USA > Indiana > Montgomery County > People's guide, a business, political and religious directory of Montgomery County, Indiana : also, a historical sketch and a brief history of each township > Part 11
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For Distemper in Horses .- Ground ginger, two ounces; flour of sulphur, two ounces; copperas, two ounces; Spanish brown, two ounces; saltpeter, one-half ounce; mix thoroughly. Give a tablespoonful once a day in bran mash. Keep the ani- mal warm and dry, with light exercise.
Whitewash for Out Doors .- Take good white unslacked lime, one peck; salt, one quart; two pounds Spanish whiting; one gallon good flour paste; first slack the lime in hot water ; be sure to put enough on to keep the lime from burning; then add while warm the salt and Spanish white, and then the paste; let stand over night. It is better to have it warm while applying it.
For Removing Paint From Glass .- Baking soda and warm water.
Antidote for Poison .- Give sweet oil in large doses.
For Worms in Children .- Santenine, nine grains; calomel, six grains; white sugur, eighteen grains; mix well; make in six powders for a child two years old, and give one before each meal for two days; work off with oil.
For Removing Grease Spots From Cloth .- Soda, two drachms; borax, one drachm; dissolve it together in one ounce of hot water, then add one ounce of alcohol. Shake it well and apply with woolen rag or brush, rubbing briskly.
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VALUABLE RECIPES.
To Get Rid of Little Ants .- Use salt and water freely where they infest.
Washing Fluid .- Borax, one pound; soda, one pound ; dis- solve in two gallons of hot water. Put the clothes in the tub, cover them with water containing a half gallon of the fluid, and let stand over night.
For Toothache, Headache, Neuralgia, and Rheumatic Pains .- Make a liniment of the following preparations : One ounce of tincture of Amonia, one ounce tincture of cam- phor, one ounce oil of organum, one-half ounce oil of cedar, one ounce oil of hemlock, and one quart linseed oil ; mix all together, put it in a bottle and shake well. Directions for using. Apply the liniment freely to the affected parts, and rub and bathe it as often as three or four times daily. For the toothaehe, put a little on a piece of cotton, and put it in the tooth, and rub it on the jaw of the patient. I have found this to be one of the best liniments in use.
For Cuts and Bruises on Man or Beast .- Take two ounces tincture of camphor, two ounces linseed oil, one ounce of tur- pentine ; mix all together, and apply to the affected parts.
For Pickling Beef .- To 100 pounds of beef take one gal- lon of salt, three-fourths of a pound of sugar, three ounces black pepper ground ; add together, put all in a kettle con- taining three gallons of water; boil slowly, and skim occa- sionally. Pack the beef in tight tubs, and cover with the brine.
DIRECTORY
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OF
FOR 1874.
9
HISTORY
OF
MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY is located in the western half of the State of Indiana, in the second tier of counties from the west, about one hundred miles south of Lake Michigan, and near one hundred and twenty-five miles north of the Ohio River. It is within the limits of the great central lines of travel from east to west. Its facilities for shipments of produce and stock are not surpassed by any of its sister counties.
The county lies in a region remarkably well adapted to the cultivation of the various kinds of grain common to the middle portion of the western world. It borders upon those fertile prairie lands in the north part of the State, and partakes par- tially of the nature of both timbered and prairie soils. The northern portion of the county has several small prairies in it, which give to it the appearance of having been settled much longer than it really has. The soil of these prairies is very rich and productive, yielding, in favorable seasons, immense crops of corn, wheat, rye, oats and barley. Large tracts of this prai- rie country are yet uncultivated, and are used principally for grazing purposes. Nature has furnished here to the herdsman an inexhaustible supply of nutritious food for his cattle and horses.
About two thirds of Montgomery county was originally very
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
heavily timbered, but much of it has been destroyed in one way and another ; yet there is an abundance still left for all practical purposes, in the way of building and fencing.
The western part of the county, and near the principal streams, is somewhat hilly and broken, the north and central part undulating, and the east and south level. The soil, with scarcely any exception, is rich and very productive. There are a few oak openings, or barrens, in the north part of the county, which are of little value for any purpose ; however, the number of acres of this quality of soil is so small that it does not affect the general farming interests of the county.
