History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II, Part 44

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 680

USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 44

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David Lewis so far confirms the story of John Aston as to say that when he came to this Terri- tory in 1809, he remembers seeing the Carson cabin at the mouth of Silver creek, and that Richard Aston occupied it at the time. It is true that Mr. Lewis was at the time his father came here only three years of age; but Mr. As- ton lived in the cabin several years, and long enough to enable Mr. Lewis to remember the fact. The recollection he has of the cabin is that it was an old one when he first knew it, and he knew of it some years later when it was going rapidly into decay. As neither Mr. Car- son nor Mr. Aston owned the land there, the cabin was probably abandoned between 1815 and 1820, and both Mr. Aston and the Carson family settled on other land which they had entered.

Mrs. Mary Aston, who, it thus appears, was the pioneer woman of Floyd county, died a few years ago in New Albany. The Carson children were : Jonathan, Jane (who married a Mr. Lynn) Sarah, and Elizabeth. Jonathan, while living in the Shanty cabin, followed boating. He resided in this neighborhood several years, then moved into an adjoining county.

In October, 1811, while Mr. Aston was one day absent from the cabin, and Mrs. Aston was alone with the children, she suddenly heard a strange noise that had never before greeted her ears. She was very much alarmed, as she could not make out what it meant, or whencè it came. She thought it might be some signal made by the Indians who were about to make an attack upon the infant settlement, as the Indians were then inclined to hostility. She immediately bolted and barred her door and windows, and put the cabin in a state of defence; then tremblingly awaited the result. The noise continued for some time; and as there was no window in the cabin on the side from which it came, she was

unable to make out anything. She soon learned, however, the cause of her fear to be the little steamer "Orleans," on its first trip down the Ohio. The steam whistle produced the noise that had alarmed her. "It went very slowly down the river," says Mr. Aston, "and was at New Madrid when the great earthquake shock came." One of the Carsons was at New Madrid at the time, and saw the boat lying in the river while the earth was being rent by the earthquake. A very interesting account of this voyage of the Orleans will be found in the general introduc- tion to this work.

A PIONEER DOCKET.

Mr. Aston has in his possession an old docket, kept by his father, which is undoubtedly the first docket in the territory now embraced in Floyd county, and there is little doubt that Richard Aston was the first justice of the peace in the territory now occupied by both Clarke and Floyd counties. He was appointed by the State of Virginia or by the United States-probably the former-and held the office when this was yet Indiana Territory. He seems to have kept in some measure a Federal court-nowadays a high-grade sort of tribunal. Many cases on his docket begin with "The United States vs.," etc. The first date is in 1812; whether his official services dated further back than that is not known. It appears from this docket that Rich- ard Aston, Jr., was not an educated man, though it is said his father, Richard Aston, Sr., was not only well educated, but a highly cultivated gen- tleman, and one of the first teachers, if not the first school teacher, in this part of the country. From this old docket something may be gleaned regarding the early settlement, and the names of many of the earliest settlers are recorded on its worn and faded pages. A few entries from it are here given as specimens of the manner of doing business in early days. It is probable that the greater amount of the business, as shown by this docket, was transacted while Mr. Aston oc- cupied the old cabin at the mouth of Silver creek :

August 11, 1812. Be il Remembered that this day I have Joined together in the honerable Stale of Matrimony Wm' Arnold & Sally Trublood

RHD ASTON, J. P. C. C.

"Sally" Trublood was the daughter of Mr. Trublood, a well-remembered early settler on

241

HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

ground now occupied by the city of New Albany, and the owner of the first mill.

Oct. 15th, 1812.

Be it Remembered that this day I Joined togeather in honera- ble State of Matrimony Jonathan Carson & Jane Lewis. RHD ASTON, J. P. C. C.

The old record continues in the same style to join "togeather" other parties, as follows: "John Scott & Persilla Lewis," February 12, 1813; "Stevon Strong & Pheby Warring," February 27, 1814; "Hugh Carey & Nancy Freeman," March I, 1814; "Joseph Turner & Polly Withers," March 11, 1814; "Thomas Davis & Elizabeth Trublood," March 20, 1814; "William Smith & Catrene Hoke," October 2, 1814; "Jeremiah Sanders & Prissilla Samuell," April 14, 1815; "Jeremiah Boshers & Marget O. Strout," April 2, 1815; "John Wood & Susanna Whitker," May 10, 1815; "Ezekiel Cannaday & Leannah Davis," June 15, 1815; "John Aston & Prisilah Hoke," June 25, 1815; "Abraham Romine & Liddy Rizaly," July 2, 1815.

