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1833  00094  6704 


Gc  977.201  D35HA  v, 1 
|Harding>  Lewis  A. 
I  Hi  STORY  OF  Decatur  Cduhtv: 
Indiana 


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HISTORY 


OF 


DECmiR-CQlMO: 

INDIANA 

ITS  PEOPLE,  INDUSTRIES  AND  INSTITUTIONS 


LEWIS  A.  HARDING 


Member    The    American    Historical    Association;    author,    "The    Preliminary 

Diplomacy  o£  the  Spanish-American  War,"  a  study  in  international 

law,  "The  Call  of  the  Hour,"  "A  Few  Spoken  Words,"  etc. 


With  Biographical  Sketches  of  Representative  Citizens  and 
Genealogical  Records  of  Many  of  the  Old  Families 


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1915  7- 

B.  F.  BOWEN  &  COMPANY,  Inc. 
Indianapolis,  Indiana 


mm  County  Public  Ubioiy 


DEDICATION. 


The  historian,  who,  as  Schlegel  says,  is  "a  prophet  looking  back- 
wards," in  these  jubilee  days  of  Indiana's  first  centennial,  respectfully  dedi- 
cates this  work  both  to  the  memory  of  the  pioneers  of  Decatur  county  and 
those  departed,  to  keep  their  memory  fragrant,  and  to  the  people  of  the 
future  for  the  inspiration  this  record  may  be  to  those  who  follow  in  the 
never-ending  flight  of  future  days. 


1635336 

EDITOR'S  PREFACE 


In  writing  the  history  of  a  county,  the  local  historian  is  confined  to 
a  relatively  small  unit  and  is  not  expected  to  go  outside  the  limits  of  the 
county  except  so  far  as  to  make  explanatory  the  relation  of  the  county  to 
contiguous  counties  or  to  the  state  at  large.  The  historian  is  also  handi- 
capped by  all  the  tradition  which  is  handed  down  through  succeeding  genera- 
tions, traditions  with  little  or  no  historical  background  and  bordering  on  the 
romantic.  While  tradition  is  often  connected  with  history,  it  does  not  often 
carry  with  it  the  substratum  of  fact  which  should  characterize  real  historical 
narrative.  Personal  feelings  and  quixotic  whims  find  expression  in  the 
tales  of  our  forbears  and  are  repeated  so  often  that  they  are  finally  accepted 
as  the  truth.  The  purpose  of  the  editor  of  this  history  is  to  separate  fiction 
from  fact ;  to  present  in  a  simple  and  succinct  manner  those  facts  which 
will  show  the  place  of  Decatur  county  among  its  sister  counties  in  the  state; 
to  preserve  for  future  generations  the  story  of  the  privations  and  hardships 
which  confronted  our  good  forefathers  almost  a  century  ago. 

The  editor,  prior  to  this  time,  had  gathered  a  lot  of  mis-information  as 
to  the  early  events  of  eastern  Indiana,  and  especially  as  to  that  part  of  the 
state  now  included  within  Decatur  county.  However,  careful  investiga- 
tion has  proven  that,  in  most  instances  such  supposed  facts  were  nothing 
more  than  romantic  tales,  interesting,  but  with  no  basis  of  truth.  Thus  the 
editor  of  this  history  was  deprived  of  what  he  had  considered  a  large 
amount  of  valuable  historical  data,  but  in  the  elaboration  of  this  work  it 
has  been  the  constant  aim  to  get  exact  historical  information.  This  history 
is  an  attempt  to  present  the  real  truth  about  the  growth  of  he  county,  and 
every  e\ent  which  would  not  stand  the  historical  test  has  been  discarded. 
Thus,  many  tales  of  romance  are  necessarily  omitted :  many  supposed  facts 
have  been  found  to  be  without  the  semblance  of  truth,  and  hence  find  no 
place  in  this  volume. 

This  history  seeks  to  give  such  a  review  of  the  origin  and  development 
of  the  county  as  will  make  it  possible  for  the  people  of  today  and  of  the 
future   to   appreciate   the   lives   and   labors   of   those   who    ha\-e   made   this 


county  what  it  is  now.  We  are  proud  of  its  towns,  its  broad  culti\-ated 
tields,  its  schools  and  churches,  its  beautiful  homes.  People  take  a  par- 
donable pride  in  living  in  a  county  where  peace  and  harmony  dwell,  where 
the  people  enjoy  those  blessings  vouchsafed  to  them  by  the  laws  of  an  in- 
dulgent nation. 

In  order  that  the  present  generation  may  breathe  the  same  spirit  which 
animated  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  time 
when  the  Indian  roamed  this  part  of  the  state;  when  the  beaver  plied  his 
trade  unmolested  by  the  white  man;  when  the  uncut  forest  and  undrained 
swamps  presented  more  terrors  than  the  wild  inhabitants  thereof.  It  will 
be  necessary  to  tell  of  the  time  when  France  had  control  of  this  territory 
and  of  the  time  when  England  drove  the  French  from  this  country.  The 
Revolutionary  War  bears  on  the  history  of  Decatur  county  and  it  comes 
in  for  a  share  of  attention;  the  War  of  1812  is  still  closer  allied  with  the 
historv  of  the  county  and  it  is  briefly  noticed. 

\\'e  ha\e  tried  to  recite  these  facts  so  that  the  coming  generations  may 
become  familiar  with  them  and  thereby  have  a  clearer  understanding  of  the 
sterling  men  and  women  who  have  preceded  them.  May  this  presentation 
imbue  us  with  a  greater  lo\e  for  our  county,  our  state  and  our  nation,  and 
may  we  highly  resolve  that  the  achievements  of  the  past  shall  inspire  the 
present  and  future  generations  in  Decatur  county  to  still  higher  and  greater 
achievements. 

LEWIS  A.  HARDING. 


FOREWORD 


All  life  and  achievement  is  evolution;  present  wisdom  comes  from  past 
experience,  and  present  commercial  prosperity  has  come  only  from  past  ex- 
ertion and  sacrifice.  The  deeds  and  motives  of  the  men  who  have  gone 
before  have  been  instrumental  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  later  communities 
and  state.  The  development  of  a  new  country  was  at  once  a  task  and  a 
pri\-ilege.  It  required  great  courage,  sacrifice  and  privation.  Compare  the 
present  conditions  of  the  people  of  Decatur  county.  Indiana,  with  what  they 
were  one  hundred  years  ago.  From  a  trackless  wilderness  and  \-irgin  land, 
it  has  come  to  be  a  center  of  prosperity  and  civilization,  with  millions  of 
wealth,  systems  of  railways,  grand  educational  institutions,  splendid  indus- 
tries and  valuable  agricultural  and  mineral  productions.  Can  any  think- 
ing person  be  insensible  to  the  fascination  of  the  study  which  discloses  the 
aspirations  and  efi^orts  of  the  early  pioneers  who  so  strongly  laid  the  foun- 
dation upon  which  has  been  reared  the  magnificent  prosperity  of  later  days? 
To  perpetuate  the  story  of  these  people  and  to  trace  and  record  the  social, 
political  and  industrial  progress  of  the  community  from  its  first  inception 
is  the  function  of  the  local  historian.  A  sincere  purpose  to  preser\e  facts 
and  personal  memoirs  that  are  deserving  of  perpetuation,  and  which  unite 
the  present  to  the  past,  is  the  moti\e  for  the  present  publication.  A  spe- 
cially valuable  and  interesting  department  is  that  one  devoted  to  the  sketches 
of  representative  citizens  of  this  county  whose  records  deser\'e  preservation 
because  of  their  worth,  efi^ort  and  accomplishment.  The  publishers  desire 
to  extend  their  thanks  to  the  persons  who  have  so  faithfully  labored  to  this 
end.  Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  citizens  of  Decatur  county  for  the  uniform 
kindness  with  which  they  have  regarded  this  undertaking,  and  for  their 
many  services  rendered  in  the  gaining  of  necessary  information. 

In  placing  the  "History  of  Decatur  County.  Indiana,"  before  the  ci.ti- 
zens,  the  publishers  can  conscientiously  claim  that  they  ha\e  carried  out  the 
plan  as  outlined  in  the  prospectus.  Every  biographical  sketch  in  the  work 
has  been  submitted  for  corrections  to  the  party  interested,  and  therefore 
any  error  of  fact,  if  there  be  any,  is  solely  due  to  the  person  for  whom  the 
sketch  was  prepared.  Confident  that  our  efl:'ort  to  please  will  fully  meet  the 
approbation  of  the  public,  we  are. 

Respectfully, 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I— RELATED    STATE    HISTORY 33 

First  White  Man  in  Northwest  Territory — English  and  French  Claims — 
Three  Successive  Sovereign  Flags  Over  Present  Indiana  Territory — Pass- 
ing of  the  Indians — Battle  of  Fallen  Timbers — Northwest  Territory — Early 
Settlements — Activities  of  the  Traders — French  and  Indian  War — Pontiac's 
Conspiracy — Northwest  Territory  and  Quebec  Act — Revolutionary  Period- 
George  Rogers  Clark  and  His  Campaign — First  Surveys  and  Early  Set- 
tlers— Ordinance  of  1787 — First  Stage  of  Government  Under  the  Ordinance 
— Second  Stage — Organization  of  the  Northwest  Territory — Representative 
Stage  of  Government — First  Counties  Organized — First  Territorial  Legis- 
lature of  Northwest  Territory — Division  of  1800 — Census  of  Northwest 
Territory  in  ISOO^Settlements  in  Indiana  Territory  in  1800 — First  Stage  of 
Territorial  Government — Changes  in  Boundary  Lines  of  Indiana — Second 
Stage  of  Territorial  Government — The  Legislative  Council — The  First  Gen- 
eral Assemblies — Congressional  Delegates  of  Indiana  Territory — Efforts  to 
Establish  Slavery  in  Indiana — The  Indian  Lands — Organization  of  Coun- 
ties— Changes  in  the  Constitution  of  Indana — Capitals  of  Northwest  Terri- 
tory and  of  Indiana — Military  History  of  State — Political  History — Gov- 
ernors of  Indiana — A  Century  of  Growth — Natural  Resources. 

CHAPTER  II— GEOLOGY  AND  .TOPOGRAPHY 63 

Location  and  Size  of  Decatur  County — Geology  and  Physiography — The 
Soils  in  Detail — Miami  Silt  Loam — Upland  Clay  Loam — Miami  Sand  Loam — 
Mechanical  Analysis  of  Decatur  County  Soils. 

CHAPTER  III— COUNTY  ORGANIZATION   69 

Early  Settlement — Opening  of  Government  Land  Office  at  Brookville — 
First  Land  Patent  to  John  Shellhorn — Probable  First  Settler,  John  Fugit — 
Eighty-nine  Land  Entries  the  First  Year — Newcomers  in  1821 — One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty  Votes  Cast  in  County  That  Year — Creation  of  Decatur 
County — First  County  Election — Beginning  of  Law  and  Order — First  Gen- 
eral Election — Court  House  History — The  Tree  on  the  Court  House  Tower 
— The  County  Jail. 

CHAPTER  IV— COUNTY  OFFICERS  87 

County  Commissioner  System  from  1822  to  1824 — Board  of  Justices — Second 
Group  of  County  Commissioners — Second.  Board  of  Justices — General  County 
Officers  from  Date  of  County  Organization  to  1915 — Notes  on  Early  Elec- 
tions— Roster   of   State   Senators   and   Representatives. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V— TOWNSHIPS  AND  TOWNS  OF  DECATUR  COUNTY —    95 

Date  of  Organization  of  the  Several  Townships — The  Squatter — The  First 
Settler  in  Adams  Township — County-Seat  Hopes  Shattered — Early  Mail  Fa- 
cilities— Primitive  Conditions — Early  Wearing  Apparel — Wolves  Numerous 
and  Rattlesnakes  Abundant— Fever  and  Ague^Wild  Game — Distilleries — 
Pioneer  Schools — St.  Omer — Visions  of  Railroads — Education — Early  Sub- 
scription Schools — Teacher  Killed  by  Pupil— Village  of  Adams — Downey- 
ville — Rockville's  "Boom"  Punctured — St.  Paul — Varied  Industries — Disas- 
trous Fires — Clay  Township — Buck-run,  Clifty,  Middlefork  Settlement,  Duck 
Creek,  Milford,  Burney,  Wyncoop — Fugit  Township — First  Store  in  County 
at  Spring  Hill — Kingston,  St.  Maurice,  Clarksburg — Jackson  Township — 
Forest  Hill,  Waynesburg,  Alert,  Sardinia — Marion  Township — Millhousen 
and  Other  Villages — Clinton  Township — County  Poor  Farm — Sandusky — 
Salt  Creek  Township — Newpoint,  Smith's  Crossing,  Mechanicsburg,  New 
Pennington  and  Rossburg — Sand  Creek  Township — Westport,  Letts  and 
Harris  City — Washington  Township  Almost  Exact  Center  of  the   County. 

CHAPTER  VI— THE  CITY  OF  GREENSBURG 155 

Song  of  an  "Inland  Town" — Site  of  Present  County  Seat  Entered  by  Thomas 
Hendricks  in  1820 — Location  of  County  Seat  in  1822 — Prices  Paid  for  First 
Lots — City's  Early  Growth — Queer  Regulations — Incorporation — Fire  De- 
partment— Police  Department — Waterworks  and  Sewerage  System — City 
Hall — Street  Paving — Business  and  Professional  Directory  in  1915 — Mileage 
and  Valuation  of  Telegraph  and  Telephone  Lines  in  County — Greensburg 
Improvement  Association — Commercial  Club — Business  Men's  Association — 
Greensburg  Chautauqua — Associated  Charities — Postoffice — Public  Library — 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association — Municipal  I'^inancial  Statement — City 
Ofificers  and  Heads  of  Departments. 

CHAPTER    VII— EDUCATION    182 

Early  Rural  Schools  and  Primitive  Curriculum — Treating  of  Pupils  at 
Christmas  Time — Roll  of  Pioneer  Teachers — Qualifications  of  Teachers — 
Decatur  County  Seminary  and  Noted  Alumni  Thereof — Private  Schools — 
First  Free  Schools — Graded  Schools — Teachers'  Gatherings — Normal  Schools 
— Lincoln  Flag  Raising  Creates  Riot — School  Supervision — First  School 
Building  in  Greensburg — Creation  of  High  School  System — Township  and 
Village  Schools — Consolidated  School  System — School  Athletics  and  Domes- 
tic Science  and  Agricultural  Training. 

CHAPTER   VIII— CHURCHES   OF    DECATUR    COUNTY 204 

Marked  Religious  Change  During  Past  Three-Quarters  of  a  Century — Fore- 
fathers Not  as  Good  as  Usually  Painted — Sermons  Worked  Out  With  Aid 
of  Flask — Primitive  Houses  of  Worship — Baptists  and  Methodists  First  to 
Come — Interesting  Reminiscences — Methodist  Episcopal  Churches — Organ 
to  Blame  for  Schism — Methodist  Protestant  Church — Pastor's  Unique  Court- 
ship— Early  Ministerial  Experiences — African  Methodist  Church — First 
Methodist  Sermon  in  County  in  September,  1822 — Baptist  Churches — First 
Congregation  Antedated  Organization  of  County — Presbyterian  Churches — 
First     Congregation     Organized     in     1823 — United     Presbyterian     Church — 


CONTENTS. 

Christian  Churches — Beginning  of  Butler  College — United  Brethren  in 
Christ — Pentecost  Church — German  Lutheran  Church — Episcopal  Church — 
Church  of  God — Christian  (Xewlight)  Church — German  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church — Christian  Science  Society — United  Brethren — Catholic  Churches 
— Oldest  Parish  in  County  at  Millhousen. 

CHAPTER  IX— BENCH  AND  BAR 278 

Judicial  History  of  Decatur  County — Marked  Changes  Under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1852 — A  Mystery  of  the  Olden  Days — Early  Murder  Trials — Step- 
ping-Stone  to  Congress — Early  Bar  History — Prominent  Figures  of  the 
Bench  and  Bar — Roster  of  Decatur  County  Attorneys — Dean  of  the  Bar — 
Some   Interesting  Reminiscences. 

CHAPTER   X— BAXKS  AXD    BAXKIXG 298 

Citizens  Bank  of  Greensburg — Third  Xational  Bank — Greensburg  Xational 
Bank — Westport  Xational  Bank — Clarksburg  State  Bank — Alert  State  Bank 
— The  St.  Paul  Bank — Newpoint  State  Bank — Burney  State  Bank — Greens- 
burg Building  and  Loan  Association — Union  Trust  Company — Workmen's 
Building  and  Loan  Association — St.  Paul  Building  Association — Decatur 
County's  Only  Bank  Failure. 

CHAPTER   XI— SECRET   SOCIETIES   AND    FRATERNITIES 307 

Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  Allied  Organizations — Knights  of  Pythias — 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows — Modern  Woodmen  of  America — Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men — Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks — Hay- 
makers— Loyal   Order   of  Moose — Knights   of  St.  John. 

CHAPTER   XII— SOCIAL   AXD    LITERARY    CLUBS 329 

Greensburg  Department  Club — Kappa  Kappa  Kappa — The  Cycle — The 
Mothers'  Circle — The  Progress  Club — The  Woman's  Club — The  Tourist 
Club— The  Fortnightly  Club— The  Research  Club— Literary  Club  of  1914— 
Married  Ladies'  Musicale — The   Cecilians — The   Athenaeum. 

CHAPTER    XIII— THE    MEDICAL    PROFESSION' 341 

.A  Woman  Probably  the  First  Medical  Practitioner  in  County — Roster  of 
Earl}'  Physicians  and  Those  Now  Practicing  in  County — Interesting  Rem- 
iniscences by  Dr.  J.  H.  Alexander — Decatur  County  Medical  Society — 
Trained  Xurses — Opticians — Pension  Board. 

CHAPTER   XIV— NEWSPAPERS    OF    DECATUR    COUNTY 365 

Apostrophe  to  the  Newspaper — Reckless  Use  of  Adjectives — Struggles  of 
the  Early  Editors — Greensburg  Chronicle,  First  Paper  in  County,  Started  . 
in  Spring  of  1830 — Orville  Thompson's  Review  of  Decatur  County  News- 
papers Vp  to  the  Year  1895 — "Unmarked  and  Forgotten"  Papers — Present 
Newspapers  of  the  County. 

CHAPTER    XV— AGRICULTURE    379 

Greeley's  Estimate  of  Indiana  Farmers — Flax,  Most  Important  Crop  of  the 
Pioneer,   No   Longer  Cultivated — Leading   Breeders   of   Fancy   Stock — Cattle 


CONTENTS. 

Feeding — Tomato-Growing  Industry — The  County  Agent — Agricultural 
Statistics — County  Agricultural  Society — Waynesburg  Farmers'  Club — 
Farmers'  Club  of  Springfield — Farmers"  Institute — Patrons  of  Husbandry — 
Decatur  County  Fairs. 

CHAPTER   XVI— ROADS   AXD    TRANSPORTATION 390 

Blazed  Trails  and  the  Wilson  Trace — First  Movement  Toward  Roads — 
Turnpikes — Water  Transportation — Railroads  of  Decatur  County — Greens- 
burg  Union  Depot — Indianapolis  &  Cincinnati  Traction  Line — Railroad 
Statistics. 

CHAPTER    XVII— THE    "UNDERGROUND    RAILROAD" 398 

Pronounced  Anti-Slavery  Sentiment — Decatur  County  Colonization  Society 
and  Its  Rival,  the  Anti-Slavery  Society — Bickerings  Between  Neighbors  and 
Schisms  in  Churches — Main  Trunks  of  "Underground  Railroad" — Its  Officers 
and  Conductors— The  Donnell  Rescue  Case  and  Other  Incidents — Fugitive 
Slave  Law — Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle. 

CHAPTER   XVIII— DECATL^R   COUNTY'S   MILITARY   RECORD 408 

Soldiers  of  the  Revolution  in  Decatur  County — The  Case  of  Hugh  Mont- 
gomery— Soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812 — Mexican  War — The  Civil  War — 
Roster  of  Commissioned  Officers — Regiments  Represented  by  Decatur 
County  Soldiers — Wilder  Battery — Artillery  and  Rifle  Companies — Greens- 
burg  Band  Goes  to  Front — Decatur  County  Losses:  Killed  in  Action.  Died 
of  Wounds  and  Died  in  Prison— Morgan's  Raid — A  War-Time  Convention — 
Riot  in  Greensburg — Civil  War  Statistics — Relief  for  Soldiers'  Families — 
Roll  of  Honor — Grand  Army  of  the  Republic — Woman's  Relief  Corps — 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

CHAPTER  XIX— GERMANS   AND   THE   GERMAN   INFLUENCE 464 

Immigration  from  the  Fatherland — Teutonic  Settlements  in  Decatur  County 
— .A  Self-Reliant  People — Maximillian  Schneider  and  the  Millhousen  Settle- 
ment— List  of  Naturalized  Citizens. 

CHAPTER   XX— EARLY   ELECTIONS    IN   DECATUR   COUNTY 470 

State  Politics  from  1816  to  1824 — Straw  Votes  at  County  Musters — First 
Presidential  Election — Rapid  Increase  in  Voting  Population — iMrst  County 
Election  in  1823 — First  Township  Elections — Election  During  Civil  War — 
Bitter  Contest  of  1S60. 

CHAPTER    XXI— LITERARY    GLIMPSES 479 

Efforts  to  Emulate  the  Bard  of  .^von- Poets  of  More  Than  Local  Fame- 
Some'  Interesting  Samples  of  Decatur  County  Poetry — The  Late  Will  Cum- 
back  and  Others  Who  Have  Brought  to  the  County  a  Measure  of  Literary 
Distinction — Lewis  A.  Harding  and  "The  Call  of  the  Hour." 

CHAPTER   XXII— DECATUR    COUNTY    INDUSTRIES 497 

Primitive  Mills  of  the  Pioneers— The  First  Tanyard— Blacksmiths  Manu- 
facturers  of   I'arm    Implements — Early   Woolen   Mills — First    Furniture    Fac- 


CONTENTS. 

tory — Manufacturing  Industries  in  187-1 — Greeley  Limestone  Company — 
Contractors — Meek  Ice  Company — Bromwell  Brush  and  Wire  \\'orks^ 
Garland  Milling  Company. 

CHAPTER  XXIII— SIDELIGHTS  ON  DECATUR  COUNTY  HISTORY 504 

Scene  of  "The  Hoosier  Schoolmaster" — Well-Known  Residents  of  the 
Clifty  Neighborhood  Typified  in  Celebrated  Novel — Doctor  Smalley's  Part 
in  Famous  Robbery  Conspiracy — List  of  Leading  Taxpayers  in  1862— Popu- 
lation Statistics — Temperance  Movement  and  "Wet"  and  "Dry"  Vote  in 
1847 — Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union — Decatur  County  People  Who 
Have  Risen  to  Distinction — Odd  Fellows'  Home — The  Old  Seminary — .-V 
Religious  Revival — A  Band  Tournament — "Sartor  .Resartus" — .^  Versatile 
Preacher — Record-Breaking  Pioneer — Sun  Eclipsed  by  Wild  Pigeons — A 
Story  for  Men  Only — Greensburg's  First  Lawyer — Doddridge  Alley — 
Bound  Boys — The  Estray  Pound — Politics  in  1842 — Whig  Barbecue  of  1844 
—Overland  Trip  to  Oregon — Old-Time  Debating  Society — Anti-Masonic 
Movement — A  Civil  War  Debate — Early  Greensburg  Libraries — Orthogra- 
phic Contests — Lincoln  in  Greensburg — First  Sunday  School  in  County — 
Decatur  County's  Only  Lynching — The  Agaphone — Pioneer  Cold  Storage — 
A  Gunpowder  Plot — To  "Buss"  or  not  to  "Buss" — "Aunt  Jane"  W'arriner's 
Well — -A  Two-Dollar  Prayer — Center  of  Population — Dripping  Springs 
Garden. 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


Abolitionism     399 

Adams    Baptist    Church 234 

Adams    Christian    Church 263 

Adams   M.   E.   Church 224 

Adams  Township — 

Boundaries    of 95 

County  Seat  Hopes 97 

First    Postoffice 98 

First    Settlers 96 

Adams  Village^ 104 

African   Methodist   Church 220 

Agricultural   Society 385 

\gricultural    Statistics    — _ 384 

\griculture    379 

Alert 132 

\lert    State    Bank 301 

Anti-Masonic     Movement 526 

Anti-"Spooning"     Club 531 

Apostrophe  to   Newspaper 365 

Artillery  and  Rifle  Companies 427 

Athenaeum,   The 340 

Attorneys   of   Decatur   County 283 

"Aunt   Jane"   Warriner's   \\'ell 532 

Authors  and  Poets  of  Decatur  Co.-_  479 


Bachelors'  Club 

5?0 

Band    Tournament 

518 

Banks  and   Banking 

298 

-n{^ 

Battle   of   Fallen   Timbers 

^4 

Battle  of  Tippecanoe 

33 

Beginning  of   Law   and   Order 

75 

Bench   and    Bar  of   Decatur   Co 

278 

Benevolent     and     Protective     Order 

of    Elks 

^'S 

"Blazed   Trails" 

,wn 

Board    of   Justices 

88 

Bound    Boys 522 

Burney    118 

Barney   State   Bank 302 

Butler    College,    Beginning   of 259 

C 

Catholic    Churches 27Z 

Cattle  Feeding 381 

Cecilians,    The 338 

Census  of   Indiana 59 

Census    Statistics 508 

Centenary   Methodist   Church 214 

Center    of    Population 533 

Christian    Churfhes 257 

Christian    (Xew   Light)    Church 269 

Cliristian    Science    Society 270 

Church    of    God 269 

Churches    of    Decatur    County 204 

Circuit   Court  Judges 279 

Citizens    National    Bank   of    Greens- 
burg    298 

Citizens   of   Distinction 513 

City  of  Greensburg 155 

Civil     War 420 

Civil    War    Debate 527 

Civil   War   Riot   in   Greensburg 442 

Civil   War  Roll   of   Honor 447 

Civil   War   Statistics 444 

Clark,   Gen.  George  Rogers 37 

Clarksburg 129 

Clarksburg   Christian    Church     261 

Clarksburg   M.    E.    Church 222 

Clarkslnirg  Presbyterian  Church 253 

Clarksburg   State    Bank 301 

Clay   Township — 

Buck     Run 113 

Burney US 

Churches  116 

Clifty   Settlement 113 

Duck  Creek 115 


HISTORICAL   INDEX. 


Clay  Township — 

Manufactories    116 

Middlefork  Settlement 114 

Milford   116 

Schools    115 

Village   of   Needmore 113 

Wyncoop 119 

Clifty  113 

Clinton   Township — 

Boundaries    137 

County    Farm 140 

Early   Mills — -  138 

Sandusky    139 

Settlement  of 137 

Timber     Industry 139 

Williamstown    140 

Commissioners,   Early  Acts  of 87 

Conductors    of    "Underground    Rail- 
road"     399 

Consolidated    Schools 195 

Constitution,    Changes    in 52 

Counties,   Organization   of 51 

County     Agents 382 

County  Agricultural  Society 385 

County    Auditors 90 

County   Clerks 90 

County   Colonization   Society 398 

County   Fairs 388 

County   Farm 140 

County   Officers 87 

County    Organization 69 

County    Recorders 90 

County    Seat 155 

County   Seminary 185 

County   Sheriflfs 89 

County   Treasurers 89 

County's  Losses  in   Civil  War 431 

Court   House  History 77 

Courts   of   Decatur   County 278 

Cumback,  Will,  and  Other   Poets—  479 

D 

"Dare-to-do-Right    Club 510 

Daughters    of    the    American    Revo- 
lution    461  ■ 

Decatur   County  in   Civil  War 420 

Decatur    County's   Creation 7i 

Distilleries    101 

Distinguished   Citizens   of    County—  513 


"Donnell   Rescue   Case" 400 

Downeyville    105 

Dripping    Springs    Garden 533 

Dry   Fork    Baptist   Church 241 

E 

Early    Elections    in   County 470 

Early   Greensburg   Libraries 527 

Early   Mail   Facilities 98 

Early    Ministerial    Experiences 219 

Early    Murder   Trials 280 

Early    Rural    Schools 182 

Early  Settlement  of  County 69 

Eccentric    Pioneer 521 

Editorial     Difficulties 366 

Education   in    Decatur    County 182 

Educational  System  of   Indiana 61 

Edward     Eggleston 504 

Eighty-third     Regiment 455 

Election  in   Civil  War 476 

Elections,    First    in    County 74,76 

Episcopal     Church 268 

Estray     Pound 524 

F 

Farmers    Club   of   SpringhilL—- 385 

Farmers     Institute 386 

Fifty-second    Regiment 453 

First    County    Election 74,  473 

First    Free   School 187 

First    General    Election 76 

First    Highway    Petition 390 

First    Lawyer   in    Greensburg 521 

First   National    Bank   Failure 305 

First    Presidential   Election 472 

First    Railroad    in    County 393 

First  Sunday  School  in  County 529 

First  Threshing  Machine 379 

First   Township   Elections 474 

First   White   Men   in   Territory ii 

Forest    Hill 132 

Fortnightly    Club 336 

Fredonia  United  Brethren  Church—  266 

French    and    Indian    War 35 

Fugit    Township- 
Boundaries    119 

Churches  128 

Clarksburg 129 


HISTORICAL   INDEX. 


Fugit   Townsliip — 

Early     Schools 125 

Kingston  128 

Land    Entries 122 

Settlement   of 120 

Spring    Hill 129 

St.    Maurice 129 

When    Laid    Out 119 

Fugitive    Slave   Law 406 

G 

Geology  of   Decatur   County 63 

German  Lutheran  Church 268-270 

German    M.    E.    Church 270 

Germans  and   German    Influence 464 

Government,     Representative     Stage 

of   42 

Governors    of    Indiana 58 

Graded   Schools 187 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 455 

Greensburg — 

Associated   Charities 173 

Business    Directory 161 

Business    Men's   Association 169 

Chautauqua    171 

City   Hall 160 

City    Officers 181 

Commercial    Club 167 

Early     Growth 157 

Fire     Department 159 

Improvement     Association 166 

Incorporation   158 

Location  of   County  Seat 156 

Merchants    in    1844 157 

Municipal     Statement 180 

Newspapers  367 

Original    Plat 155 

Police     Department 159 

Postoffice    174 

Prices  for  First   Lots 156 

Public     Library 176 

Queer     Regulations 158 

Sewerage    System 161 

Song  of  an  Inland  Town 155 

Street     Paving 160 

Union     Depot 395 

Water  Works   160 

Young   Men's   Christian   Ass'n 177 

Greensburg  B.  and  L.  Association.-  302 


Greensburg    Baptist    Churches 237 

Greensburg    Christian    Churcli 258 

Greensburg   Department    Club 329 

Greensburg   National    Bank 300 

Greensburg  Presbyterian   Church 250 

Greensburg   Regimental    Band 428 

Greensburg's   Foremost  Citizen 290 

Gunpowder   Plot 531 

H 

Harris    148 

Haymakers'    Association 326 

Home-made     Apparel 99 

Hospitals    for    Insane 61 

I 

Immaculate    Conception    Parish 274 

Improved   Order  of   Red   Men 324 

Independent  Order  of  Odd   Fellow's  319 

Indian    Lands SO 

Indian    Struggles 41 

Indiana,    Boundary    of 47 

Indiana   Capital,   Changes   in 54 

Indiana   Territory 44 

Industries   of   Decatur   County 497 

Iroquois    Indians    Hostile 34 

J 

Jackson   Township — 

Alert     132 

Early    Settlement 131 

Forest    Hill 132 

Present   Officers   131 

Primitive    Schools    131 

Sardinia     133 

Waynesburg    132 

When   Established 130 

Jail     History 83 

Justices,   Board  of 88 

K 

Kappa    Kappa    Kappa 331 

Kingston     128 

Knights   of   Pythias 315 

Knights   of  St.  John... 328 

Knights  of  the   Golden   Circle 407 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


L 

Land   Surveys,   Present   System   of__     39 

La    Salle's    Explorations 33 

Lawyers  of  an  Early   Day 283 

Legislative     Council 48 

Legislature,    First    Territorial 43 

Letts    147 

Liberty    Baptist    Church 23S 

Lincoln    in    Greensburg 528 

Liquor  Question   in  1847 510 

Literary   Club   of    1914 337 

Literary   Glimpses   1_  479 

Little    Flat    Rock    Baptist    Church__  234 

Local    Option    Election 511 

Lone   Tree   Chapter,   D.   A.   R 462 

Long    Overland    Trip 525 

Lower       Union       L^nited       Brethren 

Church  267 

Loyal    Order  of   Moose 327 

Lyncliing    in    1879 529 

M 

Mails,     Early 98 

Mapleton   United   Brethren   Church.  266 
Marion   Township — 

Churches   and    Schools 134 

Millhousen     135 

Settlement   of 134 

Other     Villages 136 

Married    Ladies'    Musicale 338 

Masonic   Order   in   Decatur   County-  307 

Medical    Profession 341 

Medical    Society 363 

Methodism   in   Greensburg 209 

Methodist    Episcopal    Churches 208 

Methodist    Protestant    Church 215 

Mexican     War 419 

Middle    Branch   M.   E.    Church 227 

Milford    --  116 

Milford   M.  E.  Church 225 

Military  History  of  Indiana 55 

Military    Record 408 

Millhousen     135 

Modern   Woodmen  of   America 322 

Morgan's    Raid 439 

Morgan's    Raiders    Defied 407 

Mother's     Circle 333 

Mt.   Aerie   Baptist   Church 244 


Mt.  Carmel  M.   E.  Church 222 

Mt.    Moriah    Baptist    Church 233 

Mt.   Pleasant   Baptist  Church 241 

Mt.    Pleasant    Church 223 

Mowrey     Chapel 262 

N 

Natural   Resources  of   Indiana 60 

Naturalized  Citizens  of  County 465 

New  Pennington  M.   E.  Cliurch 228 

Newpoint    141 

Newpoint    Christian    Church 264 

Newpoint  M.  E.   Church 227 

Newpoint    State    Bank 302 

Newspapers   of   Decatur    County 365 

Ninetieth     Regiment l_—  455 

Normal     Schools 189 

Northwest  Territory,   Census  of 44 

Noted   Robbery  Conspiracy 505 

o 

Odd   Fellows'   Home 515 

Officers  in  Civil  War 420 

Official     Roster 87 

Ohio   Company,   The 35 

Old    County   Seminary 517 

Old-Time   Debating   Society 526 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-Sixth  Regi- 
ment    439 

One      Hundred     and     Thirty-fourth 

Regiment    438 

One      Hundred      and      Twenty-third 

Regiment    438 

Opposition   to   Slavery 398 

Opticians    364 

Order  of   the    Eastern   Star 313 

Ordinance   of   1787 39 

Organization    of    Northwest    Terri- 
tory       42 

Organization   of  the   County 69 

Organization    of    Townships 124 

Orthographic     Contests 528 


Pap  Thomas  Post,  G. 
Patrons  of  Husbandry 
Pension     Board 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


Pentecost     Church 267 

Physicians  of  Decatur  County 341 

Pigeons    Eclipse    Sun 520 

Pioneer  Churches 205 

Pioneer    Cold   Storage 530 

Pioneer    Industries 497 

Pioneer    Schools 101 

Pioneer  Trails  and  Wagon  Ways___  390 

Poets  of  Decatur  County 479 

Political  History  of  Indiana 57 

Politics   in   1842 524 

Pontiac's     Conspiracy 36 

Population    Statistics 508 

Presbyterian     Churches 246 

President    Judges 278 

Presidential   Election  of   1860 478 

Primitive    Conditions 98 

Private     Schools— 187 

Progress    Club 334 

Q 

Quebec   Act,   The 36 

R 

Railroad    Statistics 396 

Railroads  of  Decatur  County 393 

Rattlesnakes    Abundant 100 

Record    for    Office-holding 519 

Red    Ribbon    Club 510 

Relief    for    Soldiers'    Families 445 

Religion    206 

Religious    Revival    in    1869-70 518 

Representatives     92 

Research   Club 336 

Revolutionary    Period 36 

Revolutionary  War   Veterans 408 

Roads  and  Transportation 390 

Rock   Creek   Baptist   Church 245 

Rockville,  First  Town  in  County —   106 
Rossburg    Baptist    Church 242 

S 

St.  Clair's    Defeat _• 34 

St.  John's   Parish  at    Enochsburg —  275 

St.  Maurice 129 

St.  Maurice's   Parish III 


St.   Omer— 

Aspirations     Blasted 104 

Churches  103 

First    Building 102 

Missed    by    Railroad 102 

Schools    103 

St.   Paul— 
"Big     John" 112 

Churches    and   Schools 108 

Disastrous   Fires 111 

First  Mill  in  County 107 

First    Paul    Cabin 107 

Founder    of 106 

Industries    and    Commerce 109 

Railroad    Booms    Town 107 

St.    Paul    Bank 301 

St.   Paul   Christian   Church 264 

St.    Paul   M.   E.   Church 225 

St.   Paul  Schools 201 

St.  Paul's  Catholic  Church 275 

Salem    Baptist    Church 111 

Salt    Creek   Township — 

Boundaries    140 

Last   Laid  Out 140 

Newpoint    141 

Present    Officers 141 

Settlement   of 141 

Smith's     Crossing 143 

\'illages    of 143 

Sand   Creek   Baptist   Church 229 

Sand   Creek  Township — 

Boundaries    of 143 

First   Settlers 144 

Harris    148 

Letts     147 

Present    Officers 145 

Sardinia     Crossing 150 

Westport    145 

Sandusky    139 

Sandusky   \i.    E.    Church 221 

Sardinia     1'33 

Sardinia    Presbyterian    Church 253 

Sardinia   United    Brethren   Church__  267 

Schools    of    Greensburg 192 

Schools  of  the   Pioneers 101 

Secret  Societies  and   Fraternities —  307 

Senators,     State 91 

Sent    Bill    for   Prayer 532 

Settlement   of   the    County 69 

Seventh    Regiment 424 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


Seventy-sixth     Regiment 436 

Sheriffs,  89 

Sidelights   on   History  of   County 504 

Sixty-eighth   Regiment 436 

Slavery,   Rejected   in    Indiana 50 

Slaves   Held   in  Decatur  County 407 

Smith's     Crossing 143 

Social  and   Literary  Clubs 329 

Soil  of   Decatur   County 64 

Soldiers  of   Civil  War 424 

Soldiers   of   the   Revolution 408 

Soldiers  of  War  of  1812 411 

Soldiers  of  War  With   Mexico 419 

Spelling     "Bees" 528 

Spring   Hill 129 

Spring   Hill   Community   Church 256 

Squatters    96 

State   Politics   at    Early   Date 470 

State    Pride 62 

State.    Representatives    92 

State   Senators 91 

Stock-    Breeders 380 

Supervision   of   Schools 191 

T 

Tax  Payers  in  1862 507 

Teachers'    Gatherings 188 

Teachers,    Qualifications   of 184 

Tecumseh 33 

Temperance   Movement 509 

Territorial  Delegates  to  Congress—    49 

Territorial     Government 46 

"The   Hoosier    Schoolmaster" 504 

Third  National  Bank  of  Greensburg  299 

Thirty-seventh    Regiment 433 

Tomato-growing    Industry 382 

Topography  of   Decatur   County 63 

Tourists'   Club 335 

Towns    and    Townships 95 

Township    Schools 195 

Townships  and  Towns 95 

Trained     Nurses 363 

Treaty    of    Paris i3 

Tree   on   Court    House   Tower 81 

Turnpikes     —  391 


U 

"Underground   Railroad" 398 

Union   Baptist   Church 245 

Union    Trust    Company    of    Greens- 
burg     303 

United  Brethren  in  Christ 265 

United   Presbyterian   Church 254 

V 

Vincennes,  Capture  of 37 

\'incennes,     Oldest     Indiana     Settle- 
ment        38 

W 

War   of   1812 411 

War-Time     Convention 441 

Washington   Township — 

Boundaries    150 

Center   of    County 151 

First     Settlers 152 

McCoy  154 

Present    Officers 154 

Quarry     Switch 154 

Washingtonian     Organization 509 

Water    Transportation 392 

Wayne,   Gen.   Anthony 34 

Waynesburg    132 

Waynesburg    Christian    Church 264 

Waynesburg   Farmers'    Club 385 

Wesley    Chapel 220 

Westport    145 

Westport    Baptist    Church 241 

Westport  Christian  Church 262 

Westport    High    School 199 

Westport    National    Bank 301 

Whig    Barbecue    of   1844 525 

Wild    Game 101 

Williamstown     140 

Wolves   Troublesome 100 

Woman's       Christian       Temperance 

Union 511 

Woman's  Club 335 

Woman's    Relief    Corps 458 

Workingmen's   B.   and   L.  Ass'n 304 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


A 

Ainsworth,  Charles  I. 688 

Alexander,    Clay 952 

Alexander,    Frank   S.   1109 

Alexander,  John  H.,  M.  D. 632 

Alley,   Jonathan   L.   1008 

Allison,  Francis  M. 747 

Anderson,    Hamlin    1160 

Anderson,    Nicholas    1143 

Anderson,    Robert   1067 

Angle,   William   M.  752 

Annis,   James   X.   , 693 

Apple,   Solomon   1045 

Ardery,   David'  A.  572 

Armstrong,  Alfred  M. 842 

Armstrong,   Francis   D.   856 

Askin,   Clifford  G. 943 

Aultman,   Henry  M.  575 

B 

Ballard,  Daniel  J.,   M.   D. 756 

Ballard,   Harry   W.  1207 

Beck,  John  W. 703 

Bentley,    Alexander . 1126 

Black,   Jacob   1162 

Black,  John  C.  1071 

Blackamore,  David  M. 552 

Blackmore,  Lawrence  O.  (.deceased)  1010 

Blackmore,   Lawrence   O.   1015 

Blankman,    Bernard   H.   728 

Blankman,    Henry   1196 

Boicourt,  William  T.  1042 

Boling.  Albert 800 

Boling,   George  W. 771 

Boling,  Walter  T. 767 

Bonner,  Judge  Samuel  A. 851 

Bonner,  Walter  W. 734 

Bostic,  James  M. 1111 

Bostic,  Watson 983 

Bowman,  Henry  C. 806 


Boyd,    Harry   .. 543 

Bracken,  John  Locke 544 

Braden.    Luther    D.   618 

Braden,   Richard  J.   587 

Bruns,   Benedict   906 

Buckley,   Daniel   914 

Burney,  John  W.  __. 799 

Bush,  James   N. 773 

Bussell.   Smith    B.   741 

Byers,  James  M. 999 

C 

Carman,  Ira  C. 986 

Clark,   Ira   711 

Clark,   Samuel  894 

Cline,   James    978 

Cobb,   Jasper   640 

CoUicott,   Rev.  John  1029 

Collins.  John  R. 885 

Cory.  Joseph 792 

Cory,  Walter  B. 615 

Corya,  John  W. 1018 

Crawford,  George  S.,  M.  D. 784 

Crisler.  Will  J. 547 

Crist,   Scott   F.   1204 

Cuskaden,  John  T.   789 

D 

Davis,    Daniel    695 

Davis,    Edward   W.   880 

Davis,  James   B. 782 

Davis,    James    G.    992 

Davis,    Robert  J.   1098 

Davis,   William   1014 

Day,   Thomas   E.   1031 

Deem,  John  W. 709 

DeMoss,    John    W.    824 

Denham.    Benjamin    F.    1123 

Deniston,   John    H.   1194 

Deniston,   William    H.   1117 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Deupree,    Clarence    C.    1174 

Deupree,    Everett    L.    .__' 1037 

Deupree,  Thomas  M. 1175 

Dietrich,  Otto  F. 779 

Donnell,  Edwin  D.  1079 

Douglas,  Dilver  E.,  M.  D. 930 

Draping,   Henry  A.   974 

Duffey,   Thomas   642 

E 

Eckhart,    Leroy   A.   107S 

Eddelman,    Edgar   1119 

Elder,  Oliver  C. 698 

Elliott,    Daniel    W.   1138 

Elliott,    Marion   M.   1131 

Elliott,  Theodore 993 

Emmert,  Harry 730 

Emmert,  Jacob  749 

Emmert,  Len  J. 550 

Erdmann,   George   E.  559 

Evans,  John  G. 960 

Evans,   Milton   E.   ^ 1133 

F 

Fear,    John    1085 

Fear,  William   S. 1097 

Fee,    Edwin   S.    933 

Foley,  Gen.  James  B. 568 

Foley,  John  J. 560 

F'ord,   Lafayette   597 

Fry,    Henry    831 

Fulton,   Samuel   D.   1129 

G 

Galbraith,    Francis    I.   ._1215 

Garrison,  Joseph  W. 608 

Gartin,  John   G.   1088 

Gaston,  J.   Minor 936 

Gibson,   Estill   A.  1012 

Glass,  Jacob  C.,  M.  D. 834 

Goddard,    William    661 

Greeley,    Clarence   E.   797 

Grover,   Dr.  Charles   B. 816 

Guthrie,   John   G.   924 


H 

Habig,    Anthony    127 

llahn,    Valentine    920 

Hamilton,    Chester    1170 

Hamilton,   Everett  : 610 

Hamilton,    Frank   656 

Hamilton,  James  F. 738 

I-lamilton,    Luther  D.   1183 

Hamilton,   R.   Ray 941 

Hamilton,   Robert   C.   570 

Hamilton,   Thomas  E.   878 

Hamilton,  Thomas  M. 907 

Hanks,  Samuel  B. 991 

Harding,  James   L. 864 

Harrod.  Cecil  G.,  M.  D. 984 

Harwood,   Cyrus   D.  759 

Hays,  John  C. 948 

Heger,  Michael 821 

Hess,  George  L. 1210 

Hill,   Clarence   L.   1156 

Hillis,   Alexander 975 

Hite,   Edgar  E. 818 

Hitt,  Sherman  B.,  M.  D. 596 

.Hoeing,   Bernard  A.   918 

Holcomb,   Daniel  Wesley 912 

Flolcomb,  John  W. 840 

Holmes,  Mrs.  Dorcas  E.  (McLain) 581 

Holmes,   Webster  H.  950 

Hopkins,  Harry  S.,  D.  D.  S 1047 

Howard,  James 1017 

Hudson,  Millard  A. 690 

Hughes,  Jason    B.  696 

Hungerford,   Walter   874 

Hunter,    John    1004 

I 
Isgrigg,  William  H. 814 

J 

Jackson,  Edward  A. 988 

Jackson,  Samuel  L. 636 

Jackson,    William    E.    1034 

Jameson,   Barton   W.   1137 

Jenkins,    Myron    C.   1164 

Jewell,   Allen   1001 

Jewett,   Israel  D.  1053 

Jewett,   Lorin   A.   1059 

Johannigmann,    Mathias    931 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Johnson,  John 788 

Jones,    Clifford    F.   677 

K 

Kanouse,  John   R.   774 

Kelly,  Samuel 1145 

Kennedy,   Simeon   H.   1198 

Kercheval,  Clarence  F.,  M.  D. 562 

Kercheval,  James  T. 862 

Kessing,   Edward 1200 

Ketchum,   Francis   G.   1191 

Ketchum,  William  S. 1064 

Kincaid,   Gilbert  G. 662 

Kirby,   Henry   C.   1077 

Kitchin,   Guy  E.   626 

Kitchin,  Joseph  B. 826 

Kitchin,  Thomas  J. 639 

L 

Lathrop,    Harry    910 

Lathrop,  James  B. 724 

Lawson,  William  A. 1000 

Layton,    Jephtha    977 

Lee,  Orlando 1052 

Link,    Albert    964 

Littell,  Mrs.  Benjamin  F. 1028 

Littell,    George   S.   539 

Littell,  Sam  V. 699 

Logan,  Aaron   1203 

Logan,  Aaron  L. 686 

Logan,  George  A. 889 

Logan,  Henry  H. 832 

Logan,   John   844 

Logan,  John  H. 765 

Logan,  Will  W. 859 

Lowe,  Arthur  J. 584 

Lowe.   Edward   C.  674 

Mc 

McCoy,  Curtis 904 

McCoy,  Sutherland  592 

McCoy,   William   M.   604 

McCracken,  Hugh  T. 634 

McKee.  Harley  S.,  M.  D. 902 

McLaughlin,  James  C. 648 


M 

Manlief,    Omer   T.   884 

Meek,   Adam    658 

Meek,  George  M. 763 

Meek,   John  T.   1185 

Meek.    Robert   S.    576 

Menzie,    George    721 

Messier,    Cornelius    714 

Metz,    George   W.   846 

Metz,  John   H.  624 

Miers,   Morgan   L.   760 

Miers,  Willard  A.   981 

Miers,  William  H. 946 

Miller,  Charles   P. 1166 

Minor,  Joseph   S. 966 

Mires,  John  A.   1006 

Mobley.  William   H. 794 

Moenkedick,  Joseph   980 

Moor,   George  W. 1082 

Moore,  Huber  C. 804 

Morrison,  Clyde  C,  M.  D. 1211 

Mount,  Harry  H. 716 

Mowrey,    Nelson    Til 

Mozingo,  Henry 972 

Mulford,  Fred  E. 876 

Mulroy,  Anthony  B. 780 

Myers,  Judge  David  A. 1213 

Myers,    George   M.   1101 

Myers,  James  A.  646 

Myers,  John  T. 1003 

N 
Xesbitt.   Charles    M.   1187 

O 

Oldham,   Eber  J.   916 

Ortman,   Bernard 901 

Osborn,  John  E. 768 

Owen,  John  S.  1140 

P 

Patterson.    Joseph    603 

Pavy.  John  T. 776 

Perry.  Dan  S 606 

Perry.   George   S.   823 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX. 


Pleak,   Ezra   L. 1056 

Pleak,  Strauther  Van 1170 

Porter,    Alexander    1152 

Porter,   Edward   A.,    M.D.   1105 

Porter,  James   654 

Power,  Ernest  D. 682 

Powner,  James  L. 995 

Powner,  John   C.  685 

Pulse,   William   C.   612 

Pumphrey,   Cyrus  W. 1026 

Pumphrey,    Edward    1022 

Pumphrey,    Francis    M. 956 

Pumphrey,   James  A.   __1021 

Puttmann.  John  J. 898 

R 

Redelman,   George  F. 888 

Redelman,  Henry  M. 958 

Reed,   George  N.  678 

Remy,   Charles   E.  953 

Riley,  Eden  T.,  M.  D.  __.  557 

Riley.  Hon.  Zachariah  T. 1039 

Risk,  Charles  F. -1073 

Robbins,    Charles    C.    1157 

Robbins,   John   E.   1120 

Robbins,  John  E. . 535 

Robertson,   John    F.   1103 

Robertson,   Josiah   W.   967 

Robertson,   Lafayette   1062 

Robertson,  William  W. 1050 

Robison,   James   B.   704 

Ruhl,   Max   812 

Russell,  Albert   C.  .. 579 

Russell,  John  F. 554 

S 

Sands,    Linton   W.   670 

Scheidler,  George   M. 820 

Schroeder,   John   H. 882 

Scott,  Robert 629 

Scott,    Walter   629 

Sefton,   George   W.  705 

Shafer,   James    H.    1146 

Shafer,   Wilson   M.   854 

Shaw,  Col.  Benjamin  C. 997 

Shaw,  John  J. 1134 

Shaw,  Thomas  N. 754 

Shera,    Isaac    848 


Shortridge,  James  M. 786 

Shuperd,    George    W.   1065 

Smalley,    Reuben    701 

Smiley,  Thomas  K. 736 

Smiley,    William    650 

Smiley,    William    F.    620 

Smiley,    William    G.    668 

Smith,  William  S. 564 

Spears,   John   W.   1024 

Stark,  Randolph 891 

Stevenson,   Thomas    H.   644 

Stewart,   Samuel    H.   718 

Stott  &  Company,  W.  T. 745 

Stott,  Richard  T. 802 

Stout,    Frank    C.    647 

Styers,   Jesse    H.    836 

Styers,   William   G.   1094 

T 

Talbott,   Abram   H. , 672 

Taylor,  Albert  G. 1061 

Taylor,   Isaac   H.   940 

Taylor,  John  W.  1072 

Templeton,   Charles  S. 1048 

Templeton,    Nelson   M.  652 

Thomson,   Henry 707 

Throp,   James    B.   808 

Throp,    Wesley    810 

Thurston,   Jacob    L.   1141 

Townsend,   Henry 1107 

Travis,   Louis   O.  1206 

Tremain,   John   W.   1115 

Trimble,  Oscar   B. 928 

Turner,  Rev.  James  W..  A.  M.,  D.  D.  969 
Turner,  Rollin  A. 600 

U 

Updike.  William  G. 743 

Urich,  Rev.  John  A. 720 

V 

Van   Pleak,  Strauther 1170 

Venner,    Abram    F.    1086 

W 

Waits,   Isaac   D.   1068 

Walker,   Elmer   E.   922 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Wallingford,   John    X.   617 

Weadon,  Frank  M. 926 

Weadon,    George    A.    1190 

Welch,  Oliver  F.,  M.  D 1192 

Welsh,   Glanton   G.  664 

White,   Isaac   W.   692 

Willey,   Andrew   S.   680 

Williams,    Andrew    1113 

Williams,   Richard  A. 1178 

Willoughby,  Andrew  M. 566 

Wood,  James  M.,  M.D. 1083 

Wooden,   Elmer  E.   588 


Woodrtll,   William   C.   622 

WoodtiU,   William   S.   627 

Woodruff,  John  H. 1100 

Woodward,    Charles   W.   594 

Worland,    Charles    W.   896 

Wright,    Caleb    S.    1148 

Wright,   Londa 791 

Wright,   Wilbur  B. 1168 

Wynkoop,    Isaac   X.   1092 

Z 
Zoller,    Charles    583 


HISTORICAL 


CHAPTER  I. 


RELATED    STATE    HISTORY. 


The  first  white  men  to  set  foot  upon  the  Northwest  Territory  were 
J'"rench  traders  and  missionaries  under  the  leadership  of  La  Salle.  This  was 
about  the  year  1670  and  subsequent  discoveries  and  explorations  in  this 
region  by  the  French  gave  that  nation  practically  undisputed  possession  of 
all  the  territory  organized  in  1787  as  the  Northwest  Territory.  It  is  true 
that  the  English  colonies  of  Virginia,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  claimed 
that  their  charters  extended  their  grants  westward  to  the  Mississippi  river. 
However,  France  claimed  this  territory  and  successfully  maintained  posses- 
sion of  it  until  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  War  in  1763.  At  that 
time  the  treaty  of  Paris  transferred  all  of  the  French  claims  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river  to  England,  as  well  as  all  claims  of  France  to  territory  on 
the  mainland  of  North  America.  For  the  next  twenty  years  the  Northwest 
Territory  was  under  the  undisputed  control  of  England,  but  became  a  part 
of  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  which  terminated  the  Revolutionary  War 
in  1783.  Thus  the  flags  of  three  nations  have  floated  over  the  territory  now 
comprehended  within  the  present  state  of  Indiana — the  tri-color  of  France, 
the  union  jack  of  England  and  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  United  States. 

History  will  record  the  fact  that  there  was  another  nation,  however, 
which  claimed  possession  of  this  territory  and,  while  the  Indians  can  hardly 
be  called  a  nation,  yet  they  made  a  gallant  fight  to  retain  their  hunting 
grounds.  The  real  owners  of  this  territory  struggled  against  heavy  odds 
to  maintain  their  supremacy  and  it  was  not  until  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  in 
the  fall  of  181 1,  that  the  Indians  gave  up  the  unequal  struggle.  Tecumseh, 
the  Washington  of  his  race,  fought  fiercely  to  save  this  territory  for  his 
people,  but  the  white  man  finally  overwhelmed  him,  and  "Lo,  the  poor  Indian" 
was  pushed  westward  across  the  Mississippi.  The  historv  of  the  Northwest 
(3) 


34  -     DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Territory  is  full  of  the  bitter  fights  which  the  Indians  waged  in  trying  to  drive 
the  white  man  out  and  the  defeat  which  the  Indians  inflicted  on  general 
St.  Clair  on  November  4,  1792,  will  go  down  in  the  annals  of  American 
history  as  the  worst  defeat  which  an  American  army  ever  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  the  Indians.  The  greatest  battle  which  has  ever  been  fought  in  the 
United  States  against  the  Indians  occurred  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  This  was 
the  battle  of  Fallen  Timbers  and  occurred  August  20,  1794,  the  scene  of 
the  battle  being  within  the  present  county  of  Defiance.  After  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War  the  Indians,  urged  on  by  the  British,  caused  the 
settlers  in  the  Northwest  Territory  continued  trouble  and  defeated  every  de- 
tachment sent  against  them  previous  to  their  defeat  by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne 
at  the  battle  of  Fallen  Timbers  in  1794.  Although  there  was  some  trouble 
with  the  Indians  after  this  time,  they  never  offered  serious  resistance  after 
this  memorable  defeat  until  the  fall  of  181 1,  when  Gen.  William  Henry  Har- 
rison completely  routed  them  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe. 

TERRITORY  NORTHWEST  OF  THE  OHIO    (167O-I754). 

Ohio  was  the  first  state  created  out  of  the  old  Northwest  Territory, 
although  Indiana  had  been  previously  organized  as  a  territory.  When  the 
land  comprehended  within  the  Northwest  Territory  was  discovered  by  the 
French  under  La  Salle  about  1670,  it  was  a  battle  ground  of  various  Indian 
tribes,  although  the  Fries,  who  were  located  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie, 
were  the  only  ones  with  a  more  or  less  definite  territory.  From  1670  to 
1763,  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  War,  the  French  were  in  possession 
of  this  territory  and  established  their  claims  in  a  positive  manner  by  exten- 
sive exploration  and  scattered  settlements.  The  chief  centers  of  French 
settlement  were  at  Detroit,  Vincennes,  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  Fort  Crevecour 
and  at  several  missionary  stations  around  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes.  The 
French  did  not  succeed  in  doing  this  without  incurring  the  hostility  of  the 
Iroquois  Indians,  a  bitter  enmity  which  was  brought  about  chiefly  because 
the  French  helped  the  Shawnees,  Wyandots  and  Miamis  to  drive  the  Iroquois 
out  of  the  territory  west  of  the  Muskingum  river  in  Ohio. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  English  also  laid  claim  to  the  North- 
west Territory,  basing  their  claim  on  the  discoveries  of  the  Cabots  and  the 
subsequent  charters  of  Virginia,  Massachusetts  aqd  Connecticut.  These 
charters  extended  the  limits  of  these  three  colonies  westward  to  the  Pacific 
ocean,  although,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  none  of  the  three  colonies  made  a  settle- 
ment west  of  the  Alleghanies  until  after  the  Revolutionary  War.     New  York 


1635336 

DECATUR    COUXTY,    INDIANA.  35 

sought  to  Strengthen  her  claim  to  territory  west  of  the  Alleghanies  in  1701, 
by  getting  from  the  Iroquois,  the  bitter  enemies  of  the  French,  a  grant  to  the 
territory  from  which  the  French  and  their  Indian  alHes  had  previously  ex- 
pelled them.  Although  this  grant  was  renewed  in  1726  and  again  confirmed 
in  1744,  it  gave  New  York  only  a  nominal  claim  and  one  which  was  never 
recognized  by  the  French  in  any  way. 

English  traders  from  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  began  in  1730  to  pay 
more  attention  to  the  claims  of  their  country  west  of  the  Alleghanies  and 
north  of  the  Ohio  river.  When  their  activities  reached  the  ears  of  the  French 
the  governor  of  French  Canada  sent  Celeron  de  Bienville  up  and  down  the 
Ohio  and  the  rivers  and  streams  running  into  it  from  the  north  and  took 
formal  possession  of  the  territory  by  planting  lead  plates  at  the  mouth  of 
every  river  and  stream  of  any  importance.  This  peculiar  method  of  the 
French  in  seeking  to  establish  their  claims  occurred  in  the  year  1749  and 
opened  the  eyes  of  England  to  the  necessity  of  taking  some  immediate  action. 
George  II,  the  king  of  England  at  the  time,  at  once  granted  a  charter  for  the 
first  Ohio  Company  (there  were  two  others  by  the  same  name  later  organ- 
ized), composed  of  London  merchants  and  enterprising  Virginians,  and  the 
company  at  once  proceeded  to  formulate  plans  to  secure  possession  of  the  ter- 
ritory north  of  the  Ohio  and  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Christopher  Gist  was 
sent  down  the  Ohio  river  in  1750  to  explore  the  country  as  far  west  as  the 
mouth  of  the  Scioto  river,  and  made  several  treaties  with  the  Indians.  Things 
were  now  rapidly  approaching  a  crisis  and  it  was  soon  evident  that  there 
would  be  a  struggle  of  arms  between  England  and  France  for  the  disputed 
region.  In  1754  the  English  started  to  build  a  fort  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Monongahela  and  Allegheny  rivers,  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Pitts- 
burgh, but  before  the  fort  was  completed  the  French  appeared  on  the  scene, 
drove  the  English  away  and  finished  the  fort  which  had  been  begun. 

FRENCH    AND   INDIAN    WAR    (1754-63). 

The  crisis  had  finally  come.  The  struggle  which  followed  between  the 
two  nations  ultimately  resulted  in  the  expulsion  of  the-  French  from  the 
mainland  of  America  as  well  as  from  the  immediate  territory  in  dispute. 
The  war  is  known  in  America  as  the  French  and  Indian  War  and  in  the 
history  of  the  world  as  the  Seven  Years'  War,  the  latter  designation  being 
due  to  the  fact  that  it  lasted  that  length  of  time.  The  struggle  developed 
into  a  world-wide  conflict  and  the  two  nations  fought  over  three  continents, 
America,  Europe  and  Asia.     It  it  not  within  the  province  of  this  resume  of 


36 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


the  history  of  Indiana  to  go  into  the  details  of  this  memorable  struggle.  It  is 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  at  hand  to  state  that  the  treaty  of  Paris,  which 
terminated  the  war  in  1763,  left  France  without  any  of  her  former  posses- 
sions on  the  mainland  of  America. 

PONTIAC'S    CONSPIRACY    (  1 763-64). 

With  the  English  in  control  of  America  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  and 
the  French  regime  forever  ended,  the  Indians  next  command  the  attention 
of  the  historian  who  deals  with  the  Northwest  Territory.  The  French  were 
undoubtedly  responsible  for  stirring  up  their  former  Indian  allies  and 
Pontiac's  conspiracy  must  be  credited  to  the  influence  of  that  nation.  This 
formidable  uprising  was  successfully  overthrown  by  Henry  Bouquet,  who 
led  an  expedition  in  1764  into  the  present  state  of  Ohio  and  compelled  the 
Wyandots,  Delawares  and  Shawnees  to  sue  for  peace. 

NORTHWEST    TERRITORY    AND   QUEBEC    ACT. 

From  1764  to  1774,  no  events  of  particular  importance  occurred  within 
the  territory  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  but  in  the  latter  year  (June  22,  1774), 
England,  then  at  the  breaking  point  with  the  colonies,  passed  the  Quebec 
act,  which  attached  this  territory  to  the  province  of  Quebec  for  administrative 
purposes.  This  intensified  the  feeling  of  resentment  which  the  colonies 
bore  against  their  mother  country  and  is  given  specific  mention  in  their  list 
of  grievances  which  they  enumerated  in  their  Declaration  of  Independence. 
The  Revolutionary  War  came  on  at  once  and  this  act,  of  course,  was  never 
put  into  execution. 

REVOLUTIONARY    PERIOD    (  1 775-83). 

During  the  War  for  Independence  (1775-1783),  the  various  states  with 
claims  to  western  lands  agreed  with  the  Continental  Congress  to  surrender 
their  claims  to  the  national  government.  In  fact,  the  Articles  of  Confedera- 
tion were  not  signed  until  all  of  the  states  had  agreed  to  do  this  and  Mary- 
land withheld  her  assent  to  the  articles  until  March  i,  1780,  on  this  account. 
In  accordance  with  this  agreement  New  York  ceded  her  claim  to  the  United 
States  in  1780,  Virginia  in  1784,  Massachusetts  in  1785  and  Connecticut  in 
1786,  although  the  latter  state  excepted  a  one-hundred-and-twenty-mile  strip 
of  three  million  five  hundred  thousand  acres  bordering  on  Lake  Erie.     This 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  37 

strip  was  formally  relinquished  in  1800,  with  the  understanding  that  the 
United  States  would  guarantee  the  titles  already  issued  by  that  state.  Vir- 
ginia was  also  allowed  a  reservation,  known  as  the  Virginia  Military  Dis- 
trict, which  lay  between  the  Little  Miami  and  Scioto  rivers,  the  same  being 
for  distribution  among  her  Revolutionary  veterans.  There  is  one  other  fact 
which  should  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  territory  north  of  the 
Ohio  in  the  Revolutionary  period.  This  was  the  memorable  conquest  of  the 
territory  by  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark.  During  the  years  1778  and  1779, 
this  redoubtable  leader  captured  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and  Vincennes  and 
thereby  drove  the  English  out  of  the  Northwest  Territory.  It  is  probable 
that  this  notable  campaign  secured  this  territory  for  the  Americans  and  that 
without  it  we  would  -not  have  had  it  included  in  our  possessions  in  the  treaty 
which  closed  the  Revolutionary  War. 

CAPTURE   OF   VINCENNES. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  pages  of  Indiana  history  is  concerned  with 
the  capture  of  Vincennes  by  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark  in  the  spring  of  1779. 
The  expedition  of  this  intrepid  leader  with  its  successful  results  marked  him 
as  a  man  of  more  than  usual  ability.  Prompted  by  a  desire  to  secure  the 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river  for  the  Americans,  he  sought  and  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  governor  of  Virginia  the  right  to  raise  a  body  of 
troops  for  this  purpose.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1778  Clark  began  collecting 
his  men  for  the  proposed  expedition.  Within  a  short  time  he  collected  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  Fort  Pitt  and  floated  down  the  Ohio  to  the 
falls  near  Jeffersonville.  He  picked  up  a  few  recruits  at  this  place  and  in 
June  floated  on  down  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee  river.  His 
original  intention  was  to  make  a  descent  on  Vincennes  first,  but,  having  re- 
ceived erroneous  reports  as  to  the  strength  of  the  garrison  located  there,  he 
decided  to  commence  active  operations  at  Kaskaskia.  After  landing  his 
troops  near  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1778,  he 
marched  them  across  southern  Illinois  to  Kaskaskia,  arriving  there  on  the 
evening  of  July  4.  The  inhabitants  were  terror  stricken  at  first,  but  upon 
being  assured  by  General  Clark  that  they  were  in  no  danger  and  that  all  he 
wanted  was  for  them  to  give  their  support  to  the  American  cause,  their  fears 
were  soon  quieted.  Being  so  far  from  the  scene  of  the  war,  the  French 
along  the  Mississippi  knew  little  or  nothing  about  its  progress.  One  of  the 
most  important  factors  in  establishing  a  friendly  relation  between  the  Amer- 
icans and  the  French  inhabitants  was  the  hearty  willingness  of  Father  Gibault, 


38  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  Catholic  priest  stationed  at  Kaskaskia,  in  making  his  people  see  that  their 
best  interests  would  be  served  by  aligning  themselves  with  the  Americans. 
Father  Gibault  not  only  was  of  invaluable  assistance  to  General  Clark  at 
Kaskaskia,  but  he  also  offered  to  make  the  overland  trip  to  Vincennes  and 
win  over  the  French  in  that  place  to  the  American  side.  This  he  successfully 
did  and  returned  to  Kaskaskia  in  August  with  the  welcome  news  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Vincennes  were  willing  to  give  their  allegiance  to  the 
Americans. 

However,  before  Clark  got  his  troops  together  for  the  trip  to  Vincennes, 
General  Hamilton,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  Detroit,  descended  the  Wabash 
and  captured  Vincennes  (December  15,  1778).  At  that  time  Clark  had  only 
two  men  stationed  there,  Leonard  Helm,  who  was  in  command  of  the  fort, 
and  a  private  by  the  name  of  Henry.  As  soon  as  Clark  heard  that  the  British 
had  captured  Vincennes,  he  began  to  make  plans  for  retaking  it.  The  terms 
of  enlistment  of  many  of  his  men  had  expired  and  he  had  difficulty  in  getting 
enough  of  them  to  re-enlist  to  make  a  body  large  enough  to  make  a  successful 
attack.  A  number  of  young  Frenchmen  joined  his  command  and  finally,  in 
January,  1779.  Clark  set  out  from  Kaskaskia  for  Vincennes  with  one  hundred 
and  seventy  men.  This  trip  of  one  hundred  sixty  miles  was  made  at  a  time 
when  traveling  overland  was  at  its  worst.  The  prairies  were  wet,  the 
streams  were  swollen  and  the  rivers  overflowing  their  banks.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  difficulties  which  confronted  him  and  his  men,  Clark  advanced  rapidly 
as  possible  and  by  February  23,  1779,  he  was  in  front  of  Vincennes.  Two 
days  later,  after  considerable  parleying  and  after  the  fort  had  suffered  from 
a  murderous  fire  from  the  Americans,  General  Hamilton  agreed  to  surrender. 
This  marked  the  end  of  British  dominion  in  Indiana  and  ever  since  that  day 
the  territory  now  comprehended  in  the  state  has  been  American  soil. 

VINCENNES,  THE  OLDEST  SETTLEMENT  OF  INDIANA. 

Historians  have  never  agreed  as  to  the  date  of  the  founding  of  Vin- 
cennes. The  local  historians  of  that  city  have  always  claimed  that  the 
settlement  of  the  town  dates  from  1702,  although  those  who  have  examined 
all  the  facts  and  documents  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  1732  comes 
nearer  to  being  the  correct  date.  It  was  in  the  latter  year  that  George  Wash- 
ington was  born,  a  fact  which  impresses  upon  the  reader  something  of  the  age 
of  the  city.  Vincennes  was  an  old  town  and  had  seen  several  generations 
pass  away  when  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed.  It  was  in 
Vincennes  and  vicinity  that  the  best  blood  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  39 

found  at  the  time  of  the  Revohitionary  War.  It  was  made  the  seat  of  justice 
of  Knox  county  when  it  was  organized  in  1790  and  consequently  it  is  by 
many  years  the  oldest  county  seat  in  the  state.  It  became  the  first  capital  of 
Indiana  Territory  in  1800  and  saw  it  removed  to  Corydon  in  18 13  for  the 
reason,  so  the  Legislature  said,  that  it  was  too  near  the  outskirts  of  civiliza- 
tion. In  this  oldest  city  of  the  Mississippi  valley  still  stands  the  house  into 
which  Governor  Harrison  moved  in  1804,  and  the  house  in  which  the  Terri- 
torial Legislature  held  its  sessions  in  1805  is  still  in  an  excellent  state  of 
preservation. 

Today  Vincennes  is  a  thriving  city  of  fifteen  thousand,  with  paved 
streets,  street  cars,  fine  public  buildings  and  public  utility  plants  equal  to  any 
in  the  state.  It  is  the  seat  of  a  university  which  dates  back  more  tlian  a 
century. 

FIRST    SURVEYS    AND    EARLY    SETTLERS. 

The  next  period  in  the  history  of  the  territory  north  of  the  Ohio  begins 
with  the  passage  of  a  congressional  act  (May  20,  1785),  which  provided  for 
the  present  system  of  land  surveys  into  townships  six  miles  square.  As  soon 
as  this  was  put  into  operation,  settlers — and  mostly  Revolutionary  soldiers — • 
began  to  pour  into  the  newly  surveyed  territory.  A  second  Ohio  Company 
was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1786,  made  up  chiefly  of  Revolutionary 
officers  and  soldiers  from  New  England,  and  this  company  proposed  to  estab- 
lish a  state  somewhere  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio  river.  At  this  junc- 
ture Congress  realized  that  definite  steps  should  be  made  at  once  for  some 
kind  of  government  over  this  extensive  territory,  a  territory  which  now  in- 
cludes the  present  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and 
about  a  third  of  Minnesota.  Various  plans  were  proposed  in  Congress  and 
most  of  the  sessions  of  1786  and  the  first  half  of  1787  were  consumed  in 
trying  to  formulate  a  suitable  form  of  government  for  the  extensive  terri- 
tory. The  result  of  all  these  deliberations  resulted  in  the  famous  Ordinance 
of  1787,  which  was  finally  passed  on  July  13,  1787. 

ORDINANCE    OF    1 787. 

There  have  been  many  volumes  written  about  this  instrument  of  gov- 
ernment and  to  this  day  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  who  was  its 
author.  The  present  article  can  do  no  more  than  merely  sketch  its  outline 
and  set  forth  the  main  provisions.  It  was  intended  to  provide  only  a  tem- 
porary government  and  to  serve  until  such  a  time  as  the  population  of  the 


40  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

territory  would  warrant  the  creation  of  states  with  the  same  rights  and 
privileges  which  the  thirteen  original  states  enjoyed.  It  stipulated  that  not 
less  than  three  nor  more  than  five  states  should  ever  be  created  out  of  the 
whole  territory  and  the  maximum  number  was  finally  organized,  although  it 
was  not  until  1848  that  the  last  state,  Wisconsin,  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 
The  third  article,  "Religion,  morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good 
government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  educa- 
tion shall  forever  be  encouraged,"  has  given  these  five  states  the  basis  for 
their  excellent  system  of  public  schools,  state  normals,  colleges  and  uni- 
versities. Probably  the  most  widely  discussed  article  was  the  sixth,  which  pro- 
vided that  slavery  and  involuntary  servitude  should  never  be  permitted  within 
the  territory  and  by  the  use  of  the  word  "forever"  made  the  territory  free 
for  all  time.  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that  both  Indiana 
and  Illinois  before  their  admission  to  the  Union  sought  to  have  this  pro- 
vision set  aside,  but  every  petition  from  the  two  states  was  refused  by  Con- 
gress in  accordance  with  the  provision  of  the  Ordinance. 

FIRST   STAGE  OF   G0VF,RNMENT   UNDER  THE   ORDINANCE. 

The  ordinance  contemplated  two  grades  of  territorial  government. 
During  the  operation  of  the  first  grade  of  government  the  governor,  his  secre- 
tary and  the  three  judges  provided  by  the  ordinance  were  to  be  appointed  by 
Congress  and  the  governor  in  turn  was  to  appoint  "such  magistrates  and 
other  civil  officers  in  each  county  and  township  as  he  shall  deem  necessary 
for  the  preservation  of  the  peace  and  good  will  of  the  same."  After  the 
federal  government  was  organized  a  statutory  provision  took  the  appoint- 
ment of  these  oflicers  out  of  the  hands  of  Congress  and  placed  it  in  the  hands 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  All  executive  authority  was  given 
to  the  governor,  all  judicial  authority  to  the  three  judges,  while  the  governor 
and  judges,  in  joint  session,  constituted  the  legislative  body.  This  means 
that  during  the  first  stage  of  territorial  government  the  people  had  absolutely 
no  voice  in  the  affairs  of  government  and  this  state  of  affairs  lasted  until 
1799,  a  period  of  twelve  years. 

SECOND  STAGE  OF  GOVERNMENT  UNDER  THE  ORDINANCE. 

The  second  stage  of  government  in  the  territory  was  to  begin  whenever 
the  governor  was  satisfied  that  there  were  at  least  five  thousand  free  male 
inhabitants  of  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  above.     The  main  difference  be- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4I 

tween  the  first  and  second  stages  of  territorial  government  lay  in  the  fact 
that  the  legislative  functions  were  taken  from  the  governor  and  judges  and 
given  to  a  "general  assembly  or  legislature."  The  ordinance  provided  for 
the  election  of  one  representative  for  each  five  hundred  free  male  inhabitants, 
the  tenure  of  the  oftice  to  be  two  years.  While  the  members  of  the  lower 
house  were  to  be  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  territory,  the  upper 
house,  to  consist  of  five  members,  were  to  be  appointed  by  Congress  in  a 
somewhat  complicated  manner.  The  house  of  representatives  was  to  select 
ten  men  and  these  ten  names  were  to  be  sent  to  Congress  and  out  of  this 
number  five  were  to  be  selected  by  Congress.  This  provision,  like  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  governor,  was  later  changed  so  as  to  make  the  upper  house 
the  appointees  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  The  five  men  so  selected 
were  called  councilors  and  held  office  for  five  years. 

INDIAN  STRUGGLES    (I787-1803). 

The  period  from  1787  to  1803  in  the  Northwest  Territory  was  marked 
by  several  bitter  conflicts  with  the  Indians.  Just  as  at  the  close  of  the  French 
and  Indian  War  had  the  French  stirred  up  the  Indians  against  the  Americans, 
so  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  did  the  English  do  the  same.  In 
fact  the  War  of  181 2  was  undoubtedly  hastened  by  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians,  who  were  urged  to  make  forays  upon  the  frontier  settlements  in  the 
Northwest  Territory  by  the  British.  The  various  uprisings  of  the  Indians 
during  this  critical  period  greatly  retarded  the  influx  of  settlers  in  the  new 
territory,  and  were  a  .constant  menace  to  those  hardy  pioneers  who  did  ven- 
ture to  establish  homes  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  Three  distinct  campaigns 
were  waged  against  the  savages  before  they  were  finally  subdued.  The  first 
campaign  was  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Josiah  Harmar  (1790)  and  re- 
sulted in  a  decisive  defeat  for  the  whites.  The  second  expedition  was  under 
the  leadership  of  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  (1791),  the  governor  of  the  Territory, 
and  was  marked  by  one  of  the  worst  defeats  ever  suffered  by  an  American 
army  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  A  lack  of  knowledge  of  Indian  methods 
of  warfare,  combined  with  reckless  mismanagement,  sufficiently  accounts  for 
both  disasters.  It  remained  for  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  the  "Mad  Anthony" 
of  Revolutionary  fame,  to  bring  the  Indians  to  terms.  The  battle  of  Fallen 
Timbers,  which  closed  his  campaign  against  the  Indians,  was  fought  August 
20,  1794,  on  the  Maumee  river  within  the  present  county  of  Defiance  county, 
Ohio.  This  crushing  defeat  of  the  Indians,  a  rout  in  which  they  lost  twelve 
out  of  thirteen  chiefs,  was  so  complete  that  the  Indians  were  glad  to  sue  for 


42 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


peace.  On  June  lo,  1795,  delegates  from  the  various  Indian  tribes,  headed 
by  their  respective  chiefs,  met  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  to  formulate  a  treaty.  A 
treaty  was  finally  consummated  on  August  3,  and  was  signed  by  General 
Wayne  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  and  by  ninety  chiefs  and  delegates  of 
twelve  interested  tribes.  This  treaty  was  faithfully  kept  by  the  Indians  and 
ever  afterwards  Little  Turtle,  the  real  leader  of  the  Indians  at  that  time, 
was  a  true  friend  of  the  whites.  While  there  were  several  sporadic  forays 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians  up  to  181 1,  there  was  no  battle  of  any  importance 
with  them  until  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  in  the  fall  of  1811. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    NORTHWEST    TERRITORY. 

The  first  governor  of  the  newly  organized  territory  was  Gen.  Arthur 
St.  Clair,  a  gallant  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who  was  appointed  on  October 
5,  1787,  and  ordered  to  report  for  duty  on  the  first  of  the  following  February. 
He  held  the  office  until  November  22,  1802,  when  he  was  dismissed  by  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  "for  the  disorganizing  spirit,  and  tendency  of  every  example, 
violating  the  rules  of  conduct  enjoined  by  his  public  station,  as  displayed  in 
his  address  to  the  convention."  The  governor's  duties  were  performed  by 
his  secretary,  Charles  W.  Byrd,  until  March  i,  1803,  when  the  state  officials 
took  their  office.  The  first  judges  appointed  were  Samuel  Holden  Parsons, 
James  Mitchell  Varnuni  and  John  Armstrong.  Before  the  time  came  for 
the  judges  to  qualify,  Armstrong  resigned  and  John  Cleves  Symmes  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  The  first  secretary  was  Winthrop  Sargent,  who  held 
the  position  until  he  was  appointed  governor  of  Missis-sippi  Territory  by  the 
President  on  May  2,  1798.  Sargent  was  succeeded  by  William  Henry  Har- 
rison, who  was  appointed  by  the  President  on  June  26,  1798,  and  confined 
by  the  Senate  two  days  later.  Harrison  was  later  elected  as  the  first  dele- 
gate of  the  organized  Northwest  Territory  to  Congress  and  the  President 
then  appointed  Charles  Willing  Byrd  as  secretary  of  the  Territory,  Byrd's 
appointment  being  confirmed  by  the  Senate  on  December  31,  1799. 

REPRESENTATIVE  STAGE  OF   GOVERNMENT    (1799-1803). 

The  Northwest  Territory  remained  under  the  government  of  the  first 
stage  until  September  i6,  1799,  when  it  formally  advanced  to  the  second  or 
representative  stage.  In  the  summer  of  1798  Governor  St.  Clair  had  ascer- 
tained that  the  territory  had  a  population  of  at  least  five  thousand  free  male 
inhabitants  and,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  43 

was  ready  to  make  the  change  in  its  form  of  government.  On  October  29, 
1798,  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  quaHfied  voters  of  the  terri- 
tory directing  them  to  choose  members  for  the  lower  house  of  the  territorial 
Legislature  at  an  election  to  be  held  on  the  third  Monday  of  the  following 
December.  The  twenty-two  members  so  elected  met  on  January  16,  1799, 
and,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance,  selected  the  ten  men  from 
whom  the  President  of  the  United  States  later  chose  five  for  the  Legislative 
Council.  They  then  adjourned  to  meet  on  September  16,  1799,  but  since 
there  was  not  a  quorum  on  that  day  they  held  adjourned  sessions  until  the 
23rd,  at  which  time  a  quorum  was  present. 

At  the  time  the  change  in  the  form  of  government  went  into  effect  there 
were  only  nine  counties  in  the  whole  territory.  These  counties  had  been 
organized  either  by  the  governor  or  his  secretary.  The  following  table  gives 
the  nine  counties  organized  before  1799  with  the  dates  of  their  organization 
and  the  number  of  legislators  proportioned  to  each  by  the  governor : 

Date  of                                    Number  of 
County.                                           Organization.                            representatives. 
Washington July  27,  1788 2 

Hamilton    January  4,  1790 7 

St.  Clair April  27,  1790 i 

Knox    June  20,   1790 1 

Randolph October  5,  1795 i 

Wayne   August  6,  1796 3 

Adams    July  10,  1797 2 

Jefferson    July  29,  1797 1 

Ross   August  20,  1798 4 

FIRST    TERRITORIAL    LEGISL.\TURE    OF    NORTHWEST    TERRITORY. 

The  twenty-two  representatives  and  five  councilors  were  the  first  rep- 
resentative body  to  meet  in  the  Northwest  Territory  and  they  represented  a 
constituency  scattered, over  a  territory  of  more  than  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  thousand  square  miles,  an  area  greater  than  Germany  or  France,  or  even 
Austria-Hungary.  It  would  be  interesting  to  tell  something  of  the  delibera- 
tions of  these  twenty-seven  sterling  pioneers,  but  the  limit  of  the  present 
article  forbids.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  make  mention  of  one  important 
thing  which  they  did  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  throws  much  light  on  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  Northwest  Territory. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


DIVISION    OF    1800. 


The  Legislature  was  authorized  to  elect  a  delegate  to  Congress  and  two 
candidates  for  the  honor  presented  their  names  to  the  Legislature,  William 
Henry  Harrison  and  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Jr.,  the  son  of  the  governor.  The 
Legislature,  by  a  joint  ballot  on  October  3,  1799,  elected  Harrison  by  a  vote 
of  eleven  to  ten.  The  defeat  of  his  son  undoubtedly  had  considerable  to  do 
with  the  subsequent  estrangement  which  arose  between  the  governor  and  his 
legislature  and  incidentally  hastened  the  division  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory. Within  two  years  from  the  time  the  territory  had  advanced  to  the 
second  stage  of  government  the  division  had  taken  place.  On  May  7,  1800, 
Congress  passed  an  act  dividing  the  Northwest  Territory  by  a  line  drawn 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river  to  Fort  Recovery,  in  Mercer  county, 
Ohio,  and  thence  due  north  to  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  Governor  St.  Clair  favored  the  division  because  he  thought  it 
would  delay  the  organization  of  a  state  and  thus  give  him  a  longer  lease  on 
his  position,  but  he  did  not  favor  the  division  as  finally  determined.  He  was 
constantly  growing  in  disfavor  with  the  people  on  account  of  his  overbearing 
manner  and  he  felt  that  he  would  get  rid  of  some  of  his  bitterest  enemies  if 
the  western  inhabitants  were  set  off  into  a  new  territory.  However,  the 
most  of  the  credit  for  the  division  m.ust  be  given  to  Harrison,  who,  as  a  dele- 
gate to  Congress,  was  in  a  position  to  have  the  most  influence.  Harrison  also 
was  satisfied  that  in  case  a  new  territory  should  be  formed  he  would  be  ap- 
pointed its  first  governor  and  he  was  not  disappointed.  The  territory  west 
of  the  line  above  mentioned  was  immediately  organized  and  designated  as 
Indiana  Territory,  while  the  eastern  portion  retained  the  existing  govern- 
ment and  the  old  name — Northwest  Territory.  It  is  frequently  overlooked 
that  the  Northwest  Territory  existed  in  fact  and  in  name  up  until  March  i, 
1803. 

CENSUS   OF    NORTHWEST   TERRITORY    IN    180O. 

The  division  of  1800  left  the  Northwest  Territory  with  only  about  one- 
third  of  its  original  area.  The  census  of  the  territory  taken  by  the  United 
States  government  in  1800  showed  it  to  have  a  total  population  of  forty-five 
thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty-five,  which  fell  short  by  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand of  being  sufficient  for  the  creation  of  a  state  as  provided  by  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787,  which  fixed  the  minimum  population  at  sixty-thousand.  The 
counties  left  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  with  their  respective  population, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  4:; 

are  set  forth  in  the  appended  table,  all  of  which  were  within  the  present  state 
of  Ohio,  except  Wayne : 

Adams 3,432 

Hamilton 14.632 

Jefferson   8,766 

Ross    8,540 

Trumbull 1,302 

Washington 5.427 

Wayne 3,206 

Total   45,365 

The  population  as  classified  by  the  census  with  respect  to  age  and  sex  is 
interesting  and  particularly  so  in  showing  that  considerably  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  total  population  were  children  under  ten  years  of  age. 

Males.  Females. 

Whites  up  to  ten  years  of  age 9.362  8,644 

Whites  from  ten  to  sixteen 3.647  3.353 

Whites     from  sixteen  to  twenty-six 4.636  3.861 

Whites  from  twenty-six  to   forty-five 4.833  3.342 

Whites  forty-five  and  upward 1.955  ^.395 

Total    24,433         20,595 

Total  of  both  sexes 45.028 

Total  of  other  persons,  not  Indians 337 

Grand  total   45,365 

The  above  table  shows  in  detail  the  character  and  distribution  of  the 
population  of  the  Northwest  Territory  after  the  division  of  1800.  It  is  at 
this  point  that  the  history  of  Indiana  properly  begins  and  it  is  pertinent  to  set 
forth  with  as  much  detail  as  possible  the  population  of  Indiana  Territory  at 
that  time.  The  population  of  5,641  was  grouped  about  a  dozen  or  more 
settlements  scattered  at  wide  intervals  throughout  the  territory.  The  follow- 
ing table  gives  the  settlements  in  Indiana  Territory  in  1800  with  their  re- 
spective number  of  inhabitants: 


46  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mackinaw,  in  northern  Michigan 251 

Green    Bay,    Wisconsin    50 

Prairie  du   Chien,  Wisconsin   65 

Cahokia,    Monroe  county,   IlHnois   719 

Belle  Fontaine,  Monroe  county,  Illinois 286 

L'Aigle,  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois 250 

Kaskaskia,   Randolph  county,   Illinois 467 

Prairie  du  Rocher,  Randolph  county,  Illinois 212 

Settlement  in  Mitchel  township,  Randolph  county.  111 334 

Fort  Massac,  southern  Illinois 90 

Clark's  Grant,  Clark  county,  Indiana 929 

Vincennes,  Knox  county,  Indiana 714 

Vicinity  of  Vincennes  (traders  and  trappers) 819 

Traders  and  trappers  at  Ouitenon  and  Fort  Wayne 155 

Fur  traders,  scattered  along  the  lakes 300 

Of  this  total  population  of  nearly  six  thousand,  it  was  about  equally 
divided  between  what  is  now  Indiana  and  Illinois.  There  were  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-three  free  negroes  reported,  while  there  were  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  slaves  of  color.  Undoubtedly,  this  census  of  1800  failed  to  give 
all  of  the  slave  population,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  there  were  efforts 
to  enslave  the  Indian  as  well  as  the  negro. 

All  of  these  settlements  with  the  exception  of  the  one  in  Clark's  Grant 
were  largely  French.  The  settlement  at  Jeffersonville  was  made  in  large 
part  by  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  was  the  only  real  American 
settlement  in  the  Indiana  Territory  when  it  was  organized  in  1800. 

FIRST   STAGE  OF   TERRITORIAL   GOVERNMENT. 

The  government  of  Indiana  Territory  was  formally  organized  July  4, 
1800,  and  in  a  large  book  kept  in  the  secretary  of  state's  office  at  Indianapolis, 
there  appears  in  the  large  legible  hand  of  John  Gibson  the  account  of  the  first 
meeting  of  the  officials  of  the  Territory.     It  reads  as  follows : 

"St.  Vincennes,  July  4,  1800.  This  day  the  government  of  the  Indiana 
Territory  commenced,  William  Henry  Harrison  having  been  appointed 
governor,  John  Gibson,  secretary,  William  Clarke,  Henry  Vanderburgh  & 
John  Griffin  Judges  in  and  over  said  Territory." 

Until  Governor  Harrison  appeared  at  Vincennes.  his  secretary,  John 
Gibson,  acted  as  governor.     The  first  territorial  court  met  March  3,  1801, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  47 

the  first  meeting  of  the  governor  and  judges  having  begun  on  the  12th  of  the 
preceding  January.  The  governor  and  judges,  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  continued  to  perform  all  legislative  and 
judicial  functions  of  the  territorv  until  it  was  advanced  to  the  representative 
stage  of  government  in  1805.  The  governor  had  sole  executive  power  and 
appointed  all  officials,  territorial  and  county. 

CHANGES  IN   B0UND.\RY   LlfillTS  OF  INDIANA. 

During  this  period  from  1800  to  1805,  the  territory  of  Indiana  was  con- 
siderably augmented  as  result  of  the  organization  of  the  state  of  Ohio  in 
1803.  At  that  date  Ohio  was  given  its  present  territorial  limits,  and  all  of 
the  rest  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was  included  within  Indiana  Territory 
from  this  date  until  1805.  During  this  interim  Louisiana  was  divided  and 
the  northern  part  was  attached  to  Indiana  Territory  for  purposes  of  civil  and 
criminal  jurisdiction.  This  was,  however,  only  a  temporary  arrangement, 
which  lasted  only  about  a  year  after  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  from  France. 
The  next  change  in  the  limits  of  Indiana  Territory  occurred  in  1805,  in 
which  year  the  territory  of  Michigan  was  set  off.  The  southern  line  of 
Aiichigan  was  made  tangent  to  the  southern  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan,  and 
it  so  remained  until  Indiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in  1816.  From  1805 
to  1809  Indiana  included  all  of  the  present  states  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wiscon- 
sin and  about  one-third  of  Minnesota.  In  the  latter  year  Illinois  was  set  off 
as  a  territory  and  Indiana  was  left  with  its  present  limits  with  the  exception 
of  a  ten-mile  strip  along  the  northern  boundary.  This  strip  was  detached 
from  Michigan  and  this  subsequently  led  to  friction  between  the  two  states, 
which  was  not  settled  until  the  United  States  government  gave  Michigan  a 
large  tract  of  land  west  of  Lake  Michigan.  Thus  it  is  seen  how  Indiana  has 
received  its  present  boundary  limits  as  the  result  of  the  successive  changes 
in  1803,  1805,  1809  and  1816. 

SECOND    STAGE    OF    TERRITORIAL    GOVERNMENT     (1805-1816.) 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  provided  that  whenever  the  population  of  the 
territory  reached  five  thousand  free  male  inhabitants  it  should  pass  upon  the 
question  of  advancing  to  the  second  or  representative  stage.  Governor  Har- 
rison issued  a  proclamation  August  4,  1804,  directing  an  election  to  be  held 
in  the  various  counties  of  Indiana  territory  on  the  nth  of  the  following 
month.     In  the  entire  territory,  then  comprehending  six  counties,  there  were 


48  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

only  three  hundred  and  ninety-one  votes  cast.     The   following  table   gives 
the  result  of  this  election: 

County.                   For  Ad\-ance.  Against  Advance.  Total. 

Clark 35  13                            48 

Dearborn o  26                            26 

Knox 163  12  175 

Randolph    40  21                             61 

St.  Clair 22  59                            81 

Wayne 000 

Total  260  131  391 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  no  vote  returned  from  Wayne  and  this  is 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  proclamation  notifying  the.  sheriff  was  not 
received  in  time  to  give  it  the  proper  advertisement.  Wayne  county  at  that 
time  included  practically  all  of  the  present  state  of  Michigan  and  is  not  to 
be  confused  with  the  Wayne  county  later  formed  within  the  present  limits  of 
Indiana.  As  result  of  this  election  and  its  majority  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  in  favor  of  advancing  to  the  second  stage  of  government,  the 
governor  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  an  election  on  January  3,  1805,  of 
nine  representatives,  the  same  being  proportioned  to  the  counties  as  follows : 
Wayne,  three;  Knox,  two;  Dearborn,  Clark,  Randolph  and  St.  Clair,  one 
each.  The  members  of  the  first  territorial  legislature  of  Indiana  convened 
at  Vincennes  on  July  29,  1805.  The  members  of  the  house  were  as  follows: 
Dr.  George  Fisher,  of  Randolph;  William  Biggs  and  Shadrach  Bond,  of  St. 
Clair;  Benjamin  Parke  and  John  Johnson,  of  Knox;  Davis  Floyd,  of  Clark, 
and  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  of  Dearborn.  This  gives,  however,  only  seven  repre- 
sentatives, Wayne  county  having  been  set  ofif  as  the  territory  of  Michigan 
in  the  spring  of  this  same  year.  A  re-apportionment  was  made  by  the 
governor  in  order  to  bring  the  quota  of  representatives  up  to  the  required 
number. 

The  Legislative  Council  consisted  of  five  men  as  provided  by  the  Ordin- 
ance of  1787,  namely:  Benjamin  Chambers,  of  Dearborn;  Samuel  Gwath- 
mey,  of  Clark;  John  Rice  Jones,  of  Knox;  Pierre  Menard,  of  Randolph,  and 
John  Hay,  of  St.  Clair.  It  is  not  possible  in  this  connection  to  give  a  detailed 
history  of  the  territory  of  Indiana  from  1805  until  its  admission  to  the  Union 
in  181 6.  Readers  who  wish  to  make  a  study  of  our  state's  history  can  find 
volumes  which  will  treat  the  historv  of  the  state  in  a  much  better  manner 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


49 


than  is  possible  in  a  volume  of  this  character.  It  may  be  noted  that  there 
were  five  general  assemblies  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  during  this  period 
of  eleven  years.  Each  one  of  the  five  general  assemblies  was  divided  into 
two  sessions,  which,  with  the  dates,  are  given  in  the  appended  table : 

First  General  Assembly — First  session,  July  29,  1805;  second  session, 
November  3,  1806. 

Second  General  Assembly — First  session,  August  12,  1807;  second 
session,  September  26,  1808. 

Third  General  Assembly — First  session,  November  12,  iSio;  second 
session,  November  12,  181 1. 

Fourth  General  Assembly — First  session,  February  i,  1813;  second 
session,  December  6,  1813. 

Fifth  General  Assembly — First  session,  August  15,  1814;  second  session, 
December  4,  181 5. 

CONGRESSIONAL    DELEGATES    OF    INDIANA    TERRITORY. 

Indiana  Territory  was  allowed  a  delegate  in  Congress  from  1805  until 
the  close  of  the  territorial  period.  The  first  three  delegates  were  elected  by 
the  Territorial  Legislature,  while  the  last  four  were  elected  by  the  qualified 
voters  of  the  territory.  The  first  delegate  was  Benjamin  Parke,  who  was 
elected  to  succeed  himself  in  1807  over  John  Rice  Jones,  Waller  Taylor  and 
Shadrach  Bond.  Parke  resigned  March  i,  1808,  to  accept  a  seat  on  the 
supreme  judiciary  of  Indiana  Territory,  and  remained  on  the  supreme  bench 
of  Indiana  after  it  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  holding  the  position  until  his 
death  at  Salem,  Indiana,  July  12,  1835.  Jesse  B.  Thomas  was  elected  Octo- 
ber 22,  1808,  to  succeed  Parke  as  delegate  to  Congress.  It  is  this  same 
Thomas  who  came  to  Brookville  in  1S08  with  Amos  Butler.  He  was  a 
tricky,  shifty,  and,  so  his  enemies  said,  an  unscrupulous  politician.  He  was 
later  elected  to  Congress  in  Illinois  and  became  the  author  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise.  In  the  spring  of  1809  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory  were 
permitted  to  cast  their  first  vote  for  the  delegate  to  Congress.  Three  candi- 
dates presented  themselves  for  the  consideration  of  the  voters,  Jonathan 
Jennings,  Thomas  Randolph  and  John  Johnson.  There  were  only  four 
counties  in  the  state  at  this  time,  Knox,  Harrison,  Clark  and  Dearborn.  Two 
counties,  St.  Clair  and  Randolph,  were  a  part  of  the  new  territory  of  Illinois, 
which  was  cut  ofif  from  Indiana  in  the  spring  of  1809.  The  one  newspaper 
of  the  territory  waged  a  losing  fight  against  Jennings,  the  latter  appealing  for 
(A) 


50  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

support  on  the  ground  of  his  anti-slavery  views.  The  result  of  the  election 
was  as  follows:  Jennings,  428;  Randolph,  402;  Johnson,  81.  Jonathan 
Jennings  may  be  said  to  be  the  first  successful  politician  produced  in  Indiana. 
His  congressional  career  began  in  1809  and  he  was  elected  to  Congress  four 
successive  terms  before  1816.  He  was  president  of  the  constitution  conven- 
tion of  i8'i6,  first  governor  of  the  state  and  was  elected  a  second  time,  but 
resigned  to  go  to  Congress,  where  he  was  sent  for  foiir  more  terms  by  the 
voters  of  his  district. 

EFFORTS  TO  ESTABLISH   SLAVERY  IN  INDIANA. 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  specifically  provided  that  neither  slavery  nor  any 
voluntary  servitude  should  ever  exist  in  the  Northwest  Territory.  Notwith- 
standing this  prohibition,  slavery  actually  did  exist,  not  only  in  the  North- 
west Territory,  but  in  the  sixteen  years  while  Indiana  was  a  territory  as  well. 
The' constitution  of  Indiana  in  1S16  expressly  forbade  slavery  and  yet  the 
census  of  1820  reported  one  hundred  and  ninety  slaves  in  Indiana,  which 
was  only  forty-seven  less  than  there  was  in  1810.  Most  of  these  slaves  were 
held  in  the  southwestern  counties  of  the  state,  there  being  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  in  Knox,  thirty  in  Gibson,  eleven  in  Posey,  ten  in  Vanderburg  and 
the  remainder  widely  scattered  throughout  the  state.  As  late  as  181 7  Frank- 
lin county  scheduled  slaves  for  taxation,  listing  them  at  three  dollars  each. 
The  tax  schedule  for  18 13  says  that  the  property  tax  on  "horses,  town  lots, 
servants  of  color  and  free  males  of  color  shall  be  the  same  as  in  1814." 
Franklin  county  did  not  return  slaves  at  the  census  of  1810  or  1820,  but  the 
above  extract  from  the  commissioners'  record  of  Franklin  county  proved  con- 
clusively that  slaves  were  held  there.  Congress  was  petitioned  on  more 
than  one  occasion  during  the  territorial  period  to  set  aside  the  prohibition 
against  slavery,  but  on  each  occasion  refused  to  assent  to  the  appeal  of  the 
slavery  advocates.  While  the  constitution  convention  of  181 6  was  in  session, 
there  was  an  attempt  made  to  introduce  slavery,  but  it  failed  to  accomplish 
anything. 

■     THE    INDIAN    LANDS. 

The  United  States  government  bought  from  the  Indians  all  of  the  land 
within  the  present  state  of  Indiana  with  the  exception  of  a  small  tract  around 
Vincennes,  which  was  given  by  the  Indians  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  first  purchase  of  land  was 
made  in  1795,  at  which  time  a  triangular  strip  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  •  5 1 

State  was  secured  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville.  By  the  time  Indiana  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union  in  iSi6,  the  following  tracts  had  been  purchased:  Vin- 
cennes  tract,  June  7,  1803;  Vincennes  treaty  tract,  August  18  and  27,  1804; 
Grouseland  tract,  August  21,  1805;  Harrison's  purchase,  September  30,  1809; 
Twelve-mile  purchase,  September  30,  1809. 

No  more  purchases  were  made  from  the  Indians  until  the  fall  of  1818, 
at  which  time  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  central  part  of  vtie  state  was  pur- 
chased from  the  Indians.  This  tract  included  all  of  the  land  north  of  the 
Indian  boundary  lines  of  1805  and  1809,  and  south  of  the  Wabash  river  with 
the  exception  of  what  was  known  as  the  Miami  reservation.  This  treaty, 
known  as  St.  Mary's,  was  finally  signed  on  October  6,  1818,  and  the  next 
Legislature  proceeded  to  divide  it  into  two  counties,  Wabash  and  Delaware. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    COUNTIES. 

As  fast  as  the  population  would  warrant,  new  counties  were  established 
in  this  New  Purchase  and  Hamilton  county  was  the  tenth  to  be  so  organized. 
This  county  was  created  by  the  legislative  act  of  January  8,  1823,  and  began 
its  formal  career  as  an  independent  county  on  the  7th  of  the  following  April. 
For  purposes  of  reference,  a  list  of  the  counties  organized  up  until  1823, 
when  Hamilton  county  was  established,  is  here  appended.  The  dates  given 
represent  the  time  when  the  organization  of  the  county  became  effective,  since 
in  many  instances  it  was  from  a  few  months  to  as  much  as  seven  years  after 
the  act  establishing  the  county  was  passed  before  it  became  effective. 

1.  Knox June  20,  1790  15.     Orange Feb.  i,  1816 

2.  Clark    Feb.     3,  1801  16.     Sullivan    Jan.  15,  1817 

3.  Dearborn    Mch.     7,  1803  17.     Jennings Feb.  i,  1817 

4.  Harrison    Dec.      i,  1808  18.     Pike   Feb.  i,  1817 

5.  Jefiferson Feb.      i,  1811  19.     Daviess Feb.  15,  1817 

6.  Franklin Feb.      i,  181 1  20.     Dubois Feb.  i,  1818 

7.  Wayne Feb.      i,  1811  21.     Spencer Feb.  i,  1818 

8.  Warrick Apr.      i,  1813  22.  Vanderburgh  ___Feb.  i.  1818 

9.  Gibson Apr.     i,  1813  23.     Vigo Feb.  15,  1818 

ID.  Washington Jan.   17,  1814  24.     Crawford Mch.  i,  1S18 

11.  Switzerland Oct.  i,  1814  25.  Lawrence Mch.  i,  1818 

12.  Posey Nov.  i,  1814  26.  Monroe Apr.  10,  1818 

13.  Perry Nov.  i,  1814  27.  Ripley    Apr.  10,  1818 

14.  Jackson Jan.  i,  1816  28.  Randolph Aug.  10,  1818 


52 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


29.     Owen Jan. 


30.  Fayette Jan. 

31.  Floyd Feb.  2,  1819     40 

32.  Scott Feb.  I,  1820 

33.  Martin   Feb.  i,  1820 

34.  Union Feb 

35.  Greene    Feb.  5,  1821 

36.  Bartholomew Feb.  12,  1821 

37.  Parke Apr.  2,  1821 


I,   1819     38.     Morgan    Feb.  15,  1822 

I,   1819     39.     Decatur Mch.  4,  1822 

Shelby    Apr.  i,  1822 

Rush Apr.  I,  1822 

Marion Apr.  i,  1822 


41 
42. 
1821     43 

44 

45' 


Putnam    Apr.      i,   18:; 


Henry    June     i,   1822 

Montgomery Mch.      i,   1823 

46.     Hamilton Apr.     7,   1823 


The  first  thirteen  counties  in  the  above  list  were  all  that  were  organized 
when  the  territory  of  Indiana  petitioned  Congress  for  an  enabling  act  in  1815. 
They  were  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state  and  had  a  total  population  of 
sixty-three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-seven.  At  that  time  the  total 
state  tax  was  only  about  five  thousand  dollars,  while  the  assessment  of  the 
whole  state  in  18 16  amounted  to  only  six  thousand  forty-three  dollars  and 
thirty-six  cents. 

CHANGES  IN   THE   CONSTITUTION   OF  INDIANA. 


The  Constitution  of  1816  was  framed  by  forty-three  delegates  who  met 
at  Corydon  from  June  10  to  June  29  of  that  year.  It  was  provided  in  the 
Constitution  of  1816  that  a  vote  might  be  taken  every  twelve  years  on  the 
question  of  amending,  revising  or  writing  a  wholly  new  instrument  of  gov- 
ernment. Although  several  efforts  were  made  to  hold  constitution  conven- 
tions between  1816  and  1850,  the  vote  failed  each  time  until  1848.  Elections 
were  held  in  1823,  1828,  1840  and  1846,  but  each  time  there  was  returned 
an  adverse  vote  against  the  calling  of  a  constitutional  convention.  There  were 
no  amendments  to  the  1816  Constitution,  although  the  revision  of  1824,  by 
Benjamin  Parke  and  others  was  so  thorough  that  it  was  said  that  the  revision 
committee  had  done  as  much  as  a  constitution  convention  could  have  done. 

It  was  not  until  1848  that  a  successful  vote  on  the  question  of  calling  a 
constitution  convention  was  carried.  There  were  many  reasons  which  in- 
duced the  people  of  the  state  to  favor  a  convention.  Among  these  may  be 
mentioned  the  following:  The  old  Constitution  provided  that  all  the  state 
ofiicers  except  the  governor  and  lieutenant-governor  should  be  elected  by  the 
legislature.  Many  of  the  county  and  township  officers  were  appointed  by 
the  county  commissioners.  Again,  the  old  Constitution  attempted  to  handle 
too  many  matters  of  local  concern.     All  divorces  from  1816  to  iS^i  were 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  53 

granted  by  the  Legislature.  Special  laws  were  passed  which  would  apply  to 
particular  counties  and  even  to  particular  townships  in  the  county.  If  Nobles- 
ville  wanted  an  alley  \'acated  or  a  street  closed,  it  had  to  appeal  to  the  Legis- 
lature lor  permission  to  do  so.  If  a  man  wanted  to  ferry  people  across  a 
stream  in  Posey  county,  his  representative  presented  a  bill  to  the  Legislature 
asking  that  the  proposed  ferryman  be  given  permission  to  ferry  people  across 
the  stream.  The  agitation  for  free  schools  attracted  the  support  of  the  edu- 
cated people  of  the  state,  and  most  of  the  newspapers  were  outspoken  in  their 
advocacy  of  better  educational  privileges.  The  desire  for  better  schools,  for 
freer  representation  in  the  selection  of  officials,  for  less  interference  by  the 
Legislature  in  local  affairs,  led  to  a  desire  on  the  part  of  majority  of  the 
people  of  the  state  for  a  new  Constitution. 

The  second  constitutional  convention  of  Indiana  met  at  Indianapolis, 
October  7,  iS'50,  and  continued  in  session  for  four  months.  The  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  delegates  labored  faithfully  to  give  the  state  a  Constitution 
fully  abreast  of  the  times  and  in  accordance  with  the  best  ideas  of  the  day. 
More  power  was  given  the  people  by  allowing  them  to  select  not  only  all  of 
the  state  officials,  but  also  their  county  officers  as  well.  The  convention  of 
1850  took  a  decided  stand  against  the  negro  and  proposed  a  referendum  on 
the  question  of  prohibiting  the  further  emigration  of  negroes  into  the  state 
of.  Indiana.  The  subsequent  vote  on  this  question  showed  that  the  people 
were  not  disposed  to  tolerate  the  colored  race.  As  a  matter  of  fact  no  negro 
or  mulatto  could  legally  come  into  Indiana  from  1852  until  1881,  when  the 
restriction  was  removed  by  an  amendment  of  the  Constitution.  Another 
important  feature  of  the  new  Constitution  was  the  provision  for  free  schools. 
What  we  now  know  as  a  public  school  supported  at  the  expense  of  the  state, 
was  unkr.own  under  the  1816  Constitution.  The  new  Constitution  estab- 
lished a  system  of  free  public  schools,  and  subsequent  statutory  legislation 
strengthened  the  constitutional  provision  so  that  the  state  now  ranks  among 
the  leaders  in  educational  matters  throughout  the  nation.  The  people  of  the 
state  had  voted  on  the  question  of  free  schools  in  1848  and  had  decided  that 
they  should  be  established,  but  there  was  such  a  strong  majority  opposed  to 
free  schools  that  nothing  was  done.  Orange  county  gave  only  an  eight  per 
cent  vote  in  favor  of  free  schools,  while  Putnam  and  Monroe,  containing 
DePauw  and  Indiana  Universities,  respectively,  voted  adversely  by  large 
majorities.  But,  with  the  backing  of  the  Constitution,  the  advocates  of  free 
schools  began  to  push  the  fight  for  their  establishment,  and  as  a  result  of  the 
legislative  acts  of  1855,  ^^S7  ^"^  1867,  the  public  schools  were  placed  upon 
a  sound  basis. 


54  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Such  in  brief  were  the  most  important  features  of  the  1832  Constitution. 
It  has  remained  substantially  to  this  day  as  it  was  written  sixty-five  years 
ago.  It  is  true  there  have  been  some  amendments,  but  the  changes  of  1878 
and  1 88 1  did  not  alter  the  Constitution  in  any  important  particular.  There 
was  no  concerted  effort  toward  calling  a  constitutional  convention  until  the 
Legislature  of  1913  provided  for  a  referendum  on  the  question  at  the  polls, 
November  4,  19 14.  Despite  the  fact  that  all  the  political  parites  had  de- 
clared in  favor  of  a  constitutional  convention  in  their  platforms,  the  question 
was  voted  down  by  a  large  majority.  An  effort  was  made  to  have  the  ques- 
tion submitted  by  the  Legislature  of  1915,  but  the  Legislature  refused  to 
submit  the  question  to  the  voters  of  the  state. 

CAPITALS    OF    NORTHWEST    TERRITORY    AND    INDIANA. 

The  present  state  of  Indiana  was  comprehended  within  the  Northwest 
Territory  from  1787  to  1800,  and  during  that  time  the  capital  was  located 
within  the  present  state  of  Ohio.  When  the  Ordinance  of  1787  was  put  in 
operation  on  July  17,  1788,  the  capital  was  established  at  Marietta,  the  name 
being  chosen  by  the  directors  of  the  Ohio  Company  on  July  2,  of  the  same 
year.  The  name  Marietta  was  selected  in  honor  of  the  French  Queen,  Marie 
Antoinette,  compounded  by  curious  combination  of  the  first  and  last  syllables 
of  her  name. 

When  Indiana  was  set  off  b};  the  act  of  May  7,  1800,  the  same  act 
located  the  capital  at  Vincennes  where  it  remained  for  nearly  thirteen  years. 
The  old  building  in  which  the  Territorial  Assembly  first  met  in  1805  is  still 
standing  in  Vincennes.  In  the  spring  of  1813  the  capital  of  the  territory 
was  removed  to  Corydon  and  it  was  in  that  quaint  little  village  that  Indiana 
began  its  career  as  a  state.  It  remained  there  until  November,  1824,  when 
Samuel  Merrill  loaded  up  all  of  the  state's  effects  in  three  large  wagons  and 
hauled  them  overland  to  the  new  capital — Indianapolis.  Indianapolis  had 
been  chosen  as  the  seat  of  government  by  a  committee  of  ten  men,  appointed 
in  1820  by  the  Legislature.  It  was  not  until  1824,  however,  that  a  building 
was  erected  in  the  new  capital  which  would  accommodate  the  state  officials 
and  the  General  Assembly.  The  first  court  house  in  Marion  county  was  built 
on  the  site  of  the  present  building,  and  was  erected  with  a  view  of  utilizing 
it  as  a  state  house  until  a  suitable  capitol  building  could  be  erected.  The  state 
continued  to  use  the  Marion  county  court  house  until  1835,  by  which  time  an 
imposing  state  house  had  been  erected.  This  building  was  in  use  until  1877, 
when  it  was  razed  to  make  way  for  the  present  beautiful  building. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  55 


MILITARY    HISTORY. 


Indiana  has  had  some  of  its  citizens  in  four  wars  in  which  United  States 
has  engaged  since  iSoo:  The  \A'ar  of  1812,  the  Mexican  War,  the  Civil 
War,  and  the  Spanish-American  \\'ar.  One  of  the  most  important  engage- 
ments ever  fought  against  the  Indians  in  the  United  States  was  that  of  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe,  November  7,  181 1.  For  the  two  or  three  years  pre- 
ceding, Tecumseh  and  his  brother,  the  Prophet,  had  been  getting  the  Indians 
ready  for  an  insurrection.  Tecumseh  made  a  long  trip  throughout  the  west- 
ern and  southern  part  of  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the 
Indians  all  over  the  country  to  rise  up  and  drive  out  the  white  man.  While 
he  was  still  in  the  South,  Governor  Harrison  descended  upon  the  Indians  at 
Tippecanoe  and  dealt  them  a  blow  from  which  they  never  recovered.  The 
British  had  been  urging  the  Indians  to  rise  up  against  the  settlers  along  the 
frontier,  and  the  repeated  depredations  of  the  savages  but  increased  the  hos- 
tility of  the  United  States  toward  England.  General  Harrison  had  about 
seven  hundred  fighting  men,  while  the  Indians  numbered  over  a  thousand. 
The  Americans  lost  thirty-seven  by  death  on  the  battlefield,  twenty-five  mor- 
tally wounded  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  more  or  less  seriously 
wounded.  The  savages  carried  most  of  their  dead  away,  but  it  is  known  that 
about  forty  were  actually  killed  in  the  battle  and  a  proportionately  large  nuiu- 
ber  wounded.  In  addition  to  the  men  who  fought  at  Tippecanoe,  the  pio- 
neers of  the  territory  sent  their  quota  to  the  front  during  the  War  of  1812. 
Unfortunately,  records  are  not  available  to  show  the  enlistments  by  counties. 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Whitcomb  (1846-49)  the  United 
States  was  engaged  in  a  war  with  Mexico.  Indiana  contributed  five  regi- 
ments to  the  government  during  this  struggle,  and  her  troops  performed  with 
a  spirit  of  singular  promptness  and  patriotism  during  all  the  time  they  were 
at  the  front. 

No  Northern  state  had  a  more  patriotic  governor  during  the  Civil  War 
than  Indiana,  and  had  every  governor  in  the  North  done  his  duty  as  conscien- 
tiously as  did  Governor  Morton  that  terrible  struggle  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  materially  shortened.  When  President  Lincoln  issued  his  call  on 
April  15,  i86j,  for  75,000  volunteers,  Indiana  was  asked  to  furnish  4,683 
men  as  its  quota.  A  week  later  there  were  no  less  than  12,000  volunteers 
at  Camp  Morton  at  Indianapolis.  This  loyal  uprising  was  a  tribute  to  the 
patriotism  of  the  people,  and  accounts  for  the  fact  that  Indiana  sent  more 
than  200,000  men  to  the  front  during  the  war.  Indiana  furnished  prac- 
ticallv  seventy-five  per  cent  of  its  total  population  capable  of  bearing  arms, 


:^6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  on  this  basis  Delaware  was  the  only  state  in  the  Union  which  exceeded 
Indiana.  Of  the  troops  sent  from  Indiana.  7,243  were  killed  or  mortally 
wounded,  and  19,429  died  from  other  causes,  making  a  total  death  loss  of 
over  thirteen  per  cent  for  all  the  troops  furnished. 

