History of Whitley County, Indiana, Part 46

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 46

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

an election for justice of the peace at Ezra Thompson's house on the second Monday in December, 1837. At this first election in Richland township only five voted, name- ly: John Jones, William Rice, Zebulon Burch, William Cordill and Edwin Cone- just enough to form an election board. The first three were judges and the other two clerks. Edwin Cone received four votes and William Rice one vote. We do not know why Mr. Thompson did not vote. We do not know the date of Mr. Cone's commis- sion as justice of the peace.

Thorncreek township was organized the same day as Richland township. Therefore there were four townships organized before the county. At its next session in December. 1837. and January, 1838, the general as- sembly ordered Whitley county to stand alone. Governor Wallace appointed Rich- ard Baughan, of Thorncreek township. sher- iff. It was his first duty to advertise and hold an election for county officers, and to designate places for holding said election. There was one place named for each organ- ized township, making only four voting places in the county. Those who lived out- side these townships voted where it was most convenient. The place in this town- ship was at the house of Andrew Compton in section 21, where elections were held for several years. The officers to be elected were one clerk and recorder, two associate judges and three commissioners. The elec- tion was held the first Monday in April. 1838, the same being the second that year.

374

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA

I think it is not known how many voted at this election in the township, certainly not more than a dozen. It is safe to say that the "people's ticket" was elected unanimous- ly. The commissioners elected were Otho W. Gandy, of Smith, Nathaniel Gradeless, of Thorncreek, and Joseph Parrett, of Cleveland township. At Parrett's, on Mon- day, May 7, 1838, Baughan canvassed the ballots formally, and declared the officers elected and the county organized. It seems that the commissioners met at this date, took the oath of office and proceeded to hold court. Mr. Gandy was elected chairman. Their first act was to appoint John Collins, treasurer; Henry Pence, assessor; (Mr. Pence had been previously appointed by the Huntington county board) Benjamin H. Cleveland, three per cent. fund commission- er, and Henry Swihart, county agent. Abra- ham Cuppy had been elected clerk and re- corder, as had been Jacob A. Vanhouten and Benjamin F. Martin as associate judges. None of these officers were from this town- ship except Abraham Cuppy. At the ses- sion of the commissioners' court in June, 1838, the county was divided into commis- sioners' districts ; range eight to form district one, range nine to form district two and range ten to form district three. These dis- tricts have never been changed.

It appears from the "Old County His- tory" that Edwin Cone was allowed two dol- lars June 25. 1838. for making returns of the first election in the township. We pre- sume it was the election of April 2, 1838. and that he was one of the election officers. It also appears that at one of the first ses- sions of commissioners' court, Zebulon P. Burch was appointed road supervisor of this

township, the whole township being in one district. The only road then being the Hunt- ington and Goshen road, within the town- ship, some seven miles long. At the same court Edwin Cone and Ezra Thompson were appointed overseers of the poor. In Sep- tember, 1838, Ezra Thompson was selected as one of the grand jurors, to serve at the first term of circuit court, and Edwin Cone, David Hayden, John Jones and Zebulon P. Burch were summoned as petit jurors at the same court. Some time in the year 1840 Zebulon P. Burch was appointed three per cent. road fund commissioner and served till the office was abolished. Mr. Burch's services were in demand for offices of trust. The first general election held in the town- ship (the two elections above mentioned were special elections), was on August 6, 1838, being the first Monday. It was held at the house of Andrew Compton. Eleven voters appeared, namely: Otto M. Webb, Zebulon Burch, Levi Curtis, Ezra Thomp- son, John Jones, Jackson Gunter, Abraham Cuppy, Jacob Kistler, Jolın Thompson, Da- vid Hayden and Edwin Cone. In this case as in the election for justice, we do not know why Mr. Compton did not vote. The returns of this election showed that G. W. Ewing received four votes for state sena- tor, David Colerick three and Thomas Swin- ney one. For representative, J. F. Murrill received four votes and William Vance sev- en. For sheriff, Richard Collins received eleven votes. For county commissioner. Jo- seph Parrett received eleven votes. For pro- bate judge. Jesse Cleveland had three votes and Joseph Pierce one. The next election, I think, was held on the first Monday in April. 1839. and was the regular township

375

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

election. Here the first township officers were elected as follows: Otto M. Webb was chosen township trustee: Ezra Thompson, town treasurer; Andrew Compton, town clerk ; and David Payne, fence viewer. Each received fifteen votes. There is no mention made of constable or supervisor. It will be remembered that Henry Pence had been ap- pointed county assessor, and that there was no township assessors till about 1852.