Montgomery county is laid out into eleven townships, Union township being in the center, and all the others bordering on or cornering with it. Union township is about nine by twelve miles square ; all the others are of medium size, and are bounded on the outside by the county line. The county is twenty-four miles long, north and south, and twenty-one miles wide. It is bounded on the north by Tippecanoe county, on the west by Fountain and Parke, on the south by Parke and Putnam, and on the east by Hendricks, Boone and Clinton.
Montgomery county was named in honor of the distinguished General Richard Montgomery, a man who figured in the times of the American Revolution and sacrificed his life in the noble cause of freedom at the seige of Quebec. The county is watered by Sugar Creek and its tributaries. This stream used to be known by the name of Rock River. It is a fine stream of water, and there are quite a number of good mills located upon it. Sugar Creek is fed by numerous small streams empty- ing into it on either side. The main stream passes from the northeast quarter of the county to the southwest, passing into Parke county about 5 miles north of the southwest corner of Montgomery. It passes nearly exactly through the center of the county. The next principal stream is the Walnut Fork of
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Sugar Creek, which empties into the main stream near Craw- fordsville.
The county is well supplied with good public highways. The public improvements in the way of school houses and bridges are of the most substantial character. There are but few coun- ties in the State as well supplied with railroads. Every town- ship in the county, except two, has a railroad, and the two ex- ceptions are so near to a road that it may be said that every township has a direct advantage in the way of railway traffic. These roads all center at Crawfordsville, making that city a de- sirable location for manufacturing enterprises.
Crawfordsville is the county seat of Montgomery county, and is situated in its center. It is a live town of over 4000 inhabi- tants, who are thoroughly alive to the interests of their town and county, and are doing all they can to improve the city and its surroundings. It is located on Rock River, familiarly known as Sugar Creek. The city has three railroads, making six dif- ferent points for shipments and travel. These roads are now building a magnificent Union Depot at the junction, which will be completed this year. Unlike most other towns of this size, Crawfordsville takes great pride in her streets, and in order that this part of her work may be more efficiently prosecuted, has appointed a Street Commissioner. The streets are broad and well graded and graveled, and are skirted on either side with beautiful shade trees which lend an enchanting attractiveness to the city during the summer months that is almost picturesque. Good turnpike roads lead from the city in almost every direc- tion. A new attraction has sprung up in Crawfordsville, which in time promises to be of no small importance both to the city and the public. This is no less than two medical or mineral springs, situated just northeast of the town. Messrs. Blair & Vancleave are busily engaged in improving and beautifying the grounds around the springs. This place is destined to be a re- sort for summer recreation and literary pursuits. These springs
2
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
are already enclosed in light and airy summer-houses, and the gentlemen who have control of them contemplate erecting a five- story hotel just north of the springs. The building will be fitted up with all the modern conveniences of an old established watering place. The waters of these springs seem to be of en- tirely different ingredients, and are said to contain properties of great medical importance.
Crawfordsville's material resources for manufacturing purposes are equal to any other town of its size in the State. She has an abundance of good timber, coal, iron ore, limestone, and sand and brown stone. These are all found only a short dis- tance from the city. Manufacturers would do well to take a look at this point.
MORAL AND EDUCATIONAL.
In the matter of moral and scholastic enterprise, Crawfords- ville leads all other towns in the State. With a population of not over five thousand, she has nine churches, a proportion not exceeded by any other town in the land, and a thing that she may well be proud of. The public schools are conducted by an able and efficient corps of instructors, and upon the most ap- proved plan. The schools are located in a magnificent building, situated upon "Jefferson's Square," which has just been com- pleted at a cost of $60,000.
But it is in Wabash College that Crawfordsville's pride and glory culminate, and she has good reasons for this pride. It is one of the best specimens of western institutions for a thorough course of education. It is located just west of the city limits of Crawfordsville, in a campus containing thirty-three acres, shaded with beautiful native forest trees, affording to the students a healthful atmosphere, as well as abundant space for drill and field sports. The public buildings are four in number.
Center Hall contains the President's Lecture Room, the Chemical and Philosophical Rooms, the Cabinet, the Library,
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
the Society Halls, the Chapel, with four hundred sittings, and eight Recitation Rooms.
The Academy contains a Public Hall, and two commodious Recitation Rooms for the use of the Preparatory Department.
The Dormitory has recently been remodeled, and is essen- tially a new building. It now offers excellent accommodations for one hundred students.
The Polytechnic Building contains the following rooms, viz : the Topographical Room, for models, designs and maps, and for instruction in draughting.