During  the  summer  of  1863  Indiana  was  thrown  into  a  frenzy  of  excite- 
ment when  it  was  learned  that  General  ^Morgan  had  crossed  the  Ohio  with 
2,000  cavalrymen  under  his  command.  Probably  Indiana  never  experienced 
a  more  exciting  month  than  July  of  that  year.  ^lorgan  entered  the  state  in 
Harrison  county  and  advanced  northward  through  Corydon  to  Salem  in 
Washington  county.  As  his  men  went  along  they  robbed  orchards,  looted 
farm  houses,  stole  all  the  horses  which  they  could  find  and  burned  consider- 
able property.  From  Salem.  Alorgan  turned  with  his  men  to  the  east,  having 
been  deterred  from  his  threatened  advance  on  Indianapolis  by  the  knowledge 
that  the  local  militia  of  the  state  would  soon  be  too  strong  for  him.  He  hur- 
ried with  his  men  toward  the  Ohio  line,  stopping  at  X'ersailles  long  enough 
to  loot  the  county  treasury.  ^lorgan  passed  through  Dearborn  county  over 
into  Ohio,  near  Harrison,  and  a  few  days  later.  Morgan  and  most  of  his  band 
were  captured. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  war  there  was  considerable  opposition  to 
its  prosecution  on  the  part  of  the  Democrats  of  this  state.  An  organization 
known  as  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  at  first,  and  later  as  the  Sons  of 
Liberty,  was  instrumental  in  stirring  up  much  trouble  throughout  the  state. 
Probably  historians  will  never  be  able  to  agree  as  to  the  degree  of  their 
culpability  in  thwarting  the  government  authorities  in  the  conduct  of  the  war. 
That  thev  did  many  overt  acts  cannot  be  questioned  and  that  they  collected 
fire  arms  for  traitorous  designs  cannot  be  denied.  Governor  Morton  and 
General  Carrington,  by  a  system  of  close  espionage,  were  able  to  know  at  all 
times  just  what  was  transpiring  in  the  councils  of  these  orders.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  1864  there  was  an  open  denunciation  through  the  Republican  press 
of  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  On  October  8  of  that  year  the  Republican  news- 
papers carried  these  startling  headlines :  "You  can  rebuke  this  treason.  The 
traitors  intend  to  bring  war  to  your  home.  Meet  them  at  the  ballot  box 
wh.ile  Grant  and  Sherman  meet  them  on  the  battle  field.''  A  number  of  the 
leaders  were  arrested,  convicted  in  a  military  court  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 
However,  they  were  later  pardoned. 

The  Spanish-American  War  of  1898  has  been  the  last  one  in  which 
troops  from  Indiana  have  borne  a  part.  When  President  JMcKinley  issued 
his  call  for  75.000  volunteers  on  April  25,  1898,  Indiana  was  called  upon  to 
furnish  three  regiments.     \\'ar  was  officially  declared  .\pril  25,  and  formally 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  Z,-J 

came  to  an  end  by  tlie  signing  of  a  protocol  on  August  12  of  the  same  year. 
The  main  engagements  of  importance  were  the  sea  battles  of  Manila  and 
Santiago  and  the  land  engagements  of  El  Caney  and  San  Juan  Hill.  Ac- 
cording to  the  treaty  of  Paris,  signed  December  12,  i8g8,  Spain  relinquished 
her  sovereignty  over  Cuba,  ceded  to  the  United  States  Porto  Rico  and  her 
other  West  India  Island  possessions,  as  well  as  the  island  of  Guam  in  the 
Pacific.  Spain  also  transferred  her  rights  in  the  Philippines  for  the  sum  of 
twenty  million  dollars  paid  to  her  for  public  work  and  improvements  con- 
structed by  the  Spanish  government. 

POLITICAL    HISTORY. 

It  is  not  possible  to  trace  in  detail  the  political  history  of  Indiana  for  the 
past  century  and  in  this  connection  an  attempt  is  made  only  to  survey  briefly 
the  political  history  of  the  state.  For  more  than  half  a  century  Indiana  has 
been  known  as  a  pivotal  state  in  politics.  In  18 16  there  w'as  only  one  political 
party  and  Jennings,  Noble,  Taylor,  Hendricks  and  all  of  the  politicians  of 
that  day  were  grouped  into  this  one — the  Democratic  party.  Whatever 
differences  in  views  they  might  have  had  were  due  to  local  issues  and  not  to 
any  cjuestions  of  national  portent.  Questions  concerning  the  improvements 
of  rivers,  the  building  of  canals,  the  removal  of  court  houses  and  similar 
cjuestions  of  state  importance  only  divided  the  politicians  in  the  early  history 
of  Indiana  into  groups.  There  was  one  group  known  as  the  White  Water 
faction,  another  called  the  Vincennes  crowd,  and  still  another  designated  as 
the  White  river  delegation.  From  1816  until  as  late  as  1832,  Indiana  was 
the  scene  of  personal  politics,  and  during  the  years  Adams,  Clay  and  Jackson 
were  candidates  for  the  presidency  on  the  same  ticket,  men  were  known 
politically  as  Adams  men,  Clay  men  or  Jackson  men.  The  election  returns 
in  the  twenties  and  thirties  di.sclose  no  tickets  labeled  Democrat,  Whig  or 
Republican,  but  the  w'ords  "Adams,"  "Clay,"  or  Jackson." 

The  question  of  internal  improvements  which  arose  in  the  Legislature 
of  1836  was  a  large  contributing  factor  in  the  division  of  the  politicians  of 
the  state.  The  Whig  party  may  be  dated  from  1832,  although  it  was  not 
until  four  years  later  that  it  came  into  national  prominence.  The  Democrats 
elected  tb.e  state  officials,  including  the  governor,  down  to  1831,  but  in  that 
}ear  the  opposition  party,  later  called  the  Whigs,  elected  Noah  Noble 
governor.  For  the  next  twelve  years  the  Whigs,  with  their  cry  of  internal 
improvements,  controlled  the  state.  The  ^^'higs  went  out  of  power  W'ith 
Samuel  Bigger  in  1843,  ^'^^  when  they  came  into  power  again  they  appeared 


58  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

under  the  name  of  Republicans  in  1861.  Since  the  Civil  War  the  two  parties 
have  practically  divided  the  leadership  between  them,  there  having  been  seven 
Republicans  and  six  Democrats  elected  governor  of  the  state.  The  following 
table  gives  a  list  of  the  governors  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  Indiana  Terri- 
tory and  the  state  of  Indiana.  The  Federalists  were  in  control  up  to  1800 
and  Harrison  and  his  followers  may  be  classed  as  Democratic-Republicans. 
The  politics  of  the  governors  of  the  state  are  indicated  in  the  table. 

GOVERNORS    OF    INDIANA. 

Of  the  Territory  Northwest  of  the  Ohio — 

Arthur   St.   Clair 1787-1800 

Of  the  Territory  of  Indiana — 

John  Gibson   (acting) July  4,   1800-1801 

William    H.    Harrison    1801-1812 

Thomas  Posey 1S12-1816 

Of  the  State  of  Indiana — 

Jonathan  Jennings,  Dem.   1816-1822 

Ratliff  Boon,  Dem. September  12  to  December  5,  1822 

William    Hendricks,    Dem.    1822-1825 

James  B.  Ray  (acting),  Dem. Feb.  12  to  Dec.  11,  1825 

James  B.  Ray,  Dem. 1825-1831 

Noah  Noble,  Whig 1831-1837 

David  Wallace,  Whig 1837-1S40 

Samuel  Bigger,  Whig 1840-1843 

James  Whitcomb,  Dem.   1843-1848 

Paris  C.  Dunning  (acting),  Dem. 1848-1849 

Joseph  A.  Wright,  Dem. 1849-1857 

Ashbel  P.  Willard,  Dem.  -___iS57-i86o 

Abram  A.  Hammond  (acting),  Dem. 1860-1861 

Henry  S.  Lane,  Rep. January  14  to  January  16,  1861 

Oliver  P.  Morton  (acting).  Rep. 1861-1865 

Oliver  P.  Morton,  Rep.   1865-1867 

Conrad  Baker  (acting),  Rep. 1867-1869 

Conrad  Baker,   Rep.  1869-1873 

Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Dem. 1873-1S77 

James  D.  Williams,  Dem. 1877-1880 

Isaac  P.  Gray  (acting),  Dem. 1880-1881 

Albert  G.  Porter,  Rep. 1881-1885 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  59 

Isaac  p.  Gray,  Dem. 1885-1889 

Alvin  P.  Hovey,  Rep. 1S89-1891 

Ira  J.  Chase  (acting),  Rep Nov.  24,  1891  to  Jan.  9,  1893 

Claude  Matthews.  Dem. 1893-1897 

James  A.  JMoiint,  Rep. 1897-1901 

Winfield  T.  Durbin,  Rep. 1901-1905 

J.  Frank  Hanley,  Rep. 1905-1909 

Thomas  R.  Marshall,  Dem. 1909-1913 

Samuel  R.  Ralston,  Dem. 1913- 

A  CENTURY  OF  GROWTH. 

Indiana  was  the  first  territory  created  out  of  the  old  Northwest  Territory 
and  the  second  state  to  be  formed.  It  is  now  on  the  eve  of  its  one  hundredth 
anniversary,  and  it  becomes  the  purpose  of  the  historian  in  this  connection  to 
give  a  brief  survey  of  what  these  one  hundred  years  have  done  for  the  state. 
There  has  been  no  change  in  territory  limits,  but  the  original  territory  has 
been  subdivided  into  counties  year  by  year,  as  the  population  warranted,  until 
from  thirteen  counties  in  i8'i6  the  state  grew  to  ninety-two  counties  by  1859. 
From  1 81 6  to  1840  new  counties  were  organized  every  year  with  the  exception 
of  one  year.'  Starting  in  with  a  population  of  5,641  in  1800,  Indiana  has 
increased  by  leaps  and  bounds  until  it  now  has  a  population  of  two  million 
seven  hundred  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-six.  The  appended  table 
is  interesting  in  showing  the  growth  of  population  by  decades  since  1800: 

Per  Cent 

Census  Decades.        Population.  Increase.           of  Increase. 

1800   5,641 

1810  24,520  18,879  334.7  • 

1820  147,178  122,658  500.2 

1830  343.031  195.853  1331 

1840 685,866  342,835        99.9  . 

1850  988,416  302,550        44.1 

i860  1,350,428  362.012        36.6 

1870  1,680,637  330.209        24.5 

1880  1,978,301  297,664        17.7 

1890  2,192,404  214,103        10.8 

1900  2,516,462  324.058       14-8 

1910  2,700,876  184,414         J.-^, 


bo  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Statistics  are  usually  very  dry  and  uninteresting,  but  there  are  a  few 
figures  which  are  at  least  instructive  if  not  interesting.  For  instance,  in  1910, 
1,143,835  people  of  Indiana  lived  in  towns  and  cities  of  more  than  2,500. 
There  were  S'22,434  voters,  and  580,557  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
forty-four  were  eligible  for  military  service.  An  interesting  book  of  statistics 
from  which  these  figures  are  taken  covering  every  phase  of  the  growth  of  the 
state  is  found  in  the  biennial  report  of  the  state  statistician. 

The  state  has  increased  in  wealth  as  well  as  population  and  the  total  state 
tax  of  six  thousand  forty-three  dollars  and  thirty-six  cents  of  1816  increased 
in  1915  to  more  than  six  million.  In  1816  the  only  factories  in  the  state  were 
grist  or  saw  mills ;  all  of  the  clothing,  furniture  and  most  of  the  farming  tools 
were  made  by  the  pioneers  themselves.  At  that  time  the  farmer  was  his  own 
doctor,  his  own  blacksmith,  his  own  lawyer,  his  own  dentist  and,  if  he  had 
divine  services,  he  had  to  be  the  preacher.  But  now  it  is  changed.  The  spin- 
ning wheel  finds  its  resting  place  in  the  attic ;  a  score  of  occupations  have  arisen 
to  satisfy  the  manifold  wants  of  the  farmer.  Millions  of  dollars  are  now  in- 
vested in  factories,  other  millions  are  invested  in  steam  and  electric  roads,  still 
other  millions  in  public  utility  plants  of  all  kinds.  The  governor  now  receives 
a  larger  salary  than  did  all  the  state  officials  put  together  in  1861,  while  the 
county  sheriff^  has  a  salary  which  is  more  than  double  the  compensation  first 
allowed  the  governor  of  the  state. 

Indiana  is  rich  in  natural  resources.  It  not  only  has  millions  of  acres  of 
good  farming  land,  but  it  has  had  fine  forests  in  the  past.  From  the  timber 
of  its  woods  have  been  built  the  homes  for  the  past  one  hundred  years  and,  if 
rightly  conserved  there  is  timber  for  many  years  yet  to  come.  The  state  has 
beds  of  coal  and  quarries  of  stone  which  are  not  surpassed  in  any  state  in  the 
Union.  For  many  years  natural  gas  was  a  boon  to  Indiana  manufacturing, 
but  it  was  used  so  extravagently  that  it  soon  became  exhausted.  Some  of  the 
largest  factories  of  their  kind  in  the  country  are  to  be  found  in  the  Hoosier 
state.  The  steel  works  at  Gary  employs  tens  of  thousands  of  men  and  are 
constantly  increasing  in  importance.  At  Elwood  is  the  largest  tin  plate  fac- 
tory in  the  world,  while  Evansville  boasts  of  the  largest  cigar  factory  in  the 
world.  At  South  end  the  Studebaker  and  Oliver  manufacturing  plants  turn 
out  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  goods  every  year.  When  it  is  known  that 
over  half  of  the  population  of  the  state  is  now  living  in  towns  and  cities,  it 
must  be  readily  seen  that  farming  is  no  longer  the  sole  occupation.  A  sys- 
tem of  railroads  has  been  built  which  brings  every  corner  of  the  state  in  close 
touch  with  Indianapolis.  In  fact,  every  county  seat  but  four  is  in  railroad 
connection  with  the  capital  of  the  state.     Every  county  has  its  local  telephone 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  01 

systems,  its  rural  free  deliveries  and  its  good  roads  unifying  the  various 
parts  of  the  county.  All  of  this  makes  for  hetter  civilization  and  a  happier 
and  more  contented  people. 

Indiana  prides  herself  on  her  educational  system.  With  sixteen  thousand 
public  and  parochial  school  teachers,  with  three  state  institutions  of  learning,  a 
score  of  church  schools  of  all  kinds  as  well  as  private  institutions  of  learning, 
Indiana  stands  high  in  educational  circles.  The  state  maintains  universities 
at  Bloomington  and  Lafayette  and  a  normal  school  at  Terre  Haute.  Many  of 
the  churches  have  schools  supported  in  part  by  their  denominations.  The 
Catholics  have  the  largest  Catholic  university  in  the  United  States  at  Notre 
Dame,  while  St.  Mary's  of  the  Woods  at  Terre  Haute  is  known  all  over  the 
world.  Academies  under  Catholic  supervision  are  maintained  at  Indianapolis, 
Terre  Haute,  Fort  Wayne,  Rensselaer,  Jasper  and  Oldenburg.  The. Method- 
ists have  institutions  at  DePauw,  Moore's  Hill  and  Upland.  The  Presby- 
terian schools  are  Wabash  and  Hanover  Colleges.  The  Christian  church  is 
in  control  of  Butler  and  Merom  Colleges.  Concordia  at  Fort  Wayne  is  one 
of  the  largest  Lutheran  schools  in  the  United  States.  The  Quakers  support 
Earlham  College,  as  well  as  the  academies  at  Fairmount,  Bloomingdale, 
Plainfield  and  Spiceland.  The  Baptists  are  in  charge  of  Franklin  College, 
while  the  United  Brethern  give  their  allegiance  to  Indiana  Central  University 
at  Indianapolis.  The  Seventh-Day  Adventists  have  a  school  at  Boggstown. 
The  Dunkards  at  North  Manchester  and  the  Mennonites  at  Goshen  maintain 
schools  for  their  respective  churches. 

The  state  seeks  to  take  care  of  all  of  its  unfortunates.  Its  charitable, 
benevolent  and  correctional  institutions  rank  high  among  similar  institutions 
in  the  country.  Insane  asylums  are  located  at  Indianapolis,  Richmond, 
Logansport,  Evansville  and  Madison.  The  State  Soldiers'  Home  is  at 
Lafayette,  while  the  National  Soldiers'  Home  is  at  Marion. 

The  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Orphans'  Home  at  Knightstown,  is  main- 
tained for  the  care  and  education  of  the  orphan  children  of  Union  soldiers 
and  sailors.  The  state  educates  and  keeps  them  until  they  are  sixteen  years 
of  age'  if  they  have  not  been  given  homes  in  families  before  they  reach  that 
age.  Institutions  for  the  education  of  the  blind  and  also  the  deaf  and  dumb 
are  located  at  Indianapolis.  The  state  educates  all  children  so  afflicted  and 
teaches  them  some  useful  trade  which  will  enable  them  to  make  their  own 
way  in  the  world.  The  School  for  Feeble  Minded  at  Fort  Wayne  has  had 
more  than  one  thousand  children  in  attendance  annually  for  several  years. 
Within  the  past  few  years  an  epileptic  village  has  been  established  at  New 
Castle,  Indiana,  for  the  care  of  those  so  afflicted.     A  prison  is  located  at 


62  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Michigan  City  for  the  incarceration  of  male  criminals  convicted  by  any  of 
the  courts  of  the  state  of  treason,  murder  in  the  first  or  second  degree,  and 
of  all  persons  convicted  of  any  felony  who  at  the  time  of  conviction  are 
thirty  years  of  age  and  over.  The  Reformatory  at  Jeffersonville  takes  care 
of  male  criminals  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  thirty,  who  are  guilty  of 
crimes  other  than  those  just  mentioned.  The  female  criminals  from  the 
ages  of  fifteen  upwards  are  kept  in  the  women's  prison  at  Indianapolis.  A 
school  for  incorrigible  boys  is  maintained  at  Plainfield.  It  receives  boys  be- 
tween the  ages  of  seven  and  eighteen,  although  no  boy  can  be  kept  after  he 
reaches  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Each  county  provides  for  its  own  poor  and 
practically  every  county  in  the  state  has  a  poor  farm  and  many  of  them  have 
homes  for  orphaned  or  indigent  children.  Each  county  in  the  state  also 
maintains  a  correctional  institution  known  as  the  jail,  in  which  prisoners  are 
committed  while  waiting  for  trial  or  as  punishment  for  convicted  crime. 

But  Indiana  is  great  not  alone  in  its  material  prosperity,  but  also  in  those 
things  which  make  for  a  better  appreciation  of  life.  Within  the  limits  of 
our  state  have  been  born  men  who  were  destined  to  become  known  through- 
out the  nation.  Statesmen,  ministers,  diplomats,  educators,  artists  and 
literarv  men  of  Hoosier  birth  have  given  the  state  a  reputation  which  is 
envied  by  our  sister  states.  Indiana  has  furnished  Presidents  and  Vice- 
Presidents,  distinguished  members  of  the  cabinet  and  diplomats  of  world 
wide  fame;  her  literary  men  have  spread  the  fame  of  Indiana  from  cnast 
to  coast.  Who  has  not  heard  of  Wallace,  Thompson,  Nicholson,  Tarking- 
ton,  McCutcheon,  Bolton,  Ade,  Major,  Stratton-Porter,  Riley  and  hundreds 
of  others  who  have  courted  the  muses? 

And  we  would  like  to  be  living  one  hundred  years  from  today  and  see 
whether  as  much  progress  will  have  been  made  in  the  growth  of  the  state  as  in 
the  first  one  hutidred  years  of  its  history.  In  2015  poverty  and  crime  will  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum.  Poor  houses  will  be  unknown,  orphanages  will  have 
vanished  and  society  will  have  reached  the  stage  where  happiness  and  con- 
tentment reign  supreme.  Every  loyal  Hoosier  should  feel  as  our  poetess, 
Sarah  T.  Bolton,  has  said: 

"The   heavens   never   spanned, 
The  breezes  never  fanned, 
A  fairer,  brighter  land 
Than  our  Indiana." 


CHAPTER  II. 


;f.c)i.ogy  and  topography. 


LOCATION    AND    SIZE. 

Decatur  county  is  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Indiana,  one  county 
removed  from  the  Ohio  1)oundary,  and  two  remo\-ed  from  the  Ohio  river. 
Its  greatest  length  is  twenty-one  miles,  greatest  breadth  the  same.  Its  area 
is  approximately  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  square  miles. 

GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

Geologically,  there  is  very  little  diiTerence  between  this  county  and 
Jennings.  In  the  deepest  stream  jjeds  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
the  soft  limestones  of  the  Hudson  River  formation  appear.  These  outcrops 
are  small  and  of  no  practicable  importance,  since  they  contribute  nothing 
to  the  soils  and  are  in  themselves  of  no  value.  The  southeastern  third  of 
this  county  is  underlain  by  the  Niagara  limestone,  perhaps  the  most  valuable 
stone  in  the  state,  after  the  oolitic.  In  Decatur  county  it  lies,  as  a  rule,  close 
to  the  surface,  usuall)'  at  depths  of  four  to  twelve  feet  on  the  level,  out- 
cropping on  stream  banks,  and  occasionally  being  found  only  at  depths  of 
thirt}'  feet.  It  is  a  very  valuable  rock  commercially  in  this  county,  being 
quarried  extensi\-ely  at  Xewpoint,  Westport,  St.  Paul  and  in  many  small 
local  quarries.  The  product  is  used  for  building  stone,  especially  for  trim- 
ming, for  abutments,  for  flagging  in  sidewalks,  and  in  a  crushed  state  for 
macadam  and  for  concrete  construction.  From  the  standpoint  of  soils,  it  is 
of  importance  chiefly  from  the  fact  of  its  resistance  to  weathering,  which 
has  resulted  in  very  flat  uplands.  The  northwestern  half  of  the  county  is 
underlain  at  depths  of  five  to  forty  feet  by  the  corniferous  limestone,  a  softer 
rock  as  a  rule  than  the  Niagara.  Finally,  the  entire  surface  of  the  county, 
except  near  the  streams,  is  covered  with  a  mantle  of  glacial  waste,  which 
effectively  covers  the  underlying  rocks  o\er  practically  all  the  county. 


64  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  topography  of  the  county  is  a  product  of  two  great  factors — the 
Niagara  Hmestone  and  the  arrangement  of  the  drift.  The  latter  is  disixjsed 
in  behs  of  one  to  five  miles  in  width  crossing  the  county  from  southwest  to 
northeast.  In  the  northwest  corner  there  occurs  a  till-plain  where  the  sur- 
face is  nearly  level,  rolling  in  gentle  waves  and  only  a  little  broken  by  streams. 
Then  comes  a  belt  about  four  miles  in  width  of  upland — a  glacial  moraine. 
This  is  followed  by  another  till-plain,  from  six  to  ten  miles  in  width,  gently 
rolling,  with  occasional  knolls  and  swales,  somewhat  cut  by  streams.  This 
is  followed  by  a  second  ridge,  averaging  five  miles  in  width,  with  the  remain- 
ing southeastern  corner  occupied  by  a  flat  plain  of  loess.  Under  the  last  fea- 
ture lies  the  Niagara  limestone,  at  an  average  depth  of  seven  feet.  The 
streams  are  comparatively  of  little  importance  in  this  county  as  agents  in 
bringing  about  the  present  surface,  since  this  surface  would  be  practically 
the  same  if  the  streams  had  not  come  into  being.  Their  courses  have  been 
largelv  determined  by  the  belts  of  drift. 

THE    SOILS    IN    DETAIL. 

In  describing  the  soils  of  this  county,  one  can  do  no  better  than  take 
them  in  their  order  from  one  side  of  the  county  to  the  other.  At  the  outset, 
it  is  evident  that  one  factor  which  has  been  of  the  first  importance  heretofore 
will  have  little  to  do  with  the  soils  here,  namely,  the  character  of  the  under- 
lying rock.  It  is  probable  that  not  an  acre  of  tillable  soil  in  this  county  has 
resulted  from  the  disintegration  of  the  underlying  rock,  but  has,  on  the  con- 
trary, been  carried  here  through  the  agency  of  the  ice  from  some  region  to 
the  north.  We  shall  begin  our  discussion  of  the  soils  in  this  county  with  a 
soil  which  is  known  as  the  Miami  clay  loam. 

This  soil  occurs  in  a  small  area  in  the  extreme  southeastern  corner  of 
the  county.  It  is  part  of  the  great  area  of  this  soil  which  occurs  in  Ripley 
county.  It  is  there  described  as  a  yellow  clay,  sometimes  almost  white 
where  it  is  dr}-,  with  mottles  of  darker  yellow  in  its  deeper  portions.  This 
soil  is  underlain  with  blue  till,  and  in  most  places  grades  into  that  form  of 
glacial  waste  imperceptibly.  It  consists  almost  entirely  of  clay,  with  a  small 
aclnfixture  (usually  less  than  five  per  cent)  of  sand.  There  are  practically 
no  gra\el  pebbles  in  it.  It  is  a  pretty  good  material  for  tile  and  brickmaking, 
and  has  been  used  considerably  for  that  in  the  past.  From  the  farming 
standpoint  it  is  poor.  Grasses  do  fairly  well,  and  wheat.  Fertilizing  must 
be  constantly  done,  and,  away  from  the  streams,  tiling. 


-MCCOYS   r-AKE 


DECATUR    COUNTY, 


THE   MIAMI    SILT    LOAM. 


65 


This  soil  is  distributed  so  as  to  cover  almost  one-third  the  area  of  the 
count}-.  It  forms  a  belt  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  almost  the 
full  width  of  the  territory  on  the  south,  and  narrowing  to  about  five  miles 
on  the  north.  It  must  be  understood  that  this  soil  is  not  uniform  through- 
out its  extent.  An  average  sample  would  show  about  sixty  per  cent  clay, 
twenty  per  cent  silt,  fifteen  to  eighteen  per  cent  fine  sand,  and  some  little 
gravel  in  spots.  As  one  approaches  the  Miami  clay  loam,  however,  this  com- 
position changes  until  the  sand  is  reduced  to  five  per  cent  or  less,  and  the 
clay  correspondingly  larger  in  amount.  It  is  impossible  to  use  any  hard 
and  fast  rule  in  separating  these  areas,  but  the  presence  or  absence  of  gravel 
pebbles  gives  about  the  line  as  mapped.  Going  to  the  northwest,  as  one 
approaches  the  ridge,  this  soil  becomes  sandier  on  account  of  the  outwash 
from  the  moraine,  and  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the  Miami  sandy  loam 
because  the  latter  has  no  clay  subsoil,  while  the  silt  loam  has. 

The  ;\Iiami  silt  loam  is  a  yellow  to  brown  soil  with  a  subsoil  usually 
darker  in  color,  and  much  streaked  and  mottled  with  iron  oxide.  A  few  con- 
cretions of  bog  iron  ore  occur  in  this  soil,  and  a  good  many  glacial  pebbles. 
Rarely  bowlders  are  found,  sometimes  of  large  size.  The  subsoil  grows 
heavier  and  more  tenacious  as  one  digs  deeper,  and  at  four  to  eight  feet  is  a 
very  stifif  clay.  It  is  not,  however,  blue  till ;  and  this  character  serves  to 
distinguish  the  ^liami  silt  loam  from  the  Miami  clay  loam.  The  farming 
value  of  this  soil  varies  considerably  with  reference  to  the  place  of  observa- 
tion. Down  near  the  Miami  clay,  this  soil  is  very  much  like  its  neighbor — 
poor,  ill-drained  and  not  valued  very  highly.  It  is  flat  and  swampy  by  nature, 
due  to  the  closeness  to  the  surface  of  the  Niagara.  Tiling  must  be  resorted 
to  constantly,  and  the  soil  is  so  poor  that  often  a  field  will  not  repay  the 
expense  of  drainage.  Practically  the  only  good  crops  are  grasses,  and  some- 
times wheat,  if  fertilizer  enough  be  used.  As  one  approaches  the  ridge, 
howe\-er,  the  increasing  percentage  of  sand  results  in  a  looser  soil,  permitting 
much  of  the  rainfall  to  soak  into  the  soil;  tiling  helps  here,  also.  Then  the 
Niagara  is  here  somewhat  deeper,  and  the  surface,  therefore,  more  rolling. 
In  this  sandier  region  corn  can  be  grown  with  success,  as  well  as  wheat  and 
grass.  Some  of  the  best  farms  in  Decatur  county  are  in  this  region,  close 
to  the  foot  of  the  ridge.  They  owe  their  superior  fertility  solely  to  the  out- 
wash  from  this  ridge,  for  at  distances  of  two  to  four  miles  out  from  it  corn 
(5) 


66  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

makes  onl}'  half  a  crop.     It  is  said  that  one  can  tell  within  five  rows  where 
one  soil  begins  and  the  other  ends. 

UPLAND    CLAY    LOAM. 

A  belt  some  four  miles  in  width  succeeds  the  Miami  silt  loam,  which 
has  been  called  here  the  upland  clay  loam.  It  has  been  so  called  for  two 
reasons.  First,  much  of  it  is  really  upland,  standing  visibly  higher  than  the 
till-plains  on  either  side.  Secondly,  the  knolls  appear  to  be  principally  clay, 
and  very  often  are  entirely  of  that  material.  It  must  not  be  understood  that 
this  belt  is  a  continuous  ridge,  extending  as  a  well-marked  divide  from  one 
corner  of  the  county  to  the  other.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  belt  of  hill  and 
hollow.  It  is  made  up  of  a  great  number,  possibly  five  hundred,  low,  rounded 
knolls,  with  swales  or  sags  between.  The  knolls  average,  perhaps,  thirty 
feet  higher  than  the  plains,  and  the  swales  are  probably  about  at  the  plain 
level.  The  soil  of  the  typical  knoll  is  yellow  in  color  at  the  surface,  grading 
into  a  darker  yellow  at  depths  of  two  to  four  feet.  It  is  made  up  principally 
of  clay,  with  a  good  deal  (about  ten  per  cent.)  of  fine  sand  in  its  composition. 
Besides  these,  it  contains,  here  and  there,  small  pockets  of  gravel,  and  often, 
at  depths  of  sixteen  to  thirty  feet,  a  gravel  base;  and  huge  boulders  are  often 
found  in  these  gravel  bases.  In  the  swales,  the  soil  is  sandy,  with  little  clay 
in  evidence.  It  is  black  or  brown  in  color,  due  to  the  presence  of  much 
humus.  Usually,  at  depths  of  six  to  ten  feet,  sheets  of  clay  are  found,  which 
dip  upward  in  every  direction,  forming  a  little  saucer-shaped  depression,  in 
the  middle  of  which  lies  the  lowland.  Many  of  these  little  hollows  were 
unoduljtedly,  in  a  former  age,  lakes.  Some  of  them  are  still  marshy,  and 
practically  all  require  tiling.  The  soil  here  is  remarkably  fertile,  ranking 
with  any  in  the  state.  It  is  great  corn  soil,  and  is  rarely  planted  to  anything 
else,  unless  it  be  clover.  The  knolls,  on  the  other  hand,  are  better  for  wheat 
and  grass.  A  farm  in  this  belt  is  a  joy  forever,  with  its  capacity  for  varied 
crops,  with  its  excellent  drainage,  and  the  abundance  of  pure  water  which 
can  be  had  by  driving  wells  into  the  gravel  at  the  base  of  the  hills.  Very 
little  fertilizer  is  used  here  aside  from  the  barnyard  products  and  clover. 
There  are  many  fine  farms  in  this  belt. 

MIAMI    SAND    LOAM. 

The  Miami  sand  loam  occupies  a  belt  averaging  five  miles  in  width  lying 
west  of  the  ridge  soil.     It  is,  as  the  name  implies,  a  "light-colored  glacial 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  67 

soil."  It  is,  however,  light-colored  only  on  the  knolls  and  knobs,  which  occur 
plentifully  in  its  surface,  interrupted  by  extensive  lower  grounds.  It  is  a 
typical  till-plain,  uninfluenced  by  anything  except  glacial  action.  In  general, 
it  would  be  called  level,  varj'ing  throughout  the  county  probably  less  than 
fifty  feet  between  its  highest  and  lowest  points.  Yet  there  is  not  a  flat  farm 
in  the  area,  and  not  many  single  fields  so  flat  that  cultivation  is  difficult.  A 
good  deal  of  tile  is  used  in  the  lower  grounds,  and  is  said  to  yield  a  high 
income  on  the  investment.  The  knolls,  which  make  up  perhaps  ten  per  cent 
of  the  total  area,  are  far  less  fertile  than  the  lowlands.  They  contain  con- 
siderable sand,  and  give  up  their  water  content  easily,  either  by  evaporation 
into  the  air  or  by  conduction  into  the  nearby  lowlands.  In  a  dry  summer, 
even  of  average  dr\ness,  they  therefore  usually  yield  far  less  than  the  swales. 
They  make  up  so  little  of  the  total  surface,  however,  that  one  forgets  their 
shortcomings  on  account  of  the  superior  excellence  of  the  lowlands.  These 
areas,  which  often  are  two  hundred  acres  in  extent,  are  the  banner  corn  soils 
of  Decatur  county.  They  are  carefully  farmed  also,  being  put  in  clover 
every  fourth  or  fifth  year.  Oats  are  good  here  also,  and,  over  this  soil 
area,  wheat  }'ields  well  enough  to  be  a  very  important  crop,  especially  on 
farms  where  the  knoll  land  is  much  in  e\'idence.  Occasionally  throughout 
this  area  occur  drumlins,  whose  graceful  swells  have  tempted  every  farmer 
owning  one  to  build  his  house  upon  it.  Some  of  the  famous  farms  of  this 
county  have,  as  no  little  part  of  their  claim  to  honor,  the  beautiful  situation 
of  the  homestead  on  one  of  these  hills,  commanding  a  view  of  every  field  of 
the  estate.  A  particularly  large  and  beautiful  one  of  these  drumlins  can  be 
seen  from  the  cars  of  the  Big  Four  railway  and  the  interurban  about  one-half 
mile  east  of  Adams. 

The  remainder  of  the  soils  in  this  county  belong  to  one  or  the  other  of 
the  soils  already  described.  In  the  extreme  northwest  corner  is  a  little  tri- 
angle of  Miami  sandy  loam,  and  just  east  of  this  there  is  a  small  belt  of  up- 
land clay  loam.  Along  the  larger  streams  there  occur  little  strips  of  bottom 
ground  (mapped  as  Waverley)  which  differ  little  from  the  surrounding 
slopes,  and  are  of  such  little  extent  as  to  need  no  extended  description.  These 
bottoms  are  usually  not  more  than  one-fourth  mile  in  width,  and  are  com- 
posed of  material  washed  from  the  neighboring  uplands.  As  a  rule,  they  are 
pretty  wet  and  require  tiling,  but  when  drained  they  are  valuable  little  fields. 

There  are  few  counties  in  the  state  w'hich  are  any  better  farmed  than 
Decatur,  especiall}-  on  the  sandier  portions.  In  the  southeast  corner  the 
heavy  clay  soil  limits  farming  practically  to  the  grasses  and  small  grain,  but 
in  at  least  eighth-tenths  of  the  county  any  crop  suitable  to  the  latitude  can 


68 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


be  grown  successfully.  On  the  typical  corn  lands  corn  yields  as  well,  year 
by  year,  as  anywhere  in  the  state,  and  the  same  farm  which  yields  a  "bumper" 
corn  crop  may,  the  same  year,  yield  a  good  wheat  crop  on  the  more  clayey 
knolls.  Grasses  thrive  in  the  wet  bottom  grounds,  and  good  water  is  easily 
obtained.  All  conditions  are  favorable  to  stock  raising,  and  much  of  the 
corn  of  this  county  goes  to  market  as  fat  hogs  and  cattle.  Such  a  method, 
of  course,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  good  farming,  since  practically  every- 
thing is  returned  to  the  soil,  and  in  Decatur  county  most  of  the  farm  lands 
are  continually  increasing  in  value.  The  excellence  of  transportation  has  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  farm  values  here.  There  is  scarcely  a  farm  in  the 
county  farther  than  six  miles  from  a  railway,  and  the  vast  majority  are 
within  three  miles.  An  excellent  system  of  macadamized  and  gravelled 
roads  connects  almost  everj^  community  with  the  railway. 

MECHANICAL  ANALYSIS  OF  DECATUR   COUNTY  SOILS. 


Soil   -, 
Subsoi 


vei. 


I  mm 
Gra 

0.7% 
.6/c 


Miami  Clay  Loam. 


I6mm^ 
Sand. 
11.8% 
i6..s% 


.o8mm+ 

Very  fine  sand. 

6.3% 

8.8% 


.04mm^ 

Sih. 

61.3% 
56.6% 


.0017mm 
Clay. 
20.2% 
17.6% 


Miami  Sandy  Loam. 


imm"^ 
Gravel. 

Soil    4-6% 

Subsoil    5.8% 


.i6mm+ 
Sand. 
18.3% 
19.8% 


.o8mm+ 
Very  fine  sand. 
18.8% 
16.6% 


.04mm'i 

Sih. 
32.5% 
33-8% 


.ooi7mm+ 
Clay. 
26.1% 
24.2% 


CHAPTER  III. 


COUNTY  ORGANIZATIOX. 


Earl}'  in  the  spring  of  1820  the  Federal  government  sent  out  several 
squads  of  surveyors  to  lay  out  the  "New  Purchase,"  lands  acquired  from 
the  Delaware  Indians  by  the  treaty  of  St  Mary's  (1819),  embracing  all  of 
the  eastern  and  central  part  of  the  present  state  of  Indiana.  Mose  of  these 
surveyors  were  young  men,  some  of  whom  were  inexperienced;  but  they 
were  all  well  endowed  with  high  animal  spirits  and  bodily  vigor. 

Thev  worked  their  way  through  the  wilderness,  much  of  which  had 
never  before  been  traversed  by  white  men,  cutting  their  way  through  thickets 
with  axes,  wading  swamps  and  fording  rivers,  sleeping  out  at  nights,  wher- 
ever they  happened  to  be  when  the  sun  sank,  and  enduring  much  keen  dis- 
comfort in  order  that  the  land  might  be  surveyed  and  opened  for  settlement. 

Farms  and  towns  are  still  laid  out  in  accordance  with  this  original 
sur\'ey,  and  whenever  a  section  is  large  by  a  few  acres  or  small  by  a  hundred 
or  so,  the  cause  can  be  directly  traced  to  mistakes  made  by  these  pioneer 
engineers,  the  men  who  ran  their  blind  lines  through  the  forests.  In  one 
section  of  the  "New  Purchase"  there  is  a  point  toward  which  all  lines  in 
that  part  of  the  country  tend  to  veer.  It  is  said  that  in  1820  a  distillery 
stood  at  this  place,  and  that,  thinking  of  it,  the  surveyors  unconsciously  let 
their  instruments  veer  in  its  direction. 

Decatur  county  was  surveyed  by  men  who  li^■ed  here  and  who  later 
became  leaders  in  the  community,  which  grew  up  rapidly  after  the  "New 
Purchase"  was  thrown  open  for  settlement.  The  survey  of  what  later  be- 
came Decatur  county  was  made  by  Thomas  Hendricks  and  Samuel  Hueston, 
with  four  assistants.  Hendricks  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  it  is  presumed  he  got  the  job  of  surveying  this  section 
of  the  "New  Purchase"  through  his  brother,  William  Hendricks,  who  was 
then  governor  of  Indiana.  His  assistants  were  neighbors  whom  he  brought 
from  Pennsylvania  with  him. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

In  October  of  the  year  1820,  a  government  land  ofhce  opened  at  Brook- 
ville;  the  surveyed  land  was  ready  for  settlement  and  the  tide  of  immigra- 


70  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tion  began.  The  first  land  patent  issued  in  wliat  is  now  Decatur  county 
was  to  John  Shellhorn,  for  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  SheUhorn 
farm,  between  the  Big  and  Little  Flatrock,  on  the  Moscow  road.  The  Shell- 
horn  family  still  retains  this  property  for  which  its  ancestor  received  a 
patent  from  the  United  States  government,  October  3,  1820. 

Shellhorn  took  his  claim  near  the  junction  of  the  Big  and  Little  Flat- 
rock,  thmking  that  it  would  probably  be  but  a  short  time  until  that  place 
would  be  chosen  for  a  county  seat.  He  laid  out  the  town  of  Rdckville  and 
then  waited  for  his  visions  of  towering  spires  to  materialize.  But  the  legis- 
lature, in  fixing  the  boundaries  of  Decatur  county,  threw  Rockville  into  one 
corner  of  the  county  and  Shellhorn's  dreams  were  gone  forever.  He  died 
a  few  months  later.    Rockville  has  never  appeared  upon  a  map  of  the  count3^ 

Two  of  John  Shellhorn's  neighbors,  James  Hobbs  and  James  Wise,  took 
out  land  patents  six  days  later,  Hobbs  locating  one  mile  east  of  the  present 
site  of  Clarksburg,  and  Wise  one  mile  south  of  where  that  town  is  now  lo- 
cated. Although  Shellhorn  was  the  first  to  enter  land  in  Decatur  county, 
he  was  by  no  means  the  first  settler.  No  sooner  was  the  ink  on  the  treaty 
of  St.  Mary's  dry,  than  the  tide  of  immigration  to  the  "New  Purchase"  be- 
gan. All  along  the  border  were  bold  spirits  waiting  for  this  unknown 
country  to  become  the  property  of  the  government.  No  sooner  had  the 
Indians  renounced  all  claims  to  it  than  the  settlers  flocked  into  it. 

By  the  treaty  of  St.  Mary's,  all  land  located  between  the  Whitewater 
on  the  east  and  White  river  on  the  west,  north  of  the  old  boundary  line, 
was  made  the  property  of  the  national  government.  All  along  the  borders 
of  this  territory  were  pioneers  waiting  for  the  Indians  to  be  shoved  out. 
No  sooner  was  the  treaty  made  than  the  movement  of  the  pioneers  began. 

Probably  the  first  to  reach  Decatur  county  was  John  Fugit  and  his 
sori,  John.  Griffy  Griffiths,  with  his  wife  and  son,  Ishmael,  came  next. 
Then  came  the  remainder  of  the  Fugit  family;  the  wife,  four  sons,  a  daugh- 
ter, and  a  Mrs.  Garrison.  Later  in  the  spring  Cornelius  and  Jesse  Cain, 
Elias  Garrard,  William  McCoy  and  their  families  arrived  settling  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Clarksburg. 

About  the  same  time  a  settlement  was  made  on  Little  Flatrock,  east 
of  Milroy,  which  has  produced  a  number  of  men  of  high  distinction,  among 
them  being  Dr.  Raymond  T.  Brown,  William  J.  Brown,  three  times  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress,  and  Admiral  George  W.  Brown,  of  the  United  States  navy. 
Farly  in  the  spring  of  1820,  a  number  of  families  settled  in  the  Clarksburg 
and    Springhill   neighborhoods,    among   them    Dr.    Andrew^    Rankin,    David 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  7I 

Martin,  Cornelius  Cain  and  Andrew  Rankin.  About  the  same  time  Seth 
Lowe  and  William  Custer  settled  in  the  Kingston  neighborhood. 

F"rom  the  date  of  the  first  entry  to  the  end  of  the  year  there  were 
eighty-nine  land  entries.  Some  of  these  were  for  as  much  as  half  a  sec- 
tion, but  most  of  them  were  eighty-acre  tracts.  The  entries  this  }-ear.  by 
township,  follow : 

Fugit  township — John  Hicklin,  Nathan  L.ewis,  John  Schultz,  Robert 
Lochridge,  John  Lochridge,  William  Henderson,  George  Kline,  George  Bry- 
son,  Edward  Jackman,  Jesse  Robinson,  William  Penny,  Griffe  Griffiths,  Cor- 
nelius Cain,  George  Craig,  John  Short,  Jesse  Cain,  John  Davison,  Moses 
Wyley,  Richard  Tyner,  James  Henderson,  George  Cowan,  Joseph  Hender- 
son, David  Martin,  \A^illiam  Lindsey,  Joseph  K.  Rankin,  Thomas  Martin, 
Thomas  Thorp,  Adam  Rankin,  Martin  Logan,  Alex  Logan,  James  Logan, 
Robert  Imlay,  Daniel  Swem,  Elias  Jarrard,  Thomas  E.  Hall,  Charles  Collett, 
William  Payden,  James  Hobbs,  David  Stout,  James  Saunders  and  Joseph 
Hopkins. 

Washington  township — Benjamin  Drake,  William  Ross,  Joshua  Cobb, 
John  Marrs,  Thomas  Hendricks,  James  Wooley,  James  Elder,  Robert  Elder, 
Andrew  Elder,  Adam  R.  Meek,  Joseph  Pryor,  Allen  Pryor  and  William 
Parks. 

Sand  Creek  township — Elijah  Davis. 

Adams  township — John  Shellhorn,  John  M.  Robinson,  Jonathan  Paul, 
Isaac  Sandford,  Jonathan  McCarty,  Joseph  Owens,  David  Jewitt,  Thomas 
Price,  Manley  Kimble,  John  G.  Dawson,  Abraham  Heaton,  George  Evans, 
William  Copeland,  Abner  Leland,  William  Pearce,  Edward  Sweet,  James 
H.  Brown,  Jacob  Sidner,  Peter  Zeizler,  Philip  Isley,  John  Wood,  McCoy 
McCarty,  John  Hizer  and  Peter  Weathers. 

The  entries  of  this  year  were  nearly  all  along  the  northern  line  of  the 
county,  but  ten  being  near  the  center  and  two  south'  of  it.  The  entries  the 
following  year  were  mostly  in  the  same  section,  the  early  settlers  endeavoring 
to  get  closer  to  the  larger  water-courses,  as  the  latter  afforded  drainage. 
The  more  level  sections,  now  the  best  land  in  the  county,  were  then  worth- 
less, as  no  system,  other  than  natural  drainage,  was  then  known. 

THOSE    WHO    CAME    THE    NEXT    YEAR. 

Newcomers  in  1821  were  as  follow: 

Fugit  township — James  Moss,  Samuel  Martin,  George  Marlow,  Daniel 
Robertson,  James  Oliver,  Seth  Lowe,   Nathan  Smith,  George  Underwood, 


72  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

George  Kendall,  George  Donner,  Gideon  Jenks,  William  Braden,  Robert  E. 
Donnell,  Edgar  Poe,  Jacob  Blackledge,  Nathan  Underwood,  Thomas  Cross, 
Sam  Githens,  Robert  Hall,  Charles  Swearingin,  John  Wilcoxin,  John  Hop- 
kins, Samuel  Donnell,  Ralph  Williams,  Sampson  Alley,  William  Smith, 
Nathan  Lewis,  Isaac  Darnell,  Daniel  Caldwell,  J.  J.  Stites,  Henry  Roberts, 
Henry  McDonald,  Samuel  Donner,  Robert  Wilson,  Edward  Davis,  Cyrus 
Hamilton,  Zenas  Darnell,  Lewis  Hendricks,  John  Chanslow,  Thomas  L 
Glass,  Daniel  Bell,  William  W.  Marlow,  Peter  Miller,  Jacob  Miller  and 
Benjamin   Snelling. 

Adams  township — William  Harbard,  Edward  Tanner,  William  Peter- 
son, Robert  McCarty,  Enoch  McCarty,  Martin  Adkins,  Jacob  Johnson,  Rich- 
ard Guthrie,  Henry  Gullion,  Sarah  Smith,  Lewis  Owens,  Peter  Smith, 
Austin  Clark  and  William  Brown. 

Clay  township — Doddridge  Alley,  Josiah,  Dayton,  M.  H.  Williams, 
George  Craig,  William  L  Lowrey,  Elijah  Craig,  Daniel  Pike  and  Eli  Pike. 

Clinton  township — Jesse  Womack,  John  Montgomery,  Joseph  Weihart, 
Daniel  Crume,  Thomas  Craig,  Joseph  Jones,  Jacob  Underwood,  Israel  Har- 
ris, John  Logan,  Nathan  Sidwell,  James  Carter,  John  Thomson,  Robert 
Montgomery,  Henry  Glass,  Moses  Vanlew,  Matthew  Campbell,  George 
Donner,  Robert  Wilson,  Nathan  Thorp,  Joseph  Chambers,  Joseph  Clark, 
William  Hamilton,  Robert  Drake,  Michael  Swope  and  William  Ryan. 

Washington  township — John  Davis,  John  Moore,  John  Walker,  Benja- 
min Walker,  Alvah  H.  Graves,  Joseph  Rutherford,  Hugh  Montgomery, 
Henry  Montgomery,  Andrew  Horsely,  Elijah  Tremain,  Samuel  Logan, 
Erastus  Lathrop,  James  Richardson,  David  Williamson,  John  House,  J.  P. 
Richardson,  Otha  White,  Eli  Eggleston,  Philip  Dayton,  John  Nelson,  David 
Dalrymple,  Charles  D.  Misner,  William  Hendrickson,  Samuel  Hamilton,  Rob- 
ert Hamilton,  Nathaniel  Patton,  James  E.  Hamilton,  John  Logan,  William 
Elder,  William  Floyd.  Robert  Retherford,  Joseph  Retherford,  James  Sefton, 
Barlow  Aldrich  and  Zachariah  Townsend. 

Sand  Creek  township — Daniel  Herron,  Nat  Roljbins  and  William  Rob- 
bins. 

Marion  townshii^ — Dudley  Taylor  and  John  Robbins. 

Save  for  a  very  few  exceptions  these  entries  were  made  for  actual 
settlement  purposes,  and  within  a  year  most  of  the  owners  had  taken  pos- 
session of  their  property.  At  a  special  election  in  1821  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  votes  cast,  and  as  the  law  required  a  residence  in  the  state 
of  a  year  before  a  man  could  vote,  it  is  probable  that  this  did  not  number 
more  than  half  the  male  citizens  of  the  county. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  73 


CREATION    OF    DECATUR    COUNTY. 


Decatur  county  originally  formed  a  part  of  Delaware  county,  an  im- 
mense tract  of  land  ranging  east  to  the  Ohio  line  and  north  to,  and  including, 
the  present  county  of  Delaware.  But  in  1821  the  state  Legislature  provided 
for  breaking  up  this  territory  into  smaller  units,  and  appointed  commissioners 
to  locate  county  seats  for  Decatur,  Shelby  and  Rush  counties. 

In  the  days  when  Decatur  county  was  a  part  of  Delaware,  there  was 
no  law  to  govern  the  community;  for  Delaware  county  was  a  civic  organi- 
zation without  entity — a  great  stretch  of  territory  extending  from  the  ague- 
cursed  Driftwood  bottoms  until  lost  in  the  swamps  of  the  IMississinnewa  and 
Wabash  rivers.  There  were  no  courts  of  justice;  no  vested  police  powers, 
each  man  being  a  law  unto  himself.  There  is  a  tradition,  howe\er,  that  the 
elder  Fugit  had  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Franklin  county  and  that  he 
brought  his  commission  and  docket  with  him,  performing  marriages  and 
dispensing  justice  to  all  coming  of  their  own  accord  to  seek  it.  Those 
wishing  to  enter  the  matrimonial  state  were  compelled  to  go  to  Brook\-ille 
to  secure  the  marriage  license. 

In  the  legislative  act  creating  Decatur  county,  its  boundaries  were  fixed 
as  follows:  "Beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  section  18,  in  township 
8,  north  of  range  9,  east  of  the  principal  meridian;  thence  north  fifteen  miles 
to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  6,  in  township  10,  north  of  range  8,  east; 
thence  east  three  miles  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  33,  in  township 
II,  north  of  range  8,  east;  thence  north  seven  miles  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  34,  in  township  12,  north  of  range  8,  east;  thence  east 
eighteen  miles  to  the  west  boundary  of  Franklin  count}- ;  thence  south  with 
said  boundary  to  the  north  line  of  Ripley  county;  thence  with  the  old  boun- 
dary line  to  the  north  line  of  Jennings  county,  thence  west  with  the  Jen- 
nings county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Commissioners  appointed  to  select  sites  for  the  county  seats  of  the  three 
counties  named  were  Edward  Ballinger,  Henry  Ristine,  Green  P.  Webster, 
and  Abraham  Dumont.  This  commission  decided  to  meet  on  May  7,  1822, 
to  select  a  county  seat  for  this  county,  but,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  only 
Ballenger  reached  Greensburg,  which  had  been  selected  as  the  meeting  place. 
Another  meeting  was  fixed  for  June  12,  on  which  date  Greensburg  was  se- 
lected as  the  county  seat;  parts  of  tracts  of  land  offered  by  Thomas  Hen- 
dricks and  John  Walker  being  accepted.  The  tract  accepted  contained  one 
hundred  acres. 


74 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


Four  donations  of  land  were  offered  for  the  county  seat,  although  the 
records  show  only  two.  The  first  was  the  Hendricks  donation  of  sixty 
acres,  bounded  by  Lincoln  street,  Main  street,  and  Central  avenue,  in  Greens- 
burg.  The  Walker  donation  lay  just  south  of  this  and  contained  one  hun- 
dred acres,  extending  from  Broadway  to  Lincoln  street.  In  addition,  Joseph 
English  offered  a  site  two  miles  southwest  of  the  present  county  seat  and 
Richard  Hall  offered  land  three  miles  northeast  of  the  city. 

There  was  considerable  bad  blood  existent  for  a  tinie  on  account  of  the 
selection  of  the  county  seat.  Charges  were  freely  made  that  Hendricks  and 
Walker  had  been  guilty  of  log-rolling  at  Shelby ville  and  Rushville.  Prob- 
ably the  most  satisfactory  location,  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  present  day 
would  have  been  the  English  site,  but  no  one  in  that  day  had  the  sHghtest 
notion  that  eastern  Sand  Creek,  and  southern  iMarion  and  Salt  Creek  town- 
ships ever  would  be  settled. 

The  site  having  then  been  fixed,  the  board  of  commissioners  proceeded 
to  lay  off  the  city  of  Greensburg,  and  fixed  Monday,  September  i,  1822, 
for  the  first  sale  of  lots. 

FIRST    COUNTY    ELECTION. 

Upon  approval  by  the  governor  of  the  special  act  of  the  Legislature 
creating  the  county,  Henry  H.  Talbott  was  appointed  temporary  clerk  and 
William  Ross,  sheriff,  until  an  election  could  be  held.  The  sheriff  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  dividing  the  county  into  three  commissioner  dis- 
tricts, calling  an  election  and  seeing  that  the  same  was  properly  conducted. 
As  Ross  decided  that  he  would  be  a  candidate  for  the  sheriff's  office,  it 
was  deemed  improper  that  this  office  should  be  filled  by  an  election  at  a 
time  when  he  was,  by  necessity,  in  charge  of  the  polls.  Accordingly,  selec- 
tion of  the  sheriff  was  deferred  until  the  regular  election  in  the  following 
August,  when  Ross  was  badly  worsted  by  Doddridge  Alley,  who  was  just 
then  entering  upon  his  office-holding  career. 

Complete  returns  of  this  first  county  election,  held  May  14,  1822,  fol- 
lows : 

Clerk  of  circuit  court — John  B.  Potter,  38;  Henry  H.  Talbott,  49; 
James  H.  Brown,  34;  John  B.  Fugit,  31. 

Recorder — John  B.  Potter,  34;  Henry  H.  Talbott,  46;  James  H.  Brown. 
14;  John  B.  Fugit,  22. 

Associate  judge — Martin    Atkins,    47;    Joshua    Cobb,    31;    John    Lin- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  75 

ville,  45;  John  Fugit,  48;  James  C.  Dayton,  ig;  Daniel  Crunie,  7;  John 
Driver,  1 1  ;  Enoch  James,   t,2. 

County  commissioner,  eastern  district — Seth  Lowe,  96 ;  Wilham  Hender- 
son, 45;  George  Marlow,  21.  Central  district — Wilham  Parks,  45;  Will- 
iam Courtney,  14;  John  Parks,  i.  Western  district — William  Harhord,  69; 
Green  McCarty,  37;  Doddridge  Alley,  19;  Paul  Brown,  39;  Jonathan  Mc- 
Carty,  i. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners  the  following  offi- 
cials were  appointed :  Overseers  of  the  poor — Fugit  township,  William  Cus- 
ter and  Joseph  Henderson :  Washington  township.  Robert  Ross  and  William 
Floyd;  Adams  township,  Jonathan  McCarty  and  David  Jewitt.  Fence  view- 
ers— William  Leopold,  Robert  Imlay  and  George  Marlow,  Fugit  township ; 
Abraham  Miller,  Jonathan  Davis  and  Andrew  Horsley,  Washington  town- 
ship, and  David  Johnson,  David  Forester  and  Joseph  Bennett  for  Adams 
township. 

The  board  then  appointed  John  Hi)pkins  as  county  treasurer  for  one 
year,  and  Enoch  McCarty  was  ap]3ointed  lister  of  taxables.  At  the  next 
meeting  the  names  of  Thomas  Hendricks  and  David  Montague  were  certified 
to  the  governor  for  his  selection  of  a  county  surveyor.  The  appointment  was 
given  to  Hendricks.  The  next  appointment  to  be  made  was  that  of  county 
agent,  which  was  given  to  John  B.  Potter.  His  first  work  was  to  lay  ofi  the 
town  of  Greensburg,  after  which  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  erection  of  a 
jail. 

BEGINNING    OF    LAW    AND    ORDER. 

The  following  grand  jury  was  empanelled  and  charged  on  Monday, 
October  7,  1822:  John  Hopkins,  foreman;  Alley  Pryor,  Joseph  Henderson, 
Nathaniel  Robbins,  Fielding  Lamasters,  Lewis  Pleakenstalver,  Isaac  Dar- 
nell, Robert  Harbord,  John  M.  Robinson,  Griffe  Griffiths,  John  House,  Will- 
iam M.  Smith,  Tobis  Donner,  Joseph  Rankin,  John  Forsyth  and  Andrew 
Horsley. 

This  jury  was  in  session  only  one  day,  its  members  recei\-ing  seventy- 
five  cents  each  for  their  services ;  and  returned  eight  indictments,  all  of  which 
were  for  assault  and  battery.  Those  indicted  were  Patrick  Hudson,  William 
Thorp,  Abraham  Miller,  Madison  Redding,  Isaac  Parnell.  Lodwick  Cook, 
David  Stout  and  McCoy  McCarty. 

Says  the  record  further :  "This  day  ai)])eare(l  in  open  court,  ]\Iadison 
Redding,  who  entered  a  plea  of  guilty;"  and  their  honors,  after  due  delib- 


76 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


eration  and  taking  into  consideration  the  magnitude  of  the  offense,  "made 
his  fine  in  the  sum  of  six  and  one-fourth  cents." 

When  Talbott  appeared  at  the  first  session  of  court  to  file  his  bond  as 
clerk,  objection  was  raised  on  the  grounds  that  he  was  not  of  the  legal  age, 
and  that  he  was  not  a  resident  of  Decatur  county.  Says  the  record,  "Joseph 
A.  Hopkins  moved  to  reject  the  bond,  which  the  court,  after  mature  delibera- 
tion, overruled."  It  seems  appropriate  in  this  connection  to  say  a  word 
concerning  Talbott.  It  has  fallen  to  few  men  to  serve  the  public  so  long  or 
in  so  creditable  a  manner  as  was  given  to  Henry  H.  Talbott.  He  so 
thoroughly  won  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  that  it  was  impossible  for 
anyone  to  defeat  him  when  it  came  election  time.  He  served  as  clerk  con- 
tinuously until  the  new  constitution  was  adopted  in  1852.  He  was  a  patriot 
in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word,  and  although  he  was  sixty-one  years  old  when 
the  call  was  issued  for  volunteers  in  1861,  he  proffered  his  services.  They 
were  declined,  on  account  of  his  years;  so  he  accompanied  the  troops  as  a 
sutler.  During  the  battle  of  Phillipi  he  seized  a  gun  and  followed  his  com- 
rades into  the  fray.     He  died  July  21,  1872. 

At  the  first  annual  election,  August  5,  1822,  electors  voted  for  a  governor, 
lieutenant  governor,  a  representative  for  the  seventeenth  Congress,  to  fill  a 
vacancy,  a  congressman  for  the  third  district,  a  sheriff  and  a  coroner.  The 
following  vote  was  cast: 

For  Governor —                                 Fugit.     Washington.     Adams.  Tolinl. 

William  Hendricks 68  52  48  168 

Julius  Howe 3  —  —  3 

For  Lieutenant  Governor — 

Ratliffe  Boone 36  27  33  96 

Erasmus  Powell 34  2"]  —  51 

William  Polk 13  14  27 

David  Maxwell 10  i  __  11 

For  Congress  (vancancy)  — 

Jonathan  Jennings 49  13  42  104 

Davis   Floyd 5  28  5  38 

For  Congress  (third  district)  — 

John  Test 28  39  18  85 

Ezra   Ferris 7  n  29  47 

Samuel  C.  Vance 31  12  __  43 


Washington. 

Adams. 

Total. 

18 

24 

49 

5 

4 

^7 

-24 

I 

30 

' 

-- 

22 

63 

9 

90 

__ 

_- 

32 

2 

37 

51 

DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  y^ 

For  SheritT —  Fugit. 

Doddridge  Alley 7 

William  Ross 28 

James  Saunders 5 

William  Loyd 21 

For  Coroner — 

William   Custer 18 

Robert  Shields s- 

Jonah  C.  Dayton 12 

There  was  at  this  time  but  one  party  in  the  state,  the  National  Republican. 
and  voters  cast  their  ballots  according  to  their  individual  preferences.  Two 
years  later  this  party  split,  part  going  with  Andrew  Jackson  and  part  with 
Henry  Clay. 

COURT    HOUSE    HISTORY. 

The  first  board  of  county  commissioners  met  on  the  14th  day  of  i\Iay, 
1822,  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Hendricks,  a  double  log  building,  one  story  in 
height,  on  what  is  now  known  as  Taylor  avenue,  Greensburg,  near  where 
East  street  crosses  the  avenue.  Hendricks'  house  was  used  as  a  court  house 
until  1825.  In  that  year  it  was  proposed  to  build  a  court  house,  and  the 
following  transcript  of  page  121  of  the  first  book  of  the  record  of  the  com- 
missioners' court  shows  the  specifications  that  were  drawn  up  for  it : 
"The  State  of  Indiana 
"Decatur  County 

"At  a  special  meeting  of  the  board  of  Justices  of  Decatur  County  on 
Saturday  the  15th  day  of  January,  1825,  for  the  purpose  of  drafting  a  plan 
for  a  Court  House. 

"The  Hon.  George  W.  Hopkins,  Zachariah  Garton,  Robert  Church  and 
Dillard  Drake,  Justices. 

"This  day  the  board  proceeded  to  draft  a  plan  for  a  Court  hmise  for 
the  said  County  of  Decatur  upon  the  following  plan,  Towit.  The  founda- 
tion to  be  built  three  feet  high  and  to  be  one  foot  above  the  ground  at  the 
highest  part  of  the  ground,  to  be  laid  in  a  workmanlike  manner  with  good 
stone  and  lime  mortar,  three  feet  thick  at  the  bottom  and  twenty-two  inches 
thick  at  the  top  to  be  battered  on  each  side  equally — forty  foot  square.  The 
walls  of  the  first  story  twenty-two  inches  thick  forty  feet  square  of  good 
brick  fifteen  feet  in  the  clear,  laid  in  a  workmanlike  manner,  the  front  a 
flemish  bond  and  good  sand  brick.     One  double  pannel  door  in  front  lined 


78  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

with  inch  plank  on  the  back,  with  good  and  suffecient  lock,  and  a  bolt  at  the 
bottom  on  each  door,  the  door  sill  cut  out  of  stone  to  extend  at  each  end! 
six  inches  in  the  wall  twenty  four  inches  wide  of  a  suitable  thickness,  the 
door  to  be  eight  feet  high  in  the  clear  &  five  feet  wide  in  the  clear,  and  a 
circular  glass  top,  the  front  of  the  house  to  be  to  the  east,  two  windows  on 
each  side  of  the  door,  of  24  lites  each  eight  by  ten.  The  North  and  South 
sides  of  the  house,  to  be  a  door  in  the  center  of  each  wall  eight  feet  high 
and  five  feet  wide  in  the  clear  a  double  batten  door,  with  good  locks  &  bolts 
at  the  bottom  of  each  door.  One  window  on  each  side  of  the  doors  of  24 
lites.  8  by  los — A  stone  sill  at  the  bottom  of  each  door  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion as  the  sill  of  the  front  door.  On  the  West  side  to  be  a  window  in  the 
Centre  six  feet  from  the  floor  to  the  bottom  of  the  window  of  30  lites  8. 
by  10.  with  a  circular  glass  top.  One  window  on  each  side  of  24  lites  8.  by 
IDS.  of  the  same  heighth  as  the  other  windows. 

"The  second  story  of  good  brick  13  feet  high  in  the  clear.  The  walls 
eighteen  inches  thick  the  front  of  good  sand  brick  and  laid  a  flemish  bond, 
One  36  lite  window  in  front  8.  by  los  with  a  circular  glass  top.  And  one 
24  lite  window  on  each  side  of  it.  And  3  windows  on  each  of  the  other 
sides  of  the  house  of  24  lites  each,  eight  by  los.  four  fire  places  in  the  sec- 
ond story  one  in  each  corner  of  the  house.  A  plain  Cornice.  The  roof 
nine  feet  pitch,  to  be  covered  with  good  joint  shingles  five  inches  to  the 
weather,  shingles  eighteen  inches  long.  Cupelo  twelve  feet  in  diameter — 
eight  square,  sixteen  feet  high,  and  a  circular  top,  a  circular  window  in  each 
square  with  Venetian  shutters  and  necessary  arrangements  to  receive  the 
Spere. 

"Four  posts  15  inches  diameter  eight  square,  to  be  set  on  pillars  of 
Stone  in  the  first  story,  the  pillars  to  be  sunk  three  feet  in  the  ground,  three 
feet  and  a  half  square  at  the  bottom  to  be  equally  battered  to  the  top  to  a 
square  of  22  inches  to  be  12  feet  apart  in  the  Center  of  the  house;  two  gird- 
ers to  extend  across  the  house  12  feet  apart  from  the  center  of  each  and  rest 
on  the  posts  named,  the  girders  to  be  15  inches  wide  and  12  inches  deep  and 
the  joists  to  be  12  inches  deep  by  3  inches  thick,  to  be  framed  in  the  girders 
two  feet  apart  from  the  Centre  of  each  joist.  The  frame  of  the  Second 
Story  to  be  similar  to  the  frame  of  the  First  Story. 

"The  stairs  to  start  from  the  South  east  Corner  of  the  house,  and  ascend 
to  the  passage.  The  window  and  door  frames  to  be  made  in  a  workmanlike 
manner." 

On  March  7,  following,  the  order  was  issued  to  receive  bids  for  the 
construction  of  the  building.     The  order  is  here  given  in  full : 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


"Ordered  that  the  Court  house  he  huilt  on  the  Public  Square  iu  the 
town  of  Greensburgh  and  that  the  Centre  of  the  Square  be  the  Centre  of  the 
house,  to  be  completed  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  I\Iay,  1827.  And  the 
tenns  of  payments  as  follows,  four  hundred  dollars  to  be  paid  on  or  before 
the  25th  of  December  next,  and  the  balance  to  be  paid  in  three  equal  annual 
enstalments  thereafter.  Bond  and  approved  Security  will  he  required  of  the 
purchaser  in  a  penalty  of  double  the  sum  that  the  building  is  sold  for.  The 
person  or  persons  bidding  the  same  oft"  and  failing  to  Comply  with  the  Con- 
ditions above  Stated,  will  forfiet  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  to  be  recovered  by 
suit  in  the  name  of  the  County  Agent  to  be  applied  to  the  use  of  the  County 
in  building  said  house.  The  person  bidding  off  the  same  shall  give  bond 
and  security  as  above  stated  within  fifteen  days  from  this  date." 

On  Monday,  November  6,  1826,  the  board  of  justices,  which  was  now 
made  up  of  George  W.  Hopkins,  president;  Wesley  White,  William  E.  Craw- 
ford, Griffe  Griffiths,  W^illiam  Fowler,  Samuel  Bryan,  James  Donnell  and 
Zachariah  Garton,  gave  notice  of  the  "sale"  of  some  more  work  on  the  new 
court  house.  This  time  it  was  for  some  minor  work,  and,  from  all  that  could 
be  deteiTnined,  the  building  was  ready  for  occupation  by  the  specified  time 
in  May,    1827. 

This  building  was  occupied  until  1854,  when  it  was  condemned  by  the 
board  and  the  work  of  its  demolition  commenced  that  summer.  However, 
on  June  8,  1853,  the  commissioners — Smith  Reiley,  B.  H.  Harney  and  H.  S. 
Burke — appointed  B.  W.  Wilson,  I.  G.  Monfort  and  B.  H.  Harney  as  a  com- 
mittee to  draft  plans  and  specifications  for  the  construction  of  a  new  court 
house,  "the  whole  cost  of  said  house,  when  completed  and  furnished,  not  to 
exceed  thirty  thousand  dollars."  This  committee  reported  on  Septeml^er  7, 
its  report  was  accepted  and  it  was  dismissed.  The  commissioners  then 
employed  Edwin  May  to  superintend  the  construction  and  appointed  B.  W. 
Wilson,  I.  G.  Montfort  and  B.  H.  Harney  to  act  as  a  building  committee 
and  as  the  representatives  of  the  commissioners.  May  was  instructed  to 
consult  with  them  on  all  contracts,  payments  and  changes  in  the  original 
plan. 

On  March  6,  1854,  the  contract  for  the  stone  work  was  let  to  W.  W. 
Lowe  and  Jacob  M.  Hiltertrand.  But  it  was  not  until  June  ig,  1855,  that 
the  contract  for  the  brick  work  was  placed.  It  went  to  R.  B.  Thomson  and 
Henry  H.  Talbott  for  four  dollars  and  twenty-nine  cents  per  thousand  bricks 
actually  used,  the  waste  and  soft  bricks  to  be  deducted  from  the  kiln  count. 
The  contractors  were  to  furnish  all  labor,  tools,  "including  hods,  ladders 
and  all  necessary  apparatus  for  the  raising  of  the  bricks  on  the  tower  and 


So 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


Other  parts  of  the  building,  at  their  own  cost  and  charges,"  but  the  county 
was  to  furnish  "brick,  Hme  and  sand,  water  in  the  wells  in  the  public  square, 
together  with  all  the  scaffolding  and  nails."  A  bid  was  made  by  N.  T. 
Horton;  of  Cincinnati,  by  the  pound  for  the  frame  for  the  galvanized  iron 
roof  and  the  iron  doors,  window  shutters  and  stairs.  He  asked  thirty-seven 
and  a  half  dollars  per  hundred  square  feet  for  laying  the  iron  roof.  The  esti- 
mated cost  of  the  new  house  on  the  plan  as  first  acceiDted  vv^as  forty  thou- 
sand dollars,  but  the  plans  were  changed  and  departed  from  until,  when 
completed,  it,  with  the  improvements  of  the  grounds  and  the  iron  fence 
around  it,  cost  the  county  close  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
As  early  as  1885  the  remodeling  of  the  court  house  was  discussed  in 
the  commissioners"  court,  and  on  June  12,  1888,  the  board  of  commissioners, 
after  consideration  of  the  project,  decided  that  the  county  treasury  was  too 
depleted  for  any  such  step  to  be  taken  at  that  time;  however,  they  directed 
that  such  be  done  in  the  spring  of  1889,  and  on  December  10,  1888,  they 
ordered  the  auditor  to  secure  plans  and  specifications.  At  a  special  session 
called  on  January  30,  1889,  the  proposals  submitted  by  McDonald  Brothers, 
of  Louisville,  were  accepted  and  the  contract  of  drafting  plans  and  specifi- 
cations awarded  to  them.  On  ^larch  18,  1889,  bids  were  received  for 
"remodeling  the  court  house"  and  for  "heating  the  court  house."  The  con- 
tract for  the  first  was  awarded  to  J.  C.  McGarvey  &  Brother,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  for  twenty-seven  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-nine  dollars,  with 
two  thousand  one  hundred  dollars  reduction  for  certain  changes  that  might  be 
made.  The  highest  bid  was  for  thirty-seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  Security  was  ordered  to  be  presented  on  the  following  25th  of  March. 
But  it  was  on  March  26,  and  not  March  25,  as  stated  by  the  tablet  on  the 
west  wall  of  the  corridor  in  the  court  house,  that  the  contract  was  approved 
and  the  cost,  after  several  changes,  set  at  twenty- four  thousand,  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninetv-nine  dollars.  The  heating  contract  was  awarded  to  I.  D. 
Smead  &  Company,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  twenty-seven  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  The  contract  for  furnishing  the  court  room,  library,  the  judge's 
private  office,  and  the  offices  of  the  clerk,  sheriff,  recorder,  superintendent 
of  schools,  treasurer  and  auditor  was  given  to  the  Grand  Rapids  Furniture 
Company,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  on  February  7,  1890.  The  building 
was  inspected  and  accepted  by  the  commissioners  and  architect  on  March 
14,  1890,  "excepting  the  painting,  and  a  part  of  the  wainscot  in  the  obscure 
portions  of  the  corridors,  the  clearing  out  of  the  cellar  and  refitting  the 
same."     The  commissioners  at  the  time  the   contract    for  remodeling  was 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8l 

let  were,  Everett  Hamilton,  Henry  Steining  and  Ezra  Guthrie,  and  when 
the  building  was  accepted,  Henry  Steining,  Ezra  Guthrie  and  Augustus 
Miller. 

In  1903  the  building  was  in  need  of  repairs  and  on  March  7  the  com- 
missioners— Jethro  C.  Meeks,  Uriah'  Privett  and  Jesse  Styers — awarded  H. 
L.  Shute  the  contract  of  making  certain  repairs,  for  fifty-two  hundred  dol- 
lars. At  this  same  session  of  the  commissioners,  plans  for  a  hitchrack  were 
submitted  by  the  engineer,  J.  W.  Craig,  and  accepted.  Bids  were  ordered 
to  be  received  for  the  sale  of  the  old  fence  about  the  court  house  square  park 
at  this  same  meeting. 

THE  TREE  ON   THE   COURT    HOUSE  TOWER. 

In  the  summer  of  1870  a  citizen  of  Greensburg,  whose  name  posterity 
has  not  preseiwed,  was  examining  the  court  house  tower  with  a  spyglass, 
when  he  noticed,  springing  from  the  third  crevice  above  the  water  sheet  on 
the  east  side  of  the  tower,  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  above  the  ground,  a 
small  twig.  From  that  day  down  to  the  present  time  the  fame  of  the  tree 
on  the  tower  has  been  heralded  throughout  the  world.  Apostrophes,  prose 
epics,  poems  galore  and  even  songs  have  lieen  written  about  it.  Strangers 
to  the  city  always  ask  to  he  shown  the  curiosity  the  first  thing,  many  not 
being  convinced  that  there  is  such  a  tree  until  they  actually  see  it. 

The  first  picture  of  the  tree  appeared  in  a  local  paper  in  the  issue  of 
January  10,  1879,  when  the  court  house  and  tree  were  shown  in  connection 
with  an  advertisement  of  St.  John's  Lone  Tree  Medicine  Company.  Since 
that  time  the  tree  has  been  exhibited  pictorially  all  over  the  world,  and 
postal  cards  by  the  tens  of  thousands  have  convinced  a  dou1)ting  world  that 
such  a  tree  really  exists.  By  1884,  according  to  one  of  the  local  papers, 
the  bole  of  the  tree  was  four  inches  in  diameter  and  the  tree  itself  was  nine 
feet  in  height.  Some  time  during  the  latter  part  of  the  seventies  other  trees 
sprang  up  on  the  tower,  and  at  one  time  no  less  than  seven  were  casting 
their  shade  over  the  tower.  This  grove  was  allowed  to  flourish  until  the  court 
house  was  remodeled  in  1888,  when  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  remove 
some  of  them.  The  largest  tree  of  the  forest  was  getting  of  such  dimen- 
sions that  it  was  threatening  to  tear  up  the  roof,  and  since  it  was  a  ques- 
tion of  either  saving  the  tree  or  the  roof,  the  tree  had  to  be  sacrificed.  Three 
other  small  trees  were  removed  at  this  time.  Since  then  all  the  others  have 
died  except  the  one  on  the  northeast  corner.  At  the  present  time  (1915) 
(6) 


82  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INI/IANA. 

this  one  tree  is  about  eighteen  feet  high  and  has  a  bole  of  about  five  inches 
in  diameter.  Strange  to  say,  it  never  seems  to  be  affected  by  the  summer 
droughts,  but  remains  green  even  when  the  trees  in  the  court  house  j^ard  are 
showing  the  effects  of  dry  weather. 

Among  the  many  poems  written  about  this  famous  tree,  the  one  by 
D.  Eckley  Hunter,  then  of  Washington,  Indiana,  and  an  instructor  in  the 
teachers'  county  institute  at  the  time,  is  the  best  which  has  come  to  atten- 
tion. Professor  Hunter  read  it  at  the  close  of  the  session,  August  22,  1884. 
Mr.  Hunter  has  a  fairy. to  explain  the  origin  of  the  tree  and  then  draws  a 
moral.  The  complete  poem  has  fourteen  stanzas,  but  onl}'  eight  of  them  are 
here  given : 

THE   GROVE   ON    THE    COURT    HOUSE   TOWER. 

The  wonders  of  nature  are  many,  I  ween, 

They  come  to  my  mind  in  a  shower; 
But  where  may  so  wondrous   a  wonder  be   seen 

As  the  grove  on  the  top  of  the  tower? 

It  troubled  my  dreams,  it  puzzled  my  brain, 

Till  Ina  and  Pearl  with  a  flower. 
Came  in  and  the  wonderful  wonder  made  plain 

Of  the  grove  on  the  top  of  the  tower. 

They  said  they  were  rambling — Pearl  told  me  herself — 

And  stopped  to  admire  that  flower 
When  in  it  a  fairy  they  heard  tell  an  elf 

Of  the  grove  on  the  top  of  the  tower. 

(What  the  fairy  said) 
It   is  many  and  many  a  year  ago 

Since  the  men  who  wielded  the  power 
Determined  to  plant  and  determined  to  grow 

A  grove  at  the  foot  of  the  tower. 

They  planted,  they  watered  and  they  waited   long 

For  the  shade  of  the  leafy  bower; 
At   length   the   reward   of  their   labors   came 

In  the  grove  at  the  foot  of  the  tower. 

Then  angels  looked  down  from  their  home  above. 

And  smiled  on  these  men  of  power; 
And   said,   "We'll   plant,   yes,   plant   them   a   grove 

On  the  topmost  stones  of  the  tower." 

It   is   thus   they  smile  on  deeds   below 

That  are  done  for  a  future  hour; 
And  that   none   forget,   they   have   caused   to  grow 

A  grove  on  the  top  of  the  tower. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  83 

May  God  bless  the  angels,  and  God  bless  the  men 

Who  plant   for  a  future  hour. 
And  God  bless  the  shade  of  the  maples,  and  then 

The  grove  on  the  top  of   the  tower. 

THE    COUNTY    JAIL. 

Until  the  organization  of  Decatur  county,  residents  in  this  part  of  the 
"New  Purchase"  had  been  Hving  without  law,  so  consequently  there  were 
no  legal  punishments  for  transgressions.  But  with  the  organization  of  the 
county  and  the  formation  of  a  local  government,  a  jail  was  rendered  neces- 
sary. The  board  of  commissioners,  meeting  on  February  ii,  1823,  ordered 
the  construction  of  a  log  jail  and  at  a  subsequent  session,  fixed  its  specifica- 
tions as  follows : 

"To  be  twenty  by  twenty-four  feet  square;  the  walls  to  be  of  stone  and 
two  and  one-half  feet  thick,  laid  with  good  lime  mortar,  and  every  hole  to 
extend  through  the  wall.  The  first  story  to  be  seven  feet  high;  one  window 
in  the  lower  story  to  be  fourteen  inches  square,  to  be  bounded  with  solid 
rock  three  feet  in  length  and  not  less  than  fourteen  inches  thick,  the  bars 
to  be  one  and  one-half  inches  square,  well  riveted  to  the  frame  and  to  be  four 
squares  of  three  inches." 

The  room  last  described  was  the  dungeon,  intended  for  the  incarcera- 
tion of  prisoners  of  the  worse  type.  Entrance  to  it  was  effected  through 
a  trap-door  in  the  floor  of  the  upper  story.  Construction  of  the  upper 
story  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the  lower,  save  that  those  confined  there 
got  fresh  air  from  two  windows,  instead  of  one.  This  room  was  intended 
for  keeping  prisoners  jailed  for  minor  offenses. 

A  narrow  stairway  on  the  outside  of  the  building  led  to  the  door  of 
the  upper  room,  the  only  entrance  to  the  jail.  This  building  stood  on  the 
west  side  of  the  court  house  yard  until  1832.  It  was  very  poorly  con- 
structed, and  incapable  of  detaining  anyone  who  really  wanted  to  get  out. 

According  to  tradition,  Hiram  Hendricks,  who,  with  Robert  Church, 
did  the  stone  work  on  the  building,  was  the  first  person  to  be  incarcerated 
therein.  As  the  story  is  told,  Hendricks  was  jailed  for  debt  upon  com- 
plaint of  Owen  O'Reiley.  The  next  morning,  when  O'Reiley  went  to  jail 
for  the  purpose  of  interviewing  his  debtor  he  found  him  seated  outside, 
looking  regretfully  at  a  huge  hole,  which  he  had  cut  through  the  wall  in 
order  to  get  to  the  fresh  air. 

On  May  4,  1830,  the  board  ordered  that  "the  Agent  of  the  County, 
be  instructed  to  sell  to  the  lowest  bidder  the  repairing  of  the  jail  of  said 


84  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

County  in  the  following  manner,  towit,  the  sides  of  the  Upper  Story  thereof 
to  be  lined  with  oak  plank  one  and  one-half  inches  thick  to  be  set  up  and  down, 
well  secured  at  the  bottom  and  top  and  lined  across  the  same  with  three- 
quarter  poplar  plank,  tongued  and  grooved  and  nailed  with  good  six-penny 
nails  not  to  exceed  three  inches  apart  on  the  whole  face  of  the  lining  and 
that  the  lining  be  turned  around  the  door  and  windows  to  the  grates  and 
likewise  the  fixing  of  the  trap  door  and  some  convenient  wa}'  to  be  made 
to  descend  to  the  lower  room  of  said  jail,  the  whole  to  be  completed  in  a 
good  workmanlike  manner  by  the  first  day  of  October  next." 

But  in  1832  it  was  decided  that  a  new  jail  was  needed  and  the  follow- 
ing order  is  taken  from  page  204  of  the  commissioners'  court  records : 

"Ordered  by  the  board  that  the  sheriff  of  the  county  do  proceed  after 
(after  giving  three  weeks'  notice  in  the  Political  Obscn'cr)  to  sell  on  the 
2d  Saturday  in  June  next,  at  the  door  of  the  court  house  in  Greensburgh, 
the  building  of  a  jail  for  said  county  of  the  following  description,  to  wit : 

"To  be  of  hewn  timbers  not  less  than  twelve  inches  square,  the  whole 
of  the  timbers  to  be  eighteen  feet  long,  a  double  wall,  the  corners  dove- 
tail notches,  the  inside  walls  to  extend  and  notch  on  the  outside  walls,  a 
space  between  the  walls  of  six  inches  to  be  filled  with  wide  rocks  set  on 
edge,  the  under  floor  to  be  the  same  as  the  wall  with  stone  between,  the 
logs  crossing  each  other,  the  foundation  or  joist  course  of  the  floor  and 
the  bottom  rounds  of  the  outside  walls  to  be  of  white  oak,  the  timber  of 
the  balance  of  the  walls  of  good,  sound  wood  such  as  beach,  sugar,  etc., 
two  windows  in  the  lower  story  one  on  the  west  and  the  other  on  the  east 
side  of  the  house,  opposite  each  other  of  the  following  description,  six 
inches  in  height  and  four  feet  wide  to  be  filled  with  grates  of  iron  one 
inch  square,  three  inches  apart,  to  stand  up  and  down  and  to  pass  through 
a  bar  of  iron  half  an  inch  thick  and  three  inches  wide  to  cross  the  grate  in 
the  center,  the  bar  to  extend  in  the  timbers  two  inches,  a  plate  of  rolled 
iron  half  an  inch  thick  and  to  extend  in  the  walls  a  proper  distance,  the 
rolled  iron  to  cover  and  be  well  spiked  on  the  jams  around  the  windows, 
the  logs  of  the  walls  to  be  notched  close  and  the  inside  walls  to  be  laid  in 
lime  mortar.  The  second  floor  to  be  of  one  tier  of  logs  hewn  twelve 
inches  in  thickness,  the  edges  hewn  square.  The  second  story  to  be  in  like 
manner  of  the  first,  with  a  tier  of  joists  one  foot  thick,  laid  close,  resting 
on  the  inside  wall,  and  butting  against  the  outside  wall  to  be  hewn  to  a 
thickness  of  twelve  inches,  the  edges  squared  and  one  tier  crossing  them 
in  the  same  manner  to  extend  out  for  the  room  to  stand  on — and  window  in 
the  upper  story  similar  as  in  the  lower  story — one  door  of  common  size 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8$ 

to  be  cut  in  the  end  well  on  the  north  side,  in  the  upper  story  a  door  frame 
to  be  made  as  wide  as  the  thickness  of  the  walls  and  well  fastened  in  both 
walls,  the  frame  to  be  of  white  oak  four  inches  thick  and  to  be  lined  on  the 
inside  on  the  walls,  and  the  frame  well  spiked  to  the  walls  with  sufficient 
iron  spikes,  not  less  than  eight  inches  long.  The  shutter  to  be  two  and  a 
half  feet  wide  and  six  feet  high,  to  l^e  made  of  two-inch  oak  plank,  made 
double,  well  si^iked  together  with  strong  iron  spikes,  a  strong  lock  with 
double  bolts  to  lie  well  imbedded  in  the  door  with  a  sufficient  key — Iioth 
sides  of  the  door  to  be  entirely  lined  with  strong  sheet  iron  nailed  on  with 
one  nail  to  every  three  inches,  a  sheet  of  hammered  iron,  half  an  inch  thick, 
twelve  inches  long  and  eight  inches  wide  to  be  set  in  the  frame  with  strong 
spikes  to  receive  the  bolt  and  to  be  bent  so  as  to  cover  the  inside  of  the 
frame.  A  substantial  stairwaj'  to  be  erected  on  the  outside  of  the  jail  to 
reach  the  door  with  a  good  platform,  the  timber  of  white  oak ;  the  build- 
ing to  be  well  covered  with  shingles,  the  gables  weatherboarded,  the  eaves 
boxed  and  plain  cornice,  the  corners  of  the  house  to  be  neatly  turned  down, 
a  hatchway  to  be  made  in  the  center  of  the  second  floor  two  feet  and  a  half 
square  with  a  sufficient  shutter  lock  and  key.  The  doors  to  be  hung  with 
strong  wrought  iron  hinges.  The  whole  of  the  work  to  be  completed  in  a 
strong  workmanlike  manner.  Stories  to  be  seven  and  one-half  feet  high 
in  the  clear  inside.  The  building  to  stand  on  a  stone  foundation  of  one 
foot  underground  and  six  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  earth  three  feet 
thick,  to  be  of  good  stone,  laid  in  a  workmanlike  manner.  The  grates  in 
the  windows  to  be  set  in  a  frame  in  the  center  of  walls  to  be  made  strong 
and  rabited  in  the  logs  two  inches,  the  inside  of  the  frame  to  be  lined  with 
iron  half  an  inch  thick,  well  spiked  on.  And  the  logs  where  they  are  cut 
to  make  the  windows  to  be  lined  with  rolled  iron  half  an  inch  thick,  well 
spiked  on. 

"The  whole  to  be  completed  by  the  fourth  Alonda}-  in  October  next. 
The  payments  to  be  made  when  the  work  is  completed  by  orders  drawn  on 
the  treasury  of  the  county.  One  bid  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  county. 
We  undertake  to  give  bond  and  security  to  the  acceptance  of  the  sheriff 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  work. 

"And  it  is  further  ordered  that  the  sherifif,  at  the  time  and  place  afore- 
said, sell  the  old  jail  on  a  credit  until  the  first  of  January  next,  for  the  best 
price  he  can  obtain  for  the  same,  one  bid  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  county 
— bond  and  security  required. 

"And   it   is    further   ordered   that   George   O.    iNIcCoy  be   appointed   to 


86  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

inspect  the  work  of  the  new  jail  as  it  progresses,  who  will  report  the  same 
to  this  board." 

The  report  of  the  day's  session  is  signed  by  Seth  Lowe,  George  W. 
Hopkins  and  Edward  Tanner,  commissioners. 

On  June  15,  1859,  the  board  of  commissioners  passed  a  motion  to 
remove  the  county  jail  from  the  corner  of  the  court  house  square  and 
ordered  the  sheriff  and  auditor  of  the  county  to  purchase  a  suitable  site, 
and  to  remove  all  material  from  the  old  to  the  new  site.  A  site  on  the 
north  side  of  West  Main  street,  a  half  block  from  the  public  square,  was 
selected  and  the  old  jail  was  removed  in  September,  1859.  Edwin  May 
was  engaged,  at  the  price  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  as  the  architect 
and  superintendent  of  construction.  Bids  were  received  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  building  on  September  30,  1859,  and  the  contract  awarded  to 
Henry  H.  Talbott  and  Richard  B.  Thompson.  The  contract  price  of  the 
building  and  the  date  of  its  acceptance  by  the  board  could  not  be  ascertained. 

This  building  was  in  continuous  use  as  the  county  jail  until  1880. 
On  March  10,  of  that  year,  the  commissioners  made  it  a  matter  of  record 
in  the  minutes  of  their  court  that  they  had  "visited  the  jails  of  Shelbyville 
and  Columbus,  with  the  view  of  better  determining  plans  for  erecting  a 
jail  in  this  county."  On  April  13,  1880,  the  commissioners,  S.  H.  Logan, 
Wren  Grayson  and  Henry  W.  Badeker,  accepted  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tion for  a  new  jail  submitted  by  Edward  Carlisle,  an  architect.  At  a  spe- 
cial session  on  May  20,  1880,  bids  for  its  construction  were  examined  and 
the  contract  awarded  to  Rosebrough  &  Company,  of  Greensburg,  for  eleven 
thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  the  old  jail  was  sold  to  Rich- 
ard J.  Braden,  the  highest  bidder,  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  cash. 
However,  on  the  next  morning,  May  21,  Rosebrough  &  Company  refused 
to  accept  the  contract  and  the  work  was  let  to  the  next  best  and  lowest 
bidder,  the  Greensburg  Limestone  Company,  of  Greensburg,  for  twelve 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  dollars.  The  new  building  was  to  be 
built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  and  was  to  be  completed  by  October  i,  fol- 
lowing.    This  building  is  still  in  use  as  the  county  jail. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


COUNTY    OFFICERS. 


COMMISSIONERS. 

Four  distinct  boards  of  county  commissioners  and  two  boards  of  jus- 
tices have  had  charge  of  the  atYairs  of  Decatur  county  since  its  organization. 
The  first  board  of  commissioners  held  office  from  1822  to  1824.  It  was  then 
succeeded  by  a  board  of  justices,  composed  of  two  justices  of  the  peace  from 
each  township.  This  board  held  its  last  meeting  on  July  4,  1831.  A  board 
of  three  county  commissioners  then  had  charge  of  affairs  until  1835,  in 
which  year  a  board  of  eighteen  justices  was  created.  The  latter  board  held 
sway  until  June  7,  1847,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Legislature,  in  1842, 
had  dissolved  such  boards  in  Indiana.  The  Decatur  county  board  was  dis- 
solved by  a  special  act  of  Legislature,  January  14,  1847.  A  board  of  three 
commissioners  then  took  office  and  when  the  new  constitution  was  adopted, 
in  1852  this  arrangement  was  continued.  The  three  commissioners  held 
full  sway  until  1899,  in  which  year  the  legislati\  e  act  creating  county  councils 
restricted  their  powers  to  a  limited  extent. 

The  first  board  of  county  commissioners  met  on  May  14,  1822,  at  the 
home  of  Thomas  Hendricks,  in  Greensburg,  and  were  sworn  in  by  H.  H. 
Talbott,  clerk  of  the  county,  through  appointment  by  Governor  Jennings. 
This  board  was  composed  of  Williams  Harbord,  William  Parks  and  Seth 
Lowe.  The  first  action  of  this  board  was  to  divide  the  county  into  three 
township,  Fugit,  Washington  and  Adams.  The  first  day  of  June  was  then 
fixed  for  holding  township  elections.  Superintendents  of  the  school  sections 
were  then  named  as  follow :  Thomas  Thorp,  James  McLain,  Thomas  Hen- 
dricks, Nathaniel  Robins  and  Paul  Brown.  Enoch  McCarty  was  appointed 
tax  lister  and  John  Hopkins,  treasurer. 

When  the  three  original  townships  were  laid  oft',  Fugit  township  had 
the  same  boundaries  as  at  present;  save  that  a  strip  one  and  one-half  miles 
wide  and  four  miles  long  has  since  been  stricken  off  and  attached  to  Clinton. 
Adams  township  contained  all  its  present  territory,  and,  in  addition,  a  strip 


88  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

two  miles  wide  and  four  miles  long,  that  has  since  been  added  to  Clay,  and 
all  of  Clinton  except  the  Fugit  strip,  above  mentioned.  The  remainder  of 
the  county  lay  in  Washington  township. 

Even  in  that  early  day,  the  high  cost  of  living  was  sufficiently  assertive 
to  demand  attention.  The  board  accordingly  fixed  the  following  prices  that 
might  be  charged  by  ta\-ern  keepers:  Rum  and  wine,  fifty  cents  a  half  pint; 
whisky,  twenty-five  cents  a  pint;  French  brandy,  fifty  cents  a  half  pint; 
meals,  twenty-five  cents,   and  a  night's  lodging,  twenty-five  cents. 

THE    BOARD    OF    JUSTICES. 

The  first  board  of  justices  met  on  September  6,  1824.  There  were 
eight  members  of  this  board,  there  then  being  four  townships  in  the  county. 
The  board  was  composed  of  the  following  justices  of  the  peace:  Robert 
Church,  George  W.  Hopkins,  James  Caldwell,  Zachariah  Carton,  Griffe 
Griffiths,  Dillard  Drake,  Edward  Turner  and  James  Donnell.  Other  mem- 
bers of  this  board,  before  it  passed  out  of  existence  in  1831,  were  Milton  N. 
Williams,  John  McCarty,  Samuel  Bryan,  Dan  Bell,  Robert  Church,  Wesley 
White,  J.  S.  Forsythe,  Davis  Jewitt,  Thomas  Hamilton.  G.  W.  Hopkins, 
W.  E.  Crawford,  William  Fowler,  James  Saunders,  Alex  M.  Elliott,  William 
Switzer,  J.  K.  Rankin,  Benjamin  Jones,  Ebenezer  Douglas,  T.  C.  Pemberton 
and  Thomas  Horton. 

This  board  was  followed  by  a  second  group  of  county  commissioners 
composed  of  Seth  Lowe,  a  member  of  the  first  board,  George  W.  Hopkins 
and  Edward  Tanner.  Thomas  E.  Pemberton  later  filled  a  vacancy  on  this 
board.  The  most  important  matter  to  receive  the  attention  of  these  early 
county  officials  was  the  location  of  highways,  and  many  pages  are  given 
in  the  records  of  their  early  meetings  to  such  business.  This  board  held  its 
last  meeting  on  January  5,  1835,  and  was  followed  by  a  board  of  eighteen 
justices,  there  then  being  nine  townships  in  the  county. 

The  second  board  of  justices  met  on  March  2,  1835,  it  being  composed 
of  the  following:  Zachariah  Carton,  Ezra  Lathrop,  James  Howard,  R.  M. 
Jamison,  Thomas  Powers,  John  Hazelrigg,  Theophilus  Lee,  Samuel  Will- 
iams, James  Johnston,  David  Jewitt,  Nathaniel  Robins,  W.  E.  Crawford, 
J.  G.  Kindall,  John  Scriptor,  John  Plymate,  Enoch  James,  Dan  Barker  and 
James  Lewis.  The  only  new  members  upon  this  board  in  the  next  tweh'e 
years  were  Henrv  Critzer,  Robert  Kennedy,  Dan  Barker  and  Ebenezer 
Douglas. 

The   county   again   returning  to  the  board   of  three   commissioners   in 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8g 

1847,  the  following  commissioners  were  elected:  Henry  S.  Burk,  Tom 
Powers  and  Seth  Lowe,  the  latter  of  whom  had  twice  previously  been  a  mem- 
ber of  this  body.  New  members  elected  in  1850,  were  Smith  Reill}'  and 
Barton  H.  Harney.  This  board  passed  out  of  existence  in  1853,  following 
the  adoption  of  the  new  constitution.  Commissioners  were  then  elected  as 
follows:  Caleb  Stark,  Andrew  ]\IcCoy  and  William  Alagress.  Since  that 
time  the  board  of  commissioners  has  managed  the  business  affairs  of  Decatur 
county.  The  present  count}'  commissioners  are  Charles  W.  Worland, 
\\'illiam  H.  Logan  and  John  W.  Tremain. 


The  office  of  sheriff'  has  been  an  elective  one  from  the  beginning  of  the 
state  and  was  so  provided  for  by  the  constitution  of  1816.  The  first  sheriff, 
William  Ross,  was  appointed  by  the  governor  when  the  county  was  formed, 
to  take  charge  of  the  first  election.  He  served  only  from  March  until 
August,  1822.  Doddridge  Alley  was  the  first  elected  sheriff.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  John  Parks,  who  was  elected  in  1826  and  again  in  1828.  When 
Parks  had  collected  the  taxes  for  the  latter  year,  he  bought  a  large  drove  of 
horses  and  started  with  them  for  Ljmchburg,  Virginia.  He  was  never  heard 
of  afterward.  Abraham  Hendricks  was  appointed  to  serve  out  his  un- 
expired term. 

The  other  incumbents  of  this  ofifice  have  been  :  John  Thomson,  1829-33  ; 
James  Morgan,  1833-37;  Wyatt  R.  Henderson,  1837-41:  Abraham  Hen- 
dricks, 1841-45;  Michael  Swope,  1845-49;  John  Imlay,  1849-52  (died  in 
office);  John  D.  Wilson,  1852-53;  Joseph  V.  Bemusdaffer,  1853-57;  Ed- 
ward A.  Jocelyn,  1857-61;  Philip  Mowrer,  1861-65;  Charles  Sherman, 
1865-67;  Charles  Woodward,  1867-69;  Henry  Reddington  (died  before 
taking  ofifice)  ;  Charles  Wooward,  1868-70  (by  appointment),  Giles  E.  White, 
1870-74;  James  Fiscus,  1874-76;  John  A.  Meek.  1876-78;  Andrew  J.  Smith, 
1878-80;  John  W.  Stout,  1880-84;  Merrit  C.  Welsh,  1884-88;  George  S. 
Dickey,  1888-92;  Taylor  F.  Meek,  1892-96;  W^illiam  T.  Stott,  1896-1900; 
Jeff  C.  Davis,  1900-04;  Jacob  Biddinger,  1904-08;  S.  N.  Patterson,  1908-12; 
John  W.  DeMoss,  1912. 

TREASURER. 

General  Foley,  the  first  holder  of  the  office,  had  two  opponents  at  the 
election,   James  Johnson,   an  independent   ^^'hig,   and  John   Thompson,   the 


pO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

regular  nominee.  Although  Foley  won  the  first  election  in  a  walk,  he  was 
defeated,  when  he  asked  for  re-election,  by  Captain  James  Saunders. 
Saunders  served  one  term  and  declined  a  renomination.  One  of  the  songs 
of  his  campaign  was : 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  ye  geese  and  ganders, 
Folks  can't  come  it  'gainst  Old  Jim  Saunders." 

From  the  time  the  county  was  organized  until  1841,  the  county  treasurer 
was  appointed  by  the  county  commissioners,  or  the  board  of  justices,  for  one 
year.  Since  the  office  was  made  elective,  it  has  been  filled  by  the  following: 
James  B.  Foley,  1841 ;  James  Saunders,  1844;  Abraham  Hendricks,  1847- 
50-53-55;  Robert  Cones,  1856-58;  James  Morgan,  1860-62;  Thomas  B.  Perry, 
1864;  William  L.  Miller,  1866-68;  Benjamin  F.  Henry,  1870;  Conway  O. 
Lanham,  1872;  Charles  Zoller,  1874;  Henry  C.  Stockman,  1876-78;  Angus 
M.  McCoy,  1880-82;  Wilham  D.  Dailey,  1884-86;  John  W.  Nation,  1888-90; 
John  P.  Thompson,  1892-94;  Dyar  C.  Elder,  1896;  George  P.  Shoemaker, 
1898-02;  George  W.  Lanham,  1902-06;  Oscar  B.  Trimble,  1906-10;  I.  L. 
Doles,  1910-12;  Albert  Boling,  1912-16. 

RECORDER,    CLERK    AND    AUDITOR. 

The  recorder's  office  was  filled  by  the  county  clerk  for  several  3fears, 
the  clerk  also  acting  as  county  auditor.  Henry  H.  Talbott  performed  the 
triple  duties  of  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder  until  1841,  in  which  year  the 
office  of  auditor  was  created  by  the  Legislature,  after  which  he  continued 
to  act  as  clerk  and  recorder  until  1859. 

Successors  to  him  as  county  clerk  have  been  elected  in  the  following 
order:  James  Gavin,  1863;  Ira  G.  Grover,  1867;  John  M.  Stevens,  1875; 
Evander  F.  Dyer,  1879;  John  G.  Garrison,  1883;  Jesse  M.  Thompson,  1887; 
Alfred  Gaines,  1891 ;  Marine  D.  Tackett,  1899;  M.  C.  Jenkins,  1903;  J.  W. 
Rhodes,  19 11,  and  George  W.  Fraley,  19 15. 

Putnam  Ewing  followed  Talbott  as  recorder  in  1859  and  since  that 
time  the  office  has  been  filled  by  the  officers  whose  names  follow:  James 
R.  Cox,  1863;  William  B.  Harvey,  1867;  Edward  Kessing,  1875;  James  E. 
Mendenhall,  1879;  Rufus  P.  Hamilton,  1885;  Aaron  Parker,  1895;  Marsh 
Thomas,  1903;  Newton  Paramore,  191 1  (died  in  office),  and  James  A. 
Meek,   1912. 

County  auditors  have  been  elected  as  follows:  Andrew  Dyer,  1841 ; 
Joseph    Remusdaffer,    1855;    William   H.    Reed,    1859;   John    D.    Spillman. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  9 1 

1863;  Frank  M.  Weadon,  1871 ;  John  L.  Dobyns.  1875;  James  Kennedy. 
1882;  John  J.  Puttman,  1890;  Coleman  T.  Pleak,  1894;  Frank  E.  Ryan, 
1902;  Linton  \V.  Sands,  1910,  and  John  C.  Barbe,  1914. 

Andrew  Dyer,  the  first  county  auditor,  was  re-elected  three  times  and 
held  the  office  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years  and  three  months.  The  records 
do  not  disclose  the  reason  of  this  seeming  irregularity.  Dyer  was  defeated 
for  a  fifth  term  by  Remusdaffer.  Of  the  first  eight  men  who  held  the  office 
of  county  auditor,  none  was  a  native  of  Decatur  county.  Dyer  came  from 
Tennessee,  Remusdaffer  and  Weadon  from  Virginia,  Spillman  and  Dobyns 
from  Kentucky,  Reed  from  Franklin  county,  Kennedy  from  Union  county 
and  Puttman  from  Ripley  county. 

STATE    SENATORS. 

Decatur  county  has  been  represented  in  the  state  Senate  since  1825, 
on  which  year  it  was  served  by  James  Gregory,  who  represented  sexen 
other  counties.  It  had  no  senator  of  its  own  until  1836,  by  which  time  it 
had  so  increased  in  population  that  it  was  given  separate  representation  in 
the  upper  house  of  the  Legislature.  This  continued  until  1869,  when,  in 
order  to  maintain  an  equitable  representation  in  the  Senate,  the  county  was 
again  thrown  into  a  joint-senatorial  district.  Decatur  county  has  had  the 
following  representation  in  the  state  Senate : 

1825-6 — James  Gregory,  joint  senator.  Hamilton,  Marion,  Madison, 
Henry,  Shelby,  Decatur,  Rush  and  Johnson  counties. 

1826-7-8 — James  Gregory,  joint  senator,  Decatur,  Shelby,  Johnson  and 
Morgan  counties. 

1829 — James  Gregory,  joint  senator,  Decatur,  Shelby  and  Morgan 
counties. 

1830 — James  Gregory,  joint  senator,  Decatur,  Shelby  and  Johnson 
counties. 

183 1-2-3 — Thomas  Hendricks,  joint  senator,  Shelby  and  Decatur 
counties. 

1834-5 — William  Fowler,  joint  senator,  Shelby  and  Decatur  counties. 

1836 — William  Fowler,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1837-45 — ^James  Morgan,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1846-S — Joseph  Robinson,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1849-50 — James  Morgan,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

185 1 — Robert  H.  Crawford,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1853-5 — W.  J.  Robinson,  senator,  Decatur  county. 


92  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

1857 — John  F.  Stevens,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

*t 1 858-59 — J.  F.  Stevens,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

*ti86i — Richard  Robins,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1863 — Joseph  Pleak,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

*ti865 — Dan  R.  Van  Buskirk,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

1867 — ^Vill  Cumback,  senator,  Decatur  county. 

*ti869 — WilHam  J.  Robinson,  joint  senator.  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

1 87 1 — WilHam  J.  Robinson,  joint  senator.  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

*t  1 872-5 — George  B.  Sleeth,  joint  senator.  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

*t 1 877-9 — WilHam  A.  Moore,  joint  senator.  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

*ti8'8i — Francis  M.  Howard,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1883 — Francis  M.  Howard,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

*ti885 — Francis  M.  Howard,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1887 — Francis  M.  Floward,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1889 — S.  J.  Carpenter,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  bounties. 

1891 — Cortez  Ewing,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1893-5 — Albert  E.  Wray,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1897 — Everett  F.  Stroup,  joint  senator,  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1899-1901 — W.  W.  Lambert,  joint  senator,  Bartholomew  and  Decatur 
counties. 

1903-5 — M.  E.  Xewhouse,  joint  senator,  Bartholomew  and  Decatur 
counties. 

1907-9 — William  E.  Springer,  joint  senator,  Bartholomew  and  Decatur 
counties. 

1911-13 — Emanuel  Trautman,  joint  senator,  Bartholomew  and  Decatur 
counties. 

1915 — E.  A.  Norman,  joint  senator,  Bartholomew  and  Decatur  counties. 

^Special  session, 
t Regular  session. 

STATE   REPRESENTATIVES. 

Being  organized  by  the  Session  Laws  of  1821,  Decatur  county  first 
secured  representation  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  state  Legisla- 
ture in  its  eighth  session,  1823.  It  has  since  been  served  by  representatives, 
by  joint  representatives  and  by  botli.  The  representation  of  the  county  in 
the  lower  house  has  been  as  follows : 

1823-5 — Thomas  Hendricks,  joint  representative.  Rush,  Decatur,  Shelby 
and  Henrv  counties. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  93 

1825-6 — Thomas  R.  Stanford,  joint  representative.  Rush,  Henry, 
Decatur  and  Shelby  counties. 

1826 — Doddridge  Ally,  representati\e,  Decatur  county. 

1827-30 — Thomas  Hendricks,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

183 1 — Doddridge  Ally,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1832-3 — \A'illiam  Fowler,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1834-5 — Samuel  Bryan,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1836-7 — James  Elder,  representative,  Decatur  comity. 

1838 — Abram  Plendricks.  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1839 — Martin  Jamisun,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1840 — James  Blair,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1841 — James  Saunders,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1842-3 — James  Montague,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1844 — Ralph  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1845 — William  J.  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1846 — P.  Hamilton,  representati\e,  Decatur  county. 

1847 — Philander  Hamilton,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1848 — James  Morgan,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1849 — William  J.  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1850 — Robert  H.  Crawford,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

185 1 — John  Stevens,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1853 — Alex.  L.  Underwood,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1855 — Samuel  A.  Bonner,  representati\e,  Decatur  county. 

1857 — Davis  Batterton,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

*t  1 858-59 — William  J.  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

*ti86i — Ira  C.  Grover,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1863 — Daniel  \^an  Buskirk,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

*ti865 — William  H.  Bonner,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

1867 — William  A.  JNIoore,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

*i-i869 — Oliver  P.  Gilham.  representative:  David  M.  Stewart,  joint 
representative:  Decatur  and  Rush  counties. 

1871 — William  T.  Strickland,  representative:  Benjamin  T.  Hill,  joint 
representati\'e :  Decatur  and  Rush  counties. 

*i872-73 — George  Goudie,  representative:  John  D.  Miller,  joint  repre- 
sentative :  Decatur  and  Rush  counties. 

*ti875 — John  ^^^  Shaw,  representative:  Barker  Brown,  joint  represen- 
tative :  Ripley,  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

*ti877 — Zachariah  T.  Riley,  representative:  Arch  M.  Kennedy',  joint 
representative;  Ripley,  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 


94  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

*ti879 — John  S.   Donnell,  representative;   Chester  E.   Faulkner,   joint 
representative;  Ripley,  Rush  and  Decatur  counties. 

*ti88i — James  B.  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1883 — Oscar  L.  Pulse,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
*ti885 — Erastus  L.  Floyd,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1887 — William  R.  Pleak,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1889 — James  B.  Robinson,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1 89 1 — Jacob  L.  Doll,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1893-5 — Marshal  Newhouse,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1897 — William  H.  Goddard,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1899 — John  W.  Holcomb,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1 90 1 — Noah  T.  Rogers,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1903 — Henry  B.  Sherman,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1905-7 — Webb  Woodfill,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1909 — Jethro  C.  Meek,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
191 1 — S.  B.  Eward,  representative,  Decatur  county. 
1913-15 — W.  J.  Kincaid,  representative,  Decatur  county. 

*  Special  session. 

t  Regular  session.  .  ' 


CHAPTER  V. 

TOWNSHIPS    AND    TOWNS    OF    DF.CATUR    COUNTY. 

The  townships  of  Decatur  county  were  organized  by  the  county  board 
in  the  following  order:  Washington,  May  14,  1822;  Fugit,  May  14,  1822; 
Adams,  May  14,  1822;  Sand  Creek,  May  2,  1825;  Clinton,  July  6,  1829; 
Marion,  May  3,  1831 ;  Jackson,  in  March  1834;  Clay,  March  3,  1836;  Salt 
Creek,  September  6,  1836. 

ADAMS    TOWNSHIP. 

On  May  14,  1822,  the  county  commissioners  established  Adams  town- 
ship with  the  following  limits :  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the  township 
line  dividing  townships  10  and  11,  range  8,  thence  east  with  the  township  line 
to  the  line  dividing  sections  32  and  ^^,  range  9,  township  11;  thence  north 
to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  21  in  the  town  and  range  aforesaid; 
thence  east  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  23,  range  9,  township  1 1 ; 
thence  north  with  the  section  line  to  -the  southwest  corner  of  section  14, 
thence  east  to  the  southwest  comer  of  section  17,  range  10,  township  11; 
thence  north  with  the  section  line  to  the  county  line ;  thence  west  with  the 
county  line  to  the  northwest  corner  of  said  county ;  thence  south  with  the 
county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

This  was  one  of  the  three  original  townships  laid  out  in  the  county,  and 
has  been  cut  down  three  different  times:  First,  by  the  formation  of  Clay 
township  in  1825,  sections  27,  26,  25,  30,  34,  35,  36  and  31,  township  11, 
range  8,  being  cut  off  to  give  Clay  its  present  size ;  second,  when  Clinton 
township  was  formed,  Adams  suffering  the  loss  of  fourteen  whole  sections 
and  five  half-sections,  township  11,  range  9,  as  follow:  2t,,  24,  14,  13,  18, 
II,  12,  7,  2,  I,  6.  35,  31  and  the  half  sections,  34,  3,  10,  15  and  22;  third, 
two  sections,  19  and  20,  township  11,  range  9,  were  added  to  Washington 
township.  This  left  the  limits  of  Adams  rather  ill  defined  and  after  the 
last  cut  was  made  from  this  township,  is  found  the  following  extract  in 
the  minutes  of  the  commissioners'  records:  Adams  township  limits  (Vol.  i, 
page  135)  :  "On  May  2,  1825,  the  limits  of  Adams  township  were  rede- 
fined by  the  board  of  justices  as  follows :  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the 


g6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

range  line  dividing  ranges  9  and  10;  thence  south  fi\'e  miles  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  section  24,  range  9,  township  1 1  ;  thence  west  to  the  county  line ; 
thence  with  the  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

THE    SQUATTER. 

Prior  to  1818  a  small  portion  of  southeastern  Indiana,  only,  had  been 
purchased  from  the  Indians  and  partially  settled.  In  that  year  a  treaty  was 
concluded  with  various  triljes  of  Indians,  by  which  most  of  the  land  in  the 
interior  of  the  state,  south  of  the  Wabash  river  and  not  previously  purcliased, 
was  deeded  to  the  United  States.  Immediately,  emigrants  began  to  push  their 
way  into  the  "New  Purchase,"  as  it  was  called.  The  lands  were  not  yet  sur- 
veyed nor  ready  for  sale;  still,  choice  selections  could  be  made  preparatory 
to  purchase  when  the  land  should  be  offered  for  sale — the  "squatter,"  in  the 
meantime,  clearing  a  small  piece  of  ground  in  some  eligible  situation,  where 
he  hoped  soon  to  buy.  This  small  tract,  with  the  game,  which  was  abundant, 
produced  sufficient  to  satisfy  his  wants. 

THE    FIRST    SETTLER. 

The  first  white  man  to  take  up  his  abode  in  Adams  township  is  believed 
to  have  been  John  Gullion.  He  came  from  Switzerland  county,  and  was  an 
old  Revolutionary  soldier — said  to  have  been  perfectly  irrepressible  and 
uncontrollable  in  battle.  He  had  been  shot  through  the  cheek  and  mouth  in 
some  of  the  battles  of  that  war,  and  was  greatly  disfigured.  It  is  believed  he 
visited  the  country  above  Big  Flatrock  in  the  fall  of  1818,  building  a  "shanty" 
and,  perhaps,  clearing  some  ground  in  the  bottom  near  where  the  Michigan 
road  crosses  that  stream.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he  moved  his  family  and 
took  up  his  pemianent  residence.  In  the  same  spring,  Abraham  Heaton  set- 
tled about  one  mile  further  up  that  stream.  He  cleared  land  and  raised  a  crop 
of  corn  in  the  bottom  just  below  the  mouth  of  Little  Flatrock,  in  what  in 
later  years  has  been  known  as  the  Manley  Kimble  bottom. 

In  November,  181 9,  Edward  Tannor  arrived  and  settled  on  the  school 
section  near  where  Nelson  Jewett  now  lives,  building  a  shanty  and  covering 
it  with  laark  taken  from  an  al^andoned  Indian  shanty  near  1>y.  In  the  spring 
of  1820,  Heaton  was  joined  by  Peter  Zeigler  and  Philip  Isley,  who  raised  a 
crop  of  corn  in  the  same  bottom,  Iniying  corn  of  Heaton  of  the  previous 
year's  raising,  at  one  dollar  in  silver  per  bushel. 

The  Miami  tribe  of  Indians  were  still  in  the  country.     The  new  settlers 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  97 

hunted  with  them,  and  Hved  on  terms  of  mutual  friendship.  In  the  fall  of 
1820,  the  land,  having  been  surveyed,  was  offered  for  sale  at  Brookville. 
Abraham  Heaton  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  he  had  located. 
Peter  Zeigler  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  was  soon  after- 
ward sold  to  Martin  Adkins,  and  is  now  owned  by  Joseph  D.  Pleak.  He  also 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  just  west  of  the  present  site  of  St. 
Omer,  on  which  he  lived  until  within  a  few  years.  Jonathan  McCarty 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  the  Michigan  road  crosses  Big 
Flatrock;  J.  M.  Robison,  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  immediately  south  of 
McCarty's,  and  J\Ir.  Sanford,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  east  of  the  same. 
Jonathan  Paul  entered  a  half  section  or  more  at  the  falls  of  Mill  creek,  near 
to  the  present  St.  Paul,  and  was  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first,  to 
erect  a  mill  in  the  county.  Col.  \X.  \V.  Pearce  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  one  mile  northwest  of  St.  Omer,  on  the  Michigan  road,  and  William 
Peterson,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  just  east  of  the  present  site  of  St. 
Omer.  John  Shelhorn  entered  lands  between  Big  and  Little  Flatrock,  and 
erected  a  mill  on  the  latter  stream  about  the  time,  or  soon  after,  that  Paul 
built  on  }ilill  creek.  Of  course,  these  were  small  affairs  compared  with 
modern  mills.  They  were  devoted  mostly  to  grinding  corn,  but  were  provided 
with  bolts  which  were  turned  by  hand  and  each  customer  had  to  turn  his  own 
grist. 

SHATTERED    HOPES. 

Shelhorn  also,  in  1821,  laid  oft'  a  town  on  the  bluft'  immediately  above 
the  confluence  of  Big  and  Little  Flatrock,  called  Rockville,  which  was  the 
first  town  laid  oft'  in  the  county.  The  county  line  not  yet  having  been 
established  nor  the  county  seat  located,  it  was  hoped  to  make  it  a  county  seat. 
The  town  plat  is  recorded  at  Brookville,  and  the  only  e\'idence  of  its  existence 
in  our  records  is  in  the  records  of  deeds  to  certain  lots — Main  street  and 
Broadway  being  given  as  part  of  the  boundary.  The  site  was  a  beautiful 
one  for  a  town,  but,  failing  to  be  made  a  county  seat,  all  further  effort  to 
Iniild  up  a  town  was  abandoned. 

