elihu Chauncey's first addition was platted April IO, 1841, and contained one hundred and thirty-six regular town and twenty-eight out lots. Deed Record "A." pp. 441-2. Henry L. Ellsworth acted as attorney and agent for Chauncey and, in fact, it was he who secured the site as the future county seat, though one mile to the southwest on the Beaver reserva- tion would have been a much more suitable location, it having a gravelly instead of a heavy clay soil. Isaac Shinneman on the 2d of June, 1848, recorded an addition of twen-

ty-four lots west of the section line, now called Line street. Deed Record "C," p. 417. The original town was surveyed by Richard Collins during the last week of November. 1839, assisting the commissioners, Otho W. Gandy. Joseph Parrett and Nathaniel Grad- less. Collins was sheriff and was the trustee to whom Chauncey had conveyed one-half the lots in the town site to the county. He lived near South Whitley and in riding home after his survey was completed was lost and found himself near Fort Wayne upon con- sulting his compass.

We have had three court-houses, the first a two-story frame, which stood on the west side of the square, and was erected about 1842. The jury room was in a separate nearby building, built but one or two years after the court house. It now belongs to the Harter family and stands in the north part of the town, while the court house was sold to Dr. Swayze and standing opposite Dr. Linvill's is owned by the Evanson estate.

The second court-house, on site of the present. was hegun in 1849 and finished in 1851, costing $8,500, and was constructed of brick and stone. It was sold to C. B. Tulley, who removed it. In 1888 it was replaced with the present building costing $165.000. B. F. Tolan, of Fort Wayne, architect. Jo- seph S. Baker and Washington Vanator, of Warsaw, contractors.

The old jail standing west of the square on the present site of the city building was of plank and finally replaced in 1875 by the present commodious structure combining jail and sheriff's residence, costing $35.000.

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History of Whitley County, Indiana, Part 30

Author: Kaler, Samuel P. 1n; Maring, R. H. (Richard H.), 1859-, jt. auth Publication date: 1907 Publisher: [Indianapolis, Ind.] : B. F. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 940

Author: Kaler, Samuel P. 1n; Maring, R. H. (Richard H.), 1859-, jt. auth
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: [Indianapolis, Ind.] : B. F. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 940