The Armory, for company drills, museums, fencing, and care of arms.
The Reading Room, open to all students, and supplied with an excellent selection of newspapers and magazines.
The Gymnasium, a room or hall one hundred feet each way, well furnished with the most approved gymnastic apparatus.
This Institution has had a singularly interesting history, as we gather it from its published documents. It was founded when the upper part of Indiana was almost an unbroken wilderness, and the other half not a great deal better. The cities of Evans- ville, New Albany, Terre Haute, Madison, Indianapolis, Lafay- ette, Fort Wayne, and Richmond, were then mere villages. The highways of the State were most wretched, and the great products of its soil nearly valueless because of their inaccesibility to market. The entire country was poor, and the Presbyterian Church feeble.
After a careful examination of the subject a few men resolved to found the college. This was in November, 1832. In De- cember, 1833, the institution was opened with twelve students. The appeals for help at the West were as fully answered as could be expected, and it was finally resolved to send an agent to the East. It was a season of financial embarrassment, and after repeated vain attempts to secure aid in Philadelphia, New York and Boston, the agent was actually writing his resignation in
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
order to get some preaching engagement to procure money that he might pay his way home. Whilst writing his resignation a hopeful friend came into the room and advised him to visit Andover for conference with the Theological Faculty. After hearing his story they advised him to appeal to the country churches. He followed their advice and raised several thousand dollars. He also induced the Rev. Dr. Baldwin, of New York, to accept the Presidency.
In 1838 the principal building was burned, yet the enterprise made progress in spite of these embarrassments. Its financial growth has been very marked, so that it is now out of debt. Only a few years ago a single individual donated $50,000 to the institution.
The course of study in this noble institution embraces a wide range, and is thorough and complete. The faculty consists of eleven persons, as follows :
Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., President and Beecher Pro- fessor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy. Edmund O. Hovey, D. D., Rose Professor of Chemistry and Geology. Caleb Mills, M. A., Lafayette Professor of the Greek Language and Literature. Samuel S. Thompson, M. A., Williams Pro- fessor of the Latin Language and Literature. John L. Camp- bell, M. A., Baldwin Professor of Mathematics, Natural Philoso- phy and Astronomy. William C. White, M. A., Professor of Rhetoric and Teacher of the German and French Languages. Col. Henry B. Carrington, LL. D., U. S. A., Professor of Mili- tary Science, by authority of the United States Government. Daniel A. Bassett, M. A., Principal of the Preparatory Depart- ment. Mathew M. Whitford, M. A., Associate Principal of Preparatory Department. George C. Butler, B. A., Tutor. Henry R. Thomson, M. A., Tutor.
The officers are: Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., President ; John L. Campbell, Secretary ; Alexander Thomson, Treasurer ; Samuel S. Thomson, Librarian; J. Paxton Campbell, Auditor.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
COUNTY ORGANIZED.
Montgomery county was organized in the year 1823. The first county officers were: John Willson, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of the Commissioners' Court. County Commissioners-William Offield, James Blev- ins, John McCollough. Sheriff-Samuel D. Maxwell.
PROMINENT CITIZENS AND SETTLERS.
Maj. Ambrose Whitlock settled in Montgomery county in the year 1822; laid out the town of Crawfordsville in 1823; was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys by John Quincy Adams, in 1825 ; was an active and efficient officer under old Anthony Wayne; died in Crawfordsville in the month of June, 1864, aged 96 years. His widow, Mrs. Whitlock, died in Crawfords- ville in 1873, aged 90 years.
William Offield and William Miller were the first white set- tlers in Montgomery county. Offield settled near the mouth of Offield's Creek, and William Miller settled near the town of Crawfordsville, in 1822, and built the first house (round log cabin) in the town. Offield left the county in 1836, and Mr. Miller died in the city of Crawfordsville at the commencement of the present year.
John Beard was born in North Carolina, January 4, 1795 ; moved to Montgomery county, Indiana, in the year 1823, set- tling near Crawfordsville, where he still resides. In the year 1827 he was elected representative of Montgomery county in the Legislature, and with a single exception was continued in . one or the other branches for fifteen consecutive years, most of the time in the Senate. Of all the members with whom he served the first term, but one besides himself was living in 1873, Mr. John Jones, of Center township, Wayne county. Mr. Beard attained a high reputation as a legislator. Bills for the abolition of imprisonment for debt, liberal exemption of prop- erty from execution, investing the Governor with power to com-
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
mute capital punishment to imprisonment for life, received his active and efficient support. He rendered good service in the passage of the bill for the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal.