David  Jewett  entered  a  considerable  tract  of  land  just  east  of  Shelhorn, 
on  Little  Flatrock.  Daniel  Stoggsdill  arrived  either  in  the  fall  of  1820, 
or  verj'  early  in  1821,  and  was  the  first  minister  of  the  gospel  in  this  section 
of  the  country.  His  home  was  in  the  corner  of  Washington  township,  yet 
the  church  which  he  founded,  and  to  which  for  a  long  time  he  ministere.d, 
was  in  Adams,  with  whose  people  he  would  be  more  properlv  classed  than 
(7) 


98  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

anywhere  else.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Richard  Guthrie,  who  settled 
in  182 1,  in  the  corner  of  Clay,  just  below  the  present  town  of  Adams.  Solo- 
mon Turpin  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  Clifty,  where 
the  Michigan  road  crosses  that  stream,  and  Jonas  Long,  it  is  believed,  the 
same  year  entered  eighty  acres  one  mile  farther  west,  just  east  of  the  present 
town  of  Adams.  Rev.  Joel  Clark  entered  lands  in  the  east  part  of  the  town- 
ship in  182 1,  where  Phillip  Martin  subsequently  lived.  He  was  a  Baptist 
minister  and  quite  an  old  man  at  that  time.  His  son,  Austin  Clark,  was  a 
Methodist  exhorter  and,  in  connection  with  Jonathan  Tindale,  who  came  at 
the  same  time,  established  the  first  Methodist  society  in  the  township.  Archi- 
bald Clark,  a  brother  of  Austin,  settled  on  Little  Flatrock,  near  the  center  of 
the  township.  Joseph  Lee  came  in  the  fall  of  this  year  and  settled  on  the 
school  section.  Enoch  McCarty,  Hershon  Lee,  Daniel  Howard,  and  perhaps 
others,  were  in  the  county,  but  had  not  at  this  date,  entered  lands  with  a  pros- 
pect of  becoming  pennanent  residents. 

Enoch  James,  a  young  man  who  had  accompanied  a  family  to  which 
he  was  related,  was  the  first  to  procure  a  marriage  license  in  the  township, 
and,  it  is  believed,  in  the  county.     He  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1822. 

EARLY    MAIL    FACILITIES. 

Jonathan  McCarty  and  Edward  Tannor  were  the  first  justices  of  the 
peace,  elected  in  1823.  The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  1822,  or  1823; 
\'V.  W.  Pierce  was  postmaster.  The  mails  were  carried  on  horseback  from 
Lawrenceburgh  to  Indianapolis,  once  in  two  weeks,  and  afterwards  weekly. 
The  streams  were  all  unlaridged,  and  in  times  of  high  water,  which  sometimes 
continued  for  weeks,  the  mail  carrier  had  no  means  of  crossing  but  to  swim. 
A  canoe  was  usually  kept  at  the  crossing,  and  sometimes  he  would  go  over 
in  that  with  the  mail  bags,  swimming  the  horse  by  the  side  of  the  canoe ;  but 
if  the  canoe  happened  to  be  on  the  other  side,  or  no  one  could  be  found  to 
row  it,  he  would  plunge  boldly  in,  protecting  the  mail  bags  as  best  he  could. 
Samuel  Frazier  was  for  a  long  time  the  carrier,  a  good-natured,  lively  young 
fellow,  and,  let  the  weather  or  streams  be  what  they  would,  he  seldom  failed 
to  get  the  mails  through  on  time.  He  was  long  remembered  by  the  old  set- 
tlers on  that  route. 

PRIMITIVE    CONDITIONS. 

This  sketch  would  be  imperfect  if  it  did  not  give  some  idea  of  the 
state  of  the  country  and  of  the  difficulties  these  first  settlers  had  to  encounter, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  99 

yet  no  description  can  give  to  one  who  never  saw  the  country  in  its  native 
wildness,  any  just  conception  of  what  it  was.  Half  the  country  seemed  to 
be  under  water,  hence  settlers  mostly  selected  lands  near  water  courses,  where, 
the  lands  being  more  broken,  dryer  situations  could  be  found.  In  passing 
from  Flatrock  to  Clifty,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  sometimes  a  good 
part  of  the  year,  water  from  one  to  three  feet  deep  would  have  to  be  waded 
for  near  half  the  distance,  the  scene  being  enlivened  by  the  croaking  of 
innumerable  frogs,  and  occasionally  by  a  deer  which  went  bounding  through, 
or  over,  the  thickets  of  spice  and  other  underbrush. 

Of  roads  there  were  none  that  deserved  the  name.  Wilson's  "trace," 
from  Napoleon  through  by  the  present  site  of  Greensburg  and  on  to  Flat- 
rock,  and  perhaps  farther  west;  Freel's  "trace,"  which,  branching  off  from 
the  former  at  the  big  fallen  timber,  ran  through  by  the  forks  of  Clifty  and 
on  to  Connersville ;  and  another  from  Brookville,  through  or  near  the  present 
town  of  Clarksburg  and  on  to  the  settlements  on  Clifty  and  Flatrock,  were 
the  roads  followed  by  settlers.  The  trees  along  the  route  were  merely 
"blazed,"  and  a  few  brushes  cut  out.  The  logs  that  could  be  easily  removed 
were  taken  from  the  track,  and  others  were  frequently  crossed  by  piling 
chunks  on  each  side  which  enabled  the  teams  to  draw  the  wagons  over. 

There  were  no  mills  in  the  country,  and  meal  was  made  by  pounding 
corn  in  a  mortar.  This  was  made  by  burning  a  hole  a  foot  or  so  deep  in  a 
solid  sugartree,  beech  or  other  log,  setting  this  up  on  end  and  erecting  over 
this  something  exactly  like  a  well  sweep,  only,  in  place  of  rope  or  chain  to 
attach  to  a  bucket,  was  a  pole  with  the  butt  end  down,  .and  fitted  nicely  to 
the  shape  of  the  mortar.  A  small  portion  of  corn  was  put  in  at  a  time  and 
pounded  till  sufficiently  fine,  and  the  coarse  parts  removed  by  a  sieve.  This 
process,  hard  and  tedious  as  it  was,  was  easier  for  most  than  going  to  mill — 
the  most  convenient  being  four  miles  below  Brookville.  Colonel  Pierce,  who 
was  the  first  to  sow  wheat  in  the  township,  and  perhaps  in  the  countv,  that 
being  in  the  fall  of  182 1,  was  compelled  to  go  to  that  distance  to  get  it  ground 
— taking  two  days  to  go  and  two  to  come  back. 

EARLY    WEARING    APP.\REL. 

It  was  some  years  before  a  store  was  established  in  the  township,  the 
nearest  being  Benson's,  where  Spring  Hill  now  is,  and  at  Arthur  Major's, 
two  or  three  miles  below  the  present  St.  Paul.  But  very  little  store  goods 
sufficed  in  that  day:  all  articles  of  wear  were  home-made;  spinning  and 
weaving  were  a  part   of  the  regular  employment  of  the   women   of  every 


lOO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

household,  wool  being  carded  into  rolls  for  spinning  by  hand,  and  flax  was 
frequently  partly  prepared  for  spinning  by  the  same  hands;  some,  before 
flax  could  be  raised,  substituted  nettles,  which  grew  luxuriantly  on  bottom 
land  to  the  height  of  three  or  four  feet;  when  they  had  lain  sufficiently 
long  to  become  rotted,  they  were  prepared  the  same  as  flax,  and  made  a 
very  good  article  of  linen.  Garments  were  made  with  but  little  regard  to 
fashion.  The  men  sometimes  wore  what  was  called  a  hunting-shirt,  fringed 
round  the  edges  with  red  or  blue  fringes,  and  a  coonskin  cap,  with  the 
striped  tail  hanging  down  the  Ijack — these  being  the  only  efforts  at  style. 

The  women  wore  dresses  of  home-made  linsey,  or  linen  striped  with 
indigo  or  copperas  color,  to  suit  the  taste,  exactly  such  as  can  be  seen  at 
the  present  day  worn  by  emigrants  from  the  mountainous  regions  of  Ten- 
nessee and  North  Carolina.  Deerskins  were,  after  a  home  tanning,  con- 
verted into  moccasins.  Some  of  the  more  well-to-do  aspired  to  shoes  (boots 
were  not  thought  of),  but  one  pair  usually  lasted  a  good  while,  and  so  care- 
ful were  the  girls  of  their  shoes,  that  it  was  the  custom,  when  they  w'ent  to 
meeting,  to  carry  their  shoes  and  stockings  in  their  hands,  putting  them  on 
only  when  they  arrived  within  a  short  distance  of  the  meeting-house.  Hats 
were  frequently  made  of  buckeye  splits,  plaited  and  sewn  together,  and  were 
quite  a  stylish  article  when  new,  the  only  draw-back  being  that  after  two  or 
three  wettings  they  turned  a  mouldy,  dirty-looking  brown  color  that  was 
anything  but  handsome. 

^^'olves,  though  not  very  numerous,  were  still  troublesome  to  those 
who  attempted  to  keep  sheep.  Rattlesnakes  were  abundant,  and,  though  a 
source  of  great  dread,  yet  accidents  from  this  source  were  not  frequent.  On 
one  occasion  about  seventy  were  killed  in  one  day  near  Paul's  mill,  where 
they  had  crawled  out  from  their  den  in  the  rocks.  This  was  considened 
rather  better  than  an  ordinary  day  for  snakes. 

Horses  were  turned  out.  after  work,  to  range  in  the  forest,  as  it  was 
impossible  to  procure  food  otherwise,  the  precaution  being  taken  to  fasten 
a  bell  to  the  neck  in  order  that  they  might  be  easily  found  in  the  morning. 
But,  as  the  season  advanced,  the  malaria  from  the  swamps,  coupled  with 
the  continued  hardship  and  exposure,  began  to  tell  on  the  settlers,  and  nearly 
all  were  afflicted  with  chills  and  fever.  Some  continued  to  shake  until  Christ- 
mas, others  recovering  in  a  few  days  or  weeks ;  sometimes  they  were  scarcely 
well  enough  to  attend  the  sick,  yet  very  few  cases  were  fatal,  whether  from 
the  mildness  of  the  malady  or  the  scarcity  of  doctors,  it  would  be  impossible 
to  tell. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


WILD   GAME. 


One  year  was  noted  for  a  wonderful  l)eech  mast.  This  l^rought  in  the 
pigeons  by  the  millions,  squirrels  also,  and  the  wild  turkeys  in  vast  numbers. 
It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  the  whole  heavens  covered  for  hours  at  a 
time,  like  a  cloud,  with  pigeons  going  to  the  roost  in  the  evening  or  return- 
ing in  the  morning.  Squirrels  were  so  thick  as  to,  in  some  instances,  destroy 
whole  fields  of  corn  in  the  fall;  the  trees  left  standing  gave  them  shelter, 
so  that  they  ra\-aged  all  parts  of  the  field  alike.  Squirrel  hunts  were  some- 
times made  to  try  to  exterminate  them,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  one 
man  to  kill  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  a  day.  Turkeys,  too,  were  so  abundant 
that  frequently  only  the  breast  was  sa\'ed  to  dry,  the  balance  of  the  carcass, 
though  fat  and  fine,  being  thrown  away.  Hogs  multiplied  rajndly  and, 
feed  being  abundant  in  the  woods,  they  soon  sought  their  li\ing  there  alto- 
gether, and  became  as  wild  as  the  deer.  Almost  everyone  had  wild  hogs 
in  the  woods  and  those  who  had  not.  bought  a  real  or  pretended  claim  from 
someone  else;  these  claims  never  ran  out  or  became  worthless  while  the 
hogs  lasted,  there  being  no  first  mortgages  to  come  in,  as  in  later  times,  to 
swallow  up  all  minor  interests.  In  the  fall  or  beginning  of  winter  it  was 
the  custom  to  go  to  the  woods,  strike  a  camp,  and  hunt  and  kill  wild  hogs 
till  enough  were  secured  for  the  year's  supply.  The  hogs,  being  almost 
wholly  unmarked,  few  could  tell  their  own  from  others,  nor  did  they  seem 
at  all  particular,  the  fact  that  one  had  a  claim  being  thought  sufficient  to 
justify  him  in  taking  the  first  he  came  to. 

DISTILLERIES. 

The  temperance  reformation  had  not  yet  commenced  and  all  classes 
used  whiskey  as  a  regular  beverage.  To  supply  this  want,  whiskev  being 
thought  indispensable,  still-houses  were  very  early  erected,  and  there  have 
been  as  many  as  six  in  a  township,  though  not  all  in  operation  at  one  time. 
They  have  long  since  disappeared,  yet  their  influence  probably  long  sur- 
vived them. 

PIONEER  SCHOOLS. 

Amidst  all  disadvantages,  the  interests  of  education,  morality  and  re- 
ligion were  not  wholly  neglected.  Rude  school  houses  were  put  up  by  the 
voluntary  aid  of  contiguous  neighbors.  A  log  was  usually  cut  out  of  the 
wall  on  one  side  and  over  this  greased  paper  was  pasted,  this  serving  for  a 


I02  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

window.  Under  this  was  the  writing-desk — a  board  laid  on  pins,  driven  in 
the  wall ;  and  the  seats  were  split  puncheons,  without  backs.  The  teachers, 
sometimes,  very  well  matched  the  school  house,  while  some  would  compare 
very  well  with  those  of  the  present  day.  People  with  such  rude  surround- 
ings sometimes  gained  a  very  good  practical  knowledge  of  arithmetic,  going 
clear  through  and  doing  every  sum  in  a  single  quarter,  a  feat  that  under 
modern  teaching  is  seldom  accomplished  under  three  or  four,  so  little  do 
the  surroundings  of  a  scholar  have  to  do  with  his  ad\-ancement. 

The  present  officers  of  Adanis  township  are:  Trustee,  L.  A.  Jewett; 
assessor,  Ed  Shower;  advisory  board,  William  Larrigan,  J.  S.  Townsend 
and  Manford  Slifer;  road  supervisors,  Ed  Hoffman,  T.  M.  Fa\or,  George 
Smith  and  Thomas  Teitsort. 


The  little  village  of  St.  Omer  is  located  in  section  2,  Adams  township, 
and  appeared  on  the  horizon  for  the  first  time  in  1834,  when  it  was  laid  out 
by  John  Griffin  and  A.  Major.  It  is  on  the  old  Michigan  road  and  was  for- 
merly an  important  trading  center  of  Adams  township.  Scattered  along 
either  side  of  the  famous  old  thoroughfare,  which  is  the  main  street  of  the 
little  village,  may  be  seen  quaint  old  cottages,  once  the  home  of  happy  and 
contented  people.  The  first  building  in  the  town  dates  from  1830.  The 
Michigan  road  was  once  an  Indian  trail  which  wound  its  way  through  this 
country,  and,  from  the  opening  of  the  "New  Purchase"  to  settlement,  the 
trail  became  the  main  road  from  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  to  the 
new  capital  at  Indianapolis.  With  the  opening  of  the  Michigan  road  by 
government  and  state  aid,  in  the  early  part  of  the  thirties,  taverns  sprang 
up  at  intervals  throughout  its  entire  length,  and  these  taverns,  in  many  in- 
stances, became  the  centers  of  hopeful  villages.  In  St.  Omer  may  still  be 
seen  a  few  buildings  which  were  once  used  as  taverns.  The  Wilder  prop- 
erty was  once  such  a  tavern. 

VISIONS    OF    RAILROADS. 

In  the  early  forties,  St.  Omer  began  to  see  visions  of  a  railroad,  but  the 
vision  was  all  the  people  ever  saw.  The  present  Big  Four  was  first  planned 
to  run  through  the  village,  but  subsequent  surveys  showed  that  it  would  miss 
the  town  by  about  two  miles.  Another  projected  road  which  was  to  pass 
through  St.  Omer  was  a  line  from  Greensburg,  part  of  which  was  actually 
graded.     However,  this  line  never  materialized,  and  since  that  time  the  town 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO3 

has  given  up  hopes  of  ever  ha\-ing  a  railroad.  This  projected  road  explains 
the  huge  cuts  and  fills  which  may  still  be  seen  along  the  Michigan  road  be- 
tween Greensburg  and  Shelbvville.  The  work  had  even  proceeded  so  far 
that  part  of  the  abutments  for  the  bridge  across  Flatrock  were  in  place. 
Thousands  of  dollars  were  expended,  to  say  nothing  of  the  time  and  labor 
and  blasted  hopes. 

An  interesting  incident  connected  with  this  \isionary  railroad  was  a 
clan  feud  between  the  Irish  laborers  of  Shelb}-\-ille  and  those  stationed  at 
St.  Omer.  So  bitter  became  this  strife  that  they  took  their  old  flint-lock 
muskets  with  them  to  their  work  day  after  day  and  stacked  their  arms  along 
the  right  of  way,  to  be  used  in  case  trouble  might  arise.  Several  skirmishes 
actually  occurred  and  some  blood  was  shed,  but  there  were  no  fatalities. 

Few  people  know  that  the  timber  was  prepared  for  the  construction  of 
a  depot  in  St.  Omer,  but  such  was  the  case.  The  depot  was  to  stand  on  a 
spot  just  south  of  the  later  residence  of  Wesley  Wilder,  but  when  it  was 
decided  to  change  the  route  of  the  railroad,  the  timbers  were  hauled  to  St. 
Paul  and  became  a  part  of  the  residence  of  Joseph  Eck.  So  much  for  the 
railroad  history  of  St.  Omer. 

EDUCATION. 

The  subscription  school  furnished  all  of  the  education  for  the  young- 
sters of  St.  Omer  before  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitution  in  1851. 
^Vhen  the  system  of  free  schools  came  into  operation,  in  that  year,  St. 
Omer  was  divided  between  two  school  districts,  one  school  house  being  in 
the  village  and  the  other  in  the  woods  near  where  John  Leach  later  lived. 
This  did  not  prove  satisfactory  and  in  1856  the  citizens  of  the  village 
secured  a  graded  school  and  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  Franklin  Pearce  and 
Samantha  Mann,  the  mother  of  Dr.  E.  Jewett.  A  few  weeks  after  school 
began,  Mr.  Pearce  was  hit  on  the  head  with  a  stick  of  wood  in  the  hands 
of  one  of  his  pupils,  and  killed.  Whether  it  was  accidental  or  intentional, 
is  uncertain.  The  school  was  one  of  the  best  in  this  section  of  the  state  at 
the  time.  Latin,  German,  algebra,  music  and  other  higher  branches  were 
included  in  the  curriculum.    The  present  school  building  was  erected  in  1879. 

CHURCHES. 

There  have  been  three  churches  in  St.  Omer,  the  Methodist  Episcopal, 
Presbyterian  and  L^nited  Brethren.     The  Presbyterian  church  was  destroyed 


I04  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

l)y  fire  several  years  ago  and  never  rebuilt,  tradition  saying  that  the  church 
was  burned  as  the  result  of  some  courageous  preacher  pointing  out  in  too 
plain  a  manner  the  future  destiny  of  a  certain  young  man  whose  agricultural 
efforts  were  devoted  to  the  sowing  of  the  wrong  kind  of  oats.  The  history 
of  the  other  churches  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

St.  Omer  has  never  boasted  of  a  large  population  and  today  can  scarceh^ 
claim  over  half  a  hundred.  There  were  never  any  factories  of  any  import- 
ance in  the  village,  but  from  the  earliest  history  of  its  career  there  were 
artisans  capable  of  supplying  most  of  the  local  wants.  Plows,  wagons,  sad- 
dles and  harness,  hats,  beds  and  many  other  articles  have  been  made  here  in 
a  small  way.  Coopers,  butchers,  blacksmiths,  wood-workers,  carpenters,  and 
even  tailors,  have  pursued  their  trade  here  in  the  past.  At  one  time  there 
were  four  general  stores,  two  drug  stores,  a  hotel  or  two,  and  the  ubiquituous 
saloon  in  St.  Omer,  and  all  of  them  appeared  to  thrive.  John  F.  Harwood 
opened  the  first  hotel  and  Harvey  Vaupelt  established  the  first  store.  Today 
there  is  not  a  single  store  in  the  village,  the  proximity  of  St.  Paul,  two  miles 
away,  having  made  it  impossible  for  a  local  merchant  to  continue  in  business. 

A    COUNTY-SEAT    PROSPECT. 

The  history  of  this  once  prosperous  little  hamlet  cannot  be  dismissed 
without  mentioning  an  interesting  dream  of  its  former  inhabitants.  Before 
the  Civil  War,  St.  Omer  entertained  aspirations  of  being  a  county  seat.  A 
project,  fathered  by  some  politicians,  proposed  to  make  a  new  county  out 
of  parts  of  Decatur,  Shelby  and  Rush  counties,  with  St.  Omer  as  the  county 
seat.  However,  so  much  opposition  was  encountered  that  the  proposal  never 
did  anything  more  than  raise  the  hopes  of  the  guileless  people  of  St.  Omer. 
The  promoters  of  the  new  county  even  went  so  far  as  to  select  the  site  for 
the  new  court  house,  the  site  being  located  across  the  road  and  west  of 
Smith's  garage.  The  failure  of  the  new-county  scheme  and  the  shifting  of 
the  railroad,  two  miles  to  the  west,  was  the  death-knell  of  St.  Omer.  Its 
oldest  citizens  can  still  tell  of  the  halcyon  days  when  they  fondly  imagined 
great  things  for  the  town.  They  planned  for  its  future  with  every  confi- 
dence in  the  promises  of  the  railroad  people,  and  likewise  gave  every 
encouragement  to  the  county-seat  proposal — l)ut,  alas,  it  was  all  in  vain. 


The  village  of  Adams  is  situated  on  the  Big  Four  railroad  and  also  the 
interurban  line.     It  is  only  five  miles  from  Greensburg  and  in  the  extreme 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I O5 

southern  part  of  the  township  bearing  the  same  name.  The  village  was  laid 
out  by  Aaron  H.  Womack,  January  i,  1855,  two  years  after  the  completion 
of  the  railroad  through  this  township.  It  is  located  in  the  center  of  a  rich 
agricultural  district  and,  although  there  has  been  a  great  falling  off  in  the 
population  of  some  of  the  smaller  towns  since  the  general  influx  to  the  cities 
began,  Adams  has  continued  to  grow.  Mr.  Womack  was  the  first  merchant 
in  the  village,  although  William  Gouldsbury  is  credited  as  being  the  first 
settler.  Mr.  Gouldsbury  erected  the  first  residence  in  the  town  and  also 
established  the  first  industrial  enterprise  in  the  form  of  a  blacksmith  shop 
and  wagon  works.  Around  this  nucleus  soon  gathered  a  prosperous  settle- 
ment of  industrious,  intelligent  and  progTessi\'e  people. 

Adams  was  incorporated  in  September,  1877,  for  school  purposes,  but 
the  school  was  taught  only  one  term  under  corporate  management.  Confu- 
sion and  jealousies  arising  among  the  officers  and  citizens,  it  was  determined, 
by  a  unanimous  vote,  to  abolish  the  corporation  and  return  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  township  trustee. 

The  business  interests  of  Adams  in  191 5  are  as  follows:  Auctioneer,  A. 
F.  Eubank;  barber,  George  Baumgartner:  blacksmith,  J.  S.  Hichney  and  I 
N.  Con,  John  Inman,  Charles  Adkins;  boarding  house,  Mrs.  Mae  Long- 
street;  contractor,  James  Inman;  elevator,  Albert  Boling;  general  merchan- 
dise, Arthur  Toothman,  J.  J.  Mull,  Walter  Marshall;  implements,  L.  R. 
Davis;  livery,  William  Jackson;  meat  market,  A.  R.  Coy;  physician,  M.  A. 
Tremain;  paper  hanger,  Ed  Shauer;  restaurant  and  confectionery,  A.  R. 
Coy;  veterinary,  Morton  Tanner. 

Adams  has  a  well  organized  band  of  fifteen  members,  with  Justin 
Guthrie  as  leader.  They  were  organized  in  the  winter  of  19 13  and  ha\e 
two  thousand  dollars  invested  in  instruments.  This  band  has  recently  pur- 
chased new  uniforms  and  renders  concerts  during  the  summer  months  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  townspeople. 

Adams  is  accommodated  by  the  Big  Four  railroad,  with  A.  R.  Coy  as 
agent,  and  also  the  electric  line,  with  Arthur  Toothman  as  agent.  Grace 
Jackson  is  the  present  postmistress.  The  town  has  a  population  of  four  hun- 
dred people. 

DOWNEYVILLE. 

Downeyville  is  a  small  hamlet  in  Adams  township.  This  village  was 
never  platted  and,  although  the  name  covers  considerable  space  on  the  county 
map,  there  are  only  four  or  five  houses  in  the  cluster  that  marks  the  town 
limits.  The  business  interests,  which  consist  of  a  general  store,  are  con- 
ducted by  J.  F.  Downey  &  Sons. 


I06  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ROCKVILLE,    A    PROSPEROUS    COUNTY    SEAT. 

Few  of  the  present  generation  know  that  the  first  town  laid  out  within 
the  present  Hmits  of  Decatur  county  was  located  in  Adams  township. 
Shortly  after  land  in  the  "New  Purchase"  was  offered  for  sale  at  Brook- 
ville,  Abraham  Heaton  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  6  of 
Adams  township.  In  the  early  part  of  the  following  year  John  Shelhorn 
entered  a  tract  in  the  same  section  and  these  two  men  conceived  the  idea  of 
laying  out  a  town  above  the  confluence  of  Big  and  Little  Flatrock.  The 
county  of  Decatur  had  not  yet  been  organized  and  no  one,  of  course,  knew 
how  much  territory  the  new  county  might  include.  Heaton  and  Shelhorn 
hoped  to  induce  the  authorities  to  select  the  site  of  their  proposed  town  for 
the  county  seat  and  when  they  laid  out  their  town  provided  for  a  public 
square.  On  the  Franklin  county  records  may  still  be  seen  the  town  of  Rock- 
ville,  which  these  two  enterprising  Yankees  laid  out  in  the  early  spring  of 
1 82 1.  The  plat  was  recorded  at  Brook ville,  February  19,  1821  (Deed  record 
E,  page  76),  and  shows  one  hundred  and  eight  lots.  The  streets  were  one 
chain  in  width  and  seventy-five  links  in  length.  The  plat  shows  the  following 
streets :  Main,  Broadway,  Walnut,  Water,  Mulberry  and  Market.  While 
the  site  was  a  beautiful  one,  the  proprietors  never  realized  anything  from 
their  patriotic  efforts  to  make  it  a  town.  During  the  following  year  the 
locating  commissioners  placed  the  county  seat  of  the  new  county  at  Greens- 
burg  and  thus  blasted  any  hopes  that  Heaton  and  Shelhorn  might  have  en- 
tertained for  their  town.  The  present  town  of  Downeyville  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  this  long- forgotten,  prospective  county  seat  of  Decatur  county. 


The  town  of  St.  Paul  came  into  existence  at  the  time  the  Big  Four 
railroad  was  built  through  Decatur  county,  in  1853.  The  town  is  on  the  line 
between  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties,  although  the  greater  part  of  the  town 
is  in  Decatur  county.  Jonathan  Paul  was  the  first  settler  to  locate  on  the 
present  site  of  St.  Paul,  entering  all  of  section  33,  township  11,  range  8, 
except  eighty  acres;  the  patent  for  this  large  tract  being  dated  October  20, 
1820.  The  Pauls  came  from  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  where  one  of  the 
members  of  the  family  had  laid  out  the  town  of  Madison.  A  sister  of  Jona- 
than Paul  became  the  wife  of  William  Hendricks,  congressman.  United 
States  senator  and  governor  of  Indiana. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO7 

The  original  Paul  home  in  Adams  township,  Decatur  county,  was  a  log 
cabin  near  the  road,  at  the  foot  of  the  present  Paul  Hill  cemetery,  at  St. 
Paul.  There  was  a  semblance  of  a  village  many  years  before  the  town  was 
laid  out,  the  hamlet  being  known  as  Paultown.  The  older  residents  still 
speak  of  the  place  as  Paultown,  but  few  of  the  present  generation  are  aware 
of  the  first  name. 

The  first  Paul  cabin  burned  a  few  years  after  it  was  erected  and  another 
log  structure  was  built  on  the  same  spot,  which  ser\'ed  as  a  home  for  the 
family  until  the  erection  of  a  substantial  brick  building.  The  contract  for 
the  erection  of  the  brick  house  was  let  to  Daniel  French,  who  made  the 
brick  near  where  the  house  was  built.  The  evidence  of  this  worthy  con- 
tractor's work  still  stands  in  St.  Paul  and  bids  fair  to  stand  for  many  years 
yet  to  come.  Shortly  after  getting  his  first  cabin  erected,  Paul  established  a 
rude  mill  on  Mill  creek,  a  short  distance  above  where  the  later  Paul  mill 
stood.  This  first  mill — and  it  was  probably  the  first  mill  in  the  county — 
was  not  much  larger  than  a  smoke-house,  but  it  served  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  built.  He  ground  only  corn  and  this  was  done  in  an  old-fashioned 
hand  "hopper." 

A  few  years  after  Jonathan  Paul  put  his  first  mill  into  operation,  his 
son,  John  Paul,. built  another  inill  a  short  distance  below  the  old  mill  and 
operated  it  by  water-power.  Sometime  later  John  Paul  saw  that  there  was 
an  excellent  water-power  site  at  the  confluence  of  Mill  creek  and  Flatrock 
and  proceeded  to  build  a  woolen-mill  on  the  west  side  of  Mill  creek  near 
where  it  empties  into  Flatrock.  He  built  a  dam  across  Mill  creek  and  the 
race  which  he  constructed  may  still  be  seen.  John  Paul  also  had  a  saw-mill 
near  the  same  place,  deriving  his  power  for  its  operation  from  Flatrock. 
The  two  mills  were  close  together  and  it  was  his  original  intention  to  utilize 
the  same  race  for  both  mills,  but  such  a  plan  was  found  impracticable.  These 
two  mills  gave  employment  to  several  men  and  were  the  means  of  attractmg 
a  number  of  families  to  the  little  hamlet  of  Paultown,  or  "Bull  Town,"  as  it 
was  frequently  called.  In  the  spring  of  1847  the  two  mills  were  swept  away 
by  a  flood  and  Paul  also  saw  his  dam  across  Flatrock  disappear  at  the  same 
time. 

RAILROAD    BOOMS    THE    TOWN. 

From  1847  to  1854  was  a  period  of  depression  in  the  once  thriving  vil- 
lage, but  with  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  the  place  in  the  latter 
year,  things  began  to  look  more  auspicious.  Paul  rebuilt  his  mill,  and,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  son-in-law.  Erastus  ]\I.   Flovd,  laid  out  the  town  into 


I08  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

lots;  giving  it  at  the  same  time,  the  name  of  St.  Paul.  From  that  time 
forward  the  town  had  prospered  and  today  is  one  of  the  best  trading  centers 
in  the  count}'.  By  1859  the  town  had  increased  in  population  until  fnat  year 
saw  the  erection  of  thirty  buildings.  According  to  a  local  account,  there 
were  the  following  enterprises  in  St.  Paul  in  1859:  Merchants — Caldwell 
&  Dorsey,  Drummond  &  Buell,  Ridlin  &  Company,  John  DeArmond  and 
Benjamin  Jenkins ;  steam  and  water  mills — George  Wooden ;  cabinet  shop — • 
Hann  &  Raymond;  two  hotels;  woolen  factory — John  Paul,  and  a  number 
of  other  industries. 

A  word  should  be  said  regarding  the  old  Paul  mill,  which  no  longer 
greets  the  eye  of  the  fisherman  as  he  wanders  along  Mill  creek  in  search  of 
chubs  and  slickjacks.  Amateur  photographers  no  longer  compete  in  efl:'orts 
to  get  the  best  pictures  of  the  building,  with  its  quaint  overshot  wheel.  The 
old  mill  was  razed  in  1909  and  nothing  now  remains  of  an  industry  which 
was  once  a  boom  to  the  settlers  who  flocked  from  far  and  near  to  take  their 
turns  in  getting  their  grist  ground.  Never  again  will  the  curious  gather 
to  watch  the  water,  freed  from  the  race  by  the  lifting  of  the  old  water  gate, 
rush  down  over  the  wheel  and  fill  the  buckets.  The  hum  of  the  old  French 
burrs  is  silenced  forever;  no  more  will  the  youth  of  the  village,  stripped  to 
the  skin,  stand  under  the  falls  of  the  race  overflow  ;  no  more  will  boys  borrow 
the  old  miller's  spade,  with  which  to  dig  worms  when  fishing  in  the  old  mill 
race;  no  more  will  they  parch  corn  on  the  top  of  the  old  box-stove,  fired 
with  cobs,  and  listen  to  the  miller's  stories  of  pioneer  days. 

SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES. 

The  first  school  house  in  St.  Paul  stood  on  the  site  of  the  store  now 
owned  by  the  Benning  Brothers,  and  the  second  one  was  located  where 
Walter  Hungerford's  residence  now  stands.  School  was  also  held  for  a 
time  in  the  second  story  of  Oddfellow  hall,  now  the  carriage  and  buggy  fac- 
tory of  Jacob  Johannes.  During  the  early  seventies  a  school  was  main- 
tained in  both  the  Methodist  and  Catholic  churches.  After  leaving  Odd- 
fellow hall,  the  public  school  was  stationed  in  the  building  now  owned  by 
Henry  Neidigh,  which  was  also  used  for  religious  purposes  at  the  same 
time.  In  1870  the  school  district  built  a  school  house  about  one  hundred 
feet  back  of  where  the  present  school  building  now  stands.  This  building 
was  used  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1901,  and,  until  the  completion  of 
the  present  building  in  the  following  year,  the  Floyd  building  was  used  for 
school  purposes. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  lOQ 

The  first  church  building  dates  from  1857  wlien  the  different  denomi- 
nations of  the  town  erected  what  they  called  a  union  church.  Each  denom- 
ination interested  in  the  erection  of  this  edifice  was  to  be  allowed  to  use  it 
at  regular  intervals,  but  it  seems  that,  owing  to  the  predominance  of  the 
Lutherans,  it  was  commonly  known  as  the  Lutheran  church.  However, 
other  denominations  used  it  for  services  for  a  few  years.  Just  when  the 
Lutherans  gained  complete  control  of  the  building  is  not  known;  hut  it  is 
certain  that  it  was  unused  several  years  previous  to  the  time  the  Christian 
church  got  possession  of  it  in  1874.  The  Christians  seemed  to  ha\'e  rented 
it  until  1892  when  they  purchased  it  and  made  many  extensive  improvements 
in  it.  The  Methodists  built  about  1858  and  the  Catholics  in  the  same  year. 
I'he  first  Methodist  church  burned  in  1892  and  in  the  same  year  the  present 
church  was  erected.  The  Catholics  are  still  using  the  church  thev  built  in 
1858. 

INDUSTRIES    AND    COMMERCE. 

The  stone  industry  in  St.  Paul  was  started  in  the  'fifties  bv  John  Scan- 
Ian,  who  established  a  stone  quarry  south  of  town,  which  gave  emplovment 
to  a  large  number  of  men.  Later,  William  Lowe  established  a  quarry  at  the 
junction  of  Mill  creek  and  Flatrock,  on  the  site  of  the  old  woolen-mill. 
Later  H.  C.  Adams  opened  a  quarry  opposite  the  Lowe  quarry  on  Flatrock. 
In  1 913  P.  J.  McAuliffe,  who  had  leased  the  Lowe  quarry,  some  years 
previously,  closed  the  quarry  as  a  result  of  the  extensive  damages  suffered 
by  the  March  flood  of  that  year.  In  1907  Greely  Brothers  built  a  large 
stone  crusher  on  Flatrock  east  of  town.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  concerns 
of  its  kind  in  Indiana  and  produces  from  fifteen  to  twenty  car  loads  of 
crushed  stone  daily.  In  addition  to  crushed  stone  for  road  material,  a  large 
amount  of  what  is  locally  known  as  "dimension"  stone  is  quarried.  This 
stone  ranks  second  in  the  state  to  Bedford  stone  and  is  shipped  for  building 
purposes  all  over  the  United  States.  It  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
custom  house  at  Cincinnati  and  in  the  state  house  at  Indianapolis.  The 
only  other  industry  of  any  importance  now  in  St.  Paul  is  the  buggv'  factory 
of  Jacob  Johannes.  This  was  established  by  the  present  proprietor  in  1878 
and  has  been  in  continuous  operation  since  that  year.  Formerly  carriages 
were  manufactured  as  well  as  buggies,  but  at  the  present  time  only  buggies 
are  made.  The  factory  has  an  annual  capacity  of  one  hundred  buggies  and 
on  an  average  of  se\-enty-five  are  now  made  each  year.  Only  first-class 
vehicles  are  turned  out  and  the  product  finds  a  ready  sale,  despite  the  heavv 
inroads  which  the  automobile  has  made  in  the  vehicle  industry.     In  addition 


no  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  the  manufacture  of  buggies,  Mr.  Johannes  does  a  large  amount  of  repair 
work. 

The  first  merchant  in  St.  Paul  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hungate, 
who  sold  a  little  of  everything,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days.  The  busi- 
ness enterprises  of  the  town  change  from  year  to  year,  and  scarcely  a  year 
passes  that  there  is  not  some  change  in  firms.  New  enterprises  are  being 
added  from  year  to  year,  and  it  is  impossible  to  predict  what  a  new  year 
will  bring  forth. 

A  survey  of  the  business  and  professional  interests  of  St.  Paul  in  the 
summer  of  1915  discloses  the  following:  Automobiles,  St.  Paul  Hardware 
Company;  bakery,  St.  Paul  Baking  Company;  barbers,  Jacob  Wise,  William 
Favors,  Carl  Brooks;  blacksmiths,  Merritt  Copeland,  ManHef  &  McAuliffe; 
buggy  factory,  Jacob  Johannes ;  building  and  loan  association,  George  W. 
Boling,  secretary;  bank,  St.  Paul  Banking  Co.,  Orlando  Hungerford,  owner; 
cement  products,  Joseph  Eck ;  carpenters,  George  W.  Swartz,  Albert  Hay-  • 
mond,  Miller  Brothers;  dentist,  Leshe  Rivers;  drugs,  Dr.  D.  J.  Ballard, 
H.  H.  Gladish;  elevator,  William  Nading;  feed  and  milling  products,  W. 
T.  Bolhng;  flowers,  Mrs.  H.  W.  Ballard;  furniture,  Charles  H.  Wiley;  gen- 
eral stores,  R.  D.  Templeton,  L.  A.  Jewett  &  Son,  A.  B.  Mulroy;  groceries, 
Benning  Brothers,  John  B.  McKee,  James  Embry;  harness,  Garrett  &  Con- 
rad ;  hardware,  Boiling  &  Thompson,  I.  W.  Martin ;  hotel,  Diltz  &  Adams ; 
ice  dealer,  F.  M.  Favors;  ice  cream  parlor,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Gladish;  insurance, 
Mrs.  John  Harwood,  George  W.  Boiling;  interurban  agent,  Joseph  Miller; 
implements,  W.  W.  Townhend;  jeweler,  C.  F.  Kappes;  livery,  Ottis 
Thompson;  lumber  and  building  supplies,  John  Sinipson  &  Son;  meat  mar- 
ket, Carl  G.  Wolfe;  millinery,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Mason;  moving  pictures,  Howard 
&  Pleak;  newspaper,  St.  Paul  Telegram^  O.  C.  Pearce,  editor;  notions,  B. 
F.  Mason;  painter  and  paper  hanger,  Amos  Dodds,  Orla  Wadkins,  Pearce 
&  McAulifife;  plumber,  Garrett  &  Conrad;  physicians,  G.  J.  Martz.  F.  M. 
Howard,  Earl  Jewett,  D.  J.  Ballard,  William  R.  Turner ;  pool  rooms,  Charles 
Neal,  Wallace  McCain,  Bush  Brothers;  rural  mail  carriers,  Clarence  Ket- 
chum,  Orla  Guess,  Denzel  Doggett ;  restaurant,  Joseph  Miller;  stock  buyer, 
Carl  G.  Wolfe;  saloons,  George  Hess,  Jasper  Linville  (both  on  the  Shelby 
county  side);  Standard  Oil  Company  agent,  Charles  Ross;  tinner,  George 
Scheiderman;  undertaking,  Charles  H.  Wiley;  veterinarian,  W.  R.  Chrisler. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


DISASTROUS    FIRES    IN     ST.    PAUL. 


There  was  prol^ably  more  excitement  in  St.  Paul  during  the  summer  of 
1912  than  any  time  since  the  Civil  War.  Beginning  on  December  22,  191 1, 
there  were  a  series  of  seven  fires,  in  number,  which  wrought  up  the  inhabitants 
of  the  little  town  to  a  high  pitch  of  excitement,  and  if  the  guilty  parties,  sus- 
pected of  being  the  cause  of  the  fires,  had  been  caught  after  the  seventh  fire, 
they  might  have  expected  severe  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  indignant 
citizens.  The  first  fire  took  the  elevator;  the  second,  John  West's  residence; 
the  third,  the  Big  Four  depot;  the  fourth,  February  5,  1912,  the  drug  and 
general  store  of  Daniel  Hazelrigg,  as  well  as  the  postoffice,  which  was  in 
his  building.  Hazelrigg's  loss  was  about  three  thousand  dollars,  most  of 
which  was  covered  by  insurance.  The  most  destructive  fire  was  the  fifth  one. 
On  Alarch  12,  1912,  the  stores  of  A.  F.  Hier  &  Son  and  John  R.  Turner  were 
burned  to  tiie  ground  and  by  this  time  the  citizens  began  to  investigate  mat- 
ters. Many  indications  pointed  to  incendiaries  and  detectives  were  engaged 
to  ferret  out  the  cause  of  the  many  fires  which  had  come  so  close  together. 
But  there  was  still  more  excitement  yet  to  come.  On  May  3,  1912,  the  store 
and  residence  of  William  Kelso  burned  with  all  of  their  contents.  The  bark- 
ing of  a  dog  in  the  middle  of  the  night  wakened  the  Kelso  family  and  enabled 
them  to  save  their  lives.  By  this  time  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Paul  were  on 
the  border  of  a  panic  and  there  was  a  mass  meeting  to  decide  upon  somie 
definite  plan  of  action  to  find  out  the  cause  of  all  these  many  fires.  How- 
ever, the  fears  of  the  people  gradually  subsided  and  nothing  was  done.  Just 
about  the  time  that  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  fire-bug  had 
decided  to  burn  no  more  buildings  in  the  town,  the  new  residence  of  Dr.  J. 
W.  Bell  burned  to  the  ground  on  the  night  of  July  10,  1912,  and  the  seventh 
fire  had  occurred.  According  to  the  newspaper  accounts,  the  same  dog  which 
had  warned  the  Kelso  family  two  months  previously  again  appeared  on  the 
scene  and,  by  his  barking,  awakened  the  Bell  family.  This  was  the  first  fire 
in  which  lives  were  nearly  lost,  Mrs.  Bell  being  severely  burned  before  she 
escaped  from  the  house.  As  might  be  expected,  the  people  of  St.  Paul  were 
aghast  at  this  final  calamity,  and  determined  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  in 
an  efifort  to  solve  the  cause  of  the  seven  fires  which  had  taken  place  within  a 
period  of  seven  months.  But  it  was  to  no  avail ;  the  mystery  ne\er  has  been 
solved,  although  some  people  had  strong  suspicion  as  to  the  guilty  parties. 
Fortvmately,  this  fire  of  July  to  has  been  the  last  one  inflicted  on  the  suffering 
town. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


BIG    JOHN    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


Ill  the  summer  of  191 1,  there  arrived  a  big  dog  in  St.  Paul  via  the  box 
car  route.  A  brakeman,  on  opening  a  car,  was  astonished  to  see  a  dog  of 
unusual  size  leap  out  and  run  down  the  railroad  track.  This  particular  dog 
was  destined  to  become  the  hero  of  the  fire-stricken  town  in  the  summer  of 
1912.  He  was  a  friendly  sort  of  a  canine  and  was  soon  a  favorite  of  every 
one  in  the  town,  and  the  whole  town  shared  in  providing  him  with  dainty 
bones  and  all  those  delicacies  dear  to  the  palate  of  a  dog.  When  the  assessor 
came  around  in  the  spring  of  191 2  and  began  to  inquire  concerning  the 
ownership  of  the  dog,  he  was  told  that  the  dog  belonged  to  the  town.  Such 
an  ownership  was  a  puzzler  for  the  assessor  and  he  was  in  a  quandry  how 
to  collect  the  two  dollars  from  the  town.  But  he  was  soon  to  find  out  to 
what  .degree  the  dog  had  endeared  himself  to  the  citizens  of  the  town.  The 
business  men  took  up  a  collection  for  "Big  John,"  and  thus  satisfied  the 
craving  of  the  law  and  thereby  gave  the  dog  another  year  of  legal  existence. 

This  is  only  half  of  the  interesting  story  of  this  dog.  The  grateful 
citizens  wanted  to  show  their  appreciation  of  his  valuable  barking  and  finally 
decided  to  present  his  dogship  with  a  gold  collar.  The  collar  bore  the  engrav- 
ing, "Big  John.  Hero.  May  3,  1912,  St.  Paul,  Ind."  This  inscription  will 
enlighten  the  world  where  he  mingles  that  this  canine  is  a  real  hero,  and  that 
in  St.  Paul,  Indiana,  a  dog  has  appreciati^'e  friends. 


CLAY    TOWNSHIP. 

Clay  township  was  organized  in  March,  1836,  and  was  laid  off  by  the 
board  of  commissioners  of  Decatur  county  at  their  March  term  for  that  year. 
It  is  bounded  as  follows,  to-wit :  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the  section 
line  dividing  sections  22  and  2"],  town  8,  range  11  ;  thence  east  four  miles  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  30,  town  11,  range  9:  thence  south  eight  miles 
to  the  township  line  dividing  townships  9  and  10 :  thence  west  to  the  county 
line;  thence  with  the  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning: 

This  township  bears  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  one  in  the  county 
which  contains  an  entire  congressional  township.  It  is  composed  of  the 
whole  of  township  10,  range  8,  and  six  sections  of  town  10,  range  9,  six  sec- 
tions of  town  II,  range  8,  and  two  sections  of  town  11,  range  9.  After  this 
township  was  organized,  and  evidently  on  the  same  day,  the  board  made 
the  following  entry  on  the  record:  "Ordered  that  sections  4,  5.  6,  7,  8  and  9, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II3 

in  range  8',  township  9,  l)e  attached  to  the  township  of  Clay."     This  gives 
the  township  its  present  limits. 

The  history  of  the  settlement  of  Clay  township  may  be  divided  into  four 
parts,  namely:  The  Buck-run  settlement;  the  Clifty  settlement;  the  ]\liddle 
Fork  settlement  and  the  Duck  Creek  settlement. 

BUCK-RUN. 

The  first  to  settle  here  was  Milton  Williamson,  who,  in  1822,  with  his 
family,  located  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  township.  William  Hartford  and 
Bartemus  Johnston,  soon  afterward  (the  same  year),  moved  in  and  settled 
on  this  section.  These  three  assisted  each  other  in  raising  houses,  clearing 
lands,  and  soon  succeeded  in  establishing  pleasant  and  comfortable  houses — 
for  that  time. 

In  1823  Caleb  Stark  settled  on  the  c|uarter  south  of.  and  adjoining,  the 
other  three,  the  farm  known  as  the  Buck-Run  spring,  on  the  Vandalia  road. 
He  held  the  office  of  county  commissioner  at  the  time  of  contracting  for  and 
during  the  erection  of  the  present  court  house.  He  lived  to  see  the  fruits  of 
his  labors  in  the  development  of  many  of  the  other  interests  of  the  county. 
The  same  year,  Daniel  Stoggsdell  (or,  "Elder"  Stoggsdell)  settled  on  Buck- 
Run,  just  above  Mr.  Stark,  in  which  region,  and  afterwards  throughout  that 
and  adjoining  counties,  he  preached  the  Gospel  in  "God's  first  temples,"  the 
groves.  He  was  many  years  ago  gathered  to  his  fathers,  but  "his  works 
do  follow  him." 

In  1823  David  Johnson  settled  on  the  "quarter"  north  of  Mr.  Stark, 
where  he  lived  until  the  year  1834,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri.  In  the  same 
year,  George  W.  and  Jeremiah  V.  King,  emigrants  from  Maryland,  settled 
in  the  same  section.  In  1835  George  W.  removed  to  a  farm  adjoining  the 
small  village  of  Needmore  (since  changed  to  ]\Iilford — the  name  being 
derived  from  the  fact  of  a  mill  being  erected  at  the  ford,  near  that  place), 
where  he  died  some  years  thereafter. 

CLIFTY   SETTLEMENT. 

In  1823',  Doddridge  Alley,  an  industrious  and  energetic  farmer,  removed 
from  the  Saltcreek  settlement,  in  Franklin  county,  and  located  on  Clifty. 
about  one  mile  north  of  the  place  where  Milford  now  stands.  He  was  elected 
the  first  sheriff  of  the  county,  serving  four  years,  and  afterwards  served  two 
years  in  the  state  Legislature.  ^Nlany  amusing  anecdotes  are  told  of  him 
(8) 


114  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

(some  of  which  have  some  foundation  of  truth),  and  one  of  which  is  here 
related : 

On  being  elected  to  the  Legislature,  he  started  on  his  journey  to  the 
capital,  on  horseback,  and  arrived  there  in  due  season;  but,  on  being  ques- 
tioned by  the  clerk,  it  was  found  that  he  had  forgotten  his  credentials.  So 
he  returned  on  his  long,  weary  ride  to  obtain  them.  After  a  long  night's 
ride  he  again  made  his  appearance  at  the  capital,  and,  on  examination,  his 
papers  proved  to  be  correct,  when  he  was  told  that  he  was  entitled  to  his 
seat.  He  replied:  "No!  no!  I  thank  you;  I  have  been  riding  hard  all  night, 
and  I  would  rather  stand."  The  clerk,  accordingly,  gave  him  the  privilege. 
He  lived  on  the  farm  he  first  settled  on  until  the  year  1861,  when  he  died  and 
was  buried  in  a  stone  wall  enclosure,  with  a  beautiful  monument  upon  it, 
which  he  had  erected  during  his  life. 

John  Brinson  was  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Milford.  In  1824  he 
removed  to  that  place,  and  established  a  drinking  saloon ;  he  lived  there  about 
five  years,  and  then  left  for  parts  unknown.  In  the  same  year  William 
Crawford  moved  to  this  place,  made  a  plat  of  the  town  and  lived  there  until 
1837,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri.  Elijah  Martin  settled  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  north  of  the  town,  in  the  same  year,  and  in  a  short  time  moved  away. 

In  1823,  William  Richie  settled  near  Milford.  where  he  lived  until  the 
year  1834,  when  he  died.  Mr.  Richie  was  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier,  and 
was  the  first  man  buried  in  the  graveyard  in  Milford.  By  his  side  sleep  two 
of  his  comrades,  William  Crawford,  and  George  W.  King,  Sr.,  who  died  in 
the  ninety-third  year  of  his  age. 

MIDDLE   FORK   SETTLEMENT. 

In  1824,  John  Fugit,  afterwards  associate  judge  of  Decatur  county,  settled 
in  the  central  part  of  the  township,  on  Middle  Fork  creek.  He  held  the  office 
of  judge  for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  in  the  year  1846.  James  O'Laugh- 
lin  settled,  in  the  same  year,  in  the  same  part  of  the  county.  He  lived  there 
a  considerable  length  of  time,  from  whence  he  moved  to  Milford.  Richard 
Johnson  settled  at  the  same  time  and  place,  and  died  a  resident  of  the  same 
place.  Walter  and  Jackson  Braden  settled  in  the  year  1824,  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  southeast  of  Milford,  where  they  improved  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  land.  Jackson  died  at  this  place,  in  the  year  1850.  Walter 
Braden,  a  few  years  ago,  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.     Thomas  H.  Miers  settled  one  mile  east  of   Milford,  on   the  land 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II5 

adjoining  \\'alter  Braclen  on  the  north,  in  the  year  1824,  and  died  at  tlie  same 
place  in  1847.  Samuel  B.  Todd,  in  the  same  year,  settled  about  one  and  a 
hall  miles  south  of  Milford  on  the  land  which  has  long  been  known  as  the 
Hittle  farm.  He  lived  there  until  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois.  Abel 
Todd,  a  brother  of  the  above,  settled  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast,  on 
the  land  where  James  Byers  later  lived.  He  li\'ed  there  a  short  time,  and 
removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  died.  David  Douglass,  a  minister  of  the  New- 
Light  persuasion,  settled  in  the  year  1824,  on  the  land  later  owned  by  Nelson 
Mowrey.  He  preached  in  the  settlements  adjoining  him,  lived  to  a  good  old 
age,  and  died  on  his  farm.  Patrick  Ewing  came  from  Kentucky  in  the  year 
1826,  settling  on  the  land  adjoining  Mr.  Douglass.  He  built  a  rude  log  hut, 
and  in  the  yard  there  grew  a  small  sprout  about  the  size  of  a  riding  whip. 
He  spared  it,  and  it  grew  to  a  great  tree  of  four  feet  in  diameter.  Under 
its  boughs  he  reared  a  family  of  fifteen  children. 

DUCK  CREEK  SETTLEMENT. 

McClure  Elliott,  in  the  year  1824,  settled  on  Duck  creek,  three  miles 
west  of  Milford.  William  J.  Lowrie,  in  the  same  year,  settled  two  miles 
southwest  of  ^Milford,  where  he  lived  until  1852,  when  he  died,  and  was 
buried  by  a  large  concourse  of  Sons  of  Temperance. 

SCHOOL   HOUSES. 

The  first  scho'ol  house  was  built  on  Dodridge  Alley's  land,  in  1825.  It 
was  built  of  logs,  with  a  fire-place  occupying  one  end.  Logs  were  sawed  out 
at  each  side,  greased  paper  being  put  in  their  place.  This  composed  the 
model  house  of  that  time.  Middle  Fork  school  house  was  built  in  1826. 
Buck  Run  and  Duck  Creek  school  houses  were  built  in  1827.  These  school 
houses  were  used  for  preaching  and  for  various  other  purposes.  Harvey 
Harbinger  was  the  first  teacher  in  the  Buck  Run  settlement  and  afterwards 
taught  in  the  other  districts.  In  1836  the  township  was  divided  into  districts. 
At  this  time  the  houses  in  the  townships  were  built  of  logs.  In  1837  a  frame 
school  house  was  ereced  in  Milford.  This  was  the  first  structure  here  for 
school  purposes  which  was  built  of  frame.  In  a  few  years  afterward  frames 
were  erected,  which  have  now  become  useless,  and  brick  school  houses  have 
been  erected  over  the  township. 


Il6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


CHURCHES. 


The  Baptist,  Methodist,  New  Light  and  Presbyterian  denominations 
held  meetings  in  the  various  school  houses,  from  1825  imtil  1832,  when  the 
Hardshell  Baptists  erected  a  church.  In  1842  the  Methodists  erected  a  church 
in  Mil  ford.  The  Christians,  in  the  year  1843,  built  a  church  in  Mil  ford. 
Salem  church,  near  Milford,  was  built  in  1833,  ^Y  the  Associate  Baptists. 
The  history  of  the  churches  is  found  in  another  chapter. 

MANUFACTORIES. 

The  first  mill  was  established  by  Jesse  Fugit,  a  son  of  Judge  Fugit,  in 
1825,  and  was  run  by  horse-power.  The  first  water-mill  was  built  by  Eli 
Critser,  in  1826,  near  Adams,  where  the  relics  of  the  old  Doddridge  Alley* 
mill  now  stands.  In  1838,  James  Rose  erected  a  woolen  factory  one-half 
mile  west  of  Milford,  which  was  run  by  horse-power.  Edward  Warthin 
established  a  distillery  near  the  same  place  in  1836,  the  only  one  ever  erected' 
in  the  township;  it  continued  for  about  five  years.  A  tan  yard  was  estab- 
lished in  1830  by  a  man  named  Wilkinson,  on  the  land  of  Doddridge  Alley.' 

The  present  officers  of  Clay  township  are  as  follows :  Trustee,  Francis' 
M.  Pumphrey;  assessor.  William  Wilson;  advisory  board,  J.  W.  Corya, 
Frank  Tompson ;  road  supervisors,  John  Kanouse,  James  Cor}',  Ewing 
Arnold  and  Morgan  J.  Ewing. 

Clay  is  now  the  wealthiest  township  in  the  county,  with  the  exception 
of  Wasliington.  The  Columbus,  Hope  &  Greensburg  railroad  runs  east  and 
west  through  this  township  and  gives  the  inhabitants  of  this  locality  a  ready 
outlet  for  their  produce  to  the  leading  markets.  It  also  has  one  railroad 
station  on  the  Vernon,  Greensburg  &  Rushville  railroad,  which  cuts  off  a' 
small  corner  of  the  southeast  part  of  the  township. 

MILFORD. 

Milford  is  the  oldest  town  in  this  township.  It  was  platted  and  laid 
out  by  James  Edwards,  August  25,  1835,  and  was  originally  known  by  the 
name  of  Needmore;  but  just  why  this  little  village  was  encumbered  with' 
such  a  name  is  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader.  Later  additions  to  the' 
original  plat  were  made  by  William  Crawford,  George  W.  King,  Silas  Craig,' 
James  L.  Fugit  and  James  Marshall. 

The  first  merchant  to  open  a  store  in  Milford  and  offer  his  wares  for' 


DECATUR    COUXTY,    INDIANA.  II7 

sale  was  John  Brinson.  Mr.  Brinson  also  bears  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  merchant  in  Clay  township  and  was  well  patronized  by  the  early  settlers 
who  had  taken  up  claims  in  this  part  of  the  county.  The  first  millers  to 
locate  in  this  part  of  the  county  were  the  Critsers,  who  owned  several  mills 
along  Clifty  creek  and  for  a  time  had  a  monopoly  on  the  milling  industry  in 
this  section.  Their  monopoly  was  contested  for  a  time  by  William  Burton, 
who  owned  and  ran  a  horse-mill  near  Mil  ford,  to  which  he  attached  con- 
siderable importance.  ]Mr.  Burton  put  up  a  strong  opposition  for  a  time,  but 
soon  abdicated  to  the  Critsers  and  left  them  in  full  sway.  The  first  tannery 
was  built  and  operated  by  James  Wilkinson  and  ;\IcClure  Elliott  and  fur- 
nished all  the  leather  goods  for  the  early  consumption  of  the  county.  John' 
Henderson  was  the  first  blacksmith  to  settle  here  and  ply  his  trade,  and 
was  familiarly  known  to  the  early  settlers  of  the  time,  far  and  near,  as' 
"Jackie."  ^Ir.  Henderson  ironed  the  first  wagon  in  this  county  for  Fielding 
Peak.  The  first  steam  engine  in  this  township  was  owned  and  operated  by 
Edwin  AVarthin,  in  1836  or  1837.  It  was  used  to  drive  the  machinery  of  a 
mill  on  Clifty  creek,  a  short  distance  below  Milford.  This  mill  also  bears 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  steam  grist-mill,  with  a  bolting  apparatus,  in' 
the  county.  This  was  a  great  advertising  asset  to  the  owners,  for  it  attracted' 
settlers  from  all  parts  of  this  section  to  see  the  mill  in  actual  operation. 
Before  this  advancement,  the  mills  had  been  run  by  water  power  supplied 
by  Clifty  creek. 

It  is  impossible  to  trace  the  various  business  changes  in  Milford  from 
the  beginning  of  the  town  down  to  the  present  time.  The  business  interests 
of  1915  include  three  stores,  owned  by  E.  E.  Lewis,  J.  E.  Goff  and  Harry 
Peterson.  The  Lewis  store  is  a  well-stocked  general  mercantile  establish- 
ment and  is  one  of  the  best  general  stores  in  the  county.  The  stores  of  Goff 
and  Peterson  carry  only  a  small  stock  of  groceries  and  depend  for  their 
patronage  on  the  restaurants  which  they  run  in  connection.  Mr.  Lewis  also 
operates  a  restaurant  and  soda  fountain  in  connection  with  his  store.  The 
village  has  one  blacksmith,  Lincoln  Vandiver.  There  is  no  factorv  of  any 
kind  in  the  town,  although  Albert  Sanders  operates  a  flour-mill  on  Clifty 
creek,  a  half  mile  from  town.  His  mill  is  run  by  water  power  when  there 
is  plenty  of  water  and  by  a  gasoline  engine  at  such  times  as  the  water  power 
is  insufficient.  The  professional  interests  of  the  village  are  represented  by 
Dr.  George  S.  Crawford,  who  has  been  practicing  in  the  place  for  a  period 
of  forty  years.  The  history  of  the  lodges  of  Milford  (the  Masons  and  Odd 
Fellows)  and  the  churches  (Methodist  and  Christian)  will  be  found  in  their 
respective  chapters  elsewhere  in  this  volume.     The  town  is  incorporated  for 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


civil  purposes  only.     The  present  town  clerk  is  Doctor  Crawford.     The  town 
once  had  a  population  of  four  hundred,  hut  now  has  only  about  one  hundred. 


The  village  of  Burney,  in  Clay  townhsip,  on  the  Columbus,  Hope  & 
Greensburg  railroad,  was  laid  out  on  May  2,  1882,  by  James  C.  Pulse.  It 
has  enjoyed  a  steady  growth  from  the  beginning  and  is  now  a  thriving  town, 
with  flourishing  business  enterprises  and  many  attractive  and  comfortable 
homes.  A  fine,  modern  school  building  and  two  churches,  Methodist  and 
Baptist,  take  care  of  the  educational  and  religious  life  of  the  community. 
The  business  and  professional  interests  in  191 5  are  as  follows:  Bank,  Burney 
State  Bank;  barber,  Thomas  J.  Henderson;  blacksmith,  J.  E.  Wasson,  G.  M. 
Miner  &  Son;  carpenter  and  contractor,  Edward  Clapp;  coal  dealer,  Sidner 
&  Price;  dentist,  Frank  Davis;  elevator,  Sidner  &  Price;  express,  American 
Express  Company;  garage.  Smiley  &  Dean;  general  store,  A.  E.  Howe,  J.  C. 
Hayes,  H.  C.  Lawrence ;  hardware,  McCullough  Hardware  Co. ;  hotel,  Mrs. 
M.  J.  Luther,  Mrs.  Clay  Alexander ;  livery.  Clay  Alexander ;  lumber,  Padgett 
&  Son ;  meat  market,  W.  S.  Miner ;  music  teachers,  Alice  Arnold,  Mrs.  Elsie 
Gartin ;  notary  public,  L.  T.  Howell,  Fannie  Johnson,  W.  W.  Barnes ;  photo- 
grapher, F.  W.  Kean;  physician,  C.  G.  Harrod,  Edward  Porter;  painter, 
Thomson  &  Luther;  postoffice,  W.  S.  Miner;  paper  hanger,  Miers  &  Gal- 
braith;  restaurant,  F.  W.  Kean,  W.  S.  Miner;  real  estate  and  insurance,  L. 
T.  Powell;  saw-mill.  Otto  Detrich;  shoe  cobbler,  Frank  Hiner;  station  agent, 
J.  S.  Miner;  stock  l^uyer,  Pumphrey  &  Son,  Davis  &  Davis,  W.  W.  Lane. 

Burney  is  justly  proud  of  its  band,  which  was  organized  in  the  spring 
of  191 5.  Although  at  this  time  it  has  been  practicing  but  a  few  months,  it 
has  already  given  concerts  which  were  well  received.  It  is  under  the  direc- 
tion of  George  Dunn,  of  Adams.  The  members  of  the  band  are  as  follows : 
Cornets,  Herbert  Lawson,  Lora  Hayes,  Walter  Bailey,  Ralph  Howe,  Roscoe 
Arnold,  AValter  Galitine,  Robert  Champ  and  Russell  Emlay;  baritone,  John 
Christian ;  alto,  Jasper  Spaugh  and  James  Galbraith ;  tenors,  Harry  Jackson 
and  H.  C.  Miner;  clarinets,  Ernest  Miner  and  L.  D.  Lambert;  trombones, 
Fred  Luther,  T.  J.  Hendrickson,  Edwin  Gibson  and  Roy  Emlay;  melophone, 
Clarence  Thomson;  tuba,  Burney  Jackson;  bass,  Clifford  Thurston;  snare 
drum,  Plenry  Emlay;  bass  drum,  Charles  Gartin. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  19 


Wyncoop  is  the  next  town  in  size  in  this  township.  It  was  platted  on 
February  2^,  1881,  by  James  Wyncoop  and  bears  the  founder's  name, 
although  the  name  of  the  postofifice  has  been  changed  to  Horace.  This  town 
is  situated  on  the  North  Vernon,  Greensburg  &  Rushville  railroad,  in  the 
extreme  southeastern  part  of  the  township. 

The  business  interests  of  the  town  in  1915  are  confined  to  a  general 
store,  owned  by  E.  A.  Gibson,  and  a  blacgsmith  shop,  operated  ijy  Clyde 
Purvis.  The  station  agent,  Orlando  Robbins,  also  buys  grain.  The  post- 
master is  Mr.  Gibson.  The  town  has  less  than  a  dozen  houses  and  a  popula- 
tion of  about  thirty. 

Ewington  completes  the  list  of  towns  in  Clay  township.  This  was 
formerly  a  postoffice  for  the  convenience  of  the  country  people,  but  the  rural 
free  delivery  has  taken  away  its  usefulness  and  at  present  only  the  name 
remains. 


FUGIT    TOWNSHIP. 

Fugit  township  was  one  of  the  three  original  townships  laid  off  by  the 
board  of  commissioners  on  May  14,  1822.  The  other  two  townships  were 
Adams  and  \Vashington,  the  latter  of  which  embraced  considerably  more  than 
the  southern  half  of  the  county.  Fugit  township,  as  originally  set  off,  con- 
tained all  the  territory  now  within  its  limits  with  the  exception  of  sections 
T,2,  5,  8  and  17,  and  half  sections  33,  4,  9  and  16.  These  four  full  and  four 
half  sections  are  now  in  the  eastern,  part  of  Clinton  township.  They  being  a 
part  of  Clinton  when  it  was  organized  July  6,  1829. 

The  original  limits  of  the  township  as  defined  by  the  commissioners  on 
May  14,  1822,  are  as  follow:  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the  line  divid- 
ing townships  10  and  11;  thence  west  with  township  line  to  the  southwest 
corner  of  section  35,  range  10,  township  11 ;  thence  north  with  the  line  divid- 
ing sections  34  and  35  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  26  in  the  township 
and  range  aforesaid;  thence  west  with  the  section  line  to  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  section  28,  in  range  10,  township  11 ;  thence  north  with  the  said  sec- 
tion line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  16,  range  10,  township  11  ;  thence 
west  with  the  section  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  17,  range  10, 
township  1 1 ;  thence  north  with  the  said  line  to  the  county  line :  thence  east 
with  the  county  line  to  the  northeast  corner  of  said  county ;  thence  south 


I20  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

with  the  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning  (Commissioners  Record,  Vol. 
I,  page  i). 

The  next  change  in  the  territorial  limits  of  Fugit  township  was  made 
on  March  7,  1825,  at  which  time  the  board  of  justices  issued  the  following 
ambiguous  order:  "That  part  of  Washington  township  which  lies  east  and 
north  of  a  road  \-iewed  from  Henderson's  to  the  county  line  near  Alexander 
McCall's,  including  said  road,  to  be  attached  to  and  made  a  part  of  Fugit 
township"  (Board  of  Justice  Records,  Vol.  I,  page  128).  Just  where  this 
strip  was  located  is  impossible  to  determine  from  the  records,  since  it  is  not 
defined  by  section,  town  or  range.  However  this  slip  on  the  part  of  the 
board  of  justices  was  rectified  on  May  2,  1825,  when  the  commissioners 
re-defined  the  township  limits  in  the  following  definite  manner :  Begin- 
ning at  the  county  line,  on  the  range  line  dividing"  ranges  9  and  10;  thence 
south  on  said  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  19,  township  11,  range 
10 ;  thence  east  two  miles ;  thence  south  one  mile ;  thence  east  two  miles ; 
thence  south  one  mile  to  the  township  line  dividing  townships  10  and  11, 
thence  east  with  said  line  to  the  county  line ;  thence  with  the  lines  of  the 
countv  to  the  place  of  beginning  ( Board  of  Justice  Records,  Vol.  I,  page 
128).  Subsequently,  on  May  3,  1830,  the  board  of  justices  ordered  that  the 
west  half  of  section  21,  township  11,  range  10,  which  lies  in  Clinton  town- 
ship be  and  the  same  is  newly  attached  to  the  township  of  Fugit  in  the  said 
county  of  Decatur  (Vol.  H,  page  87).  This  gives  Fugit  township  its  present 
limits. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Several  families  had  settled  within  what  is  now  Fugit  township  before 
the  county  of  Decatur  was  organized  in  1822.  The  county  was  carved  out 
of  the  "New  Purchase,"  which  had  been  bought  from  the  Indians  in  the  fall 
of  1818,  although  the  lands  were  not  ofifered  for  sale  at  the  Brookville  land 
office  until  the  fall  of  1820.  During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1818,  seven 
families  came  over  from  near  Matamora,  Franklin  county,  and  "squatted"  in 
what  is  now  Fugit  township.  This  was  probably  the  first  effort  toward  a 
permanent  settlement  in  the  new  territory.  Just  about  the  same  time,  there 
were  three  other  settlements  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  "New  Purchase" 
— one  on  Flatrock,  in  Rush  county ;  a  second  on  Haw  creek,  in  Bartholomew 
countv;  the  third  on  Big  Flatrock,  in  Shelby  county.  Of  course,  these  first 
seven  families  could  enter  no  land  here,  as  it  had  not  yet  been  surveyed; 
who  they  were,  where  they  finally  located,  and  whether  they  became  perman- 
ent settlers  in  the  countv  later  on  has  not  been  determined.     Nearlv  one  hun- 


<S5' 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  121 

dred  years  have  elapsed  since  that  day  and  no  records  are  availaljle  to  trace 
the  mysterious  seven  families. 

It  is  taken  hy  common  consent  that  the  Fugit  family  were  the  first  real 
settlers  in  what  is  now  the  townshi])  bearing  their  name.  John  F"ugit,  and 
his  two  children,  John  and  Mary,  came  to  the  township  in  the  latter  part  of 
February,  1819.  They  selected  a  site  for  their  cabin  and,  while  engaged  in 
putting  it  up,  were  joined  by  Griffy  Griffith,  his  wife  and  son,  Ishmael.  The 
Griffiths  located  one  mile  west  of  Clarksburg,  where  they  lived  until  the  death 
of  the  father  and  mother. 

After  Fugit  and  his  son  had  their  rude  caiiin  ready  for  occupancy,  the 
whole  family,  consisting  of  the  father,  mother,  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
made  this  township  their  permanent  home  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
Fugits  entered  no  land  and  citizens  of  the  township  have  never  agreed  as  to 
the  exact  spot  where  the  old  Fugit  cabin  stood.  Some  have  maintained  that 
they  settled  northeast  of  Clarksburg,  while  others  hold  that  they  located  one 
mile  east  of  Clarksburg  on  land  later  entered  by  Benjamin  Snelling.  Still 
others  believe  that  the  F'ugits  squatted  on  the  old  Luther  Donnell  place. 
Strange  to  say,  neither  James  L.  Fugit,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  old  pioneer, 
nor  Mary,  a  daughter  (who  became  the  wife  of  David  Garrison),  could 
identify  the  exact  spot  where  their  father  had  settled.  They  had  removed 
to  Clay  township  in  1825  and  when  they  revisited  their  first  home  in  the 
county,  several  years  later,  the  surroundings  were  so  changed  that  they  were 
unable  to  agree  as  to  where  the  family  cabin  had  stood.  It  is  probable  that 
it  was  on  the  Donnell  farm,  which  had  been  entered  by  Thomas  Donnell,  Sr., 
in  1822.  They  douljtless  purchased  the  impro\'ements  on  the  place  from 
Fugit. 

At  the  first  election  in  1822,  John  Fugit  was  chosen  as.sociate  judge. 
His  daughter,  Sarah,  married  Joseph  Webb,  and  this  was  the  first  marriage 
in  the  county.  The  license  was  secured  at  Brookville  in  the  fall  of  1819 
and  the  marriage  took  place  presumably  in  the  log  cabin  in  Vugk  township. 
John  Fugit  died  at  Mil  ford  (Cliffy)  in  1844.  At  the  present  time  the  Fugit 
line  is  not  represented  by  any  male  bearing  the  name  in  the  county. 

Shortly  after  the  Fugits  and  Griffiths  had  located  here,  in  the  spring  of 
1819,  they  were  joined  by  five  other  families:  John  and  Elisha  Jerrett 
(Gerrard),  Jesse  and  Cornelius  Cain  and  William  McCoy.  John  Jerrett 
died  in  the  spring  of  1820,  and  was,  as  far  as  is  known,  tlie  first  one  to  die  in 
the  county.  A  daughter  of  Jerrett,  Xellie  by  name,  was  born  in  the  fall  of 
1 819  and  was  the  first  white  child  to  be  born  in  the  county.  The  Cains 
settled  near  Spring  Hill,  but  a  few  years  later  moved  into  Rush  county,  where 


122  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Jesse  lived  until  his  death.  George  Cain  emigrated  to  the  west  and  within 
a  few  years  the  family  name  disappears  from  the  records  of  both  Decatur 
and  Rush  counties.  McCoy  first  located  near  Grififith  and  then  moved  over 
into  what  is  now  Adams  township  north  of  Downeyville.  The  McCoy  family 
have  been  prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  the  county  from  its 
beginning  down  to  the  present  time.  Ishmael  Grififith  married  a  daughter 
of  William  Walters,  near  Kingston,  and  at  his  death  left  two  sons,  John  and 
James.  John  was  accidentally  killed  near  Downeyville  and  James  served  in 
the  Civil  War  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Seventh  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry.  This  disposes  of  all  the  important  incidents  connected  with  the 
immigrants  of   1819. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1820  the  land  in  this  county  was 
surveyed  by  Col.  Thomas  Hendricks  and  in  October  of  that  year  it  was  placed 
on  sale  at  Brookville.  However,  before  the  land  was  formally  opened  for 
settlement  the  settlers  began  to  pour  in  at  a  rapid  rate.  In  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1820,  the  following  families  located  in  what  is  now  Fugit  township: 
Seth  Lowe,  William  Custer,  George  and  Samuel  Donnell,  James  Saunders, 
Nathan  Lewis,  James  and  Moses  Wiley,  Robert  Hall,  Rev.  James  Hall,  David 
Stout,  Joseph  Rankin,  John  Bryson,  Adam  Rankin,  William,  Joseph  and 
James  Henderson  and  Joseph  A.  Hopkins. 

LAND   ENTRIES. 

The  first  land  entry  was  made  on  October  9,  1820,  by  James  Wiley, 
who  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  i,  township  10,  range  11. 
John  Shelhorn  and  John  M.  Robinson  entered  tracts  shortly  afterwards. 
From  the  9th  of  October.  1820,  to  December  31,  there  were  fortj^-eight 
entries  in  what  is  now  Fugit  township,  while  there  were  only  forty-five  entries 
made  in  all  the  rest  of  the  county. 

These  forty-eight  pioneers  were  as  follows :  James  Wiley,  John  Shel- 
horn, John  M.  Robinson,  George  Kline,  John  Bryson,  James  Saunders, 
Joseph  K.  Rankin,  Thomas  Martin,  Griffy  Griffith,  David  Martin,  Cornelius 
Cain,  Joseph  Henderson,  Edward  Jackman,  William  Henderson,  William 
Lindsey,  George  Marlow,  Adam  Rankin,  Joseph  A.  Hopkins,  Thomas  Throp, 
Samuel  A.  Githens,  Robert  Imlay,  Daniel  Swem,  John  Hicklin,  Aquilla 
Cross.  William  Custer,  John  Shutz,  Martin  and  Alexander  Logan,  James 
Logan,  William  Pruden,  John  Dawson,  Elias  Garrard,  Charles  Collett,  John 
Linville,  James  Hobbs,  Jr.,  Robert  E.  and  Henry  Hall,  Thomas  Hall,  Moses 
Wiley,  George  Donnell,  John  Smart,   Robert  and  John  Lockridge,  Richard 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 23 

TN'ner,  George  Cowan,  James  Henderson  and  Xathan  Lewis.  The  striking 
fact  of  these  entries  is  that  practically  ever_vone  entering  the  land  was  a 
i)ona  fide  settler  on  the  land  he  entered.  Only  two  or  three  never  l)ecanie 
residents  of  the  townships. 

During  1821  there  were  fifty-nine  additional  entries  in  the  township — 
thus  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  seven  entries  before  the  county  was 
organized  in  the  spring  of  iS'22.  .\s  a  matter  of  fact,  there  were  a  number 
of  entries  in  the  township  between  January  i,  and  May  14,  1822,  the  date  on 
which  the  township  was  formally  organized.  It  seems  there  were  only 
thirteen  entries  during  the  whole  of  1822. 

The  fifty-nine  entries  of  1821  were  as  follow:  James  Oliver,  David 
Robertson,  Samuel  Marlow,  Henry  Glen,  Jacob  Blacklege,  John  Wilcoxon, 
Jesse  Womack,  Robert  Wilson,  Adam  R.  Meek,  George  Marlow,  William 
Braden,  Jacob  Underwood,  Columbus  McCoy,  Hugh  McCracken,  Nathaniel 
Smith,  Henry  McDaniel,  John  Lockridge,  Jacob  F.  Miller,  Isaac  Donnell, 
John  Hopkins,  Zenas  Powell,  Da\'id  Caldwell,  Lewis  Hendricks,  Charles 
Swerengin,  George  Kendall,  John  Chanslor,  Samuel  Donnell,  Thomas  I. 
Glass,  Jonathan  J.  Stites,  William  ~SL  Smith,  John  Thompson,  Thomas  Cross, 
William  M.  Smith,  Seth  Lowe,  Thomas  Hamilton,  Cyrus  Hamilton,  James 
Moss,  Peter  Miller,  George  Kendall,  William  Lippard,  Jesse  Cain,  Jesse 
Robinson,  George  Conner,  William  Penny,  Henry  Roberts,  William  Snelling, 
Edgar  Poe,  Sampson  Alley,  Edward  Davis,  William  Marlow,  Benjamin 
Snelling,  George  Craig,  James  Sefton,  Daniel  Bell,  Daniel  Ryce,  Frank 
Kitchin,  Nathan  Underwood,  Ralph  Williams,  James  Caldwell,  Samuel 
Donner  and  David  Robertson.  It  will  be  noticed  that  some  of  these  men 
entered  more  than  one  tract  in  that  year;  some  had  entered  land  in  the 
pre\'ious  year  also. 

The  entries  of  1822  were  as  follow  :  David  Vancleave,  James  McCracken, 
R.  B.  Donnell,  Andrew  Calloway,  John,  D.  Henry,  John  P.  ^Mitchell,  John 
Smart,  Joseph  Snelling,  William  Kennedy,  Sarah  Linville,  Marv  ]\Iunns 
and  William  Munns.  The  year  1822  practically  closed  the  sale  of  govern- 
m.ent  land  in  Fugit  township.  Not  all  of  the  land  was  yet  taken,  but  that 
which  was  left  was  a  narrow  strip  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  township,  known 
as  the  "Poor  Woods,"  and  was  not  entered  until  after  the  thirties.  Most  of 
it  was  taken  up  by  German  immigrants,  who  have  succeeded  in  making  it 
as  productive  as  most  of  the  rest  of  the  township.  The  first  German  settlers 
in  the  township  were  George  Schellings,  Antwa  Charles  and  John  Arnold. 
They  were  stone  masons  and  found  plenty  of  work  in  their  profession.  Else- 
where in  this  volume  is  a  special  chapter  on  the  German  element  in  Decatur 


124  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

county,  together  with  a  hst  of  the  Germans  who  became  naturahzed  citizens 
of  the  county. 

It  might  be  well  at  this  point  to  make  mention  of  the  colored  settlement 
in  Fugit  township.  Early  in  the  forties  a  few  colored  families  located  a  few 
miles  east  of  Clarksburg  and  by  1852  they  numbered  about  seventy-five  souls. 
Some  of  them  owned  small  farms,  but  the  most  of  them  depended  for  a  liveli- 
hood on  working  on  the  farms  of  the  white  citizens.  They  took  an  active 
part  in  helping  fugitives  slaves  to  make  their  way  across  the  county  and  over 
into  Union  count}^  Their  participation  in  the  "underground  railroad" 
enterprise  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  When  the  fugitive  slave 
law  of  1852  was  passed  many  of  them  left  the  county,  some  going  to  other 
parts  of  the  state  and  many  of  them  finally  reaching  Canada.  There  is  now 
only  one  left  in  the  township,  Margaret  Wilson,  of  Kingston. 

ORG.^NIZATION    OF    THE   TOWNSHIPS. 

As  has  been  stated,  Decatur  county  began  its  independent  career  on  May 
14,  1822,  on  which  day  the  commissioners  held  their  first  meeting.  On  this 
day  the  whole  county  was  divided  into  three  townships,  Washington,  Adams 
and  Fugit.  The  county  commissioners  appointed  ofificers  for  each  town- 
ship, those  for  Fugit  being  as  follows:  Isaac  Darnall,  inspector  of  elections; 
Henry  Hoblas,  constable;  Thomas  Throp,  superintendent  of  the  reserve  sec- 
tion (school  section)  in  township  11,  range  10;  William  Custer  and  Joseph 
Henderson,  overseers  of  the  poor;  William  Leopard,  Robert  Emily  and 
George  Marlow,  fence  viewers.  On  this  same  day  (May  14,  1822)  the  com- 
missioners ordered  elections  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Throp,  the 
first  election  to  be  on  June  i,  following,  for  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

EARLY    INDUSTRIES. 

The  first  store  in  the  township,  and  perhaps  in  the  county,  was  started 
at  Spring  Hill  by  James  Conwell,  of  Laurel  (Franklin  county),  in  1823. 
Conwell  was  a  thrifty  trader  and  established  the  store  here  as  a  branch  of  his 
large  store  in  Laurel.  He  placed  Martin  Benson  in  charge  of  the  store  at 
Spring  Hill.  The  first  postot^ce  was  at  this  place  and  John  Bryson  became 
the  first  postmaster.  Bryson  was  later  an  associate  judge.  Nathan  Lewis 
had  a  corn-cracker,  operated  by  horse-power,  early  in  the  twenties.  Later 
Lewis  converted  his  mill  into  a  bark  grindery  and  pulverized  slippery  elm, 
dogwood  and  sassafras  barks  for  the  Eastern  markets.     Edward  Jackman 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 25 

was  the  first  to  install  a  carding  machine  and  found  plenty  of  husiness  to  keep 
him  busy.  William  Henderson  was  interested  in  a  number  of  enterprises; 
he  operated  a  grist-mill,  a  carding  factory  and  a  distillery  and  found  a  ready 
sale  for  the  products  of  all  three  establishments.  He  was  located  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Spring  Hill.  A  grist-mil!  was  operated  at  an  early  date  about 
a  mile  south  of  Kingston  by  a  man  named  Smith.  Lewis  Lacker  opened  up 
a  tan  yard  on  the  farm  later  owned  by  Everett  Hamilton  and  furnished  the 
community  with  leather  for  several  years.  Joseph  Henderson  opened  the 
first  tavern  in  the  township  a  short  distance  east  of  Spring  Hill. 

KARLY  SCHOOLS. 

The  early  settlers  of  Fugit  township  were  very  much  interested  in  edu- 
cation and  shortly  after  they  located  here  they  began  to  make  provisions  for 
educating  their  children.  In  1901  Camilla  Donnell,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  most  prominent  families  of  the  township,  prepared  a  paper  on  the  "Early 
Schools  of  Fugit  Township,"  and  the  historian  is  indebted  to  her  excellent 
article  for  the  main  facts  concerning  the  schools  of  the  township.  Just 
where  the  first  school  house  was  located  is  not  definitely  known,  although  it 
is  certain  that  schools  were  kept  in  log  cabins  for  some  years  before  a  school 
building  was  erected.  There  appear  to  have  been  three  or  four  schools  in 
operation  in>  1823-24  in  as  many  different  neighborhoods.  They  were  situated 
in  the  midst  of  thick  woods  and  blazed  trails  led  the  way  to  the  school  house 
door.  The  first  school  in  the  Kingston  neighborhood  was  held  in  an  empty 
log  cabin  on  the  line  between  the  farms  then  owned  by  Seth  Lowe  and  Aquilla 
Cross.  Whether  Samuel  Donnell,  a  man  well  known  in  early  religious,  edu- 
cational and  reform  movements,  or  Samuel  Henry,  an  intelligent  farmer  and 
excellent  scholar,  was  the  first  teacher  has  not  been  established.  Both  taught 
at  one  time  or  another  in  the  township.  Elijah  Mitchell,  who  taught  at 
various  places  over  Decatur  county,  was  another  of  the  early  wielders  of  the 
rod.  Still  other  teachers  were  the  Misses  Howe,  two  Eastern  women,  who 
conducted  a  school  at  the  home  of  the  first  Presbyterian  minister,  Mr.  Lowry. 
All  the  schools  were  subscription  schools  up  to  1832  and  the  teacher  was 
usually  compelled  to  take  his  pay  out  in  farm  produce.  In  aliout  1832  the 
township  was  organized  into  school  sections  and  recei\-ed  a  small  amount  of 
money  from  the  sale  of  school  lands.  A  few  school  houses  were  built  in  the 
township  about  this  time  and  three  months  sessions  were  held.  Alost  of  the 
buildings  were  also  used  for  subscription  schools  for  a  few  months  in  addi- 
tion to  the  three  months  of  public  school.     In   1833  the  first  brick   school 


126  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

house  in  the  township,  and  probably  in  the  county,  was  erected  on  the  farm  of 
Cyrus  Hamilton,  in  the  field  southwest  of  his  house.  Rev.  James  McCoy, 
Elijah  Mitchell,  Davis  Henry  and  many  other  excellent  old  pioneers  taught 
in  this  building. 

A  second  district  school  building  was  built  a  little  later  on  the  old 
Throp  farm,  near  the  homestead  of  -Vndrew  Robison.  It  was  known  as  the 
Robison  school  house  until  its  subsequent  removal  to  Carmel.  A  third  school 
house  of  the  early  days  stood  on  the  farm  of  Martin  Benson,  later  owned  by 
Warder  Hamilton.  The  salaries  of  these  faithful  teachers  were  very  meager. 
The  mother  of  Camilla  Donnell  (then  Mrs.  Minerva  Bartholomew),  who 
taught  at  the  brick  school  house  and  also  at  the  Benson  school,  received  only 
eight  dollars  a  month.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  able-bodied  men 
were  glad  to  work  for  twenty-five  cents  a  day  in  the  early  history  of  the 
county. 

About  1845  ^  school  was  established  by  Rev.  King,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  in  the  town  which  still  bears  his  name  (Kingston).  A  private 
school  w;as  also  taught  by  Rev.  Cable,  another  Presbyterian  minister,  near 
Kingston.  These  two  excellent  schools  so  weakened  the  Brick,  Benson  and 
Robison  schools  that  they  were  finally  abandoned.  The  houses  were  sold  or 
moved  away  and  the  district  school  was  permanently  established  in  the  village 
of  Kingston  about  1852  or  1853.  Rev.  Benjamin  Nyce,  an  educator  of 
great  originality  and  ability,  became  its  head,  and  it  entered  on  a  career  of 
unparalelled  usefulness  and  prosperity. 

In  1853  William  Dobyns,  for  Clarkslxirg,  Thomas  Hamilton,  for 
Kingston,  and  James  Bonner,  for  Spring  Hill,  were  appointed  a  board  of 
township  tru-stees,  one  retiring  each  year.  Their  duties  were  to  arrange  the 
township  into  school  districts,  provide  suitable  buildings  and  engage  teachers. 
Other  members  of  the  school  board  at  different  times  were  Henry  Kerrick, 
S.  A.  Donnell,  J.  H.  Cartmell  and  George  Kennedy.  This  board  of  three 
members  continued  at  the  head  of  the  township  schools  until  1859,  when 
Luther  Donnell  was  elected  trustee  under  the  new  law.  He  had  complete 
charge  of  the  schools  of  the  township  and  since  that  time  the  affairs  of  the 
schools  have  been  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  one  man.  While  the  board 
of  three  had  charge  of  affairs,  the  Kingston  school  was  established  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  which  had  been  bought  for  that  purpose. 

The  new  Constitution  of  1852  provided  for  a  system  of  free  public 
schools  and  funds  were  set  aside  for  one  building  for  each  school  district. 
The  public-spirited  citizens  of  the  three  larger  districts — Clarksburg,  Kings- 
ton and  Spring  Hill — raised  enough  money  by  private  subscription  to  erect 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I27 

two-stor}'  buildings  in  their  respecti\-e  towns,  the  law  providing  only  suffi- 
cient money  for  one-story  buildings. 

The  first  Spring  Hill  school  was  housed  in  one  of  the  traditional  empty 
log  cabins.  It  stood  on  the  big  hill,  just  east  of  the  present  road,  on  the  farm 
of  James  Martin.  It  was  begun  not  earlier  than  1824,  since  its  first  teacher, 
Thomas  Meek,  the  assessor  of  a  large  part  of  the  Spring  Hill  community, 
did  not  emigrate  from  Kentucky  until  1823.  Its  second  teacher  was  William 
Marlow.  Another  early  school  was  held  in  the  old  Bryson  homestead,  but 
the  Martin  school  seems  to  have  been  the  forerunner  of  the  Spring  Hill 
district  school. 

Probably  as  early  as  1835  a  district  school  house  was  built  on  the  farm 
of  Adam  Rankin,  not  far  from  the  present  school  site.  It  was  afterward 
rebuilt  and  enlarged  and  remained  in  use  until  the  erection  of  the  two-story 
brick  building  early  in  the  Civil  War.  It  was  burned  down  in  1894  and 
replaced  by  the  present  one-story  building.  Among  the  teachers  of  Spring 
Hill  may  be  mentioned  some  men  who  later  made  a  reputation  in  the  world 
— such  men  as  Stanley  Coulter,  now  of  Purdue  University;  Rev.  Thomson, 
of  Tarkeo,  Missouri;  R.  M.  Miller  and  Marshall  Hacker  were  principals  of 
the  Spring  Hill  school  at  various  times. 

The  Carmel  neighborhood  was  the  home  of  John  Bell,  one  of  the  earliest 
and  best-known  teachers  in  the  township.  Its  early  school  history  has  been 
lost  in  oblivion,  but  it  is  probable  that  early  schools  were  held  in  the  cabin 
near  the  home  of  Andrew  McCoy  and  in  a  deserted  shop  on  the  McCracken 
farm.  The  first  district  school  in  the  Carmel  neighborhood  was  built  on 
the  farm  of  Jacob  Miller  sometime  in  the  thirties.  It  was  probably  in  use 
until  the  fifties  when  it  was  succeeded  by  a  second  building.  The  third 
building  is  now  in  use,  a  neat  and  comfortable  structure  which  meets  all  of 
the  modern  requirements. 

The  Clarksburg  community  had  some  of  the  earliest  settlers  and 
undoubtedly  some  of  the  earliest  private  schools.  Unfortunately,  it  seems 
impossible  to  get  exact  data  concerning  them.  The  best  known  of  these 
schools  was  held  in  a  cabin  on  the  farm  of  Luther  Donnell.  Another  early 
private  school  was  held  in  the  home  of  Nathan  Lewis.  It  is  probable  that 
the  first  district  school  was  located  on  South  Main  street,  in  ai  building 
which  had  been  used  as  a  residence.  Mrs.  Minerva  Bartholomew  taught  in 
1837  in  an  empty  shop  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  The  forerunner  of 
the  present  village  school  was  located  opposite  the  residence  of  J.  N.  Moore. 
Among  the  early  teachers  of  Clarksburg  may  be  mentioned  Elijah  Mitchell, 
John  Bell,  Joseph  Rankin,  George  McCoy  and  Nimrod  Kerrick.     Of  these 


128  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

early  teachers  Nimrod  seems  to  have  been  the  most  successful  and  best 
beloved.  A  two-story  brick  building  was  erected  in  1856  in  Clarksburg  on 
the  present  school  site  and  remained  in  use  until  about  1880  when  a  four- 
room  building  was  erected.  In  19 10  a  modern,  eight-room  brick  building 
was  erected. 

Sufficient  has  been  said  of  the  early  schools  of  Fugit  township  to  show 
that  its  public-spirited  citizens  were  keenly  alive  to  the  value  of  good  schools. 
The  fact  that  so  many  men  and  women  have  gone  out  from  the  schools  of 
the  township  well  equipped  to  take  their  place  in  the  world  is  ample  evi- 
dence that  the  schools  have  been  doing  their  work  well.  Clarksburg  now  has 
a  consolidated  school  and  gives  a  four-year  commissioned  high-school  course. 
The  schools  will  rank  well  with  any  in  the  state  and  the  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity may  take  a  just  pride  in  the  work  they  are  doing.  There  are  seven 
teachers  in  the  town  and  five  teachers  in  the  rural  schools  of  the  township  in 
1915- 

CHURCHES. 

The  history  of  the  many  churches  of  the  township  may  be  found  in 
the  special  church  chapter.  Fugit  township  has  been  a  peculiarly  religious 
community.  Most  of  the  early  settlers  were  Presbyterian  in  faith,  although 
the  Methodists  and  Christians  have  been  strong  enough  to  establish  churches. 
The  Germans  who  settled  in  the  county  were  nearly  all  Catholics  and  they 
support  a  strong  congregation  at  St.  Maurice.  y\t  one  time  or  another  there 
have  been  three  Presbyterian,  two  Methodist,  one  Christian  and  one  Catholic 
church  in  Fugit  township. 

The  officers  of  Fugit  township  are  as  follow:  Trustee,  Albert  T.  Brock; 
assessor,  David  D.  Morgan;  advisory  board,  Clinton  B.  Emmert,  Walter 
Scott  and  Carl  E.  Brown;  supervisors  of  roads,  Frank  Winger,  John  Han- 
diges  and  Jacob  Mauer. 

KINGSTON. 

Situated  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Fugit  township  is  the  pretty 
little  village  of  Kingston,  which  was  laid  out  in  185 1  by  Seth  Lowe  and 
others.  It  was  one  of  the  first  settled  points  in  the  county  and  there  was  a 
straggling  village  there  many  years  before  it  was  formally  platted  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  make  it  a  town  of  any  importance.  The  town  has 
grown  up  around  the  Presljyterian  church,  formerly  known^  as  the  Sand 
Creek  congregation,  but  now  called  the  Kingston  church.  The  complete 
history  of  this  interesting  church  is  given  in  the  church  chapter  elsewhere  in 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I29 

this  volume.  A  general  store,  run  by  ^^^  K.  Stewart,  and  a  blacksmith  shop, 
operated  by  Harry  Walker,  are  all  the  industries  of  the  town  at  the  present 
time.     The  town  has  a  population  of  about  fifty  souls. 

ST.    MAURICE. 

As  its  name  indicates,  the  town  of  St.  Alaurice  is  of  Catholic  origin.  It 
was  laid  out  by  D.  Montague,  August  12,  1859,  primarily  because  of  the 
Catholic  church  whicli  was  located  here.  It  is  in  the  south  central  part  of 
Fugit  township  and  is  the  center  of  the  Catholic  population  of  this  part  of 
the  county.  The  present  enterprises  include  the  following:  General  store, 
Frank  Kramer;  tailor,  ]\Iartin  Moser ;  saw-mill,  Benjamin  Moorman;  black- 
smith, Albert  W'alke.     There  are  less  than  fifty  people  in  the  town. 


A  postoffice  was  maintained  at  Spring  Hill  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
Fugit  township,  but  it  has  long  since  been  discontinued.  The  first  settlers  of 
Decatur  county  located  near  this  point  and  the  first  store  in  the  county  was 
established  here  by  James  Conwell.  When  Clarksburg  began  to  grow  in 
importance,  Spring  Hill  rapidly  declined  and  today  there  is  only  one  build- 
ing left  on  the  site  of  the  once  thriving  village — the  Spring  Hill  Presby- 
terian church,  the  most  beautiful  country  church  in  the  county.  In  this  case 
the  best  part  of  the  village  has  survived  the  longest. 

CLARKSBURG. 

The  town  of  Clarksburg  was  laid  out,  April  9,  1832,  by  Woodson  Clark, 
who  had,  however,  bestowed  his  name  on  the  little  village  prior  to  that  date. 
Clark  erected  the  first  house  and  James  Wiley,  who  entered  the  first  land  in 
Fugit  township,  put  up  the  second  log  cabin.  The  town  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  the  county  and  had  it  been  fortunate  to  attract  a  railroad  it  would 
undoubtedly  have  become  a  trading  center  of  importance.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  rich  farming  community  and  the  high  character  of  its  citizens  from 
.the  beginning  has  made  it  a  favored  section  of  the  county.  Its  churches 
and  schools  have  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  life  of  the  commu- 
nity and  their  influence  has  been  such  that  the  people  of  Clarksburg  and 
Fugit  township  have  taken  the  lead  in  many  of  the  religious,  educational  and 
reform  movements  in  the  countv.  ]\Iuch  of  the  earlv  historv  of  the  town  is 
(9) 


130  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

covered  in  the  discussion  of  Fugit  township,  while  the  churches,  schools  and 
lodges  are  treated  in  special  chapters. 

Clarksburg  has  always  been  an  excellent  trading  center,  despite  the 
fact  that  it  is  several  miles  from  a  railroad.  Daily  hacks  make  the  trip  to 
Greensburg,  and  now  a  large  automobile  truck  makes  a  round  trip  daily 
with  freight  and  passengers.  The  main  industries  of  the  town  in  191 5  are 
as  follows :  Apiarist,  Alexander  M^alker ;  bank,  Clarksburg  State  Bank,  A.  T. 
Brock,  cashier;  barber,  Clarence  Cornelius,  George  Rogers;  blacksmith,  W. 
W.  Gross,  John  Brodie,  Charles  Brown;  carriage  painter,  Elmer  Hutton; 
carpenter,  James  Moore,  Morgan  &  Hall;  drugs,  A.  C.  Shumm;  flour-mill, 
C.  B.  Emmert ;  garage.  C.  C.  Jeffrey  Smith,  French  &  Martz ;  general  store, 
Fred  Lampe,  Homer  Russell,  D.  R.  Higgins ;  hardware,  H.  C.  Doles ;  hotel, 
Mattie  Miller;  harness,  James  L.  Burns;  livery,  Jasper  Jackson,  George 
Davis ;  millinery,  Mrs.  Emma  Shumm ;  paper  hanger,  C.  L.  Sample ;  paint- 
ers, A.  C.  Burns,  John  Bruner,  John  VonRissen,  Glen  Gross,  M.  B.  Hite; 
photographer,  C.  B.  Harrell;  pool  room,  Waldo  McGuire;  physician,  C.  M. 
Beall,  Prosser  E.  Clark,  W.  E.  Thomas,  J.  L.  Smith;  restaurants,  Morgan 
Brothers.  Monte  Linville;  saw-mill,  C.  B.  Emmert;  stone  and  brick  mason, 
Peter  Christy;  truck  driver,  Oscar  F.  Kuhn  (daily  auto  trips  to  Greens- 
burg) ;  veterinary.  A.  E.  Alexander;  well  digger,  J.  W.  Christian. 

The  town  receives  a  sealed  pouch  daily  from  the  Greensburg  postoffice. 
J.  L.  Smith  is  the  postmaster.  The  town  has  never  been  incorporated. 


JACKSON    TOWN.SHIP. 

Jackson  township  was  established  by  the  board  of  commissioners, 
March  3.  1834.  It  is  bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  county,  thence  north  to  the  township  line,  dividing  townships 
9  and  10,  thence  east  four  and  a  half  miles  to  the  center  of  section  2,  on  the 
north  side  thereof;  thence  south  to  the  Jennings  county  line;  thence  west 
to  the  place  of  beginning.     These  limits  have  never  been  changed. 

Jackson  township  was  among  the  last  to  be  settled,  as  its  soil  was 
black  and  wet  and  the  early  settlers  sought  land  with  natural  drainage,  that 
could  be  cultivated  early  in  the  spring.  Since  farmers  have  learned  the  use 
of  tile  ditches,  Jackson  township  has  come  into  its  own  and  its  burr  oak  flats 
are  now  considered  the  equal  of  any  farming  land  in  the  county.  Follow- 
ing the  subdivisions  of  the  original  government  survey,  most  of  the  farms 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I3I 

in  this  township  are  square  or  oblong,  and  the  roads  run  on  section  lines, 
which  make  it  very  convenient  in  getting  about. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  the  township  were  Plenry  Hawk  and 
Enoch  Foster,  who  came  from  Ohio;  Daniel  Sullivan  and  Charles  Guinea, 
who  came  from  Jefferson  county,  and  Samuel  Eli,  from  Union  county. 
These  men  are  supposed  to  have  settled  in  Jackson  township  in  1828.  Others 
who  came  soon  after  were:  Samuel  Thomson,  William  Evans,  Adam  Hall, 
Adam  Petree,  Abram  Barrett,  James  Wheeldon,  William  H.  Eddleman, 
John  Chambers,  Chesley  Woodard,  Daniel  Eddleman,  William  and  James 
Chambers,  Eliza  Moncrieg  and  Jack  Herring. 

William  Evans  built  the  first  saw-mill  in  Jackson  township  and  the 
first  church  in  the  township  was  built  by  the  Baptists  upon  land  donated 
for  that  purpose  by  Charles  Woodard.  Early  school  teachers  of  the  town- 
ship were  P.  N.  Bishop  and  John  McCleary.  The  first  school  building  was 
built  in  1834  on  the  farm  entered  by  William  Evans.  Unlike  the  present 
comfortable  school  houses  of  the  township,  this  early  building  was  very 
primitive.  It  had  a  puncheon  floor,  clapboard  roof  and  door,  split  sapling 
for  seats  and  the  large  fireplace  had  only  a  dirt  backwall.  The  only  writing 
desks  were  rough  boards  on  two  sides  of  the  building,  supported  by  pins 
driven  into  the  walls.  Light  was  provided  through  windows  made  of  oiled 
newspapers. 

Writing  of  this  early  school,  J.  A.  Dillman,  one  of  its  first  pupils  says: 
"McCleary  was  too  tender  hearted  to  whip,  but  one  day  some  of  us  boys  did 
something  that  it  was  necessary  to  punish  us  for  in  order  to  maintain  his 
authority.  Eight  of  us  were  sent  to  the  woods  and  each  of  us  brought  in 
a  good-sized  beech  'gad'.  Then  he  paired  us  off  and  made  us  whip  one 
another,  lap-jacket  fashion,  only  that  one  of  us  whipped  at  a  time.  I  was  a 
weakly  boy  of  ten,  and  my  opponent  was  a  big  boy  of  fourteen,  with  a  pair 
of  buckskin  breeches  and  a  fawn-skin  vest  with  woolsey  blouse.  I  whipped 
first  and  laid  it  on  light,  hoping  that  my  friend  would  do  the  same — indeed 
it  was  no  use  to  strike  hard,  for  you  might  as  well  have  tried  to  hurt  a 
rhinoceros ;  but  when  it  came  his  turn  he  brought  down  his  "gad'  like  whip- 
ping a  balky  ox,  while  I  yelled  and  screamed  with  pain.  But  then  ends  of 
justice  were  satisfied  and  so  were  McCleary  and  the  big  boy." 

The  southern  part  of  the  township  was  crossed  by  a  railroad  in  the 
eighties  and  thus  the  farmers  got  a  much  easier  access  to  the  markets.  Along 
the  railroad  sprang  up  the  flourishing  towns  of  Sardinia  and  Alert.  Other 
towns  in  the  township  are  Waynesburg  and  Newburg  (Forest  Hill). 

The  present  officers  of  Jackson  township  are  as  follow:     Trustee,  Sam 


132  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Kelly;  assessor,  William  Barton;  advisory  board,  Albert  Moncrieff,  Jacob 
Thurston,  John  H.  Cooper;  road  supervisors,  Ed.  T.  Fraley,  Walter  Shaw, 
Dan  Carnes  and  William  Golay;  justice  of  the  peace,  Joseph  A.  Burns. 

FOREST    HILL. 

The  town  of  Forest  Hill  was  laid  out  on  IMarch  17,  1852,  by  Newberry 
Wheeldon  as  Newburg.  It  is  an  inland  village,  in  the  extreme  northern  part 
of  Jackson  township,  and  is  two  miles  from  the  Michigan  division  of  the 
Big  Four  railroad.  The  fact  that  it  does  not  have  railroad  connection  has 
made  it  impossible  to  enjoy  much  of  a  growth.  It  is  a  pleasant  little  \illage, 
with  good,  well-shaded  streets,  and  a  quiet  air  of  prosperit)-.  A  Presby- 
terian church  and  a  modern  two-room  school  building  take  care  of  the 
religious  and  educational  life  of  the  community.  It  was  once  incorporated 
for  both  civil  and  school  purposes,  but  the  village  did  not  prove  large  enough 
to  support  itself  as  an  independent  communit}'.  The  present  interests  are 
confined  to  the  following:  Blacksmith,  J.  K.  Devening;  general  store,  E.  T. 
Fraley;  grocery,  A.  W.  Crigler;  physician,  M.  C.  Vest  (county  coroner); 
restaurant,  Emmett  Watson.  The  present  population  is  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five. 

WAYNESBURG. 

Waynesburg  was  laid  out  in  the  central  western  part  of  Jackson  town- 
ship by  George  Lough  on  November  4,  1844.  It  is  three  miles  from  a  rail- 
road and  for  this  reason  has  never  become  a  town  of  any  importance.  The 
fifteen  houses  of  the  town  shelter  a  happy  community  who  find  employment 
in  the  various  enterprises  of  the  town  or  on  farms  in  the  vicinity.  The  stores 
are  those  of  Thomas  Burch,  George  Himelich  and  Henry  Purvis.  A  saw- 
mill is  operated  by  William  Barton  and  Frank  Van  Scyoc.  John  Cornelius 
is  the  village  blacksmith. 

ALERT. 

James  Bannister  is  the  patron  saint  of  Alert,  a  town  which  he  laid 
out  on  August  30,  1886.  It  is  located  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Jackson 
township,  on  the  Chicago,  Terre  Haute  &  Eastern  railroad,  and  is  a  thriving 
business  little  place  which  lives  up  to  its  name.  Several  years  ago  there  was 
a  two-story  sash  saw-mill  here  which  did  a  big  business  for  many  years 
before  it  was  finally  closed  down  in  1876.  The  logs  were  cut  with  a  cross- 
cut saw  instead  of.  a  circular  saw,  a  fact  which  explains  why  it  was  a  two- 


MOS  OX  MAUIOX  KLLIOTT  STOCK  FAltM,  JACKSOX  TOWXSHir. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I33 

story  building.  A  bank  has  l^een  recently  established  in  the  town  and  a  can- 
ning factory  was  built  in  the  summer  of  191 5,  which  was  ready  to  handle 
the  crop  of  that  year. 

The  business  and  professional  interests  of  Alert  in  191 5  included  the 
following:  Bank,  Alert  State  Bank;  barber,  Albert  Jordan;  blacksmiths,  A. 
B.  Blazer,  Earl  Wright ;  canning  factory,  Frank  Doty,  Jr. ;  dentist,  C.  L. 
Hill;  elevator,  Blish  Milling  Co.,  of  Seymour,  Edward  Talkington,  man- 
ager; garage,  John  Saters;  general  store,  S.  B.  Leach,  W.  E.  Wolfer;  har- 
ness, J.  H.  Burns;  house  mover,  Jacob  Wolfinger;  postmaster,  Thomas  J. 
Morton;  \-eterinary.  Raymond  Bannister;  woodworker,  Ora  Clayton. 

In  1914  the  railroad  company  built  stock  sheds  at  Alert  and  a  large 
amount  of  stock  is  now  shipped  from  the  town.  Large  quantities  of  hay 
and  grain  are  bought  annually  by  the  Blish  Milling  Company,  of  Seymour, 
through  its  local  agent,  Edward  Talkington,  and  his  assistant,  Earl 
Arnold.  The  Alert  Telephone  Company  has  sixty-two  patrons  on  its  own 
line,  which  is  operated  through  an  exchange  in  charge  of  J.  C.  Nicholson. 
It  has  free  service  with  all  exchanges  in  Decatur  and  Bartholomew  counties 
and  pay  connection  with  the  Bell  and  Independent  long  distance  lines. 
Samuel  Kelly,  who  lives  at  the  edge  of  town,  has  one  of  the  best  small  fruit 
farms  in  Decatur  county  and  ships  a  large  amount  of  fruit  to  the  city 
markets. 

SARDINIA. 

Sardinia,  the  largest  town  in  Jackson  township,  was  laid  out  on  May 
17,  1865,  by  J.  S.  Harper  and  fifteen  others.  For  a  number  of  years  J.  S. 
Harper  operated  one  of  the  largest  stores  in  the  state  here,  but  too  much 
credit  forced  him  out  of  business.  The  historian  was  told  that  when  he 
closed  his  store  he  had  ninety  thousand  dollars  w'orth  of  accounts  due  him. 
Certainly  no  man  could  keep  a  business  going  on  such  a  basis.  Harper  built 
what  is  still  probably  the  largest  house  in  the  county — a  magnificent  nine- 
teen-room,  brick  mansion,  which  cost  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
He  lived  in  regal  style  and  his  many  colored  servants  and  lavish  entertain- 
ments are  well  remembered  by  the  older  citizens.  As  long  as  he  was  in  the 
town  Harper  was  its  main  attraction  and  with  the  closing  out  of  his  busi- 
ness the  town  settled  down  to  a  quiet  existence  which  still  continues  undis- 
turbed by  the  whirl  of  the  outside  world.  The  postoffice  was  formerly  called 
Big  Creek. 

The  present  interests  of  the  town,  few  in  number,  include  the  following : 
Barbers,  Roscoe  McKelvey,  Earl  McGovern;  blacksmiths,   Samuel  Ammer- 


134  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

man,  Albert  Cornelius;  flour  mill,  George  Claypool;  general  store,  McNelan 
&  Anderson ;  grocery,  Harry  Taggart ;  hardware,  John  Gross  &  Son ;  hotel, 
John  Bowen ;  ice  cream  parlor,  Wilson  &  Vanblaricuni ;  livery,  John  Bowen ; 
saw-mill,  John  Gross  &  Son ;  station  agent,  W.  H.  Petree ;  stock  buyer,  John 
Dennison,  John  Smith. 


MARION   TOWNSHIP. 

Marion  township,  originally  a  part  of  Washington  township  and  later 
of  Sand  Creek  township,  was  organized  by  authority  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners on  May  2,  1831,  when  its  boundaries  were  defined  as  follows: 
"Beginning  at  the  Washington  township  line  on  the  section  line  dividing 
sections  27  and  28,  township  10,  range  9;  thence  north  on  the  section  line 
to  the  county  line;  thence  eastwardly  with  the  line  of  the  county  and  Salt 
Creek  township  to  the  Washington  township  line;  thence  west  with  the  line 
of  Washington  township  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  population  of  Marion  township  is  largely  German.  The  northern 
half  of  the  township  is  rolling  and  in  some  places  the  land  is  rough  and 
broken.  The  eastern  and  southern  portion  is  flat  and  was  originally  covered 
with  oak,  maple  and  gum.  A  good  share  of  it  is  poor  woods  land.  The 
first  church  in  the  township  was  that  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  at  Mill- 
housen,  which  was  erected  in  1840,  when  Maximillian  Schneider  donated 
forty  acres  of  land  for  this  purpose.  The  first  school  house  was  also  built 
by  the  Catholics  and  was  placed  close  to  the  church.  Maximillian  Schnei- 
der, who  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the  new  community,  kept  the  first 
store,  which  was  located  at  Millhousen.  Later  he  sold  the  store  to  Barney 
Hardbeck,  who  had  built  the  first  mill  at  Millhousen.  The  first  mill  in 
Marion  township  was  erected  by  a  man  named  Bush  and  was  located  on  the 
banks  of  Sand  creek. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlers  of  Marion  township,  as  indicated  by  the  original  land 
entries,  were :  John  Robbins,  Sampson  McConnell,  Abisha  Matherly,  John 
McConnell,  James  Parnell,  John  Hazelrigg,  DilHard  Hazelrigg,  John  Line- 
ville,  Thomas  McLaughlin,  Jonathan  Thompson,  Isaac  Ricketts,  Dudley 
Anderson,  W.  White  and  Thomas  Fortune.  Other  early-comers  were  John 
Myres,  John  and  Hiram  Fortune,  Sarah  Anderson,  James  Hooten,  Dudley 
Taylor  and  John  Morton. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 35 

Earl}'  German  settlers  were  Maximillian  Schneider,  Christian  Ruhl, 
Theodore  Frey,  Frank  Rubard,  George  and  Francis  Verkamp,  Henry  Pulse, 
Gabriel  Pulse,  John  and  Adam  Hessler  and  Theodore  Willmer.  In  another 
chapter  is  given  an  account  of  the  Germans  and  their  part  in  the  county's 
history. 

The  present  officers  of  jMarion  township  are  as  follows:  Trustee,  Dan 
Holcomb;  assessor,  Frank  Vaske;  advisory  board,  John  B.  Rolfes,  Anthony 
Schroer  and  Simeon  H.  Kennedy;  road  supervisors,  John-  Vanderpohl, 
Leonard  Alexander  and  Bernard  Kohrnian ;  William  Forket,  justice  of  the 
peace;  William  J.  Robinson,  constable. 

MILLHOUSEN. 

Alillhousen  is  a  Catholic  village  located  on  Squaw  run,  in  Marion  town- 
ship, ten  miles  southeast  of  Greensburg.  Maximillian  Schneider,  who  set- 
tled here  in  1838,  donated  forty  acres  of  land  on  June  29,  1840.  to  Bishop 
La  Halandiere,  of  Vincennes,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  church  and 
laying  out  a  town.  The  name  Millhousen  was  adopted  for  the  proposed 
town  in  honor  of  Mr.  Schneider's  native  town  of  the  same  name  in  Ger- 
many. The  first  settlers  were  composed  of  emigrants  from  various  parts  of 
Germany,  among  whom  were  thirteen  families,  most  of  whom  were  mechan- 
ics. All  were  poor  and  dependent  upon  their  daily  labor  for  subsistence. 
In  1840  a  plain  chapel,  twenty  by  twenty-four  feet,  was  erected,  and  ten 
years  later  a  larger  building,  thirtj'-eight  bj-  sixty  feet,  was  built  on  the  same 
site.  In  1857  a  parochial  school  was  added.  The  present  church  is  one 
hundred  and  forty  bj'  fifty-five  feet,  and  has  a  beautiful  tower  in  which  is  a 
large  clock. 

There  have  been  several  business  enterprises  in  the  town  in  the  past, 
but  changing  conditions  have  seen  the  disappearance  of  most  of  them.  The 
first  store  and  postoffice  was  kept  by  Maximillian  Schneider.  Barney  Harde- 
beck  followed  Schneider  in  the  same  store.  Hardebeck  also  built  the  first 
mill  in  the  town,  a  woolen-mill  which  was  run  under  several  different  man- 
agements until  the  early  eighties.  Other  owners  of  this  same  mill  were 
B.  Zapfe  &  Brinkman,  followed  by  Zapfe  alone.  Hardebeck  again  took 
charge  of  the  mill  after  Zapfe  and,  while  he  was  operating  it  a  second  time 
it  was  burned.  He  at  once  rebuilt  it  and  continued  to  run  it  until  it  was 
permanently  closed  down. 

The  town  was  once  larger  than  it  is  today  and  formerly  boasted  of  a 
population   of   about    four   hundred;    today   there   are    approximately  three 


136  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

hundred  in  the  town.  The  business  and  professional  interests  in  1915  in 
Millhousen  are  as  follows:  Barbers,  Joseph  Pfeifer,  John  Green;  Black- 
smiths, Edward  Henninger,  John  and  Louis  Scheidler;  brick  and  stone 
masons,  John  Green,  Frank  Klosterkemper ;  carpenters,  Theodore  Schneider, 
Anthony  Reisman;  drugs.  Dr.  J.  C.  Glass;  flouring-mill,  Joseph  Herbert  & 
Sons;  general  store,  B.  W.  Zapfe,  Philomena  Moorman;  hack  line  (Mill- 
housen &  Greensburg),  Andrew  Butz;  harness,  Joseph  Herbert  &  Sons; 
hotel,  Ferdinand  Wittkemper ;  ice  cream  parlor,  Mrs.  MoUie  Herbert ;  livery, 
Edward  Henninger;  painter  and  paper  hangers,  Joseph  Pfeifer,  John  Her- 
bert, Anthony  Reisman;  photographer,  Louis  Scheidler;  postmaster.  Dr.  J. 
C.  Glass;  physicians,  J.  C.  Class,  Nicholas  Bauman;  saw-mill,  Joseph  Her- 
bert &  Sons;  tinner,  Louis  Scheidler;  saloons,  Will  Link,  Ferdinand  Witt- 
kemper; wagon  makers,  George  Scheidler,  Charles  Henninger. 

Millhousen  is  not  on  a  railroad  and  thus  is  seriously  handicapped  in 
various  ways.  The  mail  comes  daily  from  Greensburg  in  a  sealed  pouch. 
B.  W.  Zapfe  runs  an  automobile  truck  daily  between  Millhousen  and  Greens- 
burg and  hauls  all  of  his  goods  from  the  county  seat.  Zapfe  also  runs  two 
huckster  wagons  the  year  round.  The  Millhousen  Telephone  Company,  a 
local  concern,  has  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  subscribers.  The  exchange 
is  now  located  in  B.  W.  Zapfe's  store. 

