USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 79
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Mr. Moses Wood, a brother to George, the founder of the township, taught the first school in 18II.
Many of his scholars were in for Christmas fun. A plan was arranged by which the teacher was to be ducked in the creek unless he treated to whiskey, apples, cider and cakes. The boys took possession of the school-house before day- light, and awaited the arrival of their teacher. Wood ar- rived and demanded admittance. The boys said: "No, not till you treat." Other pupils arrived; some were in favor of their teacher, and some in favor of the chaps within. And thus day after day passed, until the holidays were well nigh ended, when the master did treat, and school began again Those who were on the teacher's side were scoffed at by those who gained the victory, and also by the teacher, because they were not heroic enough to stand up for their rights. And we will add, this practice of turning out teachers continued unti 1825, when a man named Ransom was in charge. His pu- pils took possession of the house and demanded a treat Ransom raised the alarm; his employers came to his assist- ance, and finally an old man named Burritt succeeded in breaking in the door with a large pole. Burritt ordered the teacher to march in, reminding him that if the boys con- tinued unruly, to send for him and he would settle them. This broke up the fun of turning out school teachers. Never- theless those parents who supported the fun became quite saucy and threatened to "secede" and set up a school of their own. Upon due consideration it appeared that there were not enough to support a new school; consequently the boil- ing heat subsided, and the fire went out. Neighbors became more and more allied to each other, and in 1829 they joined hearts and hands and erected a respectable hewed-log school- house. It stood upon the public square, and until 1868 served as a school- and meeting-house jointly.
Tilly H. Brown followed Ransom in 1826, teaching one year. During the winter of 1827 a man named William Sparks, from North Caro- lina, taught. In the winter of 1828 Joshua W. Custer, of Virginia, taught for three months; and
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then in 1829 for one year, or a school season ; in 1830 Charles A. Carpenter, of Virginia ; and after this, at different times, Asa M. Bellows, Evan Baggerly, and many more whose names cannot be recalled.
VILLAGES.
New Providence was laid out in 1817, by Stephen, John, and Asa Borden. In the center of the village is a public square, which lies at right angles with the Muddy fork of Silver creek. It is situated on the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago railroad, eighteen miles from New Al- bany; and in north latitude 38° 23' 41"; west longitude 8° 32' 46". There are about three hundred inhabitants in the village at present, with two dry-goods stores, a first-class provision store, a drug store, two millinery shops, one tavern, one tan-yard, one shoe shop, three blacksmith shops, a cooper shop, one saw-mill, one grist- mill, two churches, one belonging to the Bap- tists, the other for all denominations, one school- house, two physicians, and one dentist. As a shipping point it is not exceeded by any station of proportionate size along the railroad.
But the most intersting history of New Provi- dence is in the people who made up its early residents. The Wood family, of which we have spoken, was here early and took an active part in laying the foundations for the future greatness of the little settlement. In this household there were five boys, Benony Paxton, James Noble, John Milton, George, and Sharon, and four girls, Millie, Nancy, Sarah Ann, and Margaret, all of whom are dead. Benony married and raised a family, but it is scattered; George emi- grated to Arkansas; James Noble and Sharon died unmarried in young manhood.
John Milton Wood was the first white child native to the township. He was born June 25, 1808, and died March 28, 1869. Millie married Dr. James Porter, by whom she had one child, a daughter, but that daughter has a home in the sunny South, parents both dead. Nancy married Joseph Cook, by whom she had two sons, Wil- liam and George, who also lived to have families. The children are mostly in the Far West. Sarah married Manoah Martin, by whom she had two sons, Richard R. and George W., who at present occupy the old homestead. Margaret married William Hallett, and raised several children, but with their parents they are all dead.
When the Woods came to this country the site which New Providence occupies was a dense beech forest. After the town was platted it was increased about once every year by a log barn, ox-shed, or pig-pen. Here and there were open- ings wherein was erected a round beech-log house, covered with clapboards, and round logs placed upon them for weight poles. Floors and doors were made of puncheons split from logs, about four or five inches thick and hewn straight. The doors were made by pinning with wooden pins transverse bars to the puncheons, and swinging them on wooden hinges. Fire-places were large and spacious, made mostly of small timbers notched at the ends and well daubed on the outside with mud. On the inside a wall was built of stone. The spaces between the logs were chinked and daubed so as to keep out the cold.