The "Old County History" says that Troy township was organized in May, 1839, by the board of commissioners. The first election was held July 4th following. It was a special election for justice of the peace. At this election the names of Jessie S. Perin. Price Goodrich, Timothy F. Devinney and Bela Goodrich appear, who were residents of what is now a part of Richland township. Price Goodrich was inspector and Jesse S. Perin was one of the judges and Timothy F. Devinney was one of the clerks. There were twelve votes cast. Nathan Chapman was elected justice of the peace by seven votes ; Price Goodrich receiving five votes.

The first presidential election held in the township was in 1840 at Andrew Comp- ton's house on the 2d day of November ; the Harrison campaign, remembered as the "Log cabin and hard cider" campaign. The candidates were Harrison and Tyler for the Whigs and Van Buren and Johnson for the Democrats. Twenty-five votes were cast ; fourteen for Harrison and eleven for Van Buren. Those twenty-five votes were Dan- iel Cone, John Jones, William Rice. John Wright. Daniel Cullamore, Andrew Comp- ton, Edwin Cone, Joshua Helms. John An- derson, Elijah Scott, Zebulon Burch. David Hayden, John Thompson, Reason Huston,

Levi Curtis, Charles Ditton, Samuel L. An- drews, Anderson D. Parrett, William D. Parrell, Joab McPherson, David Payne, George Ditton, David Payne, Jr., Ezra Thompson and Jacob Kistler, Jr. The judges were William D. Parrett, Ezra Thompson and Zebulon Burch. The clerks wereAndrew Compton and Edwin Cone. They were not so particular about the polit- ical complexion of the board then as they are now. The clerks were known as Whigs, Parrett and Thompson as Democrats and Burch's politics were not known. In the Troy addition of the township, at this same election there were eight votes cast by Jesse A. Perin, John Buck. James Buck, William Guy. James Grant, Bela, James and Price Goodrich. At least five voters were Demo- crats. The Troy elections were held at Joseph Tinkham's shop. Of these officers and voters, to which I have alluded, none was left on January 1, 1907, except John R. Anderson, who alone remains as the last voter of 1840. He is now past ninety.

Previous to 1869 the voters of the old townships of Troy and Richland had to go to the central school house of each township to vote. On December 5. 1868, there was held a meeting in Larwill and a petition got- ten up to be presented to the county commis- sioners, praying for a new township to be named Larwill township and formed of a two-mile strip off the south side of Troy township and a two-mile strip off the north side of Richland township. This was on Saturday evening and by Monday evening the petition had been circulated over the whole territory. and on Tuesday, I think, the petition was presented to the commissioners. It seems the commissioners granted the re-

376

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

quest, but in the meantime the voters in bered that nails were not in use, except what South Richland petitioned for a two-mile strip off of the south side of Richland town- ship to be annexed to Cleveland township. This petition was granted and the Larwill proposition was reconsidered, which result- ed in the two-mile strip off the south side of Troy township being annexed to Rich- land township and the remainder of Troy and Etna township forming one township. The date of these proceedings was about December 11, 1868. Since this time Lar- will has been the place of holding the elec- tions. The township was divided into two precincts in 1884, since which time there have been two voting places, and usually both in Larwill. In 1905 and since there have been special elections held in each road district to select a road supervisor.

FIRST SETTLER.