The  town  has  three  public  buildings — a  town  hall,  with  a  seating  capac- 
ity of  one  thousand,  a  solid  stone  jail,  with  two  cells,  and  a  fire  engine  house. 
The  town  has  recently  completed  four  large  fire  cisterns,  which  are  so  located 
as  to  provide  ample  protection  for  the  whole  town.  Four  years  ago  there 
was  a  destructive  fire  in  the  town  which  burned  the  hotel,  saloon  and  livery 
stable  of  John  Spander,  the  store  of  J.  W.  Hardebeck  and  the  dwelling  house 
of  Barney  Koors.  The  town  now  has  an  excellent  eight-man-power  fire 
engine,  which  is  capable  of  throwing  water  over  any  building  in  town. 
Edward  Henninger  is  the  present  fire  chief. 

The  town  was  platted  on  April  10,  1858,  and  has  been  incorporated  for 
several  years.  The  town  officers  for  1915  are  as  follow:  Clerk,  Will  Dai- 
ley  ;  councilmen,  George  Walters,  first  ward ;  Edward  Henninger,  second 
ward;  Anthony  Harping,  third  ward;  marshal,  John  Stuehrenberg. 

OTHER  VILLAGES. 

Gaynorsville  is  located  in  Marion  township  and,  although  never  platted, 
is  given  a  place  on  the  county  map.  There  are  about  ten  families  in  this 
little  village.     This  is  merely  a  country  trading  point  and  its  business  inter- 


ST.    MAUYS   CATHOLIC   CHUIiCH,    MILLHOUSKX 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 37 

ests,  which  consist  of  a  general  store  and  blacksmith  shop,  are  taken  care  of 
by  Enoch  Parker  &  Son. 

Smyrna  is  also  a  small  hamlet  in  Marion  townshi]:),  but  only  a  small 
cluster  of  houses  marks  the  place  at  present. 

Layton's  mill  is  only  a  voting  precinct  in  Marion  township. 


CLINTON    TOWNSHIP. 

On  July  6,  1829,  on  the  petition  of  Isaac  Seright  and  others,  the  board 
of  justices  organized  Clinton  township,  with  the  following  limits :  Begin- 
ning on  the  county  line  at  the  center  of  section  34,  township  12,  range  9; 
thence  south  to  the  Washington  township  line;  thence  east  five  miles  to  the 
center  of  section  21,  township  11,  range  10,  on  the  south  line  of  said  section; 
thence  north  to  the  county  line ;  thence  west  with  the  county  line  to  the  place 
of  beginning  (volume  II,  page  43). 

The  original  limits  as  prescribed  by  the  board  of  justices  who  organ- 
ized this  township,  have  remained  the  same  with  two  minor  exceptions.  On 
September  7,  1829,  the  board  of  justices  ordered  that  sections  19  and  20, 
township  II,  range  10,  be  stricken  ofif  from  Clinton  township  and  attached 
to  Washington  (volume  II,  page  47).  On  May  3,  1830,  the  board  of  jus- 
tices "ordered  that  the  west  half  of  section  21,  township  11,  range  10,  which 
lies  in  Clinton  township,  be  and  the  same  is  newly  attached  to  the  township 
of  Fugit  in  the  said  county  of  Decatur."  With  these  changes,  the  township 
stands  today  as  its  first  boundaries  were  given. 

The  same  board  which  ordered  the  organization  of  Clinton  township, 
at  the  same  meeting  ordered  the  first  election  to  be  held  in  the  township  at 
the  house  of  George  McLaughlin  on  the  last  Saturday  in  July,  1829.  This 
election  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  electing  two  justices  of  the  peace.  Ben- 
jamin Jones  was  appointed  election  inspector.  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
John  Small  were  appointed  as  overseers  of  the  poor  for  that  year  (1829). 
James  Hudson,  Robert  Wilson  and  Joseph  Lindsay  were  appointed  as  first 
fence  viewers  (volume  II,  page  44).  In  1830,  Joseph  Lindsay  and  James 
Wilson  were  appointed  as  overseers  of  the  poor. 

SETTLEMENT. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  who  was  the  first  settler  in  this  township, 
but  it  is   improbable  that  there  was  anyone  with  a  fixed   habitation  there 


138  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

before  1821.  There  were  no  land  entries  from  this  township  during  the 
first  year  after  it  was  open  for  settlement,  which  leads  to  the  supposition 
that  there  were  people  living  there  who  wished  to  protect  their  claims  to 
their  places  of  residence. 

The  first  known  settler  was  Jesse  Womack,  who  entered  a  small  tract 
of  land  early  in  1821.  Others  who  came  immediately  afterward  were  John 
Montgomery,  Thomas  Craig,  Daniel  Crume,  Joseph  Jones  and  Joseph  Wei- 
hart.  Among  those  who  came  later,  this  year  were  Matthew  Campbell,  Rob- 
ert Wilson,  James  Carter,  John  Thomson,  Israel  Harris,  Henry  Glass  and 
George  Donner. 

Among  the  other  early  settlers  who  located  here  and  contributed  to  the 
early  progress  and  history  of  the  township  are :  Reuben  Johnston,  who 
came  here  from  Virginia  with  his  family,  and  died  in  1857;  David  Munns, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  Kentucky  pioneers ;  also  William  Ruddell,  from 
Kentucky;  Thomas  Power,  Robert  Crawford,  John  Lyons,  William  Sefton, 
William  Bird,  Baily  Johnston,  Josiah  Kemble,  Elijah  E.  Smith,  Peleg 
Wheeler,  George  Butcher,  A.  E.  Rankin,  D.  Cramer,  Benjamin  Jones,  Philip 
Martin,  Edward  Ricketts,  Dr.  Abram  Carter,  Gabriel  Harrold,  William 
Jones,  Robert  Wilson,  Joseph  Lindsay  and  Andrew  J.  Dale,  who  came  here 
from  South  Carolina,  are  all  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship and  contributed  toward  its  settlement  and  advancement. 

EARLY    MILLS. 

The  first  grist-mill  in  this  township  was  built  by  John  and  William 
Hamilton,  two  brothers  from  Virginia,  who  settled  here.  This  mill  was 
erected  in  the  year  1822  and  the  power  to  run  the  machinery  was  furnished 
by  Clifty  creek.  A  short  time  after  this  mill  was  erected,  another  mill, 
which  was  only  used  for  cracking  com  for  feed,  was  constructed  by  Thomas 
Lanham  for  William  Buchanan,  the  proprietor.  This  mill  was  located  on 
the  South  fork  of  Clifty  creek,  and  was  well  patronized  by  the  settlers  in 
this  locality,  as  meal  was  used  more  extensively  for  breadstuff  than  it  is  at 
the  present  time.  About  the  same  time,  the  first  saw-mill  was  erected  by  a 
Mr.  Douglas  on  the  south  fork  of  Clifty  creek.  This  mill  was  well  pat- 
ronized and  the  owner  was  doing  a  thriving  business,  but  his  prosperity  was 
to  be  short-lived,  for  he  met  with  an  accident  in  the  mill  which  cost  him  his 
life.  The  first  horse-power  mill  was  introduced  and  placed  in  operation  on 
the  farm  of  Thomas  Powell,  near  the  poor  farm.     Mr.  Powell  owned  and 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 39 

operated  this  mil!  for  a  number  of  years,  and  at  that  time  it  was  quite  an 
ad\'ancement  from  the  old  form  of  water-power  mill. 

The  county  poor  farm  is  located  in  Clinton  township. 

The  first  church  in  the  township  was  built  by  the  Christians.  This  was 
erected  near  the  residence  of  Nathan  P.  Swails  and  was  known  as  the  Cliffy 
church. 

The  general  surface  of  this  land  is  unbroken  and  slightly  undulating 
and  there  is  no  great  extent  of  broken  land  in  the  township,  although  it  has 
excellent  drainage  from  the  different  branches  of  Cliffy  creek  which  flow 
through  the  township.  The  land  all  drains  to  the  southwest  and  the  soil 
is  uniform  and  of  an  equal  quality.  There  is  no  other  township  in  the 
county  which  can  boast  of  so  few  acres  of  waste  or  untillable  land  as  Clinton. 

The  timber  furnished  one  of  the  greatest  industries  in  this  township 
in  the  early  days,  stave-mills  being  the  chief  consumption  of  this  natural 
resource.  The  forests  consisted  chiefly  of  walnut,  poplar,  sugar,  elm,  burr 
oak,  hackberry  and  beech,  but  since  the  timber  has  become  scarce  the  ener- 
gies of  the  settlers  have  been  turned  toward  agricultural  pursuits,  and  this 
is  yielding  equally  as  great  results  as  did  the  timber  products  of  old.  The 
blue  grass  land  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  township  rivals  even  the 
famous  blue  grass  districts  of  Kentucky,  and  has  no  equal  in  any  part  of 
the  home  state. 

Another  great  asset  to  the  farmers  of  this  section  is  the  North  Vernon, 
Greensburg  &  Rushville  railroad,  which  runs  through  the  township.  It 
enables  them  to  place  their  products  on  the  markets  of  the  leading  cities  and 
furnishes  railroad  facilities  for  all  the  different  lines  of  transportation. 

The  trustee  of  Clinton  township  is  Henry  Mozingo,  and  Orville  Garrett 
is  assessor. 

SANDUSKY. 

Sandusky,  the  only  town  in  Clinton  township,  was  laid  out  along  the 
Michigan  di\'ision  of  the  Big  Four  railroad  on  October  7,  1882,  by  Olliver 
C.  Sefton.  The  building  of  the  railroad  through  the  county  has  made  San- 
dusky a  shipping  point  of  importance,  especially  so  since  it  is  the  nearest 
market  for  most  of  Fugit  and  a  part  of  Adams  townships.  The  business 
interests  of  191 5  include  the  following:  Blacksmith,  Harrell  &  Cowan,  W. 
O.  Rozell;  carpenter,  A.  T.  Stanford,  Stillman  Bros.,  Elmer  Ruddell;  ele- 
vator, Sandusky  Farmers  Elevator  Company,  Jesse  Anderson,  manager: 
general  store,  Horace  McDowell;  hardware  and  implements,  Horace  Mc- 
Dowell ;  livery,  Charles  Ray ;  painter  and  paper  hanger,  Fleetwood  &  Seright : 


[40 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


saw-mill,  Steward  &  Tilley;  station  agent,  A.  C.  Thorpe;  warehouse,  H.  C. 
Doles,  of  Clarksburg. 

J.  T.  Stanford  operates  a  stone  crusher  a  short  distance  from  the  town 
and  furnishes  most  of  the  crushed  stone  used  on  the  roads  in  the  township. 
In  the  spring  of  191 5  about  forty  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  community 
surrounding  Sandusky  formed  a  company  to  operate  the  elevator  at  the 
town  and  are  making  extensive  repairs  to  the  building  which  they  acquired. 
They  intend  to  put  in  a  grinding  outfit  and  handle  food  stuffs  of  all  kinds. 
A  gas  company,  composed  of  Knox,  Hall  &  Williams,  has  four  wells,  which 
furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  gas  for  the  town.  They  give  a  flat  rate  of 
one  dollar  a  month  for  a  stove  and  furnish  one  light.  Additional  lights 
cost  fifteen  cents. a  month.  The  county  farm,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  is  located  a  mile  southwest  of  Sandusky.  Superintendent  D.  A.  Bur- 
roughs now  has  twenty-seven  inmates  on  the  farm. 

Williamstown  is  a  joint  Decatur  and  Rush  county  town,  and  is  located 
on  the  county  line  in  Clinton  township. 


SALT    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 

Salt  Creek  township  bears  the  distinction  of  being  the  last  township 
laid  out  in  the  county.  It  was  established  by.  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  Decatur  county,  September  5,  1836,  and,  as  recorded  in  the  rec- 
ords of  that  date,  its  boundaries  were  as  follow,  to  wit:  "Beginning  on 
the  Franklin  county  line  on  the  line  dividing  townships  10  and  11;  thence 
west  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  2,  township  10,  range  10;  thence 
south  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  26,  township  9,  range  10;  thence 
east  two  miles ;  thence  south  one  mile ;  thence  east  to  the  Ripley  county  line ; 
thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  This  was  taken  verbatim  from  the 
record  books  of  the  county  commissioners  (volume  III,  page  104),  but  there 
seems  to  be  some  discrepancy  in  this  record,  as  seen  by  following  the  line 
of  boundary,  for  it  would  not  strike  the  Ripley  county  line.  The  error  may 
come  in  supplying  the  name  Ripley  when  in  fact  the  Franklin  county  line 
was  meant. 

The  next  record  which  we  have  defining  the  boundary  of  this  township 
is  given  as  follows,  to  wit :  "Beginning  on  the  Franklin  county  line  on  the 
line  dividing  townships  10  and  11;  thence  west  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
section  2,  township  10,  range  10;  thence  south  five  miles;  thence  east  two 
miles;  thence  south  one  mile;  thence  east  one  mile;  thence  south  one  mile 


X  HAUDIXO 


r>OT'P.I.F,  I.OAD  (IF  ril.F.S.  TN  FKKT  I.OXC.  iTT  IX  1  >K(  ATI" 
]>AY  AM)  lOADKI)  AT  NFWl'dlNT.  FOK  FSK  I!V  THF.  I! 
AFTKIt  TlIF  (JUFAT  FLOOD  OF   llii:'.. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I4I 

to  the  Ripley  county  line;  thence  northeast  with  the  Indian  boundary  line 
and  north  with  the  Franklin  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

Although  the  soil  of  Salt  Creek  township  is  not  so  productive  as  that 
of  other  subdivisions  of  Decatur  county,  its  thrifty  farmers,  most  of  them 
of  German  descent,  have  brought  the  land  to  a  state  of  dependable  produc- 
tion, have  erected  commodious  barns  and  substantial  dwellings,  so  that,  in 
most  respects.  Salt  Creek  township  takes  a  high  rank  among  tlie  nine  town- 
ships of  Decatur  county. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Robert  Ross  and  John  Harding  were  two  of  the  first  six  men  to  settle 
in  Salt  Creek  township.  Others  who  made  homes  in  this  township  at  an 
early  date  were :  James  Cook,  William  Barclay,  Parkinson  Barclay,  Eli  Pen- 
nington (who  later  laid  out  New  Pennington),  Lewis  Castor,  Wilson  Ross, 
William  Hart,  Charles  McHugh,  John  Calicott,  Robert  Atte,  William 
Walker,  Milton  Walker,  George  Osborn  and  John  Snediker. 

Salt  Creek  township  abounded  in  game  in -the  days  of  the  early 
settlements,  and  the  pioneers  of  this  locality  never  had  any  trouble  getting 
a  supply  of  bear  meat,  but,  of  course,  pork  was  a  scarce  article  until  bruin 
had  been  exterminated.  Wild  turkeys  were  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Xew  Pen- 
nington as  late  as  1875. 

The  general  character  of  the  soil  of  this  township  is  clay.  However,  it 
responds  readily  to  scientific  farming,  so  that,  with  careful  attention,  it  pro- 
duces a  profitable  crop  every  year.  Salt  Creek  township  timber  is  mostly 
oak  and  gum,  of  which  a  large  amovmt  has  been  sold  for  the  manufacture 
of  furniture. 

The  township  was  crossed  by  the  Big  Four  railroad,  from  east  to  west. 
in  1853,  this  being  one  of  the  earliest  railroads  in  the  state.  Newpoint  and 
Smith's  Crossing  are  located  on  the  railroad. 

The  following-  are  the  present  officers  of  Salt  Creek  township :  Trustee, 
Harley  S.  McKee ;  assessor,  Elza  O.  Walker;  advisory  board,  William  Schil- 
ling, Isaac  Parmer,  Sr.,  and  Henry  Travis;  road  supervisors,  Clarence  Col- 
son,  Rudolph  Kramer  and  Taylor  Ramer;  justice  of  the  peace,  William  Haas. 


The  town  of  Xewpoint  is  located  in  Salt  Creek  township  on  the  Big 
Four  railroad.  It  was  laid  out  on  November  11,  1859,  by  Ebenezer  Nutting 
and  has  enjoyed  a  steady  growth  from  the  beginning'.     A  struggling  village 


142  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

had  existed  at  this  place  ever  since  the  raih-oad  had  been  buik  in  1854,  but 
it  was  five  years  later  before  it  occurred  to  an  enterprising  proprietor  that  it 
would  make  a  good  site  for  a  town.  The  stone  industry  has  always  been  the 
chief  business  of  Newpoint,  and  the  stone  quarry  of  J.  J.  Puttmann,  a  mile 
north  of  town  has  employed  more  men  than  any  other  enterprise  in  the  com- 
munity. He  has  employed  many  men  and  has  the  only  quarries  of  import- 
ance in  the  township. 

Among  the  men  earlier  connected  with  the  commercial  life  of  Newpoint 
were:  George  Brown,  Joel  Colson,  W.  E.  Barkley,  James  Hart,  Warner 
Clark,  Leander  Storks,  John  Lewis  Hilliard.  On  September  2,  1866,  Mr. 
Hilliard  began  his  long  and  honest  career  as  a  clerk  when  he  sold  the  first 
order  in  the  store  of  W.  E.  Barkley,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  store  now 
owned  by  George  W.  Metz.  Joel  Colson  made  to  the  town  of  Newpoint  the 
addition  which  bears  his  name.  From  its  founding,  Newpoint  has  always 
been  the  chief  trading  and  shipping  point  in  the  township  and  remains  so  at 
the  present  time. 

The  town  is  incorporated  and  divided  into  three  wards.  The  town  clerk 
is  Robert  Carr,  and  John  W.  Snedeker  officiates  as  marshal.  A  volunteer 
fire  department  is  maintained,  which  has  proven  equal  to  every  emergency 
thus  far.  Three  fire  cisterns,  a  hand-power  fire  engine,  hooks,  ladders  and 
an  ample  supply  of  hose  are  kept  in  the  town  house.  A  stone  jail  takes  care  of 
such  ofi^enders  of  the  law  as  need  incarceration.  The  town  is  well  lighted 
with  gas,  street  lights  being  located  at  appropriate  intervals  all  over  the  town. 
The  Newpoint  Gas,  Oil  and  Mineral  Company  has  ten  wells  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  and  sells  its  gas  for  fifteen  cents  a  thousand.  There  is  plenty 
of  gas  for  both  light  and  fuel.  John  Giberson  owns  the  local  telephone  line 
and  maintains  a  switchboard  at  his  home,  half  a  mile  northeast  of  town, 
which  connects  with  about  seventy-five  patrons.  The  White  River  Cream- 
ery Company,  of  Cincinnati,  has  a  shipping  station  at  Newpoint,  in  charge 
of  Sanford  S.  Starks.  Starks  was  granted  a  state  license  as  milk  tester  by 
the  state  examining  board  on  June  7,  191 5.  From  forty  to  sixty  gallons  of 
cream  are  shipped  daily  from  Newpoint  to  Cincinnati. 

The  business  and  professional  interests  of  Newpoint  in  19 15  include 
the  following:  Bank,  Newpoint  State  Bank;  barber,  Henry  Wolf  and 
James  Myers;  blacksmith,  George  Cornelius  and  Ephraim  Deen;  carpenter, 
Adam  Hoover,  James  Blaire  and  Peter  Grove;  general  store,  H.  M.  Loyd, 
G.  W.  Metz,  John  Hofif  and  George  Myers;  grist-mill,  Germany  &  King;  har- 
ness, Benjamin  Kaneve;  hardware,  J.  J.  Puttmann  &  Company;  jeweler, 
E.  F.  Starks;  livery,  Fred  Wolf;  meat  market,  Fred  Wolf;  millinery,  Mrs. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I43 

Henry  Ennebrock ;  painter  and  paper  hanger,  Robert  Moulton ;  phj-sician. 
Harley  S.  McKee  and  Joseph  Coomes;  restaurant,  Ruth  Gouge  and  Frank 
Hooten;  saloon,  Peter  Schuh ;  saw-miU,  J.  J.  Puttmann  and  T.  E.  Day; 
stock  buyer,  Wolf  &  Barnard;  wholesale  liquor  dealer,  Greensburg  Mercan- 
tile Company,  William  McWilliams,  manager. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follow :  Councilmen,  George  A.  Redelman, 
Henry  Ennebrock,  Al  Thomas ;  clerk,  Robert  Carr ;  treasurer.  Will  Thomas, 

smith's  crossing. 

Smith's  Crossing  is  now  only  a  flag  station  on  the  Big  Four  railroad. 
It  is  situated  in  Salt  Creek  township,  about  two  miles  west  of  Newpoint. 
This  little  hamlet  was  laid  out,  January  2,  1859,  by  R.  S.  Ward.  For  many 
years  a  postoftice  was  maintained  here  under  the  name  of  ^^'inters\•ille.  but 
it  was  discontinued  with  the  establishment  of  the  rural  free  deliver)-.  There 
are  only  three  or  four  houses  in  the  place  at  present,  and  the  only  business 
interest  is  the  store  of  Mrs.  Edward  Little. 

OTHER    VILLAGES. 

There  are  three  small  places  in  Salt  Creek  township  which  appear  on 
the  maps  of  Decatur  as  towns,  but  none  of  them  can  hardly  be  said  to 
deserve  the  title  now.  The  first  of  these  is  Mechanicsburg,  which  was  laid  out 
by  Robert  Garrison  and  others,  October  10,  1846.  The  next  is  New  Pen- 
nington, which  was  laid  out  by  Eli  Pennington  in  1851  and  bears  the 
founder's  name.  Last,  but  not  necessarily  least,  comes  Rossburg.  which 
was  laid  out  by  D.  Montague,  founder  of  the  town  of  St.  IMaurice,  March 
16,  1836. 


SAND    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 

Sand  Creek  township  was  organized  lay  the  board  of  justices  on  May 
2,  1825,  with  the  following  boundaries:  "Beginning  at  the  county  line  on 
the  township  line  dividing  townships  9  and  10,  range  8;  thence  east  seven 
miles;  thence  north  two  miles  to  the  line  of  Washington  township;  thence 
due  east  with  the  said  township  line  to  the  county  line;  thence  south  f  with 
a  westerly  direction)  with  the  county  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
county;  thence  north  with  the  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning."     On 


144  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

July  6,  1829,  on  the  petition  of  Francis  Myers,  the  board  ordered  "that  sec- 
tions 30  and  31  in  township  10,  range  9,  be  attached  to  and  made  a  part  of 
Sand   Creek   township." 

Sand  Creek  township  was  formed  from  the  southern  part  of  Wash- 
ington, and,  Hke  Washington,  in  its  original  boundaries  was  much  larger  than 
it  is  at  present.  As  established  originally,  it  embraced  the  townships  of 
Sand  Creek,  Jackson,  Marion  and  a  portion  of  Salt  Creek,  but  between  the 
years  1825  and  1836  its  boundaries  were  greatly  reduced  by  the  formation 
of  the  latter  townships.  The  present  limits  of  this  township  have  not  been 
reached  through  a  definite  location  of  its  own  boundaries,  but  by  the  bound- 
aries of  the  townships  which  were  established  from  its  territory  and  bound 
it  on  three  sides.  The  present  limits  are  as  follow :  "Beginning  at  the 
Jennings  county  line,  on  the  section  line  dividing  sections  9  and  10,  town- 
ship 8,  range  9;  thence  north  to  the  Washington  township  line;  thence  west 
from  the  northeast  corner  of  section  28,  township  10,  range  9,  two  miles; 
thence  south  two  miles  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  6,  township  9, 
range  9;  thence  west  two  miles  and  a  half  to  the  center  of  section  2  on  the 
north  side  thereof;  thence  south  to  the  Jennings  county  line;  thence  east  on 
the  Jennings  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

As  a  whole,  Sand  Creek  township  is  uneven  and  contains  several  kinds 
of  soil,  from  rich  black  lands  on  the  Sand  Creek  bottoms  to  the  poor  land 
common  in  Salt  Creek  and  Marion  townships.  Part  of  the  township  is  very 
hilly  and  broken. 

FIRST    SETTLERS. 

Elijah  Davis  was  the  first  settler  in  Sand  Creek  township,  so  far  as 
can  be  ascertained.  He  took  out  a  claim  in  1820,  the  only  man  to  do  so  that 
year.  In  1821  three  others  l^ought  government  land  and  made  homes  for 
themselves  in  this  township.  They  were  Daniel  Herron,  Nat  Robbins  and 
William  Robbins. 

Four  years  later,  when  the  township  was  organized,  it  had  grown  but 
little  in  population,  as  but  nine  votes  were  cast  in  the  first  township  election 
held  in  1825  for  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Just  one-third  of  the 
male  population  that  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  was  then  willing  to 
serve  the  public,  there  being  three  candidates  for  the  office.  Nat  Robbins 
was  elected. 

James  Holmes,  John  Bagley,  Robert  Courtney  and  Samuel  Stevens  are 
supposed  to  have  settled  in  Sand  Creek  township  during  the  same  year,  but 
if  they  did,  they  merely  "squatted"  until  they  could  raise  sufficient  cash  to 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I45 

purchase  government  land.  Other  early  .settlers  were  John  RobJjins,  Simeon 
Sharp,  Daniel  Meredith,  William  Schultz,  John  Cann  and  Samuel  De  Armond. 

Samuel  Stevens  built  a  brick  house  in  1834  and  about  the  same  time 
Simeon  Sharp  opened  a  tavern  where  Westport  now  stands.  Elijah  Davis 
and  John  Robbins  both  started  water-mills  and  some  time  after  William 
Robbins  built  a  horse-mill,  so  that  the  early  settlers  were  not  altogether 
dependent  upon  the  waters  of  Sand  creek  and  Millstone  creek  for  their 
bread.  The  first  church  in  the  township  was  organized  by  Samuel  Strick- 
land, of  the  denomination  then  styled  "Campbellites." 

The  present  officers  of  Sand  Creek  township  are  as  follow:  Trustee, 
James  .Armstrong;  assessor,  Jesse  Blauvelt;  road  supervisors,  James  L.  Gay- 
nor,  first  district;  Ransom  O.  Davis,  second  district;  Charles  Brannon,  third 
district,  and  James  McFall ;  advisory  board,  George  M.  Keith,  John  A.  Jack- 
son, William  A.  Barclay;  James  R.  Scott,  justice  of  the  peace. 


Westport  is  located  in  Sand  Creek  township  on  the  North  Vernon, 
Greensburg  &  Rushville  and  the  Chicago,  Terre  Haute  &  Eastern  Railroads. 
This  little  village  was  laid  out  on  March  23,  1836,  by  Simeon  Sharp  and 
Hockersmith  Merriman,  and  has  enjoyed  a  steady  growth  from  the  begin- 
ning. A  marked  proof  of  the  growth  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  was  nec- 
essary to  lay  out  an  addition  in  1838  for  the  accommodation  of  people  who 
wished  to  locate  here.  This  was  made  by  John  Cann,  and  other  additions 
followed  soon  after. 

The  first  house  was  built  in  the  town  by  \Villiam  Shultz,  who  also  kept 
the  first  store.  Mr.  Shultz  seems  to  ha\'e  been  a  man  of  manv  trades  and 
callings,  for  he  is  also  accredited  with  being  the  first  physician  in  West- 
port.  Frank  Talkington  was  the  first  blacksmith  to  ply  his  trade  here. 
John  Conwell  served  as  the  first  postmaster. 

Westport  is  noted  for  its  excellent  stone  cpiarries  in  close  pro.ximity 
to  the  town.  .The  product  of  these  quarries  is  a  high-grade  building  stone, 
which  will  bear  favorable  comparison  with  that  of  any  other  section  of  the 
state.  It  is  also  used  quite  extensively  for  curb  and  gutter,  and  many  car 
loads  of  crushed  stone  are  shipped  from  the  quarries  annually.  At  present 
it  is  under  the  management  of  a  Cincinnati  corporation  and  bears  the  name 
of  the  Westport  Stone  Company.  John  Ballman,  of  Cincinnati,  is  the  pres- 
ent superintendent  and  he  is  ablv  assisted  bv  J.  L.  Tackson,  of  Westport. 
(10) 


146  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  output  varies  from  three  to  five  carloads  per  day  and  in  times  of  rush 
orders  for  crushed  stone  as  much  as  sixty  to  seventy  carloads  extra  are  put 
out  per  month.  This  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  making  West- 
port  among  the  most  progressive  business  towns  of  the  county. 

BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

The  business  and  professional  interests  in  Westport  in  191 5  are  as  fol- 
low :  Barber,  Rousie  Boicourt,  J.  N.  Keith ;  bank,  First  National  Bank ; 
bakery,  Westport  bakery,  Jacob  Bacher,  manager;  basket  maker,  W.  J. 
Richardson;   blacksmith,    Carl   Keith;    contractor,    Moir   and    Davis,   James 

E.  Burk,   Benjamin   Benifield;   drug  store,   Conwell   and   Harding;   dentist, 

F.  M.  Davis;  furniture  and  undertaking,  J.  F.  Hamilton  Furniture  Com- 
pany; general  store,  George  B.  Hendrickson,  Frank  Manuel,  J.  T.  McCul- 
lough,  W.  T.  Stott  &  Co. ;  garage,  Ned  Burney ;  grocery,  Pete  Barnes ;  hard- 
ware, Westport  Hardware  Company.  Cox  and  McGinnis,  managers;  Whalen 
&  Ostymer;  grain  company,  Tyner  Grain  Company,  Glen  Gartin,  man- 
ager; hotel,  Joe  Tucker,  Eva  Lowe;  harness,  C.  E.  Pierce;  insurance,  Levi 
Burns,  T.  W.  Robinson;  jeweler,  H.  J.  Riedenbach;  livery  barn,  Albert  Rob- 
bins;  milliner  store,  Etta  Boicourt;  meat  market,  J.  H.  Retherford;  optician, 
J.  M.  Burk;  paper  hanger,  Bert  Ross,  E.  A.  Shaw;  physician,  O.  F.  Welch, 
Charles  Wood,  J.  A.  C.  Reiley,  J.  P.  Borroughs;  plasterer,  Samuel  Grayson; 
plumber,  Walter  Waterman;  restaurant  and  confectionery,  H.  D.  Richard- 
son, William  McCullough ;  shoe  cobbler,  B.  P.  Rogers;  tailor,  Rogers;  stock 
buyer,  Mr.  Tyner;  undertaker,  J.  F.  Hamilton;  veterinary,  Claude  Keith; 
wagon  maker  and  wood  worker,  Frank  Pope;  watchmaker,  J.  M.  Burk; 
Westport ,  Stone  Company ;  Westport  Amusement  Company,  Alex  Cornutt, 
manager. 

There  are  few  towns  in  this  section  of  the  country  which  present  in 
their  business  associations  a  more  reliable  and  intelligent  class  of  men,  or 
whose  enterprise  is  more  clearly  rewarded  by  an  established  and  growing 
trade,  than  Westport.  Although  its  population  may  not  be  so  large  as  other 
towns  with  which  it  competes,  yet  its  aggregated  commercial  transactions 
will  scarcely  be  found  excelled  by  any  town  of  its  class  in  the  state.  It  is 
accommodated  by  two  railroads  which  give  it  an  excellent  outlet  to  the  dif- 
ferent commercial  centers.  J.  L.  Houston  acts  as  agent  for  the  Big  Four 
and  Charles  Hunt  serves  in  a  like  capacity  for  the  Chicago,  Terre  Haute 
&  Southeastern  (Southern  Indiana).  W.  S.  Sanders  is  the  postmaster  and 
three  rural  routes  serve  the  country  people  with  mail  from  Westport.     The 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  147 

Courier  Independent,  managed  by  J.  ]\[.  Keith,  furnishes  the  community 
with  local  items  of  interest  and  also  aids  in  every  way  possible  in  boosting 
the  interests  of  the  town. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1859  for  civic  and  school  purposes.  The 
following  are  the  present  town  officials :  R.  D.  Patrick,  clerk ;  Ed  Whalen, 
treasurer;  J.  H.  Retherford,  Joe  Tucker  and  Carl  Davis,  councilmen;  school 
board,  John  Morris,  president;  Benjamin  Gunder,  secretary;  Edward  Davis, 
treasurer.  A  volunteer  fire  department  is  maintained,  with  E.  G.  Davis  as 
chief,  and  has  rendered  excellent  service  on  every  occasion  which  has  arisen 
that  demanded  their  service.  A  hand-power  lire  engine,  hose  truck,  hooks, 
ladders  and  an  ample  supply  of  hose  are  kept  in  the  town  engine  house.  In 
1910  the  town  suffered  a  very  disastrous  fire  which  destroyed  a  hotel  and 
livery  barn,  hardware  store,  opera  house,  millinery  store  and  dwelling.  The 
total  loss  was  estimated  at  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  but  this  fire-swept  dis- 
trict was  soon  rebuilt  with  modern  and  much  more  substantial  buildings.  In 
1913  the  corporation  purchased  a  town  hall  of  the  Red  Men.  The  second 
floor  is  used  for  meetings,  but  the  first  floor  is  used  for  the  fire  apparatus. 

Westport  has  a  Standard  Oil  station,  which  is  under  the  management  of 
George  Kelley.     At  present  the  town   has   a  population  of  eight  hundred. 

Recently  a  Commercial  Club  has  been  formed,  to  promote  the  civic  and 
moral  improvement  of  the  town  and  also  aid  in  any  commercial  enterprise 
which  may  desire  to  locate  here. 


The  village  of  Letts,  situated  on  the  Michigan  division  of  the  Big  Four 
railroad,  was  laid  out  on  September  30,  1882,  by  Joab  Stout  and  others. 
Letts  is  one  of  the  late  towns  laid  out  in  this  county  and  has  had  a  very  pros- 
perous existence  in  its  thirty-three  years  of  life.  It  is  situated  in  the  center 
of  a  rich  farming  land  and  each  year  its  exports  in  grain  are  enormous. 
Recently  two  new  store  buildings  were  erected,  which  add  to  the  prosperous 
business  atmosphere  of  the  town. 

The  business  interests  of  Letts  in  1915  are  as  follow:  Barber,  H.  L. 
Williams;  blacksmith,  J  E.  Carder;  bank,  Letts  State  Bank;  contractor, 
Moore  &  Crise;  elevator,  Moore  &  Crise;  garage,  J.  E.  Carder,  also  gasoline 
station  and  sub-agency  for  Buick  cars;  general  merchandise,  W.  A.  Taggart 
&  Company,  Letts  Merchandise  Company,  John  McCammon,  manager ;  hard- 
ware, Letts  Hardware  Company,  K.  L.   Adams,  manager;  hotel,  J.   Henry 


148  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Gibson  &  Sons ;  livery  and  feed  barn,  J.  Henry  Gibson  &  Sons ;  harness  shop, 
Samuel  Ketcham;  physician,  J.  A.  Welch;  restaurant,  Alice  Gardner. 

The  postmaster  is  George  W.  Davis.  The  railroad  station  is  known 
by  the  name  of  Letts  Corner  and  O.  E.  Hedrick  is  the  agent.  Letts  is  sup- 
plied with  ice  by  the  Meek  Ice  Company,  from  Greensburg,  which  makes 
trips  once  a  week.     The  population  of  the  town  is  estimated  at  three  hundred. 


No  town  in  Decatur  county  has  experienced  a  greater  change  in  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century  than  Harris  City,  which  was  once  the  center  of  the  larg- 
est blue-limestone  quarry  of  stratified  rock  in  the  state,  if  not  in  the  United 
States.  From  this  quarry  have  been  shipped  thousands  of  car  loads  of 
stone  and  when  it  was  in  the  height  of  its  prosperity  it  frequently  turned  out 
more  than  a  hundred  car  loads  of  stone  a  week.  Three  hundred  people 
were  dependent  on  the  operation  of  the  quarry  and  the  Inisy  hum  of  indus- 
try which  pervaded  the  place  was  an  apparent  indication  that  the  place  would 
one  day  become  a  town  of  some  importance. 

But  today  it  is  all  changed.  The  quarry  has  closed  down;  the  few 
remaining  houses  are  nearly  all  deserted;  the  once  neat  homes  of  the  thrifty 
German  laborers  are  surrounded  with  sweet  clover;  the  din  of  the 
hammer  is  stilled;  the  cheery  ring  of  the  blacksmith's  anvil  no  longer  greets 
the  ear;  the  towering  derricks,  the  smoking  engines,  the  hurrying  feet  of  the 
hundreds  of  employees — all  have  disappeared.  Where  once  massive  blocks 
of  stone  were  piled  waiting  for  the  skilled  hands  of  the  workmen,  may  now 
be  seen  a  waving  field  of  fragrant  sweet  clover. 

This  is  the  simple  narrative  of  the  energy  and  enthusiasm  of  one  man — 
and  this  is  the  story: 

Morgan's  men  were  riding  through  the  counties  of  southern  Lidiana 
in  July,  1863,  and  some  of  them  chanced  to  pass  by  what  is  now  Harris 
City.  One  of  these  same  men  must  have  been  looking  for  a  future  place 
to  locate,  or  at  least  one  of  them  returned  to  Decatur  county  immediately 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  and  made  a  close  examination  of  the  spot 
which  had  attracted  his  attention  on  that  hot  sultry  day  in  July,  1863. 

This  man  was  B.  B.  Harris,  the  founder  of  the  town  which  bore  his 
name  and  the  man  who  was  responsible  for  the  opening  of  the  quarry  which 
was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  whole  country. 
By  1869  Harris  had  the  quarry  opened  and  was  turning  out  considerable 
stone,  although  he  was  badly  handicapped  because  he  was  so  far   from  a 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 49 

railroad.  However,  the  possibilities  of  the  quarry  were  so  apparent  that  he 
had  little  difficulty  in  organizing  a  hundred  thousand  dollar  company  in 
1873.  .  The  company  made  Harris  president  and  manager  and  five  years 
later  the  business  had  reached  such  dimensions  that  it  was  deemed  impera- 
tive to  build  a  spur  of  track  to  Greensburg,  six  miles  away.  The  right  of 
way,  the  building  of  the  track  and  the  purchase  of  a  railroad  engine  entailed 
an  expenditure  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  but  the  increased  business  brought 
about  by  the  better  shipping  facilities  was  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  heavy  out- 
lay. The  company  had  secured  a  contract  for  a  large  amount  of  stone  to 
be  used  in  the  new  state  house  at  Indianapolis  and  this  fact  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  building  of  the  railroad  to  Greensburg.  In  fact,  they 
could  not  ha\e  taken  the  contract  without  so  doing.  At  the  same  time  they 
were  furnishing  stone  for  the  United  States  custom  house  at  Cincinnati. 
Three  thousand  carloads  of  stone  went  out  from  this  rjuarrj'  for  the  state 
house  and  six  thousand  for  the  Cincinnati  custom  house.  At  least  ten  thous- 
sand  car  loads  of  this  stone  was  sold  to  Proctor  &  Gamble  for  their  immense 
soap  factor)^  at  Ivorydale,  a  suburb  of  Cincinnati.  The  company  also  fur- 
nished the  stone  for  the  abutments  of  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  bridge  at  Cin- 
cinnati and  the  stone  for  hundreds  of  other  railroad  bridges.  The  stone  for 
the  cells  in  the  !\Iansfield,  Ohio,  reformatory  were  cut  in  this  quarry  and 
smoothed  with  chilled  shot  in  the  local  }-ards.  There  is  no  machinery  which 
will  smooth  this  stone  on  account  of  its  excessive  hardness,  and  all  the  stone 
had  to  be  smoothed  by  hand. 

The  company  built  thirty-seven  houses  for  its  employees  and  erected 
a  large  three-story  boarding  house  which  would  accommodate  two  hundred 
men.  The  business  prospered  until  the  latter  part  of  the  nineties,  but  the 
hard  times  of  1897,  combined  with  the  poor  management  of  Harris,  forced 
the  company  into  bankruptcy.  In  the  following  year  W.  C.  Patton  took 
charge  of  the  quarry  and  operated  it  until  1904,  when  S.  B.  Eward  became 
the  sole  owner  and  manager.  Eward  had  been  connected  with  the  company 
since  the  beginning  and  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the 
business,  having  for  many  years  been  the  treasurer.  Eward  continued  to 
operate  the  quarry  until  his  death,  December  31,  19 14,  although  very  little 
stone  was  quarried  for  a  few  years  before  his  death.  The  use  of  cement 
had  made  such  heavy  inroads  into  the  business  that  the  sale  had  dropped 
sharply  away.  In  addition,  the  equipment  was  getting  old,  the  track  was 
too  light  to  stand  the  heavy  freight  cars  which  had  come  into  use,  and,  in 
short,  the  quarry  was  closed  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  had  ceased  to  be  a 
profitable  enterprise  with  the  present  demand  and  prices.     The  quarry  and 


150  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  one  hundred  and  fiftj'-three  acres  of  the  old  company  are  now  the  prop- 
erty of  L.  D.  Eward,  of  Greensburg.  In  1914  thirty-one  of  the  houses  of 
Harris  were  moved  away.  The  store  is  owned  by  Mr.  Eward,  after  having 
passed  through  several  hands  in  the  past  c|uarter  of  a  century.  What  the 
future  of  the  quarry  may  be  is  entirely  problematical ;  the  stone  is  still  there 
in  abundance,  only  eleven  acres  of  stone  having  been  removed.  In  order  to 
put  the  quarry  in  operation  again  it  would  be  necessary  to  rebuild  the  rail- 
road track  to  the  quarry  switch,  a  distance  of  four  and  a  half  miles,  and 
install  a  complete  equipment  for  getting  out  the  stone.  Undoubtedly  the 
cjuarry  will  be  opened  some  day,  but  only  the  future  can  tell  when  the  black- 
smith's anvil  will  again  ring.  Until  then  the  fragrant  sweet  clover  will 
reign  undisturbed  and  the  silence  will  be  broken  only  by  the  wayfarer  who 
stops  to  inquire  what  village  once  occupied  this  picturesque  spot. 

SARDINA   CROSSING. 

Sardina  Crossing  is  a  flag  stop  on  the  Big  Four  Railroad.  A  postof^ce 
was  maintained  here  for  a  number  of  years  and  bore  the  name  of  Harpers, 
but  the  rural  free  delivery  has  long  since  taken  its  place  and  at  present  noth- 
ing remains  to  mark  the  town. 


WASHINGTON    TOWNSHIP. 

On  May  14,  1822,  the  county  commissioners  established  Washington 
township  with  the  following  limits :  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the 
line  dividing  townships  10  and  11;  thence  west  with  said  line  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  section  35,  range  10,  township  11;  thence  north  with  the  line 
dividing  sections  34  and  35  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  26;  thence 
west  with  the  section  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  28,  range  10, 
township  11;  thence  north  with  said  section  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  16,  range  10,  township  11;  thence  west  with  the  section  line  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  14,  range  9,  township  11 ;  thence  south  with  the 
line  dividing  sections  22  and  23  to  the  southwest  corner,  of  section  23,  range 
9,  township  11;  thence  west  to  the  southwest  comer  of  section  21,  range  9, 
township  1 1 ;  thence  south  with  the  line  dividing  sections  28  and  29  to  the 
township  line  dividing  townships  10  and  11 ;  thence  west  with  the  said  line  to 
the  county  line;  thence  south  with  the  county  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
said  county;  thence  with  the  county  line  to  the  place  of  beginning. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I5I 

Washington  township  as  originally  laid  ont  embraced  the  entire  south- 
ern half  of  the  county  and  contained  more  square  miles  of  territory  than 
Adams  and  Fugit  combined.  It  comprised  the  territory  from  which  the 
townships  of  Washington,  Sand  Creek,  Marion,  Jackson,  Clay  and  a  part  of 
Salt  Creek  were  later  formed. 

On  May  2,  1825,  the  board  of  justices  re-defined  the  limits  of  Wash- 
ington township  as  follow :  Beginning  at  the  county  line  on  the  township 
line  dividing  townships  10  and  11,  range  11;  thence  west  on  the  township 
line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  35 ;  thence  north  one  mile ;  thence  west 
two  miles ;  thence  north  one  mile ;  thence  due  west  seven  miles  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  section  29,  range  9,  township  11;  thence  south  six  miles  to 
the  southwest  corner  of  section  20,  range  9,  township  10;  thence  due  east 
to  the  county  line;  thence  with  the  count}-  line  to  the  place  of  beginning 
(volume  I,  page  136). 

But  this  was  not  to  be  the  final  boundary  of  this  township,  for,  in  1836, 
Salt  Creek  township  was  organized  and  Washington  underwent  another 
change  of  boundary.  The  limits  of  the  township  as  permanently  defined  are 
as  follow:  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  section  29,  township  11, 
range  8;  thence  south  six  miles  on  the  section  line  dividing  sections  29  and 
30,  township  II,  range  8,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  section  29,  township 
10,  range  9;  thence  east  nine  miles  to  the  Salt  Creek  township  line;  thence 
north  on  the  section  line  dividing  sections  22  and  2^,  township  10,  range 
10,  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  34,  township  9,  range  10;  thence  west 
two  miles;  thence  north  two  miles;  thence  south  one  mile;  thence  west  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

Washington  was  one  of  the  three  original  townships  laid  out  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  of  Decatur  county,  when  it  held  its  first 
meeting  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Hendricks,  May  14,  1822.  The  two  other 
townships  were  Fugit  and  Adams.  The  board  fixed  the  first  day  of  June  as 
the  date  for  holding  a  township  election  for  selection  of  two  justices  of  the 
peace  and  fixed  the  place  for  holding  it  at  the  residence  of  Thomas  Hen- 
dricks.    Richard  J.  Hall  was  appointed  inspector. 

This  township  is  located  in  almost  the  exact  center  of  the  county  and 
contains  fifty-four  square  miles  of  territory.  According  to  the  census  report 
of  1910,  the  entire  population  of  the  township,  exclusive  of  the  city  of 
Greensburg,  was  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  eight.  The  entire  town- 
ship is  underlaid  with  a  bed  of  limestone,  which  has  proved  of  utmost  value 
in  the  construction  of  highways. 

On  account  of  the  good  roads,  the  productivity  of  the  soil,  and  nearness 


152 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


to  the  county  seat  and  shipping  facihties,  land  in  Washington  township  has 
always  commanded  a  high  price  in  the  real  estate  market.  Most  of  the  farms 
have  good  buildings  and  are  well  impro\'ed.  As  a  result,  farms  frequently 
sell  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  an  acre  and  even  higher  figures. 


FIRST    SETTLERS. 


The  first  settlers  of  the  township  were  Thomas  Hendricks,  Elijah  Davis 
and  Benjamin  Drake.  Thomas  Ireland,  Samuel  Logan  and  Samuel  Hous- 
ton came  about  the  same  time.  Houston  was  a  surveyor  and  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  Washington  township.  He  died 
a  few  years  after  the  organization  of  the  county. 

Hendricks  himself  was  a  surveyor  and  had  surveyed  the  greater  por- 
tion of  Decatur  county  for  the  federal  government  in  1820,  when  engineers 
had  been  sent  out  to  run  lines  through  the  "New  Purchase."  His  assistants 
were  Houston,  the  two  Stewarts,  Logan  and  Sam  Gageby.  He  was  by  all 
odds  the  leading  spirit  in  the  new  community,  as  he  came  of  stock  richly 
endowed  by  nature  for  leadership.  He  was  a  brother  of  William  Hendricks, 
second  governor  of  Lidiana,  and  an  uncle  of  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  later 
vice-president  of  the  United  States.  He  built  the  first  house,  conducted  the 
first  tavern  therein,  and  later  opened  the  first  hotel  in  the  county  on  the  site 
of  the  present  DeArmond  Hotel.  He  entered  the  first  land  in  Washington 
township  in  October,  1820. 

About  the  same  time,  Re\'.  James  Lathrop,  a  Vermonter,  who  had 
reached  Dearborn  county,  entered  land  in  Washington  township  and  then 
went  back  to  Dearborn  county  to  bring  on  his  family  to  the  new  settlement. 
While  making  preparations  for  his  removal,  he  fell  ill  and  died.  The  respon- 
sibilities of  the  head  of  the  family  of  ten  children  then  fell  upon  his  son, 
Ezra,  father  of  Rev.  James  B.  Lathrop. 

Ezra  Lathrop,  with  a  younger  brother  and  a  hired  man,  then  came  to 
Washington  county  and  made  preparations  for  caring  for  the  remainder 
of  the  family,  when  it  should  arrive.  In  the  spring  of  182 1  the  widow  and 
family  came  to  Decatur  county  and  settled  on  land  that  had  been  entered  by 
her  husband  and  improved,  through  erection  of  a  log  cabin,  by  her  sons. 

Next  among  the  early  settlers  came  Henry  H.  Talbott,  a  young  Vir- 
ginian, who  promptly  made  love  to  and  married  one  of  the  five  Hendricks 
daughters.  The  two  Stewart  brothers  had  previously  formed  matrimonial 
alliances  with  the  Hendricks  family.  Talbott  possessed  an  excellent  educa- 
tion and  was  unusually  adept  with  a  pen.     He  was  clerk  of  the  county  for  a 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 53 

long  period,  and  his  early  records  are  still  considered  marvels  in  penmanship. 

Talbott  was  an  unusnally  talented  representative  of  a  type  that  made  its 
presence  felt  in  each  new  community  in  the  days  of  county  organization. 
They  were  the  seekers  after  office,  and  early  records  of  Indiana  counties 
show  that  it  was  a  very  common  custom  for  politicians  failing  to  land  jobs, 
in  one  county  when  it  was  organized,  to  quit  the  county  and  try  their  luck 
again  in  the  next  one  organized.  Talbott,  however,  had  not  }et  attained 
his  majority  when  he  came  to  Washington  township.  Talbott  and  Robert 
Murphy,  who  came  with  him,  boarded  at  the  Hendricks  house.  Talbott 
brought  some  goods  with  him  and  started  a  store,  which  may  have  been 
the  first  one  in  the  township,  although  this  distinction  is  also  claimed  for  a 
man  named  Riley.  The  ne.xt  newcomer  was  David  Gageby,  who  had  resided 
at  Vernon.  He  started  a  cabinet  shop  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  public 
square.  He  was  later  joined  by  his  brother  James.  David  then  turned  his 
attention  exclusively  to  carpenter  work,  leaving  the  management  of  the  shop 
to  his  brother.  Other  early  settlers  were  Martin  and  John  Jamison,  hat- 
ters. In  1 82 1,  William  Lloyd  settled  on  what  is  now  called  the  Madison 
road,  about  two  miles  south  of  Greensburg.  He  brought  with  him  from 
Jefferson  count}',  where  he  had  stopped  a  few  months,  a  number  of  hogs 
and  cattle.  Rattlesnakes  killed  off  a  good  many  of  the  cattle  and  a  good 
share  of  the  hogs  wandered  away  into  the  woods  and  were  lost. 

Thomas  Perry  emigrated  from  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  to  Washington 
township  in  1823  and  settled  four  miles  east  of  Greensburg.  Samuel  and 
John  McConnell,  two  other  Kentuckians,  also  came  about  the  same  time. 
Both  were  powerful  and  muscular  and  possessed  great  physical  courage. 
It  is  related  that,  while  living  "on  the  dark  and  bloody  ground,"  John  McCon- 
nell was  once  beset  by  two  Indians.  He  whipped  them  both  and  took  away 
from  one  a  very  business-like  war  club,  which  he  preserved  as  a  trophv  of 
the  encounter. 

Others  who  found  homes  for  themselves  in  ^Vashington  township 
before  the  organization  of  the  county  were  Rev.  John  Strange,  John  House, 
Samuel  Anderson,  Jeptha  Conner,  William  Bell,  Daniel  McCormick,  Joseph 
English,  John  Messinger  and  David  Messinger.  Most  of  these  settled  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  township.  Still  others  who  settled  in  the  town- 
ship  alMut  this  time  were :  Abraham  Garrison,  Thomas  Chinn,  Benjamin 
Walker,  Benjamin  Drake,  Otha  White,  Paris  Aldrich.  George  Hopkins, 
Robert  Elder,  John  Hazelrigg,  Matthew,  William  and  James  Elder,  Thomas 
Doles,  John  and  Elijah  Davis  and  John  Robbins. 

Before  John   McConnell   settled  here,   the  land   he   later  occupied  was 


154  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

held  by  a  squatter  named  Gartin.  William  Ross,  first  sheriff  of  the  county, 
and  William  Parks,  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  county  commissioners, 
were  among  the  earliest  to  arrive. 

Washington  township  has  two  villages  marked  on  the  map.  The  first 
of  these  is  McCoy,  which  was  platted  on  August  ii,  1871,  by  J.  C.  Adams, 
but  this  failed  to  materialize  and  at  present  nothing  remains  to  give  sem- 
blance to  a  town.  Quarry  Switch  was  the  point  where  the  switch  from 
Harris  connected  with  the  Big  Four.  At  this  point  the  Big  Four  branches, 
the  Columbus,  Hope  &  Greensburg  branch  going  west  and  the  Michigan 
branch  going  south. 

The  officers  of  Washington  township  are  as  follow :  Trustee,  Charles 
S.  Williams;-  assessor,  Henry  C.  Snell;  advisory  board,  Dan  S.  Perry, 
Joseph  B.  Kitchen,  Charles  I.  Ainsworth;  board  of  supervisors,  P.  L.  Doles, 
Oliver  A.  McCoy  and  Nathan  A'andivier;  justices  of  the  peace,  William  W. 
Dixon  and  Thomas  W.  Hamilton;  constables,  William  Dorsey  and  Reuben 
Smalley. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


'HE    CITY    OF    GREENSBURG. 


SONG    OF    AN    "inland    TOWN. 
Apropos   of    the   Flood    of    1913. 

If  I  could  write  a  poem  like  Jim  Riley  ust  to  write, 
If  I  could  ketch  his  rhymiii'  scheme  in  which  the  words  unite 
With  a  movin'  kind  o'  music  that'll  start  your  sluggish  blood — 
I  would  sing  a  song  of  Greensburg  where  we  didn't  have  no  flood. 
The  scen'ry  'long  ole  Gas  Creek  don't  compare  with  Brandywine, 
And  we're  glad  the  bloomin'  Wabash  and  Ohio,  broad  and  fine, 
And  the  other  ragin'  rivers  are  miles  and  miles  away — 
Ruther  be  an  "inland  town" — kind  o'  like  it  thataway. 

A  little  taste  o'  trouble  'mong  our  neighbors,  left  and  right. 

Helps  us  'preciate  our  home  town  more'n  oratory  might. 

When  the  trains  are  kind  o'  backward  and  we're  missin'  half  our  mail, 

When  the  juice  is  ofif  the  cable  and  the  rust  is  on  the  rail. 

Then  we  realize  the  blessin's  and  the  comfort's  that  we've  got — 

There  may  be  places  just  as  good,  but  there's  heaps  o'  them  that's  not. 

We  hev  counted  all  our  noses  and  we've  called  our  little  roll. 

And  there's  nary  one  a  missin',  not  a  single  bloomin"  soul. 

Now  the  streams  are  in  their  channels  and  the  trains  are  comin'  back. 

And  the  juice  has  hit  the  trolley  and  the  rust  is  ofif  the  track. 

— Smiley  Fozvlcr. 

The  original  plat  of  Greensburg  was  located  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  2,  township  10  north,  range  9  east.  This  tract  was  entered  by 
Thomas  Hendricks  on  October  27,  1820,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but), 
that  this  shrewd  Yankee  selected  this  particular  tract  because  he  thought 
it  would  be  near  the  center  of  a  county,  which  would  be  organized  within  the 
the  next  few  years.  At  that  time  the  territory  now  within  Decatur  county 
was  a  part  of  Delaware  county,   then  unorganized.      Franklin  county   had 


156  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction  over  this  part  of  Delaware  county,  and  all 
marriage  licenses  and  town  plats  are  found  recorded  in  the  court  house  at 
Brookville  up  until  Decatur  county  was  organized,  in  the  spring  of  1822. 

Greensburg  was  laid  out  on  August  26,  1822,  by  John  B.  Potter,  and,  so 
tradition  says,  was  named,  at  the  request  of  Mrs.  Thomas  Hendricks,  in 
honor  of  her  old  home  town  in  Pennsylvania.  An  interesting  story  is  told 
regarding  the  naming  of  the  town.  Mrs.  Hendricks  had  four  charming 
daughters,  all  unmarried,  and  the  question  of  the  selection  of  the  name  for 
the  new  town  was  left  to  a  vote  of  the  men  of  the  town,  most  of  whom  were 
unmarried.  Seventeen  of  these  men  were  young  unmarried  fellows  and 
the  desire  to  stand  in  the  good  graces  of  the  four  handsome  daughters  was 
the  decisive  factor  in  the  selection  of  the  name  of  Greensburg. 

The  act  providing  for  the  organization  of  the  county  made  provision 
for  a  commission  of  five  men  to  locate  the  county  seat,  and  this  commission 
reported  on  June  14,  1822,  that  they  had  selected  Greensburg  as  the  seat  of 
justice.  Thus  the  hopes  of  Hendricks  were  realized  and  the  first  settler  had 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  enter  the 
tract  on  which  the  future  county  seat  was  to  be  located.  Unfortunately, 
records  are  not  available  which  will  disclose  the  early  history  of  the  town. 
It  takes  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  picture  the  log  cabins  which 
clustered  around  the  public  square.  In  fact,  it  was  not  until  i860  that  the 
last  log  house  on  the  public  square  was  razed.  It  stood  on  the  west  side 
of  the  square,  north  of  the  alley,  and  had  been  occupied  for  many  years  by 
W.  T.  Green  as  a  chair  factory.  The  lot  is  now  occupied  by  the  meat  market 
of  McCormick  &  Richey. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  prices  paid  for  the  first  lots  sold  in  the 
embryonic  city.  On  July  28,  1822,  the  county  board  of  justices  appointed 
John  D.  Potter  "to  proceed  immediately  to  laying  off  the  town  of  Greens- 
laurg,  to-wit :  Public  square  in  the  center  and  lots  extending  two  squares  north, 
two  squares  east  and  two  squares  west."  He  laid  off  sixty-four  lots,  eighty 
by  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  He  was  ordered  to  have  thirty-five  acres 
grubbed,  although  the  persons  doing  this  work  had  to  agree  to  wait  one  year 
for  their  pay.  The  sale  of  lots  took  place  on  the  first  Monday'  of  Septem- 
ber, 1822,  and  on  that  date  thirty-six  lots  were  sold,  most  of  them  being 
around  the  public  square,  although  a  few  were  sold  on  Broadway,  Franklin 
and  North  streets.  The  highest  price  paid  for  a  single  lot  was  the  one  now 
occupied  by  the  DeArmond  hotel,  the  drug  store  of  Joseph  Moss  and 
Eubanks'  grocery.  Thomas  Hendricks  bought  this  lot  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  dollars.     The  cheapest  lot  brought  twelve  dollars  and  forty-six 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 57 

cents  and  is  now  occupied  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Alexander  on  East  North  street.  The 
lot  on  which  Col.  Thomas  Green's  home  stands  brought  twenty-four  dollars, 
thirty-seven  and  one-fourth  cents.  The  lot  occupied  by  Wirt  Woodfill's 
store,  the  Kessler  bakery,  the  Habig  real  estate  office  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  block  was  sold  to  Barlow  Aldrich  for  eighty  and  a  half  dollars. 
However,  he  repented  of  this  rash  act  in  bidding  so  liberally  and  refused  to 
give  a  note  for  the  same.  This  lot  was  later  sold  at  a  private  sale.  The 
thirty-six  lots  sold  on  this  first  day  brought  one  thousand,  five  huntlred  and 
seventy-two  dollars  and  eight}--one  and  one-fourth  cents.  The  records  dis- 
close the  fact  that  not  one  of  the  lots  is  in  the  hands  of  any  of  the  heirs  of 
the  man  who  bought  it  at  this  sale.  It  was  not  until  the  May  term,  1823, 
of  the  county  board  that  Thomas  Hendricks  received  the  residue  of  the 
thirty  dollars,  forty  and  one- fourth  cents  which  he  charged  the  board  for 
surveying  the  town  and  for  whiskey  which  he  furnished  the  agents  on  the 
days  of  the  sale  of  the  lots. 

EARLY    GROWTH. 

The  town  had  a  steady  growth  from  the  beginning,  and,  on  February 
4,  1837,  fifteen  years  after  it  was  laid  out,  it  was  incorporated  by  an  act 
of  the  Legislature.  James  Blair,  Caleb  Luther,  Isaac  House,  John  Thom- 
son, James  Freeman,  James  Lusk  and  William  B.  Ewing  were  appointed  to 
serve  as  trustees  until  January,  1838.  The  legislative  act  further  pro\ided 
that  tippling-  houses  should  not  be  licensed  for  less  than  three  nor  more 
than  ten  dollars  a  year. 

From  a  local  paper  of  1844,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  the  most  prom- 
inent business  concerns  of  Greensburg  at  that  time  were  as  follow:  D. 
Stewart  &  Sons,  drugs  and  groceries ;  A.  G.  Stout  &  Company,  general  store ; 
W.  P.  &  J.  F.  Stevens,  dry  goods;  Henry  Sefton,  plow  maker;  Lathrop  & 
Cooley,  hat  factory;  J.  &  W.  W.  Freeman,  general  merchants;  Bryan  & 
Hueston,  Forsyth  &  Gilham,  Hall  &  Callen,  tailors;  John  Mackey,  saddler; 
Belmont  &  Ricketts,  cabinet  makers;  Robinson  &  Houser,  carriage  builders; 
I.  T.  Gibson,  grocery:  J.  S.  Scobey,  J.  &  S.  W.  Robinson  and  S.  Over- 
turf,  attorneys.  A  gazeteer  of  1845  credits  Greensburg  with  a^  population 
of  twelve  hundred  and  says  that  the  flourishing  town  had  seven  blacksmith 
shops,  employing  a  total  of  seventeen  men;  four  wagon  shops,  employing 
ten  men ;  four  shoe  shops,  with  eight  men ;  two  cabinet  shops ;  two  tan  yards 
and  two  carding  machines. 


SS  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


QUEER  REGULATIONS. 


Some  ludicrous  ordinances  have  been  gleaned  from  the  old  records 
of  Greensburg.  In  1857,  an  ordinance  was  passed  limiting-  the  speed  of  all 
vehicles  to  four  miles  an  hour,  and  it  appears  to  have  been  more  rigorously 
enforced  than  the  speed  laws  of  today.  The  records  disclose  one  citizen 
who  drew  a  fine  of  one  dollar  for  venturing  to  drive  at  a  perilous  speed  of 
more  than  four  miles  an  hour  down  the  main  street.  This  ordinance  soon 
disappeared,  however,  and  the  citizens  were  free  to  travel  on  the  streets  at 
a  more  rapid  pace.  In  1861  an  ordinance  forbade  owners  of  hogs  to  permit 
them  to  run  at  large  unless  they  had  rings  in  their  snouts.  Old  residents 
tell  how  the  pigs  of  the  citizens  around  the  public  square  rooted  for  grub 
worms  in  the  court  house  yard.  Convenient  mud  holes  were  provided  on 
the  streets  around  the  public  square  for  the  pleasure  of  the  hogs.  In  1862, 
Marshal  Eudaily  took  up  some  hogs  belonging  to  G.  B.  Roszell  for  not  wearing 
the  required  rings  in  their  snouts  and  advertised  the  ringless  porkers  for  sale. 
Before  the  day  of  the  sale,  however,  the  owner  slipped  the  hogs  out  of  town, 
and  for  a  time  the  city  meditated  bringing  suit. 


[NCORPORATION. 


Greensburg  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1859,  and  the  first  city  election 
resulted  as  follows:  Mayor,  R  .B.  Thomson;  clerk,  F.  M.  Weadon;  treasurer, 
B.  H.  Harney;  assessor,  Amos  Sparks;  engineer,  D.  Batterton;  marshal, 
George  Pilling;  councilmen ;  first  ward,  D.  Lovett  and  Thomas  Sefton;  second 
ward,  D.  Moss  and  I.  T.  Phares;  third  ward,  J.  A.  Boyer  and  Henry  Doles; 
school  trustee,  B.  W.  Wilson. 

The  corporation  has  grown  steadily  from  year  to  year  since  that  time 
and  fully  merits  the  title  of  city.  As  its  railroad  facilities  have  improved, 
factories  of  various  kinds  have  been  located  in  the  city,  and  today  thousands 
of  dollars  are  paid  out  weekly  to  workmen  in  a  score  or  more  establishments. 
The  seven  thousand  people  who  claim  Greensburg  as  their  home  are  justly 
proud  of  its  industrial  position,  of  its  schools  and  churches,  its  well-managed 
]ni])lic  utilities,  its  enterprising  merchants  and  the  general  high  standard  of 
citizenship  which  prevails. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  159 


FIRE   DEPARTMENl 


The  Greensburg-  fire  department  was  organized  in  1874,  with  Arthur 
Hutchison  serving  as  the  first  chief.  This  was  a  vokinteer  company,  made 
up  of  three  hundred  men,  who  served  without  any  remuneration  for  their 
services.  A  hand-power  engine  and  one  thousand  feet  of  leather  hose  were 
purchased  for  six  thousand  dollars.  Later,  each  volunteer  fireman  who  was 
a  property  holder  was  exempt  from  taxes  to  the  value  of  seven  dollars  and 
fifty  cents,  but  non-property  holders  received  nothing  for  their  services. 

Some  years  later  a  horse  was  purchased  to  pull  the  hose  reel,  but  the 
hook-and-ladder  was  still  pulled  by  hand.  After  the  city  waterworks  was 
installed  in  1889,  the  engine  was  disbanded  and  a  new  wagon  and  hose  were 
purchased. 

The  fire  chiefs  who  have  served  since  ]\Ir.  Hutchison  are  as  follow : 
D.  C.  Elder,  Ralph  Buckley,  W.  I.  Johnson,  W.  S.  Harvey,  James  Randall, 
W.  L  Johnson  and  the  present  incumbent,  Joseph  Kelly.  Tom  Morgan  drove 
the  first  team  and  he  was  followed  by  Dick  Morgan,  William  Weathers. 
Bill  Dwire  drove  the  hose  reel  wagon  and  was  followed  by  Bud  Alyea,  Bud 
Short  and  Link  Beeson.  The  present  drivers  are  James  Robbins,  driver  of 
the  hook-and-ladder  wagon,  and  Robert  Alexander,  driver  of  the  hose 
wagon.  These  men  stay  in  the  fire-engine  house  and  receive  sixty  dollars 
per  month.  Mr.  Isaacs  was  the  first  engineer  and  was  followed  by  Mat 
Jackson,  Billy  Tussey  and  William  Kirkpatrick,  who  served  until  the  water- 
works was  put  in. 

The  present  volunteer  fire  department  consists  of  the  chief,  assistant 
chief  and  sixteen  members  of  the  squad.  The  chief  receives  one  hundred 
and  twnty-five  dollars  per  year  for  his  services,  the  assistant  chief  receives 
seventy-five  dollars  and  the  members  of  the  squad  receive  sixty  dollars.  A 
complete  list  of  the  fires  is  kept.  From  1882  until  1902,  there  were  two 
hundred  and  forty  fires.  The  year  1893  had  the  greatest  number  in  any 
single  year.  There  were  twenty-four  in  that  year,  seven  of  which  came  in 
August,  two  on  the  loth  and  two  on  the  nth. 

POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  police  department  in  Greensburg  began  with  one  marshal,  who, 
alone,  kept  the  quiet  and  peace  of  the  town  for  a  number  of  years.  Later, 
another  man  was  added  to  the  force  and  two  men  served  in  the  capacity 
until    1904.     George  Dickey  was  the  first  chief,  with   four  men  under  his 


l60  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

charge.  He  began  his  term  as  chief  in  1906,  and  served  for  four  years, 
although  he  was  on  the  force  for  eight  years.  W.  I.  Johnson,  the  present 
chief,  was  appointed  by  the  mayor  in  1910.  John  Louden  is  the  day  pohce- 
man,  who  assists  the  chief.  James  Underwood  and  Harry  Lacey  serve  as 
night  men  at  the  present  time.  The  headquarters  of  the  poHce  force  are 
located  in  the  city  hall. 

WATERWORKS. 

The  Greensburg  waterworks  was  organized  in  1889,  and  the  plant  was 
completed  in  1890.  The  Greensburg  waterworks  is  a  private  corporation, 
with  the  following  officers :  David  A.  Meyer,  president ;  Harry  Emmert,  vice- 
president  and  general  manager;  J.  B.  Kitchin,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Will 
H.  Robbins  and  W.  W.  Woodfill,  who  complete  the  board  of  directors. 

The  water  is  taken  from  thirty  wells,  which  are  the  property  of  this 
company.  The  entire  cost  of  the  plant  is  placed  at  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  Two  large  reservoirs,  with  a  capacity  of  one  million  gallons,  are 
provided  in  case  of  fire  and  also  to  insure  a  surplus  supply.  There  are 
eighteen  miles  of  mains,  which  cover  the  entire  town  and  furnish  water  for 
private  use  and  also  for  factories,  railroads,  etc.  A  direct-pumping  system 
is  used  and  two  pressure  pumps,  with  one  and  one-half  million  gallons 
capacity  per  day,  respectively,  have  been  installed.  This  company  furnishes 
its  patrons  with  water  at  a  flat  rate  or  by  meter. 

STREET     PAVING. 

The  first  street  paving  in  Greensburg  was  done  in  1909,  when  Main 
street  was  paved  with  brick  throughout  its  entire  length  of  one  and  one- 
eighth  miles.  An  interesting  fact  concerning  the  paving  of  this  street  relates 
to  that  part  traversed  by  the  interurban  traction  line.  The  track  had  been 
laid  several  years  previously,  Init  there  seems  to  have  been  nothing  in  the 
franchise  which  they  got  from  the  city  of  Greensburg  to  compel  them  to 
pave  their  own  tracks.  Neither  was  the  traction  company  compelled  to  do 
any  repairing  along  their  right  of  way.  In  1913.  Broadway,  Franklin  and 
part  of  North  streets  were  paved  with  tarvia.  The  other  streets  of  the  city 
are  well  graded  and  macadamized. 

CITY    HALL. 

The  Greensburg  city  hall  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  South  Broadway, 
in  tiie  first  block  off  the  public  square.     It   is   a  brick   structure  and   was 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  l6l 

erected  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  eight  thousand  dollars.  It  is  two  stories  in 
height,  the  first  floor  being  devoted  to  the  fire  department  and  the  second 
floor  to  various  city  offices.  The  mayor,  chief  of  police  and  city  clerk  have 
private  rooms,  while  there  are  bedrooms  for  the  dri\'ers  of  the  fire-trucks. 
The  largest  room  is  the  council  chamber,  which  also  serves  as  a  city  court 
room. 

SEWERAGE    SYSTEM. 

Greensburg  began  the  installation  of  a  sewerage  system  several  years 
ago  and  has  added  to  it  as  the  corporation  limits  were  extended  and  the 
population  increased.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  city  is  not  on  a  water- 
way, it  has  been  compelled  to  provide  an  artificial  means  for  the  disposal  of 
its  sewerage.  This  is  done  in  what  is  known  as  a  disposal  plant,  which  was 
installed  in  1906-7,  at  a  cost  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  and  has  proven 
very  satisfactory.  The  disposal  plant  takes  care  of  the  sewerage  by  auto- 
matic syphons,  and  for  this  reason  the  plant  does  not  need  the  constant  atten- 
tion of  an  attendant.  The  street  commissioner,  who  has  general  charge  of 
the  plant,  makes  daily  trips  to  it  in  order  to  see  that  it  is  working  properly. 

BUSINESS     AND     PROFESSIONAL     DIRECTORY     IN     I9I5. 

Abstractors — P.  T.   Lambert,  J.  H.   Parker. 

Agricultural  Implements — Bonner,  Hart  &  Ryan ;  H.  O.  Craig  &  Com- 
pany. 

Art  Studio— H.  M.  Aultman,  J.  W.  Beck. 

Attorneys— T.  E.  Davidson,  J.  K.  Ewing,  Oscar  G.  Miller,  Goddard  & 
Craig,  E.  E.  Hite,  Tremain  &  Turner,  Lewis  A.  Harding,  William  F.  Rob- 
bins,  Osborn  &  Hamilton,  J.  H.  Parker,  M.  C.  Jenkins,  F.  Gates  Ketchum, 
Roy  E.  Glidewell. 

Auctioneers — Earl  Storms,  A.  F.  Eubank,  Earl  Gartin. 

Automobile  Dealers — E.  E.  Arbuckle,  Roy  Privett,  Mrs.  C.  C,  Low, 
Harlan  Overleese,  Miss  Anna  Stewart,  E.  C.  Phelps. 

Auto  Garage — Goyert's  Rapid  Garage  and  Auto  Agency,  Frank  J\Ic- 
Cracken,  Roy  Privett,  A.  P.  Powell. 

Automobile  Radiator  Company — Take-Apart  Radiators. 

Bakeries — Gem  Bakery,  Henry  Kabey,  Zoellner  Bakery,  F.  Kessler. 

Banks — Citizens'  National,  Greensburg  National,  Third  National,  Union 
Trust  Company. 

Barber  Shops — George  O.  Baumgartner,  W.  E.  Golay,  W.  F.  Martin, 
W.  S.  Meadows,  ].  F.  Strausburger,  James  Andrews. 
(11) 


l62  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Bazaar  Stores — The  Fair,  Morris  Five-and-Ten-Cent  Store. 

Bicycles  and  Sundries — Albert  Gilham,  L.  N.  Marlow. 

Bill  Posters — Fred  Seitz  &  Sons. 

Billiard  Rooms — DeArmond  Hotel,  James  Ford,  Pierson  Cigar  Store. 

Blacksmiths — C.  F.  Brown,  Brodie  &  Ricketts,  S.  E.  Cline,  Wade  Coil, 
Hiram  Collins,  William  Espy,  Charles  Ferris,  Arthur  Terrell. 

Boiler  Works — Joseph  L.  Luchte. 

Bottling  Works — Michael  O'Conner. 

Bowling  Alley — Pierson  Cigar  Company. 

Brick  Manufacturers — W.  H.  Isgrigg  &  Son. 

Buggies  and  Carriages — Haas  &  Son,  Isaac  Layton,  George  Mont- 
gomery. 

Building  and  Loan  Associations — Greensburg  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, Workmen's  Building  and  Loan  Association. 

Building  Material — Jones  Lumber  Company,  Pulse  &  Porter,  Strickland 
&  Trester. 

Cab  and  Transfer  Lines — Big  Four  Liver)-,  Charles  Beeson,  Powell  & 
Son. 

Carriage  Painter — Edward  Roberts. 

Cement  and  Drain  Tile — Greensburg  Commercial  Club,  Allen  Brothers. 

Chiropractor — Dr.  H.  Dennis. 

Cigar  Manufacturers — William  Oliver,  Harry  Suttles,  Erdman  &  Sons. 

Cigar  Stores — John  Ford,  Pierson  Cigar  Company. 

Clothing — Carter  &  Company,  Huber  Clothing  Company,  L'onclad 
Clothing  Company,  J.  M.  Woodfill's  Sons. 

Coal  Dealers— D.  M.  Blackmore,  Ewing  &  McKee,  R.  S.  Meek  &  Sons, 
Clifford  Jones. 

Concrete  Building  Blocks — F.  W.  Willey. 

Contractors — Allen  Brothers,  Barringer  &  Tumilty,  Edward  Dille,, 
James  Duncan,  W.  H.  Isgrigg  &  Son,  Joseph  Kelley,  M.  McCormack,  Pulse 
&  Porter,  J.  A.  Roszell,  Smith  Brothers,  Williams  &  Son. 

Dentists — Orlando  Burns,  F.  C.  Eddelman,  A.  E.  Gilchrist,  A.  O.  Hall, 
H.  S.  Hopkins,  C.  A.  Kuhn,  E.  D.  McLaughlin,  R.  J.  Russell. 

Drugs — J.  H.  Batterton,  Henry  &  Company,  Magee's  Pharmacy,  Joseph 
S.  Moss,  St.  John  &  Guthrie. 

Dry  Goods — Dalmbert  &  Company,  The  Enterprise,  George  W.  Magee, 
Minear  Dry  Goods  Company,  W.  W.  Woodfill. 

Electric  Company — Greensburg  Electric  and  Gas  Company. 

Express  Companies — Adams,  American. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 63 

Feed  Dealers — D.  M.  Blackmore,  Nading  Elevator  Company,  J.  M. 
Hornung  &  Son. 

Florists — Ira  Clark  &  Company,  W.  C.  Konzelman,  R.  Burtsch. 

Flour  Mills — Garland  Milling  Company,  Hornung  Mills. 

Foundries — Greensburg  Foundry  and  Machine  Works. 

Funeral  Director.s — Kirby  Bros.,  E.  G.  Schultz  &  Company,  Eugene 
Rankin. 

Furniture  Dealers — Woodward  &  Christian.  E.  A.  Rankin,  E.  G. 
Schultz  &  Company,  Styers  &  Son. 

Gas  Companies — Citizens  Gas  and  Supply  Company,  Greensburg  Gas 
and  Electric  Company,  Muddy  Fork  Gas  Company,  Sand  Creek  Gas  and 
Oil  Company. 

Groceries — Fred  Wetzler,  Bee  Hive  Cash  Grocery  Company,  Crooks, 
D.  A.  Morris,  Woods  &  Gray,  A.  L.  Everhart.  Golden  Rule  Store,  Louis 
Huber,  Linegar  Brothers,  James  Littell,  Samuel  V.  Littell,  J.  C.  Marshall, 
New  York  Grocery,  People's  Grocery,  Robert  Huber,  Sherman  Doles,  Lit- 
tell &  Stewart,  Sturges  &  Wilson,  Max  Penn,  Norman  Eubanks. 

Groceries    (wholesale) — W.  H.   Robbins  &  Company. 

Hardware — Bonner,  Hart  &  Ryan.  Corbett  &  Robe,  Barnard,  Garver  & 
Shively. 

Hair  Dresser — Mrs.  James  Eaton.  Mrs.  A.  J.  Kendall. 

Harness — J.  Haas  &  Son,  James  H.  Randall,  Charles  W^oods. 

Hardwood  Lumber — E.  E.  Doles,  N.  G.  Swails,  Frank  Donnell. 

Horse  Buyers — J.  H.  Christian,  Hunter  &:  Crews,  Carl  Swift. 

Hotels — Cottage,   DeArmond,   Espy  House,    Portland. 

Hides  and  Furs — Samuel  Levenstein,  Weaver  &  Company. 

Ice  Cream  and  Confectionery — John  Cosmas,  Frank  S.  Kabey.  Amer- 
ican Candy  Kitchen,  George  Kessler. 

Ice  Cream  Manufacturer — Link  &  Kabey. 

Ice  Manufacturers — Meek  Ice  Company. 

Insurance  Agencies — Albert  Morgan,  Mrs.  C.  C.  Lowe,  A.  Habig, 
A.  L.  Howard,  Miller  &  Ryan,  J.  H.  Parker,  Charles  Zoller,  Patrons  of 
Husbandr\-,  Mutual  Fire  and  Lightning  Insurance  Company,  ]\Iendenhall  & 
Grant. 

Jewelers — George  W.  Clemons,  J.  W.  Owens,  Philip  H.  Spohn,  C.  H. 
Thomson  &  Company,  C.  D.  Tillson,  C.  B.  James. 

Junk  Dealers — Samuel  Levenstein,  W.  H.  Weaver  &  Company. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — W.  W.  Dixon,  C.  E.  Shields. 

Job  Printing — Charles  Childs,  All  City  Papers. 


164  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Livery  Barns — Applegate  &  Parker,  Big  Four  Livery  and  Feed  Barn, 
J.  F.  Clemens,  George  S.  Littell,  Moss  House  Livery. 

Loans  and  Rentals — William  Flemming,  A.  Habig,  L.  E.  Laird,  P.  T. 
Lambert,  Oscar  G.  Miller,  J.  H.  Parker,  G.  M.  Thompson,  Charles  Zoller, 
Frank  Ford. 

Loans  and  Chattels — Capital  Loan  Company. 

Lumber  Yards — Jones  Lumber  Company,  Pulse  &  Porter. 

Machine  Shops — Joseph  L.  Luchte,  Greensburg  Foundry  and  Machine 
Works. 

Meat  Markets — Louis  R.  Bobrink,  H.  Kammerling,  McCormick  & 
Richey,  Robert  Huber. 

Millinery — Dalmbert  &  Company,  Lena  Littell,  Anna  Wheeldon,  Mary 
L.  Hatfield,  Minear  Dry  Goods  Company. 

Monuments — South  Park  Monument  Works. 

Musical  Instruments — George  Lanham,  Christopher  Link,  J.  W.  Owens. 

Newspapers — Standard,  Democrat,  Nczvs,  Rez'iew,  Daily  Times,  Graphic. 

Optometrist — C.  C.  McCoy,  Phillip  PL  Spohn. 

Osteopath — G.  C.  Flick. 

Physicians— P.  C.  Bentle,  Charles  Bird,  F.  P.  Bitters,  D.  E.  Douglass, 
C.  B.  Grover,  T.  B.  Gullefer,  C.  F.  Kercheval,  C.  C.  Morrison,  E.  T.  Riley, 
L  M.  Sanders,  R.  M.  Thomas,  Paul  R.  Tinsdale,  D.  W.  Weaver,  B.  S. 
White,  James  S.  Woods,  S.  V.  Wright. 

Planing  Mills — Greensburg  Planing  Mills. 

Poultry  Fanciers — C.  J.  Loyd,  J.  F.  Strasburger,  A.  Goyert,  C.  Brown. 

Poultry  Remedies — A.  Lowe. 

Poultry  Supplies — C.  J.  Loyd  &  Company. 

Produce   Merchants — Goyert  &   Company. 

Restaurants — Benjamin  Meyer,  Michael  O'Conner,  Seitz,  Garrett 
Sparks,  J.  P.  Phillips,  J.  Turaschi. 

Second-Hand  Dealers — Oscar  Sparks,  J.  E.  Mobley,  J.  W.  Jackson. 

Shoe  Repairer.s — John  Doertlinger,  George  Tekulve,  Michael  McCor- 
mick. 

Shoe  Dealers— Donnell  &  Son,  Edkins  &  Son,  L  Carl  Mitchell,  Roy  C. 
Kanouse,  Styers  &  Son. 

Sign  Painters — James  Duncan,  Blaine  Ham,  Morton  Davis. 

Steam  Laundry — Greensburg  Sanitary  Laundry. 

Stone  Quarries — Greensburg  Limestone  Company. 

Telegraph  Company — Western  Union. 

Telephone  Companies — Central  Union,  Decatur  County. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  165 

Transfer   Companies — Greensburg  Transfer  Company. 

Tailors— Will  C.  Ehrhardt,  J.  D.  Ford,  W.  C.  Hann,  D.  R.  Kerr,  George 
J.   Kratt,  H.  L.  Wittenberg,  Ware  &  Gassier. 

Upholstering — E.  G.  Schultz  &  Company,  E.  A.  Rankin. 

Vacuum  Cleaning- — J.  W.  Parrish. 

A'^eterinarians — C.  B.  Ainsworth,  A.  D.  Galbraith,  I.  B.  Levy,  L.  A. 
Wood. 

Wire  Factory — Bromwell  Brush  and  Wire  Goods  Company. 

THE   DECATUR    COUNTY    INDEPENDENT    TELEPHONE    COMPANY. 

The  first  attempt  in  Decatur  county  to  secure  local  telephone  service 
was  made  in  June,  1900,  when  two  hundred  leading  citizens  of  Greensburg 
and  farmers  of  the  vicinity,  at  a  mass  meeting,  organized  the  Decatur  Tele- 
phone Company,  and  made  provision  for  the  sale  of  stock,  erection  of  lines 
and  the  installation  of  a  switchboard  at  Greensburg.  Since  its  beginning, 
the  concern  has  had  its  share  of  ups  and  downs,  but  now  is  in  a  very  com- 
fortable financial  condition,  with  more  than  two  thousand  subscribers. 

Stock  was  sold  at  twenty-five  dollars  a  share  and  the  company  was 
capitalized  at  thirty  thousand  dollars.  At  the  beginning,  there  were  about 
one  hundred  subscribers.  The  first  officers  of  the  company  were:  S.  L. 
Jackson,  president;  Morgan  Miers,  vice-president;  Charles  Zoller,  Jr.,  sec- 
retary, and  J.  H.  Christian,  treasurer.  These  officers,  with  C.  P.  Miller, 
formed  the  board  of  directors. 

In  1902  the  telephone  companies  at  Westport  and  Letts  Corners  sold 
out  to  the  organization,  and  by  this  deal  three  hundred  additional  subscribers 
were  added  to  the  Greensburg  exchange.  Some  time  later  the  Newpoint 
Telephone  Company  and  the  Alert  Telephone  Company  arranged  to  lease 
the  privilege  of  the  Greensburg  exchange  and  the  one  hundred  patrons  of 
these  two  companies  are  now  served  free. 

H.  C.  Stockman,  then  county  treasurer,  had  the  honor  of  introducing 
the  first  telephone  used  in  Greensburg  and  Decatur  county.  In  November, 
1877,  he  opened  a  private  line  between  his  office,  in  the  court  house,  and 
his  grain  elevator,  six  squares  away  on  Monfort  street.  It  was  a  great 
curiosity  and  many  Greensburg  residents  heard  their  first  "hello"  over  this 
line. 

The  Greensburg  switchboard  is  of  the  highest  type  now  in  use  and  is 
designed  for  both  speed  and  secrecy.  It  is  know  as  the  North  automanual 
system  and  is  a  combination  of  the  automatic  and  the  old-style  switchboard 


1 66  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Only  a  few  operators  are  needed  at  this  board,  and  they  are  unable  to  hear 
conversations  that  take  place  on  the  various  lines. 

Recently  the  company  has  been  making  an  annual  profit  of  eight  per 
cent.,  which  is  given  to  stockholders  in  the  form  of  reduced  rates.  Stock- 
holders are  limited  in  voting  to  four  shares  and  all  business  of  the  com- 
pany is  transacted  at  an  annual  stockholders'  meeting,  which  is  always  largely 
attended.  There  are  now  about  one  thousand  stockholders.  The  present 
officers  of  the  company  are:  C.  P.  Miller,  president;  W.  V.  Pleak,  vice- 
president;  J.  H.  Christian,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  F.  S.  Chapman, 
general  manager. 

MILEAGE   AND   VALUATION. 

The  total  mileage  and  value  per  mile  of  all  telegraph  and  telephone 
lines  in  Decatur  county  are  as  follow : 

Value 
Miles.  per  Mile. 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Company 385  $55 

American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 391-2  75 

Central  Union  Telephone  Company 516.5  36 

New  Long  Distance  Telephone  Company 40  46 

Decatur  County  Telephone  Company 1,659  23 

Napoleon  Telephone  Company 7  10 

Zenas  Independent  Telephone  Company 12.5  20 

THE  GREENSBURG  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Greensburg  Improvement  Association  had  its  birth  in  1892,  when  the 
Baxter  Carriage  Company,  of  Cincinnati,  hunting  another  location,  sought  to 
secure  a  manufacturing  plant  in  Greensburg.  There  were  a  number  of  con- 
cerns manufacturing  cheap  buggies  in  the  Queen  City,  and  the  town  had  fallen 
into  disrepute  from  the  carriage  manufacturer's  standpoint.  A  number  of 
prominent  citizens  of  Greensburg  pledged  themselves  to  provide  the  neces- 
sary funds  to  build  a  plant,  and  arrangements  were  made  to  move  the  plant 
here. 

•  Then  some  difficulties  arose  between  the  company  and  the  Greensburg 
people,  and  the  latter,  for  self-protection,  incorporated  the  Greensburg 
Improvement  Association.  The  first  officers  were  Marshall  Grover,  president; 
W.  B.  Hamilton,  vice-president,  and  D.  A.  Myers,  secretary.  Other  mem- 
bers of  the  board  of  directors  were  Louis  E.  Lathrop  and  Henry  Christian. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  167 

The  difficulties  were  amicaljly  adjusted  and  the  association  purchased 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres  adjoining  the  city  on  the  northwest,  known  as  the 
Meek  farm,  which  it  spHt  into  town  lots  and  sold,  netting  a  profit  of  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  which  was  applied  to  the  erection  of  a  suitable  plant. 

The  company  operated  for  a  few  years,  but  could  not  breast  the  hard 
times  of  1896,  and  went  into  a  receivership".  When  its  affairs  were  wound 
up,  the  plant  was  sold  to  the  Lincoln  Carriage  Company,  headed  by  W.  B. 
and  Edward  Austead,  of  Connersville.  This  company  operated  the  plant 
successfully  until  1905,  when  it  was  wiped  out  by  fire,  the  entire  brick 
building  being  destroyed,  with  a  loss  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  plant  was  partially  rebuilt  and  a  hay  bailer  company,  organized 
to  commercialize  a  new  invention,  was  launched,  but  this  concern  was  unsuc- 
cessful and  the  building  is  now  occupied  by  the  Ivelly  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. 

At  least  one  growing  concern  had  its  inception  and  start  in  Greensburg. 
This  was  the  Greensburg  chair  factory,  which  is  now  located  at  Anderson, 
Indiana.  The  company  outgrew  its  space  here  and  received  an  oiTer  of  a 
free  factory  site  in  Anderson.  Local  stockholders  were  bought  out  and  the 
factory  moved.  It  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  best  manufacturing  enter- 
prises of  Anderson. 

The  Greensburg  Improvement  Association  now  owns  the  Kelly  plant 
and  a  number  of  lots  which  were  parceled  from  the  original  plat  and  never 
sold.  These  plats  contain  five  acres  each  and  are  suitable  for  improvement 
as  suburban  homes. 

GREENSBURG  COMMERCIAL   CLUB. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  no  city  grows  and  accumulates  wealth,  save 
under  wise  direction  and  careful  safeguarding  of  its  interests  by  its  own  citi- 
zens, leading  business  and  professional  men  of  Greensburg  took  steps,  in 
1906,  for  the  organization  of  a  commercial  body,  which  would  afford  these 
essentials  for  the  future  welfare  of  their  municipality. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  the  office  of  the  mayor,  March  5,  1906, 
when  a  committee  was  named  to  draw  up  plans -for  organization  and  draft 
a  constitution  and  by-laws.  This  committee  was  composed  of  George  E.  Erd- 
mann,  Harry  Lathrop,  Charles  M.  Woodfill,  Dan  S.  Perry,  C.  D.  Tillson, 
Oscar  G.  Miller  and  James  E.  Caskey.  At  a  later  meeting,  the  constitution 
prepared  was  adopted  and  Walter  W.   Bonner  became  the  first  president. 


l60  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Other  officers  elected  were:    Charles  Zoller,  Jr.,  vice-president;  Oscar  Miller, 
secretary,  and  Dan  Perry,  treasurer. 

The  entei-prise  was  made  a  stockholding  concern  and  six  thousand  and 
forty  dollars  was  subscribed.  A  tract  of  land  was  bought  and  sold  in  town 
lots,  netting  the  club  a  profit  of  three  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars,  which 
was  made  the  nucleus  of  a  factory  fund.  A  hay-bailer  factory  and  a  shoe 
factory  were  brought  to  Greensburg,  but  both  discontinued  operations  after 
a  short  time.  A  large  number  of  factories  which  sought  sites  in  Greens- 
burg were,  after  careful  investigation,  refused  financial  assistance,  and  many 
thousands  of  dollars  thereby  saved  local  investors. 

Since  its  organization,  the  club  has  always  maintained  a  very  substantial 
balance.  The  latest  report  of  the  treasurer  places  the  assets  of  the  organiza- 
tion at  four  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  thirteen  dollars.  Most  of  it  is 
invested  in  short-time  securities,  so  that  it  can  be  made  available  at  any 
time  needed. 

When  the  automobile  manufacturing  fever  was  at  its  height,  and  mush- 
room plants  were  springing  up  in  all  parts  of  the  state,  a  company  was 
organized  in  Greensburg  for  the  manufacture  of  a  six-cylinder  car,  to  be 
called  the  Hamiltonian.  The  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  raised  and 
the  company  was  incorporated.  Some  steps  were  taken  toward  opening  a 
factory,  and  then  the  entire  matter  was  dropped.  Officers  of  this  company 
were :  W.  W.  Bonner,  president ;  Harry  Woodfill,  vice-president ;  C.  P.  Cor- 
bett,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  Harry  Hamilton  and  D.  A.  Myers,  direc- 
tors. Although  this  company  had  the  endorsement  of  the  commercial  club, 
it  was  in  no  sense  an  organization  undertaking. 

New  directors  of  the  organization  elected  in  1913  were:  Locke  Bracken, 
John  H.  Batterton,  C.  C.  McCoy  and  Ed.  G.  Schultz.  The  holdovers  were 
John  F.  Russel,  Roy  C.  Kanouse  and  James  E.  Caskey.  John  F.  Russel 
served  that  year  as  chairman,  C.  C.  McCoy  was  elected  secretary,  and  Roy 
C.  Kanouse  was  re-elected  treasurer. 

Stockholders  in  the  club  authorized  the  directors  to  sell  the  Skeen 
building,  which  the  organization  owned,  to  George  Montgomery.  Af  r.  Mont- 
gomery had  recently  lost  his  place  of  business  through  fire.  The  building 
was  sold  to  him  at  a  price  somewhat  less  than  its  estimated  worth,  as  it  is 
the  desire  of  the  organization  to  foster  any  enterprise  which  tends  to  build 
up  the  city. 

At  a  later  meeting,  that  year,  Edwards  Doles  applied  to  the  board  for 
a  loan  at  less  than  the  usual  rate.  His  spoke  and  rim  factory  had  been 
burned  and  he  wished  to  rebuild.     The  Commercial  club  responded  to  his 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 69 

request  and  loaned  him  several  thousand  dollars  at  very  liberal  rates  and 
on  very  easy  payments. 

In  1914,  J.  F.  Russel,  James  E.  Caskey,  Roy  C.  Kanouse  and  E.  G.  Schultz, 
directors,  whose  terms  expired  that  year,  were  re-elected.  Georg  E.  Erd- 
mann  was  elected  to  membership  on  the  directorate,  taking  the  place  made 
vacant  by  the  removal  of  Locke  Bracken.  John  H.  Batterton  was  elected 
president,  the  other  officers  remaining  unchanged. 

In  1914,  the  club  pledged  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  secure  the  A.  L. 
Lewis  plant,  located  at  Marion,  Indiana,  for  Greensburg.  The  offer  was 
accepted  by  the  Marion  company,  which  is  now  a  permanent  fixture,  with 
bright  prospects  of  becoming  a  large  manufacturing  plant.  Old  directors 
and  officers  were  re-elected  in  191 5. 

Since  its  formation  in  1906,  the  present  Commercial  Club  has  accom- 
plished a  great  deal  for  the  city  of  Greensburg  and  the  citizens  thereof.  The 
worth  of  a  commercial  club  is  not  always  to  be  measured  by  the  number  of 
manufacturing  plants  it  secures  for  a  city,  but  more  often  by  its  success  in 
sifting  out  the  good  from  the  many  fraudulent  schemes  offered  to  gain 
the  public  confidence.  A  commercial  club  is  a  guide  post,  or  financial 
advisor  to  a  city,  to  clear  the  wa_v  to  safe  investment,  and  the  Greensburg 
Commercial  Club  has  ever  been  on  the  alert,  truly  active  in  behalf  of  the 
best  interests  of  the  city. 

THE   GREENSBURG   BUSINESS    MEN's   ASSOCIATION. 

Co-operation  is  the  watchword  of  modern  business.  Lawyers  and  phy- 
sicians, recognizing  the  value  of  mutual  helpfulness,  long  ago,  organized 
county,  state  and  national  organizations  and  used  these  bodies  for  the  purpose 
of  furthering  their  professional  work  through  more  efficient  ser\-ice.  Fol- 
lowers of  tha  other  professions  were  not  slow  to  fall  in  line. 

The  retail  merchant  has,  in  almost  e\'ery  instance,  been  the  last  to  avail 
himself  of  the  advantages  of  co-operation.  The  keen  competition  of  present- 
day  business  life  has  in  a  measure  been  responsible  for  this  condition,  ^^'hile 
retailers  realized  that  there  was  a  great  economic  waste  through  purely  inde- 
pendent business  methods,  for  a  long  time  they  felt  themselves  jjowerless  to 
change  conditions. 

If  John  Smith,  deadbeat.  beat  a  hardware  store  out  of  a  hill,  the  owner 
of  the  grocery,  who  had  previously  lost  through  extending  credit  to  Smith, 
laughed  in  his  sleeve  at  the  owner  of  the  hardware  store.  It  was  amusing 
to  learn  that  some   other  unfortunate  had   run   counter   to  the  bill-beating 


170  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Smith.  The  groceryman  nursed  liis  feelings  in  secret  for  a  time  and  then 
turned  to  laugh  at  the  deadbeat's  ne.xt  victim. 

After  a  while,  Smith  made  the  rounds  of  all  the  places  where  credit 
was  obtainable  and  then  found  but  two  courses  open  to  him — either  he  must 
pay  his  bills  as  he  contracted  them  or  move  out  of  town.  Now,  the  merchants 
of  his  town  knew  that  he  would  not  pay  his  bills,  but  they  had  paid  high  for 
their  knowledge. 

This  sort  of  thing  went  on  for  years.  Perhaps  Smith  left  town,  but 
others  of  his  kind,  under  the  same  or  other  names,  came  in  his  place  and  the 
economic  loss  continued,  a  heav)'  drain  not  only  upon  the  merchants,  but 
also  upon  honest  customers  who  were  saddled  with  a  goodly  portion  of  the 
merchants'  losses. 

At  last,  the  retailers  roused  themselves.  They  were  confronted  with 
the  knowledge  that  if  credit  was  to  be  e.xtended  at  all,  in  fairness  to  the  man 
who  paid  cash,  it  must  be  extended  wisely.  Accordingly,  various  merchants 
arranged  for  exchange  of  confidential  credit  information.  In  a  short  time 
every  merchant  in  town  was  attracted  by  the  idea  and  an  organization  was 
perfected. 

Four  times  the  business  men  of  Greensburg  have  attempted  such  an 
organization  and  three  failures  have  resulted.  They  relied  largely  upon 
word-of-mouth  information  and  transacted  what  little  business  they  had 
through  officials  chosen  from  the  standpoint  of  popularity  rather  than  from 
any  unusual  ability  in  organization  work  of  this  nature.  Consequently,  each 
of  these  three  organizations,  started  under  most  auspicious  circumstances, 
worked  energetically  for  a  time,  lost  efficiency,  lingered  for  a  time  and  then 
passed  out  of  existence  so  cjuietly  that  even  the  professional  dead-beats 
scarcely  knew  the  exact  hour  of  their  passing. 

The  Greensburg  Business  Men's  Association,  the  Greensburg  merchants' 
fourth  co-operative  venture,  was  organized  May  6,  1914.  It  differed  from 
its  predecessors  in  that  it  had  a  central  office,  with  a  paid  secretary  to  do  the 
work  of  the  organization  and  look  after  details  which  had  formerly  been 
neglected  by  volunteer  workers. 

The  first  officers  of  this  organization,  who  still  manage  its  affairs,  were 
Samuel  Bonner,  president:  George  Parish,  vice-president;  D.  A.  Betterton, 
treasurer,  and  Harry  Lathrop,  secretary.  These  officials  are  assisted  in  the 
management  of  organization  matters  by  the  following  men,  who,  with  them, 
comprise  the  directorate  of  the  association:  Clyde  L.  Meek,  W.  W.  Bonner, 
Walter  W.  Crisler,  Lemuel  Dobyns,  Roy  C.  Kanouse,  Mort  Richey,  E.  G. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I7I 

Shiiltz,  Robert  St.  John,  George  Slioemaker.  Charles  Thomson,  C.  P.  Corbett 
and  W.  C.  Pulse.  " 

Besides  guarding  its  members  against  losses  through  unwise  credit 
extensions,  through  its  confidential  exchange  file,  the  association  also  protects 
them  against  loss  at  the  hands  of  promoters  of  \'alueless  advertising  schemes 
and  itinerant  peddlers.  Members  of  the  association  agree  to  pay  out  no 
money  to  solicitors  of  any  kind  unless  they  ha\-e  recei\-ed  the  sanction  of  a 
special  committee. 

This  committee  is  composed  of  three  men,  whose  identity  is  unknown 
to  the  general  membership  and  to  one  another.  They  report  upon  each  appli- 
cant to  the  president  and  if  two  approve  his  project  he  receives  the  commit- 
tee's sanction  before  he  begins  his  canvass.  During  the  first  year  of  its 
existence,  this  committee  passed  upon  twenty  proposed  advertising  schemes 
and  declined  to  sanction  all  but  four.  The  estimated  saving  to  the  merchants 
of  Greensburg  through  protection  from  the  unworthy  sixteen  was  placed  at 
four  thousand  dollars. 

Membership  dues  in  the  association  were  one  dollar  a  month,  and 
Greensburg  merchants  found  its  assistance  so  valuable  that  all  but  eight 
business  men  in  the  city  had  identified  themselves  with  it  before  the  end  of 
its  first  year.  At  the  end  of  its  first  year  the  organization  had  one  hundred 
and  ten  members,  eleven  of  whom  li\'ed  in  Adams,  St.  Paul,  Letts,  Sandusky, 
Newpoint  and  other  parts  of  the  county. 

As  a  result  of  this  co-operati\e  venture,  a  better  feeling  grew  among 
business  men  of  Greensburg  and  the  organization  aimed  at  larger  under- 
takings. Membership  meetings  are  held  each  month  and  are  well  attended. 
During  the  summer  a  "Big  Wednesday"  is  held  once  a  month  and  special 
entertainment  features  are  offered  to  bring  citizens  of  Decatur  county  to 
Greensburg.  The  association  conducts  an  annual  street  fair,  works  for  good 
roads,  sanitary  living  conditions  and  is  a  twenty-four-hour-a-day  booster  for 
Greensburg  and  Decatur  county. 

THE  GREENSBURG   CHAUTAUQUA. 

In  the  last  decade,  a  large  number  of  chautauqua  programs  have  been 
offered  in  cities  and  towns  through  the  Middle  West.  In  some  instances,  the 
public  has  held  aloof  or,  at  best,  taken  but  a  mild  interest  in  efforts  made  by 
public-spirited  citizens  to  bring  the  best  in  music,  in  oratory  and  kindred  arts 
to  them  at  prices  so  low  as  to  belie  their  real  worth.  In  such  locations,  the 
Chautauqua  was  a  failure  from  the  start  and  was  rarely  repeated  after  the 
first  attempt. 


172  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

But  in  places  where  there  is  a  genuine  pubUc  interest  in  matters  of 
political  importance,  where  there  is  a  real  appreciation  of  music,  where  people 
are  alive  to  other  things  which  make  for  sound  knowledge  and  a  more  than 
veneered  culture,  the  chautauqua  has  taken  deep  root  and  is  accomplishing 
results  which  can  be  obtained  in  no  other  manner. 

The  success  of  the  Greensburg  Chautauciua  Association,  which  offered 
its  first  program  in  191 1  and  has  occupied  the  field  ever  since,  speaks  well  for 
the  citizenship  of  Greensburg  and  Decatur  county.  As  was  of  necessity  the 
case,  the  first  chautauqua  held  in  Greensburg  was  something  of  an  experi- 
ment. No  one  knew  whether  the  event  would  prove  a  splendid  success  or  an 
ignominous  failure.  In  order  to  make  the  experiment,  it  was  necessary  that 
some  one  should  guarantee  the  promoters  against  loss.  The  merchants  of 
the  city  readily  agreed  to  become  guarantors  of  the  undertaking  and  the  first 
program  was  announced.  It  was  so  popular  and  so  successful  from  every 
standpoint,  that  it  was  repeated  the  following  year  without  first  securing  a 
list  of  guarantors  and  has  been  so  conducted  ever  since.  For  business  reasons, 
the  association  was  incorporated  in  1914,  under  the  laws  of  Indiana,  as  an 
organization  to  promote  general  culture,  and  not  for  profit. 

Management  of  the  Greensburg  chautauqua  is  vested  in  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  association,  together  with  James  L.  Loar  and  James  Shaw, 
of  Bloomjngton,  Illinois,  who  were  largely  responsible  for  the  introduction 
of  the  chautauqua  in  Decatur  county.  These  men  had  been  engaged  in  the 
business  in  Illinois  for  some  time,  but  made  their  first  attempt  to  conduct  a 
program  away  from  home  in  Greensburg. 

Although  the  association  has,  in  several  instances,  made  money  from 
its  programs,  it  has,  in  all  cases,  given  its  patrons  the  benefit,  by  spending  it 
the  following  year  upon  better  and  more  expensive  numbers.  Since  the  first 
year,  all  meetings  have  been  held  at  West  Academy.  The  program  is  given 
about  the  middle  of  August  and  usually  lasts  ten  days. 

The  following  celebrities,  among  others,  have  spoken  from  a  Greens- 
burg chautauqua  platform :  William  Jennings  Bryan,  Richmond  P.  Hobson, 
Senator  Thomas  P.  Gore,  George  W.  Bain  and  Bishops  Quayle,  Hughes  and 
McDowell.  Innes'  and  Vatales'  bands  have  given  concerts  and  some  high- 
class  dramatic  talent  has  added  variety  to  the  programs. 

Officers  and  directors  of  the  association  are:  J.  W.  Craig,  president; 
Dr.  C.  R.  Bird,  vice-president;  G.  G.  Welsh,  treasurer;  Will  Ehrhardt,  secre- 
tary; Dr.  P.  C.  Bentle,  E.  C.  Jerman,  Judge  Hugh  Wickens,  R.  C.  Kanouse, 
Bert  Morgan,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Goddard,  Mrs.  Alex.  Porter  and  Miss  Edith  Patten. 
Mr.  Ehrhardt  is  platform  manager.     Although  the  chautauqua  grounds  are 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1/3 

not  exceptionally  attractive  as  a  camping  place,  a  considerable  number  of 
patrons  camp  there  each  season. 

THE   ASSOCIATED    CHARITIES    OF    GREENSBURG. 

The  Associated  Charities  of  Greensburg  was  organized  in  response  to  a 
definitely-felt  need  in  November,  1906,  and  has  been  in  active  operation 
since  1907.  Charities,  public  and  private,  had.  of  course,  existed  in  the  city 
previous  to  this  date,  but  the  board  of  directors,  recognizing  the  necessity  of 
placing  the  matter  of  relief  upon  the  most  sensible  and  most  practicable 
working  basis  by  bringing  into  co-operation  all  charitable  agencies,  so  that 
they  should  not  duplicate  each  other's  work,  such  as  keeping  of  records,  friendly 
visiting  among  the  poor  and  the  organization  of  charitable  effort  so  that 
it  might  be  directed  more  effectively.  Their  first  endeavor  was  to  obtain  a 
general  secretary,  who  should  organize  and  push  forward  the  work.  They 
were  very  fortunate  in  securing  the  ser\ices  of  Airs.  Emma  Sefton,  who,  for 
five  years,  discharged  the  duties  with  exceptional  intelligence  and  devotion. 
Besides  the  general  secretary,  the  chief  agency  of  the  work  is  the  board  of 
nine  directors,  representative  men  and  women,  who  give  their  services 
gratuitously  and  have  no  other  object  in  view  than  the  proper  care  of  the 
unfortunate.  Monthly  meetings  are  held  and  the  general  operation  and 
policy  of  the  association  are  under  their  direction.  Four  of  the  members 
of  the  board.  Airs.  F.  P.  Montfort.  vice-president;  C.  ^^^  AVoodward,  treas- 
urer: Alargaret  Drake,  secretary,  and  Harry  Lathrop,  have  served  continu- 
ously since  the  organization  of  the  society.  George  Erdmann,  president; 
John  F.  Russel,  I.  Carl  Alitchell,  Airs.  Emma  Hamilton  and  Robert  St. 
John  have  since  been  elected  directors.  Mrs.  Carrie  F.  Meek,  the  present 
general  secretary,  has  served  in  this  capacity  for  almost  three  years  and  has, 
with  a  singleness  of  purpose,  endeavored  to  increase  the  scope  and  usefulness 
of  the  society.  Its  methods  ha\'e  been  worked  out  slowly  by  careful  experi- 
ment. Many  of  its  cherished  ideals  are  as  yet  unrealized,  but  each  year 
some  new  things  are  accomplished  that  had  before  been  unattainable. 

The  Girls'  Cooking  School,  the  fifth  session  of  which  is  now  being  held, 
is  one  of  the  most  helpful  and  practical  departments  of  the  association's 
work.  The  thirty  girls  enrolled  are  taught  to  cook,  wash  dishes,  set  the 
table  and  to  serve.  The  excellent  quality  of  the  food  prepared  by  them  and 
the  neatness  and  skill  displayed  attest  how  effectively  instruction  is  given. 
The  linen  loan  department,  maintained  by  the  AVoman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  contains  almost  everything  needed  in  a  sick  room  and  has  carried 


174  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

comfort  and  cheer  into  many  homes.  An  employment  bureau  is  maintained,  at 
which  a  registration  is  made  of  both  employers  and  men  seeking  work.  This 
department  has  done  some  excellent  work  in  relieving  distressing  situations 
by  helping  the  heads  of  families  to  find  employment.  Each  year  a  number  of 
vacant  lots  are  given  out  for  gardening  purposes  to  families  that'  need  them. 
Complete  records  of  over  four  hundred  cases  of  persons  applying  for  assist- 
ance are  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  association.  These  are  not  for  public 
inspection,  but  are  kept  in  order  and  up  to  date,  that  intelligent  aid  may  be 
rendered. 

POSTOFFICE   HISTORY. 

After  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Greensburg,  the  following  letter 
was  drafted,  asking  that  a  postofiice  be  established  there: 

"Greensburg,  Indiana,  September  ii,   1822. 
"Hon.  Return  J.  Meigs,  Postmaster  General  of  United  States : 

"The  undersigned  respectfully  represent  that  a  postofiice  is  much  wanted 
at  Greensburg,  Indiana.  This  place  is  selected  as  the  seat  of  justice  for  the 
county  of  Decatur,  established  and  organized  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  this  state;  it  is  situated  on  the  waters  of  Sand  creek,  forty-four 
miles  southeastward  of  Indianapolis,  and  on  the  mail  route  leading  from 
Lawrenceburg  by  way  of  Napoleon,  to  that  place. 

"They  recommend  — '■ for   the   appointment   of   postmaster 

and  request  that  the  oflice  papers  may  be  directed  to  Madison,  from  which 
place  they  can  be  speedily  transmitted  to  this.  They  further  request  that  the 
mail  route  aforesaid  be  put  into  immediate  operation."' 

From  the  fact  that  no  names  are  attached  and  no  one  is  recommended 
for  the  office  of  postmaster,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  this  was  probably  the 
first  draft  of  the  petition. 

The  first  postofiice  in  Greensburg  was  established  when  the  town  was 
first  laid  out  and  Thomas  Hendricks  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  next 
was  Andrew  Davison,  Democrat,  appointed  by  Andrew  Jackson  in  1829, 
who  served  until  William  Henry  Harrison  took  office.  Then,  in  1841, 
Davison  resigned,  whether  of  his  own  volition  or  by  request,  is  not  known. 
I-Iis  successor  was  Silas  Stewart. 

The  Greensburg  Repository  for  May,  1841,  says:  "Barton  M.  Harney, 
Esq.,  has  been  appointed  postmaster  at  this  place,  in  the  place  of  Silas  Stew- 
art, resigned.  We  believe  this  appointment  will  give  universal  satisfaction. 
Bart  is  an  uncompromising  Locofoco,  an  honest  man,  a  good  tailor,  a  clever 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1/5 

fellow,  and  we  doubt  not  that  he  will  make  an  accommodating  and  efficient 
postmaster." 

Harney  did  make  a  good  postmaster — for  one  day.  When  he  recei\ed 
his  commission,  he  removed  the  postoffice  sign  and  the  few  mail  pouches  to 
his  tailoring  establishment.  After  conducting  the  office  for  one  day  he  con- 
cluded that  patrons  of  the  office  were  damaging  his  stock.  That  same  night 
he  moved  the  "office"  back  to  its  old  location  and  appointed  John  Stewart,  a 
drug  clerk,  deputy  postmaster. 

John  B.  Covington,  a  Democratic  editor,  was  appointed  postmaster  in 
1854,  and  had  the  office  on  the  north  side  of  the  square.  Later,  he  sold  his 
newspaper  to  \\'illiam  \'an  Horn,  and  the  postmastership  was  transferred 
with  it.  The  next  postmaster  was  John  Watson,  during  whose  term  the  office 
was  located  near  the  railroad. 

During  the  war  the  postmaster  was  John  J.  Hazelrigg.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  James  King.  While  King  was  postmaster  the  office  was  in  the 
basement  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  George  H.  Dunn,  his  successor,  held 
the  office  for  the  longest  period  in  its  history.  He  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Grant  in  1869  and  served  until  1886.  His  deputies  were  Sam  McGuire 
and  George  Dunn,  Jr. 

Henry  E.  Black  served  as  postmaster  from  1886  until  i8go.  His 
deputy  was  Miss  Ida  Black.  The  office  was  then  located  on  South  Franklin 
street.  Thomas  Hendricks  was  appointed  to  the  office  in  1890  and  Stephen 
Rogers  in  1894. 

The  next  postmaster  was  James  E.  Caskey,  during  whose  administration 
both  urban  and  rural  free  delivery  was  established,  and  the  business  of  the 
office  correspondingly  increased.  While  Caskey  was  postmaster,  the  safe  was 
blown  open  and  a  small  amount  of  money  and  stamps  abstracted.  A.  M. 
Willoughby,  editor  of  the  Grcciisbiiry  Rcz'icK'.  was  appointed  postmaster  in 
1902,  and  served  four  years.  He  was  followed  in  1906  by  L.  D.  Braden, 
editor  of  the  Greensbnrg  Standard..  Mr.  Braden  made  way,  in  1910,  for 
Bert  Morgan,  v\-ho  served  until  1914,  when  the  present  incumbent,  George  E. 
Erdmann.  was  appointed  ]>y  President  ^Vilson. 

There  are  now  thirteen  rural  routes  radiating  from  the  Greensbnrg 
office,  supplying  Decatur  county  farmers  with  daily  papers  and  placing  them 
in  close  touch  with  the  city  by  means  of  the  parcel  post,  which  has  shown  a 
wonderful  development  during  the  past  j'ear.  Including  messenger  bo3's, 
twenty-five  persons  in  all  are  now  emploj-ed  at  the  Greensburg  office. 

No  county  in  the  state  surpasses  Decatur  for  completeness  of  service, 
it  is  said.    Patrons  of  the  rural  routes  leading  from  Greensburg  are  peculiarly 


176  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

fortunate  in  their  service,  as  they,  in  most  instances,  receive  their  mail  in 
the  forenoon.  Carriers  get  away  from  the  office  and  sometimes  ha\'e  their 
routes  half  covered,  when  carriers  from  other  offices  are  still  waiting  for  the 
morning  mail  train  to  arrive. 

The  chief  rural  free  delivery  center  of  the  county  is  Greenshurg,  which 
has  thirteen  routes  leading  from  it.  In  addition,  it  supplies  postoffices  at 
Millhousen,  Cliffy  and  Clarksburg.  Rural  routes  are  also  operated  from  the 
Letts  Corner,  Westport,  Newpoint,  St.  Paul  and  Burney  postoffices. 

PUBLIC    LIBR.\RY. 

The  inception  of  the  Greenshurg  public  library  dates  from  the  latter 
part  of  1901,  when  A.  J\I.  Willoughby,  then  mayor  of  Greenshurg,  opened 
correspondence  with  Andrew  Carnegie  regarding  a  donation  for  a  library  iu 
this  city.  Correspondence  was  continued  with  Mr.  Carnegie,  which  resulted 
in  his  making  a  proposition  to  furnish  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  building,  providing  the  city  would  furnish  a  suitable  site  and  agree 
to  support  the  library.  In  May,  1902,  a  vote  was  taken  at  the  regular  city 
election  on  the  cjuestion  of  taxing  the  city  for  the  support  of  the  library  and 
the  resulting  vote  was  practically  unanimous  in  favor  of  the  imposition 
of  the  tax.  On  August  i,  1902,  the  city  council  accepted  Mr.  Carnegie's 
gift  formally  and  passed  resolutions  authorizing  the  levying  of  the  library 
tax. 

The  next  question  was  the  location  of  the  proposed  building.  The 
council  ad\-ertised  for  property  suitable  for  a  library  site  and,  after  consider- 
ing several  locations,  the  site  of  the  W.  A.  Watson  foundry,  on  North 
Michigan  avenue,  was  chosen.  The  council  paid  six  thousand  dollars  for 
the  lot,  Mr.  Watson  donating  one  thousand  to  the  city,  which,  with  a  donation 
of  eighteen  hundred  dollars  by  citizens,  reduced  the  amount  paid  by  the  city 
to  thirty-two  hundred  dollars. 