The following truthful remarks in regard to Mr. Beard were made by Hon. John Coburn, member of Congress, at Moores- ville, Morgan county, Ind., August 13, 1873 : "I venture to say again that not one man in a hundred in our State knows the name of him who proposed that the surplus of the proceeds of the stock of the State in the State Bank of Indiana should be ap- propriated as a school fund. He is one of our greatest public benefactors, a venerable, simple-hearted, clear-headed, sound- minded old gentleman, living in Montgomery county, named John Beard. His name ought to be precious in the heart of every boy and girl who enjoys the benefits of free schools. When he proposed the measure it was hardly treated seriously. Nobody thought anything would be left as a surplus ; he himself doubtless did not realize its importance. But so it was, he put the net where it caught the golden fish, and we thank him for it ten thousand times, and we thank those steady, straightforward, strictly upright financiers who husbanded these funds for us. This measure has been the means of producing our present fund of $800,000 for the support of common schools."
Montgomery county is indebted to Mr. Beard for the bridge which spans Sugar Creek near Sperry's mill. This noble work was accomplished through the instrumentality of Mr. Beard while a member of the Senate in 1839. In 1841 Mr. Beard was appointed by President Harrison to the office of Receiver of Public Moneys in the Land Office at Crawfordsville, in conse- quence of which he resigned the Senatorship two years before the expiration of the term. He held the office until after the accession of Mr. VanBuren to the Presidency, and in 1846 he was returned to the Senate. The fact that Mr. Beard was one of the earliest settlers in Montgomery county seems to justify
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
a compliance with the expressed wishes of his old friends that his name be given a conspicuous place in the county's history.
Henry S. Lane was born in Montgomery county, Ky., in the year 1811, and commenced the study of law in the office of General Sudduth. In 1833 he removed to Crawfordsville, com- menced the practice of the law, and rose rapidly in his profes- sion. He continued the practice of the law until -. For nearly - years of the period of his practice he was in partner- ship with Col. Samuel C. Willson. He was elected to the Leg- islature of Indiana in the year 1837, and in the year 1840 was elected to Congress to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of General Howard, beating his opponent, E. A. Hannegan, 1400 votes in the district. In 1841 he was again elected to Con- gress, beating his opponent, Major Bruce, 7000 votes in the district. In 1846 Mr. Lane raised a company of volunteers for Mexico and was elected captain, and before marching orders were received was appointed Colonel of the regiment. In the year 1860 Col. Lane was elected Governor of the State of Indi- ana, beating Thomas A. Hendricks about 9000 votes. In the winter of 1860 Col. Lane was elected by the Legislature to the office of Senator of the United States. Col. Lane's practice in the Judicial District was always large. The members of the bar in his district exhibited in their composition more than ordi- nary legal talent, and composed a constellation which reflected a brilliancy in every portion of the State. Albert S. White, Rufus A. Lockwood, Joseph A. Wright, Col. Samuel C. Will- son and Judge Naylor, are all names of commanding eminence. Henry S. Lane came in amongst these to add new radiance to a galaxy already bright.
Rev. James Thomson was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in the year 1801, graduated at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, about 1825 ; settled in Crawfordsville in the year 1828, and was the first regular Presbyterian preacher in said town. Mr. Thom- son was the prime mover in locating Wabash College. He
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
moved to Wabash, this State, preached there five years, and then returned to Crawfordsville, where he lived and preached with great success. In 1853 he moved to Mankato, Minn., where he preached the word of life for fifteen years. He died in October, 1873, and his remains were brought back to Crawfords- ville and deposited in Mills's Cemetery.
Wm. W. Nicholson was one of the first settlers in Crawfords- ville. He left Kentucky in a keel-boat in 1822, went down the Ohio River to the mouth of the Wabash, thence up the Wabash to the mouth of Sugar Creek, and from there to Crawfordsville. Soon after his arrival he started a tan-yard, and opened a tavern in a log house. Mr. N. was industrious, and accumulated con- siderable property, and died about 1859, aged 70 years.
William Miller and Matthew Cooley (both deceased), cut out the first wagon road from Big Raccoon to Crawfordsville in April, 1822.