David Hayden was the first settler in Richland township. He landed here March 9. 1836. He brought his family consisting of his wife and two little boys, one aged three years and the other one year old. He also brought along a hired man named Henry Francis. They built a cabin of the primitive style, built of round logs and cov- ered with clapboards, held on with weight poles, a puncheon floor, or perhaps no floor for awhile, and a door made of split stuff and pinned together and hung on wooden hinges, and the windows, well I don't know whether they had any windows or chimneys till the next fall. The cabin was not larger or higher than was really necessary. It was all built perhaps with an ax, a froe, an auger and a drawing knife. It must be remem-

were made by a blacksmith. The cabin stood between the present house and the road, the north end near where the road now is. They cleared about four acres, where the barn now stands and southeast of it, planted it to corn and fenced it. They stayed till some time in June and then went back to Ohio. They came from Franklin county. The reason they went back was on account of not having all their goods. I think they had brought no stock, except a. team of horses. I do not know whether Mr. Francis ever came to Indiana again or not. Mr. . Hayden came back again in September, 1836, and his brother-in-law, Edwin Cone, and family came with him. They landed here on September 30th. Mr. Cone's family consisted of himself and wife and one little girl two years old. They came by Fort Wayne and then followed the Wa- bash canal to Huntington, and then the Huntington and Goshen road the rest of the way to within a mile of where Summit used to be. and then by a trail cut through the woods. They had, I think, a cow apiece, some calves and three horses. About the time they left the Huntington road it came night and they had to leave the wagon for the night and Mr. Hayden and the two women and three children rode through on the horses to the cabin, which was some two miles farther. Mr. Cone stayed with the wagon and cattle through the night, and I have been told a few wolves kept company with them. Mr. Hayden entered land in sec- tion 6, now owned by David Dill. Mr. Cone entered land in section 5, now owned by Henry Norris. In about three weeks after Ezra Thompson settled in section 9 some

377

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

two or three miles away. Charles Ditton and Zebulon Burch settled in section 22 some three miles from Mr. Thompson's and this was about as near as neighbors were. It was a long way off to the nearest mill some thirty-five miles. Wyland's mill in Elkhart county, not far from Goshen, was the nearest perhaps, or that is where most of the first settlers went. There was a settlement there and corn could be bought. It took three days to make the trip if the roads were not too bad and were lucky in finding corn, but it sometimes took a week. An ax was al- ways taken along, for some times there would have to be a new track cut to get around bad places in the road.

The first settlers were friendly and ac- commodating and were glad to see a "new- comer," would help each other to build their cabins and roll logs and such things as a man would need help, and never keep any account of the time or expect any pay. The chief employment was clearing, and all the time that could be spared was put in with the ax. The clearings were hardly ever "cut off smooth," that is, all the timber cut down, but usually all under ten inches or a foot in diameter at the stump, and some- times all the beech, sugar, lind, elm and buckeye. It looked like something had been doing to see the long rows of brush heaps, and the logs scattered in endless confusion. Again when the brush had dried three or four months, to see it set on fire, and watch the flame and smoke. Again to see two good teams of oxen and two gangs of men hauling and rolling the logs into heaps, and each gang striving to be ahead. These scenes were in- teresting, but they are gone forever. The trees left standing usually were deadened.

that is, a ring chopped around each tree, and left standing. These old trees were a con- tinual bother. Nearly every windstorm the limbs and bark would fall and frequently some of the trees, and each year there would be a lot of extra clearing and fixing fences. These rail fences that used to be of so much service are about all gone. A man called it a day's work to chop and plit two hundred rails. But if a man had his choice, he would pick trees that would make three or four cuts each and from twenty-four to forty rails to the cut. To build forty rods of rail fence, eight rails high, was a good day's work. It was worth about as much to clear the land as it was worth before it was cleared. It is said that William Rice sold forty acres of land each to Henry Payne and Nathan Bid- dlecome with the understanding that they would pay the most of it in clearing. The first crops sometimes, if wheat, was sown on the leaves and harrowed in, and if corn, the ground would be furrowed out with a "jump- ing" shovel plow and then planted. The squirrels and 'coon used to eat a good deal of the corn, and corn that stood in the shock over winter would not have much corn in them in the spring. There were no rats in this country till about 1855. Rats and rag- weed came about the same time. Wheat was not raised very extensively at first on ac- count of the work to harvest and thresh it. and the market was poor, from twenty-five to fifty cents per bushel. Wheat and rye were cut with a hand sickle almost entirely till 1850 or later, when cradles were used principally till 1865 or 1870, then reapers were used mostly till about 1885. and since that binders. It will be remembered that most of the people were poor and some very

378

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

poor. All the household goods could be put on a wagon and then room for more. The goods perhaps consisted of one or two beds. a home-made table, a half dozen stools, some cooking utensils to use around a fireplace. a very few dishes, a tub, a split or home- made broom, an ax and a gun. The bedv- steads were part of the house were made by placing one post as far from the walls as the length and width of the bed, then insert- ing small poles in auger holes in this post and in the logs in either wall, to make the bedstead, then by placing clapboards on one of these and into a crack between two of the logs would complete it.