There was a dense growth of noxious weeds and plants, which caused an almost fatal malaria for several years. The climate was not congenial; chills and fever prevailed; and, worse than all, a bilious fever of a fearful, malignant type, from which very few had the good fortune to escape. Thomas Bellows and his brother David were the first to become its victims. Only two months had elapsed after their arrival in the country to the death of Thomas, and less than five to the death of David. These deaths threw the family into destitute circumstances. Asa M. Bellows, who was at that time but five years of age, the oldest male member in the family; his -mother, Mrs. Thomas Bellows; his grandmother Bellows, two aunts, Lydia and Laura; Thomas S., his brother, aged three years; and a sister, Louisa S., aged about seven months, made up the family. "They were left in the wilderness without a home and poor prospects of obtaining one." Time passed; the winter of 1818 came and went, the mildest, perhaps, the family had seen since cross- ing the Alleghanies. The next year a bountiful harvest was produced, and the family hencefor- ward began to prosper.
But it was the Borden family who played the most important part in the history of New Prov- idence. They too met with sickness. Mrs. Borden died in 1820, about eighteen months after her arrival in the township. William Branson and his son George, with three of his daughters, soon followed. Perils, however, did not discour- age the Bordens, made up as they were of men
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
why possessed determined characters. On the contrary their lives were full of enthusiasm and inspiration. The forest, weeds, and underbrush were removed, letting in the sunshine and invit- ing the pleasant breezes. Health came to reward their toil. In the midst of the wilderness corn- fields sprang into existence; gardens, meadows, and orchards followed, and cattle were soon seen feeding in the valleys and on the side-hills, in great numbers.
Samuel Hallett and Silas Standish purchased farms and acted their part well. Peleg Lewis married Mrs. Thomas Bellows, and purchased land one mile from New Providence. Here they lived together fifty-two years, raised a family, and died octogenarians. John Borden married Lydia Bellows, by whom he had two sons-William W. and John, both of whom are living. Professor W. W. Borden was assistant State geologist under Professor E. T. Cox, and to him we are much indebted for valuable information. Both of his parents are dead. Mrs. Professor William W. Borden died in the fall of 1881.
New Providence is one of the neatest villages in the county. It lies in the Muddy Fork valley, midway between the knobs. Everything looks tasty and substantial. The future is certainly very promising, with such an abundance of natural wealth, which lies hidden in the hills within sight.
OFFICERS.
We give below a list of civil magistrates, begin- ning with Micajah Peyton and Samuel Hay, the first in the township, from 1816 to 1824; Sam- uel Hallet and George Akers, served from 1824 to 1830; Isaac Shaw, 1830 to 1851; Lancelot Johnson, 1823 to 1827; John Mckinley, 1852 to 1856; William Hallett, 1848 to 1856; Thomas S. Bellows, 1856 to 1860; W. Porter, 1864 to 1870.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
JEFFERSONVILLE-CIVIL HISTORY.
Clark County-Early Court Records-The Bar-Erection of Jeffersonville Township-The City-Civil List.
Clark county was organized February 3, 1801. Soon after, on the 7th of April, 1801, the first court in the new county, the court of quarter ses- sions of the peace, was held at the now aban- doned town of Springville, a short distance below Charlestown. The persons present at this court were Marston G. Clark, Abraham Huff, James N. Wood, Thomas Downs, William Goodwin, John Gibson, Charles Tuley, and William Har- wood, Equires. The county boundaries had been defined in the proclamation of Governor William Henry Harrison convening the court. The persons present produced a general com- mission appointing them judges of the court of general quarter sessions and took oath accord- ingly. At this court General W. Johnston, gen- tleman, produced his license as an attorney, and was admitted to practice before the court. Samuel Gwathmey was qualified as clerk of the court and prothonotary of the court of common pleas and clerk of the orphans' court of the county.
But one case was brought before the court, that of Andrew Spear and Robert Wardell, charged with having stolen sundry goods from the house of John and James S. Burtis, but the evidence proving insufficient they were dis- charged.