In  October,  1902,  a  library  board  of  seven  members  was  appointed,  as 
follows:  By  the  judge  of  the  Decatur  circuit  court,  Hon.  Will  Cumback, 
Hugh  D.  Wickens  and  Mrs.  Ida  L.  Ewing;  by  the  common  council,  Mollie 
Zoller  and  Thomas  E.  Davidson;  by  the  school  board,  Mrs.  Anna  C.  Grover 
and  M.  D.  Tackett.  The  board  met  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Grover  on  October 
24  and  organized  by  electing  the  following  officers :  Will  Cumback,  presi- 
dent; Hugh  D.  Wickens,  vice-president;  Mollie  Zoller,  secretary;  Thomas  E. 
Davidson,  treasurer.  Several  architects  submitted  plans  for  a  building  and, 
after  careful  consideration,  the  firm  of  Harris  &  Shopbell  were  employed  to 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 77 

furnish  the  plans  and  specifications.  On  April  i6,  1909,  Pulse  &  Porter,  of 
Greensburg,  were  awarded  the  contract  for  the  construction  of  the  building, 
the  contract  calling  for  $10,725.  This  did  not  include  the  heating  plant, 
which  was  awarded  to  Watson  Sons,  of  Terre  Haute,  for  $741.63,  and  the 
wiring  and  plumbing  to  Watson  &  Company,  of  Greensburg,  for  $450.  This 
brought  the  total  cost  of  the  building  up  to  $11,916.63,  of  which  amount  the 
architects  were  to  receive  four  per  cent.  The  remainder  of  the  fifteen-thou- 
sand-dollar donation  of  Mr.  Carnegie  was  applied  to  the  furnishing  and  in- 
terior decoration  of  the  building.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on  August  21, 
1903,  and  on  January  24,  1905,  the  library  board  formally  tendered  the  com- 
pleted building  to  the  citizens  of  Greensburg.  On  the  following  day  the 
library  was  opened  for  the  circulation  of  books  and  during  the  decade  which 
has  elapsed  since  that  time  the  library  has  continually  increased  in  usefulness 
to  the  community. 

The  present  library  board  is  composed  of  the  following :  Samuel  Bon- 
ner, president ;  Mrs.  Kate  Minear,  vice-president ;  Mrs.  Ida  L.  Ewing,  secre- 
tary ;  j\Irs.  Will  Pulse,  Charles  PI.  Ewing  and  Oscar  G.  Miller.  Bessie 
Montfort  was  the  first  liljrarian  and  served  in  this  capacity  until  her  death, 
on  September  17,  1905.  Her  father,  I-'rank  P.  Mcjntfort,  was  then  elected 
librarian,  and  still  continues  in  that  capacity.  The  library  now  has  a  total 
of  eight  thousand  \-olumes  on  the  shelves  and  a  wide  \-ariety  of  standard 
magazines.  The  records  show  that  in  June,  191 5.  aljout  eleven  hundred 
persons  were  taking  advantage  of  the  library. 

THE   YOUNG    MEN's    CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION. 

In  19 1 5  there  was  completed  in  Greensburg  what  is  probably  the  finest 
Y.  ]\I.  C.  \.  building  in  the  United  States  for  a  city  of  its  size.  Certainly 
there  is  no  building  in  Indiana  which  approaches  it  in  completeness.  Another 
distinctive  feature  of  this  building  is  the  fact  that  it  is  the  gift  of  one  man, 
and  he  not  only  gave  the  money  for  the  site,  the  building  and  its  equipment, 
but  also  an  endowment  fund  for  its  perpetual  maintenance.  As  far  as  is 
known,  no  other  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building  in  the  world 
has  been  established  under  such  conditions. 

Xelson  ]\[owrey  is  responsible  for  this  magnificent  building,  which  will 

stand  as  a  tribute  to  his  philanthrophy  for  many  generations  yet  to  come.     As 

a  youth,   Mr.   Mowrey  was  deprived  of  educational  advantages  and  it  has 

been  his  desire  for  several  years  to  do  something  for  the  city  of  Greensburg 

(12) 


17^  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

which  would  help  the  boys  and  young  men  of  the  town  to  improve  their 
opportunities.  It  was  not  until,  after  careful  investigation  and  long  confer- 
ences with  intimate  friends,  that  he  decided  to  build  and  endow  a  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  building  for  his  native  city. 

On  July  30,  1914,  Mr.  Mowrey  made  a  donation  of  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  erection  and  equipment  of  a  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  building.  But  his  beneficence  did  not  stop  here. 
Realizing  the  difficulty  which  a  city  of  this  size  would  have  in  maintaining  a 
building  of  this  size,  he  provided  for  a  permanent  endowment  fund  of  forty 
thousand  dollars,  which  was  to  be  kept  intact,  only  the  interest  to  be  used 
for  maintenance.  Since  making  this  original  gift  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  Mr.  Mowrey  has  made  an  additional  donation  of  twelve  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  in  order  that  the  building  and  grounds  might  have 
certain  desirable  improvements. 

When  Mr.  Mowrey  made  his  original  donation  he  provided  for  a  board 
of  ten  representative  citizens  of  Greensburg  (he  being  one  of  the  number), 
and  this  board  became  the  incorporators  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  These  incorporators  included  himself  and  nine  other  citizens 
of  the  city,  as  follows :  Dr.  C.  C.  Morrison,  D.  A.  Myers,  E.  C.  Jerman, 
Robert  Naegel,  C.  P.  Corbett,  George  P.  Shoemaker,  Frank  Bennet,  R.  C. 
Kanouse  and  Henry  Hodges.  Furthermore,  Mr.  Mowrey  designated  the 
first  seven  of  the^e  men  as  a  board  of  directors.  The  directors  at  once, 
organized,  with  the  following  officers:  Frank  Bennet,  president;  D.  A. 
Meyers,  vice-president ;  E.  C.  Jerman,  secretary.  Mr.  Bennet  resigned  in 
November,  1914,  to  move  to  California,  and  Dr.  C.  C.  Morrison  was  elected 
president  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  order  to  keep  the  number  of  incorporators 
up  to  the  local  requirement,  W.  W.  Bonner  was  selected  to  fill  the  vacancy 
created  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Bennet.  The  board  of  trustees  consists  of 
D.  A.  Meyers,  R.  C.  Kanouse  and  Henry  Hodges. 

As  soon  as  the  two  boards  were  organized,  steps  were  taken  at  once  to 
select  a  site,  to  plan  the  building  and  equip  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  as 
good  as  any  in  the  country.  Many  sites  were  suggested  before  the  present 
location  on  North  Broadway,  a  half  block  from  the  public  square,  was  finally 
selected.  This  site,  purchased  from  Doctors  Kercheval  and  White,  has  a 
frontage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  and  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet.  Several  architects  submitted  plans,  but  those  of  Shattuck  &  Hussey, 
of  Chicago,  were  finally  selected.  The  contract  for  the  building  was  let  on 
February  15,  1915,  to  W.  H.  Isgigg  &  Son,  of  Greensburg,  the  same  to  be 
completed  by  the  15th  of  the  following  October. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 79 

The  main  building  is  seventy  by  one  hundred  feet,  with  annex  extending 
thirt}-seven  feet  in  the  rear.  It  has  a  basement  and  two  stories,  with  a  total 
of  thirty-eight  rooms.  The  style  of  architecture  is  known  as  early  English 
and  the  architects  have  succeeded  in  designing  a  building  which  combines 
beauty  and  utility. 

The  basement  has  three  educational  rooms,  separated  by  accordion  doors 
so  that  the  rooms  can  be  thrown  together  for  banquet  purposes.  Two  hun- 
dred people  can  easily  be  seated  in  the  three  rooms.  A  kitchen,  completely 
equipped,  adjoins  these  three  rooms.  It  was  the  desire  of  Mr.  Mowrey  that 
the  girls  and  women  of  the  city  might  have  accommodations  in  the  building, 
and  for  this  reason  a  ladies'  rest  room,  cloak,  locker  and  toilet  rooms  are 
provided  in  the  basement  for  their  use.  An  outside  entrance  is  provided  for 
the  ladies.  Furthermore,  the  basement  is  so  arranged  that  they  have  access 
to  the  swimming  pool  and  it  is  the  intention  to  set  aside  certain  days  in  each 
week  when  the  girls  and  women  may  have  the  use  of  the  pool.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  basement  from  the  ladies'  quarters,  are  found  the  lockers  and 
toilet  rooms  for  the  boys  and  men.  The  distinctive  feature  of  the  basement 
is  the  swimming  pool,  which  is  twenty  by  sixty  feet,  with  maximum  depth 
of  nine  feet.  The  pool  itself,  as  well  as  the  room  in  which  it  is  placed,  is 
floored  with  tile  and  a  wainscoting  of  the  same  material  extends  around  the 
room.  The  pool  extends  back  into  the  annex  of  thirty-seven  feet,  which  has 
been  previously  mentioned,  the  whole  of  the  annex  being  roofed  by  a  sky- 
light. The  rest  of  the  basement  is  taken  up  with  the  heating  plant  and  coal 
room.  It  should  be  mentioned  in  this  connection  that  it  was  thought  desirable 
to  have  additional  coal  space  and  Mr.  Mowrey  A'ery  generously  provided  for 
an  outside  underground  bin,  adjoining  the  boiler  room,  which  has  a  capacity 
of  two  car  loads.  The  basement,  as  originally  planned,  had  a  cement  floor, 
but,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  board  of  directors,  Mr.  Mowrey  made  an  addi- 
tional donation  for  a  terazzo  floor.  This  flooring  is  used  in  all  the  base- 
ment except  the  pool  room,  which  is  of  tile,  and  the  boiler  and  coal  rooms, 
which  are  of  cement. 

The  first  floor  is  reached  by  marble  steps  from  the  front  of  the  building. 
The  vestibule  has  two  doors,  the  right  door  opening  into  the  men's  side  and 
the  left  door  into  the  boys'  department.  Between  the  two  doors,  facing  the 
outside  door,  is  a  magnificent  bronze  plaque  of  Mr.  JNIowrey  in  bas-relief. 
The  rooms  set  aside  for  the  men  are  provided  with  books  and  magazines  and 
wholesome  games  of  various  kinds.  The  reading  room  faces  the  front- and 
is  a  large,  airy  room,  with  beautiful  appointments.  The  boys'  rooms,  on  the 
left,  correspond  in  a  general  way  to  those  of  their  elders  on  the  right.     The 


l8o  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

secretary's  office  is  placed  in  such  a  manner  that  he  can  oversee  not  only  the 
rooms  of  the  men  and  boys,  but  also  the  gymnasium,  which  occupies  the  rear 
of  the  first  and  second  stories.  The  gymnasium  extends  the  full  height  of 
the  first  two  stories  and  is  surrounded  with  a  gallery.  In  this  room  are  found 
all  the  latest  physical  appliances,  while  the  room  is  amply  large  enough  for 
basket  ball,  hand  hall  and  various  other  kinds  of  indoor  sports.  ,\  cork 
running  track  is  also  provided.  The  office  of  the  physical  director  adjoins 
the  gymnasium. 

The  second  floor  contains  seventeen  dormitories,  which  are  to  be  rented 
to  members  of  the  association.  This  floor  is  provided  with  shower  baths  and 
toilet  rooms.  As  has  been  said,  the  gymnasium  extends  through  the  first  and 
second  floors. 

The  building  is  heated  with  hot  water  and  lighted  by  electricity.  Noth- 
ing but  the  best  of  material  was  used  in  its  construction  and  the  board  of 
directors  have  taken  pride  in  making  this  building  the  equal,  to  say  the  least, 
of  any  building  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  The  grounds  are  surrounded 
with  a  nine-inch  coping,  which  adds  not  a  little  to  the  general  attractiveness 
of  the  building  itself.  A  croquet  ground  is  provided  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  grounds  and  a  tennis  court  in  the  northwest  corner.  It  was  an  after- 
thought of  Mr.  Mowrey  to  provide  for  the  paving  of  the  alleys,  which  are  on 
the  side  and  rear  of  the  grounds. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  a  description  of  one  of  the  most  unique  buildings  which 
has  ever  been  erected  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Mowrey  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  building  from  the  start  and  the  board  of  directors  have  found 
in  him  a  sympathetic  assistant  in  their  labors.  To  Dr.  C.  C.  Morrison,  as 
president  of  the  board,  should  be  given  a  large  amount  of  credit.  As  the 
closest  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Mowrey,  he  has  tried  to  carry  out  his  wishes 
in  a  faithful  and  conscientious  manner  and  Mr.  Mowrey  is  free  to  ack- 
nowledge the  indebtedness  which  he  owes  to  Doctor  Morrison.  The  other 
members  of  the  board  have  labored  no  less  zealously  to  make  this  building 
what  it  is  and  the  city  of  Greensburg  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude,  not  only  to 
the  donor  of  this  magnificent  building,  but  to  the  men  whom  Mr.  Mowrey 
chose  to  take  general  management  of  his  gift.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
boys  and  young  men  of  Greensburg  will  properly  appreciate  this  building 
and  that  it  will  mean  a  better  citizenship  and  a  better  cit^^ 

MUNICIPAL    FINANCIAL    STATEMENT. 

The  finances  of  the  city  are  in  the  hands  of  the  clerk,  who,  at  the  end  of 
each  year,  issues  an  annual  statement  showing  the  financial  condition  of  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  181 

city.     The  city  clerk,  Cortez  Patton,  furnished  the  following  financial  state- 
ment for  the  }ear  ending  December  31,  1914: 

LIABILITIES.  I 

Schools  bonds,  issued  August  15,  1899 $22,500.00 

Refunding  bonds   issued    December   30,    1909 20,000.00 

School  site  bonds,  issued  June  i,  1912 6,500.00 

Miscellaneous    439-00 

Total    $49,439.00 

Assets $60,705.00       60,705.00 

Excess  of  assets  over  lial)ilities $11,266.00 

RECEIPTS. 

Regular   receipts   $35,347.00 

Special  improvement  assessment  3,342.00 

38,889.00 

EXPENDITURES. 

Regular $39,731.00 

Carnegie  Library   Board   2,419.00 

Interest  and  principal  on  bonds 3,236.00 

44,386.00 

Deficit    for   year    5,497.00 

CITY   OFFICERS. 

The  present  officers  of  the  city  of  Greensburg  are  as  follow :  Mayor, 
James  E.  Alendenhall ;  clerk,  Cortez  Patton;  council.  Wesley  Lanius  (first, 
ward),  Harry  Mount  (second  ward),  Marion  Allen (  third  ward),  Thomas 
Tumilty  (fourth  ward),  and  two-at-large,  Frank  Magee  and  I.  B.  Levy; 
chief  of  police.  W.  L  Johnston;  chief  of  the  fire  department,  Joseph  Kelley; 
health  officer.  Dr.  B.  S.  White. 

The  churches,  schools,  lodges,  newspajjers,  banks,  building  associations, 
railroads  and  industries  of  Greensburg  are  referred  to  in  separate  chapters. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


EDUCATION. 


The  educational  history  of  Decatur  county  faUs  into  two  divisons,  the. 
period  from  the  organization  of  the  county,  until  1853,  when  the  present 
system  of  public  schools  was  adopted,  and  from  that  date  to  the  present. 
Free  schools  were  provided  for  by  the  Constitution  of  1851,  but  it  was 
not  until  two  years  later  that  they  went  into  operation.  From  1822  until 
1853  there  was  not  a  single  free  school  in  Indiana,  for  even  the  old  academies 
were  supported,  in  part,  by  tuition. 

All  education  was  obtained  in  what  were  known  as  subscription  schools, 
parents  paying  the  teacher  so  much  a  term  for  each  pupil  they  sent  to  school. 
Teachers  were  not  examined  and  taught  only  the  rudiments  of  reading, 
writing  and  arithmetic.  The  three  R's  formed  the  basis  of  all  work  in  the 
school  room,  although  in  the  more  pretentious  institutions  geography  and 
history  were  taught. 

EARLY    RURAL    SCHOOLS. 

The  usual  school  term  in  Decatur  county  during  the  early  days  was 
three  months,  and  the  school  day  began  early  in  the  morning  and  lasted  until 
sundown.  The  teacher  would  be  at  his  desk  at  sunrise  and  the  first  pupil 
to  arrive  at  the  school  house  would  be  the  first  to  recite.  This  privilege  of 
reciting  first  was  much  sought  by  those  more  eager  for  knowledge  and  there 
was  usually  keen  competition  among  the  star  pupils,  and  consequent  early 
rising.  There  were  a  few  drones,  however,  who  cared  little  Avhether  school 
kept  or  not,  and  therefore,  as  if  to  show  their  contempt  for  learning,  would 
come  straggling  in  about  ten  o'clock,  or  in  plenty  of  time  for  the  noon  recess. 

Early  schools  were  -held  in  vacant  log  cabins,  chinked  with  mud,  pro- 
vided with  puncheon  seats  and  oiled-paper  windows.  Text  books  were  the 
American  Primer,  Dilworth's  and  Webster's  spelling  book,  Guthrie's  or 
Pike's  arithmetics,  the  English  Reader,  the  Bible  and,  sometimes,  Weem's 
"Life  of  Washington."  This  last  book  was  a  novel,  but  won  a  place  in  the 
list  of  text  books  because  of  the  excellence  of  the  moral  carried  by  the  cherry 
tree  story. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 83 

School  houses  were  not  provided  with  bells  in  those  days  and  when 
Ihc  teacher  wished  to  call  his  pupils  from  play,  he  would  step  outside,  pound 
upon  the  side  of  the  school  building  with  a  stick  and  shout,  "Books!  Books!" 
at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

Pupils  studied  "out  loud,"  and  the  resultant  bedlam  was  autliljle  for 
some  distance  from  the  Ijuilding.  The  experienced  teacher  could  tell  in  an 
instant  when  some  youth  wa\'ered  in  his  pursuit  of  learning  or  sought  to 
engage  in  conversation,  at  the  expense  of  his  lessons. 

Sometime  near  1840  Miss  Jane  Bartee  taught  a  school  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county.  She  must  have  possessed  an  ear  for  both  rhyme  and 
rvthm,  for  she  gave  her  school  rules  a  metrical  embodiment.  The  follow- 
ing classical   fragment  is  still  extant : 

"No  rippin',  no  tearin'. 
No  cussin',  no  swearin', 
No  clingin',  no  swingin',  to  trees." 

The  father  of  this  poetical  school  ma'am  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and, 
by  virtue  of  that  ofhce,  a  member  of  the  count}-  board,  which  performed  the 
duties  of  the  present-day  county  commissioners.  When  the  board  met  in 
Greensburg,  Mr.  Bartee  would  walk  thither,  barefooted  and  garbed  in 
undyed  homespun,  and,  thus  attired,  enter  upon  his  official  duties  with  all 
due  dignity. 

Teachers  were  expected  to  treat  their  pupils  at  Christmas.  Whisky 
and  sugar  were  common  delicacies  for  teachers  to  serve  to  boys  and  girls 
at  this  glad  season.  Sometimes  a  teacher,  with  more  than  ordinary  moral 
and  physical  courage,  braved  public  opinion  and  declined  to  treat  on  this 
occasion.  Often  it  went  hard  with  him.  x\  Mr.  East,  teaching  in  Marion 
township,  once  declined  to  follow  precedent  in  this  respect.  He  was  seized 
by  the  larger  boys  and  hustled  most  ingloriously  toward  a  nearby  pond. 
He  yielded  to  the  inevitable  just  in  time  to  escape  a  ducking. 

Singing  was  a  common  method  used  by  teachers  in  inculcating  fami- 
liarity with  multiplication  tables  and  geographical  facts.  The  pupils  sang 
their  tables  through,  from  the  "twos"  to  the  "twelves,"  forward  and  back- 
ward, and  then,  with  what  spirit  they  had  left,  swept  into  the  strains  of  the 
geography  song,  the  first  line  of  which  went  something  like  this : 

"Maine,  Maine,  Augusta,  on  the  Kennebec  river;  Maine,  Maine, 
Augusta,  on  the  Kennebec  river." 

Some  of  the  early  teachers  who  had  charge  of  schools  in  Decatur 
county  during  the  twenty   years     following    its    organization  were :   J.    H. 


184  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Rankin  and  William  Alarlow,  Springhill ;  John  Goddard,  Clinton  townshi]) ; 
"Uncle  Jack"  Bell  and  John  Hopkins,  Mt.  Carmel ;  Sam  DonneU,  Samuel 
Henry,  James  AlcCoy,  William  Thomson,  Kingston;  Tom  Peery,  Elijah 
Mitchell,  Enoch  Tackett,  J.  S.  Guant  and  Garrard  Morgan,  near  Greenshurg, 
and  Joe  Patton,  Samuel  Sebaugh  and  James  Brockmare,  in  Greenshurg. 

QUALIFICATIONS   OF    TEACHERS. 

In  the  early  days,  not  much  preparation  was  required  in  order  to 
"teach  school."  The  pedagogue  looking  for  a  school  for  the  winter,  with  an 
opportunity  to  "board  round"  and  so  eke  out  his  scanty  earnings,  went  to 
the  townshi])  trustees,  applied  for  a  place,  and  if  they  liked  his  appearance 
he  was  hired  without  much  of  an  examination  into  his  qualifications.  In 
most  cases,  the  trustees  themselves  were  men  with  very  little  education  and 
would  not  presume  to  f|uestion  the  ability  of  anyone  seeking  a  position  as 
teacher. 

When  examinations  were  given,  they  were  usually  oral  and,  in  most 
cases,  delightful  farces.  In  the  early  days,  so  the  story  goes,  a  young  woman 
applied  to  Doctor  Moody  for  a  license  to  teach.  Doctor  Moody  was  a  mein- 
ber  of  the  board  of  county  examiners.  He  asked  her  a  few  questions  and 
then  gave  her  the  following  certificate : 

"This  certifies  that  Miss can  read  a  little  and  write  a  little." 

In  1S35  Dr.  S.  H.  Riley,  then  a  young  man,  wanted  a  license  to  teach 
and  presented  himself  at  the  drug  store  of  County  Examiner  Daviess  Batter- 
ton,  in  Greenshurg.  Mr.  Batterton  wrote  down  a  question  upon  a  slate  and 
Riley,  seated  upon  a  box,  would  write  the  answer  upon  paper.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  Batterton  would  wait  upon  a  customer  or  two  and  then  write  down 
another  question.  When  the  examination  was  completed,  Batterton  wrote 
out  a  teacher's  license  for  Riley. 

Residents  of  Springhill  called  a  meeting  on  July  2,  1843,  ^or  considera- 
tion of  methods  for  improving  the  common  school  system.  George  Ander- 
son presided  and  E.  Mitchell  acted  as  secretary.  The  following  organiza- 
tion was  effected:  Adams  Rankin,  president;  William  Anderson,  secretary; 
W.  M.  Herrick,  Rev.  James  Worth  and  John  Bell,  directors.  Rev.  Hugh 
Maime  and  P.  Hamilton  were  rec|uested  to  address  the  meeting  at  a  future 
date. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


THE  DECATUR  COUNTY  SEMINARY. 


In  1818  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  providing  fcr  a  trustee  for  each 
count}-,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  accumulate  and  invest  funds  arising  from 
exemption  money  and  fines,  for  the  establishment  of  a  secondary  school  in 
each  county,  to  receive  pupils  from  township  schools  and  fit  them  for  the 
State  University.  This  law  was  superseded  in  1824  by  an  act  providing  for 
county  seminaries.  The  Greensburg  seminary  was  authorized  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature  on  January  20.  1832. 

In  1833,  ele\-en  years  after  its  organization,  Decatur  county  a\ailed 
itself  of  this  law.  A  sufficient  sum  had  been  raised  from  sources  mentioned 
to  build  a  seminary.  The  location  selected  was  the  corner  of  Franklin  and 
AIcKee  streets,  one  square  from  the  railroad.  Contract  for  its  erection  was 
awarded  to  Jacob  Stewart,  who  completed  the  building  in  1834,  at  a  cost  of 
two  thousand  dollars.  Stewart  had  formerly  been  a  land  surveyor  under 
Colonel  Hendricks. 

The  first  trustees  of  the  institution  were:  James  Freeman,  James  Elder, 
Abraham  Garrison,  Benjamin  Jones,  [Morton  Atkins,  David  Montague, 
Da\'id  Johnson  and  Samuel  Donnell. 

The  old  building,  which  is  still  standing,  is  a  large,  square,  two-story 
brick  structure,  surmounted  Ijy  a  brick  cupola.  The  grounds  about  the 
institution  covered  an  entire  block,  giving  the  few  pupils  a  considerable 
amount  of  territory  over  which  to  romp  and  play.  The  seminary  was  opened 
in  September,  1834,  but,  like  other  institutions  of  this  character  in  the  state, 
it  relied  entirely  upon  tuition  fees  to  pay  teachers  and  meet  other  expenses. 
The  day  of  free  schools  was  still  far  distant. 

James  G.  [May  was  the  first  instructor.  He  had  been  emplo\-ed  as 
assistant  teacher  for  a  time  at  Salem  and  was  well  (|ualified  to  take  charge 
of  the  institution.  He  was  assisted  by  his  wife  and  sister  and  Elias  Riggs, 
a  Princeton  man  and  uncle  of  Riggs  Forsyth,  at  one  time  head  of  the  old 
First  National  Bank.  The  first  pupils  were  Orville  Thom])son,  Oriegon 
Thompson,  Camilla  Thompson  and  James  B.  Lathrop. 

May  was  succeeded,  in  1840,  by  Abram  T.  Hendricks,  a  graduate  of 
Hanover  College,  who  taught  for  one  year  and  then  quit  to  enter  the  ministrv. 
While  he  was  in  charge  of  the  seminary  he  had  the  valuable  assistance  of  his 
younger  brother,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  who  later  became  \-ice-president  of 
the  United  States. 

Dr.  J.  B.  Lathrop.  who  was  one  of  the  first  students  at  the  old  seminary, 
remembers  Mr.  Hendricks  verv  well,  as  he  and  the  man  who  later  became 


ISO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

governor  of  Indiana  and  then  vice-president,  read  Virgil  together  in  the  old 
building.  The  last  time  Mr.  Lathrop  met  the  distinguished  man,  Mr.  Hend- 
ricks told  him  that,  while  he  didn't  know  whether  or  not  he  had  accomplished 
much  good  in  the  world,  he  did  know  that  he  had  many  pleasant  recollections 
of  days  spent  at  the  old  seminary. 

Speaking  of  Mr.  May,  the  first  instructor,  Mr.  Lathrop  says:  "He  was 
assisted  by  his  sister.  Miss  Elizabeth  May.  I  can  say  for  him  tliat,  while  he 
licked  them  every  day,  the  bo3's  who  went  to  school  to  him  have  a  profound 
reverence  for  his  memory.  ■  T  remember  that  he  was  very  anxious  to  organize 
a  Latin  class.  I  was  nine'  years  old  and  was  one  of  its  first  members.  Mr. 
May  taught  later  in  Salem  and  New  Albany.  He  taught  until  he  was  eighty- 
two  years  old.  When  he  became  so  old  that  he  was  no  longer  wanted  in 
town,  he  went  out  into  the  country  to  teach." 

The  next  superintendent  of  the  seminary  was  Philander  Hamilton,  a 
product  of  the  institution  which  was  placed  in  his  charge  in  1841.  When 
but  a  small  boy,  he  met  with  an  accident  and  was  badly  crippled.  He  first 
studied  in  the  seminary  under  James  May  and  later  graduated  from  Hanover 
College.  He  managed  the  institution  for  one  year  and  then  retired  to  edit 
the  Grccnshiirg  Sentinel.  Hamilton  turned  a  year  later  to  the  study  of  law 
and  died  after  practicing  a  few  years.     He  served  one  term  in  the  Legislature. 

Francis  P.  Monfort,  graduate  of  Oxford  College,  and  later  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  followed  Hamilton.  He  is  said  to  have  possessed  marked 
ability  as  a  poet.  Monfort  was  assisted  by  Agnes  Neal  until  1844,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Andrew  M.  Hunt,  later  founder  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 

Davies  Batterton,  an  Indiana  University  man,  was  the  last  head  of  the 
seminary.  He  took  charge  of  the  institution  in  1847.  I'"*  1852  the  new 
state  constitution  abolished  the  seminary  system,  the  building  was  sold  and 
the  money  applied  to  the  school  fund.  As  Greensburg  was  not  incorporated 
until  1859,  the  building  was  rented  and  maintained  by  private  enterprise  as 
a  grammar  school. 

Arnong  students  at  the  seminary  who  achieved  success  in  later  life  were: 
Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  LTnited  States  senator  and  vice-president  of  the  United 
States :  Dewitt  C.  Rich,  who  represented  Jennings  county  in  the  Legislature ; 
John  F.  Ewing,  who  became  a  successful  lawyer  at  Burlington,  Iowa;  James 
N.  Sander,  noted  Presbyterian  minister;  Orville  Thompson,  printer,  soldier 
and  writer,  and  James  B.  Lathrop,  minister  and  banker. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


PRIVATE    SCHOOLS. 


About  1840  Benjamin  X'yce  and  his  sister  Elizabeth  conducted  a  school 
in  a  small  building  on  the  site  of  the  present  county  jail.  Miss  Nyce  taught 
the  smaller  children  and  her  brother  the  larger  ones.  Eight  years  later  a 
subscription  school  was  started  on  Jackson  street  by  Miss  Martha  Ann 
Gageby.  Dennis  Coakley,  an  Irishman,  had  a  school  during  the  spring  of 
1849  on  North  Franklin  street.  Another  school  was  opened  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  1850  by  Rev.  David  Monfort  and  INIiss 
Alary  Carter.  In  185 1  jNJrs.  Luther  taught  a  subscription  school  in  a  little 
one-room  frame  house  on  West  Washington  street. 

Later,  pri\'ate  schools  were  started  for  those  who  wished  to  secure  a 
higher  education  than  they  could  obtain  in  the  public  schools.  Miss  Abbie 
Snell,  a  New  Englander,  taught  a  class  of  twenty  regular  high-school  sub- 
jects in  the  rear  of  the  present  Greensburg  National  Bank  building.  Associ- 
ated with  this  school  was  one  taught  by  Miss  Hood,  later  Mrs.  James  Bonner. 
Mi.ss  Snell  later  married  Judge  Bonner.  Miss  Hood,  with  the  assistance  of 
Belle  Carroll,  conducted  a  school  in  the  liasement  rif  the  old  Presbyterian 
church.     It  was  organized  in  1869  and  continued  until  1875. 

FIRST   FREE  SCHOOL. 

The  first  free  school  in  Greensburg  was  opened  r)n  July  20,  1857,  with 
four  teachers:  Mrs.  McCollough,  Miss  Eunice  Paul,  B.  V.  West  and  I.  G. 
Grover.  Text  books  used  were :  McGuffey's  readers,  Ray's  arithmetic, 
Pineo"s  grammar,  Goodrich's  history,  Bullion's  languages,  Comstock's  philos- 
ophy and  chemistry,  and  Davies's  legends.  The  higher  branches  were  taught 
by  Mr.  Grover.  The  first  school  trustees  under  the  new  system  were  ^^'.  \\". 
Lowe,  A.  I.  Hobbs  and  B.  H.  Harney.  The  primary  department,  taught 
by  Mrs.  McCollough,  was  located  in  the  basement  of  the  Baptist  church ; 
the  next  grade,  taught  by  Miss  Paul,  met  in  the  basement  of  the  Presb}-terian 
church,  and  the  other  two  teachers  held  forth  in  the  seminary. 

GRADED    SCHOOLS. 

The  first  graded  school  in  Greensburg  was  in  1861.  It  was  conducted 
in  the  basement  of  the  old  Baptist  church.  Miss  Drucilla  Warthin  was  prin- 
cipal and  Aliss  Rebecca  Richmond,  assistant.  The  school  was  free  for  town 
pupils,  but  those  coming  from  the  country  were  charged  six  dollars  for  the 


1 88  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

three-months  term.  The  curricuhim  embraced  philosophy,  algebra  and 
ancient  history,  in  addition  to  the  common  school  branches  of  learning. 

Upon  the  organization  of  this  graded  school,  Doctor  Moody,  A.  R. 
Forsyth  and  J.  B.  Lathrop  were  named  trustees.  There  was  only  sufficient 
money  to  run  the  school  for  a  term,  with  no  allowances  for  incidentals. 
Money  was  raised  to  hire  a  janitor  by  assessing  each  pupil  fifty  cents. 

It  was  during  this  term  that  Doctor  Moody  displayed  true  Solomonic 
wisdom  in  settling  a  rather  delicate  matter.  One  of  the  patrons  of  the 
school  came  to  him  and  protested  because  a  little  negro  girl  was  attending 
the  school.  He  said  he  would  take  his  own  daughter  out  unless  the  colored 
pupil  was  removed.  The  colored  girl  was  very  light  in  color,  while  the  pro- 
testing citizen's  daughter  was  a  very  dark  hj-unette.  "Very  well,"  said  Doc- 
tor Moody.  "We  will  send  a  man  around  tomorrow  to  pick  out  the  negro. 
If  he  picks  out  the  negro,  she  goes  out,  and  if  he  picks  out  your  child,  she 
goes  out."     The  irate  citizen  was  content  to  drop  the  matter. 

By  the  school  law  of  1853,  civil  township  trustees  were  authorized  to 
establish  a  sufficient  number  of  public  schools  to  care  for  the  education  of 
all  white  children.  Negroes  and  mulattoes  were  not  to  be  admitted ;  neither 
could  they  be  taxed  for  school  purposes. 

The  following  old  petition,  presented  by  Greensburg  colored  people  to 
the  school  board,  is  preserved  in  the  public  library :  "We,  the  colored  people 
of  the  city  of  Greensburg,  respectfully  ask  you  that  our  children  be  admitted 
to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  public  schools.  We  beg  to  say  that  we 
make  this  request  for  the  reason  that  there  are  not  sufficient  colored  chil- 
dren in  the  city  to  justify  the  organization  of  a  separate  school  for  them." 
The  petition  was  signed  by  J.  W.  Therman,  Richard  Lewis,  Mitchel  Tracy, 
W.  B.  Scott,  S.  Crewett,  W.  Sanders,  John  ?^Iorgan  and  George  W.  Lee. 
Richard  Lewis  was  the  father  of  a  subsequent  graduate  of  the  Greensburg 
high  school  who  became  professor  of  mathematics  at  Hampton  Institute. 

In  1870  a  separate  school  for  colored  children  was  operated  for  a  time 
in  rooms  over  the  First  National  Bank,  with  a  Miss  Anderson  as  instructor. 
The  project  was  abandoned  after  a  short  trial. 

teachers'  gatherings. 

The  first  recorded  gathering  of  Decatur  county  pedagogues  took  place 
in  Greensburg  in  1857.  Two  teachers  in  Sand  Creek  township,  Kidd  and 
Chaffin  by  name,  had  been  raising  a  considerable  amount  of  rhetorical  dust 
in  arguments  on  corporal  punishment.      Debates  had  been  held   in  various 


DECATUR    COUNT  V,    INDIANA.  1 89 

parts  of  the  township,  and  they  arranged  to  conduct  a  debate  in  Greenslnirg, 
in  order  that  teachers  from  all  parts  of  the  county  might  be  present. 

Fifteen  teachers  assembled  in  Harney's  hall  to  hear  the  two  worthies 
present  their  arguments.  But.  before  either  of  them  could  take  the  floor 
and  open  the  meeting,  ^V.  H.  Powner  arose  and,  after  pointing  out  the  futil- 
ity of  such  a  discussion,  proposed  that  an  organization  be  effected  for 
improvement  of  methods  of  instruction.  The  suggestion  was  followed  and 
Davies  Batterton  was  elected  president  and  J.  .\.  Dillman,  secretary.  Neither 
of  the  authorities  upon  corporal  punishment  was  given  an  opportunity  to 
loose  their  floodgates  of  oratory.  The  first  teachers'  association  met  in 
Greensburg  the  first  Saturday  in  December,  1859,  and  the  last  Saturday  of 
the  same  month  a  permanent  organization  was  effected  with  Davies  Batter- 
ton  at  the  head. 

This  organization  conducted  the  first  teachers'  institute  in  August,  i860. 
G.  W.  Hoss,  later  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  was  the  lecturer. 
The  following  year  an  institute  was  held  at  Clarksburg. 

Probably  the  first  class  of  any  kind  to  be  conducted  for  the  benefit  of 
teachers  was  one  held  in  ^lilford,  in  August,  1862.  This  institute  was  in 
session  five  weeks,  with  an  attendance  of  forty-five.  One  of  the  nienil)ers 
of  this  class  was  Elizabeth  Riley,  who  later  became  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stewart. 
The  instructors  were  County  Examiner  \\'illiam  H.  P(iwner,  J.  B.  Mallett, 
G.  W.  Stotsenberg,  Jacob  Dillman  and  a  Mr.  Merritt.  At  the  end  of  the 
term  a  written  examination  was  conducted.  Most  of  the  male  teachers  left 
in  the  middle  of  the  tenn,  when  news  of  a  Confederate  raid  was  received, 
to  volunteer  for  home  defense. 

Those  who  were  successful  in  passing  the  examination  received  a 
teacher's  license,  issued  by  the  county  examiner,  which  had  been  written  by 
J\lr.  Sinks,  a  writing  teacher.  The  county  examiner  delivered  them  in  per- 
son and  collected  a  fee  of  fifty  cents  from  each  person  who  secured  a  license. 
A  local  newspaper  of  that  day  made  the  following  pertinent  comment  on 
the  meeting:  "Professors  Powner  and  Merritt  have  solved  two  important 
problems :  First,  that  institutes  in  this  county  are  a  fixed  fact  and  will  be 
held  annually,  and,  second,  that  this  county  has  no  need  to  import  teachers 
to  conduct  normal  schools." 

NORMAL    SCHOOLS. 

Need  of  some  educational  advantages  for  professional  teachers  was 
first  officially  recognized  in    1870,  when  a  county  normal  school   was  con- 


IQO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ducted  by  C.  W.  Harvey,  although  we  find  the  following  article  in  the 
Standard  files  of  1862 :  "The  Decatur  County  Normal  School  closed  its  first 
session  of  six  weeks  on  August  15,  at  Milford.  Dr.  D.  S.  Welling,  Prof.  G. 
Hoss  and  Prof.  W.  H.  Venable  were  the  lecturers,  and  held  an  examination 
the  last  week.  There  were  enrolled  sixteen  males  and  thirty-one  females, 
whose  names  are  given.  R.  W.  Miers,  L.  H.  Braden  and  Misses  Maggie 
Logan  and  Louisa  Marshall  and  Mrs.  Mary  Sefton  still  survive." 

Thirty  teachers  attended  this  training  school  of  1870,  which  continued 
for  three  weeks.  Although  the  results  accomplished  were  of  great  value, 
no  effort  was  made  to  give  another  normal  course  until  1879,  when  E.  L. 
Duncan  and  Dr.  J.  A.  Carr,  then  county  superintendent,  conducted  a  six- 
weeks  course  at  Adams,  which  was  attended  by  thirty-five  teachers. 

In  1880  Messrs.  Duncan  and  Carr  held  their  first  normal  in  Greensburg. 
It  continued  for  six  weeks,  was,  attended  by  sixty-four  teachers  and  closed 
with  the  county  teachers'  institute.  The  feature  of  this  course  was  the  pro- 
fessional instruction  given  by  Mr.  Duncan.  The  following  summer,  C.  L. 
Hottell,  principal  of  the  Clarksburg  schools,  opened  a  normal  school,  which 
had  only  a  fair  attendance. 

A  third  nonnal  course  was  given  in  Greensburg  in  1892  by  W.  P. 
Shannon,  George  L.  Roberts  and  C.  T.  Powner.  Other  courses  of  a  similar 
character  were  given  in  Greensburg  in  1893  and  1897.  Most  of  them  lasted 
for  six  weeks  and  were  held  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  academic  review 
of  the  common  branches.  Lectures  were  also  given  upon  psychology  and 
other  subjects,  with  the  idea  of  fitting  those  attending  to  pass  teachers' 
examinations. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  act  requiring  all  candidates  for  teachers' 
licenses  to  have  taken  a  prescribed  course  in  normal  work,  this  training  has 
been  given  at  state  institutions  and  other  educational  centers,  and  the  county 
normal  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  its  time  it  did  a  great  deal  of  good,  and 
many  teachers  received  excellent  preparation  for  the  school  room  by  attend- 
ing its  sessions. 

THE    FLAG. 

Today  the  American  flag  flies  over  every  school  house  in  the  country. 
There  was  a  time  when  it  was  not  customary  to  display  the  national  ensign 
from  such  places,  and  an  attempt  to  fly  it  over  the  school  house  in  Milford 
caused  considerable  trouble,  resulting  in  the  arrest  of  a  number  of  promi- 
nent citizens  there.  In  honor  of  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  two  of 
his  ardent  supporters  raised  a  flag  above  the  school  house.     That  same  night 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I9I 

it  was  taken  down  by  others,  who  saw  in  the  action  an  affront  to  themsehes. 
Another  flag  was  secured  and  placed  upon  a  pole  in  the  school  house  yard. 
This  pole  was  cut  down  and  the  flag  removed.  At  the  next  session  of  court 
ten  Milford  men  were  required  to  answer  to  charges  of  riot. 

During  the  Civil  War  the  schools  of  the  county  were  closed  for  one 
year,  on  account  of  financial  troubles.  Trustees  had  been  hiring  teachers  a 
year  before  money  with  which  to  pay  them  became  available.  The  Leg- 
islature passed  a  law  requiring  the  necessary  mone}-  to  ht  in  the  township 
funds  before  teachers  could  be  retained.  This  made  it  necessary  to  close 
the  schools  until  operating  funds  could  be  secured.  During  this  period  a 
large  number  of  subscription  schools  were  conducted. 

SCHOOL   SUPERVISION. 

Before  the  creation  of  the  office  of  county  superintendent  by  act  of  the 
Legislature  in  1872,  the  duties  of  that  position  were  discharged  by  school 
examiners.  There  were  at  first  three  examiners  for  each  county,  but  later 
the  number  was  reduced  to  one.  The  powers  of  the  school  examiner  were 
slightly  broader  than  those  wielded  by  the  board  of  examiners.  The  first 
examiner  to  be  appointed  was  William  H.  Powner,  who  was  given  the  office 
in  i860.  J.  B.  Mallett  took  the  office  in  1866.  He  was  followed  by  James 
R.  Hall,  who  served  until  the  reappointment  of  Mr.  Powner  in  1871.  Pow- 
ner then  held  the  position  until  it  was  abolished. 

Establishment  of  the  office  of  county  superintendent  in  Decatur  county 
did  not  work  the  marked  changes  which  were  experienced  in  other  parts  of 
the  state.  Powner,  who  had  been  school  examiner,  was  continued  in  charge 
of  the  schools  of  the  county,  at  a  slight  increase  in  salary,  with  but  slight 
changes  from  the  duties  he  had  been  performing  during  the  ten  years  pre- 
vious. 

In  1873,  under  the  amended  superintendency  act,  the  l3oard  of  counts- 
commissioners  appointed  Philander  Ricketts  superintendent.  The  amend- 
ment to  the  original  law  curtailed  the  salary  of  the  office  and  also  reduced 
its  powers.  Ricketts  served  for  a  year  and  then  tendered  his  resignation. 
Meanwhile,  the  amended  law  had  been  declared  unconstitutional  by  the 
supreme  court.  The  board  of  county  commissioners  then,  in  1876,  appointed 
James  L.  Carr.  John  H.  Bobbitt  was  appointed  the  following  year,  and, 
after  serving  for  a  short  time,  resigned.  W.  B.  Ryan  was  appointed  to  com- 
plete the  unexpired  term.  Mr.  Carr  then  held  the  office  for  a  term  of  two 
years.     J.  H.   Bol^I^itt  was  elected   in   i88t   and  served  for  three  terms,  or 


ig2  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

until  1887.  He  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  office  in  this  year,  but  was 
defeated  by  John  W.  Jenkins  in  a  close  contest.  Eighty-six  ballots  were 
taken  by  the  township  trustees  before  either  candidate  secured  a  majority 
of  the  votes. 

County  superintendents  elected  since  that  time  have  been :  L.  D.  Bra- 
den,  1889:  John  ^^■.  Jenkins,  1891  :  E.  C.  Jerman,  1897;  Edgar  Alendenhall. 
1903,  and  Frank  C.  Fields,  191 1. 

The  school  enumeration  for  IDecatur  county  for  1872,  as  taken  by 
Superintendent  W.  H.  Powner.  was  seven  thousand  and  fifty-eight.  The 
number  of  school  children  in  the  county,  according  to  the  latest  enumera- 
tion is  fi\-e  thousand  ninety-eight. 

FIRST    SCHOOL    BUILDING. 

The  first  school  building  in  Greensburg  was  completed  in  1863  by  R.  B. 
Thomson,  contractor,  at  a  cost  of  twelve  thousand  dollars.  It  was  located 
on  Monfort  street,  midway  between  North  and  Washington  streets,  on  what 
was  then  known  as  the  Luther  lot.  The  erection  of  this  building  was  begun 
by  the  town  school  board,  composed  of  Samuel  Christy,  W.  A.  Donnell  and 
Barton  Wilson.  Two  additions  were  later  added  to  this  lot.  The  high 
school  addition,  a  two-story  affair,  was  erected  in  1876,  and  used  until  the 
present  high  school  building  was  opened. 

When  the  first  building  was  in  the  course  of  construction  a  workman 
fell  from  its  walls  and  was  killed.  For  many  years  the  tradition  lingered 
that  the  ghost  of  the  unfortunate  mechanic  lurked  in  the  basement  of  the 
building,  and  many  a  child  held  to  the  straight  and  narrow  path  of  school 
discipline  through  fear  of  being  sent  to  the  basement  in  punishment  for  mis- 
demeanors. 

The  real  beginning  in  earnest  of  the  schools  was  not  until  1862,  when 
the  "seat  of  learning"  was  transferred  from  the  "old  seminary"  in  the  south- 
east part  of  the  city,  to  the  present  site  on  West  Washington  street.  The 
location  of  this  site  was  made  by  popular  vote. 

B.  F.  Brewington  was  superintendent  when  the  new  building  was  first 
used  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  he  remained  four  years,  being  succeeded  bjy 
J.  R.  Hall,  who  was  at  the  helm  in  1866-67,  '^"d  J.  W.  Culley  in  1867-68. 
The  school  had  grown  in  1867  until  the  enrollment  was  six  hundred  and 
sixty-nine. 

A  new  era  dawned  on  the  schools  in  the  fall  of  1868,  when  Prof.  C.  W. 


lUm   SCHOOL   KriLDI.NG,    (;UEKXSI!T'It( 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I93 

Harvey  became  superintendent.  He  remained  at  the  iiead  of  the  schools  for 
thirteen  years,  and  by  his  planning  and  firm  executive  ability  he  set  the  schools 
upon  a  higher  plane  of  usefulness  than  they  had  ever  been  before.  At  the 
conclusion  of  his  term  in  1881  there  were  eight  hundred  and  twenty-six 
pupils  in  the  schools  and  fourteen  teachers  employed. 

GREENSBURG   HIGH    SCHOOL. 

Near  the  close  of  Professor  Harvey's  first  year,  1869,  the  high  school 
department  was  instituted  in  the  same  building'  where  the  common  branches 
were  taught.  Until  1875,  when  the  high  school  addition  was  erected,  the 
school  had  the  competition  of  the  private  school  which  was  managed  by  Mrs. 
Abbie  Bonner. 

The  Greensburg  high  school  began  its  career  on  September  5,  1869, 
with  Miss  Rebecca  Thomson  as  principal.  Rev.  J.  R.  Walker,  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  a  well-remembered  United  Presbyterian  preacher,  was  professor 
of  languages.  Prof.  C.  W.  Harvey  was  superintendent,  but  was' ill  and  not 
able  to  be  in  school  the  first  week.  Miss  Thomson  came  here  from  Rising 
Sun  in  1868,  and  went  from  here  to  Franklin  College. 

Other  teachers  of  the  schools  at  this  time  were :  Mary  Howells,  Cin- 
cinnati; Mehitable  Fowler,  Troy;  Amelia  Holby,  Kate  Cunningham,  Mary 
Wilson,  Almira  Thomson,  Bell  Carroll  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Rhiver. 

The  first  high  school  commencement  exercises  were  held  at  the  Baptist 
church  on  May  19,  1871.  There  were  two  graduates.  Miss  Ida  R.  Stout  and 
Miss  Anna  Myers,  who  afterward  won  distinction  in  the  New  York  jour- 
nalistic field.  On  this  memorable  occasion  the  two  young-  lady  graduates 
read  essays  which  were  ]ironounced  creditable  productions  by  the  hearers. 

There  were  five  graduates  at  the  second  annual  commencement,  which 
was  held  at  the  Christian  church.  Those  who  were  members  of  the  class  of 
1872  were  Mollie  Paul,  Mary  Christy,  Jennie  Williams,  Lizzie  Shirk  and 
Lou  Pope.  Mr.  Pope  later  became  head  of  a  Chicago  educational  concern. 
In  1873  Ida  and  Herschel  Wooden  and  Belle  White  were  granted  diplomas. 
There  were  about  fifty  students  in  high  school  at  that  time. 

The  grade  teachers  then  were  as  follows :  Rebecca  Rhiver,  Seymour 
Pierce,  Allie  Thomson,  Mamie  Wilson,  Lizzie  Dobyns,  Mary  Howells.  Ame- 
lia Holby,  Mary  E.  Wilson,  Maggie  Stoner  and  Mary  Elcock. 

The  high  school  grew  steadily  in  popularity  as  people  perceived  its  value 
and  in  a  very  few  years  classes  of  considerable  size  were  being  graduated. 
(13)' 


194  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

As  years  went  by,  more  and  more  students  saw  the  necessity  of  secondary 
school  training  and  entered  the  high  school  direct  from  the  common  branches. 

In  1876  the  attendance  had  so  increased  that  added  quarters  were  ren- 
dered necessary,  and  a  brick  addition,  fifty  by  eighty  feet,  was  built,  in 
1877,  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  The  trustees  then  were  W.  A. 
Donnell,  Samuel  Christy  and  Doctor  Bracken.  The  addition  is  still  in  use 
for  the  grades.  The  first  principal  of  the  new  high  school  was  W.  P.  Shan- 
non, who  served  until  1882,  when  he  became  superintendent  of  the  cit}' 
schools,  succeeding  Superintendent  Harvey.  Mr.  Shannon  died  on  Decem- 
ber 16,  1897. 

C.  T.  Hottell  became  the  principal  when  Mr.  Shannon  ^\■as  given  the 
superintendency.  He  was  followed  by  David  Curry  and  George  L.  Roberts. 
Mr.  Roberts  served  the  high  school  for  ten  years  and  then  went  to  Indiana 
University  in  the  summer  to  take  his  Bachelor's  degree.  He  returned  to 
Greensburg  for  the  following  school  year,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Shan- 
non was  appointed  to  take  the  superintendency.  He  remained  here  until 
1901.  and  then  went  to  Frankfort,  and  later  to  Muncie.  He  is  now  at  the 
head  of  the  department  of  education  in  Purdue  University. 

The  next  high  school  principal  was  Edgar  N.  ]Mendenhall,  who  served 
six  years  and  resigned  in  1903  to  become  county  superintendent.  Superin- 
tendent Roberts  was  succeeded  in  1901  by  D.  M.  Geeting,  former  state 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  a  man  of  broad  experience,  who  was 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  branches  of  school  work.  He  served  until 
1903,  and  then  left  Greensburg  to  become  deputy  state  statistician,  a  posi- 
tion he  held  until  his  death.  Superintendent  Jerman,  the  present  incum- 
bent, succeeded  Professor  Geeting  in  1903. 

There  have  been  graduates  every  year  e.xcept  1883,  when  the  high 
school  course  was  enlarged  and  another  year's  work  added.  There  have 
also  been  five  colored  graduates  from  the  Greensburg  high  school,  but  none 
of  recent  years.  The  enrollment  in  1908-09  had  been  the  largest  up  to  that 
time.  It  was  as  follows:  High  school,  184;  West  building,  679;  East  build- 
ing, 284.     Total,  1,147. 

The  high  school  had  reached  such  proportions  by  19 12  that  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  provide  larger  and  more  modern  quarters.  The  con- 
tract was  let  on  August  16,  1912,  for  the  erection  of  a  new  high  school  build- 
ing by  Trustees  W.  C.  Woodfill,  John  F.  Russell  and  Dr.  R.  M.  Thomas. 
Pulse  &  Porter  were  awarded  the  contract  for  $65,410.09.  It  was  con-;pleted 
in  the  winter  of  191 4,  and,  although  not  entirely  finished,  the  high  school 
classes  were  first  held  in  the  new  building  in  the  winter  term  of  that  year. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I95 

There  have  been  753  graduates  from  the  Greensl:)urg  high  scho<;)l  in  its 
forty-six  years  of  existence,  267  boys  and  486  girls  making  up  tlie  hst,  ac- 
cording to  the  figures  gleaned  from  the  Standard. 

The  Greensburg  schools  have  attained  their  high  state  of  development 
through  a  long  series  of  educational  efforts,  and  tiie  good  citizens  of  this 
city  deserve  a  great  amount  of  praise  in  contributing  so  nobly  to  this  cause 
and  standing  behind  all  educational  ventures  which  have  been  carried  on  b^' 
the  different  heads  from  the  beginning  of  the  school  S3'stems.  The  high 
school  stands  today  in  the  front  ranks,  and  in  looking  back  over  the  educa- 
tional history  of  the  county  it  can  be  seen  that  the  early  seeds  of  education 
which  were  sown  by  such  illustrious  men  as  Professor  May  and  others  are 
being  reaped  by  our  present  generation  in  their  modern  building  and  the 
up-to-date  instructors. 

ADAMS    TOWNSHIP    SCHOOLS. 

The  present  status  of  the  schools  in  Decatur  county  may  be  discussed 
by  townships.  Adams  township  has  three  consolidated  schools  and  one 
district  school.  The  largest  of  these  schools  is  located  at  St.  Paul.  This 
is  a  commissioned  high  school  and  its  history  and  developments  will  be 
taken  up  later.  The  next  consolidated  school  in  this  township  in  point  of 
size  is  located  at  Adams.  This  school  is  equipped  with  a  modern  building 
and,  in  addition  to  the  regular  grade  work,  three  years  of  high  school  work 
are  taught.  Four  hacks  serve  as  a  means  of  transportation  to  the  children 
who  attend  this  school  and  five  teachers  administer  to  the  intellectual  wants 
of  the  children.  The  third  consolidated  school  is  located  at  St.  Omer.  The 
regular  grade  work  is  taught  in  this  school,  but  the  high  training  is  secured 
at  St.  Paul.  The  district  school  is  supplied  by  one  teacher,  who  has  charge 
of  all  the  grades. 

CLAY   TOWNSHIP    SCHOOLS. 

Cla}-  township  has  within  its  limits  two  consolidated  schools  and  two 
district  schools,  in  addition  to  a  joint  district  school  which  accommodates  the 
pupils  from  Clay  and  Sand  Creek  township  and  is  located  on  the  township 
line.  The  largest  of  these  consolidated  schools  is  located  at  Burney.  This 
is  a  commissioned  high  school  and  affords  excellent  opportunities  to  the 
pupils  of  this  section  for  high-school  training.  The  children  are  furnished 
with  seven  hacks  to  bring  them  to  the  seat  of  learning  in  the  township  and 
the  school  is  well  attended.     Although  the  building  is  large  and  the  school 


196  '  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

has  been  provided  with  sufficient  teachers  to  accommodate  them  in  the  past, 
still  in  the  last  few  years,  owing  to  the  general  trend  of  children  from  the 
district  schools  to  the  consolidated  schools,  the  capacity  of  the  school  has  been 
crowded  to  the  limit  and  plans  are  already  under  way  to  enlarge  the  present 
building  in  order  that  the  increase  in  enrollment  can  be  properly  taken  care 
of.  Clifty  is  also  provided  with  a  consolidated  school,  but  only  for  grade 
work.  This  school  has  three  teachers  who  administer  to  the  grade  pupils. 
Two  district  schools  are  located  in  the  rural  districts  of  the  township  and 
are  each  supplied  with  one  teacher,  who  has  charge  of  all  the  grades. 

CLINTON    TOWNSHIP    CONSOLIDATED    SCHOOL. 

Clinton  township  was  originally  divided  into  four  school  districts,  each 
district  being  accommodated  with  a  one-room  school  building.  The  school 
enumeration  of  Sandusky  having  increased,  it  was  necessary  to  add  another 
room  to  the  building  there. 

The  first  steps  toward  consolidation  were  made  in  1894  under  rather 
singular  circumstances.  A  teacher  had  been  hired  to  teach  the  school  at 
district  No.  2.  When  the  day  arrived  for  the  opening  of  the  school  year 
the  teacher  was  present,  but  not  a  pupil  put  in  his  appearance,  as  they  had  all 
entered  the  Sandusky  schools.  The  teacher  continued  going  to  the  school 
and  finally  the  trustee  compromised  with  her  for  one-half  of  her  salary. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  consolidation  in  Clinton  township. 

The  enrollment  steadily  increased  and  in  1896  another  room  was  added. 
In  1900  one  school  hack  was  introduced  for  the  transportation  of  children 
to  and  from  the  Sandusky  schools.  The  second  district  school  to  be  aban- 
doned was  district  No.  4,  which  occurred  in  1905.  The  following  year  the 
third  and  last  district  school  was  abandoned,  with  the  resignation  of  the 
teacher  in  charge  of  that  school. 

This  left  Sandusky  the  center  of  the  schools  of  Clinton  township  and, 
with  the  added  enrollment  from  the  other  three  districts,  the  school  build- 
ing was  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  pupils.  In  August,  1907, 
another  room  was  added  to  relieve  the  congestion.  In  1898  the  two-year 
high  school  course  was  oft'ered  and  in  1907-08  the  rooms  were  divided  and 
a  teacher  placed  in  charge  of  each  room.  The  state  superintendent's  report 
shows  that  Clinton  was  the  first  township  in  the  state  to  have  a  completely 
consolidated  school,  with  necessary  conveyances  to  carry  the  children  to  and 
from  school.  All  was  progressing  very  nicely  until  January  21,  1910,  when 
the  entire  building  and  its  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire.     The  term  of 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 97 

school  was  unfinished  and  it  was  necessary  to  finish  the  school  in  the  Metho- 
dist church  and  three  private  dwellings. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  (1910)  Trustee  E.  L.  Meek  let  the 
contract  for  a  $15,750  school  building,  which  was  to  be  erected  during  the 
summer.  The  building  is  located  on  the  north  side  of  town  and  on  the  Ft. 
Wayne  pike.  It  is  on  the  site  of  the  old  building,  but  the  grounds  were 
enlarged  by  the  purchase  of  an  acre  of  ground.  This  building  was  completed 
in  the  fall  of  1910  and  school  was  held  in  it  for  the  first  time  that  year.  The 
building  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  modern  and  well-equipped  consolidated 
school  buildings  in  this  part  of  the  state.  There  are  three  rooms  on  the  first 
floor  for  the  different  grades  and  the  second  floor  is  taken  up  with  the  eighth- 
grade  room,  high  school  room  and  auditorium. 

The  enrollment  for  19 15  in  the  high  school  was  seventeen.  There 
were  four  grade  teachers  and  the  high  school  superintendent.  The  teachers, 
and  grades  over  which  they  have  charge,  are  as  follow :  Kirby  Payne,  high 
school;  Carrie  Thackery,  seventh  and  eighth  grades;  Janie  Martin,  fifth 
and  sixth  grades;  Mary  Cushman,  third  and  fourth  grades;  Mabel 
McDowell,  primary.  The  basement  is  divided  into  two  large  play  rooms, 
one  for  each. sex.  Six  hacks  are  utilized  in  transporting  the  children  to  and 
from  this  seat  of  learning.  Consolidation  has  pro\ed  successful  in  Clinton 
township  on  account  of  the  small  size  of  the  township  and  the  excellent 
financial  condition  at  the  present  time. 

FUGIT  TOWNSHIP. 

Fugit  township  has  not  made  such  rapid  advancements  in  the  lines  of 
consolidation  as  some  of  her  sister  townships.  The  only  consolidated  school 
in  this  township  is  located  at  Clarksburg.  This  school  received  its  commis- 
sion in  1913,  graduating  the  first  class  in  1914.  This  school  is  well  attended 
and  has  a  very  modern  course  of  study.  Kingston  has  one  of  the  most 
unique  schools  in  the  county.  A  new  country  school  building  was  erected, 
at  a  cost  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  founder 
to  form  a  community  school.  This  building  has  two  rooms,  with  a  large 
assembly  room  in  the  basement,  covering  the  entire  first  floor,  and  is  modern 
in  every  respect.  One  striking  feature  of  this  building  is  the  lighting  system 
which  includes  a  large  skylight.  At  present  only  one  teacher  is  employed 
in  this  school  and  the  attendance  the  past  year  was  only  twenty.  A  Catholic 
school  is  located  at  St.  Morris.  This  building  is  owned  by  the  church,  but 
the  teachers  are  employed  by  the  township  and  are  approved  by  the  citizens 


198  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  this  parish.     The  building  has  two  rooms  and  two  teachers  are  regularly 
employed.     There  are  also  two  district  schools  in  this  township. 

JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 

Jackson  township  has  the  greatest  number  of  consolidated  schools,  no 
district  schools  remaining  in  this  township.  The  live  consolidated  schools 
in  this  township  are  located  as  follows:  Newburg,  VVaynesburg,  Alert,  Big- 
horn and  Sardina.  The  four  first-named  schools  have  only  two  teachers, 
who  administer  to  the  wants  of  the  children,  while  the  last  named  has  three. 
Two  years  high  school  work  is  taught  in  all  of  these  schools,  in  addition  to 
the  regular  course  of  study  for  the  grades. 

MARION    TOWNSHIP. 

Marion  township,  owing  to  its  unfortunate  location  in  not  being  sup- 
plied with  the  proper  railroad  or  interurban  facilities,  has  made  no  advance- 
ment in  the  line  of  consolidation.  The  condition  of  the  roads  in  this  town- 
ship make  consolidation  almost  an  impossibility.  There  are  eleven  district 
schools  located  over  this  township  and  one  teacher  supplies  each  of  these 
schools.  There  is  also  a  parochial  school,  located  at  Milhousen.  Four 
teachers  are  employed  to  administer  to  the  children  of  this  locality.  One  of 
these  teachers,  however,  is  employed  by  the  public,  the  church  exercising 
power  in  the  choosing  of  this  teacher. 

SALT    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 

Salt  Creek  township  has  lately  made  rapid  advancements  in  the  consoli- 
dation of  its  schools.  In  1909  a  school  building  was  erected  at  Newpoint,  at  a 
cost  of  twelve  thousand  dollars.  This  school  maintains  a  three-years  high 
school,  in  addition  to  the  grade  work.  There  are  also  three  district  schools 
remaining  in  this  township,  which  have  not  been  changed  by  the  consolida- 
tion. Among  those,  who,  in  more  recent  years,  served  as  teachers  in  the 
schools  of  Salt  Creek  township,  are:  G.  M.  Gard,  Ellen  Moody,  James  D. 
White,  John  H.  Bobbitt,  Dennis  O'Dea,  H.  W.  Jenkins,  Mrs.  H.  W.  Jenkins, 
Ed  Glidewell,  Grover  C.  Harding.  J.  G.  CoUicott,  now  superintendent  of  the 
Indianapolis  city  schools,  received  his  elementary  education  in  this  township, 
as  did  also  Lewis  A.  Harding,  prosecuting  attorney,  and  Anna  B.  Collins,  of 
Indiana  University.  Fred  Baas  was  principal  of  the  Newpoint  schools  in 
1915-  ^    ,   j'i^l 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    IXDIANA.  I99 


SAND   CREEK   TOWNSHIP. 


Sand  Creek  township  has  one  consohdated  school,  located  at  Letts. 
This  school  building  has  been  remodeled  and  affords  very  modern  and  com- 
modious quarters  for  the  young  aspirants  for  knowledge.  This  school  also 
presents  a  commissioned  high  school  course  of  study  and  the  enrollment  for 
the  past  year  totaled  forty-four.  Westport  also  has  an  ui>to-date  high 
school,  with  an  enrollment  of  eighty-five.  There  are  six  outlying  district 
schools  in  this  township,  which  ha\e  not  experienced  the  ad\antages  of  a 
consolidated  district. 

WASHINGTON   TOWNSHIP. 

Washington  township  has  two  consolidated  grade  schools,  supplied  with 
two  teachers  each.  There  are  also  three  district  schools  in  this  township, 
which  cannot  be  consolidated.  The  high  school  students  of  this  township 
are  accommodated  by  the  Green.sburg  high  school,  which  is  dealt  with  in  its 
proper  place. 

Summarizing  the  different  township  schools  of  this  county,  it  can  be 
easily  seen  that  there  is  a  marked  advancement  toward  consolidation  and 
centralization.  The  citizens  of  this  county,  as  in  other  counties,  are  begin- 
ning to  realize  the  greater  advantages  which  can  be  gained  from  a  consoli- 
dated school,  which  affords  more  high-salaried  teachers  and  better  educa- 
tional facilities  than  could  be  received  through  many  scattered  one-room 
schools. 

WESTPORT    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

The  first  school  at  Westport  was  taught  in  the  year  1845  by  ^  Mr.  Bid- 
dinger.  This  school  house  was  a  one-room  log  building,  having  seats  around 
the  wall,  a  large  stove  in  the  center  of  the  room  and  recitation  benches 
arrayed  in  a  quaint  manner  around  the  stove.  These  benches  and  seats  were 
made  of  rough-hewn  logs  which  were  not  promoters  of  comfort.  The  ses- 
sions of  the  school  during  the  first  winters  after  the  building  was  erected 
never  exceeded  three  months  and  the  average  attendance  was  estimated  at 
about  thirty. 

In  1859  this  log  building  was  replaced  by  a  two-story  brick  structure, 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  log  school  house.  The  upper  room  was  used 
as  a  town  hall,  but  soon  the  school  attendance  was  increased  and  conse- 
quently this  was  used  for  class  purposes.  iNIr.  Strickland  taught  the  first 
school  in  this  new  brick  building.     He  also  was  the  first  teacher  to  introduce 


200  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

high-school  studies  in  the  curricuhim  of  the  school  course.  When  he  retired 
from  the  field  of  teaching  this  work  was  dropped  and  was  not  taught  again 
until  the  present  school  building  was  erected.  Under  Mr.  Strickland's  leader- 
ship the  attendance  of  the  school  was  increased,  the  average  then  being 
about  sixty-five  pupils.  Two  teachers  were  regularly  employed  and,  some 
years,  the  attendance  was  increased  until  it  was  necessary  to  add  another 
teacher. 

The  increased  attendance  also  brought  about  the  necessity  for  larger 
and  more  modern  quarters,  but  this  could  not  be  provided  at  that  time,  so  a 
frame  room  was  built  for  a  temporary  means  of  relieving  the  congestion. 
The  publication  of  a  weekly  school  paper  was  begun  about  this  time  and 
became  quite  an  interesting  factor  among  the  students.  After  the  building 
of  the  railroad,  the  attendance  of  the  school  rapidly  increased  and  the  school 
soon  boasted  of  an  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  students.  The 
majority  of  these  were  enrolled  at  the  brick  building,  as  the  frame  room 
was  only  used  for  the  primary  grades.  The  average  length  of  the  term  was 
from  six  to  seven  months,  and  from  three  to  four  teachers  were  employed. 
The  present  building  was  erected  in  1896.  It  was  originally  a  two- 
story  brick  building,  containing  four  rooms  and  two  halls.  The  average 
attendance  at  that  time  was  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  and  from 
four  to  five  teachers  were  employed.  In  1909  the  building  was  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  two  new  rooms.  The  original  two  upper  rooms  were 
converted  into  one  large  auditorium  and  a  laboratory,  and  a  recitation  room 
was  also  added  to  the  basement. 

The  school  was  commissioned  in  1909-10  and  additional  improvements 
have  been  made  to  the  building  since  that  time.  The  school  is  furnished 
with  modern  equipment  and  devices,  is  both  comfortable  and  attractive  and 
has  an  average  attendance  at  present  of  two  hundred  and  eighty.  The 
school  has  been  under  the  leadership  of  Supt.  Oscar  W.  Holmes  since  its 
commission  to  the  first  grade  ranks.  Superintendent  Holmes  is  a  graduate 
of  Indiana  State  Normal  School  and  ranks  with  the  foremost  educators  of 
the  day.  Since  its  commission  Westport  high  school  has  graduated  eighty 
students  from  its  ranks  who  are  now  engaged  in  various  callings. 

.\thletics  is  a  great  factor  in  the  regular  work  of  the  school  life. 
Domestic  science  and  agriculture  have  also  been  added  to  the  curriculum 
of  studies.  The  common  school  attendance  averages  two  hundred  and  the 
high  school  attendance  is  placed  at  eighty.      Seven  teachers  are  employed. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


ST.    PAUL   SCHOOL. 


The  history  of  the  St.  Paul  schools,  as  with  all  of  the  early  schools  of 
Indiana,  hegin  with  the  little  log  school  house.  In  the  year  185 1,  when  the 
surrounding  country  was  one  vast  wooded  territory,  with  scattered  settle- 
ments, there  was  established  a  small  school  in  the  little  village  of  St.  Paul. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  an  educational  program,  the  end  which  has  not 
been  reached,  but  is  still  pushing  ever  higher.  The  interior  of  this  room 
was  characteristic  of  all  the  early  log  school  buildings.  A  large  fireplace 
occupied  one  end  of  this  building,  and  at  the  opposite  end  was  a  small  plat- 
form, on  which  the  early  pedagogue  held  his  sway.  The  desks  were  made 
of  half  logs,  with  their  flat  face  hewn  smooth,  and  the  seats  were  similarly 
constructed.  Along  the  wall  was  a  long,  smooth,  wide  board  used  for  writ- 
ing. The  three  R's — reading,  writing  and  arithmetic — were  the  only  sub- 
jects taught.     Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  school  system  in  St.  Paul. 

About  the  year  1856  the  quarters  of  the  school  was  changed  to  a  frame 
building,  but  this  was  only  a  temporary  change.  The  next  move  was  to  the 
second  story  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  Ridlen  building,  but  is  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Johannes'  buggy  shop.  Some  of  the  teachers  who  saw 
active  service  there  were  Mr.  Madison,  George  Stotsenburg,  David  Sutton, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ballard.  Spelling  was  one  of  the  chief  diversions  in  the  schools 
of  this  time  and  many  good  spellers  were  developed. 

After  several  years,  the  school  again  shifted  and  this  time  established 
in  the  building  which  is  now  the  home  of  Henry  Neidigh.  The  growth  of 
the  schools  had  reached  such  proportions  at  this  time  that  two  rooms  and 
two  teachers  were  required.  Among  the  names  of  the  teachers  who  served 
at  this  time  were  James  Scull,  Mrs.  D.  J.  Ballard,  Eunice  Paul,  Charles 
Powner,  George  Stotsenburg  and  Doctor  Ballard.  One  of  these  who  is 
especially  remembered  by  the  pupils  is  Charles  Powner.  Mr.  Powner  was 
a  near-sighted  man,  of  little  training,  and  the  boys  found  plenty  of  time  and 
opportunity  for  fun  at  his  expense.  It  was  during  this  period  of  school  that 
the  people  became  divided  on  religious  and  ix)litical  views  and  this,  in  turn, 
split  up  the  school  system.  There  were  then  established  three  different 
schools,  besides  the  remnant  of  the  public  school.  They  were  located  as 
follows :  One  in  the  Methodist  church,  one  in  the  Catholic  church,  and  one 
in  the  Floyd  building.  The  latter  was  a  private  school  established  by  the 
Madison  and  Woodard  families,  the  former  being  sectarian  schools.  This 
factional  difference  was  soon  adjusted  and  in   1870-71   a  new  school  build- 


202  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ing  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  high  school  building.  This  was  a 
large,  square,  brick  building  erected  by  Trustee  Benjamin  Jenkins.  It  con- 
tained six  class  rooms  and  a  large  assembly  room.  Each  morning  the  entire 
school  would  gather  in  the  large  assembly  room  for  the  opening  exercises, 
which  consisted  of  singing,  etc. 

Gradually  the  courses  were  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  few  high 
school  subjects,  but  the  exact  date  of  this  is  unknown,  although  the  first 
graduates  of  this  one-year  course  are  given  as  Flo  Hoover  and  Frank  Ray. 
The  first  teacher  in  that  high  school  was  Mr.  Alcott.  This  was  merely  an 
incentive  toward  the  greater  work  of  making  this  a  standard  high  school. 
A  short  time  later  a  three-year  course  was  added  and  this  was  maintained 
until  the  old  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  teachers  who  assisted 
in  the  old  building  were  Mr.  Lewark,  principal;  Mr.  Jewett,  number  four; 
Mrs.  Jewett,  number  two,  and  Mrs.  Viola  Palmerton,  number  one. 

The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1901  and  work  was  immediately 
begun  on  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  but  this  was  not  accomplished  in 
time  for  school  work  that  winter  and,  in  consequence,  school  was  held  in 
the  rooms  of  the  Kanouse  and  Floyd  buildings.  In  1902  the  building  was 
completed,  but  the  courses  of  study  remained  the  same.  A  little  later  the 
standard  for  Indiana  high  schools  was  raised  by  the  Legislature  and  Mr. 
Crawley  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  schools.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be 
given  to  Mr.  Crawley  for  his  efl^orts  in  raising  the  St.  Paul  schools  to  their 
present  standing.  The  advancement  of  this  high  school  has  been  marked 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  patrons,  Mr.  Crawley  has  been  able  to  meet 
all  of  the  demands  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  keep  St.  Paul  high 
school  in  the  first  rank  of  commissioned  schools  of  the  country.  It  was 
commissioned  in  the  fall  of  191 1. 

Nearly  all  lines  of  work  are  now  demanding  a  high-school  education. 
Competition  is  driving  men  in  every  field  of  endeavor  to  make  better  prepa- 
ration. As  a  result,  advanced  schools  for  farming,  business,  theology,  medi- 
cine and  law  are  demanding  that  students  shall  have  completed  a  standard 
four-year  high  school  course  before  taking  up  their  college  or  advanced 
work.  The  patrons  of  this  school  have  fully  realized  this  and,  in  order  that 
their  children  might  be  able  to  go  forth  into  the  world  and  cope  with  gradu- 
ates from  other  schools  on  an  equal  footing,  they  have  seen  to  it  that  their 
high  school  should  add  all  of  the  different  advanced  courses  in  learning 
and  ofi^er  every  inducement  for  the  home  training. 

The   high   school   has   graduated   approximately   thirty-five   students   in 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2O3 

their  four  years  of  commissioned  standing.  Professor  Crowley  have  served 
as  superintendent  for  the  school  for  thirteen  years  and  deserves  a  good  por- 
tion of  the  praise  due  this  high  school.  There  are  seven  teachers  and  two 
hundred  students  at  present  in  grades  and  high  school.  The  high  school 
alone  employs  three  teachers  and  has  an  enrollment  of  fifty  students. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    CHURCHES    OF    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

Tliere  is  no  more  potent  factor  in  the  life  of  any  community  than  the 
church,  and  the  influence  of  an  active  denomination  is  measured  by  the 
wholesome  spirit  which  may  be  found  in  the  community.  More  than  ninety 
years  have  elapsed  since  the  first  settlers  of  Decatur  county  made  their  per- 
manent homes  here,  and  within  that  time  more  than  ninety  churches  have 
arisen  in  the  county.  Many  of  them  ha\'e  long  since  closed  their  careers,  but 
the  good  which  they  accomplished  still  remains.  There  are  those  who  main- 
tain that  the  people  of  today  are  not  as  religious  as  the  pioneers  of  the  state, 
but  things  religious  are  not  to  be  measured  by  human  standards.  The  mere 
fact  that  there  are  fewer  churches  in  Decatur  county  today  than  fifty  years 
ago  does  not  argue  that  the  people  are  any  the  less  religious;  neither  does  it 
imply  that  the  life  of  people  is  of  a  lower  standard  than  it  was  in  the  "good 
old  days,"  which  some  like  to  think  were  nearer  the  millenium. 

Churches  may  come  and  churches  may  go,  but  a  better  civilization  is 
not  gauged  by  the  mere  number  of  churches.  Many  factors  have  entered  into 
the  disappearance  of  the  rural  church,  and  not  the  least  of  these  is  the  shift- 
ing of  population  from  the  country  to  the  towns  and  villages.  For  this  same 
reason,  there  are  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  public  schools  throughout 
Indiana  which  have  been  discontinued  within  the  past  twenty-five  years. 
Many  a  neighborhood  which  had  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  school  children 
half  a  century  ago  cannot  even  support  a  school  with  the  minimum  number 
of  twelve  required  by  the  law  at  the  present  time.  This  ever-increasing  drift 
from  rural  to  urban  centers  affects  not  only  the  church  and  the  school,  but 
our  national  life  along  all  lines.  Nor  does  it  mean,  in  any  sense  of  the  word, 
that  we  are  becoming  less  religious  because  of  fewer  churches,  or  more  ignor- 
ant because  of  the  abandonment  of  so  many  rural  schools. 

There  can  be  no  questioning  the  fact  that  Decatur  county  has  passed 
through  a  marked  religious  change  during  the  past  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury, nor  can  it  be  denied  that  things  might  be  better.  Yet  it  must  be  admit- 
ted that  the  people  of  the  county  are  living  lives  today  much  closer  to  the 
Ten  Commandments  than  ever  before.     History  tells  us  that  our  good  fore- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2O5 

fathers  were  not  al\va}'S  as  good  as  we  have  usuahy  pictured  them ;  could 
we  of  today  see  them  in  their  daily  life  we  would  be  surprised  at  some  of 
the  things  they  did.  The  great  majority  of  them  drank — and  drank 
whisky;  they  were  very  profane;  they  were  prone  to  fight:  they  grafted  in 
public  affairs  just  as  has  been  done  since ;  they  had  many  shortcomings  which 
we  have  not  been  accustomed  to  associate  with  them.  Yet,  they  were  relig- 
ious— though  the  preacher  often  worked  his  sermon  out  with  the  aid  of  a 
whisky  flask.  In  those  cold  churches  of  the  twenties  and  thirties  the  bottle 
was  called  upon  to  supply  the  heat  denied  by  the  old  fireplace  or  rude  sto\e. 
It  was  the  way  people  lived  in  those  days;  in  their  view  a  bottle  of  whisky 
was  as  essential  to  the  fanner  on  harvest  day  as  the  bottle  of  machine  oil 
is  today. 

Under  truly  pioneer  conditions  did  our  forefathers  live  for  many  \ears, 
and  to  see  them  file  into  church  on  Sunday  morning  in  the  thirties,  one  would 
certainly  think  so.  An  old  settler,  writing  in  1830,  tells  of  going  to  church 
at  Westport.  "where  most  of  the  congregation  was  barefooted.  Some  wore 
moccasins,  some  buckskin  breeches  and  hunting  shirts,  with  coon,  fox  or 
'possum-skin  caps  on  their  heads.  Alany  of  the  caps  were  ornamented  with 
fox  tails.  One  old  man  and  his  spouse  rode  to  the  meeting  on  a  Iiig  red 
bull." 

According  to  the  custom  of  the  period,  the  men  sat  on  the  left  side  of 
the  center  aisle  and  the  women  on  the  right.  Husbands  and  wives  and  sweet- 
hearts went  to  and  from  church  together,  but  sat  apart  during  services,  lest 
their  attention  be  distracted  from  the  parson's  discourse. 

Says  Mrs.  Alartha  Stevens,  writing  of  a  Greensburg  church  of  early 
days:  "Then  ladies  used  to  sing  treble,  and  you  would  often  hear  a  lady 
away  above  the  congregation.  They  thought  it  was  fine,  but,  under  the  new 
way,  the  men  sing  the  tenor.  The  hymns  were  lined,  as  it  was  then  called. 
Two  lines  would  be  given  out  by  the  minister  or  clerk,  then  sung  by  the 
congregation,  then  two  more  lines  would  be  read  and  sung." 

Our  forefathers  in  Decatur  county  did  not  worship  in  beautiful  churches, 
but  gathered  in  their  own  homes,  in  school  buildings,  in  groves  when  the 
weather  permitted,  and  even  in  barns.  They  neither  grumbled  nor  com- 
plained, but  were  joyful  and  happy  with  the  lot  Providence  had  seen  fit  to 
give  them.  Their  services  were  very  irregular :  they  had  no  Sabbath  schools 
and  no  musical  instruments.  Without  any  of  the  modern  attractions  which 
are  now  deemed  a  necessary  part  of  the  church,  they  worshipped  in  a  quiet, 
simple  and  very  unostentatious  manner.  Often  weeks  must  pass  without  a 
regular  minister,  and  then  some  pioneer  conducted  the  services,  if  not  in  an 


2o6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

orthodox  manner,  yet  with  that  true  Christian  spirit  which  found  favor  with 
the  Giver  of  all  good  things.  In  these  humble  meetings — and  often  the  lit- 
tle band  did  not  number  over  a  dozen — they  thanked  God  for  what  He  had 
vouchsafed  them  and  asked  Him  to  continue  His  blessings  toward  them. 
And  who  is  there  to  say  that  they  did  not  do  all  they  could  to  advance  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven. 

We  want  a  religion  that  softens  the  step  and  tunes  the  voice  to  melody 
and  fills  the  eye  with  sunshine  and  checks  the  impatient  exclamation  and 
harsh  rebuke.  A  religion  that  is  polite,  deferential  to  superiors,  courteous  to 
inferiors,  and  considerate  to  friends;  a  religion  that  goes  into  the  family 
and  keeps  the  husband  from  being  cross  when  the  dinner  is  late  and  the  wife 
from  fretting  when  he  tracks  the  floor  with  his  muddy  boots,  and  makes 
him  mindful  of  the  scraper  and  doormat;  keeps  the  mother  patient  when 
the  baby  is  cross,  and  amuses  the  children  as  well  as  instructs  them;  cares 
for  the  servants  besides  paying  them  promptly;  projects  the  honeymoon  into 
the  harvest  moon ;  makes  a  happy  home  like  the  Easter  fig  tree,  bearing  in 
its  bosom  at  once  the  beauty  of  the  ripened  fruit.  We  want  a  religion  that 
shall  interpose  between  the  ruts,  gullies  and  the  rocks  of  the  highway  of  life 
and  the  sensitive  souls  that  are  traveling  over  them.  And  who  shall  say 
that  the  simple  faith  of  our  forefathers  was  not  as  potent  in  bringing  all 
this  about  as  the  religion  preached  today. 

The  Baptists  and  Methodists  were  the  first  to  establish  churches  in 
Decatur  county,  and  they  were  closely  followed  by  a  number  of  other  denom- 
inations. The  Presbyterians  and  Christians  (erroneously  called  the  Camp- 
bellites)  were  early  in  the  field,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  last  century  more 
than  fifty  churches  were  scattered  throughout  the  county.  The  Protestants 
had  the  field  to  themselves  until  1840,  when  the  first  Catholic  church  was 
established,  and  since  that  year  the  Catholics  have  steadily  grown  in  power 
and  influence.  They  have  many  strong  congregations  in  the  county,  most 
of  their  members  being  of  German  birth  or  descent.  But,  whether  Protest- 
ant or  Catholic,  the  influence  of  the  church  is  always  exerted  in  behalf  of 
cleaner  living  and  for  a  higher  conception  of  the  brotherhood  of  man  and 
the  fatherhood  of  God. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  churches  of  Decatur  count)'  it  seems  best  to 
submit  a  list  of  all  the  churches,  both  acti\e  and  discontinued,  which  have 
appeared  at  one  time  or  another  in  the  history  of  the  county.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  location,  they  are  given  by  townships,  and  by  section  if  in  the  rural 
districts. 

It  may  be  a  surprise  to  many  people  of  Decatur  county  to  know  that 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  20/ 

there  have  been  more  than  ninet}'  different  church  organizations  in  the  county 
since  its  organization  in  1822,  but  a  study  of  the  rehgious  history  of  tlie 
county  reveals  the  fact  that  there  have  been  that  many  in  existence  at  one 
time  or  another.  A  surprisingly  large  number  of  these  churches  are  now 
discontinued  and  many  others  are  struggling  with  a  few  members  and  irreg- 
ular services. 

Churches  representing  the  following  denominations  ha\'e  been  found  in 
the  county:  African  Methodist  Episcopal,  Baptist  (three  kinds).  Christian 
(Campbellites),  Christian  (Newlights),  Christian  Science,  Christian  Union, 
Episcopal,  Free  \\'ill  Methodists,  Holiness,  Lutheran,  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal. 
Methodist  Protestant,  Pentecostal,  Presbyterian  (two  branches).  United 
Brethren  and  Catholic. 

In  many  cases  the  location  of  the  church  is  designated  by  section.  Where 
the  section  is  given  it  refers  to  the  section,  township  and  range  of  the  par- 
ticular civil  township.     The  list  follows: 

Adams  Township — Baptist,  Adams,  ^It.  [Nloriah  ( discontinued )  and 
New  Litde  Flat  Rock;  Catholic,  St.  Paul;  Christian,  Adams  and  St.  Paul: 
Methodist,  Adams,  St.  Omer  (discontinued),  St.  Paul  and  Shiloh  (discon- 
tinued); Presbyterian,  St.  Omer  (discontinued):  Union  church,  section  34: 
United  Brethren,  St.  Omer  and  Union  Chapel. 

Clay  Township — Baptist,  Burney  and  Mt.  Hebron  (discontinued); 
Christian,  Cliffy:  Methodist,  Clifty  and  Burney;  unknown,  section  36,  south. 

Clinton  township — Christian,  section  2 ;  Methodist,  Sandusky. 

Fugit  Township — Catholic,  St.  Maurice ;  Christian,  Clarksburg ;  ]\Ieth- 
odist,  Clarksburg,  Mt.  Carmel  and  St.  Maurice  (discontinued);  Presbyter- 
ian, Memorial  (section  20),  Kingston,  Clarksburg  and  Springhill. 

Jackson  Township — Baptist,  Dry  Fork  (discontinued),  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Sardinia,  and  Mt.  Pisgah  (discontinued);  Christian,  ^^'aynesburg■ ;  Chris- 
tian Union,  Alert:  Methodist,  Alert,  Asbury  (discontinued)  and  Wesley 
Chapel;  Presbyterian,  Forest  Hill  and  Sardinia  (discontinued);  United 
Brethren,  Sardinia. 

Marion  Township — Baptist,  Sandcreek,  Rock  Creek  and  Antioch ;  Cath- 
olic, Millhousen;  Christian,  Antioch  (discontinued):  Methodist,  Burke's 
Chapel  and  Mt.  Pleasant:  unknown,  section  27.  north. 

Salt  Creek  Township — Baptist,  Rossburg;  Catholic,  Enochsburg;  Chris- 
tian, Mechanicsburg  and  Newpoint;  German  Lutheran,  section  26:  German 
Methodist,  section  23 ;  Methodist,  section  t,2. 

Sand  Creek  Township — Baptist,  ]\lt.  Aerie.  Letts,  Friendship,  Westport, 


208  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  section  28;  Christian,  Westport;  Methodist,  Westport,  Letts,  section  23 
and  section  18,  south;  United  Brethren,  Fredonia;  unknown,  section  4,  east. 

Washington  Townsliip — Baptist,  Liberty.  Sandcreek  (moved  to  Mar- 
ion township);  Baptist,  section  28;  Christian  (NewHght)  :  Methodist,  sec- 
tion 15,  south. 

Greensburg — African  Methodist,  Baptist,  CathoHc,  Christian,  Christian 
Science.  F.piscopal,  Holiness,  Lutheran,  Methodist  Protestant,  Methodist 
Episcopal   (two  churches),  Presbyterian. 

One  difticult}'  in  locating  these  churches  is  in  identifying  the  church 
with  the  local  name.  Three  Sand  Creek  churches,  two  Antiochs,  two  Alt. 
Pleasants,  two  Mt.  Moriahs  and  two  Flat  Rocks  have  been  found.  One 
church  still  shelters  two  separate  congregations — Lower  Union — in  Marion 
township.  The  Baptists  call  it  Rock  Creek  and  the  United  Brethren  know 
it  as  Lower  Union,  the  oldest  title  by  which  the  people  of  that  neighborhood 
know  it.  One  of  the  Antiochs  was  torn  down  several  years  ago,  moved  to 
Greensburg  and  is  now  the  home  of  the  Pentecostal  (Holiness)  band  of 
worshippers.  Another  place  of  worship  in  the  county  seat  enjoys  the  sug- 
gestive title  of  Ark. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCHES. 

In  19 1 5  there  were  eighteen  active  Methodist  churches  in  Decatur 
county,  as  follow,  the  names  of  the  pastors  also  being  given:  Greensburg, 
First,  J.  H.  Doddridge;  Greensburg,  Centenary,  J.  Ed.  Murr;  Greensburg, 
Colored,  T.  W.  Daniels ;  Milford,  J.  A.  Gardner ;  Adams,  J.  A.  Gardner ; 
Westport,  T.  J.  Lewis ;  Letts,  T.  J.  Lewis ;  Mt.  Pleasant,  T.  J.  Lewis ;  Burk's 
Chapel,  T.  J.  Lewis ;  Clarksburg,  C.  E.  Hester ;  Sandusky,  C.  E.  Hester ;  Mt. 
Carmel,  C.  E.  Hester;  Newpoint,  H.  A.  Broadwell ;  Middlebranch,  H.  A. 
Broadwell;  New  Pennington,  H.  A.  Broadwell;  Alert,  William  De  Hart; 
Wesley  Chapel,  William  De  Hart;  Burney,  Joseph  H.  Laramore. 

Although  there  were  Methodist  meetings  in  Decatur  county  at  a  very 
early  date,  little  is  known  of  the  activities  of  this  denomination  before  1835, 
as  most  of  the  work  was  done  in  small  classes  and  no  records  of  them  were 
kept.  But  it  is  known  that  among  the  first  settlers  of  this  county  were 
hardy,  two-fisted  Methodist  ministers,  ready  to  turn  a  hand  in  the  clearing 
and  at  other  rough  toil  or  to  preach,  pray  and  exhort.  Uncultured  and 
unkempt  as  most  of  them  were,  yet  they  brought  with  them  a  message  that 
could  not  pass  unheeded,  for  they  were  marching  in  the  vanguard  of  a  mili- 
tant denomination. 


CENTKXAUY  M.  K.  I'HrUCII 


M'TisT  ciintcn. 


r^T^ 


rRESISYTEJMAX  CIUltt'H.  FIKST  M.   K.  CIU  UCH. 

.SOME  (JUEE.NSBIIK;  CUT'lil'HHS. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  209 

Most  of  these  early  ministers  of  the  gospel  have  been  forgotten,  the 
names  of  many  of  them  have  been  lost,  forever,  and  stately  temples  tower 
high  on  the  sites  of  the  rnde  calkins  in  which  they  first  summoned  sinners 
to  repentance.  The  names  and  deeds  of  a  few  of  them  are  still  preserved 
through  the  lapse  of  almost  a  century. 

James  Murray  was  the  first  of  the  Methodist  circuit  riders  to  enter  the 
"New  Purchase.""  Then  there  was  James  Havins,  "Old  Samuel""  they  called 
him,  who  for  fifty  years  rode  circuits  and  served  as  presiding  elder.  There 
were  John  Ha\-cns  and  John  Linville,  camp-meeting  singers,  well  worthy  of 
the  name,  who  would  compare  most  favorabl}'  with  the  evangelistic  singers 
of  today.  Xor  should  Daniel  Stogsdill  be  forgotten,  "old  Dan  Stogsdill," 
who  walked  more  miles,  organized  more  churches  and  preached  more  free 
sermons  than  any  other  man  in  Decatur  county.  And  last,  there  was  James 
Hobbs,  one  of  the  first  setders  at  Clarksburg,  and  an  old  man  then.  "Preacher 
of  the  gospel — ordained,"'  he  styled  himself.  Besides,  there  were  many 
others,  but  their  names  have  been  lost  to  the  historian. 

METHODISM    IN    GREENSBURG. 

During  the  ninety-three  years  which  have  elapsed  since  1822  the  Meth- 
odist church  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  religious  life  of  Greensburg. 
Its  history,  like  that  of  Ancient  Gaul,  may  be  divided  into  three  parts,  for  in 
the  ninety-three  years  there  have  been  no  less  than  three  separate  congrega- 
tions in  the  city — and  all  three  claiming  to  be  founded  on  the  doctrines  as 
enunciated  by  the  Wesleys.  The  historian  in  attempting  to  follow  these 
three  distinct  congregations  from  their  inception  down  to  the  present  time  is 
seriously  handicapped  by  not  having  access  to  all  the  several  church  records. 
Then  again,  there  is  no  question  which  excites  such  violent  prejudices  as  does 
the  religious  question.  The  causes  leading  to  the  various  divisions  in  the 
Methodist  church  in  Greensburg  are  fairly  well  defined,  yet  an  impartial 
historian  in  such  a  case  would  not  dare  to  rely  altogether  on  what  people 
have  to  say  concerning  the  matter.  The  following  discussion  of  the  First 
Methodist,  Centenary  and  Methodist  Protestant  churches  of  Greensburg  is 
based  on  church  records  which  ha^•e  been  examined,  on  articles  appearing 
in  the  newspapers  at  the  time  the  various  di\-isions  occurred,  and,  finally,  on 
personal  interviews  with  people  representing  each  of  the  three  churches.  An 
attempt  has  been  made  to  treat  the  question  from  a  historical  and  not  a 
doctrinal  viewpoint. 
(14) 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


It  should  be  stated  in  the  beginning  that  there  was  only  one  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  in  Greensburg  up  to  the  spring  of  1866,  the  year  when  the 
first  division  occurred  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  present 
Centenary  church.  These  two  congregations  still  maintain  their  separate 
organizations.  The  third  Methodist  church  was  the  result  of  a  split  in  the 
congregation  of  the  Centenary  church  in  the  spring  of  1877,  but  this  third 
branch  has  long  since  disappeared.  With  this  brief  statement  of  facts,  the 
history  of  the  First  Methodist  church,  the  only  one  in  the  city  from  1822  to 
1866,  is  taken  up  and  followed  to  the  time  of  the  great  schism  of  1866. 

In  a  ponderous  volume,  entitled  "Church  Record,"  the  history  of  the 
beginning  of  Methodism  in  Greensburg  has  been  preserved.  While  Rev. 
Charles  Tinsley  was  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  church  in  1881,  he  pre- 
pared a  "History  of  Methodism  in  Greensburg,  Indiana,"  which  appears 
on  the  first  few  pages  of  the  above  mentioned  "Church  Record."  His 
account  was  undoubtedly  prepared  with  a  view  of  presenting  the  main  facts 
and  the  historian  uses  it  verbatim : 

"John  Robbins,  who  is  living  at  this  date  (September  13,  1881),  in 
Greensburg,  states  that  he  settled  near  Mt.  Pleasant  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  March  28,  1822,  four  miles  south  of  Greensburg.  The  first  Metho- 
dist sermon  he  heard  in  the  county  was  about  September  of  the  same  year 
by  Rev.  James  Murray,  of  the  Connersville  circuit — then  of  the  Ohio  con- 
ference— at  the  double  log  cabin  of  Col.  Thomas  Hendricks  [in  Greens- 
burg]. Mr.  Robbins  immediately  afterward  received  authority  by  letter 
from  Mr.  Murray  to  organize  a  class,  which  he  did  at  his  own  house,  and 
from  this  [grew]  the  first  religious  organization  in  the  county.  After  this 
he  [Roblains]  attended  the  organization  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Sand 
Creek. 

"The  members  of  this  first  Methodist  class  were  John  and  Ruth  Rob- 
bins, Robert  Courtney,  Elizabeth  Garrison,  John  H.  Kilpatrick  and  Mary, 
his  wife — seven  persons,  and  soon  afterward  [they  were  joined  by]  Jacob 
Steward,  A.  L.  Anderson,  Mary  Garrison,  Tamzen  Connor,  Lydia  Groen- 
dyke.  Rev.  Wesley  White  and  wife  Elizabeth,  and  James  and  Polly  Arm- 
strong. 

"When  the  Greensburg  class  was  formed  Jacob  Stewart  was  transferred 
to  it.  [Where  he  had  previously  belonged  is  not  stated.]  The  Robbins 
neighborhood  has  remained  a  preaching  place  ever  since.      In   1834  a  log 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  211 

church  was  buiU  and  cahed  Mt.  Pleasant — it  was  about  twenty- four  by 
thirty  feet,  and  in  1870  this  was  replaced  by  the  present  frame  of  about 
thirty-six  by  fifty  feet,  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dollars.  [This  is  the 
church  four  miles  south  of  Greensburg.]  The  most  remarkable  revival  at 
this  place  was  conducted  by  Landy  Cravens,  when  sixty  persons  united  with 
the  church.  Rev.  George  Winchester,  the  present  [1881]  pastor  of  the 
Greensburg  church,  to  which  this  society  belongs,  says  it  is  the  strongest 
society  on  the  circuit.  It  now  [1881J  has  a  membership  of  eighty  and  is 
properous.  [This  whole  paragraph  seems  to  have  no  connection  with  the 
Greensburg  church,  but  it  given  just  as  Rev.  Tinsley  wrote  it.] 

"Aaron  Wood  succeeded  Mr.  Murray  for  two  months  in  the  fall  of 
1823.  He  preached  at  Greensburg,  Robbin's,  McClain's,  Emlie's,  John  Mil- 
ler's and  John  Shultz's  in  the  county.  Mr.  Wood  attended  camp  meeting  on 
Shultz  land,  September  22,  1823,  but,  meeting  Jesse  Hale  at  John  Havens' 
house,  he  found  he  [Wood]  was  in  the  bounds  of  Mr.  Hale's  circuit  and 
withdrew.  [At  this  point  in  the  narrative  of  Rev.  Tinsley  he  gives  a  list 
of  the  pastors  of  the  Greensburg  church  from  1822  to  1866,  and  then  a  list 
of  those  serving  the  First  Methodist  church  up  to  the  time  his  article  was 
written  in  1881.  The  complete  list  of  pastors  will  be  given  later  in  the 
chapter.] 

"I'^ather  Robbins  and  Ezra  Lathrop  recollect  the  preaching  of  Jesse 
Hale  at  Col.  Thomas  Hendricks'  house,  where  all  preachers  were  welcome. 
Mr.  Hendricks  was  a  Presbyterian,  yet  a  generous-hearted  gentleman.  His 
first  cabin  was  situated  near  where  Porter's  old  saw-mill  stood.  He  built 
the  first  house  on  the  public  square  and  invited  the  preaching  to  that  house. 
John  Havens,  a  local  preacher,  who  supplied  the  circuit,  probably  organized 
the  first  class.  It  consisted,  perhaps,  of  Jacob  Stewart  and  wife,  Silas  Stew- 
art and  wife,  John  Ford  and  wife,  Jared   P.   Ford  and  wife,   Martin  and 

Nancy  Jamison,    Isaac   Plue   and  Plue.      John   F.    Roszell   and   his 

brother  Kehemiah  were  members  in  1826.  John  Ford  was  class  leader  and 
a  good  one.  The  Roszells  and  Plues  were  blacksmiths — the  former  the 
first  in  the  county. 

"Rev.  Joseph  Tarkington  was  appointed  to  the  circuit,  then  called  the 
Rushville  circuit,  in  the  fall  of  1829.  William  Evans,  his  assistant,  was 
married  by  Tarkington,  the  latter  still  being  single.  Evans  lived  in  a  log 
cabin  on  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Central  avenues.  Brother  Tarkington's 
first  sermon  was  in  the  grand  jury  room  of  the  court  house — southwest 
upper  room.  There  were  about  thirty  persons  present.  This  room  was 
frequently  used  by  the  Presbyterians  and  Baptists.     Reverend  Lowrey  was 


212  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  Presbyterian  minister  and  Rev.  Daniel  Stogsdale,  the  Baptist  minister. 
Jacob  Stewart  was  the  class  leader  and  steward.  James  Freeman  was  a 
local  preacher.     It  was  a  four-weeks'  circuit." 

Thus  closes  the  history  of  "Methodism  in  Greensburg,"  as  written  by 
Rev.  Charles  Tinsley  in  1881.  He  devotes  two  pages  and  a  half  to  a  brief 
summary  of  the  lives  of  Joseph  Tarkington,  Asbury  Wilkinson  and  Lewis 
Hurlbut,  but  of  the  history  of  the  church  since  1829  there  is  no  account. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  go  into  a  discussion  of  the  memorable 
division  of  1866,  but  of  this  schism  he  makes  no  mention  whatever,  nor, 
of  course,  says  anything  of  the  split  in  the  Centenary  church  in  1877.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  Reverend  Tinsley  was  a  better  preacher  than  he  was  a 
historian.  In  this  "Church  Record"  is  given  a  list  of  the  probationers  from 
March  7,  1863  (Martha  Carter),  to  August  28,  1892  (David  Mason  Mur- 
phy). There  is  a  record  of  several  classes,  but  most  of  them  are  undated, 
the  last  date  appearing  being  September,  1887.  An  "Alphabetical  Record 
of  Members  in  Full  Connection"  occupies  several  pages  and  was  evidently 
started  after  the  division  in  1866,  since  the  first  date  noticed  is  October  6, 
1867.  The  last  date  of  the  reception  of  a  member  is  June  12.  1892.  Thirty- 
four  marriages  are  recorded,  dating  from  December  25,  1867  (William  I. 
Grant  and  Indiana  Mendenhall),  to  June  8,  1873  (Tamor  McGranahan  and 
Ellen  Millis).  The  ministers  have  indicated  the  fees  they  received  and  it 
seems  that  the  bridegrooms  rated  their  brides  at  varying  values.  Some  paid 
the  minister  nothing,  some  one  dollar,  other  two  dollars,  several  ten  dollars 
and  one  man  (Albert  T.  Beck)  gladdened  the  preacher's  heart  with  twenty 
dollars. 

FIRST    METHODIST   CHURCH     (1829-I915). 

The  Methodists  gradually  grew  in  strength  and  influence  from  the 
beginning  and  when  the  schism  of  1866  occurred  they  were  by  far  the 
strongest  church  in  the  city.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  on  lot  66 
in  1834.  The  lot  was  purchased,  February  23,  1834,  for  twenty-five  dollars. 
This  remained  the  home  of  the  congregation  until  1849,  when  a  two-story 
brick,  forty-five  by  sixty  feet,  was  built  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
church.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  congregation  worshipped  in  this 
building  and  it  was  while  they  were  still  using  it  that  dissension  arose  which 
ultimately  divided  the  congregation.  During  Doctor  Gillett's  pastorate 
arrangements  were  made  to  erect  a  new  house  of  worship. 

The  present  building  was  finished  and  dedicated  on  December  12,  1875. 
Bishop  Bowman,  of  St.  Louis,  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  and  the  news- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  213 

paper  account  of  tlie  meeting  says,  "Many  wept  as  the  elotjuent  bishop 
touched  the  sympathies  of  the  many  hearts  that  were  moved  by  his  elo- 
quence." Reverend  Johnson,  of  Spring  Hill,  and  Rev.  C.  P.  Jemkins,  of 
Centenary,  were  in  the  pulpit.  Hon.  Will  Cumback  made  a  statement  at  the 
close  of  the  sermon  that  the  church  had  cost  thirty  thousand  dollars  and 
that  twentji'-two  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  had  already  been  raised. 
There  was  still  two  thousand  dollars  of  unpaid  pledges.  The  Bishop  asked 
for  six  thousand  dollars  and  the  generous  assemblage  raised  four  hundred 
dollars  more  than  this  amount  before  the  meeting  closed.  David  Lovett  and 
Doctor  Bracken  gave  five  hundred  dollars  each;  Mr.  Cumback,  ^\'alter  Bra- 
den,  John  and  William  Thomas,  three  hundred  dollars  each.  The  Iniilding 
is  fifty  by  ninety  feet  and  will  accommodate  six  hundred  in  the  auditorium. 
The  church  spent  about  six  thousand  dollars  in  impro\ements  in  1912.  The 
present  membership  is  about  seven  hundred. 

THE   SCHISM    OF    1866. 

History  records  that  every  innovation  introduced  into  our  social  fabric 
is  met  with  more  or  less  opposition.  An  enumeration  of  all  the  causes  which 
have  lead  to  schisms  in  churches  would  reveal  some  very  interesting  things. 
Before  the  Civil  War  the  question  of  slavery  divided  thousands  of  congre- 
gations into  two  rival  camps.  The  use  of  intoxicants  has  been  a  prolific 
cause  of  dissension,  and  at  least  one  church  in  Decatur  county  split  on  this 
question.  Secret  societies  have  been  the  means  of  creating  hundreds  of  new 
congregations,  especially  in  the  United  Brethren  church.  Missionary  work, 
and  even  Sunday  schools,  ha\-e  been  opposed  in  Baptist  churches  in  the  past, 
and  thus  have  arisen  "Hardshell"  and  "Softshell"  Baptists.  But  of  all  the 
nonsensical  causes  for  church  divisions,  the  question  of  music  seems  to  the 
modern  way  of  thinking-  the  most  ludicrous.  Just  why  so  many  of  our  good 
forefathers  should  have  thought  that  an  organ  was  an  instrument  of  the  devil 
is  hard  to  say — but  they  did.  Not  only  were  many  of  them  violently  op- 
posed to  instrumental  music,  but  they  refused  to  associate  in  church  relation- 
ship with  those  who  countenanced  such  an  innovation. 

And  the  innocent  organ — which  today  peals  forth  in  both  Methodist 
churches  in  Greensburg — was  responsible  for  the  schism  of  1866.  Christian 
charity  and  forbearance  were  thrown  to  the  winds :  the  precepts  of  the  thir- 
teenth chapter  of  Corinthians  were  forgotten;  "lo\e  thy  neighbor  as  thyself" 
was  relegated  to  oblivion ;  men  and  women  who  had  worshipped  in  the  same 
pews  for  years,  who  had  knelt  around  the  altar  rail  in  humble  confession  to 


214  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

their  Maker,  now  separated  their  ways.     And  the   innocent  organ  was  to 
blame. 

CENTENARY    METHODIST    CHURCH. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Latlirop,  of  Greensburg,  then  presiding  elder,  presided  over 
the  meeting  on  March  i,  1866,  when  one  hundred  members  withdrew  from 
the  'First  Methodist  church  (which  before  the  schism  had  two  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  members)  for  reasons  above  stated.  Services  were  held  in  the 
high  school  building  until  the  church  was  ready  for  occupancy.  On  March 
18  they  bought  a  lot  for  a  new  building;  ten  days  later  they  fonnally  organ- 
ized a  church;  on  April  i  they  began  work  on  their  new  building,  although 
the  cornerstone  ^yas  not  laid  until  August  25,  1866.  By  the  last  day  of  the 
year  the  lower  story  was  ready  for  the  first  service,  the  sermon  on  that  occa- 
sion being  preached  by  Rev.  F.  C.  Holliday.  The  building  remained  unfin- 
ished during  1867,  and  in  Januai-y  of  the  following  year  work  was  resumed 
and  the  auditorium  completed.  The  dedicatory  services  were  held  on  July 
12,  1868.  The  building  cost  nineteen  thousand  dollars,  of  which  amount  the 
late  Gabriel  Woodfill  contributed  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  This  building  is 
still  in  use,  although  extensive  improvements  were  made  on  it  in  19 12.  A 
new  furnace,  choir  loft,  inside  stairway,  opera  chairs,  hardwood  floor,  new 
roof  and  a  refrescoed  auditorium  were  the  main  improvements.  Six  months 
were  consumed  in  making  the  repairs,  which  cost  a  little  over  five  thousand 
dollars,  three  thousand  of  which  had  been  raised  before  the  church  was  reded- 
icated  on  Sunday,  April  6,  1912.  Bishop  D.  H.  Moore,  of  Cincinnati, 
preached  the  sermon,  and  at  the  end  of  his  discourse  appealed  for  help  to 
cancel  the  debt.  The  sum  of  $1,009.80  was  raised  at  the  morning  service, 
and  the  amount  was  increased  to  $1,288.55  at  the  evening  service,  leaving  a 
debt  of  only  $836.45.  A  parsonage,  adjoining  the  rear  of  the  church,  had 
been  constructed  in  1904,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Fisher.  During 
the  present  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Murr  the  church  has  been  cleared  of  debt. 

The  Centenary  church,  born  under  the  influence  of  those  opposed  to  the 
use  of  the  organ  in  the  church,  waxed  and  grew  strong.  A  revival  under 
Rev.  G.  L.  Curtis  in  1867  resulted  in  the  addition  of  sixty  new  members, 
and  another  revival  during  the  winter  of  1869-70,  under  the  same  pastor, 
added  eighty-two  more  to  the  membership.  The  present  membership  is 
three  hundred  and  fifty.  About  twelve  of  the  charter  members  are  still  liv- 
ing. In  June,  1867,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized,  which  has  continued  to 
hold  regular  services  from  that  date.  Wesley  Chapter,  Epworth  League, 
was  organized  February  23,  1893,  and  it  has  been  a  potent  force  in  the  life 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  215 

of  the  church  during  its  whole  existence.     The  league  now  has  a  member- 
ship of   forty-seven. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  church  grew  in  strength  from  year  to  year, 
but  history  must  record  a  lamentabe  division  which  took  place  in  the  church 
in  1877.  Starting  out  with  the  avowed  determination  of  never  allowing  an 
organ  in  the  church,  the  passing  of  years  brought  about  a  change  of  senti- 
ment in  some  of  the  members.  Before  a  decade  had  passed  away  it  was 
discovered  that  some  of  the  children  were  drifting  to  the  Sunday  school  of 
the  First  IMethodist  church,  and  incjuir}^  revealed  the  fact  that  the  hated 
organ  was  the  cause  of  the  deflection.  The  death  of  some  of  the  more  radi- 
cal anti-organists,  the  wise  foresight  of  some  of  the  leaders,  and  the  wish  to 
keep  the  congregation  together,  finally  was  the  cause  of  an  organ  being 
installed,  for  Sunday  school  purposes  only.  Evidently  the  once  despised 
instrument  had  won  some  friends  in  the  church,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  organ  was  being  carried  upstairs  for  church  services.  This  was  more 
than  some  of  the  members  could  stand.  Just  as  they  had  split  off  from  the 
mother  church  in  1866,  so  did  they  decide  to  do  the  same  thing  from  the 
Centenary  congregation — and  thus  we  come  to  the  third  and  last  division  in 
Methodism  in  Greensburg. 

METHODIST    PROTESTANT    CHURCH. 

In  July,  1877.  fifty-two  members  of  the  Centenary  church  withdrew 
their  membership  and  at  once  proceeded  to  build  a  church  on  Broadway 
across  the  railroad.  It  was  a  frame  building,  thirty  by  forty-five  feet,  and 
cost  thirteen  hundred  dollars.  They  were  not  put  to  an  expense  for  musi- 
cal instruments,  their  outlay  in  the  musical  line  being  confined  to  a  nominal 
sum  for  hymn  books.  But  there  was  one  fact  which  the)'  had  evidently  not 
considered.  They  were,  in  a  sense,  outside  the  pale  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  were  not  recognized  by  the  conference.  They  dropped  the 
suffix  Episcopal  and  denominated  themselves  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church.  They  added  some  members  to  their  original  roll,  and  at  one  time 
had  a  membership  of  something  more  than  a  hundred.  The  main  families  to 
throw  their  support  to  this  third  branch  of  Methodism  in  Greensburg  were 
those  of  Gideon  Drake,  John  Robbins,  J.  E.  Roszell,  James  L.  Fugit,  Calvin 
H.  Paramore,  D.  Patton,  J.  B.  Roszell,  John  A.  Turner  and  C.  Boring.  They 
continued  to  hold  together  as  a  separate  congregation  until  the  early  eighties, 
when  the  organization  was  disbanded.  Some  of  the  members  returned  to 
one  or  'fhe  other  of  the  two  IMethodist  Episcopal  churches,  some  joined  other 


2l6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

churches,  but  most  of  them,  being  well  along  in  years  at  the  time  of  the 
division  in  1877,  have  long  since  gone  to  the  King  of  that  kingdom  where 
church  schisms  are  unknown. 

EFFORTS   TO   UNITE    FIRST   AND    CENTENARY   CHURCHES. 

The  discussion  of  A'lethodism  in  Greensburg  cannot  be  dismissed  with- 
out reference  to  an  effort  made  in  1909-10  to  unite  the  .First  and  Centenary 
churches.  At  that  time  Rev.  T.  K.  Willis  was  pastor  of  the  Centenary 
church  and  William  G.  Clinton  was  presiding  elder.  At  that  time  the  Cen- 
tenary church  was  not  in  a  very  flourishing-  condition,  and  Rev.  Willis  became 
convinced  in  his  own  mind  that  the  best  interests  of  Methodism  would  be 
served  by  a  union  of  the  two  churches.  He  talked  over  the  matter  with 
some  of  his  parishioners  and  advised  them  to  take  out  their  letters  from  the 
Centenary  church  and  place  them  in  the  First  church.  Quite  a  number  fol- 
lowed his  suggestion,  although  their  action  was  deplored  by  a  large  portion 
of  the  Centenary  congregation.  Rev.  Willis  communicated  with  the  presiding 
elder.  Rev.  W.  G.  Clinton,  in  regard  to  the  union  of  the  two  churches  and 
the  latter  came  to  Greensburg,  called  a  meeting  of  the  official  board  of  the 
Centenary  church  and  ordered  them  to  disband  and  unite  with  the  First 
church.  Evidently  the  presiding  elder  had  been  misinformed  in  regard  to 
the  feelings  of  the  congregation,  for  he  found  that  most  of  them  were  ^'ery 
much  opposed  to  the  union.  The  church  absolutely  refused  to  follow  his 
order,  and  consequently  nothing  was  done  by  the  church  as  a  congregation. 
However,  some  individual  members  withdrew  and  affiliated  with  the  First 
church,  while  others  withdrew  their  membership  and  still  have  the  letters, 
having  never  placed  them  with  any  church.  At  the  time  the  papers  of 
Greensburg  took  up  the  agitation,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  opinion  of  those 
whose  articles  appear  in  the  papers  that  the  union  of  the  two  churches  was 
a  very  desirable  thing.  This  movement  toward  union,  which  came  to  a  cli- 
max in  19 10,  has  been  the  last  concerted  effort  looking  toward  a  consolida- 
tion of  the  churches.  Shortly  after  this  both  began  to  make  plans  for  the 
complete  overhauling  of  their  buildings,  and  since  then  have  spent  more  than 
twelve  thousand  dollars  in  improvements.  At  the  present  time  there  does 
not  appear  to  be  any  hope  of  a  union  for  many  years  yet  to  come. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


PASTORS     OF    THE     METHODIST     CHURCH,     182: 


Tiie  following  ministers  have  served  the  Greensburg  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church:  James  Murray  and  I.  Taylor,  1822;  Aaron  Wood,  Jesse 
Hale  and  George  Horn,  1823;  John  Havens,  1824;  Stephen  Beggs  and  John 
Strange,  1825;  N.  B.  Griffith,  1826;  James  Havens  and  John  Kerns.  1827-28: 
Joseph  Tarkington  and  William  Evans,  1829:  J.  B.  Sparks  and  J.  C.  Smith, 
1830:  S.  W.  Hunter  and  J.  Kimble,  1831;  C.  Bonner  and  C.  Swank,  1832; 
Joseph  Tarkington,  1833:  W.  M.  Dailey,  1834;  C.  Bonner.' 1835 ;  J.  Scott 
and  L.  ]\I.  Ree\-es,  1836:  C.  Bonner  and  A.  Bussey,  1837:  A.  Bussey,  Mel- 
ville ^^■iley  and  E.  G.  Wood,  1838:  W.  B.  Ross,  1839:  G.  C.  Beeks,  1840; 
J.  W.  Sullivan.  1841  :  F.  C.  Holliday,  1842:  J.  S.  Barwick,  1843:  J.  A. 
Brouse,  1844:  James  Havens,  1845;  C.  B.  Davidson,  1846:  J.  W.  Sullivan, 
1847;  E.  H.  Sabin,  1848:  J.  B.  R.  Miller,  1849;  James  Crawford,  1850-51  ; 
S.  P.  Crawford,  1852:  A.  Wilkinson,  1853:  A.  Nesbit,  1854;  W.  W.  Hib- 
ben,  1855-56:  Joseph  Cotton.  1857-58:  W.  W.  Snyder,  1859:  J.  W.  Mellen- 
der,  1860-61;  E.  D.  Long,  1862:  S.  Tincher,  1862:  Charles  Tinsley,  1863- 
64;  W.  Terrill.  1865-66. 

With  the  schism  of  1866  begins  two  separate  Methodist  churches  in 
Greensburg  and  both  have  been  independent  charg-es  from  that  date  down  to 
the  present  time.  The  following  ministers  have  served  the  First  church: 
R.  M.  Barnes,  1866-69:  S.  T.  Gillette.  1870-72:  M.  L.  Wells,  1873-74:  L. 
G.  Adkinson,  1875-76:  Sampson  Tincher,  1877-79:  Charles  Tinsley,  1880- 
81;  John  G.  Chafee,  1881-84:  E.  L.  Dolph,  1884-88;  E.  B.  Rawls,  1888-92; 
J.  W.  Dashiell,  1896-97;  F.  S.  Tincher,  1897-1900:  John  Poucher,  1900-01; 
George  H.  Murphy,  1901-05;  A.  R.  Beach,  1905-08;  S.  S.  Penrod,  1908-10; 
M.  B.  Hyde.  1910-13;  J.  H.  Doddridge,  1913  to  the  present  time. 

PASTORS    OF    THE    CENTENARY     METHODIST     CHURCH. 