There is a story showing how destitute some were. Robert Moyston settled in sec- tion 8 about 1843. There were five girls and two boys, the older boy William was nearly grown. In the summer of that year the meal had been sifted the last time, which meant the bran was eaten. There were no new potatoes or green corn, for it was too early in the season. The elder Moyston bus- ied himself with the work he thought should be done and sent William in search of some- thing to eat. I think it was two days the family were without food, when William brought in a sheaf of wheat he had taken from a field without asking. They threshed this out on the floor and saved every kernel. boiled it and ate it. One of the daughters, Mary Philips, told me this. She said, "It was pitiful to hear my little sister cry, who was only about two years old." Mr. Moys- ton offered to pay the man something for the sheaf, but of course he would take nothing.

When Richland township was first set- tled it was covered with a dense forest of beech, oak. sugar-maple, ash, walnut, pop-

lar, elm, lind, hickory, wild-cherry, butter- nut and smaller varieties of timber. There- were several swamps and a few small wet prairies. There are five or six small lakes. within its borders. Spring creek, with its- two branches in the eastern part and Cleark creek (sometimes called "Little Spring creek") in the western part carry off most of the surplus .water. The face of the country is somewhat hilly, but nearly all of it can be farmed .. The make-up of the the soil is generally good as the name of the township implies, a good depth of soil underfaid with clay or gravelly subsoil. The lowlands for some. purposes are better than the highlands .. The soil of these lowlands is underlaid in some places with clay and other places with muck or peat to considerable depth, and marl is found in a few places. There is plenty of gravel for road and building pur- poses. Some parts of the township are some- what stony, especially the western part. They are of the boulder variety, many of these stones have been used to good account for building purposes. A great deal of the lowland has been ditched and brought into. cultivation. There are a good many springs, but since the country has been drained, the springs have grown weaker, and now most of the water for house use is obtained from wells, and for the past fifteen years, there has been many tubular wells put down, ranging from forty to two hundred feet deep, and in many places wind power pumps adorn the landscape. There were several Indian trails crossing the township in va- rious directions. TheSquawbuck trail was the most noted. It crossed the northeast corner of the township. It was named for

379

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

an Indian by the name of Bill Squawbuck, a Miami, I believe, and a leader of a gang or faction. It is said there was a trail from the Asa Shoemaker place in the northwest corner of Columbia township through in a western direction past where Larwill now stands and on west by Hayden's to Koscius- ko county. There was another crossed this somewhere about where Summit was, in a northeast and southwest direction. It crossed sections five and six, but in the other direction I am not certain where it ran, but I suppose to the Squawbuck trail. I think these trails ran by springs. The Indians changed camping places frequently on ac- count of hunting. There was a camp in section 6, in the southeast part. There was plenty of water in springs nearby and here Bill "Wois-see" or "Wa-wa-es-see" (with the accent on the third syllable) and an old squaw named Mem-shaw, and some younger Indians camped. They also camped sometimes on the Perin place, in section 32 and on the Lancaster place in section 8 or in section 17. These two I have named were not transported with the other Indians. The squaw was supposed to be ninety years old and was know as "Granny Meem-shaw." There were in some places a great many maple trees, and the Indians were great lovers of sweets, and they used to make sugar (sis-ko-quet-see they called it) where the maple trees were most plentiful. I never saw an Indian sugar trough or an ax that the Indians used to tap the trees. I think the troughs were made of broad pieces of elm bark, about ten inches or more wide and about two feet long. The ends were gathered together and tied tight enough so it would hold water. The tree was tapped

with a hatchet or tomahawk, by cutting a sloping gash in the wood. I suppose they used split-spiles. I have seen many of the trees with their scars on. They boiled the water in their little camp kettles. They were also great lovers of whiskey, "Good-ney- tosh." It has been said that whiskey was better in those days than now, that it would not make a man crazy at it does now. But it worked differently on the Indian, he would get just like the drunken man of today.