Performing a very brief marriage ceremony according to the above form is about all the busi- ness Esquire Aston seems to have been called upon to do during the first few years of his offi- cial career; then comes a break in the monotony of marriages by the following :

Nov. 12, 1814. Taken up by Benjamin Sprout one Bay mare 7 years old, 14 hands high, a few whight hars on hear weathers, a long switch Tail, appraised to Twenty Sixe Dol- lars, no other marks or Brands, & one Colt of the same Collour no whight a Bout it, supposed to be one year old Last spring, appraised to Eight Dollars By Anthony Lewis & And. Long.

Nov. 12, 1814. Taken up by Gab Poindexter one Brown mare 147% hands high, Branded on the Near shoulder thus J. P. & on the of shoulder thus [, some few saddle spots, a star left Ere out, apprased to Thirty-five Dollars, supposed to be Ten years old, apprased By Jas Shannon & Elige Green.

The above are specimens of a score or more of similar ones. Philip Beamgard "takes up a Bay horse," which is appraised "to 25 dollars " by Benjamin Sproat and John Aston; Jonathan Lewis takes up a gray horse, appraised by John Conner and Elnathan Jennings; Daniel Nichol- son takes up a sorrel mare, appraised by Alexan- der Richards and Jacob Burkhart, etc., etc.

The following entries give an inside view of Esquire Aston's court :

"Sept

James Taylor

Summons ishd Cunstable

21 VS. Charles Boyles

1813

Returns Ex Cuted

Subpeno ishued for Josiah & Rebeckey Taylor

after hearing the Alle gations on both sides judgment for the Plentif for 2.65

Justis fees

.43

Cunstable fees .77

3.85

the Plantif acnoledge him Self security Pd. 95

Repleven 2.90

Execution Ishued for.

. 2.90

Satisfide by B. Sproatt to the Plantif on the 21 December.

Jan'y } the U. S. vs Ezekiel-

20 on complaint of Henry Hoke

1815 su'd for Hog Stealing-warrant Ish'd

Const. Returns Executed. Anthony Denning George Hoke and Phillop Beam gard was sworn and after hearing the Proof and alle gations Bound the Defendant to our Next Cirket Cort to be held in Charlestown.

just fees.

Const Do

138

United States

1813

May By James Taylor

Warrant ishued

James McFall VS

summons ishued for John munnyhan & Jane Gibson & for Rebeckey Taylor for the U. States.

the Cunstable Returns Executed Jane Gibson & James Taylor was sworn in Behalf of the united states & Gabriel Rive & Rachel Aston & ElizaBeth aston for the Defendant. After hearing the Evidence on Both sides it Is judged that the Deft. is fined in one dollar & fifty sints for abreach of the Pease. 1.50

justis fees.

.81

Cunstable fees. 1.46

3.77

Satis fied this II day of June.

This docket is quite voluminous, and space cannot be given for further quotations. There is much similarity in them, and the above will serve to show how justice was administered among the pioneers, and give something of an insight into the character of the "court."

The administration of justice by Mr. Aston seemed to have given satisfaction, as he con- tinued in the office many years, and solemnized a majority of the early marriages of this and Clarke counties. The names of other old set- tlers appear in the history of this township and the city of New Albany.

A ROLL OF PIONEERS.

In the following list of names, taken from this old docket, will probably be found those of a majority of the earlier settlers of this county:

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

John Scott, Bartholomew Jenkins, Levi Jenkins, Gabriel Poindexter, Benjamin Sproat, Elijah Green, Jacob Pearsol, Isaiah Mise, George Livers, *Susannah Cannady, Philip Beamgard, Charles London, Richard Lewis, Nathaniel Livers, Joseph Cunningham, Jonathan Lewis, Allen Rich- ards, George Long, Jacob Brookhart, William Smith, An- thony Denning, Abraham Romine, Isaiah Kimble, Thomas R. Johnston, *Mary Thompson, Abraham Razer (or Kazer), *Jane Mawning, William Cochran, *Deborah Edwards, An- drew Gilwick, Anderson Long, Josiah Taylor, Benjamin Fields, William Brown, Landon Rich, William Wood, Rob- ert Lewis, James Mise, John Wales, Fisher R. Bennet, James Haldeman, *Matilda Dobson, John Conner, Harvey Swift, John Allen, James Shannon, Daniel Jackson, Richard Yena- wine, Johnston Yenawine, G. Carson, Wilson Weaver, Joseph Gipson, John Noles, J. T. Breman, Abraham Narington, *Darkis Elbany, James Demster, Jeremiah Clark, *- Jen- nins, George Slater, *Sarah Roberts, David Lewis, George W. Wells, *Maria Blackwell, Frederick Hobner, *Frances Neat, Henry Hawkins, *Mary Ann Clark, Josiah DeWitt, *Sarah Hickman, William Duncan, *Ellen Edwards, Jolın Nicholson, Joseph Linn, John Kearns, Silas Kearns, Gasper Pope, William Roberts, Wyatt P. Tuley, John McCrindly, Lewis B. Cattle, Robert Stewart, Carey Rich, Nathaniel Heath, *Elizabeth Brown, Robert Grayson, James Blair, Thomas Taylor, *Hetty Smith, David Boyles, *Margaret Landerbach, Thomas Harrison, William B. Thompson, Lewis Wicks, Felix Lane, John Yates, William Harvey, Joseph Mulary, David Kelley, Adam Peck, Edward Prince, George W. Garrison, Severn Warwick, Joseph Green, James A. Palmer, *Mary Linn, Daniel Lane, *Rachel Taylor, John White, John Ball, Joseph Gibson, William Craig, John Run- nels, Richard Boyles, John Boyles, Robert Raney, William Druesdell, Nathaniel Case, Alexander Dunn, Henry Aborn, Henry Self, Asa Smith, M. Bloom, Samuel Bates, Hugh McCulloch, John Eldridge, S. T. Beeman, E. Shelby, Sam- uel Marsh, George Baird, Elnathan Gilbert, John Williams, Charles Shirley, Jacob Leiss, Garrison Vincent, Jeremiah Sanders, Joel Scribner, Abner Scribner, Nathaniel Scribner, Elihu Marsh, Alexander Marsh, D. P. Underwood, John Pate, William Griffith, Alexander Martin, Harvey S. Elliott, Daniel Lippingcutt, Jesse Michum, John Poindexter, Charles McGrew, Benjamin Chamberlain, Joseph Hite, Thomas Douglas, Wayne Brown, Albert Bogert, William B. Sum- ner, Robert Woodward, Joseph Turner, George Oatman, Henry Hoke, Asher Cook, Joseph Pearson, James Demster, David Irvin, Josiah Trublood, Joseph White, Daniel Picket, James Ferguson, Peter Thompson, John Freed.

The above were all settlers in this region prior to 1817, and a majority of them were here as early as 1812. County lines in this State were then few and far apart, and Richard Aston acted as justice of the peace for a large scope of coun- try, his jurisdiction extending, no doubt, over several of the present counties. It is not, there- fore, claimed that these were all settlers in what is now Floyd county, but no doubt a majority of them were settlers in what are now Floyd and Clarke counties, and most of the names will be recognized by the older inhabitants.

THE PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT.

About the beginning of this century a num- ber of hunters and squatters resided for a time in what is now New Albany township. Settle- ments were rapidly increasing along the Ohio at various points, and numerous trading-posts were established, so that a market was created for the products of the chase. These hunters built temporary dwellings, or "hunter's cabins," where- ever they desired to locate, but traveled about from place to place, never remaining long in one spot. They cannot, therefore, be called settlers, though some of them afterwards became such. One of these hunters was William Lewis, in the northern part of the township; another was John Aldrich, Sr., whose pole cabin was erected on Falling run, within the present limits of the city of New Albany. This pole shanty may have been the first white habitation upon the plat of the future city. McGrew's cabin was erected on "McGrew's point" in those early days, and it is impossible to tell at this late period which was the first to erect a cabin, Aldrich or Mc- Grew. But it matters little; both were in the wilderness where no white man lived, probably, at that time but themselves. Aldrich's cabin or tent was made almost wholly of bark. Four forks were driven into the ground, or a conven- ient tree probably answered for one or two of the forks; poles were laid on, and upon these other poles were laid, supporting a covering of bark. The sides were formed by setting up sticks and bark against the poles, one end of these pieces resting on the ground. Three sides only were closed; the fourth side was left open, and in front of it was always a log-heap fire for cooking and other purposes.

Here John Aldrich lived for a time with his fam- ily. How much of a family he had is not known; but his wife was with him, and his son, John Aldrich, Jr., was born here, being, without much doubt, the first white child born in Floyd county, and the first born upon the plat of the future city, within whose limits children may now be numbered by thousands. John Aldrich's "tent" stood near a fine spring, of which there were a number in the immediate neighborhood, about where Lower First street intersects Elm, not far from the present flouring. mill. How long Ald- rich lived here is not known, but not probably longer than was necessary to enable his wife and

*This lady was married by Squire Aston to the gentleman whose name immediately precedes hers.