The  following  ministers  have  had  charge  of  the  Centenary  church :  J.  S. 
Winchester,  1866-67;  G.  I.  Curtis.  1867-71;  R.  R.  Roberts,  1871-73:  Har- 
vey Harris,  1873-75:  G.  P.  Jenkins.  1875-76;  J.  W.  Mellender,  1876-78:  W. 
S.  Falkenburg,  1878-80:  J.  H.  Doddridge,  1880-82;  C.  C.  Edwards,  1882- 
85;  R.  D.  Black,  1885-88;  W.  W.  Reynolds.  1888-92;  L.  D.  Moore,  1892- 
95;  W.  P.  Barnhill,  1895-96;  J.  Wesley  Maxwell,  1898-1901  ;  John  Mach- 
lin,   1901-03;  J.  E.  Fisher,   1903-06;  A.  L.  Bennett,  1906-08;  J.  U.  Brown, 


215  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

1908-09;  T.  K.  Willis,   1909-10;  H.  H.  Sheldon,  1910-13;  J.  W.  Wasburn. 
1913-14,  and  J.  Ed.  Murr,  the  present  pastor. 

AN    UNIQUE    COURTSHIP. 

Airs.  J.  H.  Alexander,  wife  of  the  oldest  physician  in  Greensburg,  is 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  Tarkington.  She  has  preserved  her  mother's  account 
of  her  father's  very  ministerial  courtship.     It  runs  as  follows: 

"One  Sunday  in  the  spring  of  1831,  as  I  was  on  horseback  riding  home 
from  John  Cottom  and  Amanda  Clark's  wedding,  he  rode  up  by  my  side 
and  asked  me  if  I  had  any  objections  to  his  company,  and  I  said  I  did  not 
know  as  I  had.  He  had  been  stopping  at  father's  on  his  rounds  of  the  cir- 
cuit. It  was  one  of  his  homes.  Mr.  Tarkington,  some  time  after  this,  about 
a  month  before  we  were  married,  as  he  was  starting  away  on  his  circuit, 
handed  a  letter  to  my  father,  which  is  as  follows : 

"  'August  30,  1 83 1. 
"  'Dear  Brother  and  Sister, — You,  by  this  time  expect  me  to  say  some- . 
thing  to  you  concerning  what  is  going  on  between  your  daughter  and  myself. 
You  will,  I  hope,  pardon  me  for  not  saying  something  to  you  before  I  ever 
named  anything  to  her,  though  she  is  of  age.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  I 
never  intended  to  have  any  girl  whose  parents  are  opposed.  Therefore,  if 
you  have  any  objections,  I  wish  you  to  enter  them  shortly.  I  know  that  it 
will  be  hard  for  you  to  give  up  your  daughter  to  go  with  me;  for  I  am 
bound  to  travel  as  long  as  I  can,  and  of  course,  any  person  going  with  me 
must  not  think  to  stay  with  mother  and  father. 

"  'Yours  very  respectfully, 

"  'J.  Tarkington.' 

"Father  thought  that  there  would  be  so  many  dangers,  with  suffering 
and  poverty,  in  being  a  minister's  wife,  tliat  it  was  a  very  serious  matter,  and 
though  he  was  a  man  of  very  few  words,  he  told  me  as  much,  while  he 
appeared  to  be  very  gravely  affected.  But  he  wrote  a  note  and  gave  it  to 
him  when  he  came  around  next  time,  which  is  as  follows : 

"  'September  4,   1831. 
"  'Reverend  Sir: — You  express  a  wish  to  know  if  I  have  any  objections 
to  you  forming  an  affinity  with  my  daughter  Maria,  to  which  I  would  reply : 
If  you  and  my  daughter  are  fully  reconciled  to  the  above  proposition,  which 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  219 

I  liave  no  reason  to  doubt,  I  do  hereby  assent  to  the  same;  nevertheless,  if 
such  a  union  should  take  place,  it  would  be  very  desirable,  if  you  should 
settle  down  here,  that  you  would  not  be  too  remote  from  us. 
"  'Yours  most  respectfully, 

"  'S.  AND  M.  Slauson. 

"  'Pleasant  township, 

"  'Switzerland  county,   Indiana.'  " 

But  before  the  Reverend  Joseph  rode  home  with  the  fair  j\Iaria  from 
the  wedding,  he  had  a  disagreeable  duty  to  perform.  In  accordance  with 
Methodist  discipline,  he  could  not  speak  of  love  or  matrimony  until  he  had 
■"consulted  his  brethren."  He  hastened  to  see  his  presiding  elder  and,  with- 
out disclosing  his  secret,  said :  "I  am  thinking  of  getting  married  before 
next  conference."  The  elder  replied,  coldly,  "I  reckon  you  are  old  enough, 
if  you  ever  intend  to,"  and  the  interview  ended.  Shortly  after  he  had  "con- 
sulted" the  presiding  elder,  the  ride  referred  to  occurred. 

For  many  years  the  Reverend  Tarkington  rode  circuits  all  over  Indiana. 
When  superannuated  he  came  to  Greensburg  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  died  in  1891,  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife.  He  was  born 
in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  1800,  and  gave  practically  his  entire  life  to  the 
service  of  the  church. 

EARLY    MINISTERIAL    EXPERIENCES. 

Rev.  Joseph  Tarkington,  in  his  autobiography,  writes  of  his  early  expe- 
riences in  Greensburg  as  follows  : 

"The  fall  of  1833  conference  was  held  at  Madison,  and  I  was  sent  to 
the  Greensburg  circuit.  When  we  came  to  Greensburg  things  appeared  dis- 
couraging. The  town  had  been  visited  by  typhoid  fever  and  many  had  died 
— Doctor  Teal,  George  Robinson,  Mrs.  Silas  Stewart  and  others.  There 
had  been  no  religious  services  for  some  time.  There  was  no  Methodist 
church.  I  preached  in  private  houses,  and  in  David  Gageby's  cabinet  shop, 
where  the  Rogers  house  now  is,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  public  scjuare. 
I  went  to  work  visiting  the  sick  and  praying  for  them.  It  was  a  long  time 
before  Silas  Stewart  got  restored  from  his  sickness  to  health  of  body  and 
mind.     Until  he  got  to  walking  about  he  thought  he  owned  the  town. 

"The  church  members  were  collected  together  and  had  prayer  meet- 
ings in  private  houses,  such  as  Freeman's,  Rozell's,  Stewart's,  and  sometimes 
in  the  old  court  house.     Preaching  was  had  in  the  old  court  house,  but  it  was 


220  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  hard  house  to  preach  in.  In  the  spring  I  got  fifteen  dollars  from  Silas 
Stewart,  five  dollars  from  Jacob  Stewart  and  five  dollars  from  James  Rob- 
inson and  bought  the  lot  that  ]\Ir.  F.  Dowden  owned  on  Franklin  street,  and 
built  the  house  that  is  now  on  the  lot. 

"The  Greensburg  circuit  was  cut  out  of  the  Rushville  circuit  in  1828. 
In  1833  it  had  appointments  at  Greensburg,  Robbins',  Burke's,  W.  Braden's, 
Cox's,  George  Miller's,  Biggott's,  Gray's,  Sharpe's,  T.  Perry's  and  also  at 
Burney's,  south  of  where  Milford  now  is. 

"We  lived  in  a  little  frame  house  which  stood  where  S.  Bryant  built  on 
Franklin  street.  There  the  Methodists,  Presbyterians  and  Baptists  had  one 
place  of  worship.  David  Gageby  was  chorister  for  all  alike.  The  Presby- 
terian preacher  was  Rev.  Lowrey,  the  Baptist  was  Rev.  Daniel  Stogsdell, 
and  we  would  all  meet  together.  One  would  preach,  another  exhort  and  the 
third  pray.  There  was  no  complaint  of  large  meetings,  although  some  per- 
sons would  come  from  eight  to  ten  miles  to  attend." 

AFRICAN     METHODIST     CHURCH. 

There  have  never  been  many  colored  people  in  Greensburg,  and  at  the 
present  time  (1915)  there  are  only  ten  families.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventies  the  colored  people  established  a  Methodist  class  and  held  meetings 
at  private  homes  and  in  rented  rooms.  At  one  time  they  held  services  in  a 
room  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  public  square.  About  1880  they  built 
a  frame  house  of  worship  at  the  corner  of  Lincoln  and  North  streets,  and 
this  has  remained  their  church  home  since  that  time.  The  church  records 
are  not  available,  but  it  is  known  that  the  following  ministers  have  served 
the  church:  Jasper  Siler,  1906-08;  C.  P.  Smith,  1908-10:  Clayton  A.  D. 
Evans,  1910-11  (died  before  the  end  of  his  first  3^ear  and  his  wife  filled  out 
his  year);  Mrs.  Clayton  A.  D.  Evans,  1911-12;  W.  T.  Anderson,  1912-13; 
William  Kelly,  1 913-14;  T.  W.  Daniels,  1914  to  the  present  time.  The  trus- 
tees of  the  church  are  Samuel  T.  Evans,  Adolphus  Frazier  and  W.  S. 
Meadows.  The  stewards  are  Mrs.  Irene  Hood,  W.  S.  Meadows  and  Adol- 
phus Frazier.  The  president  of  the  Mite  Missionary  Society  is  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Meadows.  The  Sunday  school  of  fourteen  pupils  is  under  the  superintend- 
ency  of  W.  S.  Meadows.     The  church  now  has  about  twenty  active  members. 

WESLEY    CHAPEL. 

Wesley  Chapel,  located  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Sardinia,  in 
Jackson  township,  was  organized  in  1830.     For  the  first  five  years  services 


DECATUR    COUXTY,    IXDIAKA.  221 

were  held  in  the  homes  of  the  memhers  and  the  preachint;-  was  very  irret;u- 
lar.  Regular  class  meetings  were  held.  ho\ve\er,  and  the  infant  churcli  grew 
in  strength  from  year  to  year.  By  1835  there  were  sufficient  memhers  to 
warrant  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship,  and  a  hewed-log  church  was 
raised  on  an  acre  of  ground  donated  by  Daniel  Shafer,  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  society.  Here  the  little  band  worshipped  for  nearly  twenty  years  be- 
fore they  felt  strong  enough  to  build  a  more  pretentious  structure.  In  1854 
the  old  log  house  was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  the  frame  building  which 
is  still  in  use.  The  records  of  the  church  are  not  a\'aila1:)le  and  conse(|uently 
it  is  not  possible  to  give  a  list  of  the  charter  members  or  the  faithful  pas- 
tors who  have  served  the  church  during  the  eighty-five  years  of  its  exist- 
ence. Several  years  ago  ^^'esley  Chapel  was  considered  the  strongest  rural 
church  in  the  Southeastern  Indiana  conference.  It  was  often  remarked  that 
a  minister,  after  a  two-  or  three-year  pastorate  at  Wesley  Chapel,  was  eligi- 
ble to  the  office  of  presiding  elder.  There  is  scarcely  a  notable  minister  of 
the  conference  who  has  not  at  one  time  or  another  served  as  pastor  of  this 
church.  Of  recent  years  the  church  has  lost  many  of  its  strongest  members 
by  death  or  removal  and  it  is  now  but  a  shadow  of  its  former  self.  The 
church  is  now  on  the  Elizaljethtown  circuit  and  is  served  by  William  De 
Hart.     The  present  membership  is  thirty-six. 

SANDUSKY    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Sandusk}'  was  organized  in  1887 
by  Rev.  F.  S.  Potts  and  S.  W.  Troyer,  with  the  following  charter  members : 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Harrell,  Albert  and  Kate  Higgins,  Mrs.  Phillip  Harrell, 
W.  O.  Rozell  and  others  whose  names  have  not  been  preser\ed.  Until  1892 
ser\-ices  were  held  in  private  homes  and  school  buildings,  but  in  that  year  a 
substantial  frame  building  was  erected,  which  is  still  used  by  the  congrega- 
tion. The  church  has  maintained  a  steady  growth  from  the  beginning  and 
now  numbers  one  hundred  and  thirty  members.  A  Sunday  school  and  an 
Epworth  League  are  important  auxiliaries  of  the  church  and  exert  a  whole- 
some influence  on  the  church  and  the  community  in  general.  The  following 
pastors  have  served  this  church :  F.  S.  Potts  and  S.  W.  Troyer,  S.  W.  Troyer 
and  James  Gillespie,  J.  W.  Allen  and  H.  O.  Frazier  and  J.  T.  Jones;  D. 
Ryan  and  D.  C.  Benjamin,  C.  E.  Hester,  J.  L.  Brown  and  W.  G.  Proctor, 
;A.  X.  ;\Iarlatt  and  C.  C.  Bonnell  and  E.  I.  Larue,  E.  P.  Jewett,  L.  M. 
Edwards  and  A.  L.  Bear,  F.  A.  Guthrie  and  P.  W.  Coryea,  F.  M.  Westhafer 
and  J.  L.  Brown,  T.  J.  Anthony,  J.  W.  Dashiel.  W.  ^L  Creath,  J.  E.  Side- 
bottom  and  C.  E.  Hester. 


222  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  Sandusky  church  was  first  attached  to  the  Milroy  circuit,  a  large 
circuit  in  charge  of  two  ministers,  until  Rev.  F.  M.  Westhafer  took  charge 
in  1905.  At  that  time  Sandusky  and  Shiloh  churches  were  made  a  separate 
circuit  and  placed  in  charge  of  Rev.  T.  J.  x^nthony,  through  whose  efforts 
a  parsonage  was  built  at  Sandusky.  It  was  called  the  Shiloh  circuit  until 
the  Shiloh  church  was  discontinued,  and  then  the  Sandusky  circuit  was 
organized,  with  Sandusky,  Clarksburg  and  Mt.  Carmel  churches,  in  charge 
of  one  minister.  At  the  present  time  it  is  listed  in  the  conference  minutes 
as  the  Clarksburg  circuit,  although  it  is  still  composed  of  the  same  three 
churches. 

CLARKSBURG    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  early  history  of  the  Clarksburg  Methodist  church  dates  back  to 
the  beginning-  of  the  settlements  in  the  county.  Concerning  its  first  mem- 
bers and  ministers  very  little  is  known,  but  the  same  men  who  preached  in 
the  other  Methodist  churches  of  the  county  from  the  beginning  also  filled 
the  pulpit  at  Clarksburg.  The  location  of  the  church  has  been  changed  at 
least  once.  For  many  years  it  was  at  the  head  of  a  circuit  including  Mt. 
Carmel,  Wesley  Chapel  and  Stips  Hill  (Franklin  count30.  The  present 
building  in  Clarksburg  was  erected  about  1856  and  the  church  property  is 
valued  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  The  congregation  numbers  one  hundred 
and  twenty  and  maintains  an  active  Sunday  school  and  Epworth  League. 
It  has  always  been  a  strong  congregation. 

MT.     CARMEL     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

The  Mt.  Carmel  Methodist  church  had  its  inception  in  1823,  when  a 
few  members  met  at  the  home  of  John  Miller,  which  stood  just  north  of  the 
present  residence  of  Maggie  Thorp.  The  first  members  were  the  families  of 
Linville,  Hobbs,  Jarrard,  Griffiths  and  Hobbsin.  The  first  pastors  were 
probably  Aaron  Wood  and  John  Havens.  Shortly  after  the  organization 
of  the  class,  Daniel  and  Nancy  Bell  joined  the  society.  During  1824-25 
Rev.  James  Hanes  was  the  pastor.  This  church  was  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  temperance  movement  in  the  county  and  early  organized  a  Washington- 
ian  Society,  every  member  of  the  congregation  signing  the  total  abstinence 
pledge.  Their  first  house  of  worship  was  a  rude  log  structure,  and  this  has 
been  succeeded  by  three  successive  buildings,  each  being  demanded  because 
of  the  ever-growing  congregation.  For  many  years  the  church  took  an  active 
part  in  the  life  of  the  community  which  it  seeks  to  serve,  but  within  the  past 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  223 

few  }-ears  deaths  and  removals  ha\-e  decreased  the  membership  until  now 
there  are  only  about  thirty  members.  At  the  present  time  the  church  main- 
tains neither  a  Sunday  school  nor  an  Epworth  League.  However,  this  chuich 
had  the  honor  of  establishing  one  of  the  first  Sunday  schools  in  the  county, 
and  for  a  long  time  kept  it  in  operation.  It  is  impossible  to  give  a  complete 
list  of  all  the  pastors,  with  their  dates  of  service,  but  practically  every  pastor 
of  the  Clarksburg  church  also  preached  at  the  Mt.  Carmel  church.  Among 
the  pastors  who  have  had  charge  of  this  congregation  may  be  mentioned  the 
following,  arranged  chronologically  as  nearly  as  possible :  Nehemiah  B. 
Grifiiths  (1826),  Robert  Burns  and  Isaac  Elsburg  (182S),  Amos  Sparks 
(1829),  Isaac  Kimball,  Elijah  Burriss,  William  Evans,  E.  Whitten,  Amos 
Bussey,  Charles  Bonner,  O.  H.  P.  Ash,  M.  Wiley,  Joseph  and  William  Car- 
ter, Hayden  Hayes,  James  Conwell,  John  Winchester,  Williamson  Gerril, 
John  H.  Bruce,  Lewis  Hurlburt,  Jacob  Whitman,  Samuel  P.  Crawford,  John 
Wallace,  Lemuel  Reeves,  Wesley  Wood,  Benjamin  F.  Gatch,  Joseph  Mc- 
Crea.  The  dates  of  the  remainder  of  the  pastors  have  been  found :  J.  V.  R. 
Miller,  1851 ;  Landy  Havens,  1852  ;  G.  P.  Jenkins,  1853  ;  John  I.  Tevis,  1854; 
Robert  S.  Beswick,  1856;  Benjamin  F.  Gatch,  1858;  Landy  Havens,  1859, 
J.  C.  Crawford,  i860;  Jacob  Whitten,  1861 :  Jacob  Whitman,  1862;  W.  A. 
Thompson,  1863;  J.  S.  Winchester,  1864-67:  R.  A.  Lameter,  1868;  J.  S. 
Alley,  1868-73;  J-  D.  Pierce,  1874;  G.  E.  Neville,  1877:  Isaac  Turner,  1S79; 
James  McCaw,  1880-82;  G.  W.  Winchester,  1882-85;  J-  H.  Norton,  1885; 
J.  D.  Current,  1886;  D.  C.  Benjamin,  1887;  G.  C.  Clouds,  1888;  Andrew 
Ayer,  1890;  James  P.  Maupin,  1891-93;  Charles  Ward,  1895-96;  George 
Reibold,  1896-98;  D.  A.  Wynegar,  1898-00;  William  Telfer,  1900-02;  M. 
S.  Taylor,  1902-06;  H.  D.  Sterrett,  1906-08;  T.  J.  Anthony,  1908-10;  E. 
L.  Wimmer,  1910-11;  L^.  'SI.  Creath,  1911-12;  J.  E.  Sidebottom,  1912-14; 
C.  E.  Hester,  since  191 4. 

MT.   PLEASANT  CHURCH. 

The  first  Methodist  sermon  preached  in  the  county  was  delivered  by 
James  Murray,  in  September,  1822,  in  the  home  of  Thomas  Hendricks, 
then  the  only  house  in  Greensburg-.  The  first  class  to  be  organized  in  the 
county  was  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  about  four  miles  south  of  Greensburg.  The 
story  is  told  that  John  Robbins,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  was  at  work  near 
his  cabin,  when  two  men  approached  on  horseback  and  bid  him  the  time  of 
day.  They  talked  for  a  while  and  then  Robbins  said:  "You  men  look  like 
Methodist  ministers."     The  strangers  admitted  that  they  were  and  said  that 


224  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

they  were  on  their  way  to  attend  conference.  Robbins  wanted  them  to  stop 
a  while  and  organize  a  class,  but  they  stated  that  they  had  no  time  to  spare 
then,  but  that  they  would  gladly  do  so  on  their  return.  One  of  these  horse- 
men was  John  Strange,  an  early  minister. 

When  conference  was  over  the  men  returned  and  organized  a  class  in 
Robbins'  cabin.  Another  story  is  to  the  eifect  that  Robbins  himself  organ- 
ized the  first  class  at  the  direction  of  James  Murray.  At  any  rate,  the  mem- 
bers of  this  first  class  were  John  and  Ruth  Robbins,  B.  Courtney,  Elizabeth 
Garrison,  J.  H.  Kirkpatrick  and  his  wife  Mary  and  Nat  Robbins — seven 
persons.  Later  additions  were  James  and  Polly  Armstrong,  Jacob  Stewart, 
A.  L.  Anderson,  Nancy  Anderson,  Mary  Garrison,  Tamzen  Connor,  Wesley 
and  Elizabeth  White  and  Lydia  Groenendyke. 

The  first  church  was  built  in  1834  and  called  'Mt.  Pleasant.  It  was  a 
log  structure,  twenty-four  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  long.  This  building  was 
used  until  1854,  when  a  new  church  was  built.  The  present  pastor  is  T.  J. 
Lewis,  who  has  built  up  the  church  until  it  numbers  one  hundred  and  thirty 
members. 

ADAMS    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  Adams  Methodist  church  was  organized  January  14,  1859,  by  the 
Rev.  Jesse  Brockway,  of  Milford  circuit.  The  church  was  organized  with 
seven  members :  William  Ryan,  Mary  E.  Ryan,  Barnard  Young,  Jane  Young, 
Minerva  Young,  J.  W.  Deem  and  Lemuel  Deem.  Some  time  later,  Jona- 
than Tindall  and  family  and  George  W.  Kirby  united  with  the  church.  Jona- 
than Tindall  was  appointed  class  leader. 

Reverend  Brockway  preached  until  the  conference  of  1859  and  was 
followed  by  Rev.  Jacob  Montgomery.  In  i860  the  class  was  placed  on  the 
Westport  circuit  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Tarkington.  A  subscription  was  taken 
by  the  Reverend  Tarkington  in  the  spring  of  1861  for  the  erection  of  a 
church  at  Adams.  The  trustees  chosen  were  J.  G.  White,  J.  T.  Hamilton, 
D.  N.  Hamilton,  T.  W.  Deem  and  William  Ryan. 

Rev.  James  Tarkington,  G.  W.  Pye  and  T.  S.  Turk  preached  until  the 
conference  of  1861,  when  Rev.  P.  J.  Rosencrans  was  placed  in  charge.  He 
served  one  year  and  Rev.  J.  B.  Lathrop  was  sent  in  the  fall  of  1862.  The 
church  was  built  during  his  pastorate.  The  building  committee  was  G.  W. 
Kirby,  Lemuel  Deem  and  William  Ryan.  The  church  was  erected  by  Ander- 
son Stevens  and  dedicated  on  January  14,  1863,  by  Rev.  Samson  Tincher, 
the  presiding  elder.  Adams  was  then  taken  into  the  Milford  circuit,  with 
Rev.  James  McCann  as  pastor.     The  Sunday  school  was  organized  on  Easter 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  225 

Sunday  by  Rev.  P.  J.  Rosencraiis.     The  church  now  has  a  membership  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-two  and  is  served  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Gardner. 

MILFORD    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  ^Nlilford  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  is  one  of  the  original 
outposts  of  Methodism  in  Decatur  county,  was  organized  in  1834,  at  the  home 
of  Samuel  Burney,  by  Rev.  William  Bail}-.  Early  records  of  the  church  have 
disappeared,  but  it  is  known  that  the  Rev.  Joseph  Tarkington  was  the  first 
pastor  appointed  to  the  charge.  He  was  followed  by  a  long  line  of  min- 
isters, earnest,  hard  working  and  pra}'erful,  who,  with  dauntless  courage 
and  matchless  energy,  wrought  a  church  in  surroundings  that  were  none  too 
favorable. 

The  ministers  who  served  this  church  have  been  the  following :  William 
Daily,  James  Scott  and  C.  M.  Ree\es,  Amos  I'usey  and  Allen  ^^Mley,  Elijah 
Whittier  and  C.  Carey,  T.  Hurlburt  and  Edward  Burris,  L.  Havens,  Jacob 
Miller,  John  Reisling,  John  T.  Keely,  Seth  Smith,  C.  1>.  Jones,  Lewis  Doles, 
Lundy  Havens  and  John  S.  Lewis,  Nimrod  Benick,  John  Winchester  and 
J.  Crawford. 

In  1854,  during  the  pastorate  of  John  Winchester,  the  church  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  nine  thousand  dollars.  Following  Reverend  Crawford,  came 
Rev.  Jessie  Brockway,  during  whose  pastorate  the  Adams  church  was  added 
to  the  Milroy  circuit.  Since  then  the  two  charges  have  been  tended  by  the 
following  ministers :  Jacob  Montgomery,  J.  S.  Barnes,  W.  F.  Maulsin,  James 
McCann,  T.  B.  McClain,  J.  S.  Winchester,  F.  S.  Woodcock,  J.  C.  White. 
M.  H.  Mullin,  J.  N.  Dashiel,  John  Machlan,  J.  R.  T.  Lathrop,  T.  N.  Jones, 
T.  Kennedy,  H.  Morrow,  T.  D.  Keys,  W.  R.Plummer,  S.  C.  Clouds,  S.  A. 
Morrow,  1900-03;  H.  M.  Elwyn,  1903-4:  C.  R.  Sylvester,  1904-06;  P.  E. 
Edwards,  1905-09:  J.  T.  Perry,  1909-12:  C.  E.  Smith,  1912-13,  and  J.  A. 
.Gardner,  1913  to  the  present  time.  The  present  membership  of  the  Milford 
church  is  one  hundred  and  ten. 

ST.    PAUL    METHODIST    EPISCOP.\L    CHURCH. 

The  Methodists  organized  a  class  in  St.  Paul  about  1857,  and  for  a  time 
met  in  the  upper  room  of  the  building  now  occupied  by  the  Johannes  buggy 
factory.     The  early  records  of  the  church  were  destroyed  when  the  parson- 
age burned  in  1914,  and  hence  the  earlv  history  of  the  church  is  lacking  in 
(15) 


226  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

mao}^  of  the  minor  details.  About  1858  a  union  church  was  erected  in  the 
town  and  it  seems  to  have  been  used  principally  by  the  Methodists  and  the 
Lutherans.  The  fact  that  the  Lutherans  outnumbered  the  Methodists  caused 
the  church  to  be  usually  known  as  the  Lutheran  church.  This  building  was 
bought  by  the  Christian  church  in  the  seventies  and  is  still  used  by  them. 

During  the  Civil  War  the  ^Methodists  erected  a  house  of  worship,  which 
remained  in  use  until  it  was  burned  down  in  1891,  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  S.  ^V.  Troyer.  The  same  year  the  congregation  erected  the  present 
building.  Extensive  repairs,  to  the  amount  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  were 
made  on  the  building  in  1913,  while  Rev.  E.  T.  Lewis  was  pastor.  The  pul- 
pit was  changed  from  the  end  to  the  side  of  the  building  and  a  choir  loft 
was  installed  in  the  rear  of  the  pulpit.  The  pews  were  changed  and  art 
windows  and  frescoing  added  to  the  general  attractiveness  of  the  interior. 

A  parsonage  was  acquired  early  in  the  se\'enties  and  when  it  was  burned 
with  all  its  contents  in  the  spring  of  1914,  the  present  beautiful  parsonage 
was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  eighteen  hundred  dollars. 

Eor  a  number  of  years  the  St.  Paul  church  was  in  the  St.  Omer  circuit, 
but  in  1866,  at  the  close  of  the  first  year's  pastorate  of  Robert  Roberts,  it 
was  placed  in  the  St.  Paul  circuit,  where  it  has  since  remained.  The  min- 
isters since  1859  have  been-  as  follow:  S.  B.  Falkinburg,  1859:  Asbury 
Wilkinson  i860;  H.  M.  Lore,  1861 ;  J.  H.  Stallard,  1862:  Joseph  Tariving- 
ton,  1863:  G.  M.  Hunt,  1864:  Robert  Roberts,  1865-66;  William  A.  Thomp- 
son, 1867;  J.  S.  Winchester,  1868-69;  J-  Crawford,  1870;  B.  F.  IMorgan, 
1871;  W.  S.  Jordan,  1872;  Asbury  Wilkerson,  1873;  M.  Black,  1874;  Landy 
Haven,  1875;  M.  H.  Molen,  1876;  J.  D.  Pierce,  1877;  William  Evans,  1878; 
J.  McCaw,  1879;  J.  D.  Pierce,  1880-81;  J.  T.  Pell,  1882-83;  J.  W. 
McLain,  1884;  D.  C.  Benjamin,  1885;  Henry  Morrow,  i885-88;  G. 
W.  Winchester,  1889-90;  S.  W.  Troyer,  1891  ;  T.  K.  J.  Anthony,  1892;  J. 
P.  Maupin,  1893-94;  D.  A.  Wynegar,  1895-97;  G.  H.  Reibolt,  1898-99;  H. 
C.  Pelsor,  1900-01;  H.  D.  Sterrett,  1902-03;  C.  R.. Stout,  1904-05;  C.  W. 
Maupin,  1906;  J.  W.  Cordrey,  1907;  J.  L.  Brown,  1908-10;  C.  S.  Whitted, 
1911;  E.  T.  Lewis,  1912-13;  S.  L.  Welker,  1914  to  the  present  time.  St. 
Paul  has  been  in  the  following  districts:  Greensburg,  1859-62;  Lidianapolis, 
1862-68;  Lawrenceburg,  1868-71;  Greensburg,  1871-73;  Indianapolis,  1873- 
76;  Connersville,  1876-1915.  The  present  district  superintendent  is  Rev. 
V.  W.  Tevis. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  22/ 


MIDDI,E    BRANCH     METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  :\Iethodist  cliurcli  at  [Middle  Branch,  in  SaU  Creek  Knvnshii),  was 
organized  in  1867,  with  fifty  charter  memljcrs.  They  worshiped  in  private 
homes  nntil  a  building  was  erected  for  worship  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars.  The  same  building,  with  various  improvements  from 
time  to  time,  is  still  in  use.  Class  meetings,  Sunday  school  and  Epworth 
League  are  maintained  and  the  work  of  the  church  in  the  community  which 
it  serves  is  such  as  to  commend  it  to  all  worthy  people.  It  is  attached  to 
the  Batesville  circuit.  The  following  pastors  have  served  the  church :  JNIapes, 
Hunt,  J.  W.  ^lendell,  Starks,  A.  :\[.  Louden,  R.  L.  Kinnear,  J.  S.  \\'in- 
chester,  F.  A.  Guthrie,  \\'.  F.  Smith,  E.  L.  Aloore,  W.  ^laupin,  F.  M.  W'est- 
hafer,  J.  \\'.  Recter.  AIcDultey,  V.  Hargett,  Wolf,  J.  L.  Jerman,  Stout, 
Sylvester,  W.  H.  Thompson,  \\'.  H.  McDowell.  C.  ^I.  \'awter,  J.  H.  French 
and  H.  A.  Broadwell,  the  present  pastor.  The  trustees  in  1913  were:  Isaac 
Doles.  Thomas  Doles,  William  Caldwell,  William  Duncan  and  Isaac  Redd- 
ington. 

DISCONTINUED    METIIODI.-^T    EPISCOPAL     CHURCHES. 

Just  how  many  discontinued  Methodist  churches  there  are  in  Decatur 
county  is  not  known,  but  among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  following:  St. 
Omer,  St.  Alaurice,  Shiloh,  Center  Grove,  Finley  and  Fredonia.  Little  has 
been  learned  about  these  half  dozen  churches,  although  an  eft'ort  has  been 
made  to  trace  the  history  of  each.  Shiloh  was  discontinued  a  few  years  ago, 
the  members  going  to  the  Greensburg  and  Sandusky  churches.  Finley  church 
was  organized  by  the  anti-war  Democrats,  who  sent  to  Kentucky  for  their 
preacher.  It  disappeared  long  ago.  Fredonia  was  in  the  Tucker  neighbor- 
hood in  Marion  township  and  was  made  up  in  large  part  of  Free-will  Bap- 
tists, who  came  to  the  church  in  a  body.  It  was  on  the  Holton  circuit  and 
was  an  active  church  until  about  six  years  ago. 

NEWPOINT    METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Xewpoint  is  the  newest  church  in 
Salt  Creek  township,  having  been  founded  a  little  more  than  twent)-  years 
ago.  The  erection  of  the  building  was  superintended  by  John  Anedeker,  Jr. 
One  of  the  first  pastors  of  this  church  was  ^^'ill  Smith.  Generally,  the  same 
pastors  have  served  this  church  that  have  served  the  New  Pennington  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  since  the  organization  of  the  Newpoint  church. 


228  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  trustees  in  191 5  were  Leonard  P.  Hart,  Charles  Williams,  Walter 
Stanley,  William  Koenigkramer.  The  Simda_v  school  superintendent  in  that 
year  was  Leander  Carr. 

NEW     PENNINGTON     METHODIST    EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

Ever  since  it  was  founded,  the  New  Pennington  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  has  lieen  one  of  the  most  active  country  churches  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Decatur  county.  Its  history  is  embodied  in  the  lives  of  men  like  the  late 
John  Collicott,  who,  during  his  lifetime,  was  a  spiritual  adviser  and  leader  in 
the  church.  He  was  a  member  always  faithful  in  exhortation  and  in  the 
practice  of  the  "old-time  religion." 

The  following  pastors  have  served  the  church:  John  Collicott  (exhor- 
ter),  E.  M.  Westhafer,  Albert  Stout,  Will  Smith,  Erench,  Wilbur  McDow- 
ell, W.  H.  Thompson,  C.  M.  Vawter,  V.  Hargett,  Claude  Sylvester,  J.  L. 
Jerman,  \\'.  !\Iaupin  and  H.  A.  Broadwell,  the  pastor  in  19 15.  The  trustees 
of  the  church  are:  Charles  Williams,  Leonard  P.  Hart,  Alfred  Ahring, 
William  Koenigkramer. 

OTHER    METHODIST    CHURCHES. 

Unfortunately,  there  were  several  Methodist  churches  in  the  county 
which  failed  to  give  any  data  for  their  history,  and  all  that  is  known  of  them 
has  been  gleaned  from  the  1914  conference  report.  Rev.  T.  J.  Lewis  has 
four  churches  on  his  circuit :  Westport,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  mem- 
bers; Mt.  Pleasant,  one  hundred  and  thirty  members;  Letts,  sixty  members, 
and  Burk's  Chapel,  twenty  members.  Only  one  of  these  churches  responded 
to  a  request  for  data,  the  Mt.  Pleasant  church.  The  pastor  on  this  circuit 
lives  at  Westport.  Newpoint,  Middlebranch  and  New  Pennington  are 
served  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Broadwell  from  the  Batesville  circuit.  New  Penning- 
ton is  credited  with  ninety-four  members  and  Newpoint  with  seven  in  1914. 
William  De  Hart  serves  the  charges  at  Alert  and  Wesley  Chapel,  but  nothing- 
has  been  learned  concerning  either  church.  The  church  at  Burney  is  in 
charge  of  Joseph  H.  Larmore. 

BAPTIST   CHURCHES. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  Decatur  county, 
together  with  their  present  membership  and  name  of  pastor : 

Elatrock  Association :   Greensburg,    four  hundred  and   forty-five  mem- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  229 

bers,  J.  \\\  Cle\-enger,  pastor;  Salem,  one  hundred  and  eigIit}--t\vo  members, 
A.  A.  Kay,  pastor ;  Sand  Creek,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  members ;  W.  O: 
Beatty,  pastor;  Mt.  Moriah,  ninety-eight  members,  J-  A.  EUis,  pastor;  Ross- 
burg,  thirty-eight  members,  W.  O.  Beatty,  pastor. 

Sand  Creek  Association:  Mt.  Aerie  (Letts),  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  members,  W.  C.  Marshall,  pastor;  Liberty,  two  hundred  and  eighteen 
members,  L  B.  Morgan;  Westport,  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  members, 
A.  A.  Kay;  Union,  one  hundred  and  seventy  members,  J.  C.  Nicholson,  pas- 
tor; Mt.  Pleasant,  eighty-seven  members,  J.  C.  Nicholson,  pastor;  Friendship, 
thirty  members,  Eber  Tucker,  pastor;  Rock  Creek,  twenty-nine  members, 
P.  A.  Bryant,  pastor. 

The  Baptist  church  was  one  of  the  first  to  get  started  in  Decatur  county, 
and,  at  one  time  or  another,  has  had  nearly  a  score  of  different  congrega- 
tions in  the  county.  It  should  be  noted  that  this  church  was  stro'ng  in  the 
county  of  Franklin,  which  joins  Decatur  on  the  east,  and  that  many  of  the 
ministers  from  Franklin  served  the  early  Baptist  churches  of  Decatur  county. 
This  church,  like  many  others,  has  seen  many  of  its  congregations  divide 
on  questions  of  polity,  music,  secret  societies,  whisky,  slavery  and  on  other 
questions,  same  of  minor  importance  which  today  seem  \-ery  frivolous.  More 
than  one  Baptist  church  of  Decatur  county  has  been  rent  asunder  o\er  some 
pett}^  difl:'erences,  while,  to  their  credit,  they  have  later  reconciled  their  dif- 
ferences and  again  united. 

SAND    CREEK    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  first  church  of  this  denomination  in  Decatur  countv  was  estab- 
lished in  1822,  the  same  year  the  county  began  its  independent  career,  thus 
making  the  church  coexistent  with  the  life  of  the  county.  In  fact,  the  actual 
organization  of  the  Sand  Creek  church  antedated  the  actual  official  opening  of 
the  county  by  about  three  months.  It  was  on  the  third  Saturday  in  January, 
1822,  that  eight  people — Rev.  John  B.  Potter,  Jennie  Potter,  Zachariah  Gar- 
tin,  Polly  Gartin,  Dudley  Taylor,  Nancy  Taylor,  Rebecca  Loyd  and  Jen- 
nie Miller — met  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Baptist  church.  Their  first 
meeting  was  held  in  Washington  township  and  sometime  later  they  erected 
a  building,  which  they  used  for  many  years.  Rev.  Potter  donated  five  acres 
of  ground  to  be  used  as  a  cemetery.  This  church  became  the  mother  of  the 
Baptist  churches  of  Decatur,  and,  as  other  branches  were  established,  many 
of  the  members  joined  other  congregations. 

Shortly  after  effecting  a  permanent  organization,  the  Sand  Creek  church 


230  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

elected  a  council,  consisting  of  Joel  Butler,  Basil  Meek  and  Polly  Baker. 
The  church  was  first  attached  to  the  Sih'er  Creek  association,  but  later,  upon 
the  organization  of  the  Flat  Rock  association,  joined  the  latter.  Many  able 
men  have  served  as  pastors  of  this  church  and  the  following  list  represents 
some  of  the  ablest  ministers  the  church  produced  in  the  early  history  of  the 
church:  John  B.  Potter,  Daniel  Stoggsdill,  Abraham  Bohannan,  James  Mc- 
Ewen,  John  Pavy,  Jacob  Martin,  I.  Christie,  James  \\'.  Lewis,  James  Pavey, 
M.  B.  Phares,  Joab  Stout,  Preston  Jones,  J.  W.  B.  Tisdale,  J.  W.  Potter, 
G.  W.  Bower.  C.  N.  Gartin,  W.  T.  Jolly. 

The  Sand  Creek  Baptist  church  was  organized  under  the  following  con- 
stitution :  "Being  sensible  of  the  advantages  and  benefits  of  church  privileges 
and  gospel  ordinances,  we  do  agree  to  give  ourselves,  by  the  will  of  God, 
to  God  and  to  one  another  as  a  church,  in  order  that  we  may  keep  up  a  church 
government  and  discipline  according  to  the  New  Testament  regulations ; 
also,  to  watch  over  one  another  in  love  for  the  benefit  of  the  church  of 
Christ  and  the  glory  of  the  religious  cause  of  God,  we  do  covenant  together 
as  a  regularly  constituted  church  on  the  articles  of  faith  of  the  Silver  Creek 
association."  The  following  constituent  members  signed  these  articles  of 
faith :  Zachariah  Gartin,  Polly  Gartin.  Dudley  Taylor,  Nancy  Taylor,  Jennie 
Miller,  Rebecca  Loyd,  Rev.  John  B.  Potter  and  Jennie  Potter.  These  mem- 
bers received  the  hand  of  fellowship  from  a  council  composed  of  Elder  Joel 
Butler,  from  Union  church,  Basil  Meek  -and  Polly  Baker.  A  year  later  the 
church  joined  the  Flat  Rock  association,  with  which  it  has  since  been 
affiliated. 

Originall}-,  the  Sand  Creek  church  embraced  a  wide  scope  of  territory, 
being  the  second  church  of  the  denomination  in  the  county,  and  holding  the 
most  central  location.  As  suggested  before  it  may  very  appropriately  be 
called  the  mother  of  the  many  Baptist  churches  which  were  to  follow.  Large 
and  flourishing"  churches  have  arisen  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  until  at  the 
present  time  the  field  of  Sand  Creek  is  confined  to  a  comparatively  small  ter- 
ritory. However,  it  is  a  strong  congregation,  and  is  constantly  growing  in 
strength  and  influence.  Originally  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast 
of  Greensburg,  it  changed  to  its  present  site  in  Marion  township  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  eighties.  The  first  meetings  were  held  at  the  homes  of  the  mem- 
bers, and,  even  after  a  log  church  was  erected,  meetings  were  often  held  at 
the  homes  of  the  centrally  located  members  in  the  winter.  In  April,  1823, 
Nathaniel  INIadison  Potter  donated  three-fourths  of  an  acre  of  ground  and 
William  Loyd  a  half  acre,  for  church  and  cemetery  purposes.  A  building, 
twenty-four  by  thirt}'  feet,  was  constructed  of  logs  on  the  site  so  donated, 


DECATUR    COUNTV,    INDIANA.  23 1 

on  the  Alicliigan  road,  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  the  county  seat.  The 
cemetery  is  still  there,  but  the  building  has  long  since  disappeared. 

The  first  services  in  the  new  log  building  were  held  in  April,  i<S_'4,  and 
on  that  day  the  following  contributions  were  made  to  Pastor  Stogsilale  for 
his  services:  Three  dollars  in  cash,  t^-velve  days'  -work,  two  days'  work,  fifty 
cents  and  one  day's  work,  one  dollar  and  one  bedstead,  two  days'  work,  two 
days'  work,  one  dollar,  two  and  a  half  bushels  of  corn.  It  was  agreed  that 
the  members  donating  work  were  to  contribute  it  at  certain  specified  times, 
and,  presumabl}^  when  the  pastor  could  use  them  to  the  best  advantage. 

John  B.  Potter  served  the  church  until  a  building  was  erected  and  had 
the  honor  of  being  the  first  pastor  and  moderator.  He  died  in  February, 
1823.  His  grave  marks  the  resting  place  .of  the  first  member  of  the  Sand 
Creek  church.  He  preached  the  first  Baptist  sermon,  if  not  the  first  of  any 
kind,  in  Decatur  county,  on  Clifty  creek  at  a  spring  just  above  where  the  old 
IMoriah  Baptist  church  stood,  in  ,Vdams  township.  The  pastors  in  the  log 
church  were  Daniel  Stogsdale,  Abraham  Bohanon,  James  McEwen,  John 
Pavy,  Daniel  Stogsdale  and  Jacob  Martin,  serving  in  the  order  gi\en. 

In  1842  a  contract  was  let  for  a  new  building  to  be  located  on  the  same 
site,  a  short  distance  east  of  the  log  building.  It  was  a  frame  structure,  fifty 
by  forty  feet,  and  cost  six  hundred  dollars,  the  contractor  and  the  congrega- 
tion both  furnishing  part  of  the  material.  The  building  was  dedicated  in  the 
due  course  of  time,  with  appropriate  services,  and  continued  to  be  the  home  of 
the  church  until  1883.  During  the  early  years  ser^-ices  in  the  summer  time 
were  frequently  held  under  the  shade  of  a  large  poplar  tree  which  stood  near 
the  south  end  of  the  church.  Across  the  road  a  spring  of  excellent  water 
gushed  forth  and  the  friendly  gourd  was  ever  hanging  by  it  for  the  use  of  the 
members.  In  those  days  the  evening  services  were  conducted  under  the 
flitful  gleam  of  the  candle,  and  many  people  are  still  living  who  can  recall 
the  sputtering  candles  and  tallow  dips  which  were  in  use  until  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War. 

The  pastors  in  the  frame  building  were  Jacob  ]\Iartin,  Daniel  Stogsdale, 
I.  Cristy,  James  Lewis,  John  Pavy.  M.  B.  Phares,  Joab  Stout,  Preston  Jones, 
J.  W.  B.  Tisdale,  James  Lewis,  J.  ^V.  B.  Tisdale,  J.  W.  Potter,  G.  \Y.  Bowers, 
C.  N.  Gartin,  W.  T.  Jolly  and  H.  H.  Smith. 

In  1863,  more  ground  was  purchased  from  JMr.  White  for  cemetery 
purposes,  making  about  four  acres  altogether.  About  this  time  services 
were  held  in  three  different  places — at  the  church,  the  Layton  school  house 
and  the  Middle  Branch  school  house.  As  the  years  went  by  and  new  Bap- 
tist churches  were  organized,  the  question  of  moving-  the  church  farther  south 


232  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  seriously  discussed.  It  was  not  until  1882,  that  a  final  decision  was 
made  on  this  momentuous  matter.  In  that  year  it  was  decided  to  locate  on 
the  Michigan  road,  in  Marion  township,  about  four  and  a  half  miles  southeast 
of  Greensburg,  just  across  the  Washington  township  line.  Three  and  a  half 
acres  of  ground  were  bought  from  J.  D.  Price  for  fifty  dollars,  and  a  brick 
building  was  at  once  planned.  This  building,  thirty-two  by  forty-eight  feet, 
was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1883,  and  furnished  in  January  of  the  follow- 
ing year. 

Rev.  J.  E.  McCoy  was  the  first  pastor  in  the  new  building,  being  called 
in  February,  1884.  In  June  of  the  same  year  the  formal  dedicatory  services 
were  held  by  Rev.  I.  N.  Clark,  who  preached  from  the  text,  "For  we  are 
laborers  together  with  God;  ye  are  God's  husbandry,  ye  are  God's  building." 
(I.  Corinthians,  third  chapter,  ninth  verse.)  The  well,  wood  shed,  tenant 
house  and  bell  were  added  later,  the  total  cost  of  the  lot  and  buildings  being 
two  thousand,  seven  hundred  fifty-seven  dollars  and  two  cents. 

The  pastors  at  the  present  building  have  been  as  follows :  J.  E.  McCoy, 
W.  H.  Craig,  T.  A.  Aspy,  J.  A.  Pettit,  J.  F.  Huckleberry,  E.  C.  J.  Dickens, 
Charles  M.  Phillips,  Dennis  O'Dell.  A.  J.  Foster,  Chesley  Holmes  and  W.  O. 
Beatty,  the  present  pastor. 

The  Sand  Creek  church  has  been  wholly,  or  at  least  partly,  responsible 
in  constituting  the  churches  at  Greensburg,  Liberty,  New  Pleasant,  Pleasant 
Grove,  Mt.  Zion,  Columbia  and  Muddy  Fork.  Some  of  these  churches  are 
now  extinct.  On  three  occasions  Sand  Creek  has  entertained  the  associa- 
tion. Sand  Creek  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  it  has  furnished  so  many  faith- 
ful ministers  to  the  church  at  large.  The  following  men  have  gone  out  from 
this  congregation  as  pastors :  Licentiates — Ransom  Riggs,  Shelton  P.  Lowe, 
Nathaniel  Madison,  Potter,  John  D.  Parker,  Washington  Pavy,  A.  J.  Martin 
and  J.  W.  Potter;  ordained  ministers — Ransom  Riggs,  Washington  Pavy, 
John  W.  Potter  and  William  H.  Le  Masters. 

The  ministers  deserving  special  mention  for  their  long  connection  with 
the  church  are  Daniel  Stogsdale  (sixteen  and  a  half  years),  J.  E.  McCoy 
(eight  years)  and  John  W.  Potter  (eighteen  years).  Rev.  Potter  probably 
did  more  for  the  church  than  any  other  man.  Nathaniel  M.  Potter  was  a 
deacon  in  the  church  for  nearly  nineteen  years,  while  R.  E.  Cafifyn  was  a 
deacon  for  nine  years  and  clerk  for  fifteen  years.  Jacob  McKee  served  as 
deacon  for  twelve  years,  Dora  Privett  was  clerk  for  sixteen  years,  James 
demons  was  moderator  for  thirteen  years  and  T.  M.  Clark  was  superin- 
tendent for  ten  years. 

The  church  has  enrolled  approximately  one  thousand  members  in  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  233 

ninety-three  years  of  its  existence  and  now  has  a  membership  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-three  active  members.  The  yearly  expenses  average  between  three 
hundred  and  fifty  and  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars. 

•  Under  the  leadership  of  the  present  pastor,  W.  O.  Beatty,  the  church  is 
enjoying  a  steady  growth.  A  Sunday  school  is  maintained ;  a  Young  People's 
society  meets  everj'  Sunday  evening  and  an  active  Ladies'  Aid  society  is  doing 
etiicient  service  in  the  Master's  cause. 

If  the  good  pioneers  who  established  this  church  nearly  a  century,  ago 
could  know  how  much  good  had  been  done  for  the  Redeemer  and  how  many 
souls  have  been  added  to  his  kingdom  through  its  instrumentality,  they 
would  rejoice  indeed  and  feel  that  their  early  labors  had  not  been  in  vain. 

MOUNT     MORIAH     BAPTIST     CHURCH. 

The  ]Mt.  iMoriah  church  was  organized  on  May  2t,.  1823,  with  nineteen 
members:  Rev.  Daniel  Stogsdill,  Jonas  Long,  Joel  Clark,  William  Harbord, 
Richard  Guthrie  and  fourteen  others  whose  names  have  not  been  preserved. 
This  was  the  first  branch  of  the  Sand  Creek  church  and  included  some  who 
had  belonged  to  the  mother  church.  A  building  was  erected  on  land  donated 
by  Solomon  Tnrpin  and  stood  in  Adams  township,  on  the  old  Michigan  road, 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  present  village  of  Adams.  A  brick  church  was 
built  in  1834.  This  congregation  flourished  for  twenty  years  before  any  dis- 
sension arose.  In  1843  there  was  a  great  temperance  wave  sweeping  over 
the  country,  and  many  churches  became  divided  on  the  question  of  total 
abstinence.  One  of  the  members  of  the  Mt.  ]\Ioriah  church,  in  an  unguarded 
moment,  either  to  drown  some  secret  sorrow,  or  in  libation  to  the  sheer  joy 
of  living,  had  taken  on  a  greater  cargo  of  alcoholic  liquor  than  his  navigatory 
powers  could  handle.  He  became  gloriously  intoxicated  and  was  brought 
before  the  church  for  trial.  He  was  found  goiilty  and  expelled  from  the  con- 
gregation. At  the  same  sitting,  the  congTCgation  heard  the  case  of  a  member 
charged  with  the  heterodoxy  of  having  joined  a  temperance  society.  He 
pleaded  guilty  to  the  charge  and  was  also  expelled  from  the  congregation. 
Whereupon  a  member,  having  more  of  a  sense  of  humor  than  the  others, 
arose  and  asked :  "Brethren  and  sisters,  just  how  much  whisky  must  a  man 
drink  in  order  to  be  a  good  churchman?"  Some  time  later,  a  minister  at  this 
place  joined  a  temperance  society  and  was  promptly  ousted  by  the  congre- 
gation. This  did  not  deter  him  from  preaching,  however,  for  he  held  serv- 
ices in  homes  of  members  of  the  congregation  who  stood  with  him  on  the 
temperance  question,  and  he  was  later  taken  back  into  the  pulpit. 


234  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Then  the  conservative  Baptists  of  the  Mt.  Moriah  congregation,  find- 
ing themselves  outnumbered  by  the  temperance  members,  withdrew  from  the 
Mt.  ^Moriah  congregation  and  organized  a  church  one  mile  below  Adams, 
which  they  called  Mt.  Hebron. 

MOUNT    HEBRON    AND   ADAMS    BAPTIST    CHURCHES. 

The  Mt.  Hebron  church,  as  has  been  stated  above,  was  the  result  of  the 
split  in  the  Mt.  Moriah  congregation,  the  cause  of  which  may  seem  so  sur- 
prising to  us  today.  This  temperance  branch  of  the  old  church  built  a  house 
of  worship  in  Clay  township  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the  present 
village  of  Adams.  These  two  rival  churches,  the  "wets"  and  the  "drys," 
stationed  within  about  a  mile  of  each  other,  maintained  their  separate  organ- 
izations for  more  than  twenty  3'ears.  By  1863  their  ranks  were  becoming 
thin  and  they  were  growing  so  weak  that  they  were  scarcely  able  to  keep  up 
their  organizations.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Rev.  J-  B.  Lathrop,  who 
had  established  a  Methodist  church  at  Adams,  suggested  to  the  two  churches 
that  they  forget  their  differences,  unite  their  congregations  and  build  a 
church  at  Adams.  The  Civil  War  w^as  in  progress,  many  of  the  members 
of  both  churches  had  gone  to  the  front,  and  most  of  the  few  remaining  finally 
decided  that  nothing  could  be  gained  by  attempting-  to  keep  up  two  separate 
organizations.  In  this  year  the  two  churches — Mt.  Moriah  and  Mt.  Hebron 
— tore  down  the  Mt.  Moriah  church  and  used  the  brick  to  erect  a  new 
house  of  worship  in  Adams.  This  building  is  still  standing  and  is  now 
occupied  by  the  congregation.  Whether  it  was  in  the  nature  of  a  compromise 
or  not  is  not  known,  but  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  it  was  agreed  to  use 
the  Mt.  Hebron  cemetery.  This  final  union  of  the  two  sister  churches  shows 
that  most  of  the  members  could  fprgiA-e,  even  though  they  might  not  forget. 
Some  of  them,  however,  were  not  able  to  reconcile  themselves  to  the  new 
order  of  things,  and  within  five  years  they  withdrew  and  formed  the  little 
Flat  Rock  church.  The  pastors  of  the  Adams  Baptist  church  from  1865 
have  been :  Preston  Jones,  Daniel  Stogsdill,  A.  Bohannan,  James  McEwen, 
J.  Currier,  J.  M.  Smith,  E.  J.  Todd.  I.  Christie,  J.  W.  B.  Tisdale,  Evan 
Snead,  J.  Chancey,  James  Pavey,  John  Pavey,  Preston  Jones,  F.  M.  Huckle- 
berry, L.  E.  Duncan,  L.  A.  Clevenger   (1880-83). 

LITTLE    FLAT    ROCK    BAPTLST    CHURCH. 

The  Little  Flat  Rock  church  was  organized  by  twelve  members  of  the 
Mt.    Moriah   congregation,   the   "wet"   branch,   after   Mt.    Moriah   and   Mt. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  235 

Hebron  had  decided,  in  1865,  to  unite  in  building-  a  new  church  at  llic  vil- 
lage of  Adams.  These  twelve  were  11  W.  Stogsdill,  A.  A.  Stogsdill,  Lewis 
and  Malinda  Shelhorn,  D.  W.  and  AIar_v  Shelhorn,  S.  A.  and  Eliza  Shelhorn, 
H.  L.  and  Emily  Doggett,  Mary  Snickler  and  Elizabeth  Shelhorn.  Whether 
they  withdrew  at  once  after  the  union  of  1865  is  n6t  known:  at  least,  they 
did  not  erect  a  house  of  worship  and  effect  a  permanent  organization  until 
1870.  On  the  first  Saturday  in  March  of  that  year  they  met  and  decided 
to  build  a  church  in  the  Shelhorn  neighborhood  on  the  Ijanks  of  Little  Flat 
Rock.  A  commodious  Iniilding  was  erected  and  in  a  few  years  the  church 
had  enrolled  over  a  hundred  members.  Rev.  Preston  Jones  was  tlie  leading- 
spirit  in  the  church  for  many  years  and  ser\'ed  as  pastor  until  almig-  in  the 
eighties.     Other  ministers  have  been  :  F.  M.  FKickleberry  and  S.  P.  Smith. 

LIBERTY    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Liberty  Baptist  church  was  the  third  of  the  denomination  ti)  be 
organized  in  Decatur  county  and  dates  from  1827.  In  that  year  nine  mem- 
bers met  at  the  home  of  Charles  Taylor,  three  and  one  half  miles  west  of 
Greensburg,  on  the  second  Saturday  of  August.  The  original  members  were 
Obadiah  Martin  and  wdfe,  Elizabeth,  John  Whitlow  and  wife,  Thomas 
Keel  and  wife,  Moses  Sally  and  wife  and  Andrew  Nicholas.  At  the  second 
meeting  the  members  selected  Obadiah  Martin  as  their  minister,  he  being  at 
that  time  a  licentiate.  They  set  aside  the  second  Saturday  in  November, 
1827,  for  his  ordination,  but  this  ceremony  was  later  postponed  until  the 
second  Saturday  in  ^Nlay,  1828.  At  that  time  the  council,  composed  of 
Daniel  Stogdel,  Adam  Cantwell,  James  Long  and  John  Wheeldon,  performed 
the  ordination  services.  On  the  second  Saturday  in  June  following.  Rev. 
Martin  was  chosen  moderator  of  the  congregation.  He  continued  to  serve 
the  church  faithfully  until  his  death,  six  years  later.  At  the  third  regular 
meeting  after  his  death,  James  McEwin  was  invited  to  become  the  pastor, 
and  he  remained  with  the  church  as  pastor  until  1836,  at  which  time  the 
church  granted  a  license  to  preach  to  Joseph  A.  Martin  and  John  T.  War- 
ren. These  two  men  then  ministered  to  the  congregation  jointly  until  1839, 
when  the  church  granted  a  license  to  Samuel  Williams.  From  the  time  of 
Williams'  advancement  to  the  position  of  licentiate  until  October,  1840,  the 
three  men — ^Martin,  W^arren  and  Williams — served  the  congregation.  At 
the  latter  date  the  congregation  ordained  ^lartin  and  \\'arren  and  the  two 
served  the  church  together  until  1843.  In  July,  of  that  year,  the  church 
called  John  Paw  for  one  vear  and  at  the  same  meeting  chose  John  T.  War- 


236  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ren  as  assistant  moderator.  In  1846  the  church  again  selected  Pavy  as  their 
pastor  and  the  following  year  called  Archibald  Leach  for  a  period  of  one 
year.  The  pastors  from  that  year  down  to  the  present  time  have  been  as 
follow:  Jacob  Martin,  1848;  Daniel  Stogdel,  1849;  Joseph  Sampson,  1850; 
Joab  Stout,  1850,  until  his  death.  The  dates  of  the  remaining  pastors  have 
not  been  furnished.  They  are :  Albert  Carter,  F.  M.  Huckleberry,  Alexander 
Connelly,  W.  W.  Smith,  T.  A.  Aspy,  John  Huckleberry,  E.  Sanford  and  I.  B. 
Morgan,  the  present  pastor.  The  deacons  of  the  church  have  been  as  fol- 
low:  John  Whitlow,  182S-37;  Benjamin  Taylor,  1837-1853;  Elijah  Mc- 
Guire,  1840-1851  ;  Pleasant  Martin,  1852-1915;  Elijah  Markland,  1854-1856; 
Simpson  Turner,  1857-1915;  James  M.  Brown,  1871-1915.  Among  the 
clerks  of  the  church  may  be  mentioned  Moses  Sally,  Pleasant  Martin,  Will- 
iam Douglass,  Samuel  Howell  and  Richard  Wright. 

The  first  building  was  a  log  structure,  twenty-two  by  twenty-six  feet, 
which,  however,  was  never  completely  finished.  It  was  built  about  one  mile 
north  of  the  present  building.  In  1844,  the  church  started  to  erect  a  second 
building,  Imt  it  was  not  completed  until  1852.  In  1855  the  congregation 
built  a  substantial  frame  building,  thirty  by  thirty-six  feet.  It  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1866.  In  the  same  year  plans  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a 
brick  building  and  it  was  finished  and  dedicated  in  1868.  ■ 

For  many  years  after  the  church  was  organized  there  was  little  money 
for  church  expenses.  The  first  sexton  received  two  dollars  and  a  half  a  year 
for  his  services,  \yhile  today  he  receives  a  salary  of  fifty-two  dollars.  The 
total  expenses  for  1915  are  as  follow:  Pastor,  $150;  assistant,  $150;  visiting 
ministers,  $100;  home  missions,  $53;  foreign  missions,  $11.25;  sexton,  $52; 
Sabbath  school,  $50.  Four  members  of  the  church  gave  a  total  amount  of 
$251  for  the  endowment  fund  of  Franklin  College  during  1914. 

The  Liberty  church  was  first  a  member  of  the  Flat  Rock  association,  but 
in  1850,  it  united  with  the  Sand  Creek  association.  During  the  twenty-three 
years  preceding  1850,  the  church  admitted  one  hundred  and  three  persons 
to  membership.  Of  that  number,  eleven  have  been  excluded,  and  of  the 
members  in  1850,  there  are  two  still  living.  In  the  last  twenty  years  the 
church  has  admitted  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  to  membership.  In  the 
spring  of  1912,  Rev.  S.  G.  Huntington  conducted  a  revival,  which  brought 
twenty-nine  new  members  into  the  church.  The  total  membership  at  the 
present  time  is  two  hundred  and  eighteen. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  237 

SALEM    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Salem  Baptist  church  was  estabHshed  on  the  third  Saturday  of 
February,  183 1,  at  the  home  of  John  S.  Rutherford,  one  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  i\lilford.  The  constituent  members  \\ere :  Ruchard  and  Fan- 
nie Johnson,  James  and  Elizabeth  Dunn,  James  and  George  M.  O'Laughlin, 
Mathias  and  Margaret  Mount,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Jones.  The  first 
house  of  worship  was  erected  in  183 1,  and  this  remained  in  use  until  1888, 
when  the  present  building  was  erected.  It  was  remodeled  in  1909,  and  is  now 
provided  with  all  the  modern  improvements.  The  church  property  is  valued 
at  three  thousand  dollars. 

The  ministers  include  the  following:  John  Pavy,  J.  W.  B.  Tisdale, 
W.  E.  Spear,  James  Pavey,  J.  W.  Potter,  A.  A.  Downey,  W.  A.  Pavey, 
Alonzo  Aspy,  T.  A.  Aspy,  J.  A.  Pettit,  J.  F.  Huckleberry,  Noah  Harper, 
E.  C.  J.  Dickens,  M.  C.  Welch,  L.  T.  Root,  D.  P.  Liston,  D.  P.  Odell,  R. 
H.  Kent,  H.  W.  Clark,  C.  B.  Jones,  and  A.  A.  Kay,  the  present  pastor. 
The  clerk  is  F.  L.  Sasser,  who  furnished  all  the  data  for  the  history  of  the 
church.  The  church  now  has  a  membership  of  two  hundred.  A  Baptist 
Young  People's  Union  was  organized  in  1914. 

GREENSBURG  BAPTIST   CHURCHES. 

According  to  the  early  records,  the  Greensburg  Baptist  church  was 
founded  in  1841,  by  the  Rev.  Joshua  Currier,  of  Connecticut,  sent  here  by 
the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society.  Prior  to  his  coming,  the 
Greensburg  Baptists  held  membership  in  some  of  the  older  churches  of  the 
denomination  in  the  county.  The  missionary  was  a  thrifty  New  Englander 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  well  endowed  with  those  attributes  necessary 
for  success  in  this  particular  field. 

From  their  hillside  home  on  the  left  of  the  present  entrance  to  South 
Park  cemetery  they  worked,  taught  and  visited  for  seven  years.  The  church 
was  organized  July  17,  1841,  with  eighteen  members  and  united  the  follow- 
ing month  with  the  Flat  Rock  association.  Eight  members  were  added  the 
following  year,  after  which  the  new  church  only  held  its  own  until  1848, 
when,  with  thirty-three  baptisms  and  twelve  additions  by  letter,  the  number 
of  members  was  raised  to  ninety-seven. 

Just  a  little  later  it  suffered  a  hea^•y  loss  through  the  removal  of  the 
pastor  and  several  families  to  Iowa.  The  next  minister  was  the  Rev.  M.  B. 
Phares,  a  young  college  man,  who  served  in  1849-50.     Following  him  came 


230  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Ref.  D.  G.  Heuston  (1853-54),  who  was  also  a  Franklin  College  man.  Dur- 
ing his  pastorate,  fire  destroyed  the  meeting  house.  This  building  had  been 
purchased  of  the  Presbyterians,  who  had  erected  a  new  edifice.  The  pews 
of  this  church  faced  the  doors  and  it  was  lighted  with  candles. 

'For  a  time  the  congregation  used  the  ofiice  of  Ezra  Lathrop  for  busi- 
ness and  prayer  meetings.  Occasional  preaching  services  were  conducted 
in  other  churches.  Plans  for  rebuilding  were  laid  at  once,  and  the  church 
was  completed  dui-ing  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  B.  Tisdale  (1856-59). 
The  basement  of  the  new  church  was  occupied  as  soon  as  it  was  completed. 
Private  schools  were  conducted  in  it  for  a  time,  the  teachers  being  James 
Caffvn  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Potter. 

The  new  church  was  a  two-story  structure,  with  thick  brick  walls  and 
heavy  stone  steps,  with  iron  railings.  It  was  lighted  with  kerosene  and 
heated  with  two  large  sto\'es.  Rev.  Harry  Smith  was  the  pastor  in  i860,  and 
was  followed  in  1861  by  Rev.  M.  B.  Phares,  who  had  previously  served  the 
congregation. 

During  the  anxiety  and  depression  of  the  Civil  War,  when  many  of  the 
able-bodied  members  of  the  congregation  were  at  the  front,  the  Greensburg 
church  shared  its  pastor  with  the  Sand  Creek  congregation.  Re\-.  Phares 
was  unable  to  bear  up  under  the  consecjuent  heavy  labor  and  died  before  the 
war  was  o\-er.     He  lies  buried  in  the  Sand  Creek  cemetery. 

Rew  Ira  C.  Perrine,  who  was  also  a  physician,  served  the  church  for  a 
time  and  then  retired  on  account  of  failing  health.  Upon  his  death,  which 
took  place  soon  after  his  retirement,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  a  number  of 
ministers  until  the  coming  of  Rev.  J.  Cell,  in  1864.  He  served  for  two 
years  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  L.  D.  Robinson,  who  remained  for  three 
years.  During  the  latter's  pastorate  there  were  a  number  of  inno\'ations 
introduced  into  the  church,  including  the  introduction  of  instrumental  music, 
a  choir,  Christmas  trees,  church  socials  and  other  means  of  supplementing  the 
regular  church  revenues.  In  this  period  the  church  membership  was  con- 
siderably augmented  through  additions  by  baptism  and  letter. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Green,  who  served  the  church  as  pastor  for  some  time, 
absconded  in  1870  after  forging  the  signatures  of  a  number  of  his  par- 
ishoners.  He  was  located  in  Portland,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  working 
in  a  tinware  factory.  He  had  formerly  preached  in  a  Methodist  church 
there  vmder  another  name.  He  was  kept  in  jail  for  a  time,  during  which  he 
impro\'ed  his  leisure  by  writing  a  series  of  letters  to  the  newspapers. 

The  next  pastor  was  Re\'.  John  Chambers,  who  remained  for  a  year. 
Then  came  Rev.  W.  A.  Caplinger,  a  suppl}',  who  conducted  a  revival  with 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  239 

ihe  assistance  of  Rev.  J.  Cell,  and  the  heart  of  the  congregation  turned  to 
the  former  pastor,  who  was  gladly  recalled.  He  died  after  a  few  months' 
service  and  lies  buried  in  South  Park  cemeteiy  in  Greensburg. 

Rev.  B.  F.  Cavons  came  in  1870,  with  his  young  bride,  and  remained  for 
seven  years,  during  which  the  church  enjoyed  a  steady  growth.  The  bap- 
tistry was  constructed  and  other  needed  improvements  added.  Hitherto 
baptismal  services  had  been  held  in  Little  Sand  Creek,  usually  near  Michigan 
avenue  and  Washington  street. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  E.  Pritchard,  who  had  been  trained  in 
Spurgeon's  London  college.  He  came  to  the  church  in  1881.  A])out  this 
time  agitation  was  started  for  the  erection  of  a  new  church  or  enlarging  the 
old  one.  The  church  building  then  in  use  was  twenty-five  years  old,  and  the 
congregation  was  much  larger  than  at  the  date  of  its  erection.  No  decision 
could  be  reached  and  the  agitation  continued  throughout  the  pastorate  of 
Reverend  Pritchard  and  that  of  his  successor.  Rev.  J.  A.  Kirkpatrick 
(1885-86). 

Reverend  Kirkpatrick  devoted  his  energy  to  strengthening  the  body  of 
the  church  and  added  many  new  members.  During  his  ministry  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  church  was  fittingly  celebrated.  During  the  tenure  of  his 
successor,  Rev.  D.  W.  Sanders,  the  church  united  on  building  plans,  tore  down 
the  old  building  and  erected  the  present  structure,  which  was  cleared  of  debt 
after  several  years  of  heroic  efi'ort. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Thomas  was  the  pastor  in  1892,  and  was  followed  by  Rev. 
W  .W.  Smith,  who  seiwed  the  church  with  zeal  and  industry  for  four  years. 
In  igoo  Manford  Schuk  was  called  and  ordained.  He  occupied  the  pulpit 
for  a  year  and  then  left  to  continue  his  studies.  His  successor.  Rev.  H.  W. 
Davis,  served  two  years.  The  last  four  named  were  students  at  Franklin 
College  and  three  of  them  spent  their  early  life  in  the  vicinity  of  Greens- 
burg.    During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Davis,  the  pipe  organ  was  installed. 

The  next  pastor  was  Kev.  J.  Heritage,  another  English-trained  minister. 
While  he  was  minister,  Tvlrs.  Joseph  W}'nn  presented  the  cliurch  witli  an 
individual  communion  set.  He  was  followed  in  turn  by  Rew  J.  h-  h'razer. 
Rev.  J.  F.  Fradenburg,  and  Rev.  J.  AV.  Clevenger,  the  present  minister,  who 
took  the  pulpit  in  1914. 

In  its  history  of  three-quarters  of  a  century  the  Greensburg  Baptist 
church  has  had  twenty-four  pastors,  two  of  whom  were  recalled  to  the  pulpit. 
There  were  times  when  the  pulpit  was  filled  by  supplies,  but,  for  the  most 
part,  services  have  been  regular  since  the  organization  of  the  church. 

A  number  of  Baptist  ministers  have  spent  their  last  years  in  Greens- 


240  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

burg  and  have  added  considerably  to  the  power  of  the  church.  Among  them 
have  been  Rev.  J.  W.  B.  Tisdale,  S.  M.  Stimson,  D.  D.  (for  twenty-five 
years  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Society),  Rev.  T.  J.  Connor,  Rev. 

F.  M.  Huckelberry,  Rev.  Alexander  Connoley,  Rev.  C.  M.  Phillips  and  Rev. 

A.  D.  Berry,  who  brought  the  office  of  the  Baptist  Observer  to  Greensburg 
for  a  time. 

The  first  license  to  preach  was  granted  by  the  Greensburg  church  to 
Thomas  Edkinsom,  one  of  the  constituent  members.  Dyar  M.  Christy  was 
gi\'en  a  license  in  the  late  sixties,  and  he  preached  until  his  death,  twenty- 
five  years  later.  E.  Hez  Swem,  who  was  the  third  sent  out,  has  spent  a  use- 
ful quarter  of  a  century  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Three  ministers  have  been 
ordained  by  the  church.  Rev.  Manford  Schuk,  Rev.  William  LeMasters  and 
Rev.  O.  A.  Bowman. 

A  few  legacies  have  been  left  the  church.  Ezra  Lathrop  becjueathed 
it  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  Mahalla  Ragan  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Wynn  left  it  one  thousand  dollars.  The  church  has  been  host  to  the  Indiana 
Baptist  state  convention  four  times:  1861,  1868,  1878  and  1913.  It  has 
entertained  delegates  and  messengers  from  the  churches  of  the  Flat  Rock 
association  three  times,  in  1866,  1889  and  1913. 

The  first  clerk  of  the  church  was  Jabez  Edkins.  Z.  A.  Withrow  is 
reported  as  occupying  that  office  in  1852.  Among  those  who  held  the  office 
during  long  terms  of  years  were  J.  N.  Shirk,  F.  C.  Eddleman,  R.  T.  Wright 
and  C.  W.  AVoodward.  Ezra  Lathrop,  George  Fletcher,  George  Perrine, 
Isaac  N.  Shirk  and  Benjamin  Bowers  were  among  the  early  deacons.  The 
following  among  others  have  served  as  church  treasurer:  Ebenezer  Edkins, 
R.  T.  Wright,  Everet  Marsh,  Charles  Schuk,  C.  W.  Woodward,  Harrington 
Boyd  and  Hugh  Taylor. 

Some  of  the  Sunday  school  superintendents  have  been  I.  N.  Shirk,  W. 

B.  Hai-vey,  Ira  Hollensbe,  R.  T.  Wright,  Charles  Williams,  Everett  Marsh, 

G.  G.  Welsh.  Herbert  West  and  William  G.  Bently.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Johnston 
was  a  loyal  and  efficient  leader  of  the  primary  department  for  more  than 
thirty  years. 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Society  was  organized  in  1877,  with  Mrs. 
Joseph  Wynn  as  president,  and  women's  prayer  meetings  have  been  a  con- 
tinuous feature  of  the  life  of  the  church.  The  early  meeting  places  were 
the  homes  of  Mrs.  Abi  Lathrop,  Mrs.  T.  Edkins  or  Mrs.  Fletcher.  For  a 
periad  of  ten  years  these  meetings  were  held  regularly  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
J.  B.  Wheatley. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


PLEASANT     BAPTIST     CHURCH. 


The  members  of  the  Baptist  church  h\'ing  in  the  southern  part  of  Jack- 
son township  met  at  the  home  of  James  Blankenship  on  the  third  Saturday 
of  February,  1835,  and  organized  the  Mt.  Pleasant  church.  The  constituent 
members  had  been  attached  to  the  Bear  Creek  church,  in  Bartholomew 
county,  before  this  time.  They  numbered  ten,  as  follows :  William  T.  Strib- 
bling,  Achsa  Stribbling,  John  Chambers,  Elizabeth  Chambers,  John  Graham, 
Eliza  Graham,  James  Blankenship,  Mary  Blankenship,  Mary  Chambers  and 
Catherine  Eli.  At  the  home  of  John  Chambers  the  new  church  was  reor- 
ganized by  the  council  on  February  28,  1835,  Bear  Creek,  Mt.  Moriah  and 
Vernon  being  represented  in  the  council.  They  worshipped  in  private  homes 
for  two  years,  and  in  1837  erected  a  log  church,  which  was  supplanted  in 
i860  by  a  brick  building.  The  church  has  drawn  her  membership  from  a 
large  territory,  with  Sardinia  as  her  center.  Among  pastors  of  this  church 
are  the  following:  Chesley  Woodward,  William  Vawter,  John  Pavy,  Hiram 
Pond,  John  Stott,  Ira  Gleason,  Albert  Carter,  F.  M.  Huckleberry,  W.  Y. 
Moore  and  J.  C.   Nicholson. 

DRY    FORK    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Dry  Fork  church  was  constituted  in  February,  1835,  ^t  the  home 
of  Enoch  Garrison,  with  the  following  constituent  members :  John  Patrick 
and  wife,  Enoch  and  Margaret  Garrison,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah  Patrick,  Susan 
Morgan,  Rebecca  Black  and  Eleanor  Tazewell.  For  the  first  six  years  after 
the  organization,  the  congregation  held  services  in  the  homes  of  the  mem- 
bers, and  then  built  a  rude  log  church.  In  1852,  a  substantial  frame  struc- 
ture was  erected  one-half  mile  south  of  Newburg  in  Jackson  township.  The 
pastors  of  this  church  include  the  following:  A.  Leach,  John  Vawter,  James 
Blankenship,  William  Moore,  G.  W.  Pavey,  Evan  Snead,  G.  W.  Patrick, 
Absolom  Pavey,  James  Pavey,  Joab  Stout,  B.  Denham,  Hugh  McCalip,  \\'. 
E.  Spears,  F.  M.  Huckleberry,  John  W.  Potter  and  Albert  Carter.  Dr\'  Fork 
is  the  mother  of  the  churches  of  Westport  and  Mt.  Aerie  (Letts). 

WESTPORT    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Westport  church  is  an  arm  of  the  Dit  Fork  church  and  was  organ- 
ized  January   4,    1851,   with    twenty-three    members,   as    follows:    Richard 
(16) 


242  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Childers,  Benjamin  Childers,  Elizabeth  Childers,  James  Hamilton,  John  Buck, 
Lewis  T.  Scott.  Catherine  Shields,  Susan  Morgan  and  sixteen  others,  whose 
names  have  not  been  preser\ed.  The  formal  organization  was  in  charge  of 
a  council  from  Mt.  Pleasant,  Dr}'  Fork  and  Sand  Creek  churches.  A  build- 
ing, erected  in  1852,  is  still  in  use.  The  pastors  of  the  church  include  the 
following:  Hiram  Pond.  G.  \Y.  Patrick,  Joab  Stout,  Hiram  Christie,  J.  W. 
Reynolds,  G.  W.  Herron,  Benjamin  \\'^ilson,  Jonathan  Allee,  W.  E.  Spear, 
John  Waters,  John  Stott,  J.  C.  Remy  and  A.  A.  Ka}'. 

ROSSBURG    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Rossburg  church  was  established  on  March  i,  1851,  by  a  council 
representing  the  churches  of  Pipe  Creek,  West  Fork,  Delaware  and  Napoleon. 
The  charter  members  were  as  follow :  James  Alexander,  W'illiam  W.  Hol- 
lensbe,  John  F.  Hollensbe,  James  Updike,  Andrew  J.  Martin,  San  ford  Stapp, 
-Albert  L  Osborne,  Rev.  Sylvester  Ferris  and  seven  others.  The  ]3astors 
have  been  Sylvester  Ferris,  J.  C.  Perrine,  Enoch  Tilton,  James  ^V.  Lewis, 
James  M.  Smith,  C)bediah  Martin,  florace  Wilson,  Spear,  Simms,  Frank 
Level,  J.  \A\  Tisdale,  George  \\'.  Bowers,  Alexander  Connelly  and  W.  O. 
Beatty,  the  present  pastor. 

The  Rossburg  church,  in  its  existence  up  to  191 5,  perhaps  had  its  palm- 
iest days  in  the  period  from  1860  to  1890.  It  was  during  this  period  that 
George  ^^'ashington  Bower,  who  served  the  Rossburg  church  as  pastor  much 
of  the  time  from  1864  until  1913,  was  in  the  vigor  of  life  and  action  and  the 
church  in  its  youth  and  power.  Since  1890,  or  thereabouts,  a  noticeable 
decrease  in  the  activity  of  the  church  has  come  about  due  to  the  removal  of 
many  members  and  families  from  the  church  community  and  the  age  and 
feebleness  of  older  members. 

Since  1890,  howe\'er,  much  excellent  work  has  been  done  periodically 
at  Rossburg  and,  continuing  through  this  later  period,  many  souls  have  been 
converted,  under  the  ministry  of  Reverend  Bower  and  others,  to  the  Christian 
life;  so  that  faithful  hearts  and  hands  have  kept  sacred  to  service  the  meeting 
house  where  once  the  pioneer  pastor  of  the  early  day  proclaimed  the  Gospel 
of  truth,  and  where,  at  the  memorable  little  pulpit,  many  an  erring,  though 
good  and  precious  soul,  was  led  forward,  born  again,  into  the  new  and  true 
life  of  the  Redeemer. 

One  of  the  older  members  of  this  church,  writing  of  it  in  1915,  said  :  "In 
tlie  period  from  i860  to  1-890  many  a  time,  and  many  a  time,  have  I  seen  such 
large  crowds  attend  church  services  at  Rossburg  that  all  could  not  get  in  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  243 

church.  That  was  especially  so  when  Bower  i)reached  regularly  there."  But 
in  the  later  period,  when  Bower  continued  to  minister  at  Rossburg,  the  con- 
gregation had  become  scattered  and  many  old  familiar  faces  he  had  known, 
were  absent.  On  one  occasion  when  he  preached  there,  not  long  before  his 
death,  in  1913,  lie  remarked  in  the  course  of  his  sermon,  looking  like  the 
pictures  of  ^Mlittier,  "Most  of  my  congregation  are  out  here,"  as  he  p(Mnted 
to  the  "silent  city,"  with  its  "windowless  palaces"  there  on  the  hill. 

And  so  it  was  that  to  a  large  extent  the  life  of  George  ^\■.  Bower 
became  the  life  and  history  of  the  Rossburg  Baptist  church  through  a  long 
period  of  time.  Tlis  life  in  his  period  with  the  church  w^as  an  embodiment  of 
the  character  and  life  of  the  church.  By  his  sturdy,  powerful  preaching  and 
honest  example,  many  a  person  was  led  through  baptism  into  the  new  and  true 
life.  He  had  much  to  do  with  the  religious  integrity  of  eastern  Decatur 
county  for  half  a  century. 

George  \\'.  Bower  was  born  in  Adams  township,  Ripley  county,  Indiana. 
September  29,  1836,  and  died  on  February  19.  1913.  He  received  what 
education  he  had  in  the  common  schools  and  taught  during  eleven  terms  of 
common  school.  He  married  Nancy  Miller,  March  17,  1861,  who  was  always 
a  faithful  helpmate  in  her  husband's  work  at  Rossburg.  Mr.  Bower  was 
"born  again"  in  February,  1864,  and  united  with  the  Pipe  Creek  Baptist  church. 
He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  M.  Smith,  March  16,  of  the  same  year.  He 
was  chosen  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  in  March,  1864,  and  served 
in  that  position  for  three  years.  On  July  27,  1867,  the  church  licensed  him  to 
preach.  He  preached  his  tirst  sermon  on  Sunday,  December  16,  1866,  at  his 
home  church,  his  text  being  John  3:14-15.  He  was  ordained  on  December 
27,  1868,  by  his  home  church,  at  the  request  of  the  Franklin  church,  at 
Pierceville,  Indiana,  which  had  called  him  as  pastor  for  one-fourth  time.  His 
longest  pastorate  was  at  Rossburg  and  Pipe  Creek  churches.  He  preached  at 
Elkhart  for  twenty  years ;  at  Hogan  Hill,  thirteen  years ;  at  Hopewell,  seven 
years :  Ingar  Creek,  six  years ;  Washington,  six  years ;  and  at  other  churches 
from  one  to  four  vears.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  state  convention 
board  for  several  years,  when  the  members  were  elected  by  the  associations. 

A  summary  of  his  work  fc.llows :  Regular  sermons  preached,  5,675; 
funeral  sermons,  478:  whole  number  of  sermons  preached.  6.153:  marriages 
solemnized,  204:  number  baptized,  588.  He  gave  more  time  to  Rossburg 
than  to  any  other  one  church.  Anyone  who  met  him  never  failed  to  be 
impressed  by  his  lofty,  though  kind  and  simple,  puritan  character:  by  his 
honestv,  his  integrity,  his  strength  of  will  and  his  moral  and  spiritual  power. 
His  works  live  on  and  on  in  this  church  he  serxed. 


244  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  officers  of  the  church  in  1915  were:  Trustees,  Alfred  M.  Hooten, 
Forest  Higdon,  David  Martin;  clerk,  Mrs.  Emma  Gwinn;  treasurer,  Forest 
Higdon. 

MT.    AERIE     (LETTS)     BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

Mt.  Aerie  church  was  organized  in  the  latter  part  of  1872,  as  an  arm  of 
Dry  Fork,  the  organization  following  the  establishment  and  successful 
career  of  a  Sunday  school  at  that  point.  A  revival  was  held  in  the  early  part 
of  1874,  during  which  forty-three  members  were  added  to  the  church.  This 
meeting  was  under  the  direction  of  John  W.  Potter,  who  was  then  pastor  of 
the  Dry  Fork  church,  and  aroused  so  much  interest  that  a  request  was  made 
for  an  independent  organization.  This  was  granted,  and,  on  Thursday, 
April  23,  1874,  the  Mt.  Aerie  church  formally  began  its  career.  At  the  time 
of  its  recognition  by  the  council,  August  29,  1874,  it  enrolled  sixty-si.x  mem- 
bers, among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Allen  W.  and  Sarah  R.  Lett,  James 
Fowler,  G.  T.  and  Mary  J.  Davis,  Rachel  Davis,  John  and  Ruth  Holmes, 
Chesley  Holmes,  John  S.  and  Sarah  J.  Adams,  S.  H.  and  Nancy  Thompson, 
J.  H.  Stout,  John  W.  Stout,  Andrew  Alexander,  Emaline  Brunton  and  John 
Hunter.  The  pastors  of  this  church  have  been  John  W.  Potter,  Albert  Carter, 
John  E.  McCoy,  W.  W.  Smith,  J.  O.  Burroughs,  E.  Sanford,  H.  W.  Davis, 
Chesley  Holmes,  J.  F.  Huckleberry,  J.  E.  Smith,  A.  D.  Berry,  W.  F.  Roberts, 
W.  F.  Wagner,  B.  R.  Robinson  and  W.  C.  Marshall,  the  present  pastor.  A 
substantial  brick  building  a  half  mile  from  Letts,  was  built  the  same  year  the 
church  was  organized  and  was  surmounted  by  one  of  the  largest  bells  ever 
brought  into  the  county.  This  is  one  of  the  strongest  rural  Baptist  churches 
in  Indiana,  and  now  has  a  membership  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five. 
An  active  Sunday  school,  with  an  average  attendance  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  is  maintained.  The  parsonage  is  in  the  town  of  Letts  and  is  valued  at 
two  thousand  dollars,  the  value  of  the  church  building  and  grounds  being 
estimated  at  ten  thousand  dollars.  The  pastor  is  paid  a  yearly  salary  of  nine 
hundred  dollars.  A  well-kept  cemetery  adjoins  the  church  and  there  lie  hun- 
dreds of  the  members  of  the  church  who  have  helped  to  make  it  one  of  the 
strongest  influences  for  good  in  the  community. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Mt.  Aerie  church  are  as  follow :  Pastor, 
W.  C.  Marshall;  deacons,  Albert  Holmes,  Albert  Rowland,  Charles  Bridges, 
William  Feur,  Kenneth  Levering  and  Alfred  Beagle;  trustees,  M.  B.  Tay- 
lor, Urso  McCorkle,  N.  E.  Moore,  John  Jackson  and  Charles  Bridges. 


DECATUR    COL'NTY,    INDIANA.  245 


UNION     BAPTIST     CHURCH. 


The  history  of  the  Union  church  dates  back  ninety  years,  since  it  was 
estabHshed  in  1825.  It  was  brought  into  existence  through  the  labors  of 
Elder  Matthew  Elder,  who  succeeded  in  getting  it  organized  on  June  18, 
1825,  at  the  old  Ross  school  house,  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of 
Greensburg.  It  appears  that  this  church  was  not  exactly  an  orthodox  Baptist 
church:  at  least,  it  was  started  out  as  the  "Separate  Baptist  church,"  but  just 
what  is  meant  by  the  unusual  prefix  is  not  known.  Although  it  was  organ- 
ized in  1825,  it  was  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  centui-y  before  a  building  was 
erected  for  a  house  of  worship,  services  being  held  in  school  houses  and  pri- 
vate homes  previous  to  1854.  The  first  building  of  1854  was  torn  down  in 
1858.  and  rebuilt  four  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Greensburg.  'The 
church  was  recognized  as  a  Missionary  Baptist  church  on  August  10,  1876, 
under  the  name  of  Union  Baptist  church.  Matthew  Elder  was  pastor  of 
the  church  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  since  the  church  has  been  recog- 
nized by  the  regular  Baptists,  the  following  have  served :  J.  \Y.  Hammock, 
J.  \\'.  Potter,  \\'.  T.  Jolly.  Ephraim  Bond.  John  E.  :\IcCoy,  W.  \\\  Smith,  F. 
M.  Huckleberry,  T.  A.  and  Lotus  Aspy,  J.  E.  Smith,  O.  L.  Powers,  J.  G. 
Colter,  D.  C.  Smith,  C.  E.  Odell,  and  J.  C.  Nicholson,  the  present  incumbent. 
The  church  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  members  at  present  and  has  ninety 
em-olled  in  the  Sunday  school. 

ROCK    CREEK    B.\PTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Rock  Creek  Baptist  church,  also  known  as  Lower  Union,  was  estab- 
lished in  September,  1825,  with  the  following  constituent  members:  Jacob, 
Sarah,  Daniel,  Ann,  Robert  and  Clara  Van  Dusen  and  Ephraim,  Anna  and 
Cornelia  Althiser — a  total  of  nine,  representing  only  two  families.  The 
records  of  the  first  twenty-one  years  have  long  since  disappeared  and  little  is 
known  of  the  early  struggles  of  this  congregation.  The  church  was  first 
organized  in  a  school  house  near  Zenas,  Jennings  county,  Indiana.  Some 
of  the  members  lived  there,  but  the  majority  living  on  Rock  Creek,  four  miles 
northwest,  in  Decatur  county,  it  was  the  intention  to  build  a  church  at  the 
latter  place.  The  meetings  were  held  in  Jacob  Van  Dusen's  home  most  of 
the  time  up  to  1850.  in  which  year  the  congregation  built  a  log  meeting  house 
on  Rock  creek,  three  miles  southeast  of  Westport.  In  1859  they  sold  their 
building  for  fifty  dollars  and  for  the  next  two  years  met  in  a  school  house 


246  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

three  miles  southwest  of  ]\rillhousen.  In  1862  the  church,  with  other  denom- 
inations whose  names  have  not  been  ascertained,  built  a  union  meeting  house 
on  the  present  site.  This  same  church  is  now  used  alternately  by  both  the 
Baptists  and  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

\Mien  this  church  was  first  organized  there  was  no  association  within 
reach,  so  this  church,  with  others,  formed  the  "Baptist  Liberty  Council." 
John  Pavy,  the  first  pastor,  and  other  ministers  of  the  denomination  living 
in  Kentucky,  were  l)itterly  opposed  to  slavery,  and,  accordingly,  moved  to 
Indiana.  The}'  formed  this  council  and  maintained  it  for  several  years.  In 
1843  the  Rock  Creek  church  was  attached  to  the  Madison  association,  but  a 
few  years  later  it  became  a  part  of  the  Sand  Creek  association,  with  which  it 
has  been  affiliated  down  to  the  present  time.  Inability  to  find  the  records  has 
made  it  impossible  to  give  a  complete  list  of  the  pastors  who  have  served  this 
congregation,  but  the  following  are  known  to  have  preached  there  at  one  time 
or  another :  John  Pavy,  John  Bush,  William  Tyner,  John  ^Varren,  Chesley 
Woodward,  Benjamin  Tucker,  Hiram  Pond,  Christian  Burkman,  Nathan 
Frazy,  Jacob  ^Martin,  George  Herron,  D.  O.  Sites  (1866-69),  John  ^^'aters 
(T869-71),  Jonathan  Allee  and  John  Waters  (called  a  second  time).  This 
list  brings  the  pastors  up  to  sometime  in  the  seventies,  but  no  list  has  been 
furnished  of  those  down  to  the  present  pastor,  P.  A.  Bryant. 

PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES. 

Founders  of  the  Kingston  Presbyterian  church,  parent  of  other  churches 
of  this  denomination  in  Decatur  county,  were  descendants  of  Covenanters, 
and  so,  by  ancestry,  Presbyterian  as  far  back  as  there  is  any  record.  Their 
parents  emigrated  from  western  Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky,  where  they 
founded  the  Concord  Presbyterian  church  in  1792. 

In  181 7  this  church  had  two  hundred  members,  but  one  of  whom  was 
a  slave  owner.  Many  were  active  abolitionists.  Such  a  band  could  have 
no  true  home  in  a  slave  state.  In  1821-1823  a  number  of  families  from  this 
church  settled  in  the  Kingston  neighborhood  and  organized  the  church  there, 
presumably  on  December  18,  1823. 

The  entry  on  the  old  minute  book  reads:  "This  day  .  .  .a  num- 
ber of  persons  .  .  .  came  forward  after  sermon  by  the  Rev.  John 
Moreland,  and  associated  themselves  together  as  a  Presbyterian  church,  to 
be  denominated  Sand  Creek  church,  and  proceeded  to  chose  Samuel  Donnell, 
John  Hopkins,  John  C.  McCoy  and  William  O.  Ross  to  the  office  of  ruling 
elder." 


DECATUR    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  24/ 

A  year  later.  Rev.  John  Dickey,  an  able  pioneer  preacher,  visited  the 
church,  installed  the  elders,  received  titty  persons  who  presented  letters  into 
membership,  baptized  eleven  children  and  conducted  a  t\vo-da\-  meeting. 
Preaching  services  were  held  but  once  a  year  until  1826,  when  a  new  cliurch 
was  established  with  twelve  members  at  Greensburg,  and  the  Rev.  S.  G. 
Lowrv,  who  was  selected  as  minister  for  the  Sand  Creek  chm-cli.  He  was 
succeeded  in  1833  by  the  Rev.  John  \\'eaver. 

Presbyterian  ministers  of  the  early  days  recei\-ed  \-ery  modest  remu- 
nerations. The  following  is  quoted  from  the  old  minute  liook  of  the  Sand 
Creek  church : 

"On  settlement  with  Robert  B.  Donnell  and  James  Thomson,  collectors 
for  the  Sand  Creek  congregation,  the  sum  of  $572.93^  has  been  received  in 
discharge  of  the  pecuniary  obligation  of  the  call  which  I  hold  from  said 
congregation  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  year  January,  1829.  The  deficit  of 
$27.06^^  is  hereby  relinquished  to  the  credit  of  said  congregation,  so  that  this 
instrument  shall  be  considered  a  clear  receipt  for  three  years  up  to  January  i, 
1829. 

"A\'itness  my  hand,  this  9th  day  of  January,  1830. 

"Samuel  G.  Lowry." 

It  is  probably  not  an  uncharitable  reflection  upon  the  benevolence  of  the 
minister,  considering  the  meagerness  of  his  salary,  to  credit  the  belief  that 
probably  the  reason  he  relinquished  the  deficit  was  because  the  resources 
of  the  collectors  were  exhausted. 

Two  years  later,  political  dififerences,  destined  later  to  rend  the  nation, 
begin  to  make  their  presence  felt  in  the  Sand  Creek  church.  Refractory  mem- 
bers were  frequently  admonished,  and  frequent  complaints  for  slander  show 
that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  heated  controversy  going  on.  The  "'irre- 
pressible conflict"  was  rising  in  the  church.  In  1S37  matters  reached  a  crisis, 
and  the  church  split,  thirty-seven  members  withdrawing  ^klarch  13,  to  found 
what  is  now  the  Kingston  Presbyterian  church.  The  insurgents  were 
abolitionists,  opposed  to  the  course  of  the  general  assembly  upon  the  slavery 
question.  Although  the  weaker  body  in  numbers,  the  new  church  li\ed  and 
the  old  one  died.  After  the  war,  the  few  remaining  members  of  the  Sand 
Creek  church  united  with  the  Kingston  congregation. 

Upon  their  withdrawal,  finding  themselves  outside  the  Presbyterian  fold. 
the  thirty-seven  insurgents  sought  shelter  in  a  Congregational  church  until 
1840,  when  thev  built  a  small  frame  structure,  which  was  later  transformed 
into  a  school  house.     Later  the  Congregational  congregation  was  absorbed. 


248  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  third  edifice  to  be  erected  by  the  denomination  was  a  frame  build- 
ing and  stood  in  front  of  what  is  now  the  school  yard.  It  was  not  so  large 
as  the  brick  building  erected  by  the  congregation  in  1836,  but  the  ceiling 
was  higher  and  the  windows  larger.  After  being  used  as  a  church  for  twelve 
years,  it  was  turned  over  to  the  township  for  use  as  a  school. 

Two  of  the  largest  subscriptions  made  for  construction  of  the  old  brick 
church  were  by  Samuel  and  James  Hamilton.  Contracts  for  building  it 
were  let  by  competitive  bidding,  the  contractors  starting  at  a  sufficiently  high 
sum  and  bidding  down.  The  brick-making  contract  was  bid  in  for  a  sum 
close  to  five  hundred  dollars. 

Until  the  coming  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  1847,  the  church  was 
supplied  by  the  following  ministers:  Benjamin  Nyce,  M.  H.  Wilder,  Charles 
Chamberlain,  Boram,  Campbell  and  Jonathan  Cable.  The  Rev.  Franklin 
was  an  English  missionary  who  had  been  stationed  in  the  West  Indies. 
The  reverend  gentleman  found  some  of  the  customs  of  the  male  members 
of  his  congregation  decidedly  new,  especially  tobacco  chewing.  During  his 
pastorate  the  Clarksburg  church  was  organized. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Nyce  again  became  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  1850. 
During  his  ministry  the  Free  Presbyterian  church,  which  excluded  slave 
owners  and  was  opposed  to  secret  societies,  was  formed.  As  this  body  repre- 
sented the  most  extreme  anti-slavery  element,  the  Kingston  church  gladly 
united  with  it. 

"We  cannot  resist  the  conviction  that  this  worthy  body  of  reformers 
contained  a  good  many  cranks,  and  Kingston  had  its  full  share  both  of  min- 
isters and  members,"  says  Cammilla  Donnell,  in  writing  of  the  church  at 
that  place.  "But  our  fathers  were  happily  unconscious  of  the  word.  They 
went  on  their  way  regardless  of  the  ridicule  and  the  prejudice  of  the  outside 
world,  with  temperance  and  abolition  written  on  their  door  posts,  reading 
and  circulating  abolition  books  and  papers,  running  with  great  success  their 
branch  of  the  'underground  railroad,'  voting  the  most  extreme  reform  tickets, 
and  doing  their  humble  best  to  turn  the  world  upside  down." 

Rev.  Daniel  Gilmer  became  the  church's  minister  in  1854,  serving  for 
three  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  William  Gilmer,  of  Cincinnati,  said 
to  have  been  a  brilliant  talker  and  a  most  persuasi\e  borrower.  Man}^  good 
stories  are  told  concerning  him. 

Erection  of  a  fourth  church  building  was  started  in  1854.  While  the 
frame  of  the  structure  was  being  raised,  there  was  an  accident  caused  by  the 
carelessness  of  the  builder,  the  timbers  collapsed  and  several  members  of 
the  congregation  were  badly  injured,  two  of  them  being  crippled  for  life. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  249 

Funds  for  the  construction  of  this  building-  were  raised  by  direct  assess- 
ment, each  member  being  taxed  according  to  the  amount  of  property  he  pos- 
sessed as  set  forth  in  the  records  of  the  county  treasurer.  Only  a  few,  it  is 
said,  objected  to  paying  the  full  amount  of  their  assessments. 

The  next  minister  was  Rev.  A.  T.  Rankin,  who  served  the  church  from 
i860  to  1890.  During  his  long  pastorate  the  parsonage  was  built,  land  was 
added  to  the  original  traet,  large  bequests  were  received,  a  cemetery  fund 
was  raised,  and.  finally,  the  present  beautiful  building  was  erected.  Suc- 
ceeding pastors  have  been  as  follows:  J.  A.  Liggett,  Harry  Nyce.  R.  A. 
Bartlett,  C.  R.  Adams,  W.  F.  Secular,  W.  E.  Hogg,  and  H.  :SL  Campbell, 
who  has  been  the  pastor  of  the  church  since  November  20,  19 13. 

The  Kingston  church  has  given  for  furtherance  of  the  Gospel  the  follow- 
ing missionaries :  Thomas  Ware,  Andrew  Jack,  Edward  Adams,  Annie 
Adams  Baird,  Hamilton  Henry,  Eva  Rankin,  Rose  Rankin,  Jean  Rankin  and 
Hannah  Evans.  It  has  also  furnished  the  following  ministers :  Harrison 
Thomson,  Wallace  Thomson,  John  Harney,  S.  H.  Darvin,  Austin  Thomson, 
Eberle  Thomson,  Theophilis  Lowry,  George  D.  Parker,  T.  D.  Bartholomew, 
E.  A.  Allen,  Harry  Nyce,  Benjamin  Nyce,  Edward  Adams,  H.  B.  Hamilton, 
Emmett  Robison,  with  three  colored  ministers,  A.  J.  Davis,  Thomas  \\'are 
and  Peter  Prim. 

Today  the  Kingston  church  occupies  a  proud  place  in  the  annals  of 
Decatur  county  Presbyterianism.  Seed  planted  by  the  descendants  of  the 
Covenanters  has  multiplied  beyond  their  utmost  expectations,  and  strong  con- 
gregations have  sprung  from  the  loins  of  the  parent  church.  Its  influence 
has  grown  wider  in  extent  with  each  succeeding  year. 

Hanover  College  was  organized  in  the  old  log  meeting  house,  and  its 
pastor  was  made  a  trustee  of  the  institution ;  Harrison  Thomson  became  a 
member  of  its  faculty,  one  Donnell  finished  and  furnished  the  college  chapel 
and  another  endowed  a  professorship.  Dr.  A.  T.  Rankin,  the  grand  old 
man  of  this  church,  dedicated  the  chapel. 

Said  Doctor  Rankin,  on  the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  his  pastorate : 
"What  would  Indiana,  or  the  United  States,  or  the  world  have  been,  with- 
out Hanover?    And  what  would  Hanover  have  been  without  Kingston? 

"Kingston  furnished  Bloomington  a  professor  and  the  Louisville  Courier 
Journal  its  greatest  editor  (John  Harney).  The  first  pastor  of  this  church 
held  the  stake  Carnahan  drove  to  mark  the  place  where  Wabash  College  was 
built,  and  that  Thomson  who  managed  its  finances  so  admirably  for  so  many 
years,  professed  faith  in  Christ  here.  How  far-reaching  and  great  the 
influence  of  the  church  organized  in  a  log  cabin  seventy-five  years  ago!" 


250  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

THE    GREENSBURG    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

As  previously  stated,  the  Greensburg  church  was  organized,  November 
20,  1826,  following-  the  dismissal  of  twelve  members  from  the  Sand  Creek 
church,  who  were  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  starting  a  second  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Decatur  county.  All  of  them  lived  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Greensburg.  The  charter  members  of  this  church  were  Thomas  Hen- 
dricks, Robert  Thorne,  Lydia  Thome,  Martha  L.  Mars,  James  Loomis, 
Phoebe  Loomis,  Benjamin  Antrobus,  Polly  Antrobus,  David  Gageby,  William 
O.  Ross  and  Elizabeth  R.  Ross.  The  last  three  men  named  were  the  first 
elders.    The  first  new  member  recei\'ed  was  Mrs.  Jane  Warriner. 

Family  names  of  these  pioneers  no  longer  appear  upon  the  church 
records,  but  in  a  few  instances  female  descendants  of  some  of  these  original 
members  are  now  holding  membership  in  the  Greensburg  church.  Rev. 
Samuel  Lowry  was  the  first  minister,  giving  one-fourth  of  his  time  for  more 
than  four  years  to  the  infant  cliurch.  The  next  pastor  was  the  Rev.  James 
R.  VVheelock,  a  missionary  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  He 
served  from  1830  to  1833,  and  in  that  period  added  forty-five  members  to 
the  church. 

Revs.  Samuel  Hurd,  ^Vells  Bushnell  and  John  S.  Wea\er  ministered 
in  succession  for  short  periods  each  until  1838,  when  Rev.  Joseph  G.  Monfort 
became  pastor  of  the  Sand  Creek  and  Greensburg  churches.  The  latter  now 
numbered  sixty-three  members.  During  his  ministry  the  schism  which  rent 
the  church  into  the  Old  and  New  Schools  extended  to  Greensburg  and 
eighteen  members  withdrew  to  form  a  new  church.  During  his  four  years' 
stay  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  new  members  were  received. 

Upon  his  departure,  fifty-two  members  of  the  Greensburg  church  were 
dismissed  to  found  a  new  church  at  Forest  Hill.  His  successor  for  a  two- 
year  period  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  B.  Adams.  During  his  pastorate,  member- 
ship in  the  church  dwindled  to  fifty-two  and  the  Rev.  j\'Ionfort  was  again, 
in  1844,  called  to  the  pulpit.  His  acceptance  was  conditioned  upon  the 
reunion  of  tlie  Old  and  New  School  churches,  which  was  happily  accom- 
plished. His  second  term  of  service  lasted  for  ten  years,  after  which  he  left 
to  become  editor  of  the  church  publication  at  Cincinnati. 

Doctor  Monfort  was  succeeded  b}'  his  father,  Rev.  Francis  Monfort, 
Rev.  Charles  Axtell,  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  and  then  hv  Rev.  David  Monfort. 
His  pastorate  commenced  in  1858  and  lasted  until  1867.  It  was  broken  for 
two  years,  when  the  Reverend  Monfort  left  his  church  to  serve  as  chaplain 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  25 1 

in  the  Union  Ami}-.  Dnring  this  period  tlie  pulpit  was  fihed  b}-  Re\'.  Ben- 
jamin Xyce.  Reverend  Monfort  was  a  learned  man,  Init  extremely  absent- 
minded.  He  would  often  ride  for  miles  upon  a  country  road,  meeting  many 
of  his  friends  without  recognizing  any  of  them. 

In  1868,  Rev.  J.  C.  Irwin  accepted  a  call  and  remained  until  1874.  He 
was  considered  by  man}'  to  be  one  of  the  most  instructi\e  preachers  of  his 
day.  During  his  pastorate,  the  parsonage  was  built.  The  pulpit  was  vacant 
until  1876,  when  Re\'.  G.  R.  Alden  began  his  pastorate.  It  was  marked  by 
two  important  e\'ents.  a  highly  successful  revival  and  a  fire  which  destroyed 
the  church  building.  During  his  pastorate,  for  the  first  time  the  voice  of  a 
woman  was  heard  in  prayer  meeting".  Before  this,  the  Greensburg  Presby- 
terians had  gi\'en  strict  heed  to  the  Pauline  injunction  regarding  the  silence 
of  women  in  churches,  deeming  it  of  perpetual  force.  Today,  without  their 
assistance,  Presbyterian  prayer  meetings  might  often  relapse  into  the  quiet 
of  a  Quaker  meeting. 

Dr.  Robert  Sloss  became  pastor  of  the  church  in  November,  1879,  and 
during  his  stay  the  present  church  building  was  completed.  He  continued 
as  pastor  until  his  death  in  1895.  He  was  followed  by  Re\-.  \Villiam  Tor- 
rence  (1886-1891),  Rev.  R.  G.  Roscamp  (  1892-1894),  Rev.  J.  \V.  Parker, 
Rev.  Robert  Bartlett,  Rew  Robert  Dunaway  and  Dr.  Walter  H.  Reynolds, 
whose  pastorate  commenced  in  1908. 

From  its  very  beginning,  almost,  the  church  has  enjoyed  a  steady  and 
healthy  growth.  Organized  with  twelve  members,  it  had  risen  in  the  lapse 
of  a  Cjuarter  centur}'  to  about  two  hundred.  After  fifty  years  there  were  two 
hundred  communicants.  In  its  seventy-fifth  year  it  had  four  hundred  and 
fifty-three  members. 

The  church  has  erected  three  houses  of  worship.  The  first  was  upon 
the  site  of  the  present  Baptist  church  and  was  sold  to  that  congregation.  The 
second  was  upon  the  site  of  the  present  building.  It  burned  down  in  1876, 
the  fire  starting  by  accident  while  a  social  gathering  was  being  held.  After 
a  year  of  discussion,  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  new  building  rather  than 
rebuild  the  old.  The  new  church  was  dedicated  March  30,  1878,  free  of 
debt.  In  1896  extensi\-e  alterations  were  made,  a  debt  lifted  and  a  pipe 
organ  installed. 

The  congregation  has  never  received  large  gifts  or  legacies,  but  has 
been  dependent  upon  itself.  Thomas  Montgomery  bequeathed  the  church 
one  thousand  dollars  in  1874,  to  be  invested  for  a  permanent  income,  and 
in  1S83  Misses  Eunice  and  Elizabeth  Hendricks  gave  their  homestead  to 
the  church  for  an  "Old  Ladies  Home."     This  use  of  the  building  not  prov- 


252  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ing  practical,  its  rental  was  applied  to  poor  relief  until,  with  consent  of  the 
donors,  the  building  was  sold  in  1894. 

Harrison  House  bequeathed  the  church  six  hundred  and  sixty-one 
dollars  in  1893,  and  two  years  earlier  George  Carson  left  the  church  one 
thousand,  four  hundred  dollars,  the  interest  of  which  could  be  used  in  con- 
ducting a  mission  Sunday  school  in  Greensburg.  The  Carson  Memorial 
mission  was  opened  a  year  later  and  the  ?hurch  supplements,  as  may  be  neces- 
sary, the  income  from  the  legacy.  An  industrial  school  for  girls,  a  history 
class  for  boys  and  a  sewing  circle  for  women  are  maintained  by  this  mission. 

Besides  an  active  Sunday  school,  there  are  a  number  of  other  church 
organizations.  There  is  a  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  a  Women's  Home 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  and  a  Ladies'  Aid  Society. 

No  passing  creeds  and  isms  have  found  expression  in  the  pulpit  of  this 
church.  The  church  has  resolutely  stood  for  the  whole  Bible  and  for  Pres- 
byterian standards,  when  understood  as  its  correct  interpretation.  For  many 
years.it  has  ranked  second  or  third  in  the  Whitewater  presbytery  in  numer- 
ical strength. 

On  July  3,  1907,  a  violent  windstorm  toppled  over  part  of  the  heavy 
tower,  which  crashed  through  the  auditorium,  almost  wrecking  the  build- 
ing. For  a  time  it  was  thought  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  construct  a  new 
church,  as  architects  and  structural  engineers  declared  that  the  structure 
was  damaged  beyond  all  hope  of  repair.  It  was  later  found  that  the  founda- 
tions and  portions  of  the  walls  were  intact  and  the  building  was  partially 
reconstructed.  A  new  heating  plant  was  installed,  new  walks  laid  and  other 
improvements  made,  which,  with  the  reconstruction  of  the  building,  cost  the 
congregation  eighteen  thousand  dollars.  The  rebuilt  church  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  May  9,  1909.  While  the  building  was  being 
repaired,  the  congregation  met  in  the  G.  A.  R.  hall  and  later  in  the  church 
basement. 

The  old  church,  built  in  1845,  which  burned  down,  was  at  various  times 
used  in  part  as  a  school  and  postoffice,  and  later  Doctor  Cook  had  his  office 
in  it.  While  the  postoffice  was  located  in  the  church,  yeggmen  blew  the  safe 
and  made  away  with  a  small  amount  in  stamps  and  coin. 

Dr.  Walter  Hunter  Reynolds,  the  present  pastor,  is  the  son  of  A.  J. 
Reynolds,  a  Presbyterian  minister.  He  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  educated 
in  Wooster  College  and  received  his  theological  training  in  McCormick 
Seminary,  Chicago.  He  was  given  the  pulpit  of  the  River  Forest  church  of 
Chicago  upon  completing  his  theological  course  and  later  became  assistant 
pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago,  which  has  a  large  con- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.      "  253 

gregation.     Before  coming  to  Greenshurg,  lie  had  charges  at  Alarion,  Iowa, 
and  Omaha,  Nebraska. 

CLARKSBURG   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  minute  book  of  the  Clarksburg  Presbyterian  church  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  organization  of  that  church : 

"Clarksburg.  Indiana,  Alay  20th.   1848. 

"At  the  time  and  place  abo\'e  written.  Rex.  James  McCoy,  acting  as  a 
committee  of  the  presbytery  of  Indianapolis,  organized  into  a  church  of 
Christ  at  their  own  request  and  as  such  set  apart  by  prayer  the  following 
brethren  and  sisters,  all  of  whom  were  recommended  as  members  in  good 
standing  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  viz — 

"Robert  Mitchell  and  Barbary  Mitchell,  his  wife;  Robert  M.  Stout  and 
Polly  Ann  Stout,  his  wife;  Jackson  G.  Lowe  and  Polly  Jane  Lowe,  his  wife; 
James  Donnell,  Thomas  Donnell  and  Mary  Donnell,  his  wife;  Euphemia 
Donnell,  Euphemia  Braden,  Angeline  Donnell,  Cassender  Donnell,  Susan 
Donnell  and  Ruth  Jane  Braden. 

"On  motion  the  church  agreed  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  Clarks- 
burg Presbyterian  church  and  the  church  proceeded  to  elect  two  ruling 
elders.  Luther  A.  Donnell  and  Robert  Mitchell  were  chosen.  After  appro- 
priate counsel  given  to  the  church  by  the  Rev.  James  McCoy,  the  meeting 
closed  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin." 

Rev.  A.  I.  Rankin  was  probably  the  best  known  minister  of  this  church, 
filling  its  pulpit  for  a  period  of  thirty  years.  He  was  followed  by  the  fol- 
lowing ministers :  Harry  Nyce,  R.  A.  Bartlett,  C.  R.  Adams,  W.  F.  Scon- 
lad  and  the  present  pastor.  Homer  M.  Campbell.  The  church  now  has  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

SARDINIA    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  Sardinia  church  was  established  in  185 1  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Mon- 
fort  and,  until  it  was  closed  in  1915  and  sold  to  the  United  Brethren  de- 
nomination, exerted  a  wide  influence  in  that  section  of  the  county.  The 
church  was  built  upon  land  donated  by  John  ^McCormick.  B.  F.  Gaston, 
who  is  still  living,  attended  the  first  Sunday  school  held  there. 

Among  its  charter  members  were  John  G.  McCormick,  Matilda  Mc- 
Cormick,  William  McCormick,  Elizabeth  McCormick,  James  Risley,  Sarah 
Risley,  Eliza  Hankins,  James  Gregg  and  Angeline  Gregg.     C.  J.  ]Moore  and 


254  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

D)-er  Aloore  were  later  elders  in  this  church.  A  frame  church  was  built  in 
1852  at  a  cost  of  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  With  the  passing  3-ears  the 
church  gradually  grew  weaker  and  on  February  22,  191 5,  sold  their  building 
to  the  newly  organized  United  Brethren  congregation.  At  that  time  there 
were  onl}-  eight  members  left. 

SPRING    HILL    UNITED    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  Spring  Hill  United  Presbyterian  church  is  the  only  one  of  this 
denomination  in  Decatur  county  and  dates  back  to  the  early  twenties.  It 
was  not  known  by  this  name  when  it  was  organized  in  this  county  in  1825, 
the  present  name  not  coming  into  general  use  until  May  26,  1858.  It  was 
formed  by  the  union  of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  (or  Seceder  church) 
with  the  Associate  Reformed  Presbj'terian  church  at  the  City  of  Pittsburgh 
on  the  date  above  mention^l.  This  denomination  differs  from  other  Pres- 
byterian churches  in  that  their  songs  of  praise  to  God  in  public  and  pri\-ate 
worship  are  the  psalms,  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  dictated  by  the  spirit  of 
God,  known  in  the  Bible  as  the  Book  of  Psalms. 

When  this  branch  of  Presbyterianism  Avas  organized  at  Spring  Hill  the 
church  was  named  Xew  Zion,  in  honor  of  the  congregation  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  from  \\hence  many  of  the  first  members  came.  Their  old  church 
in  Kentucky  was  known  as  Zion  and  by  prefixing  New  to  their  church  in 
Decatur  county  the_v  felt  that  they  were  honoring  their  old  church.  This 
name  was  retained  until  1872  when  it  was  thought  advisable  to  change  it 
to  Spring  Hill. 

The  first  preaching  which  the  infant  society  enjoyed  was  in  1821  or 
1822,  when  an  associate  minister.  Reverend  Armstrong,  stopped  over  for  a 
day  while  making  an  overland  trip  from  Illinois  to  Ohio.  The  next  preach- 
ing was  b}^  Rev.  Alexander  Porter,  then  pastor  of  the  Hopewell  church,  in 
Preble  county.  Ohio.  Among  other  ministers  who  preached  to  the  few  mem- 
bers of  the  church  previous  to  its  formal  organization  in  1825  were  Revs. 
John  Steel,  Hugh  Mayne,  John  Reynolds  and  S.  P.  Magaw.  The  church 
began  its  career  as  an  independent  congregation  on  July  30,  1825,  when  it 
was  established  by  a  committee  representing  the  First  presbytery  of  Ohio. 
This  delegation  was  composed  of  Rev.  David  AIcDill,  Sr.,  Elders  John 
Foster  and  William  Caldwell,  and  Thomas  Henr)',  Sr.,  who  had  recently 
settled  near  Spring  Hill. 

At  this  first  meeting  William  Hood  and  Nathaniel  Patton,  Sr.,  having 
been   previously   elected    elders,    were   ordained   to    the   ministry.      John    P. 


DECATUR    COl'XTV,    INDIANA.  255 

Mitchtll  and  his  wife,  Peggy,  who  were  recei\e(r  on  certificate,  were  the 
first  members  of  New  Zion  church.  The  first  memljers  received  on  examina- 
tion were  Wilham  Henderson  and  his  wife,  Martha,  and  Nathaniel  Lewis. 
When  the  first  communion  was  celebrated,  in  1827.  by  Rev.  Joseph  Clay- 
baugh,  the  church  had  a  membership  of  forty. 