At this session of the court the boundaries of the three original townships were defined. These townships were Clarksville, Springville, and Spring Hill. As the section of the county now being considered is comprised within the original boundaries of Clarksville, the boundaries of that township only are given in this connection, as . follow :
ORDERED, That the county be divided into three town- ships, the first to begin on the Ohio opposite the mouth of Blue river; thence up the Ohio to the mouth of Peter Mc_ Daniels' spring branch; from thence lo [in] direct course to Pleasant run, the branch on which Joseph Bartholomew lives, and down that branch to the mouth thereof; thence down Pleasant run to where the same enters into Silver creek; thence a due west course to the western boundary of this county; to be called and known by the name of Clarksville township.
Constables for the three townships were ap- pointed as follows: For Clarksville, Charles
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
Floyd ; Springville, William F. Tuley ; Spring Hill, Robert Wardell.
On the second day of its session the court ap- pointed Joseph Bartholomew, Peter Stacy, and James Stewart as commissioners to levy a tax for the county, they to serve respectively one, two, and three years. Appraisers of property were Isaac Holman and Charles Bags for Clarksville ; William Coombs and Absalom Little for Spring- ville; and John Bags and John Owins for Spring Hill. Supervisors of public roads and highways for Clarksville were Leonard Bowman and Wil- liam Wilson. Commissioners, George Hughes, James Davis, and Francis McGuire. In addi- tion to these were appointed house viewers and overseers of the poor.
Uniform rates of ferriage across the Ohio river were established to prevent extortion, and ferry- keepers were required to attend to the duties of their place or their license would be revoked. The rate established at this time was as follows:
ORDERED, That the ferry-keepers of the ferries now estab- fished in this county across the Ohio river, observe the fol- lowing rates for the transportation of the following persons and property across the river, viz : For a man, woman, or child, 1212 cents ; for each horse kind, 1212 cents ; for every head of neal cattle three years old or upwards, 1212 cents ; for all cattle under that age 9 cents ; for each sheep, goat, or bog, 4 cents ; for every wagon or four-wheel carriage, $1 ; and for every other carriage, of two wheels, 50 cents ; for goods, wares, merchandise, lumber, etc., $r for each boat load.
At the same time rates were established gov- erning the ferry across Silver creek, which empties into the Ohio below the town of Clarks- ville.
ORDERED, That the keeper of the ferry across Silver creek at the mouth thereof observe the following rates for persons and property ferried across said creek, viz : For every man, horse, or neat cattle, 9 cents; for each sheep, hog, or goat, 6% cents ; for every wagon or four-wheel carriage, 50 cents ; for every other carriage of two wheels, 25 cents ; for goods, wares, merchandise, lumber, etc., 50 cents for each boat load.
The ferry across Silver creek, kept by George Hughes, was taxed twenty-five cents for the year; that across the Ohio, kept by Major Robert Floyd, was taxed $7 for the year ; that across the Ohio, kept by Richard Terrel, $4; that by Sam- uel Oldham, $4; and that by James Wood at $5.
A road was opened from Clarksville down the river to a point convenient to cross the Ohio above the Falls, which was surveyed by William Wilson.
The years following were fruitful of roads, which were laid out from various points of set- tlement to strike the river at some one of the several ferries already in operation, and from the town of Springville to various points.
The first session of the court was not of long duration, and made but a beginning in organiz- ing the work to be accomplished in the future. The second term commenced in July, 18or, at which time occurs the record of the first licenses for tavern keeping. Already travel to this Terri- tory had became brisk, notwithstanding the many hardships to be encountered before the Indians and wild beasts could be driven away or exterminated, and the weary wayfarers needed a place where some of the conveniences of life could be obtained. The early taverns, like the cabins of all the early settlers, were rude affairs at the best, built in a substantial manner, afford- ing protection from the inclemency of the weather and little more. They were generally of hewed logs, chinked and daubed with mud, the roof of clapboards held in place by means of logs laid lengthwise of the roof and securely pinned to their places. The floor was of pun- cheons split from some smoothed-grained tree, rough wooden benches for seats and tables. The bed in one corner of the house, raised from the floor by means of a crotched stick at one corner, the other corners resting on the logs at the sides of the building. A large fire-place usually occupied nearly the whole of one end of the room, with a stick and stone chimney to carry off the smoke. When a bright fire burned in the wide open hearth the weary travelers could find such sweet repose on an improvised couch on the floor as many of their descendants might envy. Hard work and coarse fare made the pioneers healthy, and dyspepsia never caused a sleepless night. Such as this were the homes of the settlers and the taverns for the wayfarers. Generally a barrel or jug of whiskey was con- sidered an indispensable adjunct to a well kept hostelry, and when the teams were cared for all gathered around the blazing fire and enjoyed a short evening of rest.