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

child to follow him to some other hunting ground. He lived and died, it is said, a hunter and trap- per.

John McGrew's cabin stood at the foot of Lower First street, on a point of land that then jutted into the river, and very close to the water's edge. A considerable ravine (now filled up) then ran down to the river bank, coming out at McGrew's cabin and making something of a point of land ever since known as "McGrew's Point." It is very probable that McGrew's cabin was the first regularly built cabin upon the site of New Albany. It was a little log pen, regularly built and enclosed, but covered, like Aldrich's, with bark. It had, however, a door and greased paper windows. McGrew was a squatter, hunter, trap- per, and fisherman, and had no family. A negro man named William Morrison lived with him- probably a slave he had brought over from Ken- tucky. McGrew did not live long after the set- tlers began to arrive; but Morrison occupied the old cabin many years, and after New Albany be- gan to be settled he went about among the peo- ple, doing washing wherever he could get work.

It is impossible to tell who was the next set- tler in this territory, after Carson and McGrew, whether it was Mr. Trublood, Richard Aston, Sr., George Oatman, William Lewis, or sonie other person, but the above named were all here very early, less, probably, than half a dozen years after the beginning of the present century. John Aston says his grandfather, Richard Aston, Sr., came here in 1804 or 1805, but is not cer- tain about the date. Others, whose names are unknown, may have been here equally early. Where so many were passing and repassing up and down the river, and trappers and hunters continually coming and going, and no record kept of any event, all must be more or less veiled in uncertainty.

Richard Aston came from England and reared here a large and influential family of children. He first settled in North Carolina, or, at least, came from that State to this wilderness, settling in what subsequently became the town of Max- ville, now within the limits of the city of New Albany. His sons were Jesse, John, Samuel, Richard Jr., and David. The old gentleman cultivated a little land, and besides school-teach- ing he added to his occupations that of making splint-bottomed chairs. He also assisted John

K. Graham in surveying, and traveled over nearly all of Floyd county and some of the ad- joining counties in this work, while all was yet in a wilderness state. Richard, Jr., after a resi- dence of some years in the Carson cabin, pur- chased what was known as the London property, and moved upon it after Charles London died.

The latter was among the earliest settlers. He had been a soldier under General George Rogers Clarke, and was granted the land upon which he settled. Just what time he settled here is un- known, but it was prior to 1809, and at that date he was living in a little cabin not far from where the county infirmary now stands. He built a cooper-shop near his cabin-probably the first shop of this kind in the township or county- and worked at his trade whenever he could get anything to do. At other times he cleared and cultivated a little piece of land, raising corn, potatoes, and other garden vegetables. He was a bachelor and came from Virginia, and nearly all the time he occupied this place he had a family living in his cabin, with whom he boarded. It is believed he left his property to this family upon his death. He was buried upon his own land, which subsequently passed into the hands of Richard Aston, Jr.

"SQUATTERS."

The eight thousand acres of land now occupied by the city of New Albany joined "the Grant" (as the land given to Clarke and his soldiers is known), on the west, and occupied all that por- tion of the bottom land within this township be- tween the knobs and the western line of the Grant. Consequently any persons who settled on . the river below the fort in an early day were "squatters," as the whole of the tract then be- longed to John Paul, of Madison, Indiana, who purchased it of the Government. The conse- quence was that those who sought permanent homes were compelled to settle away from the river, as John Paul's land does not appear to have been for sale in small quantities-at least it was not for sale at figures that pioneers could afford to pay, or cared to pay, when land all around it could be had at Government price.

PERMANENT SETTLERS.

One of the first to settle permanently just out- side of the John Paul tract was old Mr. Tru- blood. He purchased at the first tax sale in

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

Indiana Territory the forty acres upon Falling run, immediately north of and adjoining the John Paul tract, for sixty-two and a half cents an acre. He subsequently sold this lot to the Scrib- ners, and it is all now far within the city limits, and worth thousands of dollars per acre. Here, upon Falling run, Trublood erected his cabin and the first mill within the present limits of this township, if not in this county. Falling run was then a much larger stream than at present, and the little log-mill was kept busy from the start, except when the stream was frozen over or the dam washed away by a flood.

THE FIRST POST-OFFICE AND HOTEL.