The  first  church  building  was  of  hewed  logs,  was  thirty  feet  square, 
and  was  thrown  up  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1824.  James  jNIcCracken  and 
Adam  and  Andrew  Rankin  prepared  the  logs  and  these  men,  assisted  by 
Jam^es  R.  Patton  and  William  Anderson,  "carried  up  the  corners."  The 
house  was  not  covered  until  the  summer  of  1825,  at  which  time  a  roof  of 
poles  and  split  shingles  was  tied  on  with  that  skill  which  our  good  fore- 
fathers happily  possessed.  The  shingles  were  rived  on  the  farm  of  Samuel 
Lewis,  near  Clarksburg.  The  roof  was  put  on  under  the  direction  of  Will- 
iam Penny.  The  seats  were  such  as  those  occupying  them  chose  to  make, 
everyone  supplying  their  own,  some  better  and  so*ne  worse.  On  these  seats 
the  patient  worshippers  could  and  did  sit  through  a  two-hour  service  in  the 
morning  and  one  of  equal  length  in  the  afternoon. 

The  lot  (one  acre)  on  which  this  first  church  was  erected  was  deeded 
by  Samuel  Donnell  on  January  i,  1825,  to  the  trustees  of  New  Zion  congre- 
gation, namely:  William  Henderson,  Adam  Rankin  and  James  McCracken, 
for  the  sum  of  six  dollars  and  fifty  cents.  The  second  lot  (two  acres)  was 
deeded  by  William  and  George  A.  Anderson,  on  May  11,  1841,  to  trustees 
\\'illiam  B.  Lewis,  A.  J.  Dale  and  \\'illiam  Duncan,  for  a  consideration  of 
one  dollar. 

In  1832  the  congregation  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  enlarge  the  building.  Accordingly,  a  frame  addition 
of  twenty  feet  was  added  to  the  old  building  Ijy  Samuel  Henrv-  In  1837 
a  frame  church  took  the  place  of  the  old  log  building.  In  1862  many  trees 
were  planted  around  the  church  by  William  Anderson  and  future  genera- 
tions have  had  cause  to  be  grateful  for  this  labor  of  love  on  the  part  of  this 
sterling  old  pioneers.  As  the  years  went  by,  the  congregation  became  able 
to  Iniild  a  still  more  substantial  church  and  in  1892  the  present  beautiful 
brick  house  of  worship  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars.  A 
parsonage  was  built  in  1871. 

Many  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  denomination  have  served  the  church 

as   pastor  and   the    following   list   is   as    complete   as   the   records    disclose : 

■James  Worth,  1830-52;  Rev.  Walker,  1852-67:  Samuel  Taggart,  1868  (five 

months);    William    Johnston,    1871-77;    \\'illiam    Ritchie,    1877-79;    Alvin 

Mncent,   1880-88;  T.   H.   MclMichael.   1890-93:  Harry  Crawford,    1893-94; 


256 


DECATUR    COUNTY, 


Paul  Stewart,  1896-1900;  Neil  Ferguson,  1901-05;  W.  W.  McCal!, 
1906-12;  Fred  Elliott,  since  1914.  The  first  settled  minister,  James  Worth, 
severed  his  connection  with  the  church  in  1852  to  go  with  a  colony  of  set- 
tlers to  Oregon.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  attainments,  well-grounded  in 
doctrine,  a  good  organizer,  faithful  in  the  discharge  of' his  duties,  a  patron 
of  honesty  and  uprightness,  and  to  his  judicious  management  and  careful 
training  the  congregation  owes  much  of  its  success  in  later  years.  No 
other  minister  ever  served  the  congregation  as  long  and  no  other  left  such 
an  impress  on  the  church. 

The  present  ideal  of  the  church  is  to  be  in  ever}^  sense  a  community 
church  and  the  church  is  now  styled  the  "Spring  Hill  Community  church." 
The  officers  are  men  alive  to  their  responsibilities  to  the  entire  community, 
and  every  organization  of  the  church  seeks  to  minister,  rather  than  to  be 
ministered  unto.  The  session  is  honored  by  the  service  of  two  men  who 
have  represented  Decatur  county  in  the  halls  of  the  state  Legislature,  Jethro 
C.  Meek  and  William  J.  Kinkaid.  The  Sabbath  school  is  under  the  able 
and  enthusiastic  management  of  Ezra  Kirby  and  is  doing  very  efficient 
work.  The  Spring  Hill  church  has  furnished  to  the  church  at  large  two  col- 
lege presidents,  the  Rev.  William  Johnston,  former  president  of  Amity  Col- 
lege, of  College  Springs,  Iowa,  and  the  Rev.  T.  H.  McMichael,  of  Mon- 
mouth College,  Monmouth,  Illinois.  This  congregattion  is  justly  famous 
for  its  loyalty,  its  liberality,  its  sociability,  its  high  ideals  of  community 
life,  and  the  beautiful  location  of  its  meeting  house.  Its  broad  Christian 
spirit  is  well  expressed  in  the  public  invitation  issued  b}^  the  church,  "To  all 
who  mourn  and  need  comfort — to  all  who  are  weary  and  need  rest — to  all 
who  are  friendless  and  want  friendship — to  all  who  are  homeless  and  want 
sheltering  love — to  all  who  pray  and  to  all  who  do  not,  but  ought — to  all 
who  sin  and  need  a  saviour,  and  to  whomsoever  will — this  church  opens 
wide  the  door  and  makes  a  free  place,  and  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  the 
Lord,  says  'Welcome.'  " 

The  present  officers  of  the  church  are  as  follow :  Minister,  Frederick 
Elliott;  session,  William  Kinkaid  (clerk),  Theodore  Humphrey,  Nathan 
Logan,  Robert  Donnell,  Jethro  Meek  and  Hugh  Sparks;  treasurer,  William 
Kinkaid;  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school,  Ezra  Kirby;  trusteees, 
Edward  Sefton   (chairman),  Thomas  J.  Kitchin  and  Elbert  C.   Meek. 


sruixijiiiLi.  ruKsi'.v'i'KKiAx  curuc 


DECATUR    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  257 


CHRISTIAN    CHURCHES. 


The  Christian  church,  founded  b}-  Thomas  Campbell,  near  Pittsburgh, 
in  1800,  and  continued  by  Alexander  Campbell,  did  not  take  root  in  Decatur 
county  until  1831,  about  a  year  after  the  movement  had  taken  strength  and 
started  to  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  first  church  of  this 
denomination  to  be  established  in  this  county  was  at  Clarksburg.  It  was 
organized  on  November  16,  1831,  about  ten  months  before  the  first  Christian 
church  at  Greensburg  was  established. 

The  history  of  this  denomination  in  Decatur  county  was  prepared  in 
1912  by  L.  D.  Braden,  of  Greensburg,  and  is  made  the  authority  for  most 
of  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  church  set  forth  in  this  volume.  The  booklet 
was  issued  on  September  29,  1912,  in  honor  of  the  eightieth  anniversary  of 
the  Greensburg  church. 

Madison  Evans,  in  his  "Pioneer  Preachers  of  Indiana,''  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  founding  of  the  church  in  Greensburg; 

"In  the  fall  of  1832  John  OTvane  first  visited  Rush  county,  where  he 
was  employed  to  evangelize  for  one  year.  He  and  John  P.  Thompson,  of 
Rush  county,  traveled  together  over  the  counties  of  Rush,  Fayette  and  De- 
catur, l^eing  the  first  at  almost  every  point  to  publish  the  doctrine  of  the 
reformation,  ^^'hen  they  arrived  at  Greensburg,  O'Kane  rang  the  court 
house  bell  and  a  small  audience  collected.  Thompson  preached  and  one  came 
forward  to  confess  the  Lord.  This  was  the  first  evangelistic  sermon  and  the 
first  disciple  at  that  place,  which  is  now  the  center  of  a  powerful  influence  in 
favor  of  primitive  Christianity.  OTvane  followed  and  three  others  made 
the  good  confession. 

"The  previous  night  they  preached  at  a  point  four  miles  northwest  of 
Greensburg  and  two  were  added  to  the  saved,  one  of  them,  a  daughter  of 
North  Parker,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  person  who  embraced  the 
ancient  gospel  in  eastern  Indiana. 

"From  that  point  they  continued  their  journey,  the  people  everywhere 
gladly  receiving  the  Word.  Though  sectarian  opposition  was  strong,  and 
there  was  much  ill-feeling  toward  OTvane,  growing  out  of  his  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  presidential  campaign,  still  the  disciples  were  multiplied, 
new  churches  established,  prejudices  eradicated  and  Bible  principles  incul- 
cated." 

(17) 


258  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

GREENSBURG  CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

The  date  of  the  sermons  preached  Ijy  Thompson  and  O'Kane  in  Greens- 
burg  was  probably  Sunday,  September  i,  1832.  The  First  Christian  church 
was  organized  twenty-nine  days  later  in  the  county  seminary,  which  is  still 
standing  on  South  Franklin  street.  For  two  or  three  years  services  were 
held  at  this  place  and  the  county  court  house.  P'or  a  long  time  there  was  no 
resident  minister,  but  the  church  was  edified  by  discourses  from  visiting 
clergymen.  In  1836  a  permanent  meeting  place  was  established  in  a  log 
d\\elling  on  East  Main  street,  owned  by  Hugh  Sidwell. 

Four  years  later  the  congregation  had  increased  in  numbers  to  such  an 
extent  that  a  more  modern  structure  was  needed.  Accordingly  a  comfort- 
able brick  church  was  erected  near  the  railroad.  The  church  was  provided 
with  a  bell  which  Gen.  James  B.  Foley  had  secured  from  an  Ohio  river 
steamboat.     This  bell  was  later  installed  in  the  spire  of  the  present  church. 

The  old  building  was  torn  down  in  1870,  after  the  present  church  was 
dedicated.  Measured  by  present-day  architectural  standards  the  old  church 
left  several  things  to  be  desired,  but  when  erected  it  was  considered  the  last 
word  in  such  structures. 

It  was  forty  feet  wide,  si.xty  feet  long  and  designed  to  accommodate 
two  hundred  people.  Instead  of  the  conventional  spire  it  had  a  scjuare  three- 
decker  steeple  which  looked  as  though  the  builders  had  exhausted  their 
supply  of  material  before  completing  their  work.  This  steeple  surmounted 
an  overhanging  roof,  supported  by  four  scjuare  pillars. 

In  these  early  days  a  minister  schooled  in  theology  was  a  decided  rarity. 
Most  of  them  were  men  who  made  a  living*  for  their  families  following  the 
plow ;  standing  behind  the  counter  or  working  at  the  forge.  They  took  their 
pay  in  articles  of  wearing  apparel  and  other  necessities,  promulgating,  in 
return,  doctrines  of  faith  and  salvation.  Such  a  man  was  Carey  Smith,  a 
blacksmith,  who  had  been  converted  through  reading  "The  Christian  Bap- 
tist," published  by  Alexander  Campbell.  Smith  moved  to  Greensburg  from 
Indianapolis  in  1833  and  preached  for  three  or  four  years  in  churches  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  In  1840  he  made  a  tour  of  the  south  under  the  patron- 
age of  Alexander  Campbell  and  died  in  Mississippi  the  following  year. 

The  first  regular  pastor  of  this  denomination  at  Greensburg  was  John 
B.  New,  father  of  John  C.  New,  who  later  owned  the  Indianapolis  Journal 
and  was  appointed  consul  general  to  Liverpool  in  1889.  New  moved  to 
Greensburg  from  Vernon  in   1839.     At  his  first  meeting  his   congregation 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  259 

numbered  but  thirteen,  three  of  whom  were  small  boys.  Undaunted  by  the 
gloomy  outlook,  he  and  his  wife  remained  valiantly  at  the  post  and  organ- 
ized churches  at  Antioch,  Napoleon,  Milroy,  Shelbyville  and  Milford  within 
the  next  three  years. 

New  possessed  a  wonderful  capacity  for  work  of  this  nature.  In 
gro\es,  barns,  dwellings  and  school  houses  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  from 
Greensburg,  he  preached  and  exhorted  daily ;  often  conducting  fourteen 
services  a  week.  At  the  end  of  his  first  year  he  had  added  seventy-five 
members  to  the  b'irst  Christian  church  of  Greensburg  and  erected  a  new 
church  building  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dollars.  At  the  end  of  his  pas- 
torate, in  1845,  the  church  had  one  hundred  and  fifty  members. 

His  successor  was  Jacob  Wright,  a  rough-and-ready  minister,  who 
preached  at  Greensburg,  Clarksburg,  Milford  and  Clifty  for  two  years.  He 
vas  the  first  Christian  minister  in  Decatur  county  to  receive  a  salary,  his 
stipend  being  three  hundred  dollars  a  year.  He  was  an  able  debater  and 
frequently  shared  the  rostrum  with  other  ministers  who  differed  with  him  in 
matters  appertaining  to  Sunday  schools  and  baptism. 

During  Wright's  pastorate  John  O'lvane  came  back  to  Greensburg.  A 
great  concourse  was  assembled  to  hear  him  preach.  The  aisles  were  filled 
and  crowds  were  gathered  outside  at  every  window.  The  evangelist  was 
warming  to  his  theme  of  regeneration  and  repentance  when  a  rotten  sleeper 
in  front  of  the  pulpit  gave  way  under  the  unusual  weight  and  the  fioor 
dropped  three  feet  to  the  ground. 

The  doors  swung  inward,  and  in  their  mad  rush  for  the  outside  the 
people  jammed  the  doors  fast  shut.  I'eople  were  trampled  under  foot  and 
rolled  beneath  the  seats.  Some  walked  upon  seatbacks  and  jumped  through 
windows  to  security.  At  last  the  doors  were  opened  and  a  grand  rush  fol- 
lowed, people  tearing  the  clothes  off  their  neighbors'  backs  in  the  mad 
scramble.     No  one  was  seriously  injured. 

BEGINNING    OF    BUTLER    COLLEGE. 

A  movement  which  resulted  in  the  foundation  of  Butler  College  was 
started  in  Greensburg  in  1847.  ^"^t  a  state  convention  of  the  denomination 
held  there  in  that  year  a  resolution  was  adopted  for  the  establishment  of  an 
institution  of  learning  of  the  highest  grade.  A  committee  was  named  to 
make  a  later  report  which  resulted  in  the  founding  of  Northwestern  Chris- 
tian University  at  Indianapolis.  Later  the  name  of  the  institution  was 
changed  to  Butler  College. 


26o  DECATUR   COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Other  ministers  who  tilled  the  Greensburg  pulpit  between  1846  and  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  were  Richard  Roberts,  B.  F.  Sallee,  Thomas 
Conley  and  Joseph  R.  Lucas.  Rev.  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk,  who  occupied  the 
pulpit  during  war  times,  was  a  man  of  marked  ability,  serving  Decatur 
county  during  this  period  in  the  state  Legislature,  both  in  the  upper  and 
lower  houses  of  the  General  Assembly.  He  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  1864.  It  was  during  the  second  year  of  Van  Buskirk's  ministry  that 
Alexander  Campbell  came  to  Greensburg  and  preached  two  sermons  in  the 
old  church  near  the  railroad.  Campbell  was  then  near  the  close  of  his  life, 
which  he  had  given  to  the  restoration  movement.  He  was  then  seventy-four 
years  old  and  his  hair  was  as  white  as  snow.  He  delivered  a  notable  dis- 
course on  "The  Great  Commission,"  and  charmed  the  great  congregation 
with  his  atTable  and  engaging  manner. 

The  Rev.  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk  was  followed  in  the  Greensburg  pulpit 
by  three  other  ministers,  Carl  Starks,  John  Shackleford  and  Dr.  L.  L. 
Pinkerton;  then,  in  1868,  the  church  decided  that  a  new  building  was  an 
imperative  necessit}^  The  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad  Company  had  secured  a  right  of  way  through  Decatur  county,  in 
1853,  and  was  running  its  trains  just  past  the  old  church,  the  noise  of  trains 
seriously  interfering  with  the  solemnity  of  the  services. 

Some  man  of  exceptional  ability  was  needed  as  pastor  of  the  church 
for  this  work  and  the  Rev.  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk  was  once  more  secured.  The 
site  of  the  present  church,  North  Broadway  and  Hendricks  streets,  was  pur- 
chased from  W.  H.  Hazelrigg  and  B.  W.  Wilson  and  work  was  started  upon 
the  erection  of  an  eighteen  thousand  dollar  church,  which  was  dedicated  on 
February  20,  1870,  by  Rev.  Isaac  Errett.  A  revival  service  was  held  imme- 
diately after  the  dedication  of  the  church  and  one  hundred  members  were 
added  to  the  congregation. 

When  the  Reverend  Van  Buskirk  left  for  the  second  time  he  was  fol- 
lowed in  the  pulpit  by  the  following  ministers:  W.  P.  Aylesworth,  1870-71; 
W.  B.  Hendryx,  1871-74;  U.  C.  Brewer,  1874-77;  S.  M.  Conner,  1879; 
G.  P.  Peale,  1880-82;  William  Bryan,  1883;  W.  T.  McGowan,  1884;  M.  W. 
Harkins,  1885-88;  W.  C.  Payne,  1889-91;  C.  H.  Trout,  1891;  T.  M.  Wiles, 
1892-94,  and  U.  M.  Browder,  1895-96. 

In  1896  the  church  extended  its  third  call  to  Reverend  Van  Buskirk, 
who  filled  the  pulpit  until  1901.  During  this  pastorate  he  repaired  the  church, 
installed  ornamental  wooden  beams  and  some  beautiful  memorial  windows. 
His  funeral  services  were  held  in  this  church  on  April  5,  1908.     Since  this 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIxVNA.  261 

time  the  church  has  been  ably  served  by  the  following  ministers:  W.  D. 
Starr,  1902-04;  Thomas  B.  Howe,  1904;  Frank  W.  Summer,  1905;  James 
Mailley,  1905-08;  W.  G.  Johnston,  1908-11;  W.  J.  Cocke,  191 1,  and  A. 
Homer  Jordan,  1912-15. 

The  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  1850  and  was  divided  into 
two  classes,  one  for  the  adult  members  of  the  church  and  one  for  the  chil- 
dren. In  the  class  for  men  and  women  considerable  stress  was  laid  by  the 
teacher,  usually  the  minister,  upon  doctrinal  tenets  of  the  church,  while  the 
younger  pupils  were  likewise  given  as  much  instruction  in  such  matters  as 
they  could  well  assimilate. 

Modern  Sunday-school  organization  and  the  international  system  of 
lessons  came  in  1872.  Now  there  are  departmental  superintendents  and 
adult,  intermediate  and  primary  classes,  with  large  enrollments.  The  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  was  organized  in  1890  with  forty  members.  It  conducts  a  lec- 
ture course  each  year  and  makes  liberal  contributions  to  the  church.  Other 
church  organizations  are  the  auxiliary  of  the  Christian  Women's  Board  of 
Missions  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society. 

This  last  named  organization  had  its  inception  in  1889  when  Dr.  A.  M. 
Kirkpatrick  formed  a  young  people's  society.  The  present  society  was 
organized  in  the  following  year.  The  following,  among  others,  have  served 
the  society  as  president :  Grace  Dille,  Kate  Rogers,  Brazier  Kirby,  Nell 
McCune,  W.  H.  Milner,  W.  E.  Kirby,  Ruth  Robinson,  Rosa  Davis,  Jessie 
Elder  and  William  Stolz. 

CLARKSBURG    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

Antedating  the  Greensburg  church  by  ten  months,  the  Clarksburg 
church  has  the  oldest  congregation  of  Disciples  in  Decatur  county.  It  was 
organized  on  November  16,  1831,  with  a  goodly  list  of  charter  members  by 
William  Goudge  at  a  place  two  miles  east  of  Clarksburg  and  named  the  Salt 
Creek  Church  of  Christ. 

Among  the  original  members  of  this  church  were:  Absalom  Blackburn, 
Samuel  McClary,  George  Parish,  Joseph  Parish,  Elisha  Cregan,  Samuel 
Githens,  John  H.  Davis,  James  Davis,  William  Snelling,  Hugh  Smothers, 
Joseph  York,  William  Brown,  Thomas  Anderson,  H.  Cartmell,  Thomas  A. 
Bryant,  Robert  N.  Higgins,  James  Higgins,  Samuel  Blackburn,  Abraham 
Myers,  Jesse  Barns,  Daniel  Lewis,  John  Lowery  and  Benjamin  Goodwin. 

McClary  and  Davis  assisted  Goudge  in  the  administration  of  church 
affairs  until  1837,  in  which  year  James  Conner  commenced  to  preach  there. 


262  DECATUR   COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Conner  left  in  1842  and  the  church  declined  until  1849,  when  it  was  reor- 
ganized and  revived  by  Jacob  Wright  as  the  Clarksburg  Christian  church. 
For  a  time  services  were  held  in  the  Clarksburg  school  house  and  in  1850 
the  congregation  built  a  church  of  its  own. 

William  Patterson,  Joseph  Lucas,  Daniel  Franklin  and  others  filled 
the  pulpit  until  the  beginning"  of  the  Civil  War,  after  which  the  pulpit  was 
vacant  until  the  war  closed.  The  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  1868  and 
now  has  an  enrollment  of  more  than  one  hundred. 

Since  the  war  ended  the  church  has  been  served  by  the  following  min- 
isters:  David  Matthews,  John  S.  Campbell,  Milton  T.  Hough,  L.  D.  Mc- 
Gowan,  J.  E.  Taylor,  R.  L.  Noel,  Z.  M.  Kenady,  Charles  Salisbury,  D.  W. 
Campbell,  W.  L.  Folks,  C.  R.  Miller,  H.  H.  Nesslage,  John  McKee,  W.  E. 
Payne,  E.  W.  Stairs,  H.  W.  Edwards,  T.  J.  Burke  and  D.  J.  Thornton. 
Deaths  and  removals  have  worked  heavy  injury  to  the  old  church  in  the  last 
score  of  years  and  the  congregation  now  numbers  less  than  seventy-five 
members. 

WESTPORT    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

The  third  oldest  Christian  church  now  existing  in  the  county  is  located 
at  Westport.  It  was  organized  about  1850  by  L.  S.  Giddings,  L.  C.  Scott, 
their  wives  and,  perhaps,  some  others.  For  a  time  services  were  held  in  an 
old  log  school  house  in  Westport.  In  the  early  sixties  a  frame  meeting- 
house was  erected,  which  was  used  by  the  congregation  until  the  present 
church  was  finished  in  19 12.  As  late  as  1867  the  seats  used  were  the  old- 
fashioned  benches  with  no  backs.  The  congregation  now  has  a  membership 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

Among  the  ministers  who  have  filled  the  pulpit  of  this  church  are  Will- 
iam Patterson,  John  A.  Campbell,  W.  M.  Gard,  H.  B.  Sherman,  Alphonso 
Burns,  W.  E.  Payne,  R.  B.  Givens,  M.  O.  Jarvis  and  M.  R.  Scott,  the  pres- 
ent pastor. 

The  church  has  a  flourishing  Sunday  school,  and  a  Ladies'  Aid  Society, 
which  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  church. 

MOWREY   CHAPEL. 

The  Mil  ford  Christian  church  was  organized  in  1842,  flourishing  for  a 
time  and  passed  out  of  existence  in  1884.  Nineteen  years  later  the  few 
members  left  decided  to  reorganize  the  church  and  continue  its  work.  Con- 
tributions were  solicited  for  a  new  church,  the  old  one  having  been  torn 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  263 

down,  and  the  new  eilifice,  built  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  live  hunch-ed  dol- 
lars, was  dedicated  in  1904. 

Nelson  Mowrey,  Decatur  county's  leading  philanthropist,  although  not 
a  member  of  the  church,  gave  the  congregation  a  substantial  sum  of  money 
and  the  new  building  was  named  in  his  honor.  Rev.  Fred  R.  Davies,  of 
Charlestown,  was  the  pastor  for  a  number  of  years,  the  church  experienced 
a  substantial  growth  and  now  has  a  membership  of  about  one  hundred. 

This  church's  predcccssnr  was  founded  by  Milton  B.  Hopkins,  who  was 
just  then  beginning  his  ministerial  career.  George  King,  ]\icClure  lilliott, 
Robert  Braden  and  John  H.  Braden  were  some  of  its  charter  members.  The 
first  meetings  were  held  at  the  home  of  Mr.  King.  A  month  later  a  church 
was  built,  all  labor  and  material  Ijeing  donated  by  members. 

During  the  period  before  the  Civil  War,  John  B.  New,  Jacob  Wright, 
Richard  Roberts  and  others  preached  at  this  place.  Following  the  war  J.  S. 
Young,  William  Patterson,  James  Land,  James  O.  Cutts,  John  Brazelton 
and  Frank  Talmage  occupied  the  pulpit.  In  1874  and  1876  Knowles  Shane 
and  Alfred  Elmore  held  two  ^•ery  successful  revivals  and  the  membership  of 
the  church  rose  past  the  two  hundred  mark. 

A  few  years  later  interest  began  to  wane  and  finally  in  1884  the  church 
was  abandoned.  The  old  church,  which  the  early  members  had  built  with 
clumsy  axes,  was  neglected  and  at  last  torn  down. 

ADAMS   CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

The  Christian  church  at  Adams  was  organized  by  Jacob  Wright  in 
1859,  with  the  following  charter  members:  William,  Sarah  and  Elizabeth 
Colwell,  Mary  'Woodward,  Joseph  and  Martha  Pleak,  \Villet  and  Nancy 
Stark,  Jane  Johnson,  Mary,  Clara,  William,  Parish,  La\ina  and  Belle 
Aldrich,  Phoebe  and  Ephraim  Wagner,  Thomas  Whitaker,  Martha  Inman. 
Charley  Moor,  Elizabeth  Bennet,  Thomas  Johnson  and  Eliza  Pearce. 

Until  1872  the  congregation  met  in  dwellings  and  in  the  old  school 
house.  In  that  year  a  comfortable  brick  building  was  erected,  which  is  still 
in  use.  The  church  now  has  seventy  members.  Ministers  during  the  past 
two  decades  have  been :  C.  L.  Riley,  I.  B.  Grisso,  G.  H.  Brewer,  C.  G.  Can- 
trell,  H.  B.  Sherman,  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk,  S.  J.  Tomlinson,  H.  M.  Hall, 
C.  S.  Johnson,  W.  T.  McGowan  and  D.   J.  Thornton. 


264  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

WAYNESBURG  CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

Elder  William  Patterson  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  minister  for 
the  Waynesburg  church,  which  was  probably  founded  in  1855.  The  church 
occupied  a  small  building  until  1877,  in  which  year  a  better  building  was 
erected.  This  building  was  struck  by  lightning  and  burned  in  1898.  Since 
that  time  another  structure  has  been  erected  on  the  same  site.  The  church 
has  a  membership  of  eighty.  Among  its  recent  pastors  are  John  A.  Camp- 
bell, W.  M.  Gard,  Alphonso  Burns,  Z.  M.  Kenady  and  Henry  Ashley. 

NEWPOINT    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

James  Young  of  Kentucky  organized  the  Newpoint  church  in  the  winter 
of  1862  in  the  old  school  house  at  that  place.  For  a  time  the  church  flourished 
and  then  lapsed  into  inactivity  for  about  seven  years.  Then  interest  in  the 
church  was  again  aroused  and  a  new  building  was  erected.  This  edifice  was 
dedicated  on  Christmas  Day,  1870,  and  a  revival  followed,  which  resulted 
in  ninety-nine  additions  to  the  church.  Some  of  the  active  members  at  that 
time  were  Eph  Wagoner  and  wife.  Thomas  Brown  and  wife,  W.  E.  Barkley 
and  wife;  Elizabeth  Barkley,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Main,  William  Higdon  and  wife; 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Milliard,  Joel  Pennington  and  wife;  Mrs.  Thomas  Hart,  Mrs. 
Samuel  Thomas.  Mrs.  Rosetta  Starks  and  Mrs.  Phillip  Lawrence. 

The  church  now  has  more  than  one  hundred  members  and  has  a  good 
Sunday  school.  The  following  Butler  College  men  have  occupied  the  pulpit 
there:  S.  R.  Wilson,  M.  T.  Hoff,  J.  H.  Gavin  and  C.  Goodnight.  In  1912 
Rev.  William  Chappie,  of  Columbus,  conducted  a  revival  which  added  thirty- 
eight  to  the  church,  the  second  largest  number  received  in  its  history. 

ST.    PAUL    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

Although  the  youngest  church  of  the  denomination  in  the  county,  the 
St.  Paul  Christian  church  is  one  of  the  most  active  and  ranks  second  numer- 
ically. It  was  organized  on  March  2,  1874,  at  the  Union  church,  with  sixty- 
one  charter  members.  Milton  Copeland,  James  Eishback  and  William  Hann 
were  ordained  as  elders  and  A.  H.  Thompson,  W.  H.  Walters,  O.  J.  Grubb, 
Henry  Leffler,  James  Hanger,  C.  A.  Pearse,  M.  A.  Leffler  and  L.  A.  Van 
Scyoc  were  ordained  as  deacons. 

Ten  years  later  the  church  building  was  surrendered  to  the  Lutherans, 
the  Christian  congregation  taking  the  seats  and  fixtures.     Services  and  Sun- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  265 

da}?  school  were  held  for  a  time  in  the  school  house  and  then  the  congre- 
gation disbanded  for  lack  of  a  meeting-place. 

In  1888  the  church  was  reorganized  and  the  congregation  rented  the 
former  meeting-place.  In  1893  this  building  was  purchased  outright  from 
the  Lutherans.  Two  years  later  the  old  church  was  rebuilt  and  was  dedi- 
cated with  appropriate  ceremonies  on  August  25,  1895. 

Since  its  organization  the  church  has  received  more  than  four  hundred 
persons  into  membership  and  now  has  a  congregation  of  two  hundred.  It 
has  an  excellent  Sunday  school  and  a  flourishing  Ladies'  Aid  Society. 

Following  are  ministers  who  have  been  regularly  installed  by  the  con- 
gregation of  this  church:  N.  A.  Walker,  Isaac  Tomlinson,  Charles  Salis- 
bury, Walter  S.  Smith,  Charles  Riley,  Z.  M.  Kenady,  V.  G.  Carmichael, 
Alphonso  Burns,  Cloyd  Goodnight,  James  Conner,  J.  L.  Roberts,  Perry 
Case,  E.  W.  Stairs,  R.  H.  Webb,  A.  Burns,  Clarence  Reidenbach,  Stanley 
Selleck  and  George  E.  Beatty.  The  latter  took  charge  of  the  church  in 
February,  19 14,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
on  account  of  ill  health.  The  Sunday  school,  under  the  superintendency  of 
Ora  Pearce,  has  an  average  attendance  of  forty-five.  Mrs.  Courtney 
Kanouse  is  president  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society. 

DISCONTINUED     CHRISTIAN    CHURCHES. 

Four  churches  of  this  denomination,  founded  in  Decatur  county  during 
the  past  four  decades,  have  passed  out  of  existence.  Antioch  church,  founded 
by  John  B.  New  in  1840,  disbanded  in  1875.  Union  Chapel,  ten  miles  south 
of  Greensburg,  went  down  in  1880  after  an  existence  of  thirty  years.  A 
church  started  at  Mechanicsburg  in  1865  lasted  fifteen  years.  The  Cliffy 
church,  founded  about  1840,  ended  its  career  in  1875. 

UNITED    BRETHREN    IN    CHRIST. 

The  United  Brethren  in  Christ  came  into  existence  at  Lancaster,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  year  Washington  was  inaugurated  President.  In  that  year 
William  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm,  German  ministers  of  the  Reformed 
and  Mennonite  churches,  respectively,  first  used  the  term  United  Brethren 
in  Christ  and  the  church  may  be  said  to  have  started  that  year.  In  this  event- 
ful year  there  was  a  great  religious  awakening  in  Pennsylvania  and  large 
union  services  were  held  at  various  places.  One  night,  in  the  barn  of  one 
Thomas    Newcomer,    in    Lancaster,    Martin    Boehm    preached    a    powerful 


266  DECATUR   COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

sermon  and,  as  soon  as  he  was  through,  WilHam  Otterbein,  who  had  never 
heard  him  preach  before,  and,  in  fact,  had  never  seen  him  before  this  par- 
ticular night,  walked  up  to  him  and  greeted  him  thus :  "We  ought  to  be 
'United  Brethren  in  Christ,'  for  the  doctrine  which  3'OU  have  just  preached 
is  also  my  firm  belief."  Thus  did  the  church  come  into  existence.  The  first 
annual  conference  was  held  in  1800  and  from  that  day  forward  the  church 
has  enjoyed  a  steady  growth.  The  stronghold  of  the  church  is  in  the  state 
of  Ohio.  There  are  five  churches  of  the  denomination  in  Decatur  county  at 
the  present  time ;  St.  Omer,  Fredonia,  Mapleton,  Lower  Union  and  Sardinia. 

FREDONIA    CHURCH. 

The  Fredonia  church  is  located  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Westport 
and  dates  its  beginning  from  the  early  forties.  The  early  records  of  the 
church  are  not  available,  but  from  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the  com- 
munity the  following  facts  have  been  gleaned.  Felix  Boicourt  and  his  two 
children,  Catherine  and  Absalom,  started  the  church  and  for  many  years  the 
meetings  were  held  in  their  home.  A  school  house  later  was  used  until  such 
a  time  as  the  little  congregation  was  able  to  build  a  log  church.  Later  a 
frame  house  of  worship  was  erected,  which,  with  improvements  from  time 
to  time,  is  still  in  use.  H.  W.  White  is  the  present  pastor  and  has  a  flour- 
ishing congregation  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  members.  The  Sunday 
school,  under  the  superintendency  of  I\.  E.  Mattix,  has  an  average  attend- 
ance of  forty.  Mrs.  Elsie  Mattix  is  president  of  the  Christian  Endeavor; 
Mrs.  Reuben  Ford  is  at  the  head  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  while  Mrs. 
H.  W.  White  is  the  directing  spirit  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society. 

MAPLETON    CHURCH. 

The  Mapleton  United  Brethren  church,  which  dates  from  about  1850, 
is  situated  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Westport.  The  Boicourt  family 
' — David  Boicourt  and  wife  and  George  Boicourt  and  wife — were  charter 
members.  Like  its  sister  church  at  Fredonia,  it  first  worshipped  in  private 
homes  until  such  a  time  as  it  was  in  a  position  to  erect  a  separate  house  of 
worship.  For  many  years  the  church  was' locally  known  as  the  Horse  Shoe 
Bend  church.  The  present  pastor  is  H.  W.  White.  The  heads  of  the  differ- 
ent auxiliaries  of  the  church  are  as  follow':  Sunday  school,  L.  E.  Jessup; 
Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Mrs.  Emma  Skinner.  There  are  now  one  hundred  and 
ten  active  members. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  267 


LOWER    UNION    CHURCH. 

The  United  Brethren  church  known  as  Lower  Union  is  located  about 
three  and  three-fourths  miles  southeast  of  Westport.  The  congregation 
existed  for  many  years  before  the  present  church  was  erected,  in  i86j,  and 
had  for  some  time  worshipped  in  a  log  building  across  the  road  from  the 
present  church.  The  church  of  1862  was  built  by  the  united  efforts  of  the 
Baptists  and  United  Brethren,  and  probably  other  denominations,  and  is 
still  a  union  church.  The  two  denominations  use  it  alternately  and  both 
have  their  separate  Sunday  schools.  The  only  auxiliary  organization  main- 
tained by  the  United  Brethren  is  the  Stmday  school,  which,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Elmer  Smith,  is  doing  good  work  with  the  forty  who  attend  regu- 
larly.    Re\-.  H.  \y.  ^^d^ite  is  the  pastor. 

SARDINIA   CHURCH. 

The  United  Brethren  church  at  Sardinia  is  less  than  a  year  old,  being 
organized  November  19,  1914,  and  owes  its  existence  to  the  faithful  efforts 
of  Rev.  S.  S.  Turley,  who  established  it  and  still  remains  as  its  pastor.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1914-15  he  held  a  revival  in  Sardinia  and  when  he  proposed 
the  establishment  of  a  United  Brethren  church  he  found  sixty-two  people 
who  were  ready  to  become  charter  members.  Among  the  charter  members 
were  John  and  Goldie  Gross,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Ammerman,  Mrs.  Bertha  Von- 
blaricum  and  Mrs.  Jennie  Foist.  On  February  22,  191 5,  the  congregation 
bought  the  Presbyterian  church  and  are  now  expending  five  hundred  dollars 
in  improving  it,  the  original  cost  being  two  hundred  dollars.  Services  are 
held  by  the  pastor  every  Sunday  e\ening  and  a  mid-week  prayer  meeting  has 
been  attended  with  most  gratifying  results.  The  class  leader  is  Thomas 
Talkington;  James  Cann  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school;  JNIiss  E. 
Rose  Meredith  is  president  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Union.  Reverend 
White  also  serves  charges  at  Grammer  and  Mt.  Calvary  in  Bartholomew 
county. 

PENTECOST  CHUCH.  GREENSBURG. 

In  1902  Greensburg  was  visited  by  several  persons  of  the  Pentecost 
faith.  They  were  unable  to  find  a  place  of  worship  according  to  their  own 
faith,  and  held  services  in  an  old  house  on  East  North  street.  These  meet- 
ings were  well  attended  and  the  house  in  which  they  were  holding  their  serv- 
ices at  that  time  did  not  furnish  ample  room  to  accommodate  the  worship- 


268  DECATUR   COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pers.  George  Little,  seeing  the  disadvantage  under  which  they  labored,  came 
forward  with  this  proposition:  That  if  fifty  of  the  members  would  con- 
tribute five  cents  per  week,  making  a  guarantee  of  ten  dollars  per  month,  he 
would  provide  them  with  a  house  of  worship.  In  addition  to  this,  a  contract 
must  be  made  to  keep  the  house  for  three  years,  at  which  time  he  would  turn 
it  over  to  them  as  the  rent  for  this  length  of  time  would  pay  for  the  building. 
Mr.  Littell  also  agreed  to  donate  the  lot  and  give  one  hundred  dollars  in  cash 
on  the  completion  of  such  building. 

This  proposition  was  immediately  accepted  and  Mr.  Littell  began  mak- 
ing plans  for  their  house  of  worship.  He  purchased  the  old  Antioch  church, 
located  on  the.  Madison  road,  from  Alexander  Hillis,  who  had  been  one  of 
the  deacons  in  that  church.  Mr.  Hillis  asked  permission  to  keep  the  old 
church  Bible.  Mr.  Littell  immediately  complied  with  this  request  and  asked 
Mr.  Hillis  to  bring  it  to  the  dedication  of  the  new  church  and  also  give  some 
public  utterance  at  the  services,  all  of  which  he  did. 

The  old  church  building,  which  was  in  a  good  state  of  preservation, 
was  moved  to  a  beautiful  lot  in  the  eastern  part  of  Greensburg  and  fitted  up 
for  services.  But  before  the  building  had  reached  completion  there  arose  a 
turmoil  among  the  Pentecost  brothers  and  they  failed  to  comply  with  their 
part  of  the  agreement.  Consequently,  Mr.  Littell  was  left  with  the  house  of 
worship  on  his  hands,  as  no  one  came  to  worship. 

This  state  of  affairs  lasted  until  April  lo,  1902,  when  it  was  dedicated 
by  a  Mr.  Mounts  under  the  Pentecost  leadership.  This  lasted  for  some  time 
and  finally  the  interest  began  to  wane.  This  church  at  present  is  the  property 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Second  Christians,  but  the  historian,  with  his  present 
knowledge  of  theology,  is  unable  to  distinguish  this  faith.  The  services  are 
now  conducted  by  Rev.  Jacob  Cruiser. 

GERMAN    LUTHERAN    CHURCH. 

German  Lutherans  held  services  for  a  time  in  the  city  hall,  Greensburg, 
beginning  about  1870,  but  never  mustered  sufificient  strength  to  erect  a 
church  of  their  own.  Never  more  than  twenty  families  attended  the  serv- 
ices, which  were  discontinued  after  a  few  years.  One  of  the  ministers  who 
preached  to  this  congregation  was  Karl  Jacobs. 

EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

For  thirteen  years  (1898-1911)  Episcopalians  held  regular  services  in 
their  own  church  in  Greensburg,  and  then  the  denomination,  weakened  by 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  269 

the  death  of  a  prominent  member,  closed  the  doors  of  the  huiliHng,  which  is 
still  standing  on  Hendricks  street.  For  two  years  prior  to  the  erection  of 
the  church  in  1900  services  were  held  in  the  city  hall.  When  the  church 
was  erected  there  were  twenty-one  persons  in  the  parish.  The  following 
rectors,  among  others,  conducted  services  in  Greensburg  until  the  church 
was  closed  in  191 1:  Revs.  Willis  D.  Engle,  John  Neady,  James  W.  Com- 
fort and  George  Gallup. 

CHURCH    OF    GOD. 

There  is  another  abandoned  church  in  Greensburg  and  it  stands  at 
West  North  and  Anderson  streets.  It  is  the  Church  of  God  and  was  built 
in  1887,  following  a  w'onderful  revival  and  e\'angelistic  service  held  in  the 
opera  house  by  Mrs.  Maria  Woodwortb,  evangelist  of  the  cult. 

Mammoth  crowds  attended  the  services.  People  went  into  trances  and 
walked  the  floor  in  a  frenzj'  or  seemingh'  lost  consciousness  and  became  stiff 
and  rigid.  The  utmost  excitement  prevailed.  Before  conducting  services  in 
Greensburg,  Mrs.  Woodworth  had  preached  at  Muncie,  Indiana,  with  simi- 
lar results. 

Following  the  meeting  in  the  opera  house,  a  church  was  organized  and 
meetings  were  held  for  a  time  in  a  tent.  Then  the  church  building  w^as 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  about  one  thousand  dollars.  Then  interest  in  the  move- 
ment seemed  to  die,  and,  save  only  when  Mrs.  Woodworth  made  periodical 
visits  to  the  city,  the  attendance  was  ver}^  small.  At  last  the  doors  were 
locked  and  the  church  stands  empty,  vacant  reminder  of  an  emotional  storm 
that  once  shook  a  city. 

CHRISTIAN    (new    LIGHT)     CHURCH. 

While  there  have  been  many  members  of  the  New  Light  division  of 
the  Christian  church,  there  has  been,  as  far  as  has  been  discovered,  only 
one  church  built  by  this  denomination.  Strictly  speaking,  it  was  erected  by 
one  man  of  the  denomination.  Several  years  before  the  Civil  War,  a  Ken- 
tuckian  by  the  name  of  Jacob  Sidner,  a  stanch  member  of  the  New  Lights, 
built  on  one  corner  of  his  farm  a  substantial  brick  house  of  worship  for  his 
church.  It  was  in  Washington  township  on  the  Moscow  road,  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  northwest  of  Greensburg.  The  building,  which  was  later  used 
for  a  school  house,  is  still  standing,  a  tribute  to  the  religious  zeal  of  this  one 
man.  Before  he  built  his  church,  Sidner  used  to  send  to  Kentucky  once  a 
year  for  the  best  New  Light  preacher  he  could  get  and  have  him  conduct  a 


270  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

sort  of  a  camp  meeting  in  a  grove  near  his  home  in  ^\'ashington  township. 
He  prepared  seats  in  the  grove,  paid  aU  the  expenses  and  reveled  in  one  good 
New  Light  ser\'ice  annually.  Eventually,  he  felt  jvistified  in  erecting  a  church 
for  his  people,  but  there  does  not  appear  to  ha\'e  been  a  very  flourishing  con- 
gregation at  any  time  during  its  career.  Who  the  preachers  were,  who  the 
members  were,  or  the  date  when  the  church  was  abandoned  have  been  lost 
in  the  flight  of  time.  The  only  person  who  has  a  definite  recollection  of  the 
man  and  his  church  is  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Lathrop,  of  Greensburg,  who  gave  the 
above  facts. 

GERMAN    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  only  German  Methodist  church  in  Decatur  county  is  located  in 
Salt  Creek  township,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Smith's  Crossing.  The 
church  dates  its  beginning  from  the  time  the  first  Germans  of  this  denomi- 
nation located  in  this  part  of  the  county.  They  worshipped  in  private  houses 
and  school  houses  for  a  time  and  in  1864-65  built  the  church,  which  is  still 
in  use.  In  the  summer  of  1915  extensive  improvements  were  made  in  the 
way  of  new  roof  and  painting  on  the  exterior  and  redecorating  the  interior. 
Sunday  school  is  maintained  and  regular  preaching  services  are  held  every 
two  weeks  by  the  pastor.  Rev.  William  Wiegen,  of  Batesville.  .\  well-kept 
cemetery  adjoins  the  church. 

GERMAN    LUTHERAN    CHURCH. 

The  German  Lutherans  have  one  congregation  in  the  county.  This  is 
situated  in  Salt  Creek  township,  two  miles  west  of  New  Pennington  and 
only  one  mile  south  of  the  one  German  Methodist  church  in  the  county. 
This  church,  known  as  St.  Paul's,  was  established  shortly  before  the  opening 
of  the- Civil  War  and  the  present  building  was  erected  in  1861.  The  pastor 
in  1915  is  Rev.  William  Schirmer,  who  lives  in  the  parsonage  adjoining 
the  church. 

THE     CHRISTIAN     SCIENCE     SOCIETY    OF    GREENSBURG. 

The  beginning  of  all  societies  and  churches  of  the  Christian  Science 
denomination  may  often  be  traced  to  some  knowledge  of  the  healing  of  ills 
"that  flesh  is  heir  to.'' 

The  Christian  Science  Society  of  Greensburg.  Indiana,  is  not  an  ex- 
ception to  this  nfle.   Mrs.  Mary  J.  G.  Griswold  and  Edith  S.  Griswold,  mother 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  27I 

and  daugliter,  are  the  first  known  people  in  the  ciiunty  seat  to  Ijenefit  by 
Christian  Science  treatment.  As  a  result  they  opened  their  home,  at  No.  128 
West  Hendricks  street,  for  services  in  1902. 

In  1911,  loyal  students  of  Indianapolis  and  Chicago  presented  the  little 
band  wiih  a  public  meeting  place  in  the  WoodfiU  building,  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  public  square,  maintaining  the  gift  for  a  period  of  twelve 
months.  Serx'ices  are  still  held  in  this  building  on  every  Sunday  morning 
and  Wednesday  evening. 

The  Sunday  services  of  this  denomination,  the  world  over,  are  con- 
ducted by  a  first  and  second  reader,  who  read  the  same  lesson-sermon  from 
the  Christian  Science  quarterly  Bible  lessons,  prepared  by  an  authorized  com- 
mittee of  the  mother  church,  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  The  scriptural  te.xts  are  from  the  King  James'  version;  their 
correlative  passages  are  from  the  denominational  text-book  "Science  and 
Health,  With  Key  to  the  Scriptures,"  by  Mrs.  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy,  dis- 
coverer and  founder  of  Christian  Science. 

The  reading  for  the  Wednesday  evening  meetings  is  from  these  two 
books,  which  are  the  only  preachers  of  the  denomination.  This  is  followed 
with  testimonies,  experiences,  and  remarks  on  Christian  Science.  The 
democratic  form  of  government  obtains  in  the  society,  the  majority  rule 
being  recognized.  The  customary  reading  room  is  open  in  Greensburg  on 
Tuesday  and  on  Saturday  afternoon  of  each  week.  The  present  membership 
of  the  Greensburg  Christian  Science  Society  numbers  twelve. 

UNITED    BRETHREN. 

The  first  United  Brethren  preaching  in  the  county  was  at  the  house  of 
John  Khorer,  who  came  from  Clermont  count}^  Ohio,  in  1824,  and  settled 
on  the  banks  of  Clifty.  Khorer  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  in  the 
county  and  built  one  of  the  most  elegant  houses  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
His  house  was  open  to  all  preachers  for  many  years,  and  here  was  organ- 
ized the  first  United  Brethren  class,  some  time  before  the  forties.  About 
1840  a  frame  house  of  worship  was  built  on  Khorer's  farm  in  Jackson 
township. 

There  were  three  so-called  "war  churches"  built  in  Jackson  township 
during  the  war,  which  were  to  eschew  all  mention  of  politics,  and,  so  some 
said,  they  not  only  had  no  politics,  but  also  no  religion.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
they  died  soon  after  the  war  closed.  They  were  strictly  a  war  by-product 
and,  with  the  struggle  over,  there  was  no  further  excuse  for  their  existence. 


272  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

J.  A.  Dillman,  in  the  Stmidard  of  May  28,  1897,  says  of  these  three 
churches,  "One  has  stood  idle  for  many  years,  another  was  sold  for  a  barn, 
and  the  third,  after  many  changes,  is  still  used  as  a  church  house." 

CATHOLIC    CHURCHES    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

Greensburg  Catholics,  few  in  number  before  the  Civil  War,  held  servi- 
ces for  a  number  of  years  in  residences  of  members  of  that  denomination. 
In  1855  Father  E.  Martinovic,  who  had  charge  of  the  mission,  erected  a 
small  brick  church  and  Rev.  John  Gilling  became  the  first  resident  priest, 
ministering  to  the  parish  from  1863  to  1871.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
John  L.  Brassard,  who  remained  for  a  year  or  more.  Then,  save  for  an 
occasional  mass,  celebrated  by  a  visiting  priest,  the  parish  was  without 
guidance  until  1874,  in  which  year  Rev.  Daniel  Curran  came.  At  this  time 
there  were  no  more  than  twenty-five  families  residing  in  the  parish. 

The  coming  of  Rev.  Father  Curran  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new 
epoch  in  the  history  of  St.  Mary's.  During  his  three  years  of  ministration 
in  Greensburg,  he  built  a  new  parish  house,  a  parochial  school  with  room 
for  a  hundred  pupils  and  a  teachers"  residence.  His  health  broke  under 
the  arduous  labor  and  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his  work,  dying  a  short 
time  afterward.  Rev.  Henry  Kessing  was  placed  in  charge  in  1877  and 
remained  until  his  death  in  1882,  by  which  time  there  were  about  seventy- 
five  families  in  the  parish,  which  was  fast  outgrowing  the  old  brick  church. 
Then  came  Rev.  George  Steigerwald,  at  that  time  one  of  the  ablest  men  in  the 
diocese.  He  took  charge  in  1883  and  at  once  laid  plans  for  the  present 
church,  which  was  completed  a  short  time  later  at  a  cost  of  thirty-five  thousand 
dollars. 

Rev.  George  Steigerwald  was  a  graduate  of  Heidelberg  University  and 
besides  his  scholarly  attainments  possessed  unusual  personal  endowments. 
He  was  genial  and  affable  in  his  relations  with  those  outside  his  church  and 
did  much  to  break  down  prejudices  existent  before  his  coming.  Upon  his 
departure  in  1897,  he  presented  the  parish  with  the  present  parish  home,  his 
personal  property. 

For  the  next  seventeen  years  Rev.  Lawrence  Fichter  was  in  charge  of 
St.  Mary's  parish.  This  was  a  period  of  unusual  growth,  as  Reverend 
Fichter  induced  a  large  number  of  substantial  German  Catholic  families  to 
settle  in  the  vicinity  of  Greensburg. 

The  present  priest.  Rev.  Father  Fein,  came  to  St.  Mary's  in  191 3,  from 
St.  Joseph's  parish  in  Vanderburg  county.     He  has  placed  a  new  organ  in 


ST.  OMEit  V.  n.  viivucn.  adams  township. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  273 

the  church  and  plans  the  erection    of    a    fifteen    thousand-dollar    parochial 
school.     The  present  parish  memhership  is  more  than  eight  hundred. 

ST.   Maurice's   p.-\rish. 

The  \'illage  of  St.  JMaurice  was  laid  out  in  1858  and  was  named  in 
honor  of  Bishop  Maurice  De  St.  Oakaus.  The  Christian  Brothers  started 
a  school  the  same  year;  but  upon  the  death  of  their  leader,  Brother  John 
Mary  Weitman,  the  teachers  returned  to  France.  The  Brothers  had  laid 
out  the  town  upon  forty  acres  of  ground,  of  which  nine  and  thirty-fi\-e  hun- 
dredths acres  belonged  to  the  parish.  A  chapel  was  built  in  connection  with 
the  school  which  later  serx-ed  as  a  church  for  the  parish.  It  was  a  frame 
structure,  later  converted  into  a  school  building,  and  is  now  a  residence, 
owned  by  Frank  Nienaber. 

Among  the  first  settlers  in  the  village  were :  IMartin  Mauer,  Stephan 
Brigler,  Leonard  Hemmerle,  Magdalena  Hemmerle,  Herman  Schroeder,  John 
Altenan,  Henry  Oesterling,  Edward  Hellmich,  Henry  Groene  and  Henry 
Hopster. 

The  first  mass  was  celebrated  at  St.  Maurice  by  the  Franciscan  priest 
from  Enochsburg.  There  were  at  that  time  sixteen  families  in  the  parish. 
The  ten  acres  of  ground  and  the  first  building  cost  the  Brothers  two  thousand 
dollars.  They  raised  one  thousand  dollars  and  borrowed  the  remainder. 
The  first  resident  priest  was  Rev.  Ferdinand  Hundt,  who  was  appointed  in 
1884.  He  was  succeeded,  in  1886,  by  Rev.  Francis  X.  Seegmuller,  who  re- 
mained until  1 89 1,  when  Rev.  John  B.  Unverzagt  took  charge  of  the  parish. 

The  present  church  was  buih  in  1881-82  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  interior  was  remodeled  and  redecorated  in  1912,  during  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev.  Michael  Wagner.  St.  Maurice  is  justly  proud  of  its 
beautiful  church.  The  rectory  was  built  in  1855,  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand 
two  hundred  dollars,  and  the  present  school  building,  which  cost  approxi- 
mately four  thousand  dollars,  in  addition  to  donated  labor,  was  erected  in 
1907. 

Since  the  departure  of  the  Re\-.  Father  Unverzagt  the  following  clergy- 
men have  had  charge  of  the  parish.  Rev.  Charles  Schoeppner,  O.  F.  M. ;  Rev. 
Alexander  Koesters,  Rev.  Michael  Wagner  and  the  present  pastor.  Rev. 
Herman  J.  Gadlage.  The  church  now  has  an  enrollment  of  sixty-five  fami- 
lies and  an  enrollment  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  souls. 

The  parish  societies  are  the  following:  St.  Martin's  Men's  Society;  St. 
(18) 


274  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Aloysius's   Young  Men's   Society;   St.   Elizabeth's   Married   Ladies'    Society 
and  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary's  Young  Ladies'  Society. 

OLDEST     PARISH     IN    COUNTY. 

The  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  at  Millhousen,  Rev.  J.  P. 
Gillig,  pastor,  was  the  first  Catholic  parish  organized  in  the  county  of  Decatur. 

On  June  20,  1840,  Maximilian  Schneider  donated  forty  acres  of  land, 
in  trust,  to  Rt.  Rev.  Celestine  de  la  Hailandiere,  bishop  of  Vincennes,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Catholics  of  Millhousen,  and  in  the  same  year  the  congregation, 
consisting  of  thirteen  families,  decided  to  erect  a  house  of  worship.  This 
was  a  plain  log  building,  twenty  by  twenty- four  feet,  with  a  rough  exterior, 
chinked  and  daubed  with  mud,  and  was  constructed  under  the  auspices  of 
Rev.  Joseph  Ferneding.  The  fiock  was  comprised  of  Germans,  and  among 
the  foremost  of  these  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  congregation,  as  well 
as  of  the  town,  was  Bernard  Hardebeck.  The  first  missionary  priests,  fol- 
lowing Father  Ferneding,  were  Revs.  Conrad  Schneiderjans,  M.  O'Rourke 
and  Ramon  Weinzoepfel,  who  labored  until  1843.  From  1843  ""til  1854, 
Rev.  Alphonse  Munschina  and  Rev.  Joseph  Rudolf  were  the  only  two  labor- 
ers in  this  field,  and  of  these  Father  Rudolf,  whose  residence  was  at  Olden- 
burg, performed  prodigious  labors,  visiting  Franklin,  Dearborn,  Ripley  and 
Decatur  counties. 

The  increase  of  Catholics  at  Millhousen  was  surprising;  wherefore  they 
determined  to  build,  instead  of  the  wooden  church,  a  good-sized  brick  church, 
thirty-eight  by  sixty  feet  .  This  was  completed  in  1850,  and  dedicated  as  St. 
Boniface's  church.  As  the  Rev.  Alphonse  Munschina,  who  had  charge  of  the 
church,  resided  at  St.  Ann's,  in  Jennings  county,  it  was  deemed  expedient  by 
the  people  to  have  a  priest  residing  in  their  midst;  at  their  request.  Rev. 
Peter  Kreusch  built,  in  1856,  the  present  parish  house,  which  at  the  time 
was  the  finest  in  the  diocese.  In  1857  he  erected  a  large  school  house  and 
now  the  congregation  has  two  splendid  brick  school  buildings,  the  schools 
being  attended  by  one  hundred  and  seventy  pupils.  The  schools  are  in  charge 
of  the  Franciscan  Sisters  of  Oldenburg,  assisted  by  a  lay  teacher  for  boys. 

The  erection  of  the  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  fifty-five  by 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  forty-six  and  one-half  feet  in  height,  was  com- 
menced under  Rev.  F.  Hundt,  the  ceremonies  of  laying  the  corner  stone  oc- 
curring on  May  24,  1867;  and  the  building  was  completed  under  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Hueser  and  dedicated  on  August  4,  1869.  In  1893  a  spire  was 
built  which  reaches  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  ground.     On 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  275 

Xovember  7,  1870,  Rev.  F.  W.  Pepersack  took  charge  and  was  succeeded,  on 
July  2,  1885,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Schuck,  and  he,  in  October,  1891,  by  the  Rev. 
John  P.  GilHg.  Father  GilHg  remained  with  the  church  until  June  15,  1904, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Urich,  the  present  pastor.  The  con- 
gregation is  now  estimated  to  be  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  families,  or 
nearly  two  thousand  souls.  The  great  majority  of  these  live  in  Decatur 
county,  although  there  are  several  living  in  Ripley  and  Jennings  counties. 

ST.  Paul's  church  at  st.  paul. 

St.  Paul's  church  dates  its  formal  organization  from  September  21, 
1858,  when  twelve  Catholic  families  were  given  permission  to  build  a  church 
in  the  village  of  St.  Paul.  However,  previous  to  that  date  services  had  been 
held  irregularly  in  the  homes  of  the  members  of  the  church.  The  lot  for 
the  new  church  was  donated  by  John  Paul  and  E.  L.  Floyd,  non-Catholics, 
living  in  St.  Paul.  Immediately  after  permission  had  been  granted  for  the 
erection  of  a  church,  steps  were  taken  for  the  construction  of  the  same  and 
the  work  was  pushed  with  loyal  vigor  by  the  devoted  members  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  dedication  of  the  church  took  place  on  July  31,  1859,  and 
the  same  building,  with  many  extensive  improvements,  is  still  in  use  today. 
Owing  to  the  small  number  of  members  it  has  never  been  able  to  maintain  a 
resident  priest.  For  several  years  the  church  was  attached  to  St.  Mary's,  at 
Greensburg,  and  was  served  by  the  pastors  from  that  place.  Since  1885  it 
has  been  a  mission  of  St.  Vincent's  at  Shelbyville.  Among  the  priests  from 
Greensburg  who  served  St.  Paul  were  Fathers  John  P.  Gillig,  J.  L.  Bras- 
scart,  Daniel  Curran,  Henry  Kessing  and  George  Stiegerwald.  The  follow- 
ing priests  from  Shelbyville  have  ministered  to  the  congregation:  Revs.  M. 
L.  Guthneck,  G.  M.  Ginnsz,  F.  Hundt,  A.  Danenhofer,  Charles  Strickler, 
Joseph  T.  Bauer  and  F.  Ketter,  the  present  pastor.  The  church  now  has 
a  membership  of  seventy. 

ST.  John's  at  enochsburg. 

The  early  history  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Enochsburg,  a  pleasant 
village  on  the  Decatur-Franklin  county  line,  is  rather  obscure,  although  it 
is  known  that  Father  Rudolph  was  serving  a  small  congregation  of  Catholics 
in  that  neighborhood  at  as  early  a  date  as  October,  1844.  From  accounts 
handed  down,  it  is  known  that  a  log  chapel  in  the  woods  surrounding  Enochs- 
burg was  dedicated  by  Father  Rudolph  on  December  22.  1844.     This  mission 


276  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  attached  to  the  Oldenburg  parish  and  continued  to  be  served  from  the 
Oldenburg  church  until  1862,  in  which  year  Rev.  Lawrence  Oesterling,  a 
Franciscan  priest,  became  the  first  resident  pastor.  In  1853  the  parisTi  erected 
a  small  stone  school  building,  thirty  by  thirty-five  feet  in  size;  shortly  there- 
a:fter  beginning  the  erection  of  a  stone  church,  which  was  dedicated  in  1856. 
This  church,  which  is  still  serving  the  needs  of  the  parish,  was  built  of 
dressed  gray  limestone  and  is  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  five  feet  in  di- 
mension, the  height  of  the  spire  being  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet; 
three  bells  being  hung  in  the  tower.  Since  the  church  was  erected  numer- 
ous improvements  have  been  added  thereto;  notably  during  the  pastorate  of 
Father  Pfeifer  (1882-99),  who  frescoed  the  church,  installed  new  altars,  pur- 
chased new  statues,  put  a  slate  roof  on  the  church,  installed  an  organ  and 
made  extensive  improvements  in  the  grounds  surrounding  the  church  prop- 
erty. 

In  1868  Rev.  Michael  Heck  succeeded  Father  Oesterling  as  pastor, 
remaining  until  1879.  During  his  pastorate  a  brick  residence  of  eight 
rooms  was  erected,  and  in  1872  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  dedicating  a  sub- 
stantial school  building  for  the  children  of  the  parish.  He  secured  the  servi- 
ces of  the  Venerable  Sisters  of  Oldenburg  as  teachers  and  from  that  time 
down  to  the  present  a  flourishing  school  has  been  maintained,  more  than 
seventy-five  children  being  enrolled  during  the  current  term.  In  1879  Father 
Heck  was  transferred  to  St.  Wendel's  parish,  in  Posey  county,  this  state, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  faithful  ministration,  his  death  occurring 
in  1899. 

Following  Father  Heck,  Rev.  John  Stolz  was  placed  in  charge  at  St. 
John's,  but  he  remained  only  a  few  months.  In  1879  Rev.  J.  W.  Kemper 
was  installed  as  pastor,  his  service  continuing  until  1882,  in  which  year 
Rev.  James  Pfeiffer  entered  upon  his  notably  successful  pastorate,  con- 
tinuing in  charge  until  1899,  when  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Wendel's  to 
fill  the  vacancy  created  by  the  death  of  Father  Heck.  Rev.  Joseph  Haas 
then  was  sent  to  St.  John's  and  for  ten  years  faithfully  served  that  parish; 
he  being  succeeded  in  1909  by  Rev.  Henry  Verst,  who  continued  in  charge 
until  July,  19 14,  when  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Mathias  Schmitz,  was  in- 
stalled. St.  John's  parish  has  a  membership  of  more  than  three  hundred 
and  seventy  souls.  While  the  church  usually  is  associated  with  Franklin 
county,  it  really  stands  in  this  county,  being  on  this  side  of  the  county  line. 
The  parochial  residence  stands  on  the  Franklin-Decatur  line,  while  the  school 
house  stands  in  Franklin  county. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2/7 


CATHOLIC    CHAPEL   OF    WESTPORT. 


Several  years  ago  the  Catholics  in  Westport  held  services  in  the  build- 
ing now  occupied  by  Harry  Reidenbach  as  a  jewelry  store.  There  were 
not  a  sufficient  number  of  Catholics  to  establish  a  church,  and  the  bishop 
granted  them  permission  to  establish  a  chapel  where  they  might  worship 
under  the  protection  of  St.  Denis,  the  nearest  Catholic  church  in  Jennings 
county.  The  chapel  has  now  been  discontinued  many  years  and  the  few 
Catholics  in  \Vestport  and  immediate  vicinity  are  attached  to  the  St.  Denis 
parish. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


BENCH   AND   BAR. 


The  judicial  history  of  Decatur  county  falls  into  two  periods,  namely, 
the  period  of  the  old  constitution,  1822-1853,  and  the  period  following.  The 
constitution  of  1852  made  a  marked  change  in  the  judiciary  of  the  state  and 
subsecjuent  amendments  to  the  constitution  (1881)  and  statutory  legislation 
have  made  still  further  changes.  Under  the  Constitution  of  1816  the  supreme 
court  of  Indiana  and  the  president  judges  were  elected  by  the  state  Legisla- 
ture ;  where  as  the  present  Constitution  provides  for  the  election  of  all  judges 
by  the  people.  The  old  Constitution  divided  the  state  into  judicial  circuits 
and  placed  over  each  circuit  what  was  known  as  the  president  judge.  At 
first  there  were  only  three  circuits  for  the  fifteen  counties  of  the  state  then 
in  existence.  Each  county  elected  two  judges,  known  as  associate  judges, 
and  these,  with  the  president  judge,  had  jurisdiction  over  all  the  civil  and 
criminal  business  of  the  respective  counties. 

The  president  judges,  as  well  as  the  associate  judges,  were  elected  for  a 
term  of  seven  years.  The  clerk  of  the  common-pleas  court  was  elected  for  a 
like  term.  These  judges  served  both  as  common-pleas  and  circuit  judges, 
and,  in  the  case  of  Decatur  county,  had  charge  of  most  of  the  probate  work, 
as  well.  The  records  disclose  only  two  probate  judges,  these  serving  during 
the  decade  following  1839.  These  two  probate  judges  were  Angus  C. 
McCoy,  1839-43,  and  John  Thomson,  1843-49. 

The  president  judges  who  held  court  in  Decatur  county  from  1822  to 
1853  were  as  follow:  W.  W.  Wick,  B.  F.  Morris,  Miles  C.  Eggleston, 
Samuel  Bigger,  James  Perry,  Jehu  P.  Elliott,  George  A.  Dunn,  William  M. 
McCarty,  Reuben  D.  Logan,  Jeremiah  M.  Wilson,  William  A.  Cullen  and 
Samuel  A.  Bonner.  Associate  judges  during  this  period  were :  Martin 
Adkins,  John  Fugit,  John  Bryson,  Zachariah  Carton,  John  Thomson,  John 
Hopkins,  Samuel  Ellis,  Richard  C.  Talbott  and  George  Cable. 

Beginning  in  1853,  there  were  separate  common-pleas  and  circuit  judges 
until  1873,  in  which  year  the  common-pleas  court  was  abolished  by  the  Leg- 
islature. As  near  as  can  be  ascertained  from  the  record,  the  following  judges 
served  on  the  common-pleas  bench  during  these  twenty  years:   Royal   P. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  279 

Cobb,  Samuel  A.  Bonner,  John  Davis,  David  S.  Gooding  and  William  A. 
Moore,  the  latter  of  whom  was  serving  when  the  office  was  abolished. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  circuit  judges  of  the  district  including  Decatur 
count}'  has  been  changed  a  number  of  times  by  the  Legislature  and  has  at 
various  times  covered  Franklin,  Henry,  Rush,  Shelby  and  Bartholomew 
counties  in  the  ninth  judicial  circuit.  Since  1899  Decatur  has  been  united 
with  Bartholomew  county  for  judicial  purposes.  The  following  circuit  judges 
have  presided  over  the  district,  including  Decatur  county:  William  M.  Mc- 
Carty,  1853;  R.  D.  Logan,  1860-65;  Jeremiah  Wilson,  1865-71;  William  A. 
Cullen,  1871-77;  Samuel  A.  Bonner,  1877-89;  John  W.  Study,  1889-93 
(Study  died  in  office  and  his  unexpired  term  was  filled  by  James  K.  Ewing)  ; 
James  K.  Ewing,  1893-95;  John  D.  Miller,  1895-98  (died  in  office);  David 
A.  Myers,  1898;  Douglas  ]\lorris,  1898-1901  ;  Francis  T.  Hord,  1901-04; 
Marshal  Hacker,  1904-10;  Hugh  D.  Wickens,  1910-1916. 

Of  the  above,  Bonner,  Study,  Ewing,  Miller,  Myers  and  Wickens  were 
residents  of  Decatur  county. 

A    MYSTERY  OF   THE   OLDEN   DAYS. 

Considerable  mystery  lurks  about  the  cause  of  the  death  of  Judge  Martin 
Adkins,  one  of  the  first  two  associate  judges  of  the  county.  Adkins  died  in 
1841,  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  had  gone  with  a  drove  of  hogs.  At  the  time 
he  was  under  indictment  for  shooting  "Dick"  Stewart,  his  son-in-law,  with 
intent  to  kill.  He  had  been  tried  once  and  the  jury  disagreed,  one  juror,  it 
is  said,  holding  out  for  his  acquittal. 

His  employees  brought  home  a  coffin,  which  was  interred,  without  being 
opened,  in  the  old  Mt.  Moriah  cemetery.  This  rather  peculiar  circumstance 
gave  rise  to  two  rumors,  one  that  he  had  committed  suicide  in  order  to  evade 
the  ends  of  justice  and  the  other  that  his  reported  death  was  untrue  and  that 
he  had  left  for  parts  unknown.  The  exact  truth,  which  might  have  been 
in  a  measure  ascertained,  by  exhuming  the  coffin,  was  never  known. 

Enemies  of  Free  Masonry  charged  at  the  time  the  jury  disagreed  that 
Adkins,  being  a  Mason,  had  been  saved  from  the  penitentiary  by  a  member 
of  the  organization,  who  was  on  the  jury.  There  was  at  that  time  no 
Masonic  lodge  in  Greensburg,  but  Levi  .\.  ]McOuithy,  who  was  a  juror,  was 
a  Mason. 

John  Fugit,  the  other  member  of  the  original  court  of  associate  judges, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  tall  and  thin,  with  broad  shoulders  and  an 
eye  as  bright  as  an  eagle's.     When  his  six  years  on  the  bench  were  o\er  he 


280  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

served  one  or  two  terms  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Clay  township.  He  had 
three  sons  who  attained  local  eminence.  Hugh  was  an  attorney  at  Milford; 
James  L.  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  later  deputy  sheriff  and  Isaac  W. 
was  also  an  attornej',  and  served  for  a  time  as  postmaster  at  St.  Paul,  this 
county. 

Hopkins,  one  of  the  associate  judges  at  the  time  the  office  was  abolished, 
was  foreman  of  the  first  grand  jury  which  convened  in  the  county,  was  first 
county  treasurer  and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Kingston  Presbyterian 
church.  His  parents  wished  to  prepare  him  for  the  ministry,  declaring  that 
he  was  a  born  theologian.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the  Jackson-Benton  school 
and  believed  in  hard  money.  He  cared  little  for  popularity  and  had  he 
played  politics,  might  have  reached  a  high  place  in  the  affairs  of  Indiana. 

EARLY  MURDER  TRIALS. 

One  of  the  most  famous  murder  trials  ever  held  in  Decatur  county  was 
that  of  James  Wiley,  who  was  convicted  in  June,  1869,  o^  the  murder  of 
Joseph  Woodward,  and  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment.  He  was  pardoned 
after  serving  ten  years  and  died  soon  after  his  release  from  the  penitentiary. 

Wiley  killed  Woodward  in  a  fight  at  Milford,  in  November,  1868,  when 
Republicans  were  celebrating  the  election  of  Grant.  Hiram  Alley  received 
a  two  years'  sentence  for  complicity  in  the  crime.  Judge  George  H.  Chap- 
man, of  Indianapolis,  occupied  the  bench  at  the  trial.  The  verdict  was 
returned  after  an  hour's  deliberation. 

One  of  the  most  famous  murder  trials  that  ever  came  before  the  Decatur 
county  bench  was  that  of  Jacob  Block  and  Elsa  Block,  brought  here  from 
Rush  county  upon  a  change  of  venue.  The  Blocks,  father  and  son,  were 
Hebrews  and  were  charged  with  the  murder  of  Eli  Block,  a  Hebrew  merch- 
ant and  a  business  competitor.  The  Blocks  spent  large  sums  of  money  in  pro- 
viding for  their  defense  and  an  imposing  array  of  legal  talent  was  gathered 
at  the  Decatur  county  court  house  when  the  case  was  tried. 

The  case  was  tried  before  Judge  James  C.  Hiller,  of  Indianapolis. 
Jacob  Block,  the  father,  had  been  previously  tried  at  Rush  county  and  had 
been  found  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  but  the  higher  courts  had 
sustained  a  motion  in  error  and  ordered  a  new  trial.  He  was  represented  by 
Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  while  the  son  was  defended  by  Charles  H.  Blackburn, 
a  famous  Cincinnati  criminal  lawyer.  Both  were  sentenced  to  two  years  in 
the  penitentiary. 


DI'X'ATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  281 


STEPPING-STONE    TO    CONGRESS. 


One  of  the  early  cases  tried  in  Decatur  county  courts  is  related  by  Oliver 
H.  Smith  in  a  series  of  articles  in  the  old  IndianaJHilis  Journal  on  "Early 
Indiana  Trials."  The  case  was  tried  before  Associate  Judges  Fugit  and 
Adkins,  in  1823.  The  case  was  against  a  man  who  had  refused  to  work  tw(j 
days  on  a  school  house,  as  provided  by  law.  James  T.  Brown  defended  the 
man  and  Mr.  Smith  appeared  for  the  school  commissioner. 

Brown  facetiously  raised  the  point  that  his  client  was  not  ablebodied, 
although  he  was  over  six  feet  tall  and  proportionately  broad.  Judge  Fugit 
ruled  thus : 

"Yes,  ]\Ir.  Brown,  that  is  the  point — you  plead  well  on  that,  but  it  is 
nothing  but  the  plea  of  a  lawyer;  you  admitted  that  the  man  who  stood 
before  us  was  your  client,  and  the  court  will  take  notice,  'fishio,'  as  the  law 
books  say,  that  he  is  an  able-bodied  man  and  no  mistake;  judgment  for  two 
dollars." 

Smith  says  that  he  received  his  fee  of  five  dollars  and  always  after  had 
Decatur  county's  undivided  support  \\-hen  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress. 

E-\RLY    BAR    HISTORY. 

When  counties  in  southern  Indiana  were  organized  and  for  many  years 
thereafter,  members  of  the  legal  profession  were  few  in  number,  but  were 
usually  men  of  striking  personality  and  great  force  of  character.  There  were 
two  terms  of  circuit  court  a  year  and  lawyers  followed  the  presiding  judge 
on  his  rounds,  taking  whatever  business  came  their  way. 

Consequently,  it  is  not  surprising  that  when  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Decatur  county  circuit  court  was  held,  April  9,  1822,  several  attorneys  were 
on  hand  to  ask  for  permission  to'  practice  their  profession  in  this  court.  The 
old  county  records  show  that  three  lawyers  were  admitted  to  the  Decatur 
county  bar  on  this  date.  They  were  Thomas  Douglass,  Joseph  A.  Hopkins 
and  Seth  Tucker.  Beyond  swearing  in  a  county  clerk  and  the  appointment 
of  Joseph  Hopkins  as  prosecuting  attorney,  the  court  transacted  no  business. 
When  the  October  term  began,  October  7,  two  more  attorneys  sought  and 
received  admission  to  the  bar.  They  were  James  T.  Brown  and  Charles  H. 
Test. 

Nothing  is  known  of  Douglass,  beyond  the  original  entry,  showing 
that  the  first  court  held  in  the  county  gave  him  permission  to  practice  his 


282  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

profession  in  Decatur  county.  Tucker's  record  has  also  been  lost,  but  it  is 
presumed  that  he  subsequently  located  permanently  in  some  other  county. 

Hopkins,  the  first  prosecuting  attorney,  soon  fell  into  disrepute  and  left 
the  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  had  practiced  law  there  before 
coming  to  Indiana.  He  left  the  Blue  Grass  state  "under  a  cloud,"  and  appar- 
ently did  not  mend  his  ways  when  he  settled  in  the  new  state.  He  died  in 
Illinois.     He  is  said  to  have  been  a  brilliant  man  and  an  excellent  lawyer. 

James  T.  Brown  was  the  first  Greensburg  lawyer  to  attain  prominence. 
He  was  quite  eccentric,  but  possessed  a  very  saving  sense  of  humor.  His 
jokes  and  anecdotes  made  him  a  very  interesting  character.  After  practicing 
in  Decatur  county  for  a  good  many  years  he  located  at  Lawrenceburg,  where 
he  died  soon  after  the  war.  Brown  was  a  bachelor  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old 
age.  It  is  said  that  he  was  retained  in  almost  every  case  of  importance  that 
was  tried  during  his  residence  in  this  county.  He  was  without  political 
ambitions  and  gave  his  whole  heart  to  his  practice. 

Andrew  Davison,  third  resident  member  of  the  bar,  came  from  Penn- 
S3'lvania  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1825.  He  was  a  learned,  technical 
lawyer;  and  it  is  said  that  as  a  pleader,  in  the  professional  sense,  his  superior 
never  appeared  at  the  Decatur  county  bar.  His  efforts  were  brief  and  direct 
and  delivered  in  a  most  forceful  manner. 

Chance  played  a  large  part  in  Davison's  selection  of  Greensburg  as  a 
location.  He  was  educated  for  the  ministry,  but  after  his  graduation  from 
Franklin  College,  Pennsylvania,  he  decided  that  he  would  study  law.  Upon 
being  admitted  to  the  Pennsylvania  bar,  he  departed  for  a  horseback  trip 
through  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  seeking  restoration  of  his  health. 
While  upon  his  return  trip  his  jaded  steed  dropped,  completely  exhausted,  at 
Greensburg.  Finding  a  considerable  colony  of  Presbyterians  there  he  cast 
his  lot  with  them  and  soon  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession. 

Davison  was  elected  a  member  of  the  supreme  court  in  1852  and  was 
re-elected  in  1858.  He  was  defeated  for  a  third  term  in  1864  and  never  re- 
sumed active  practice.  The  only  other  public  office  he  ever  held  was  the  post- 
mastership  at  Greensburg,  given  to  him  when  Andrew  Jackson  made  his 
famous  shake-up  in  federal  postoffices  and  established  a  precedent  that  was 
followed  b}'  all  succeeding  Presidents.  In  1839  Davison  married  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Test.  His  death  occurred  in  1871.  He  was  in  his  day  one  of  the 
foremost  lawyers  in  the  state ;  possessed  a  fine  character  in  public  and  private 
life  and  left  a  large  estate.  He  left  one  son,  Joseph,  who  died  a  few  years 
later. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  283 


OTHER   EARLY    FIGURES   AT   THE    BAR. 


Other  attorneys  who  practiced  in  the  Decatur  county  court  in  those  earl}- 
days  were  Ohver  H.  Smith,  afterwards  United  States  senator  from  Indiana, 
and  John  Test,  who  was  admitted  in  1830.  This  John  Test  was  the  second 
son  of  John  Test,  Sr.,  who  represented  this  district  in  Congress  from  1829  to 
1835.  Young  Test  died  of  tuberculosis  in  1839  and  his  widow  some  time 
later  married  Judge  Davison. 

Martin  Jamison,  who  had  studied  law  under  James  Brown,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1827.  He  served  in  the  state  Legislature  in  1839  and  died  of 
lung  trouble  in  1841.     In  his  short  career  he  built  up  a  very  lucrative  practice. 

Following  Jamison,  Joseph  Robison  was  the  next  to  be  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  was  not  well  versed  in  legal  procedure,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
fundamentals  of  the  law  left  something  to  be  desired;  but  as  an  advocate  he 
stood  head  and  shoulders  above  the  other  lawyers  of  those  early  days.  He 
was  a  candidate  for  Congress  on  the  Whig  ticket  in  185 1,  but  was  defeated 
by  John  L.  Robinson,  the  Democratic  incumbent.  The  latter  was  the  father 
of  Joseph  Robinson,  of  Anderson,  who  represented  that  district  in  the  Legis- 
lature for  a  number  of  terms. 

Before  his  admission  to  the  bar,  Robinson  served  as  sheriff  for  two 
terms,  during  which  time  he  read  law.  He  had  but  little  education,  and  when 
he  was  married  was  unable  to  read  and  write.  He  represented  Decatur 
count}'  several  times  in  the  state  Legislature  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
stitutional convention  of  1850. 

The  next  citizen  of  Decatur  county  to  be  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law 
was  John  D.  Haynes,  a  native  of  New  York.  He  completed  a  previously 
begun  course  of  study  in  the  office  of  Judge  Davison,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1839.  He  moved  to  Dearborn  county  in  1843  and  was  later  elected 
judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  Dearborn  and  Ohio  counties. 

Philander  Hamilton  and  Henry  Spottswood  Christian  located  in  Greens- 
burg  next.  Hamilton  gave  promise  of  a  brilliant  career,  but  died  young  and 
before  he  had  attained  the  summit  of  his  powers.  Christian  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  claimed  relationship  with  some  of  the  first  colonial  families  of 
that  state.  The  path  of  the  young  lawyer  was  no  more  strewn  with  roses  in 
those  days  than  it  is  at  present,  so  he  quit  his  office  for  a  year  to  teach  in  the 
old  seminary  and  then  returned  to  practice,  with  better  results.  He  later 
located  at  Versailles  and  died  there,  of  tuberculosis,  in  1859. 

At  the  first  session  of  the  Decatur  county  court  after  the  adoption  of 


284  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  new  Constitution,  which  convened  on  April  25,  1853,  James  Gavin,  Daniel 
Patterson  and  Archibald  McKee  were  admitted  to  the  bar. 

Lawyers  from  other  counties,  who  have  had  cases  in  the  local  court, 
have  frequently  been  admitted^  to  practice  upon  motion,  as  a  courtesy,  and 
many  names  appear  upon  the  records  of  men  who  have  never  practiced  regu- 
larly in  the  local  courts.  In  1842  A.  A.  Hammond  was  thus  admitted  on 
motion.     Mr.  Hammond  was  later  elected  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state. 

Seven  lawyers  were  admitted  in  1844.  They  were  Edward  Sanders, 
S.  E.  Perkins,  who  later  was  elevated  to  the  supreme  bench;  Squire  W. 
Robinson,  Samuel  Seabaugh,  Silas  Overturf,  J.  S.  Scobey  and  Hugh  F. 
Fugit. 

PROMINENT  FIGURES  AT  THE  BAR. 

Col.  John  S.  Scobey,  one  of  the  most  famous  members  of  the  Decatur 
county  bar,  was  born  near  Cincinnati  in  181 8,  and  was  educated  in  the  Frank- 
lin county  schools.  He  was  a  student  for  two  years  at  Miami  University, 
quitting  his  collegiate  studies  to  read  law  in  the  office  of  Governor  Bebb  at 
Hamilton.  Later,  intending  to  practice  in  Lidiana,  he  left  Hamilton  and 
resumed  his  studies  at  Brookville,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844. 
He  settled  at  Greensburg  the  same  year. 

Scobey  was  circuit  prosecutor  from  1847  to  1850,  and  in  1852  was 
elected  state  senator  from  this  county.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
Governor  Morton,  who  was  his  classmate  at  Miami,  telegraphed  him  to  come 
to  Indianapolis  at  once.  As  a  result  of  the  interview,  Scobey  returned  to 
Decatur  county  and  raised  Company  A,  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Regiment,  Indi- 
ana Infantry.  He  performed  valorous  service  throughout  the  war  and  his 
rise  was  rapid.  He  soon  rose  from  captain  to  major  and  in  1863  became 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Regiment.  When  Colonel  King  fell  at 
Chickamauga,  Scobey  was  assigned  to  command  of  the  regiment. 

Upon  his  return  to  civil  life  he  engaged  for  a  time  in  business  affairs, 
before  resuming  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  three  times  a  presidential 
elector.  The  first  time  was  in  1852,  on  the  Whig  ticket;  the  second  time,  in 
1872,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  again  in  1876  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

Barton  W.  Wilson,  who  was  the  next  to  be  admitted  to  the  bar,  was  a 
graduate  of  Indiana  University  and  located  in  Greensburg  in  1848.  He  was 
a  candidate  for  the  state  Senate  in  1852,  but  was  defeated  by  William  J. 
Robinson.  His  defeat  was  largely  due  to  his  endorsement  of  the  compromise 
measures  of  1850.  Wilson  was  a  public-spirited  man,  willing  and  able  at 
any  time  to  help  forward  any  enterprise  which  had  for  its  aim  the  betterment 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  285 

of  his  city.  It  is  said  that,  throughout  his  active  career,  there  was  no  pubhc 
undertaking  that  did  not  draw  largely  upon  his  purse  and  personal  services. 
The  first  fire  engine  owned  by  the  city  of  Greensburg  was  named  for  him. 

Not  only  was  Barton  W.  Wilson  a  well-read  elementary  lawyer,  but  he 
kept  well  up  with  the  rulings  of  the  courts  of  his  day  and  was  most  pains- 
taking in  preparation  of  his  cases.  He  held  many  posts  of  honor  in  local 
affairs,  for  which  he  was  indel)ted  to  political  foes  as  well  as  to  the  members 
of  his  own  party. 

TOOK    PART   IN    THE   CIVIL    WAR. 

Col.  James  Gavin,  another  leader  at  the  bar  in  that  day,  was  a  man  of 
unusual  ability.  He  had  acquired  an  education,  married  and  was  practicing 
law  before  he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  taught  school  in  Union  county 
for  a  time  and  then  moved  to  Greensburg,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1853.  I"  ^  short  time  he  had  built  up  a  large  practice.  He  was  born  in 
1830  and  died  in  1873. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  James  Gavin  was  made  adjutant  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  and  when  it  was  reorganized,  at  the  end  of  its  three- 
months  enlistment,  he  became  its  lieutenant-colonel.  He  was  given  command 
of  this  regiment  in  1862  and  served  until  the  spring  of  1863,  at  which  time 
he  resigned  on  account  of  a  wound  received  during  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run.  In  1864  he  was  made  colonel  of  one  of  the  hundred-day  regiments  sent 
to  Tennessee  to  relieve  the  veterans  of  Sherman's  army. 

Colonel  Ga\-in  was  originally  a  Democrat,  but  was  a  candidate  in  1862 
for  Congress  on  the  Union  ticket,  being  defeated  by  William  S.  Holman. 
After  the  war  he  was  elected  county  clerk  upon  the  Republican  ticket.  He 
resigned  this  office  to  accept  an  appointment  as  internal  revenue  collector, 
which  had  been  proffered  him  by  President  Johnson.  He  did  not  secure  this 
office,  however,  as  the  Senate  refused  to  confirm  the  appointment ;  so  he 
retired  from  official  life  and  returned  to  the  Democratic  party. 

One  of  Colonel  Gavin's  contemporaries  was  Oscar  B.  Hord,  who  later 
attained  national  recognition  as  a  legal  authority.  Hord  came  from  Ken- 
tucky, a  member  of  a  family  of  lawyers.  He  was  a  member  of  the  bar  at 
Maysville,  Kentucky,  until  1851,  in  which  year  he  located  in  Greensburg.  He 
was  very  young  and  rather  diffident,  but  the  time  not  needed  by  clients  he 
devoted  to  study  and  so  became  one  of  the  most  thorough  lawyers  in  Indiana. 
He  associated  himself  with  James  Gavin  and  wrote  "Gavin  and  Hord's  Indi- 
ana Statutes,"  with  full  annotations,  which  was  greatly  appreciated  liy  the 
profession  in  this  state. 


286  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Hord  was  elected  attorney-general  in  1862  and  moved  to  Indianapolis. 
After  his  term  expired  he  went  into  the  firm  of  Hendricks,  Hord  &  Hen- 
dricks, of  Indianapolis,  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  the  state.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  highly  trained  members  of  the  profession  that  the  Decatur 
county  bar  has  ever  given  to  the  state. 

Charles  F.  Parrish  and  James  Coverdill  came  to  Greensburg  from  Ohio, 
in  185 1,  and  established  the  firm  of  Coverdill  &  Parrish,  which  continued  for 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Parrish  left  the  county  and  Coverdill 
joined  with  James  Gavin  in  the  formation  of  a  new  firm.  Parrish  won  high 
honors  during  the  Civil  War  and  retired  as  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirtieth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  Coverdill  made  a  poor 
soldier;  quit  the  service  and  died  in  Cincinnati  shortly  after  the  war. 

Gen.  Ira  G.  Grover,  Decatur  county's  most  illustrious  soldier,  was  born 
in  Union  county,  Indiana,  in  1832.  His  parents  moved  to  Greensburg  and 
he  enjoyed  the  best  educational  advantages  that  could  be  obtained  there,  after 
which  he  was  sent  to  Asbury  Academy,  now  DePauw  University,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1856,  with  first  honors.  Grover  taught  school  until  i860,  in 
which  year  he  was  elected  to  the  state  Legislature,  where  he  served  during 
the  regular  session  and  through  part  of  the  special  session  called  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War.  Having  been  elected  a  lieutenant  in  Company  B, 
Seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  quit  his  seat  in  the  Legis- 
lature and  served  through  the  war.  On  the  return  of  the  "three-months 
men,"  he  organized  a  new  company  and  was  chosen  its  captain.  He  was 
with  the  Se^'enth  in  every  fight  in  which  it  took  part,  until  he  was  captured 
during  the  first  day  of  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  in  May,  1S64. 

General  Grover  was  wounded  three  times  during  the  war,  at  Ft. 
Republic,  second  Bull  Run  and  in  the  Wilderness,  during  which  latter  engage- 
ment he  was  taken  prisoner  and  placed  in  prison  at  Charlestown,  where,  with 
a  number  of  other  Union  officers,  he  was  placed  under  fire  of  their  own  bat- 
teries. After  some  time  he  was  exchanged  and  after  a  short  visit  in  Greens- 
burg, returned  to  his  regiment  in  time  to  be  mustered  out.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  held  the  rank  of  colonel  of  the  Seventh  and  was  later,  for  his 
gallant  services,  breveted  brigadier-general  by  President  Lincoln. 

Before  the  outbreak  of  the  war  General  Grover  had  studied  law  and  he 
resumed  his  studies  upon  his  return  to  Greensburg.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1866,  but  on  account  of  his  political  activities  never  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  the  legal  profession.  He  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Con- 
gress in  1866,  but  was  defeated  by  William  S.  Holman.  He  was  twice 
elected  clerk  of  the  Decatur  county  circuit  court.     Near  the  close  of  his  second 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  287 

term,  he  showed  signs  of  a  mental  affliction,  due  to  wounds  received  in  the 
service,  and  was  placed  for  care  and  treatment  in  a  state  institution.  He 
died  on  May  30,  1873. 

Judge  Samuel  A.  Bonner,  for  twelve  years  judge  of  the  eighth  judicial 
circuit,  was  born  on  an  Alabama  plantation,  in  1826.  His  father  abhorred 
slavery  and  came  to  Greensburg  to  educate  his  children,  out  of  reach  of  its 
baneful  influence.  He  was  educated  at  Richland  Academy,  Miami  University 
and  Center  College,  Danville,  Kentucky,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1849.  For  a  time  he  read  law  in  the  ofiice  of  Andrew  Davison  and  then 
entered  the  Indiana  University  law  school.  Upon  his  graduation,  in  1852, 
Bonner  was  admitted  to  the  Decatur  county  bar.  He  formed  a  partnership 
with  Barton  W.  Wilson,  which  continued  until  he  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, in  1854.  Two  ygars  later  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  common-pleas 
court  of  Rush  and  Decatur  counties,  serving  for  four  years.  When  he 
retired  from  public  life,  in  i860,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  William  Cum- 
back,  which  lasted  until  Cumback  retired  from  practice. 

In  1877  Judge  Bonner  was  called  by  election  to  the  bench  of  the  circuit 
court  where  he  ser\-ed  for  twelve  years.  He  then  jjecame  senior  partner  of 
the  firm  of  Bonner,  Tackett  &  Bennet,  with  which  he  remained  until  his  death, 
on  April  5,  1904. 

ENTERED    PUBLIC    LIFE   EARLY. 

Cortez  Ewing,  elder  brother  of  James  K.  Ewing,  dean  of  the  Decatur 
county  bar,  was  born  in  1837  and  entered  public  life  at  the  early  age  of  thir- 
teen; filling,  at  that  tender  stage  of  his  career,  the  office  of  deputy  clerk  and 
recorder  under  Henry  H.  Talbott,  prominent  office  holder  of  the  early  days. 
In  1857  Cortez  Ewing  was  given  a  position  in  the  general  land  office  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  under  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  who  was  then  commis- 
sioner of  the  general  land  office.  Ewing  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858, 
and  began  the  practice  of  law  in  i860.  For  the  next  two  years  he  was  in  the 
office  of  Gavin  &  Hord,  and  assisted  Hord  in  his  work  of  revision  of  the  laws 
of  Indiana.  He  became  a  partner  of  Hord,  but  later  entered  practice  alone. 
He  served,  from  1874  to  1878,  as  trustee  of  the  state  institute  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  blind.  Later  in  life  he  cjuit  the  law  to  become  cashier  of  the  Third 
National  Bank  of  Greensburg.  Much  of  the  early  success  of  this  institution 
is  due  to  the  respect  in  which  Mr.  Ewing  was  held  throughout  the  county. 
He  died  in  1887. 

Judge  John  D.  Miller,  who  also  served  upon  the  bench  of  the  eighth 


288  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

judicial  circuit,  was  born  near  Clarksburg,  this  county,  in  1840,  and  thus 
was  one  of  the  first  native-born  attorneys  to  achieve  eminence  in  the  legal 
profession.  He  entered  Hanover  College  in  1859,  but  in  1861  left  college 
and  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  as  a  private  throughout  the  Civil  War.  Upon  the  close  of  the 
war,  he  studied  law  with  Overstreet  &  Hunter,  at  Franklin,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1866,  after  which  he  moved  to  Greensburg.  In  1872  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Decatur  and  Rush  counties.  Prior  to  his 
election  to  the  Legislature,  he  had  served  Greensburg  as  city  clerk  and  city 
attorney.  From  1868  until  1873  he  was  the  law  partner  of  Colonel  Gavin. 
In  1891  Judge  Miller,  was  appointed  to  the  supreme  bench  of  the  state  to 
fill  a  vacancy  and  served  until  1893.  He  was  the  Republican  candidate  for 
the  same  high  office  in  1892,  but  was  defeated.  He  then  resumed  the  practice 
of  law  and  in  1894  was  elected  circuit  judge.     He  died  on  March  20,  1898. 

ELEVATED  TO  APPELLATE  IbENCH. 

Frank  E.  Gavin,  of  the  firm  of  Ga\in,  Gavin  &  Davis,  of  Indianapolis, 
is  the  son  of  James  Gavin  and  was  for  many  years  a  leading  member  of  the 
Decatur  county  bar.  He  was  born  on  February  20,  1854,  and  entered  Har- 
vard College,  graduating  from  that  institution  with  the  class  of  1873.  He 
studied  law  with  Judge  John  D.  Miller  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on 
February  19,  1875,  the  day  before  he  attained  his  majority.  He  served  for 
several  years  as  county  attorney  and  in  1892  was  elected  judge  of  the  appel- 
late court  for  the  second  district.  Upon  leaving  the  bench.  Judge  Gavin 
formed  business  associations  in  Indianapolis  and  has  since  continued  the 
practice  of  law  in  that  city.  He  was  married  in  1876  to  Ella  B.  Lathrop, 
daughter  of  James  B.  Lathrop.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  was  at  one 
time  grand  master  of  that  order  in  Indiana. 

John  L.  Bracken,  who  served  one  term  as  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Decatur  county,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1871.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  associated  with  M.  D.  Tackett,  in  the  firm  of  Bracken  &  Tackett.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  circuit  prosecutor  and  served  one  term.  He  quit  the  law 
some  time  after  and  engaged  in  the  monument  business  at  Richmond.  Indi- 
ana, later  accepting  appointment  as  deputy  revenue  collector  under  his 
brother,  William  H.  Bracken,  of  Brookville.  A  widow  and  one  son  survive 
him. 

Marine  D.  Tackett  was  born  on  a  Decatur  county  farm,  three  and  one- 
half  miles  from  Greensburg,  October  26,   1841,  and  moved  to  Greensburg 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  289 

with  his  parents,  at  the  age  of  ten.  After  completing  his  education  in  the  cit)- 
schools  he  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker,  which  he  followed  until  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Indiana  Artillery. 
He  saw  service  with  Fremont  and  Sherman  and  was  mustered  out  with  three 
years  of  honorable  service  to  his  credit.  He  lost  an  arm  by  the  premature 
discharge  of  a  cannon,  while  celebrating  the  election  of  Governor  Morton. 

Tackett  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874  and  three  years  later  was 
appointed  city  attorney  of  Greensburg,  serving  in  that  office  until  1881,  in 
which  year  he  was  appointed  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  eighth  judicial  dis- 
trict by  Governor  Morton,  to  fill  a  \-acancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
Richard  Durnan,  who  had  succeeded  John  L.  Bracken.  He  then  held  the 
office  for  four  years  more  by  election.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state  central 
committee  of  the  Republican  party  for  .four  years  and  a  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  in  Chicago,  in  1888;  in  which  year  he  declined  the 
Republican  nomination  for  Congress.  He  was  chief  allotting  agent  of  the 
Cheyenne  and  Arapahoe  Indians  in  1891.  In  1892  he  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  Decatur  circuit  court  and  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  in  1896.  Before 
he  became  prosecutor  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bonner,  Tackett  &  Ben- 
nett, also  had  served  for  a  time  as  postmaster  at  Greensburg.  .\t  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  associated  with  Davison  Wilson,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Tackett  &  Wilson. 

William  H.  Goddard,  who  during  his  time,  was  Decatur  county's  lead- 
ing pension  attorney,  was  born  in  Clinton  township  on  February  22,  1837. 
He  taught  school  until  1861,  when  he  was  appointed  to  a  clerical  position  in 
the  department  of  the  interior.  Later  he  was  transferred  to  the  treasury 
department,  Avhere  he  remained  until  his  return  to  Greensburg,  in  1876. 
While  at  the  national  capital  he  studied  law  at  the  Georgetown  Law  School 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  At  the  request  of  James  G.  Blaine,  he 
was  appointed,  in  1881,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  railway  mail  service, 
with  headquarters  at  St.  Louis. 

Goddard's  legal  practice  consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  settlement  of 
pension  claims;  and,  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  such  matters  and  his 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  business  of  the  pension  bureau,  he  was  re- 
markably successful.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  he  was  associated 
in  practice  with  his  son,  John  F.  Goddard.     He  died  on  June  21,  1901. 

John  F.  Goddard  was  born  on  October  22,  1858,  in  Clay  township,  this 
county,  and  was  graduated  from  Indiana  L'niversity  in  1880.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1891,  but  did  not  commence  active  practice  until  1896. 
(19) 


290 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


In  1905  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  John  W.  Craig,  and  the  firm  of 
Goddard  &  Craig  is  the  oldest  law  firm  in  Greensburg.  John  W.  Craig  was 
born  in  Greensburg  in  1880,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Indiana  Law 
School  before  attaining  his  majority.  He  served  as  deputy  prosecutor  before 
he  was  twenty-one ;  had  a  murder  indictment  returned,  but  being  too  young 
to  be  admitted  to  the  bar,  was  compelled  to  secure  another  attorney  to  handle 
the  case  when  it  came  to  trial. 

Judge  W.  A.  Moore  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  county,  August  16, 
1838.  When  he  had  completed  his  preparatory  education  he  entered  the 
office  of  Judge  Bonner  and  read  law  there.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1866.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  state  Legislature,  where  he 
served  one  term.  In  1870  he  was  elected  common-pleas  judge  of  the  twenty- 
second  judicial  district  and  filled  the  ofiice  until  it  was  abolished  by  act  of  the 
Legislature. 

In  1876  Judge  Moore  was  elected  to  the  state  Senate  upon  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  and  served  two  terms.  He  then  returned  to  private  practice,  con- 
tinuing the  same  until  his  death. 

Davison  Wilson,  a  former  prominent  member  of  the  Decatur  county 
bar,  was  born  in  Greensburg,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city 
and  at  Indiana  University.  He  studied  law  for  a  time  in  the  office  of  W.  B. 
Wilson  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  September  6,  1881.  He  formed  his 
first  legal  partnership  with  Judge  David  A.  Myers,  and  some  time  later  estab- 
lished his  office  with  Cortez  Ewing;  then  with  M.  D.  Tackett.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  alone.  Wilson  was  a  man  of  small 
stature,  but  a  most  excellent  lawyer.  His  education  gave  him  a  strong 
foundation  for  general  practice.  His  speeches  were  models  of  brevity  and 
conciseness  and  his  diction  was  both  pure  and  elegant.  For  many  years  he 
was  the  one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chi- 
cago &  St.  Louis  Railroad  Company.     He  never  married.     He  died  in  191 1. 

greensburg's  foremcst  citizen. 

William  Cumback,  who,  during  his  long  career  of  public  usefulness,  was 
Greensburg's  foremost  and  most  distinguished  citizen,  was  admitted  to  the 
Decatur  county  bar  in  1853,  after  a  short  preparatory  course  at  the  Cincinnati 
Law  School.  Save  during  the  periods  when  he  was  in  the  service  of  the 
government  in  many  a  case  before  the  Decatur  county  bar  during  more  than 
forty  years  he  appeared  upon  one  side  or  the  other. 

Congressman  at  twenty-five,  defeating  the  seasoned  politician,  William 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  29I 

S.  Holman,  '"the  watchdog  of  the  treasury,"  and  on  terms  of  intimate  rela- 
tionship with  the  nation's  great  in  the  critical  period  during  the  sessions  of 
the  thirty-fourth  Congress,  young  Cumback  was  a  character  that  attracted 
national  attention. 

Defeated  for  re-election  in  1856  by  an  influx  of  foreign  voters, 
he  again  came  into  prominence  in  i860,  when  he  cast  the  electoral  vote  of 
Indiana  for  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President  of  the  United  States.  At  the 
first  call  to  arms  he  joined  the  colors  as  a  private  in  the  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment. Indiana  \'olunteer  Infantry,  rising  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 
He  later  was  appointed  paymaster  in  the  army  and  disbursed  more  than 
sixty  million  dollars  without  the  loss  of  a  penny.  He  was  elected  state 
senator  in  1866,  became  president  of  the  Senate  in  1867  and  lieutenant- 
governor  in  1868. 

In  1871  Governor  Cumback  declined  the  proffered  appointment  as  min- 
ister to  Portugal  and  in  that  year  was  made  collector  of  internal  revenue  for 
his  district,  serving  for  twelve  years.  Until  his  death,  in  August,  1905,  he 
spent  much  of  his  time  on  the  lecture  platform,  being  a  very  popular  and 
entertaining  speaker.  Governor  Cumback  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  his  voice  for  years  was  one  of  the  most  influential  in 
the  great  councils  of  American  Methodism. 

Christopher  Shane,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Decatur  county  bar  many 
years  ago,  was  born  in  Shelby  county  on  August  11,  1833.  He  first  practiced 
law  in  i8'65  with  Judge  William  A.  Moore.  For  four  years  before  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  pension  bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
Beginning  in  1867,  he  served  six  years  as  mayor  of  Greensburg  and  was  later 
city  and  county  attorney.  Some  years  after  he  went  into  the  insurance  busi- 
ness in  Washington  and  died  in  that  state. 

Douglas  Watts,  stepson  of  Colonel  Scobey,  was  born  in  Cincinnati  on 
August  27,  1858,  and  in  1877  moved  to  Greensburg,  where  he  was  employed 
as  clerk  by  an  uncle.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880  and  died  a  few 
years  after  in  the  West,  whither  he  had  gone  for  his  health. 

DEAN   OF  THE  DECATUR   COUNTY   BAR. 

Judge  James  K.  Ewing,  dean  of  the  Decatur  county  bar,  son  of  Patrick 
Ewing,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Clay  township  and  father  of  several 
distinguished  sons,  was  born  in  Decatur  county  on  NoN-eml^er  2^,  1843.  He 
studied  law  with  his  brother,  Cortez  Ewing,  and  later  formed  a  partnership 
with  the  latter,  which  lasted  until   1883,  when  the  elder  Ewing  retired  to 


292  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

become  a  banker.  James  K.  Ewing  then  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
nephew,  Cortez  Ewing,  Jr.,  which  lasted  until  1893.  I"  that  year,  through 
the  death  of  Judge  John  W.  Study,  Mr.  Ewing  was  appointed  to  the  bench 
of  the  eighth  judicial  circuit,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1895,  when  he 
retired  to  private  practice,  first  in  partnership  with  John  D.  Wallingford, 
then  with  G.  L.  Tremain,  then  with  Frank  Hamilton  and  now  with  Fred  F. 
Smith.  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  national  convention  in 
1888  and  made  races  for  the  local  circuit  judgeship  in  1888  and  1896,  but  was 
both  times  defeated.  He  was  then  associated  for  a  time  with  another 
nephew.  Judge  Ewing  has  a  well-earned  reputation  as  a  lawyer  and  is  held 
in  the  utmost  esteem  and  respect ;  not  only  by  members  of  the  Decatur  county 
bar,  but  by  his  many  clients,  with  whom  his  dealings  have  always  been  most 
careful  and  just. 

SURMOUNTED  GREAT   HANDICAP. 

John  Ouincy  Donnell,  although  not  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  is  a 
member  of  the  Decatur  county  bar.  He  was  educated  at  the  Indiana  state 
school  for  the  blind  and  at  Oberlin  College.  In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the 
Indiana  Legislature  and  served  one  term.  For  a  time  he  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Boothe  &  Donnell  and  later  edited  the  Greenshurg  Review  and  a 
paper  at  Anderson,  Indiana.  Although  totally  blind,  Mr.  Donnell  has  mar- 
velous ability  in  a  number  of  fields  and  is  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  ablest  chess 
players  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

B.  F.  Bennett,  who  removed,  in  1914,  to  California,  was  born  on  March 
31,  1854,  in  this  county  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878.  He  served 
four  terms  as  county  attorney,  was  a  member  of  the  Greensburg  school  board 
and  active  in  all  movements  for  the  good  of  the  community.  He  was  first 
associated  with  Judge  Moore  and  upon  his  partner's  death  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Bonner,  Tackett  &  Bennett.  When  that  firm  was  broken  up, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Thomas  E.  Davidson,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Bennett  &  Davidson. 

Samuel  B.  Edward  was  born  on  November  29,  1852,  in  Washington 
township,  studied  at  the  Indianapolis  Commercial  College  and  was  graduated 
in  1 87 1.  He  studied  two  years  at  Butler  College  and  then  read  law  in  the 
office  of  Bonner  &  Bracken.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875.  In  1883 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  Greensburg.  When  he  retired  from  office  he  prac- 
ticed law  again  for  a  time  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  a  stone  quarry  at 
Harris,  this  county.    In  1910  he  represented  Decatur  county  in  the  state  Leg- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  293 

islature.  His  death  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1815.  He  is  survived  by  one 
son,  Louis,  who  lives  at  Harris. 

Barton  Porter,  brother  of  Alexander  Porter,  practiced  law  in  Greens- 
burg  one  year  before  his  death,  in  1903.  Pie  was  a  graduate  of  Indiana 
University,  completing  his  legal  education  at  that  institution  in  1902.  Upon 
leaving  college  he  formed  a  partnership  with  George  L.  Tremain.  He  was  a 
promising  young  attorney  and  would  doubtless  have  risen  high  in  his  chosen 
profession,  but  for  his  untimely  death. 

John  L.  Davis,  who  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1898,  came  to 
Decatur  county  from  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  Moore.  His  father  was  Rodney  L.  Davis,  one  of  the  leading  attor- 
neys of  Ohio  county.     Davis  died  in  1901. 

Thomas  L.  Creath,  another  outside  lawyer,  who  became  prosecutor,  was 
born  in  Batesville,  Indiana.  He  was  elected  to  this  ofifice  in  1900  and  served 
one  term.  When  his  term  expired  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John 
Parker,  which  lasted  until  he  moved  to  A'ersailles  in  1904.  His  death  occurred 
in  1914. 

Elmer  Roland,  who  served  as  prosecutor  of  the  ninth  judicial  circuit 
from  1896  to  1898,  was  born  in  Columbus,  Indiana,  but  came  to  Decatur 
county  at  an  early  age.  Upon  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  partnership  with  John  Osborn.  Roland  married  a  daughter 
of  Brutus  Hamilton  and  now  resides  in  Mississippi. 

George  L.  Tremain,  of  the  firm  of  Tremain  &  Turner,  was  born  in 
Bartholomew  county,  April  6,  1877,  '^^as  graduated  from  Central  Normal 
College,  Danville.  Indiana,  in  1900,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same 
year.  He  first  practiced  with  Barton  Porter,  then  with  Judge  Ewing  until 
1906,  and  then  with  Charles  Ewing  until  1908,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
associated  in  practice  with  Rolin  A.  Turner. 

Oscar  G.  Aliller,  of  the  firm  of  Miller  &  Ryan,  was  born  in  Rush  county, 
and  came  to  Greensburg  in  1882.  For  three  years  he  taught  school  and 
studied  law  at  the  same  time,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1888.  He  then 
took  the  liberal  arts  course  at  DePauw  University  and  was  graduated  in  1891. 
He  was  for  a  time  associated  with  Judge  Moore.  Charles  L.  Rvan,  the 
junior  partner  of  this  firm,  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business.  He  was 
born  in  Decatur  county  in  1884  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1910. 

Two  Decatur  county  lawyers,  who  held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attor- 
ney and  later  moved  to  other  locations  and  have  almost  been  forgotten,  were 
Piatt  Wicks  and  Creighton  Dandy.  Wicks  was  prosecuting  attorney  before 
the  Civil  War  and  after  quitting  the  public  service,  moved  to  Harlan,  Iowa, 


294  DECATUR    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 

where  he  accumulated  a  fortune.  He  has  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years. 
Creighton  Dandy  was  prosecutor  from  1875  to  1880.  When  he  Hved  in 
Greensburg  he  owned  the  property  where  the  Espy  house  now  is.  He  went 
from  Greensburg  to  Lawrenceburg,  where  he  built  up  a  profitable  practice. 
He  also  is  dead. 

John  H.  Parker,  who  does  a  general  abstracting  business,  was  born  in 
Rush  county,  January  26,  1866,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892.  He 
first  formed  a  partnership  with  Myron  C.  Jenkins  and  later  with  T.  L.  Creath. 
Since  the  death  of  Creath  he  has  been  practicing  alone. 

A.  H.  Fisher,  father  of  Carl  Fisher,  president  of  the  Indianapolis  Motor 
Speedway  Company,  at  one  time  practiced  law  in  Greensburg,  but  moved  to 
Indianapolis  when  Carl  was  about  twelve  years  old.  The  elder  Fisher  was 
born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  in  1847,  ^rid  was  admitted  to  the  Morgan  county 
bar  in  1871.  He  was  at  one  time  deputy  prosecutor  of  Decatur  county. 
Fisher  was  of  a  rather  belligerent  disposition,  and  besides  whipping  the  town 
marshal  at  one  time,  occasionally  made  things  warm  for  other  members  of 
the  bar.  He  once  clashed  with  Judge  Ewing,  and  the  two  were  at  swords' 
points  for  more  than  a  year.     Later,  matters  were  amicably  adjusted. 

Roy  E.  Glidewell.  a  younger  member  of  the  Decatur  county  bar,  was 
born  on  a  farm,  six  miles  east  of  Greensburg,  on  November  26,  1891.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  later  studied  law,  being  admitted  to 
practice  in  1914.    He  has  his  ofifice  with  Judge  Ewing. 

Judge  Hugh  D.  Wickens  was  born,  August  30,  1870,  on  a  farm  near 
North  Vernon,  Indiana.  He  obtained  a  common  and  high  school  education 
in  the  North  Vernon  schools  and  afterward  taught  school  in  Jennings  county, 
Indiana,  in  Tennessee,  and  at  Vincennes,  Indiana.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Indiana  Law  School  of  Indianapolis,  May  29.  1895,  and  came  to  Greens- 
burg, July  I,  1895,  and  was  soon  afterward  admitted  to  the  Decatur  county 
bar.  He  practiced  law  by  himself  until  November  i,  1897,  when  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  John  Osborn,  continuing  in  the  firm  of  Wickens  &  Osborn 
until  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  ninth  judicial  circuit  of  Indiana  in  1910. 
He  served  as  county  attorney  during  1900  and  1901.  He  is  a  Democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge. 

Mvron  C.  Jenkins  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Decatur  circuit  court 
before  Judge  Samuel  A.  Bonner  in  1886.  Beginning  in  that  year,  he  was  in 
partnership  with  John  H.  Parker  for  some  time.  He  was  elected  clerk  of 
Decatur  county  in  1904  and  re-elected  in  1908,  serving  eight  years  in  that 
ofi-ice.  Upon  closing  his  last  term  of  ofiice,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 
He  has  sat  as  special  judge  at  numerous  times  in  the  Decatur  circuit  court. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  295 

George  Bruce  served  a  short  while  as  deputy  prosecuting  attorney  in  the 
time  when  Wilham  V.  O'Donnell,  now  of  St.  Louis,  was  prosecuting  attorney 
of  the  ninth  judicial  circuit  in  1909  and  1910.  In  191 1  and  1912  Horace  C. 
Skillman  was  deputy  prosecuting  attorney  for  Decatur  county  during  the 
term  of  Ralph  Spaugh.  Mr.  Skillman  removed  to  Colorado  Springs,  Colo- 
rado, in  1913. 

F.  Gates  Ketchum  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1909.  He  has  been  in  the 
practice  of  the  law  since  March,  191 3,  having  offices  in  the  Citizens  Bank 
building.  Since  his  appearance  at  the  bar  he  has  been  of  counsel  for  one  side 
or  the  other  in  several  important  cases. 

David  A.  Myers,  of  the  Decatur  county  bar,  was  elected  to  the  appellate 
court  of  Indiana  for  two  terms.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Greensburg 
before  Judge  Bonner,  in  September,  1881.  In  1890  he  was  elected  prosecut- 
ing attorney  of  the  eighth  judicial  circuit  of  Indiana,  then  embracing  Rush 
and  Decatur  counties,  and  was  re-elected  to  that  office  in  1892.  In  1899  he 
succeeded  Judge  John  D.  Miller  on  the  bench  for  Rush  and  Decatur  counties, 
serving  as  circuit  judge  from  March,  1899,  until  January  of  the  ensuing  year. 
Judge  Myers  was  elected  to  the  appellate  court  in  1904,  and  re-elected  in 
1908,  serving  as  appellate  judge  until  January  i,  1913.  Since  that  date  he 
has  been  engaged  in  active  practice  at  Greensburg. 

Rollin  A.  Turner,  in  the  same  year  that  he  graduated  from  college, 
entered  into  the  law  partnership  of  Tremain  &  Turner.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
the  college  of  law  of  Harvard  University  in  the  class  of  1907.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Greensburg  and  has  continuously  since  been  in  active  practice  with 
G.  L.  Tremain.  Mr.  Turner  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in 
the  fourth  congressional  district  of  Indiana  in  the  campaign  of  1912. 

After  having  served  as  deputy  auditor  of  Decatur  county,  John  E. 
Osborn  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1897.  He  formed  a  partnership  at  once 
with  Elmer  E.  Roland,  who  was  then  prosecuting  attorney.  He  continued  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Roland  until  November,  1897,  at  which  time  Wickens 
&  Osborn  formed  a  partnership,  which  continued  until  Mr.  Wickens  was 
elected  to  the  bench  in  1910.  In  December,  1910,  Mr.  Osborn  and  Lewis  A. 
Harding  formed  a  partnership.  Frank  Hamilton  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  on  January  i,  1912,  and  Mr.  Harding  entered  the  ofiice  of  prosecuting 
attorney  at  the  commencement  of  1913.  Mr.  Osborn  served  as  Democratic 
chairman  of  the  sixth  congressional  district  of  Indiana. 

Frank  Hamilton,  before  he  began  the  study  of  law,  attended  Butler 
College  in  1900  and  1901.  He  was  a  student  in  the  law  school  of  Indiana 
University   from    1901    to    1904.      He  entered  the   Indiana  Law   School   of 


296  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Indianapolis  in  1905  and  was  graduated  from  that  school  in  the  same  year. 
He  then  continued  the  stud_v  of  law  further,  after  his  graduation,  in  the  law 
ofhce  of  Tackett  &  Wilson  in  Greensburg.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
December,  1905.  He  practiced  in  partnership  with  James  K.  Ewing  during 
the  period  of  1906  to  1912,  and  in  1912  joined  in  partnership  with  Osborn  & 
Harding.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  deputy  prosecuting  attorney  from  1907  to 
1909.  He  was  county  attorney  during  the  year  1912. 

Lewis  A.  Harding  is  a  son  of  James  L.  Harding,  of  Newpoint.  He 
obtained  his  elementary  education  in  his  home  schools  and  at  Greensburg. 
He  taught  school  four  years  in  Decatur  county  and  at  Alexandria,  and  after- 
ward was  graduated  in  law  from  the  Indiana  State  University  in  1909.  He 
then  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  west,  serving  as  head  of  the  department  of 
English  of  the  Wichita,  Kansas,  high  school  from  1909  to  191 1.  Upon  the 
election  of  Judge  Wickens  to  the  bench  in  1910,  Mr.  Harding  joined  in  part- 
nership with  John  E.  Osborn.  Frank  Hamilton  later  joined  the  firm  of 
Osborn  &  Harding,  January  i,  1912.  Mr.  Harding  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  of  the  ninth  judicial  circuit  of  Indiana  in  1912  for  the  years  1913 
and  1914,  and  was  re-elected  in  1914.  In  addition  to  his  other  writings,  he  is 
the  author  of  a  work  on  international  law,  entitled  "The  Preliminary  Diplo- 
macy of  the  Spanish-American  War." 