Licenses for keeping taverns were granted by the court, in which the applicant was recom- mended to the Governor of the Territory as a proper person to keep a tavern. The first person so licensed by this court was George Jones, who
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
kept tavern in the house he occupied in Clarks- ville, and which was the property of Horace Heth. Davis Floyd was also licensed at the same time to keep a tavern in the same place, the fees for the same being deducted from his pay as a member of the board of commissioners of the county.
At the April term of court in 1802 Philip Hart was appointed constable in Clarksville township in place of Charles Floyd; and Leon- ard Bowman and Charles Baggs were appointed supervisors of public roads and highways of the township; William Smith and John Douthart were constituted appraisers of property, to list for taxation all property valued at $200 and over. To settle the accounts of the supervisors of highways. the court appointed William Smith, John Douthart, and Benjamin Redman. The fence viewers appointed were Abraham Epler, Francis McGuire, and Thomas Furgerson.
In 1802 the seat of justice for Clark county was removed to Jeffersonville, and on petition of the inhabitants most interested a road was laid out from Springville to Jeffersonville. This road crossed Mill run below Leonard Bowman's, to intersect the road from Esquire Wood's ferry to Springville, passing to the left of Peter Stacy's. At this session of the court, held in July, it was
Ordered that on Saturday, the 4th day of August next, the court will receive proposals for building a jail for this county agreeably to a plan which will then be exhibited. That a copy of this order be stuck up in the most public places in this county.
A special session of the court of general quar- ter sessions for Clark county was held in Jeffer- sonville on Saturday. August 14, 1802, at which were present Marston G. Clark, James N. Wood, and William Goodwin. A plan for a jail was adopted and filed with the clerk of the court until the 19th of August, at which time the con- tract for the construction of the buildings was let to the lowest bidder. William Goodwin be- ing the lowest bidder, to him was awarded the contract, with Davis Floyd as surety on a bond of $900. Mr. Floyd was deputed to select the site for the building.
The next regular session of the court was held at Jeffersonville on Tuesday, October 5, 1802, at which time Roadomick H. Gilmer was admitted on his certificate to practice as coun- sellor at law. The next day Aaron Bowman was recommended to the Governor of the Territory
as a suitable person to keep tavern in the town of Jeffersonville, his bond being $200.
At the session of January 5, 1803, a contract was awarded William Akins to build a jailor's house adjoining the county jail on the north. This house, as well as the jail, was built two stories in height, of hewed logs, with plank floors, stone chimney, and a fire-place in each room.
George Jones was licensed to keep a tavern in Jeffersonville, at the April session of the court.
John Barnaby was appointed constable in Clarksville township in place of Philip Hart ; Isaac Holman and John Douthitt, supervisors ; R. K. Moore and Leonard Bowman, overseers of the poor and appraisers of property ; John Ferguson, William Smith, and B. Prather, com- missioners ; and-Abraham Epler, Thomas Fergu- son, and Peter Ater, fence viewers.
A change was made in ferry rates allowing keepers of ferries across the Ohio river in this county seventeen cents for each single horse, or horse without a rider, and twelve and one-half cents for cattle of any description. Ferries this year were taxed from fifty cents to $5.
A road was surveyed from the west end of Market street in Jeffersonville to Clark avenue in Clarksville.
SOME EARLY TRIALS.