There was plenty of game in the woods and every man was supposed to own a gun. I believe that game became more plentiful atfer the Indians were taken away. There were many good riflemen. The old flint- lock gun was all they had which sometimes would flash in the pan and was not quite as sure as the cap-lock gun. A good many had their old guns changed into cap-locks. In the winter of 185 5and 1856 there came a deep snow and then a crust, and a deer would break through the crust and a dog would not break through so much. It is said that the Grimes and Norris boys and Newton Compton killed eleven deer with Anderson Grimes's dog, "Old Range," that winter. I believe the dog killed the most of them. Andrew Compton killed the first bear in the township, in company with Zebu- lon Burch, Charles and George Ditton and John Anderson. Edwin Cone treed two young bears, but had no gun at the time. He went away and got David Hayden and a Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Bennet shot the cubs. The last wild bear, that I have any knowl- edge of, was seen in the fall of 1862. It was in the woods belonging to John Steel and Thompsons. The alarm was given, but it was about dark and the beast got into a

380

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

brush swamp, it scratched some of the dogs and they would not follow it, so it was lost. Zebulon Burch killed two wolves, the first of which we have any account. The last wolves seen, of which I remember, was in the sum- mer of 1855. They were in the woods now belonging to George Steel. It was about dark and nobody followed them. There was an abundance of game in the woods at one time, such as deer, wild turkeys, gray squir- rels and black squirrels and wild pigeons, but they have passed away with the forests.

There was a great deal of sickness in those early times, mostly of the bil- ious or malarial nature. Sometimes whole families would have the ague. The ague was of two or three different kinds. I be- lieve the kind most common was the "every- other-day" ague. It would commence with a hard chill, usually making the victim shake for about an hour, and then would be fol- lowed by a fever for four or five hours, when the sweat would start and the patient would get better and the next day would feel quite well, only a little weak. But the next day again and about the same time of day, usu- ally in the afternoon, the same ordeal would have to be passed again, and so on from Au- gust to cold weather. Some would have the ague every day, commencing usually in the afternoon, with a chill, but not so hard a chill as the other kind. The person did not shake so much, but the fever was generally higher and would last well into the night. The next day it would be repeated. A few would have the "third day ague." Every- thing bitter, or nearly so, was used as a remedy, some with good results and some without, but usually whether the remedies were taken with faith or without faith the

ague would take hold again in a week or so. It will be remembered that quinine was not in general use until after 1850. Mrs. McLallen writes of the ague to her daugh- ter :

"April 17, 1854.

"MY DEAR-We have all had a few shakes, more or less, of the ague. I think you would have smiled a little to see me shake last Saturday for one and one-half to two hours and again on Monday. But the fever was less than usual and I think I have broken it up now, as I have had none since Monday. Little has it today. His is rather hard but we shall try Dr. Janes' Ague Pills."

Again-

"August 25, 1854.

"Last Wednesday Gibson received a let- ter from a friend in Fort Wayne apprising him of a good situation in waiting for him. He started with Mr. Rice the next morning for Columbia, where he intended to take the hack for Fort Wayne. At Columbia he found Peter Simonson sick of a fever and unattended. He stayed with him and waited on him about two hours, when Peter re- quested him to take his horse and ride into Fort Wayne and send George ( Peter's brother) out to take care of him. He felt pretty well and started. About half way there he was taken with a chill, was obliged to dismount and lie down in a corner of the fence and 'shake it out' there. Poor fellow ! While lying there he saw Duffie passing with Peter's wagon, which he knew, and hailed him. Duffie said he was going to Columbia for Peter to go back to Fort Wayne and take care of George, who was very sick of a fever. So there they were, all in a row.

38t

WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

But the Simonsons were both very much bet- ter the same evening. Gibson found a clerk- ship awaiting him, but he had the ague every day."

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Whitley County, Indiana, Part 46

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