Not far from the cabin and mill was a spring, near which a Mrs. Roberts lived with her family some years later. Her boys supported the family mostly by hunting. After a time, when the mill was in operation and a few settlers gathered in the neighborhood, a mail-route was established through here, and Mrs. Roberts kept the first post-office on the site of New Albany. She also opened a "tavern," where she accom- modated the traveling public and boarded the first mail contractor. No doubt Mrs. Roberts' tavern was the first on the site of the future city. The mail was then carried from the falls to Vin- cennes, and the mail-carrier usually stopped over night at Mr. Roberts' tavern on the first night out from the falls.

The neighborhood of this tavern was an im- portant one in those early days, and became al- most a village. Dense woods then covered all the bottom land where the city now stands, and Mrs. Roberts' tavern and Trublood's mill were the last of the white settlements on the road west for a score or more miles at least. It was long a resort for the Indians and white hunters and traders. The bar was, of course, the prin- cipal attraction, and the strolling Indians and hunters from the fort found here a place to drink and lounge away their few leisure hours.

LATER SETTLEMENTS.

Naturally the white settlements extended north and west along the Indian trail beyond the tavern and the mill; though before any permanent settlers had located some hunters and trappers had squatted along the base of the knobs. But few of these are now remembered; but William Lewis was among them.

In the southern part of the township the Oat- mans were probably the first settlers. About 1805 they came floating down the Ohio from Vir- ginia, hunting for a place to land and locate. Reaching the fort at Clarksville, they remained a few days, then went on down the river, finding no Government land until they had passed the John Paul tract. After passing this tract they landed in what is now the southern part of New Albany township, on a beautiful level bottom which stretched away from the river bank for a short distance, until stopped by the picturesque Silver hills. This bottom was not so extensive as that further up the river upon which the city stands, but, like it, was covered with the rankest growth of timber and wild pea-vines. The river bank was lined with canebrake. In this dense wilderness the family landed and erected a tem- porary bark and brush cabin, until they could hew out a better home. They entered some land here, and the three boys, George, Jesse, and John, immediately began clearing. They were shortly followed by the Nances, Sniders, Wilsons, Hick- mans, Hursts, and others. The Nances and Sniders settled in what is now Franklin township. OATMAN'S FERRY.

The Oatmans were hunters and spent a good part of their time in the woods. After working here two or three years, living meanwhile near the river bank, they found that they were so frequently called upon to carry people across the river that they concluded to establish a ferry ; and thus "Oatman's ferry" came into existence. People frequently appeared on the Kentucky side of the river and desired to cross; and as the settlers began to arrive in the new country they frequently desired to bring over cattle and other domestic animals. The Oatmans for a long time carried settlers, their families, and goods over free; but the demand upon them finally became so great that they constructed a flat-boat, which they used for wagons and heavier freight, and used a skiff for passengers, charging a small fee for the work. After the county was established in 1816, they obtained a ferry-right; and Oat- man's ferry is frequently mentioned in the early records of the county.

From this point the first roads in the county started, after that which clung to the Indian trail before mentioned; and it was at Oatman's ferry that a large majority of the early settlers of

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

Franklin, Georgetown, and Greenville townships crossed the river. The flat-boat would hold two wagons with the oxen attached, and the load carried by the wagons, besides a number of people, and was worked across by a stern pad- dle.

Jacob, John, and Anthony Snider settled in Oatman's neighborhood, and after some years purchased and conducted the ferry. Jesse and John Oatman became tanners.

Oatman's ferry was the only one on the river below the falls, except that of Moses McCann at Clarksville, for many years. The next one was probably that of Martin Trublood, established just before the laying out of the city of New Albany.

AN INTERESTING EXTRACT.

The following, regarding the early settlement of this township, especially the southern part of it-referring also to other early matters of im- portance-is taken from the before mentioned Directory, published in 1868 :

The settlements now rapidly increased along the river bot- tom below the city, and in what are now Georgetown and Greenville township. In March, 1812, Samuel Miller crossed the ferry which landed in the woods at the foot of what is now Upper Fifth street, and settled on the Miller farm one mile below the city, on the Budd road.

At this time the only persons who lived within the present limits of New Albany were James Mitchell and Martin Tru- blood, the ferryman, whose cabin stood where the Conner house now stands, at the foot of Upper Fifth street; the old man Trublood, the father of Martin, who had a small log mill on Falling run, near he present depot of the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago railroad; a man named Magrew [ Mc- Grew], whose cabin stood at the corner of Lower First and Water street, on the site of the large warehouse of Captain J. H. Reamer; and a man named Marsh, whose cabin oc- cupied a place near Trublood's mill. Marsh left soon after, and did not return.

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History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II, Part 44

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co. Number of Pages: 680

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 680