In early days life was held to be of small value, if the records of the court be taken as evidence. Particularly was this the case if the life sacrificed was that of an Indian. At the court of oyer and terminer and general jail de. livery held for the county of Clark, in Indiana Territory, on Thursday, April 1, 1802, one Moses McCan was presented for trial on charge of killing an Indian. The indictment preferred by the grand jury is given below :
That Moses McCan of said county, yeoman, not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devit, did on the 16th day of Jan- uary in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and two, at the hour of five in the afternoon of the same day, with force and aims at Clarksville, in the county aforesaid, in and upon an Indian man of the Shawnee tribe, in the peace of God and the United States then and there (the said Indian not having any weapon drawn, nor the aforesaid In- dian not having first stricken the said Moses McCan) felon- iously, maliciously, and of his malice aforethought did make an assault, and that the aforesaid Moses McCan, with a certain tomahawk made of iron, of the value of $2, which the said Moses McCan in his right hand then and there had and held, in and upon the head of the said Indian
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
strike, giving to the said Indian one mortal wound of the breadth of two inches and of the depth of one inch, of which said mortal wound he, the said Indian, on the day aforesaid died; and so the jurors aloresaid do say that the said Moses McCan him, the said Indian, on the said 16th day of January in the year aforesaid at Clarksville aforesaid in manner and form aforesaid, feloniously, maliciously, and of his malice aforethought did kill against the peace and dignity of the United States; and the said jurors further present that the said Moses McCan not having the fear of God before his eyes but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, on the 16th day of January, in the year first inentioned, at the time of five o'clock in the after- noon of the same day make an assault, and that the said Moses McCan with a certain poking-stick made of the value of five shillings, which the said Moses McCan in his right hand there and then held, in and upon the head of the said Indian did strike, giving to the said Indian and there with the said poking-stick aforesaid in and upon the head of the said Indian one mor- tal wound of the length of two inches and of the depth of one inch, of which he, the said Indian, on the day aforesaid died; and so the jurors aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the said Moses McCan, him then said Indian on the said 16th day of January in the year aforesaid at Clarks- ville, in the county of Clark in manner and form aforesaid feloniously, maliciously, and his malice aforethought, did kill, against the peace and dignity of the United States.
The prisoner was bound in the sum of $100, and two sureties in the sum of $50 each, to keep the peace for the term of one year. George Wood and George Huckleberry became his sure- ties and McCan was released. Such was justice at that time.
At the same term of court William Fitzgerald was brought before the grand jury charged with killing an Indian man, one Quatansaugh, by striking him on the back of the head with a wooken stake. Fitzgerald was indicted and his trial set for the next session of the court, Sep- tember30, 1802, at which time he entered into bonds to keep the peace, in the same manner as McCan, and was discharged from custody.
There was among certain of the inhabitants a feeling of hostility against the Spanish posses- sions in the South, and we find that Major Davis Floyd, and others, rested under suspicion of be- ing instigators of an armed expedition to take possession of that portion of the country. This was at the time Aaron Burr was connected with the conspiracy to found an independent republic. On the journey down the river he made a short stop at Jeffersonville. Major Floyd and John Berry were brought before the court . charged as above, but on trial were declared not guilty.
The first person naturalized under the laws of the United States in this portion of Indiana Ter- ritory was Nicholas Coster, a native of Holland, who produced proof before the session of court held July 5, 1808, that he had resided in the United States since the year 1800, and in this Territory four years. He was therefore admitted to all the privileges, rights, and duties of a citi- zen of the United States.
The crime of horse-stealing was deemed a great- er offense than that of murder, as is shown in the trial of John Ingram, November 8, 1809. He was charged with stealing a bay horse of the value of $10, said horse being the property of Richard Dean. The case was duly tried, and evidence of the crime being conclusive, a verdict was rendered as follows:
United States vs. An Indictment for feloniously stealing a horse, etc.
John Ingram.
The defendant was brought into court to receive his sen- tence, and it being demanded of him whether he had any- thing to say for himself why the court to judgment and execution of and upon the verdict and premises should not proceed, the said defendant, by James Ferguson, Esq., his counsel, moved the court to set aside the verdict, because the prisoner had been remanded to jail after the jury had re- tired to consider of their verdict, and was not personally present in court at the time the jury delivered their verdict into court in the presence of the prisoner's counsel, which motion being maturely considered of by the court is over- ruled.
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