Isaac C. Elston was born in the State of New York in 1795 ; was married to Maria E. Aiken, Dec. 18, 1823, and moved to Crawfordsville in 1824. Mr. E. was a soldier in the war of 1812; was engaged in the mercantile business for many years, and for the last years of his life was a successful banker. He was a member of the M. E. Church, and died in 1867, aged 72 years. Mrs. Elston was a member of the M. E. Church for 40 years ; was an amiable christian woman, and died of heart disease July 29, 1874.
Williamson Dunn was born in Kentucky in 1781 ; settled in Crawfordsville in the year 1824; was appointed Register of the Land Office by James Monroe, and died near Hanover, Ind., in 1854.
Nathaniel A. Dunn, brother of Williamson Dunn, was born in Kentucky in 1791 ; moved to Montgomery County in 1824. He resides in the city of Crawfordsville, and is 83 years of age.
Maj. Ristine was born in Trimble Co., Kentucky, in 1782; settled in Madison, Ind., in 1809, and removed to Crawfords-
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
ville in Oct., 1823 ; was elected to the Legislature in 1825 and 1857; died in Crawfordsville Oct., 1856.
Ben. T. Ristine was born in Trimble Co., Kentucky, in 1807 ; moved with his father to Madison, Ind., in 1809, and from thence to Crawfordsville in 1829. Mr. R. was engaged in the mercan- tile business for four years, and during that time studied law ; was admitted to practice in 1839, and has continued the prac- tice of law up to the present.
James Willson, first male child born in the town of Crawfords- ville, son of John Willson, first Clerk of Court, was born in said town in the year 1825. Mr. W. graduated in Wabash College in 1843, commenced the practice of law in 1845, and continued the practice in the Circuit Court of Montgomery and adjoining counties and District Court of the United States for twenty-one years. In 1856 he was elected a representative to Congress over Daniel W. Vorhees, a prominent Democrat. In 1858 he was again elected to Congress, beating his opponent, Judge Blake, eighteen hundred votes. In 1866 Mr. Willson was ap- pointed Minister to Venzuela, South America, by Andrew Johnson, where he died in 1867. Mr. Willson was a fine speaker, ranking, on set occasions, among the best in the State. He was an excellent lawyer; had considerable force of mind, great compass of voice, nice discrimination, strong judgment, and for copiousness and beauty of diction was unrivaled in the State. No man could grapple with him without the most per- fect preparation and the full possession of all his strength.
John Peterson settled in Sugar Creek township, Montgomery county, in 1829. In 1872 he removed to Stockwell, Tippecanoe county, where he still resides, 70 years old.
Martin Bowen moved from Ross county, Ohio, and settled in Sugar Creek township in 1828; was a Justice of the Peace for 20 years, and died in 1869, aged 70 years.
Mrs. Louisa J. Shovelin (formerly Louisa J. Miller) was the first female child born in Crawfordsville.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
Samuel Maxwell was the first Sheriff of Montgomery county. He settled in Crawfordsville in 1823; married John Cowan's daughter in the same year, which was the first marriage solemn- ized in said county. Mr. Maxwell was Clerk of the Clinton county Circuit Court for twelve years, moved to Indianapolis and served as mayor of said city for two years, and died in 1873.
William Moore settled in Brown township, Montgomery county, in the year 1823; entered 160 acres of land in Wave- land, in said township. Mr. Moore was an industrious, honest man, and left a competency for his family when he died, which took place in 1869, aged about 75 years.
William Cosseboon moved from Dearborn county, Indiana, to Crawfordsville, in the year 1837. Mr. C. was an active and effi- cient exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He died in Pleasant Hill, in said county, about the year 1856, aged 70 years.
Evi Martin settled in Walnut township, Montgomery county, in the year 1818, and is still living, and quite active for a man aged 70 years.
Jehiel Crum settled in the same township in 1827, and is still living.
Mr. Wiley settled in Cornstalk, Clark township, Montgomery county, in 1822, cleared out his farm, and for a number of years. kept a good country tavern.
The writer of this sketch, with other old residents of Mont- gomery county, will doubtless recollect the excitement in Craw- fordsville during the Black Hawk war in 1832. During said excitement a report was circulated one Saturday evening that the Indians were murdering and plundering the settlers on or near the Wabash River, about forty miles distant from Craw- fordsville. Col. Powers, who was at that time commander of the militia of Montgomery county, sent word to the Captains of the different companies in said county, to appear in Crawfords- ville on a certain day ; and in accordance with said instructions
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