Thomas  E.  Davidson  was  graduated  in  law  from  DePauw  University 
in  1887.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had  read  law  in  the  office  of  Col.  Simeon 
Stansifer  at  Columbus.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Columbus  in  1891, 
where  he  served  as  deputy  in  the  county  clerk's  ofHce  three  years.  Mr. 
Davidson  came  to  Greensburg  in  the  autumn  of  1895  and  practiced  law  in 
partnership  with  Benjamin  F.  Bennett  from  February,  1896,  until  October, 
1914,  when  Mr.  Bennett  removed  to  California.  Mr.  Davidson  was  elected 
president  of  the  State  Bar  Association  of  Indiana  in  July,  1914.  At  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  State  Bar  Association  in  Indianapolis  in  July,  191 5, 
as  president  of  the  association,  he  delivered  an  address  on  "Respect  for  the 
Law,"  which  has  attracted  wide  attention  in  the  state. 

Earl  Hite  attended  Butler  College  in  1900  and  1901,  after  which  he 
went  to  Indiana  LTniversitv,  where  he  was  graduated  from  the  school  of  law 
in  1905.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1904  and  served  as  deputy  prosecut- 
ing attorney  for  a  time  in  1909  and  1910.  He  has  been  city  attorney  of  the 
city  of  Greensburg  since  1910. 

William  F.  Robbins  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Decatur  circuit 
court  in  June,  1913,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  deputy  prosecuting  attor- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  297 

ney  for  Decatur  county  by  Prosecutor  Harding.  When  'Sir.  Harding  was 
re-elected  in  1914  he  again  appointed  Mr.  Robbins  as  deputy. 

Cortez  Ewing,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Clay  township  on  September  14,  1862, 
and  moved  to  Greensburg  in  1875.  He  studied  law  with  his  uncles,  Cortez 
and  James  K.  Ewing,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Decatur  county  bar  "ex  gracia" 
while  in  his  teens  in  1883.  He  was  a  son  of  Abel  Ewing  and  was  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  and,  at  the  same  time,  when  he  dealt  with  a  contrary  witness  or 
attorney,  one  of  the  most  adroit  young  lawyers  that  ever  practiced  at  the 
Decatur  county  bar.  These  qualities,  coupled  with  his  impressive  personality, 
his  legal  acumen  and  ready  wit,  made  him  advance  rapidly  as  a  lawyer.  His 
first  practice  was  in  partnership  with  his  uncle,  James  K.  Ewing,  which  con- 
tinued until  1893.  He  later  formed  a  partnership  with  Davisson  Wilson  in 
1895,  which  continued  until  his  unfortunate  death  in  1902.  In  1889  he  was 
elected  state  senator  for  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties.  He  married  Mary 
Matthews,  daughter  of  former  Governor  Claude  Matthews,  June  18,  1890. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  \\'orld's  Fair  bill  that  became  a  law  in  1891.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  world's  law  commission  by  former  Governor 
Hovey. 

The  junior  member  of  the  Decatur  county  bar  is  Fred  F.  Smith,  from 
Bloomington,  Indiana.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  Judge  \Vickens, 
July  10,  191 5.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Indiana  University  Law  School 
in  1915. 


CHAPTER  X. 


BANKS   AND   BANKING. 


The  Citizens  Bank  of  Greensburg,  a  private  institution,  was  estab- 
lished on  March  i,  1866,  by  David  Lovett,  Levi  P.  Lathrop  and  Samuel 
Christy.  As  a  private  bank  it  did  a  good  business  and  enjoyed  the  confi- 
dence of  the  public  from  the  very  beginning.  In  November,  1871,  it  was 
reorganized  under  the  national  bank  law  and  took  out  a  charter  as  a  national 
bank,  under  the  name  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank,  with  a  paid-in  capital 
of  $100,000. 

The  first  officers  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Greensburg  were, 
David  Lovett,  president;  Levi  P.  Lathrop,  vice-president;  Samuel  Christy, 
cashier,  and  D.  W.  Lovett,  teller.  Affairs  of  the  institution  have  been 
handled  in  a  careful  and  business-like  manner,  from  the  start,  by  its  effi- 
cient officers  and  directors,  and  its  deposits  have  shown  a  steady  and  normal 
growth. 

Besides  paying  its  regular  dividends,  the  Citizens  National  Bank  has 
accumulated  a  surplus  fund  of  $45,000  and  has  undivided  profits  amounting 
to  $7,644.52.  The  institution  does  a  general  banking  business  of  discount 
and  deposit  and  buys  and  sells  United  States  bonds  and  other  high-class  se- 
curities. According  to  its  latest  statement,  this  bank's  deposits  amount  to 
$265,000. 

The  Citizens  National  Bank  is  the  oldest  existing  institution  in  the 
county,  and  is  in  many  respects  a  financial  landmark.  Some  of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Decatur  county  are  numbered  among  its  officers  and  directors, 
adding  to  its  prestige  of  seniority  the  powerful  asset  of  safe  and  conserva- 
tive administration. 

The  present  officers  of  the  bank  are:  James  B.  Lathrop,  president;  S.  P. 
Minear,  vice-president;  C.  W.  Woodard,  cashier,  and  G.  G.  Welsh,  assistant 
cashier.  Its  board  of  directors  consists  of  James  B.  Lathrop,  S.  P.  Minear, 
John  H.  Christian,  C.  W.  Woodward,  John  W.  Lovett,  Louis  E.  Lathrop  and 
Frank  D.  Bird. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  299 


THE   THIRD    NATIONAL    BANK. 


Among  the  highly  successful  business  institutions  of  Decatur  county, 
the  Third  National  Bank  of  Greensburg  occupies  a  leading  place.  Through 
the  rare  business  discernment  of  its  officials  together  with  their  willingness 
to  extend  accommodations  in  every  possible  manner  the  institution  has  en- 
joyed a  rapid  growth  and  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  sturdy  and 
substantial  financial  institutions  of  the  county. 

The  bank  was  organized  on  December  4,  1882,  by  John  E.  Roljbins. 
Samuel  A.  Bonner,  Thomas  M.  Hamilton,  Abraham  Reiter,  E.  B.  Swem, 
M.  L.  Miers,  Charles  ZoUer,  Seth  Donnell,  William  Kennedy,  E.  F.  Dyer, 
James  DeArmond,  James  Hart,  Walter  W.  Bonner  and  Louis  Zoller.  The 
first  officers  were  John  E.  Robbins.  president ;  Thomas  Hamilton,  vice- 
president;  Cortez  Ewing,  cashier,  and  Walter  Bonner,  bookkeeper.  The 
original  directorate  was  made  up  of  the  following:  J.  E.  Robbins,  Morgan 
L.  Miers,  James  Hart,  A  Reiter,  E.  B.  Swem  and  Charles  Zoller.  The 
bank  was  capitalized  for  $50,000. 

Cortez  Ewing,  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
institution,  served  as  cashier  until  his  death,  four  years  later;  and  later 
successes  of  the  enterprise  are  largely  due  to  its  auspicious  beginning  under 
his  active  direction.  Ewing  had  practiced  law,  but  quit  the  bar  to  organize 
this  bank.  He  is  remembered  by  older  citizens  as  a  man  of  unusual  frank- 
ness and  candor,  who  despised  sham  and  hated  hypocrisy ;  who  loved  equity 
and  was  at  all  times  an  open  and  fair-minded  citizen. 

Walter  W.  Bonner,  who  swept  out  the  bank  on  the  day  it  was  opened 
and  has  been  identified  with  it  ever  since,  succeeded  Ewing  at  the  cashier's 
window.  Two  years  after  its  organization  the  business  of  the  bank  had  so 
increased  that  $25,000  was  added  to  its  capital  stock.  This  date,  December 
16,  1884,  marks  the  real  beginning  of  the  growth  of  the  institution — a  growth 
as  healthy  as  it  has  been  unusual. 

For  years  the  bank  had  been  paying  annual  dividends  of  twenty  per 
cent.,  but,  in  spite  of  the  payment  of  such  large  returns,  on  July  8,  1898,  the 
institution  had  piled  up  a  surplus  of  $100,000  and  had  undivided  profits 
amounting  to  $24,000.  On  this  date  a  stock  dividend  of  $75,000  was  de- 
clared, and  $75,000  worth  of  additional  stock  was  sold,  which  brought  the 
capitalization  of  the  bank  to  its  present  figure,  $150,000. 

Total  resources  of  this  institution,  according  to  its  latest  statement, 
amount  to  $760,282.99.  Its  loans  amount  to  $527,654.05  and  its  deposits 
to  more  than  $461,000. 


300  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Present  officers  of  the  bank  are:  ^Morgan  L.  Miers,  president;  Louis 
Zoller,  vice-president;  Walter  Bonner,  cashier,  and  George  W.  Adams,  as- 
sistant cashier.  The  teller  is  Charles  J.  Dowden,  and  Cora  C.  Self,  W.  E. 
Koenigkramer  and  Ernest  T.  Erdmann  are  bookkeepers. 

Since  its  organization  the  Third  National  Bank  has  always  enjoyed  the 
careful  attention  of  an  active  board  of  directors.  With  the  exception  of  Mr. 
Miers,  all  members  of  the  first  board  are  dead.  Following  are  members  of 
the  present  directorate :  Charles  Zoller,  Frank  R.  Robbins,  Morgan  L.  Miers, 
Louis  Zoller,  John  T.  Meek,  George  P.  Shoemaker  and  Walter  W.  Bonner. 

Character,  as  well  as  the  financial  responsibility  of  borrowers,  has  al- 
wavs  been  considered  by  this  institution  in  credit  extensions,  and  as  a  result 
of  judicious  assistance  rendered  by  this  bank  at  proper  times  a  large  number 
of  highly  successful  Decatur  county  business  organizations  owe  their  present 
financial  rating. 

GREENSBURG    NATIONAL    BANK. 

Although  the  youngest  national  bank  in  Greensburg,  the  Greensburg 
National  Bank  now  ranks  second  in  deposits  and  is  growing  at  a  rate  that 
would  indicate  its  assumption  of  a  more  commanding  position  at  no  distant 
date.  The  institution  was  organized  under  the  national  banking  law  on 
June  i8,  1900,  by  the  following  stockholders:  Webb  Woodfill,  Benjamin  F. 
McCoy,  J.  M.  Covert,  Harry  T.  Woodfill,  Charles  P.  Miller,  Robert  B. 
Whiteman,  Isaac  Sefton,  George  B.  Davis,  Nelson  Mowrey,  Cal.  Crew,  Mar- 
shall Grover,  John  M.  Bright,  Oliver  Deem,  Joseph  B.  Kitchin,  James  M. 
Woodfill,  Will  H.  Robins,  Will  C.  Pulse,  Elizabeth  A.  Hamilton,  John  W. 
Deem,  David  A.  Myers,  Max  Dalmbert,  Blanche  McLaughlin  and  Mary 
McLaughlin. 

The  bank's  original  capital  stock  was  $50,000,  but  in  1906  its  business 
had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  the  capitalization  was  raised  to  $75,000. 
First  officers  of  the  institution  were  James  M.  Woodfill,  president;  Will  H. 
Robbins,  vice-president;  Joseph  B.  Kitchin,  cashier,  and  Dan  S. '  Perry, 
assistant  cashier. 

Deposits  of  the  Greensburg  National  Bank,  according  to  its  latest  finan- 
cial statement,  were  $310,938.49  and  its  surplus  and  undivided  profits 
amounted  to  $31,399.43.  The  present  officers  of  the  bank  are  James  M. 
Woodfill,  president;  Will  H.  Robbins,  vice-president;  Dan  S.  Perry,  cashier, 
and  Robert  Woodfill,  assistant  cashier,  succeeding  A.  J.  Lowe. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3OI 


WESTPORT    NATIONAL    BANK. 


The  First  Xational  Bank  of  \\'estport  was  incorporated  on  June  i6, 
1908,  under  the  federal  liank  law  b>-  John  S.  Morris,  F.  D.  Armstrong,  J. 
F.  Hamilton,  E.  G.  Davis  and  Dr.  O.  F.  Welch.  The  first  officers  were : 
F.  D.  Armstrong,  president;  J.  F.  Hamilton,  vice-president;  John  S.  ^Morris, 
cashier,  and  M.  E.  Baker,  assistant  cashier.  M.  E.  Tyner  is  the  present 
assistant  cashier,  the  other  officials  remaining  unchanged. 

Incorporators  of  the  Ijank  capitalized  it  at  $30,000.  Its  deposits  amount 
to  $150,000  and  its  surplus  to  more  than  $10,000.  The  bank  is  doing  a 
flourishing-  business  and  filling  a  long-felt  want  in  the  \-icinity  of  \\'estport. 

CLARKSBURG    STATE    BANK. 

The  Clarksburg  State  Bank,  one  of  the  youngest  financial  institutions  of 
the  ciiunty  was  organized  in  October,  1904,  by  W.  G.  Gemmill,  Everett  Ham- 
ilton, C.  \'.  Spencer,  J.  X.  Aloore,  C.  M.  Beall,  S.  McCay,  E  .S.  Fee,  Leroy 
Dobyns  and  W.  J.  Kincaid.  The  bank's  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $25,000. 
Its  first  officers  were  Everett  Hamilton,  president ;  W.  J.  Kincaid,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  W.  J.  Gemmill,  cashier.  Since  its  organization,  it  has  paid  fair  divi- 
dends, laid  by- a  surplus  of  $16,000  and  its  deposits  have  mounted  to  $96,000. 
The  institution  owns  the  building  it  occupies.  Its  present  officers  are :  Charles 
V.  Spencer,  president:  W.  J.  Kincaid,  vice-president,  and  A.  T.  Brock, 
cashier. 

ALERT    ST.\TE    BANK. 

The  youngest  bank  of  the  county  is  the  State  Bank  of  Alert,  which  came 
into  being  on  November  13,  1914.  Though  still  too  young  to  have  a  sur- 
plus, its  deposits  have  reached  the  tidy  sum  of  $35,000,  and  the  outlook  for 
the  institution  is  most  encouraging.  Incorporators  of  the  bank  were :  John 
\V.  Spears,  Thomas  J.  Norton,  John  H.  Deniston.  George  A.  Beesley,  James 
D.  Anderson,  Samuel  Kelly  and  James  W.  Casson.  John  W.  Spears  is  presi- 
dent of  the  institution;  Thomas  J.  Norton,  vice-president,  and  Claud  F. 
Tyner,  cashier.     This  bank  owns  the  building  it  occupies. 

THE    ST.    PAUL    BANK. 

The  bank  at  St.  Paul  was  organized  under  the  Indiana  banking  laws 
on   December   10,    1904,  by  Orlando  Hungerford  and  Walter  Hungerford. 


302  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  concern  is  capitalized  at  $10,000  and  does  a  general  banking  business. 
According  to  its  latest  statement  its  deposits  exceed  $100,000  and  its  undi- 
vided profits  are  more  than  $1,000.  The  bank  occupies  its  own  building. 
Orlando  Hungerford  is  president  of  the  institution;  Walter  Hungerford, 
cashier,  and  Dora  Hungerford,  assistant  cashier. 

NEWPOINT    STATE   BANK. 

Organization  of  the  bank  at  Newpoint  was  effected  on  October  22,  1906, 
when  it  was  incorporated  with  a  capitalization  of  $25,000  and  a  building, 
costing  $3,500,  was  purchased.  The  first  officers  were  J.  J.  Puttman,  presi- 
dent; John  Hoff,  vice-president,  and  E.  H.  Spellman,  cashier.  The  de- 
posits of  the  institution  exceed  $100,000  and  it  has  a  surplus  of  $3,500.  Its 
present  officers  are :  John  Hoff,  president ;  John  A.  Meyer,  vice-president, 
and  George  A.  Redelman,  cashier. 

BURNEY  STATE  BANK. 

Recognizing  the  need  of  some  sort  of  financial  institution  to  care  for 
the  needs  of  farmers,  business  men  and  others  in  that  part  of  Clay  township, 
William  Smiley  and  six  other  progressive  citizens  of  the  township  incorpor- 
ated the  Burney  State  Bank  on  December  22,  191 3.  Its  original  capital  was 
$25,000.  Since  its  incorporation  the  bank  has  increased  its  deposits  to 
$80,000  and  a  surplus  amounting  to  $200  has  been  laid  aside.  The  first 
officers,  who  are  still  serving,  are  William  G.  Smiley,  president;  John  W. 
Corya,  vice-president,  and  Huber  C.  Moore,  cashier.  These  officers,  John 
G.  Gartin,  W.  F.  McCullough,  A.  E.  Howe,  L.  P.  V.  Williams  and  others, 
were  incorporators  of  the  institution. 

GREENSBURG   BUILDING   AND   LOAN   ASSOCIATION. 

The  Greensburg  Building  and  Loan  Association,  organized  for  the  en- 
couragement of  money-saving  and  home-building,  in  March,  1896,  now  has 
more  than  five  hundred  members  and  occupies  a  very  important  position  in 
the  improvement  of  the  municipality.  Stock  of  the  institution,  subscribed 
and  in  force,  amounts  to  $416,700.  The  par  value  of  each  share,  when  ma- 
tured, is  $100. 

Interest  at  the  rate  of  six  and  one-half  per  cent,  is  charged  borrowers, 
and   the   annual   tlividend   of  the  association   has   never  been   less   than   six 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O3' 

per  cent.  The  plan  of  the  institution  is  permanent.  Dividends  are  paid  semi- 
annually, in  January  and  July.  According  to  the  latest  statement  of  the 
association,  deposits  amount  to  $18.2,624.34.  and  there  is  a  surplus  of 
$5,117.22. 

The  original  capitalization  of  the  association  was  $100,000,  but  this  has 
since  been  increased  to  $500,000.  The  incorporators  were :  John  F.  Childs, 
H.  J.  Hamon,  h>ank  E.  Gavin,  Walter  W.  Bonner,  P.  T.  Lambert  and 
Charles  Zoller,  Jr.  Upon  organization,  Mr.  Childs  was  made  president,  Air. 
Gavin,  vice-president;  Mr.  Zoller,  secretary;  Mr.  Bonner,  treasurer,  and  P. 
T.  Lambert,  solicitor.  These  officers,  with  T.  H.  Stevenson  and  George  P. 
Shoemaker,  comprised  the  original  board  of  directors. 

Present  officials  of  the  association  are:  W.  C.  Woodfill,  president; 
George  P.  Shoemaker,  vice-president;  Charles  Zoller,  secretary;  Walter  W. 
Bonner,  treasurer,  and  P.  T.  Lambert,  solicitor.  Other  members  of  the  pres- 
ent board  of  directors  are  Robert  Xaegel  and  Louis  Zoller. 

THE    UNION    TRUST    COMPANY. 

The  Union  Trust  Company  of  Greensburg,  although  one  of  the  young- 
est, ranks  second  in  amount  of  deposits  among  the  financial  institutions  of  the 
county.  It  secured  its  charter  on  October  25,  1905,  and  opened  for  business 
on  the  north  side  of  the  public  square  on  January  30,  of  the  following  year. 

Its  first  officers  and  directors  were  as  follow :  John  Christian,  presi- 
dent; Walter  W.  Bonner,  vice-president;  Harrington  Boyd,  secretary-treas- 
urer, James  Lathrop,  Charles  Zoller,  Frank  R.  Robbins,  James  M.  Woodfill, 
William  H.  Robbins  and  Daniel  S.  Perry.  Other  incorporators  were:  John 
W.  Lovett,  Sherman  Minear,  John  H.  Christian,  Charles  W.  Woodward, 
John  W.  Spears,  John  H.  Brown,  D.  Silberberg,  W.  Bracken,  John  H.  Picker, 
Louis  E.  Lathrop,  D.  W.  Hazelrigg,  Morgan  L.  Miers,  Louis  Willey,  Louis 
Zoller,  George  E.  Erdman,  C.  J.  Erdman,  Abbie  A.  Bonner,  Lizzie  A.  Ham- 
ilton, Walter  W.  Bonner,  Isaac  Sefton,  Calvin  Crews,  John  H.  Deniston, 
J.  M.  Bright,  Max  Dalmbert,  Oliver  Deem,  Hart  &  Woodfill,  David  A.  Myers, 
Delia  McLaughlin,  J.  M.  Covert,  B.  F.  McCoy,  Martin  Hill,  Mary  Mc- 
Laughlin and  Blanche  McLaughlin. 

The  original  capitalization  of  the  company  was  $45,000,  which  has 
never  been  increased.  Its  total  deposits,  according  to  its  latest  statement, 
were  $374,547.62,  and  its  surplus  was  $33,750.  The  original  stockholders 
were  almost  without  exception  owners  of  stock  in  other  Greensburg  banks, 
who  saw  the  need  of  a  trust  company  in  the  cit)-  and  preferred  to  organize 


304  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

it  themselves,  rather  than  permit  outsiders  to  do  so.  Like  other  organi- 
zations of  this  kind  the  company  serves  as  guardian,  trustee  and  administra- 
tor; but  is  not  a  depository  for  puj^lic  funds.  It  speciahzes  in  farm  mort- 
gages, its  latest  statement  showing  more  than  $260,000,  loaned  upon  this 
kind  of  real  estate. 

Present  officers  of  the  institution  are:  John  H.  Christian,  president; 
Louis  Zoller,  vice-president,  and  Harrington  Boyd,  secretary-treasurer. 

workingmen's  building  and  loan  association. 

The  Workingmen's  Building  and  Loan  Association,  the  oldest  institution 
of  this  character  in  Decatur  county,  was  founded  in  April,  1883,  by  the 
following:  I.  F.  Warriner,  president;  C.  W.  Harvey,  vice-president;  F.  P. 
Monfort,  secretary;  James  E.  Mendenhall,  solicitor;  O.  P.  Schriver,  Tom 
Brown,  Robert  Naegel,  D.  C.  Elder,  John  B.  Montgomery,  Adam  Stegmaier 
and  F.  E.  Gavin.  Warriner,  Harvey,  Brown,  Elder,  Montgomery  and  Steg- 
maier have  since  died. 

Founded  for  the.  purpose  of  assisting  laboring  men,  and  those  working 
for  small  salaries,  to  secure  comfortable  homes  for  themselves,  the  associa- 
tion has  been  a  strong  factor  in  the  development  of  Greensburg.  More  than 
three  hundred  homes,  most  of  them  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  have  been 
erected  with  money  borrowed  of  this  institution. 

The  organization  is  capitalized  at  a  half  million  dollars  and  more  than 
$200,000  in  stock  already  has  been  taken  by  depositors,  looking  forward  to 
the  time  when  they  should  be  able  to  build  their  own  homes.  The  association 
has  more  than  two  hundred  depositors  and  half  as  many  borrowers. 

Present  officers  and  directors  of  the  association  are :  A.  C.  Rupp,  presi- 
dent; C.  P.  Corbett,  vice-president;  David  A.  Myers,  secretary,  J.  B.  Kitchin, 
Web  Woodfill,  Daniel  S.  Perry,  H.  L.  Wittenberg,  Edward  Dille,  August 
Goyert,  Eugene  Rankin  and  Charles  S.  Williams. 

ST.    PAUL    BUILDING   ASSOCIATION. 

The  St.  Paul  Building  Association  was  incorporated  on  February  13, 
1886,  and  was  capitalized  for  $50,000.  It  now  has  ninety-one  investing 
members  and  fifty-three  borrowing  members.  The  amount  of  capital  stock 
now  subscribed  and  in  force  is  $76,100.  Par  value  of  shares  is  $100.  Bor- 
rowers are  charged  six  and  one-half  per  cent,  interest,  but  no  premium  is 


DECATUU    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O5 

exacted.  The  annual  dividend  declared  in  19 14  was  six  per  cent.  Total  re- 
ceipts for  1914,  from  all  sources,  according  to  the  annual  report,  were  $33,- 
908.02.     Assets,  in  cash  and  loans;  amounted  to  the  same. 

Present  officers  of  the  association  are :  C.  F.  Kappes,  president ;  Geors^e 
W.  Boling,  secretary;  Jacob  Johannes,  treasurer,  and  Harry  Ballard,  at- 
torney. The  original  incorporators  were:  J.  J.  Theobold,  Julias  Theobold, 
William  Favors,  Sarah  E.  Ellsberry,  Abner  Buell,  J.  H.  Alason,  Delmon  L. 
Lee,  George  N.  V^anostram,  John  Palmerton,  James  Ellsberry,  Pat  Mc- 
Aulliffe,  Peter  Johannes,  Charles  Barner,  William  L.  Ford,  Lewis  Hinkle, 
John  Evans;  Jacob  Johannes,  William  Favors,  Jr.,  Michael  Marren,  John 
W.  Jenkins,  George  Pittman,  Maurice  Doolan,  John  Cole,  E.  L.  Floyd, 
Jonah  Phillips,  Mort  Templeton,  Jeremiah  Evans,  John  B.  Holmes,  J.  L. 
Scanlan,  D.  W.  Avery,  J.  E.  Stevens,  Otto  Lindner,  J.  M.  Shortridge,  Jacob 
Favors,  C.  H.  Latham,  John  C.  Scanlan,  Elias  Franks  and  Calvin  Jolly. 

DECATUR    county's    ONLY     BANK     FAILURE. 

Not  one  dollar  has  ever  been  lost  by  depositors  through  failure  of  a 
Decatur  county  bank.  But  one  institution  has  ever  closed  its  doors  through 
failure;  and  in  this  instance,  stockholders  paid  off  the  obligations  of  the  insti- 
tution within  fifteen  days.  This  bank  closed  its  doors  on  September  2,  1897, 
and  the  money  was  ready  with  which  to  pay  depositors  in  full  on  September 
17;  the  speediest  liquidation  ever  known,  according  to  the  declarations  of 
Federal  banking  authorities  at  the  time. 

The  bank  in  question  was  the  First  National  Bank,  which  was  organ- 
ized as  a  private  institution  in  1857,  under  the  name  of  the  Greensburg  Bank. 
In  December,  1863.  it  was  reorganized  as  a  national  bank  with  Antrim  R. 
Forsythe  as  president.  The  capital  stock  was  $50,000.  This  was  later 
increased  to  $100,000,  and  then  to  $150,000. 

Upon  the  death  of  Antrim  R.  Forsythe,  his  son,  E.  R.  Forsythe,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  management  of  the  institution.  Not  possessing  the  business 
acumen  of  his  father,  the  son  permitted  the  bank  to  back  hazardous  enterprises 
and  its  affairs  became  badly  involved.  The  concern  had  been  hard  hit  some 
years  before,  through  the  disastrous  failure  of  Armel  &  Company,  packers, 
and  was  in  no  condition  to  withstand  additional  financial  drains. 

Deposits  of  the  institution  in  1881  amounted  to  $205,126.80,  according 
to  the  annual- statement  for  that  year.  The  last  statement  of  the  bank,  made 
on  July  23,  1897,  showed  that  deposits  had  dwindled  to  $84,000.  When  the 
(20)  . 


306  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

bank  suspended,  four  of  its  directors,  as  individuals,  negotiated  loans  with 
the  two  other  banks  of  Greensburg  and  paid  off  the  depositors  in  full.  These 
four  directors  who  lost  eighty-five  per  cent,  of  their  capital  stock,  but  who 
felt  under  obligation  to  make  full  and  immediate  settlements  with  the  insti- 
tution's dospitors  were :  Nelson  Mowrey,  William  Hamilton,  Robert  S. 
Meek  and  Louis  Willey. 


CHAPTER  XI 

SECRET  SOCIETIES  AND   FRATERNITIES. 


THE   MASONIC   ORDER. 

The  first  secret  order  to  establish  itself  in  Greensburg  was  the  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  Greensburg  Lodge  No.  36  was  instituted  here,  May  29, 
1846,  by  Grand  Master  Johnson  Watts  and  and  Grand  Secretary  A.  W. 
Morris.  The  first  officers  were:  Israel  T.  Gibson,  worshipful  master;  Will- 
iam Buchanan,  senior  warden;  W.  W.  Riley,  junior  warden;  James  Blair, 
treasurer;  Philip  Williams,  senior  deacon;  W.  P.  Stevens,  junior  deacon; 
David  Gageby,  secretary;  W.  M.  Finley,  tyler.  These,  with  Thomas  E. 
Peters,  were  the  charter  members.  At  the  first  meeting,  held  June  6,  1846, 
seven  petitions  were  received,  as  follows :  Philander  Hamilton,  James  M. 
Talbott,  Henry  H.  Talbott,  Chatfield  Howell,  Joseph  Robinson,  William  J. 
Likens,  and  Marine  D.  Ross.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  there  were  thirty- 
five  members  and  at  the  end  of  1849  there  were  seventy-five. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  brothers  who  have  served  as  wor- 
shipful master  and  the  years  they  served:  Israel  T.  Gibson,  1846-54;  Jacob 
E.  Houser,  1855-57;  J-  V.  Bemusdaffer,  1858;  Daniel  Stewart,  1859-62; 
John  M.  Watson.  1861 ;  J.  J.  Menifee,  1863;  Col.  James  Gavin,  1864;  Dr. 
William  Bracken,  1865-67,  1869,  1871,  1873-77;  Dr.  John  L.  Wooden, 
1868;  Frank  M.  Weadon,  1870-72;  Frank  E.  Gavin,  1878-80,  1882,92;  J.  N. 
Wallingford,  1881-85;  Paschal  T.  Lambert,  1886-87;  Joseph  Drake,  1893; 
John  F.  Childs,  1894-95;  Frank  H.  Drake,  1896-97;  W.  P.  Skeen,  1898- 
1900;  W.  C.  Pulse,  1901,  1912-13;  C.  T.  Pleak,  1902-03;  Ira  Rigby,  1904; 
Dr.  E.  T.  Riley,  1905-06,  1908,  1911 ;  William  Bussell.  1907;  Bruce  Bishop, 
1909-10;  Locke  Bracken,  19 14;  Robert  W.  Pierce,  19 15. 

The  present  officers  are :  Robert  W.  Pierce,  worshipful  master ;  Ji 
C.  Barbs,  senior  warden;  T.  P.  Havens,  junior  warden;  F.  B.  McCoy,  senior 
deacon;  George  Hillman,  junior  deacon;  D.  A.  Batterton,  secretary;  Rob- 
ert C.  Woodfill,  treasurer:  O.  P.  Creath,  tyler;  J.  C.  Crews,  E.  E.  Doles 
and  L.  D.  Braden,  trusteees. 


308  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  membership  numbers  two  hundred  and  forty-five  and  is  growing 
rapidly.  The  lodge  has  assets  valued  at  fifteen  thousand  dollars  and  con- 
templates building  a  temple  in  the  near  future. 

CONCORDIA    LODGE    NO.    4/6. 

Concordia  Lodge  No.  476  was  formed  in  1873  by  members  from 
Greensburg  Lodge  No.  36  and  kept  up  its  existence  until  consolidated  with 
the  mother  lodge,  on  November  5,  1901. 

The  masters  of  Concordia  were  as  follow:  Dr.  John  L.  Wooden,  1873- 
80,  1883,1886;  Frank  M.  Weadon.  1881-82;  Dr.  J.  C.  French,  1884;  James 
E.  Caskey,  1885  ,1894-95;  Cortez  Ewing,  1887-89;  Dr.  J.  V.  Schofield,  1890; 
J.  T.  Cunningham,  1891 ;  Dr.  W.  H.  Wooden,  1892-93;  Charles  T.  Powner, 
1896-97;  David  A.  Myers,  1898':  George  B.  Von  Phul,  1899-1901.  There 
were  about  one  hundred  members  in  this  lodge  when  it  united  with  No.  36. 

GREENSBURG  CHAPTER   NO.   8,   ROYAlv  ARCH    MASONS. 

Greensburg  Chapter  No.  8,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  was  instituted  on  May 
23,  1848,  by  Grand  High  Priest  Abel  C.  Pepper,  assisted  by  William  Hacker, 
king;  L  T.  Gibson,  scribe,  and  J.  W.  Sullivan,  secretary.  The  first  convoca- 
tion was  held  on  July  6,  1848.  Charter  members  were:  William  Hacker, 
L  T.  Gibson,  J.  W.  Sullivan,  Samuel  Reed,  J.  McElroy,  Isaac  W.  Fugit,  D. 
Lindley,  J.  T.  Wilkins  and  P.  Williams.  The  first  petitioners,  elected  July 
6,  1848,  were:  Philander  Hamilton,  Jacob  C.  Houser,  George  R.  Todd, 
William  Hanaway,  O.  P.  Gilham,  Samuel  Bryant,  H.  H.  Talbott  and  B.  W. 
Wilson. 

The  designation  of  the  chapter  was  No.  7  originally,  but  was  changed  to 
No.  8  on  June  5,  [849.  The  first  officers  were:  Wilham  Hacker,  high  priest; 
I.  T.  Gibson,  king;  J.  W.  Sullivan,  scribe;  Samuel  Reed,  captain  of  post; 
J.  McElroy,  principal  sojourner ;  I.  W.  Fugit,  royal  arch  captain ;  D.  Lindley, 
master  of  the  first  veil;  J.  T.  Wilkinson,  master  of  the  second  veil;  P.  Will- 
iams, master  of  the  third  veil;  Philander  Hamilton,  secretary;  Daniel  Stew- 
art, guard ;  B.  W.  Wilson,  treasurer.  The  following  companions  have  served 
as  high  priest:  William  Hacker,  1848-49;  Jacob  E.  Houser,  1850-51.  1853; 
Barton  W.  Wilson.  1852;  Daniel  Stewart,  1854,  1860-61;  L  T.  Gibson, 
1855-56;  J.  V.  Bemusdafifor,  1857-58,  1865-66;  Ira  G.  Grover.  1859,  1871  ; 
J.  J.  Monifee,  1862:  John  L.  Wooden,  1867-68,  1870;  George  L.  Curtis, 
1869;  Isaac  L.  Fugit,  1872;  Frank  M.  Weaden,  1873-82;  Joseph  R.  David- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O9 

son,  1883;  Alexander  Connolly,  1884-86,  1890-91:  Paschal  T.  Lambert, 
1887-88;  Frank  E.  Gavin,  1889;  Joseph  Drake,  1892,  1894,  1896-97,  1899- 
1902,  1904-05;  A.  P.  Bone,  1895;  J.  E.  Bayless,  1903;  William  L.  Miller, 
1906;  E.  T.  Riley,  1907;  C.  T.  Pleak,  1908;  Jesse  W.  Rucker,  1909;  John 
W.  Rhodes,  1910-11 ;  Hal  T.  Kitchin,  1912-14;  L.  D.  Braden,  1915. 

The  chapter  has  a  membership  of  eighty-fi^-e  and  is  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition. Fifteen  were  added  during  the  first  half  of  1915.  The  chapter  treas- 
ury has  about  seven  hundred  dollars  surplus.  The  present  officers  of  the 
chapter  are:  L.  D.  Braden,  high  priest:  T.  B.  Havens,  king;  R.  W.  Pierce, 
scribe;  H.  T.  Kitchin.  past  scribe;  J.  H.  Christian,  captain  of  host;  W.  G. 
Bentley,  royal  arch  captain;  C.  L  Ryan,  secretary;  Robert  Woodfill,  treasurer; 
J.  W.  Rhodes,  master  of  the  third  veil;  J.  N.  Annis,  master  of  the  second 
veil;  T.  E.  Day,  master  of  the  first  veil;  O.  P.  Creath,  guard. 

GREENSBURG   COUNCIL   NO.    74,    ROYAL  AND  SELECT    MASTERS. 

Greensburg  Council  No.  74,  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  was  instituted 
on  August  2Ti,  1902,  by  John  J.  Richards,  illustrious  grand  master  of  the 
grand  council,  with  Jesse  W.  Rucker,  thrice  illustrious  master;  Fred  Erd- 
mann,  deputy  thrice  illustrious  master ;  W.  H.  ^^'ooden,  principal  conductor  of 
work. 

The  first  convocation  was  on  September  i,  1902,  when  the  following 
officers  were  elected:  J.  W.  Rucker,  thrice  illustrious  master;  Fred  Erd- 
maim,  deputy  thrice  illustrious  master;  W.  H.  Wooden,  principal  conductor 
of  work;  J.  T.  Alexander,  treasurer;  C.  T.  Pleak,  recorder;  C.  Al.  Woodfill, 
captain  of  the  guard;  A.  P.  Bone,  conductor  of  the  council;  D.  A.  Myers, 
steward. 

These  brethren  were  elected  at  the  first  con\-ocation :  J.  M.  Towler, 
James  W.  Craig,  J.  N.  Graham,  J.  E.  Bayless,  S.  R.  Glenn,  J.  H.  Christian. 

There  are  fifty-nine  members  of  the  council  at  the  present  time.  Nine 
have  been  admitted  during  the  first  half  of  1915.  The  present  officers  are 
as  follows:  J.  H.  Christian,  Jr.,  thrice  illustrious  master;  R.  W.  Pierce, 
deputy  thrice  illustrious  master;  T.  B.  Havens,  principal  conductor  of  work; 
Robert  Woodfill,  treasurer;  C.  I.  Ryan,  recorder;  W.  C.  Bentley,  captain  of 
guard;  J.  W.  Rhodes,  conductor  of  the  council;  S.  F.  Ridenour,  steward; 
J.  N.  Annis,  sentinel.  The  first  thrice  illustrious  master  was  Jesse  W. 
Rucker.  He  held  the  office  until  191 1,  when  the  present  incumbent,  J.  H. 
Christian,  Jr.,  was  elected. 


3IO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

GREENSBURG    COMMANDERY    NO.    2,    KNIGHTS   TEMPLAR. 

It  is  a  matter  of  pride  among  Greensburg  Masons  that  there  once  ex- 
isted here  a  commandery  of  Knights  Templar.  Greensburg  Commandery  No. 
2  was  organized  and  set  to  work  under  a  dispensation  from  Most  Eminent 
WilHam  R.  Hubbard,  grand  master  of  the  United  States,  on  March  25, 
1 85 1.  The  charter  members  were:  James  Mcllroy,  WilHam  Hacker,  W.  F. 
Pidgeon,  William  Crawford,  George  Hibben,  Jacob  E.  Houser,  M.  V.  Simin- 
son,  John  W.  Sullivan,  Homer  T.  Hinman,  Burriss  Moore  and  John  S.  Sco- 
bey.  A  charter  was  issued  on  September  19,  1853.  The  eminent  comman- 
ders were:  Jacob  E.  Houser,  1851  to  1856;  J.  V.  Bemusdaffer  ■  acted  as 
eminent  commander  between  this  time  and  i860,  but  there  is  no  record  of 
his  election;  Israel  T.  Gibson,  i860.  The  other  officers  elected  at  the  last 
election  held  June  30,  i860,  were  B.  W.  Wilson,  captain  general;  J.  V.  Be- 
musdaffer,  generalissimo;  J.  E.  Houser,  prelate.  There  is  no  record  of  any 
'meetings  after  i860.  Sixty-six  members  were  enrolled  during  the  ten  years 
the  commandery  was  in  operation.  The  Civil  War  called  many  of  the  mem- 
bers to  the  service  of  their  country,  causing  interest  to  decline,  until  the 
following  knights  petitioned  Grand  Commander  William  Hacker  to  transfer 
the  commandery  to  Shelbyville :  Thomas  Pattison,  William  Allen,  Jacob 
Vernon,  T.  H.  Lynch,  Daniel  Stewart,  B.  W.  Wilson,  James  Gavin,  Putnam 
Ewing,  J.  V.  Bemusdaffer,  Will  Cumback,  James  Elliott,  Robert  Cones  and 
John  Elliott.  The  commandery  was  reorganized  at  Shelbyville  on  March 
18,  1865,  as  Baldwin  Commandery  No.  2. 

Greensburg  Commandery  was  the  second  formed  in  Indiana  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  first  grand  commandery  at  Indianapolis,  May  16,  1854.  It 
then  had  thirty- four  members:  Indianapolis  No.  i  had  fifty-three;  Lafayette 
No.  3,  forty-six,  and  Fort  Wayne  No.  4,  fifteen.  With  the  prosperous  con- 
dition of  all  branches  of  the  order  at  the  present  time,  Greensburg  Masons 
are  looking  forward  to  the  no-distant  future  when  they  shall  have  a  new 
temple  and  again  have  a  commandery. 

Among  the  early  members  of  the  craft  who  contributed  to  the  establish- 
ing of  the  order  here  perhaps  none  wrought  so  effectivelv  as  I.  T.  Gibson,  a 
prominent  merchant  and  father  of  Mrs.  Dr.  E.  B.  Swem.  Others  who  ably 
assisted  were  Jacob  E.  Houser,  H.  H.  Talbott,  J.  Monroe  Talbott,  Samuel 
Bryan,  B.  W.  Wilson,  Daniel  Stewart,  Daniel  Moss,  J.  V.  Bemusdafifer,  and 
Isaac  L.  Fugit.  It  has  been  said  of  I.  T.  Gibson,  that  he  was  "the  father  of 
Masonry  in  Greensburg,"  which  is  in  a  large  measure  true. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3II 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  events  in  the  early  history  of  Greensburg 
xMasonry  was  the  obser\-ance  of  St.  John's  Day,  June  24,  1859.  It  was  the 
first  elaborate  ceremony  attempted  by  the  local  lodge  since  its  organization. 
\^isitors  were  present  from  Brookville,  Shelbyville  and  many  other  towns  in 
the  state. 

Hon.  Caleb  B.  Smith,  one  of  the  most  famous  of  Indiana's  United 
States  senators,  addressed  a  large  assemblage  in  the  forenoon  at  the  court 
house.  At  noon  several  hundred  visiting  Masons  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous 
repast  in  Stockman's  ele\'ator  near  the  freight  depot.  After  dinner  they 
marched  to  the  Masonic  hall,  where  the  formal  program  was  gi\'eR. 

Rev.  Joseph  Cotton  responded  to  the  toast,  "This  Day  We  Celebrate." 
"Masonry"  was  described  by  I.  T.  Gibson.  Other  toasts  were  as  follow: 
"Our  Newly  Elected  Worthy  ■Master."  Daniel  Stewart;  "Our  \^isiting 
Brethren,"  Rev.  J.  Brockway,  Hartsville;  "Our  Bachelor  Friends,"  R.  C. 
Talbott  and  I.  G.  Grover. 

Another  point  of  interest  in  connection  with  the  local  Masonic  lodge  is 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  only  lodge  in  the  world  which  has  ever  elected  and 
initiated  a  negro.  The  lodge  has  recei\'ed  one  large  bequest,  Aaron  Howard 
leaving  it  three  thousand  dollars  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

MILFORD  LODGE  NO.   94. 

Milford  Lodge  No.  94,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  was  organized  on 
]\Iay  28,  1850,  with  the  following  officers  and  charter  members:  Isaac 
Fugate,  worshipful  master;  Samuel  Todd,  senior  warden;  John  King,  junior 
warden;  Jacob  Miller,  James  Mandlove,  Henry  B.  Smally,  Albert  G.  Hanks, 
William  Sefton  and  Stamper  Perry.  The  lodge  now  has  ninety-seven  mem- 
bers and  during  its  existence  has  initiated  more  than  three  hundred  candi- 
dates. 

The  lodge  owns  its  own  hall,  which  is  \-alued  at  two  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  meets  regularly.  Its  present  officers  are :  Sherley  Wasson,  wor- 
shipful master;  Charles  Worland,  senior  warden;  Lincoln  Vandiver,  junior 
warden;  J.  M.  Luther,  treasurer;  Dal  Neibert,  secretary;  Clarence  Worland, 
senior  deacon;  Wallace  Champ,  junior  deacon,  and  Nelson  Henderson,  tyler. 

CLARKSBURG   LODGE   NO.    1 24. 

Inquiry  has  not  discovered  the  date  of  the  founding  of  the  Clarks- 
burg lodge  or  any  of  the  early  history  pertaining  to  this  chapter.     The  pres- 


312  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ent  beautiful  brick  building  in  which  the  lodge  meetings  are  held  is  the  prop- 
erty of  this  chapter.  This  lodge  has  a  membership  at  present  of  fifty.  The 
present  officers  are  as  follows:  Birney  E.  Hite,  worshipful  master;  Ora  A. 
Hite,  senior  warden;  Clifford  A.  Martz,  junior  warden;  D.  F.  Hite,  secretary; 
James  B.  Clark,  treasurer;  George  F.  Rogers,  tyler ;  II.  C.  Doles,  senior 
deacon;  Lon  H.  Kerrick,  junior  deacon;  W.  E.  Thomas  and  P.  E.  Clark, 
stewards;  Homer  M.  Campbell,  chaplain. 

WESTPORT    LODGE    NO.    52. 

Westport  Lodge  No.  52  was  organized  in  1852,  but  the  charter  for  the 
installation  of  this  lodge  was  not  granted  until  the  following  year.  In  i860 
the  lodge  suffered  the  loss  of  their  hall  by  fire  and  the  early  records  w-ere  de- 
stroyed. This  makes  it  impossible  to  give  the  early  history  of  the  lodge  in 
a  complete  and  concise  form.  James  McKelvey  was  the  first  candidate  taken 
into  this  lodge  after  it  was  organized.  Dr.  William  House  is  the  oldest 
living  member  of  this  lodge,  in  which  he  has  been  active  for  fifty  years. 
The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  charter  members:  Christopher  Stott, 
Noah  Reynolds,  Dr.  Pottinger,  W.  T.  Reynolds,  Robert  Armstrong  and 
Hiram  Bruce. 

The  present  building,  which  is  valued  at  two  thousand  dollars,  is  the 
property  of  this  lodge.  The  present  membership  totals  one  hundred  and 
twenty-four.  The  officers  who  are  serving  the  lodge  at  present  are  as  fol- 
low :  W.  W.  Ricketts,  worshipful  master ;  Clay  demons,  senior  warden ; 
Carl  Keith,  junior  warden;  Ray  D.  Patrick,  senior  deacon;  Harry  Tucker, 
junior  deacon;  James  Rainey,  tyler;  Glen  Gartin,  secretary;  H.  V.  Cox, 
treasurer. 

NEW   POINT   LODGE   NO.    255. 

New  Point  Lodge  No.  255,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  was  organized 
on  May  29,  i860.  The  records  of  this  lodge  fail  to  give  the  names  of  the 
charter  members.  The  first  officers  were :  Joel  Pennington,  worshipful  mas- 
ter; Edward  Paremore,  senior  warden;  Ezekiel  R.  Cook,  junior  warden. 
The  present  membership  numbers  forty-five.  The  lodge  building  was  erected 
in  1861  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  is  a  very  substantial  brick 
structure.  The  present  officers  are  Edbert  Starks,  worshipful  master;  Dr. 
Harley  McKee,  senior  warden;  William  Haas,  junior  warden. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  .  313 

ADAMS   LODGE    NO.    269 

Adams  Lodge  Xo.  269,  located  at  Adams,  was  organized  in  the  year 
1856,  with  \V.  \\\  Riley  as  worshipful  master.  Hiram  C.  Whitlow  and  John 
G.  Guthrie  were  the  two  first  master  Masons  of  this  lodge.  This  lodge  sur- 
rendered its  charter  in  1877. 

ALERT  LODGE  NO.    395. 

The  Alert  Lodge  No.  395  was  organized  on  May  25,  1869,  with  the 
following  members  serving  the  lodge  as  the  first  officers :  William  T.  Strict- 
land,  worshipful  master;  Agnus  J.  McCloud,  senior  warden;  James  S.  Ban- 
nister, junior  warden.  The  following  were  also  among  the  list  of  charter 
members:  Jere  Gant,  John  B.  Seal,  Frank  Seal,  Samuel  Thomas,  Louis 
Gant,  Mulford  Baird,  William  Keeley  and  A.  B.  Mims.  This  lodge  is  in 
a  prosperous  condition  and  owns  its  own  quarters,  which  are  valued  at  one 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  present  officers  are :  Clifford  N.  Fulton, 
worshipful  master;  Ray  Fulton,  senior  warden:  Cliff^ord  Carter,  junior  war- 
den; J.  Otis  Beesley,  treasurer;  John  C.  Arnold,  secretary;  Ray  Irwin,  sen- 
ior deacon;  George  B.  Blazer,  junior  deacon;  John  W.  Hamilton,  tyler;  Ray 
Bannister  and  William  Starks,  stewards;  Thomas  Norton,  John  W.  Spears 
and  Smith  S.  Thompson,  trustees. 

ORDER  OF  THE  EASTERN  STAR. 

The  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  was  organized  for  tht  purpose  of  creat- 
ing a  social  tie  between  Masons  and  their  families  and  to  give  to  the  fra- 
ternity a  helpmate  in  the  beneficent  work  of  the  order  in  caring  for  widows 
and  orphans  and  to  assist  in  all  deeds  of  mercy  and  love.  Master  Masons 
in  good  standing,  their  wives,  daughters,  mothers,  widows  and  sisters  who 
have  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  years  are  eligible  to  membership  in  this 
order. 

Lois  Chapter  No.  147  was  instituted  at  Greensburg,  February  15,  1894, 
by  Past  Grand  Patron  Martin  H.  Rice,  of  Indianapolis,  with  thirty  charter 
members.  The  first  officers  were :  Worthy  matron,  Mae  Childs ;  worthy 
patron,  Frank  H.  Drake ;  associate  matron,  Rena  J.  Gilchrist ;  secretary,  Eliza 
H.  Lambert;  treasurer,  Ella  Childs;  conductress,  Eliza  J.  Crisler;  associate 
conductress,  Margaret  Schultz :  chaplain,  John  W.  Drake :  Adah,  Carrie 
Meek;  Ruth,  Isabella  F.   Stout;  Esther,  Louisa   ]\I.   Bone;   Martha,  Louisa 


314  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Upjohn;  Electa,  Henrietta  Bryan;  warder.  Patsy  J.  St.  John;  sentinel,  A.  H. 
Christian.  ' 

The  office  of  worthy  matron  has  since  been  filled  by  Eliza  J.  Crisler, 
Ella  M.  Stout,  Missouri  Moberly,  Esther  Lockwood,  Margaret  Rigby,  Liz- 
zie Styers,  Lizzie  Nordmeyer,  Margaret  Glenn,  Ella  Kirkpatrick,  Jennie 
Shirk,  Rena  J.  Gilchrist,  Elizabeth  Ehrhardt,  Emma  Creath  and  Ella  M. 
Forkner.  The  office  of  worthy  patron  has  since  been  filled  by  James  C. 
Pulse,  J.  F.  Childs,  William  P.  Skeen,  Coleman  T.  Pleak,  Ira  G.  Rigby,  Tay- 
lor E.  Meek,  George  B.  Von  Phul,  W.  F.  Gilchrist,  Herschel  Smiley,  Owen 
Steadman,  Bruce  Bishop,  Dr.  E.  T.  Riley  and  Will  Ehrhardt.  Nannie  L. 
Kofoid  and  Will  Ehrhardt  are  the  present  (1915)  holders,  respectively,  of 
these  stations,  with  Candace  Shepherd,  associate  matron;  Eliza  J.  Crisler, 
secretary;  Anna  P.  Mowrer,  treasurer;  Elizabeth  Ehrhardt,  conductress; 
Louise  Crews,  associate  conductress;  Margaret  Glenn,  chaplain;  Sallie  House, 
marshal;  Clara  Hamilton,  pianist;  Carrie  Meek,  Adah;  Jessie  Skeen,  Ruth; 
Jennie   Ainsworth,   Esther;   Elizabeth   Bennett,    Martha;   Alfaretta   Havens, 


Electa;  Lizzie  McConnell  White,  warder,  and  Oliver  P.  Creath,  sentinel. 
The  membership  now  numbers  one  hundred  and  twenty-four;  fifty-three 
have  been  lost  by  death  and  sixty-eight  by  dimit  and  suspension. 

The  crowning  feature  of  the  work  of  the  order  in  Indiana  at  present 
is  the  building  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  Masonic  Home  at  Franklin.  It  was 
through  the  persistent  efforts  of  the  Eastern  Star  that  this  was  made  pos- 
sible. Two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land  have  been  purchased  near 
Franklin,  on  which  the  buildings  will  be  erected.  The  cornerstone  is  to  be 
laid  in  May,  1916.  In  this  home,  unfortunate  Masons,  their  wives,  widows 
and  children  may  find  a  safe  and  pleasant  retreat,  surrounded  with  the  com- 
forts and  conveniences  of  a  home  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The  children 
will  be  carefully  trained,  educated,  well  clothed  and  fed,  thus  symbolizing 
charity,  truth  and  loving  kindness. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3I5 


KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS. 


On  August  24,  1886.  Greensburg  Lodge  No.  148,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
was  organized  Ijv  Grand  Chancellor  Charles  E.  Shively,  assisted  by  W.  L. 
Heiskel,  John  H.  Russe.  Frank  Bowers  and  other  grand  lodge  officers.  The 
, P)'thian  "goat"  \\as  hard  at  work  by  three  o'clock  on  that  memorable  after- 
noon, initiating  thirty-two  charter  members,  who  were  as  follows :  Past 
Chancellor,  J.  W.  McRoberts;  Chancellor  Commander,  Marine  D.  Tackett: 
Vice-Chancellor,  ]\Iax  IMergenheim;  Prelate,  J.  Loraine  Wright;  Keeper  of 
Records  and  Seal,  P.  H.  Aloulton;  ]\Iaster  of  Exchequer,  J.  T.  Cunningham; 
^Master  of  Finance,  S.  F.  Rogers;  Inside  Guard,  Will  Cumback,  Jr.;  Outside 
Guard,  F.  M.  Bryan;  D.  A.  Myers,  C.  C.  Lowe,  J.  D.  White,  W.  L  Johnson, 
C.  S.  Williams,  T.  J.  [Nlagee,  W.  H.  Buckley,  A.  B.  Armington,  C.  M. 
Thomas,  W.  O.  Elder,  George  L.  Roberts,  A.  ]\[.  Elkins,  C.  E.  Schobey, 
John  O.  [Marshall,  Charles  F.  Belser,  D.  L.  Scobey,  William  A.  Johnson, 
Phil  Weymer,  Henry  Black,  A.  M.  Willoughby,  J.  E.  McKim,  I<>ank  Eu- 
bank. 

It  was  a  hot  day  when  Greensburg  Lodge  was  instituted,  and  ever  since 
its  birth  its  members  have  been  a  warm,  live  set  of  fellows.  This  lodge  nas 
always  been  progressive  and  now  has  over  four  hundred  and  sixty  members. 
The  business  affairs  of  the  lodge  have  been  based  upon  a  firm  footing  from 
the  very  inception  of  the  organization.  The  officers  who  have  been  in  charge 
of  the  business  affairs  have  at  all  times  as  jealously  guarded  the  interests  of 
this  fraternity  of  Pythionism  as  they  would  their  own  homes.  The  best  busi- 
ness transaction  was  made  in  June,  189 1,  when  Frank  Robinson,  Ezra  Guth- 
rie and  George  L.  Roberts,  then  trustees,  purchased  the  old  Falconbury  block 
and  vacant  lot  adjoining.  During  the  autumn  of  1898  the  trustees,  Charles 
S.  Williams,  J.  P.  Thomson  and  Oscar  G.  Miller,  let  the  contract  to  Ed 
Dille  for  the  present  useful  and  up-to-date  business  building  and  lodge  room, 
occupying  the  ground  just  south  of  the  new  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  on 
North  Broadway.  This  fine  Pythian  building  is  now  the  home  and  resort  of 
all  loyal  hearted  Knights.  Beautiful  club  rooms  are  also  maintained,  for 
the  pleasure  and  recreation  of  members  of  the  K.  of  P.  Club. 

Almost  seven  years  ago  this  lodge  had  the  pleasure  of  being  the  means 
of  providing  a  beautiful  opera  house  for  the  city  of  Greensburg.  This  opera 
house  is  the  pride  of  every  Knight  and  is  highly  appreciated  by  all  citizens 
of  the  city  and  county.  Besides  expending  almost  fifty  thousand  dollars 
for  these  buildings,  ecjuipment  and   furnishings,  the  lodge  has  been  at  all 


3l6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

times  liberal  and  beneficent,  performing  many  deeds  of  charity  and  benevo- 
lence, which  were  an  outgrowth  of  the  sentiments  inculcated  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  the  members  by  the  teaching  of  Pythian  principles.  It  has  paid 
out  in  benefits  and  benevolent  contributions  since  its  organization  over  thirty 
thousand  dollars. 

Greensburg  Lodge  has  also  been  high  in  the  councils  of  the  grand  lodge 
of  Indiana,  having  at  this  time  two  grand  lodge  officers,  Brothers  John  W. 
Craig  and  Arthur  J.  Lowe,  who  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  supreme 
lodge  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  present  officers  of  Greensburg  Lodge  are :  Past  chancellor,  E.  E. 
Hite;  chancellor  commander,  Ben  Havens;  vice-chancellor:  Ira  M.  Ainsworth; 
prelate,  Charles  Howe:  keeper  of  records  and  seal,  Charles  H.  Dowden; 
master  of  exchecpier,  Robert  McKay;  master  of  finance,  E.  A.  Rankin; 
master-at-arms,  Stanton  Guthrie;  inside  guard,  Rollin  A.  Turner;  outside 
guard,  Frank  Osting;  trustees,  Oscar  G.  Miller,  Bert  Alorgan  and  David 
Blackmore. 

The  cardinal  principles  of  this  lodge  are  founded  upon  the  exercise  of 
friendship,  charity  and  benevolence.  Nothing  of  a  sectarian  or  political 
character  is  permitted  within  its  sacred  precincts.  Tolerance  in  religions,  obe- 
dience to  law  and  loyalty  to  government  are  fully  emphasized.  The  Pythian 
order  teaches  its  members  to  exercise  charity  toward  offenders;  to  construe 
words  and  deeds  in  their  least  unfavorable  light;  grant  honesty  of  purpose 
and  good  intentions  to  others  and  bring  back  any  thoughtless  or  wayward 
Knight  who  has  forgotten  the  Pythian  teachings  given  in  the  castle  hall. 

LETTS    CORNER    LODGE    NO.    375. 

Letts  Corner  Lodge  No.  375,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  in-stituted  on 
April  13,  1892.  It  owns  a  lodge  building,  valued  at  five  thousand  dollars 
and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  both  financially  and  numerically.  The  first 
officials  of  this  lodge  were:  W.  A.  Taggart,  past  chancellor;  H.  H.  King, 
chancellor  commander;  H.  H.  Boyd,  vice-chancellor;  J.  H.  Stout,  prelate; 
John  G.  Evans,  master  of  exchequer;  G.  W.  Fraley,  master  of  finance;  K.  L, 
Adams,  keeper  of  records  and  seal ;  Silas  Sweeney,  master-at-arms ;  A.  J. 
Adams,  inside  guard,  and  J.  D.  E.  Elliott,  outside  guard.  Other  charter 
members  of  the  organization  were  O.  S.  Mitchell,  VV.  T.  Morgan,  W.  F. 
Keisling,  Edgar  Whipple,  P.  M.  Johnson,  Edgar  Samuels,  C.  J.  Armstrong, 
M.  S.  Parker,  John  A.  Jackson,  Charles  Stout,  W.  L.  Evans,  U.  S.  Parker, 
William  Jordan,   Albert   Jordan,   John   Hill,   George   Gardner,    C.   J.    Red, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3I7 

Urso  -McCorkle,  J.  L.  Davis,  11.  M.  ^litchell,  George  Hodson,  W,  S. 
Whipple,  J.  W.  Crise  and  John  Armstrong. 

der;  Oda  Fear,  vice-chancellor:  Grover  Williams,  prelate;  \Valter  Jackson, 
master-at-work ;  W.  G.  Fraley.  keeper  of  records  and  seal;  E.  H.  Jackson, 
master  of  finance ;  Urso  Bentley,  master-at-arms ;  Ora  Thurston,  inside  guard ; 
Morris  Tudor,  outside  guard,  and  John  A.  Jackson,  John  L.  Davis  and  Harry 
Black,  trustees.  Sardinia  Lodge  Xo.  146  is  an  auxiliary  of  this  organiza- 
tion. 

ST.    TAUL    LODGE    NO.    368. 

St.  Paul  Lodge  No.  368,  Ivnights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  at  St. 
Paul  on  August  29,  1892.  The  charter  was  granted  on  June  7,  1893.  The 
charter  members  were,  J.  C.  Leech,  G.  T.  Lefiler,  B.  F.  Trader,  S.  T.  Hutson, 
H.  C.  Roberts,  T.  A.  Kelley,  F.  H.  Goff,  E.  L.  Severs,  W.  J.  Martin,  E.  W. 
Noah,  Charles  Allison,  William  Bush,  W.  A.  Reed,  O.  A.  Seward,  J.  L. 
Shelhorn,  R.  Hendrickson,  J.  A.  Gofif,  L.  E.  Dixon,  J.  R.  Kanouse,  L.  E. 
Lines,  G.  F.  Bailey,  C.  M.  Barnes,  J.  W.  Jenkins,  C.  C.  Fisher,  F.  M.  Allison, 
F.  P.  Walton,  F.  AI.  Howard,  Daniel  Apple,  Harry  Hayes,  J.  ]\I.  Shortridge, 
J.  P.  Garrett,  J.  F.  Strickford,  John  Doggett  and  Conrad  Minger.  The 
first  officers  were,  past  chancellor,  L.  E.  Dixon ;  chancellor  commander,  J.  W. 
Jenkins;  vice-chancellor,  F.  P.  Walton;  prelate,  C.  C.  Fisher;  master  of 
exchequer,  R.  Hendrickson;  master  of  finance,  J.  M.  Shortridge;  keeper  of 
records  and  seal,  L.  E.  Lines;  master-at-arms,  O.  A.  Seward;  inner  guard, 
J.  E.  Walton;  outer  guard,  Frank  Goff ;  and  C.  M.  Barnes,  James  Goff  and 
James  Severs,  trustees. 

The  present  membership  consists  of  twent}'  past  chancellors  and  si.xty- 
two  Ivnights. 

The  present  officers  are:  Chancellor  commander,  Joseph  Stotsenburg; 
vice-chancellor,  ]\Ianley  Corwein ;  prelate,  George  \V.  Boling;  master-at- 
work,  E.  H.  Crosby:  keeper  of  records  and  seal,  J.  T.  Cu.skaden;  master 
of  finance,  Orla  Cuskaden;  master  of  exchequer,  J.  B.  INIcKee;  master-at- 
arms,  \\'.  J.  Alartin;  inner  guard,  G.  T.  Leffler;  outer  guard,  Jacob  Johannes; 
trustees  are  W.  J.  Martin,  D.  J.  Ballard  and  Jacob  Johannes. 

The  lodge  property  consists  of  a  three-story  brick  building,  constructed 
in  1903,  at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand  dollars.  Property  and  improve- 
ments are  estimated  to  be  worth  at  least  eight  thousand  dollars. 

The  building  is  a  monument  to  the  enterprise  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
in  the  town  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  rentals  are  a  source  of  income  which  is  quite 


3l8  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  bolster  to  the  finances  of  the  lodge  at  this  critical  time,  the  lodge  having 
considerable  sickness  among  its  members. 

The  lodge  is  now  taking  on  new  life,  after  a  long  period  of  laxity,  and 
bids  fair  to  regain  the  place  that  it  once  held,  as  being  one  of  the  live  lodges 
of  the  state. 

BURNEY    LODGE    NO.    34 1. 

Burney  Lodge  No.  341,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized,  June  8, 
1892,  with  the  following  charter  members:  Edwin  Jackson,  Morgan  Miers, 
Ira  Lewis,  E.  E.  Mouse,  O.  B.  Trimble,  William  G.  Miner,  John  G.  Gartin, 
Levi  M.  Craig,  John  E.  Miller,  Charles  T.  Powner,  T.  T.  Howell,  James 
M.  Hiner,  William  A.  Gartin,  John  W.  Burney,  G.  S.  Crawford,  Harve 
Pumphrey,  John  Johnson,  Felix  Garten,  G.  W.  Wiley,  Charles  Braden,  John 
Hunter,  G.  W.  Miner,  Ed  Stewart,  Frank  House,  Francis  Pumphrey,  James 
Pumphrey,  Julius  Benson,  Francis  Galbraith,  G.  M.  Miner,  Jr.,  Hershell 
Miers  and  Ira  Ballard.  Charles  L.  Powner,  past  chancellor,  installed  this 
lodge.  The  first  officers  were  L.  T.  Howell,  chancellor  commander;  Morgan 
L.  Miers,  vice-chancellor;  James  Hiner,  prelate;  F.  L.  Galbraith,  master  of 
exchequer;  Ed  Jackson,  master  of  finance;  W.  E.  Arnold,  keeper  of  records 
and  seal;  Frank  House,  master-at-arms;  William  Carton,  inner  guard;  G.  M. 
Miner,  outer  guard ;  J.  W.  Burney,  O.  W.  Trimble  and  Charles  T.  Powner, 
trustees ;  Charles  T.  Powner  representative.  The  present  building  was  erected 
in  1895  ^^'^^^  the  membership  has  almost  reached  the  hundred  mark. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  Freman  Sasser,  chancellor  com- 
mander; W.  W.  Barnes,  vice-chancellor;  Samuel  Lawson,  prelate;  Carl  Pavy, 
master-at-work ;  J.  H.  Dean,  keeper  of  records  and  seal;  James  Galbraith, 
master  of  finance;  E.  A.  Porter,  master  of  exchequer;  Bert  Oliphant,  master- 
at-arms;  Emzee  Elder,  inner  guard;  Herbert  Stribling,  outer  guard;  Floyd 
Miner,  host ;  C.  W.  Pumphrey,  Edward  Jackson  and  Ira  Carmen,  trustees. 

This  lodge  has  an  auxiliary  in  the  Rathbone  Sisters,  which  was  organ- 
ized on  October  3,  1900.  This  chapter  bears  the  local  name  of  Triangle 
Temple  No.  232. 

WESTPORT    LODGE    NO.    3  1 7. 

Westport  Lodge  No.  317,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized,  May  8, 
1891,  with  the  following  charter  members:  James  M.  Burke,  William  Hause, 
J.  N.  Keith,  L.  E.  McCoy,  E.  G.  Davis,  J.  T.  McCullough,  M.  D.  Harding, 
T.  M.  Durpree,  S.  R.  Ames,  J.  E.  Davis,  William  Martin,  H.  I.  Fueston,  S.  C. 
Knarr,  W.  G.  Updike,  S.  C.  Scripture,  T.  Strout,  T.  E.  F.  Miller,  W.  R. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3I9 

Barnes,  G.  T.  Alexander,  William  F.  King,  Silas  Sweeny,  E.  G.  Ratlley, 
B.  B.  Rogers.  The  first  officers  were  as  follows:  James  M.  Burk,  past 
chancellor;  William  Hause,  chancellor  commander;  J.  N.  Keith,  vice-chan- 
cellor; L.  E.  McCoy,  prelate;  E.  G.  Davis,  master  of  exchequer;  J.  T. 
McCullough,  master  of  finance;  j\l.  G.  Harding,  keeper  of  records  and  seal; 
T.  M.  Dupree,  master-at-arms;  S.  R.  .\dams,  inner  guard;  J.  E.  Davis, 
outer  guard. 

The  building  which  this  lodge  occupies  at  present  is  the  property  of  the 
lodge  and  is  valued  at  seven  thousand  dollars.  The  present  officers  are, 
George  C.  Nicholson,  chancellor  commander;  J-  M.  Tucker,  vice-chancellor; 
Edward  Whalen,  prelate ;  Walter  Watterman,  master-at-work ;  A.  Boicourt, 
keeper  of  records  and  seal;  E.  L.  Shaw,  master  of  finance;  M.  D.  Harding, 
master  of  exchequer ;  Wea\-er  Elliott,  master-at-arms ;  J.  E.  Da\'is,  inner 
guard;  James  H.  Keith,  outer  guard. 

Miriam  Temple  No.  246.  P3'thian  Sisters,  was  organized  on  October  2, 
1901,  as  an  au.xiliary  of  the  Westport  lodge. 

INDEPENDENT    ORDER    OF    ODD     FELLOWS. 

Newpoint  L6dge  No.  656,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was 
organized  on  January  22,  i8go.  The  following  men  a])plied  to  the  Greens- 
burg  lodge  for  a  chapter  to  be  installed  at  Newpoint :  William  L.  Has- 
brouck,  William  Cheek,  Jet  Boyd,  A.  E.  Dorsey,  Richard  Christain  and 
James  Borden.  The  lodge  was  instituted  on  April  16,  1890,  by  E.  S.  Porter, 
who  was  appointed  by  the  grand  master  to  install  this  chapter. 

The  charter  members  were  as  follow :  Leander  Starks,  John  L.  Hilliard, 
George  Hollinsbee,  L.  C.  Jackson,  John  Dryer,  Charles  Marlin,  H.  P.  Dan- 
forth,  L.  W.  D.  German,  Benjamin  Ketcham,  John  W.  Snedeker,  George 
W.  Foster,  James  E.  Butler,  and  Herman  Green.  The  following  members 
served  the  lodge  as  the  first  officers :  L.  C.  Jackson,  noble  grand ;  Leander 
Starks,  vice-grand;  Charles  Marlin,  recording  secretary;  George  Hollinsbee, 
permanent  secretary ;  John  L.  Hilliard,  treasurer. 

The  lodge  purchased  its  present  quarters  for  the  consideration  of 
one  thousand  dollars  and  has  made  improvements  since  that  time.  A  piano 
was  purchased  in  1910.  This  lodge  is  in  a  prosperous  condition  and  at 
present  has  eighty-five  members  enrolled.  Benefits  of  four  dollars  per  week 
are  paid  the  sick  members,  and  the  resources  at  present  amount  to  one  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars  and  twenty-four  cents. 

The   present   officers   are:     Lewis   Bare,    noble   grand;    Frank    Walker, 


320  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

vice-grand;   R.    F.   Carr,   recording  secretary;  F.    M.   Thackery,   permanent 
secretary;  Ora  Cheek,  treasurer. 

DAUGHTERS    OF    REBEKAH. 

Lodge  No.  523,  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  which  locally  is  known 
as  \Vhite  Dove  lodge,  was  instituted  on  August  31,  1896.  This  is  an  aux- 
iliary of  Newpoint  lodge.  The  following  were  charter  members  of  W'hite 
Dove  lodge:  John  H.  Milliard,  Ora  Cheek,  John  Al.  Green,  Ilattie  Marlin, 
Ollie  Alinning,  Minnie  Snedeker  and  Mrytle  Jerman.  ■ 

SANDUSKY    LODGE    NO.    856. 

Sandusky  Lodge  No.  856,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organ- 
ized on  May  21,  1908,  with  the  following  charter  members:  John  L.  demons, 
Louis  Ruddell,  Lafayette  Bowman,  Benjamin  T.  Riley,  Llewellyn  Fleetwood, 
William  H.  Scott,  Harvey  Townsend,  William  Maple,  Otis  Nation,  George 
Smith,  Albert  Bowman  and  M^esley  Bennett.  The  first  officers  were :  Benjamin 
T.  Riley,  noble  grand;  J.  W.  Bennett,  vice-grand;  Otis  Nation,  secretary; 
Louis  Ruddell,  treasurer.  The  lodge  has  had  a  prosperous  growth  and  at 
present  numbers  sixty-five  members.  The  present  officers  are :  Frank 
Maple,  noble  grand;  Llewellyn  Fleetwood,  vice-grand;  Ed  Ricketts.  record- 
ing secretary;  John  W.  Patterson,  corresponding  secretary;  Orville  Gar- 
rett, treasurer. 

CENTENARY   LODGE    NO.    535,    MILFORD. 

Decatur  Lodge  No.  103,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  jour- 
neyed down  to  Milford  on  June  6,  1876,  and  assisted  in  organizing  Cen- 
tenary Lodge  No.  535.  W.  D.  Dailey,  district  deputy  noble  grand,  had 
charge  of  the  ceremonies.  The  following  charter  members  were  present : 
A.  P.  Bennett,  Frank  Getzendanner,  Leonard  Worcester,  S.  L.  Jackson  and 
E.  S.  Porter.  The  latter  presided  as  noble  grand ;  L.  Worcester,  vice-grand ; 
Z.  T.  Boicourt,  treasurer;  J.  K.  Ewing,  secretary;  Frank  Getzendanner. 
conductor;  G.  W.  Richey,  warden;  Sylvester  Kendall,  inner  guard;  Adam 
Stegmaier,  outer  guard.  Thirteen  applications  for  membership  were  favor- 
ably acted  upon.  No.  103  presented  the  new  lodge  with  paraphernalia 
and  the  following  new  officers  were  elected:  W.  T.  Jackson,  noble  grand; 
John  Braden,  vice-grand;  Dr.  J.  H.  Alexander,  secretary;  James  Braden, 
treasurer. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  321 

The  lodge  suffered  the  loss  of  its  rooms  on  April  24,  1877.  The 
present  building  was  completed  in  1856  and  the  lodge  hall,  which  is  located 
in  the  second  story,  was  purchased  by  the  lodge  in  1877  for  Ihe  considera- 
tion of  six  hundred  dollars.  The  present  membership  numljers  eighty-five. 
Benefits  and  resources  amount  to  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven  dollars  and  five  cents.  The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are  as  fol- 
low :  Wallace  Champ,  noble  grand ;  William  Oliphant,  vice-grand ;  Elmer 
Swift,  secretary;  Charles  Braden,  treasurer:  O.  B.  Trimble,  Marion  Lane 
and  James  Conk,  trustees. 

ADAMS   LODGE    NO.    79O. 

Adams  Lodge  Xo.  790,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  b'ellows,  was 
installed  on  November  13,  1902.  Its  first  officers  were:  J.  R.  Turner, 
noble  grand :  I.  C.  Glass,  vice-grand :  ^Vebster  Rhoads,  treasurer :  J.  X. 
Cushman,  financial  secretary,  and  Walter  Cory,  secretary.  Other  charter 
members  were :  J.  D.  Walker,  C.  E.  Shields,  David  Longstreet,  M.  M.  Coy. 
J.  A.  Ford,  R.  G.  Kirb}',  James  Gay,  ^^'illiam  Van  Ausdall,  J.  A.  Shep- 
hard,  j\I.  R.  Turner,  T.  R.  Da\'is  and  A.  G.  Christ. 

Fire  completely  destroyed  the  lodge  building  on  X^ovember  i,  1906, 
but  a  new  hall  was  immediately  erected  and  the  lodge  continues  to  make 
steady  progress.  Its  present  officers  are :  Roy  Darby,  noble  grand ;  Ed. 
Shaner,  vice-grand:  John  Inman,  secretary;  Merritt  Webb,  financial  secre- 
tary, and  Walter  Rhoades,  treasurer.  The  lodge  hall  is  \-alued  at  three 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

CLARKSBURG    LODGE    NO.     559. 

Clarksburg  Lodge  Xo.  559  was  organized  on  May  23,  1878,  and  has 
a  very  strong  membership."  Its  first  officers  and  other  charter  members 
were:  A.  A.  Chenoweth,  noble  grand;  A.  S.  Creath,  vice-grand;  G.  T.  Bell, 
secretary;  J.  A.  Miller,  treasurer;  W.  D.  McCracken,  warden;  W.  W. 
Ewick,  outer  guard.  It  was  organized  by  A.  P.  Bennett,  Samuel  J.  Jackson, 
F.  Getzendanner,  Leonard  Worcester,  Joel  W.  Stites  and  A.  Stegmaier,  of 
Greensburg.  The  lodge  owns  a  .sul:)Stantial  building  which  cost  more  than  five 
thousand  dollars  to  erect. 
(21) 


322  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

WF.STPORT   LODGE   NO.   68 1. 

Westport  Lodge  Xo.  68 1  was  installed  on  August  27,  1891,  with  the 
following  officers  and  charter  members:  Thomas  Bemish,  noble  grand; 
P.  M.  Rhodes,  vice-grand;  W.  R.  Tucker,  secretary;  S.  C.  Cann,  financial 
secretary;  G.  D.  Little,  treasurer;  Thomas  Bemish,  Morris  W.  Brewer, 
E.  K.  Hause  and  O.  M.  Taylor.  The  lodge  owns  its  own  building,  which 
cost  five  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  erect.  Its  present  officers  are : 
P.  F.  Owens,  noble  grand ;  M.  G.  Stewart,  vice-grand ;  Carl  Davis,  secre- 
tary; J.  \V.  Holcomb,  financial  secretary,  and  George  C.  Nicholson,  treas- 
urer.    Westport  lodge  has  one  hundred  and  forty- four  members. 

Shiloh  Lodge  No.  560,  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  is  an  au.xiliary  of  West- 
port  lodge.  This  organization  was  effected  on  January  18,  1898,  by  the 
following  women :  Annie  Nicely,  Mrs.  George  Wheelwright,  Sarah  Owens, 
Mollie  Keith  and  ^Nlarj'  Sample. 

COVENANT    LODGE    NO.    1 63. 

Covenant  Lodge  No.  163,  Lidependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  St. 
Paul,  was  organized  on  July  11,  1855.  The  following  comprise  the  list 
of  charter  members:  Stephen  Ridlen,  Jonathan  Kurr,  George  Reede,  \\'ill- 
iam  Reede,  Thomas  Reede,  Squire  Van  Kelt,  Michael  Halloren,  Elisha  H. 
Crosby,  Milton  Corwin,  Charles  J.  Smith,  Samuel  McKee  and  William  C. 
Lowden. 

The  Odd  Fellows'  building  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire  and  all  the 
early  records  were  destroyed,  therefore  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  names 
of  the  first  officers.  The  lodge  owns  a  two-story  brick  building,  erected 
in  1879,  with  two  business  rooms  on  the  first  floor.  It  also  owns  a  three- 
story  brick  building,  which  has  three  stores  on  the  first  floor,  while  the 
other  two  stories  are  occupied  by  the  lodge.  Total  \-alue  of  the  lodge  prop- 
erty is  eight  thousand  six  hundred  forty-one  dollars  and  fifty-five  cents. 
The  present  membership  numbers  ninety.  The  present  officers  are :  Warren 
Brook,  noble  grand;  Thomas  Wolverton,  vice-grand;  H.  F.  Prill,  recording 
secretary ;  J.  B.  McKee,  financial  secretary ;  Fred  Metzler,  treasurer. 

MODERN     WOODMEN    OF    AMERICA. 

Westport  Camp  No.  14S7,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  was  organ- 
ized on  December  i,   1909,  with  the  following  officers:    C.  D.  Owens,  ven- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  323 

erable  consul;  J.  O.  Ketcham,  worthy  adviser;  E.  I.  Boicourt,  banker;  A.  S. 
Boicourt,  clerk;  C.  A.  Stott,  escort;  George  Fultz  and  W.  H.  Keith,  sen- 
tries. The  following  men  were  also  numbered  among  the  list  of  charter 
members:  H.  E.  Clark,  H.  M.  Crowder,  J.  A.  Elliott,  Omer  Givan,  J.  W. 
E\-ans,  J.  C.  Hill,  William  Landis,  John  Morgan,  W.  T.  Stott  and  J.  C. 
Talkington. 

The  present  membership  numl)ers  fort}',  with  the  following  officers 
serving  the  camp  at  the  present  time :  E.  L.  Shaw,  \enerable  consul ;  G.  C. 
Nicholson,  worthy  adviser;  E.  R.  Boicourt,  banker;  A.  S.  Boicourt,  clerk; 
W.  \\'.   Ricketts,  escort;  D.  T.   Surface,  watchman;  A.  O.  Taylor,  sentry. 

NEWPOINT    CAMP    NO.    984O. 

Xewpoint  Camp  Xo.  9840,  ]\Iodern  Woodmen  of  America,  was  organ- 
ized on  May  21,  1910.  This  camp  was  instituted  by  the  Greensburg  and 
Batesville  degree  teams  and  thirty-one  members  were  initiated  the  first  night, 
while  three  were  added  by  transfer  from  other  lodges  at  the  time  of  the 
installation  of  the  camp.  S.  G.  Fitch  served  as  head  deputy  for  initiation. 
The  following  men  were  enrolled  the  first  night :  J.  C.  Barbe,  John  Brade- 
water,  R.  F.  Carr,  J.  C.  Colson,  C.  R.  Dowden,  Walter  Harding,  A.  E. 
Huber,  C.  C.  Barnard,  U.  G.  Brown,  John  H.  Castor,  William  J.  Colson, 
Holman  Glidewell,  B.  A.  Hilliard,  Ira  jNIartin,  Chris.  F.  JMyer,  George  M. 
Neimeyer,  Charles  Risinger,  Howard  F.  Starks,  William  H.  Swegman. 
Curtis  H.  Walker,  John  L.  Wiecher,  Harold  J.  Wolf,  Willis  R.  Wolf, 
W.  R.  Castor,  John  Hart,  George  Price,  Waid  Williams,  Charles  Meyer, 
O.  P.  Grove,  A.  L.  Shazer,  Harley  McKee,  J.  E.  Starks,  William  C.  Parmer 
and  \\  H.  Minning. 

The  first  officers  were  as  follow :  A.  T.  Shazer,  venerable  consul ; 
George  Neimeyer,  worthy  adviser;  J.  C.  Barb,  b?nker;  R.  F.  Carr,  clerk; 
A.  E.  Huber,  escort;  John  Hart,  watchman;  C.  C.  Barnard,  sentry; 
Harley  S.  McKee,  physician.  The  present  officers  are  as  follow :  Charles 
Reisinger,  venerable  consul;  Charles  Meyer,  worthy  adviser;  William  Col- 
son, banker;  B.  A.  Hilliard,  clerk;  Glenn  Gibberson,  escort;  William  Gentry, 
watchman.  The  present  membership  is  twenty-eight.  The  insurance  of  the 
members  in  191 5  totaled  thirty-two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

LONE  TREE   CAMP    NO.    7253. 

Lone  Tree  Camp  No.  7253.  Modern  W^oodmen  of  America,  was  organ- 
ized on  November  24,  1899,  with  the  following  charter  members:     W.  H. 


324  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Black,  W.  R.  Brazelton,  Charles  Clemens,  C.  M.  Carter,  E.  E.  Davis,  J.  B. 
DeArmond,  Elmer  Saunders,  O.  M.  Elder,  I.  F.  Springer,  B.  S.  White, 
W.  H.  Hoffmeister,  M.  G.  Harley,  W.  E.  Jameson,  Len  Marsh,  George 
Montgomery  and  H.  F.  Pottenger.  The  first  officers  were  as  follow :  John 
W.  Holcomb,  venerable  consul;  Elmer  Saunders,  worthy  adviser;  J.  B. 
DeArmond,  banker;  W.  R.  Brazelton,  clerk. 

Several  years  previous  to  this  a  camp  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  had 
been  installed  in  Greensburg,  but  this  camp  never  experienced  a  great  growth 
and  about  the  year  1898  was  moved  to  Shelby ville.  The  present  camp  has 
had  a  flourishing  existence,  with  a  total  membership  at  present  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty.  The  insurance  at  this  time  amounts  to  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  The  lodge  has  suffered  the  loss  of  sixteen 
brothers,  with  insurance  paid  out  amounting  to  twenty-four  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  officers  at  present  are :  John  H.  Tresler,  venerable  consul ;  Roy 
Styers,  worthy  adviser;  M.  S.  Wamsley,  banker;  Will  Ehrhardt,  clerk. 


Omemee  Tribe  No.  394,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  at  Westport,  was 
organized  on  August  27,  1904,  with  the  following  charter  members:  George 
Hollensbe,  James  Coupa,  William  Eddy,  Dave  Clark,  E.  H.  Hensley,  D.  F. 
Surface,  S.  C.  Knarr,  Jacob  Hensley,  Joseph  Stuart,  John  Eraser,  Edgar 
Logan,  Ruben  Hensley,  Frank  Bowers,  J.  M.  Wynn,  David  Bowers,  J.  L. 
Biddinger,  William  Seasme,  Oliver  Seasme,  Grover  Bowers,  Isaac  Earhart, 
James  Fulton,  Matthew  Frazer,  Lewis  Bowers,  William  H.  Biddinger,  Albert 
Lawrence,  Charles  Atkins,  Sanford  Layton,  Carl  E.  Stone,  Clite  Seasme, 
Clarence  Stewart,  J.  E.  Lawrence,  S.  H.  Biddinger. 

The  first  officers  were  as  follow :  Isaac  Earhart,  senior  sagamore ;  J.  M. 
Hynn,  junior  sagamore;  J.  E.  Lawrence,  keeper  of  wampum;  George  Hol- 
lensbe, sachem;  C.  A.  Stewart,  prophet;  S.  H.  Biddinger,  chief  of  records. 

The  tribe  at  present  owns  property  valued  at  one  thousand  one  hundred 
dollars.  Three  dollars  per  week  are  paid  out  for  sick  benefits.  The  present 
membership  numbers  eighty-four.  The  present  officers  are  Joseph  Childers, 
senior  sagamore;  Harry  Tucker,  junior  sagamore;  Ira  T.  Colson,  sachem; 
Wesley  Idlewine,  keeper  of  wampum;  Curtis  Goble,  chief  of  records;  E.  H. 
Dusenberger,  prophet. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  325 


YONAH    TRIBE    NO.    4/0. 


Yonah  Tribe  Xo.  470,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  was  organized  on 
April  20,  1908,  at  Clarksburg.  The  charter  members  who  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  this  tribe  were  as  follow :  W.  C.  Buell,  D.  H.  Bently, 
E.  A.  Lewis,  W.  A.  Dorsey,  F.  Morgan,  I.  M.  Linville,  A.  .M.  Hite,  B.  E. 
Farthing,  C.  L.  Brown,  William  Ray,  W.  E.  Tingle,  R.  Linville,  H.  Ter- 
hune,  Ed.  Lanpri,  R.  C.  Ray,  C.  M.  Morgan,  P.  Campie,  G.  E.  ^larford, 
C.  Carrell,  L.  Lewis,  M.  Ray,  S.  F.  Bentley,  S.  L.  Dobbyns,  C.  E.  Freeland, 
R.  Parker,  C.  Humphry,  I.  Humphry,  William  Winker  and  F.  Springmire. 
The  present  membership  numbers  forty-eight.  The  benefits  for  this  lodge 
are  placed  at  four  dollars  per  week.  The  value  of  the  present  quarters  is 
placed  at  five  hundred  dollars. 

The  present  ofiicers  are  D.  C.  Demaree,  sachem;  J.  C.  Deiwert.  senior 
sagamore;  E.  E.  Whiten,  junior  sagamore;  D.  D.  Morgan,  chief  of  records; 

C.  E.  Freeland,  keeper  of  wampum;  C.  E.  Freeland,  prophet. 

BENEVOLENT   AND   PROTECTIVE   ORDER   OF   ELKS. 

Greensburg  Lodge  No.  475,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
was  organized  on  April  26,  1899,  with  thirty-one  charter  members.  The 
first  exalted  ruler  was  S.  P.  Minear.  -Others  who  have  held  this  position 
since  the  installation  of  the  lodge  are :  Charles  Zoller,  J.  Van  Woodfill, 
William  C.  Pulse,  Web  Woodfill,  Fred  L.  Thomas,  Hugh  D.  Wickens,  Charles 
H.  Ewing,  Hal  T.  Kitchin,  Will  H.  Lanham,  Robert  C.  Woodfill.  Charles  H. 
Dalmbert,  John  W.  Craig,  Frank  Hamilton,  Robert  E.  AIcKay  and  R.  A. 
Turner. 

Since  its  installation  the  lodge  has  grown  to  a  membership  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  and  is  now  considered  the  leading  social  organization 
of  the  city.  It  is  composed  of  representative  business  and  professional  men 
of  Greensburg,  occupies  a  fine  suite  of  apartments  on  the  north  side  of  the 
sfjuare  and  is  ever  ready  and  willing  to  undertake  acts  of  charity  and  kind- 
ness which  have  rendered  the  order  distinct  in  all  places  where  it  has  a  lodge. 

Present  ofiicers  of  the  order  are:  E.  E.  Hite,  exalted  ruler;  A.  E. 
Lemmon,  esteemed  leading  knight;  J.  C.  Hornung.  esteemed  loyal  knight; 
James  H.  Lanham,  esteemed  lecturing  knight;  Hal  T.   Kitchin,   secretary; 

D.  A.  Batterton,  treasurer ;  Herbert  Hunter,  esquire ;  Will  C.  Monf ort,  chap- 
lain; Ira  Miller,  inner  guard,  and  John  Crooks,  tyler.  Trustees  are  Harry 
Emmert,  J.  F.  Russell  and  Loren  L.  Doles. 


326  DECATUR  COUNTY,  INDIANA. 

IMPROVED  ORDER  OF  RED  MEN. 

Pequonnock  Tribe  No.  185,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  was  organ- 
ized on  May  15,  1894,  with  the  following  charter  members:  John  F.  Childs, 
A.  P.  Bone,  W.  L.  Bennett,  William  H.  Rybolt,  George  S.  Dickey,  William 
Bruner,  George  Kesling,  William  Weathers,  J.  B.  Conover,  W.  A.  Lawson, 
T.  J.  Powell,  Dan  Styers,  R.  F.  Thomas,  Branson  Beeson,  John  Riley,  Smith 
Riley,  George  Beeson,  Perry  Robbins,  William  A.  Brooks,  John  Abbott, 
A.  L.  Dickey,  William  Fulks,  Brack  Chance,  J.  R.  Patton,  Dr.  L.  W.  D. 
Jerman,  Taylor  F.  Meek,  J.  W.  Roberts,  Charles  Reed,  John  I.  Rodman, 
Frank  Pickett,  P.  I.  Clark,  O.  H.  Rybolt,  Harry  Reniger,  R.  H.  Look,  D. 
~E.  Biddinger,  J.  W.  Fletcher,  Joseph  Reingar,  Charles  Phillips,  Cyrus  Wat- 
ers, E.  A.  Cavett,  Charles  S.  Short. 

The  first  officers  were :  John  F.  Childs,  sachem ;  W.  L.  Bennett,  senior 
sagamore;  J.  W.  Roberts,  junior  sagamore;  A.  L.  Dickey,  keeper  of  records; 
T.  J.  Powell,  keeper  of  wampum;  G.  O.  Barnard,  conductor  of  work;  R.  F. 
Thomas,  Branson  Beeson  and  Frank  Smith,  trustees.  The  present  beautiful 
building  is  the  property  of  the  lodge  and  is  valued  at  eighteen  thousand 
dollars. 

The  present  membership  of  the  lodge  numbers  two  hundred  and  ninety. 
The  present  officers  are :  John  King,  sachem ;  N.  S.  Doles,  senior  saga- 
more ;  Frank  Murdock,  junior  sagamore ;  Joe  Renigar,  prophet ;  William 
Snell,  keeper  of  records ;  G.  O.  Barnard,  conductor  of  work ;  J.  L.  Luchte, 
keeper  of  wampum ;  Charles  A.  Dowdle,  Link  Beeson  and  W.  S.  Harvey, 
trustees. 

DEGREE   OF    POCAHONTAS. 

Pequonnock  Council  No.  iii.  Degree  of  Pocahontas,  is  an  auxiliary  of 
the  Red  Men's  tribe  of  Greensburg.  The  charter  for  this  order  was  granted 
on  October  20,  1898.  The  meetings  are  held  in  the  Red  Men's  hall.  The 
membership  at  present  includes  seventy  persons.  The  ofificers  serving  the 
lodge  at  this  time  are :  Sarah  Robbins,  Pocahontas ;  Mary  Robbins,  Weno- 
nah;  James  B.  Towler,  Powhatan;  Jacia  Pool,  prophet;  Lottie  Dowdle, 
keeper  of  records;  Lydia  McMillan,  keeper  of  wampum. 

PEQUONNOCK    HAYMAKERS. 

Pequonnock  Haymakers'  Association  No.  185  J4  was  chartered  on  May 
15,  1895.     The  meetings  are  held  on  Wednesday  evenings  in  the  Red  Men's 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  327 

hall.  The  membership  at  present  totals  one  hundred  and  five.  The  present 
officers  are:  Dola  Robbins,  chief  ha}-maker;  Frank  ]\Iurdock,  assistant  chief 
haymaker;  Arthur  Murdock,  overseer;  Dallas  Land,  past  chief  haymaker; 
William  M.  Snell,  collector  of  strau'S ;  Charles  Dowdle,  keeper  of  bundles; 
William  Best,  R.  C.  West  and  James  M.  Duncan,  trustees. 

LOYAL   ORDER   OF   MOOSE. 

The  Loyal  Order  of  iloose  was  organized  at  Louisville,  Iventucky,  on 
April  12,  1888.  It  is  not  an  insurance  order;  there  are  no  assessments  of 
any  character ;  it  is  not  a  rival  of  any  other  fraternal  organization ;  it  is  not  a 
class  organization,  but  is  open  to  all  good  white  citizens  between  the  ages 
of  twenty-one  and  fift}-.  At  the  end  of  1914  the  order  had  over  one  thousand 
four  hundred  and  fift}-  lodges,  with  a  total  membership  of  more  than  half 
a  million.  The  initiation  fee  for  charter  members  is  five  dollars  and  after 
the  charter  is  closed  the  initiation  fee  is  increased  to  twenty-five  dollars. 
The  iVIoose  pay  benefits  of  seven  dollars  a  week  to  sick  or  disabled  members. 
The  death  benefit  is  one  hundred  dollars. 

Lone  Tree  Lodge  No.  1005  at  Greensburg,  is  the  only  one  of  this  order 
in  Decatur  county.  It  was  organized  on  November  12,  1913,  with  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members :  Joseph  Gentry,  Fred  Stiet,  W.  B.  Brogan,  Elijah 
\^anderdur,  Clarence  Stith,  Benjamin  Meyer,  L.  J.  Alexander,  George  Cos- 
mas,  George  A.  Kurr,  Sabe  Perkins,  C.  F.  Kercheval,  Paul  R.  Tindall,  Will- 
iam McCormick,  Lowe  Bush,  Lemuel  J.  Howard,  Michael  McCormack,  Oscar 
F.  Kuhn,  Loren  Hutcheson,  William  ^^'eeks,  Earl  Martin,  Ed  Buchannan, 
Harry  Vanderbur,  Herschel  Vanderbur,  James  Frances,  Fred  Tucker,  John 
Muldoon,  Charles  Jackson,  William  Boyce,  David  Wiley,  James  Sparks, 
Morton  Davis,  Carl  Suttles,  George  Richards,  John  A.  Abbott,  Jefferson 
Morris,  D.  C.  Powner,  Len  Fischer,  David  Bower,  Ed  Bozzell,  Joe  Stier, 
Thomas  Davis,  William  Littell,  Frank  Buckley,  Fred  Weber,  William  Fulks, 
Sherman  Patton,  William  B.  Lemasters,  James  Smith,  Da\'id  Welsh,  W.  T. 
Vanderbur,  Ross  Grimes,  B.  E.  Baker,  W.  H.  Scripture.  Ace  Dean,  Ora 
Grimes,  J.  Dunn,  Clifford  English. 

The  officers  at  present  are  as  follow :  Joseph  Gentry,  past  dictator ; 
Paul  R.  Tindall,  past  dictator;  Michael  Gutting,  dictator;  Frank  Murdoch, 
vice-director;  Blaine  Hoin,  prelate;  Sabe  Perkins,  secretary;  Earl  Crooks, 
treasurer;  Bernard  Menzie,  sergeant-at-arms ;  Martin  Sparks,  inner  guard; 
Ace  Dean,  outer  guard;  Ben  Meyer,  James  Ford  and  J.  L.  Alexander,  trus- 
tees.    The  membership  at  present  totals  three  hundred  and  seventy-five. 


328  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

KNIGHTS   OF   ST.    JOHN. 

St.  Boniface  Commandery  No.  22"/,  Knights  of  St.  John,  was  organ- 
ized on  October  9,  1914,  with  a  total  memljership  of  thirty-six.  The  instal- 
lation of  this  chapter  took  place  on  Sunday,  October  i8th.  The  following 
comprises  a  list  of  the  charter  members :  Rev.  A.  J.  Urich,  Dr.  N.  C.  Bau- 
nian,  Edward  Luken,  John  B.  Rolfes,  Bernard  Blankman,  Edward  Kroeger, 
B.  W.  Zapfe,  John  Schoetmer,  Lawrence  Duerstock,  Clem  Duerstock,  Joseph 
Duerstock,  George  Frye,  Ed  Frye,  William  Frye,  Leo  Frye,  George  Luken, 
Henry  Luken,  Louis  Luken,  Louis  Schoetmer,  Henry  Meier,  Clem  Herbert, 
Andrew  Butz,  Frank  Vaske,  Bernard  Harping,  Benjamin  Harping,  Charles 
Witkemper,  John  Witkemper,  Louis  Moorman,  Joseph  Moorman,  Jr.,  Albert 
Goldschmidt,  Louis  Moenkedick,  Joseph  Kesterman,  Joseph  Redelman, 
Edward  Feldman,  Lawrence  Ruhl,  John  Wenning. 

The  present  officers  are  Rev.  W.  J.  Urich,  chaplain;  Dr.  N.  C.  Bauman, 
president;  Ed  Luken,  first  vice-president;  John  B.  Rolfes,  second  vice-presi- 
dent; Bernard  Blankman,  recording  and  corres]:x)nding  secretary;  Edward 
Kroeger,  financial  secretary,  B.  W.  Zapfe,  treasurer;  John  Schoetmer,  cap- 
tain; Ed  Kroeger,  first  lieutenant;  Lawrence  Duerstock,  second  lieutenant; 
George  Frye,  William  Frye,  Lawrence  Ruhl,  Joseph  Duerstock,  Bernard 
Harping,  trustees.  The  present  membership  has  reached  forty-eight  and 
the  growth  of  this  chapter  has  not  reached  its  maximum. 

This  lodge  is  divided  into  a  military  and  social  body.  The  military 
body  consists  of  twenty-two  members  at  present.  The  members  dress  in 
full  uniform  on  certain  church  celebrations,  making  the  ceremonies  very 
impressive.  They  also  meet  for  drill  twice  each  month.  The  Knights  have 
rented  the  Scheidler  hall  for  their  meetings,  but  expect  to  build  a  hall  of 
their  own  in  a  short  time. 

All  sick  members  are  taken  care  of  and  the  lodge  pays  a  certain  benefit 
to  all  sick  members.  Each  member  is  assessed  five  dollars  annually,  paid  in 
quarterly  installments.  The  members  also  give  social  entertainments  and 
dances  to  help  defray  the  lodge  expenses. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SOCIAL    AND    LITERARY    CLUBS. 


GREENSBURG   DEPARTMENT    CLUB. 

The  history  of  the  Greensburg  Department  Ckib  is  unifjue.  Eight 
musical  and  literary  clubs  in  19 13  testify  to  the  interest  Greensburg  women 
have  manifested  in  the  purely  cultural  side  of  club  life.  But  their  member- 
ship was  limited  and  their  range  of  activity  narrowed  by  tradition  and  the 
avowed  purpose  of  the  organization.  There  were  many  women  outside  of 
these  circles  who  longed  for  cultural  advantages,  and  many  within  them  who 
longed  for  opportunities  for  greater  serxice  to  the  community.  It  was  this 
growing  impulse  toward  service  rather  than  any  spirit  of  restlessness  or 
discontent,  that  inspired  the  new  movement. 

It  was  especially  appropriate  that  the  Cycle,  the  pioneer  among  the 
women's  clubs  of  the  town,  should  take  the  initiative.  A  committee  from 
this  club,  of  which  Mrs.  J.  F.  Goddard  was  chairman,  visited  each  club  and 
presented  a  plan  of  organization.  Seven  of  the  clubs  voted  to  assist  in  the 
enterprise  and  delegated  their  officers  to  be  a  general  committee  to  discuss 
and  decide  the  various  questions  of  organization.  From  this  representative 
body  the  seven  presidents  were  chosen  to  serve  as  a  constitutional  committee. 
This  committee,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Thomas,  chairman;  Mrs.  W.  C.  Ehrhardt,  Mrs. 
J.  C.  Meek,  Mrs.  Web  Woodfill,  Miss  Camilla  Donnell,  Miss  Mary  Rankin 
and  Miss  Eula  Christian,  with  Mrs.  Goddard  as  an  advisory  member,  had 
the  wisdom  to  provide  for  a  growth  far  beyond  their  expectation  and  their 
work  has  been  subjected  to  but  few  minor  changes.  The  constitution  was 
accepted  by  the  general  committee  and  published.  Mrs.  Goddard.  who  had 
presided  at  all  of  the  meetings  of  the  general  committee  and  whose  interest 
and  activity  never  failed,  was  elected  president.  The  other  officers  were : 
First  vice-president,  Mrs.  D.  W.  Weaver;  second  vice-president.  Miss  Emma 
Donnell ;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Locke  Bracken :  corresponding  secretary, 
Miss  Vessie  Riley;  financial  secretary,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Ehrhardt;  treasurer.  Miss 
Ethel  Watson ;  directors.  Mrs.  Marshall  Grover,  Mrs.  C.  R.  Bird,  Mrs.  J.  K. 
Ewing,  Mrs.  George  Ewing,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Thomas,  Mrs.  O.  G.  Miller. 


330  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

In  February  and  March  of  1913  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  women, 
members  of  the  original  seven  small  clubs,  signed  the  constitution  and  became 
charter  members  of  the  Greensburg  Department  Club.  The  motto  for  the 
club  was,  "United  Progression,"  and  time  has  proved  that  it  was  well  chosen. 
For,  though  each  one  gave  up  much  that  she  valued  in  the  old  associations, 
she  did  it  cheerfully  with  a  vision  before  her  of  greater  oportunities  both  for 
herself  and  others.     The  first  regular  meeting  was  held  on  October  7,  1913. 

The  year  book  provides  for  eight  meetings  during  the  year,  two  of  a 
business  and  social  nature  and  six  which  bring  before  the  club  lecturers  and 
musicians  of  ability.  But  the  real  life  of  the  club  is  found  in  the  four 
departments,  art.  literature,  music  and  social  economics.  The  art  depart- 
ment was  formed  nearly  a  year  after  the  organization  of  the  club,  but  bravely 
began  its  career  with  an  art  exhibition  of  great  value.  The  plan  is  to  make 
this  an  annual  event  in  the  life  of  the  club  and  community.  The  members  of 
the  department  carry  on  a  study  of  the  history  and  appreciation  of  art,  with 
the  aid  of  occasional  lecturers.  The  literary  department  began  with  two 
lecture  circles,  but  the  number  of  these  popular  circles  grows  with  time.  The 
organization  of  the  evening  lecture  circle  opened  the  doors  of  the  club  to 
those  who  are  busy  during  the  day.  The  music  department  may  be  charac- 
terized as  the  most  generous,  for  it  has  opened  its  meetings  to  the  general 
club  a  number  of  times  and  its  choral  organization  adds  greatly  to  the  club 
meetings.  It  is  hoped  that  the  May  festival  may  become  a  permanent  feature 
of  the  year's  work.  In  the  social  economics  department  the  spirit  of  service 
finds  its  largest  field  of  activity.  The  three  circles,  civic,  evening  civic  circle 
and  mothers'  circle,  began  at  once  to  co-operate  in  various  civic  enterprises. 
Sanitation,  fly  extermination,  "the  city  beautiful,"  "shop  early"  campaigns, 
community  Christmas  tree,  and  "clean  up  week,"  are  a  few  of  the  activities 
which  owe  their  origin  to  this  department.  The  work  accomplished  during 
the  first  two  years  is  noteworthy,  and  a  continued  educational  campaign  will 
finally  win  the  hearty  support  of  the  whole  community.  A  domestic  science 
circle,  under  this  department,  will  be  popular  with  a  number  of  women.  An 
unusual  and  very  interesting  feature  of  the  club  is  the  auxiliary  young  peo- 
ple's department.  This  circle  follows  somewhat  the  same  line  of  work  as 
the  art  department,  thus  developing  appreciation  and  taste. 

The  Greensburg  Department  Club  has  been  fortunate  in  many  ways. 
The  unselfish  and  unsparing  devotion  of  its  first  president,  Mrs.  Goddard, 
inspired  each  member  with  something  of  her  own  spirit,  and  busy  men  and 
women  have  given  generously  of  their  time  and  strength  to  help  her.  Her 
tact  won  the  respect  and  co-operation  of  business  men  and  city  officials. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  33 1 

While  the  thought  of  an  adequate  ckib  house  has  been  in  the  mind  of  many 
from  the  first,  for  some  years  the  ckib  must  depend  upon  the  continued 
generosity  of  the  churches,  the  city  hall  and  private  homes.  An  important 
step  was  taken  when  the  club  accepted  an  invitation  to  join  the  Indiana 
Federation  of  Clubs,  for  in  that  organization  it  can  both  give  and  receive 
inspiration.  The  membership  at  the  end  of  two  years  was  three  times  that 
of  the  charter  enrollment.  Such  an  enthusiastic  beginning  is  seldom  the 
fortune  of  new  enterprises,  but  the  hearty  interest  of  each  memlier  will 
continue  its  inspiration  through  many  years  of  influential  acti\-ity. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  Greensburg  Department  Club  for  191 5  was  held 
on  J\Iav  4,  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  room.  In  order  that  future 
generations  of  the  city  may  know  what  their  good  forefathers  did  on  this 
night,  the  full  report  of  this  meeting  is  here  given  as  it  appeared  in  the 
Greensburg  Daily  Revicic  of  May  5,  191 5: 

"This  being  the  annual  business  meeting,  reports  of  the  officers  and 
chairmen  of  the  various  committees  were  heard  and  accepted.  Two  new 
members,  ]\Irs.  Ijert  Askren  and  Mrs.  Dan  Linegar,  were  voted  into  the  club. 

'■]\Irs.  Goddard,  the  president,  being  ill,  the  vice-president,  Mrs.  D.  W. 
Weaver,  had  charge  of  the  meeting.  She  read  a  note  from  Mrs.  Goddard, 
who  sent  her  regrets  at  not  being  present  and  also  sent  words  of  cheer  and 
encouragement  to  the  club.  A  member  of  the  club  expressed  the  sentiments 
of  the  entire  club  in  words  of  deepest  praise  for  and  appreciation  of  the 
president.  Her  words  were  voiced  unanimously  by  the  club  members.  After 
the  lousiness,  a  short  program  followed.  Miss  Gertrude  Haas  gave  two  piano 
numbers.  A  play,  entitled  "A  Mouse  Trap,"  by  W.  D.  Howells,  was  given. 
Following  was  the  cast  of  characters :  Mr.  Willis  Campbell,  Mr.  Charles 
Ewing;  Mrs.  Somers  (widow),  Mrs.  W.  W.  Bonner;  Mrs.  Carmen,  Mrs. 
R.  R.  Hamilton ;  :\Irs.  Roberts,  Miss  Marie  Braden ;  Mrs.  Dennis,  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Reed;  Mrs.  Miller.  Miss  Ethel  Ewing;  Jane   (maid).  Miss  Florine  Sefton. 

"Each  character  acted  the  part  well,  especially  Mrs.  Somers,  the  widow, 
and  Mr.  Campbell.  The  play  afforded  much  pleasure  and  merriment  for 
those  present.  A  social  time  followed,  when  refreshments,  consisting  of  ice 
cream,  strawberries,  cake,  coffee  and  mints,  were  ser\ed.  Thus  the  second 
annual  meeting  passed,  with  business  mixed  with  much  pleasure." 

KAPPA  KAPPA   KAPPA. 

The  Omega  Chapter  of  Kappa  Kappa  Kappa  was  organized  in  Greens- 
burg in   1907,  with  Mary  Littell  Tremain,  Lela  Robbins   Christian,   Helen 


332 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


Baker  Lumbers,  Ruth  Bonner  Meek,  Mary  Isgrigg  Hamilton  and  Anna  Bird 
Thomas  as  charter  members.  The  first  officers  of  the  chapter  were  Ruth 
Bonner  Meek,  president;  Mary  Littell  Tremain,  vice-president;  Lela  Robbins 
Christian,  recording  secretary;  Mary  Isgrigg  Hamilton,  corresponding  sec- 
retary, and  Anna  Bird  Thomas,  treasurer. 

It  is  affiliated  with  the  general  state  society  of  Kappa  Kappa  Kappa,- 
which  was  founded  at  Miss  Sewell's  School  for  Girls  in  Indianapolis  in  1904. 
Since  that  time  it  has  grown  in  numbers  so  that  now  more  than  one  thousand 
five  hundred  girls  in  the  state  of  Indiana  wear  the  skull  and  cross  keys,  the 
society  badge. 

The  object  of  the  organization  is  "to  bring  girls  into  a  close,  unselfish 
relationship,  which  shall  be  beneficial  to  themselves  as  well  as  to  others." 
Several  kinds  of  charitable  work  are  carried  on  by  the  chapter,  as  well  as  the 
general  society,  and  at  all  times  there  is  a  willing  response  to  any  appeal  for 
help.  Its  purposes  are  two-fold — charitable  and  social,  and  by  both  means 
girls  are  brought  into  the  "unselfish  relationship,''  which  is  the  object  of  the 
organization. 

This  chapter,  aside  from  assisting  the  Associated  Charities,  has  given 
aid  to  defective  children  from  poor  families;  helped  high  school  students 
with  funds  so  that  they  might  graduate;  paid  hospital  and  operation  expenses 
and  given  material  help  in  cases  where,  under  other  circumstances,  help  would 
not  have  been  accepted. 

At  present  there  is  a  membership  of  eighteen  girls,  all  of  whom  are 
active  workers.  The  officers  are:  President,  Mignum  White;  vice-president, 
Bright  Emmert ;  treasurer,  Mae  Montgomery  Harrison ;  recording  secretary, 
Ruth  White;  corresponding  secretary,  Marie  Braden. 

THE   CYCLE. 

The  Cycle  clainis  the  distinction  of  being  the  pioneer  literary  club  of 
Greensburg.  It  was  organized  on  March  5,  1891,  by  Mrs.  S.  H.  Morris,  and 
the  following  members  were  admitted  during  the  first  year  of  its  history: 
Miss  Hannah  Baker,  Miss  Sadie  Baker,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Bonner,  Mrs.  Sam 
Covert,  Mrs.  George  Dunn,  Jr.,  Mrs.  J.  K.  Ewing,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Goddard,  Miss 
Jessie  Hart,  Miss  Margaret  Lathrop,  Miss  Clara  Lambert,  Mrs.  Jessie  F. 
Moore,  Mrs.  S.  H.  Morris,  Mrs.  Milton  F.  Parsons,  Mrs.  A.  Prather,  Miss 
Vessie  Riley,  Mrs.  George  B.  Stockman,  Miss  Fannie  Wooden,  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Willoughby,  Miss  Mollie  Zoller,  Miss  Lou  Zoller,  Mrs.  Enos  Porter,  Mrs. 
R.  M.  Thomas,  Mrs.  J.  V.  Schofield. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  333 

The  first  president  was  Mrs.  S.  H.  Morris.  Its  olDJect  was  to  promote 
social  intercourse  between  unmarried  and  young  married  ladies  of  the  city 
and  for  scientific  and  literary  culture.  Membership  was  limited  to  twenty- 
five.  During  the  twenty-one  years  of  the  club's  existence  these  two  objects 
were  ever  kept  foremost.  Discovering  and  developing  much  latent  talent, 
musicians,  story  writers,  poets,  dramatic  readers  and  actors  were  secured, 
making  it  possible  to  present  many  rare  and  unique  entertainments  at  its 
frequent  open  meetings.  The  Cycle  was  always  noted  for  its  hospitality  and 
came  to  be  a  dominant  factor  in  the  social  life  of  Greensburg. 

Being  the  mother  of  literary  clubs  here,  it  always  sought  to  maintain  a 
dignity  of  purpose  and  to  set  a  good  example  to  its  numerous  offspring.  The 
club  in  every  way  fulfilled  the  mission  for  which  it  was  created,  far  exceed- 
ing the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  its  most  sanguine  founders. 

It  was  with  much  regret  that  the  organization  yielded  to  the  call  for  a 
larger  field  of  service  and  on  January  i6,  19 13,  founded  the  Department 
Club.  At  that  time  there  were  twenty-five  active  members,  sixteen  honorarv 
members,  representing  nine  states,  and  four  who  had  gone  to  their  final 
reward. 

On  March  5,  each  year,  the  Cycle  comes  together  in  reunion.  Those  who 
cannot  come  in  person  respond  by  letter. 

The  Cycle  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  a  devoted  membership  until  time  has 
so  depleted  its  ranks  that  its  useful  career  becomes  a  mere  matter  of  history. 

Presidents  of  the  organization  were :  Mrs.  S.  H.  Morris,  Miss  Hannah 
Baker,  Miss  Sadie  Baker,  Mrs.  Jessie  Moore  Serff,  :\Irs.  W.  W.  Bonner, 
Mrs.  Fannie  Wooden  Moss,  Mrs.  Mollie  Zoller  Lewis,  Mrs.  Jeessie  Hart 
Woodfill,  Mrs.  J.  K.  Ewing,  Mrs.  Sam  Covert,  Mrs.  Clara  Lambert  Miller, 
Miss  Vessie  Riley.  :Miss  Pearl  Williams,  IMrs.  J.  F.  Goodard. 

THE  mothers"  circle. 

The  Mothers'  Circle  was  organized  about  1901  by  Mrs.  Cortez  Ewing. 
It  was  first  known  as  the  Mothers'  Prayer  Circle.  Its  object  was  to  discuss 
topics  such  as  would  be  helpful  to  mothers  with  young  children.  A  few  of 
the  charter  members  were:  Mrs.  Cortez  Ewing,  Mrs.  Joe  Alexander,  Mrs. 
Alex.  Porter,  Mrs.  Oscar  Miller,  Mrs.  Dr.  E.  B.  Crowell,  Mrs.  Edward 
Hizer,  Mrs.  John  Hofer,  Mrs.  Wayne  McCoy  and  Mrs.  George  W.  Bird. 
The  meetings  were  most  informal,  not  having  any  regular  program,  but  many 
heart-to-heart  talks,  which  all  enjoyed  thoroughly  and  did  lasting  good  to 
those  who  participated  in  them.     The  meetings  were  held  once  each  month  in 


334  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  homes  of  the  different  memliers.  Every  meeting  was  opened  with 
Scripture  reading  and  sentence  prayer,  in  which  ahnost  every  member  took 
part,  also  very  dehcate  refreshments  were  served. 

In  igo6  the  circle  was  reorganized  and  a  constitution  and  by-laws  were 
adopted.  Mrs.  Rena  Gilchrist  was  elected  president,  and  Mrs.  Nellie  Bird, 
secretary.  A  program  committee  consisting  of  Mrs.  Elsi  Dunaway,  Mrs. 
Olive  Gilham  and  Mrs.  Alice  Welch,  was  also  elected.  Neat  programs  were 
prepared  and  such  subjects  as  "Family  Loyalty  to  God,"  "Books  for  Chil- 
dren," "Patriotism,"  "The  Ideal  Mother,  "  "Temperance,"  and  "Character 
Building,"  were  among  the  many  suljjects  discussed.  These  programs  were 
continued,  with  the  different  members  being  elected  to  the  different  offices 
each  year. 

In  March,  19 13,  after  much  hesitation,  the  circle  voted  to  enter  the 
Department  Club.  The  meetings  were  continued  in  much  the  same  manner, 
with  additional  members. 

The  circle  will  continue  their  meetings  in  the  same  manner  durmg  the 
year  1915-1916,  with  Mrs.  Ray  Hamilton  as  chairman,  Mrs.  Bert  Gilham, 
vice-chairman,  and  Mrs.  E.  M.  Beck,  secretary-treasurer. 

THE   PROGRESS   CLUB. 

The  Progress  Club  was  organized  on  October  2,  1863,  according  to 
its  constitution,  for  "promotion  of  intellectual  and  social  growth."  Its  first 
officers  and  other  charter  members  were:  Miss  Edith  Patten,  president; 
Miss  Delle  McLaughlin,  vice-president;  Miss  Edith  Hamilton,  secretary; 
Miss  Ethel  Bartholomew,  treasurer;  Misses  Emma  Donnell,  Terressa 
Elmore,  Clara  Robison,  Blanche  McLaughlin,  Myrta  Patton,  Bessie  Donnell, 
Hannah  Evans,  Martha  Evans,  Ida  Hollensbe,  Helen  Rankin  and  Jean  Ran- 
kin. 

The  organization  now  has  twenty-five  members  and  eleven  honorary 
members.  It  meets  regularly  on  the  second  and  fourth  Tuesdays  of  each 
month  and  the  program  is  always  an  interesting  and  important  part  of  each 
session,  although  the  social  feature  is  prominent.  The  program  is  usually 
a  part  of  some  special  course  of  study. 

Many  social  functions  are  given  by  the  club,  delightful  informal  affairs, 
although  occasionally  there  are  more  pretentious  ones.  Lasting  benefits  have 
been  derived  by  its  members  from  study  and  research  work,  and  it  has  estab- 
lished a  closer  bond  of  friendship  in  the  entire  city. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  335 

Members  are,  many  of  them,  high  school  graduates  and  have  had  the 
advantages  of  higher  education  and  travel.  The  club's  present  officers  are : 
]Miss  Cora  Donnell,  president;  Miss  Emma  Donnell,  vice-president;  Miss 
Winifred  Newhouse,  secretary,  and  Miss  Hazel  Scott,  treasurer. 

THE   woman's   club. 

The  Woman's  Club  was  organized  on  January  31,  1893,  for  "social  and 
intellectual  culture."  By  constitutional  provisions,  its  membership  was  lim- 
ited to  twenty.  Its  first  officers  weix :  Mrs.  J.  H.  Alexander,  president ;  Miss 
Julia  F.  Cooke,  vice-president;  Mrs.  R.  C.  Hamilton,  secretary,  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  Da\ison,  treasurer.  After  twenty  pleasant  and  profitable  years,  dur- 
ing which  it  maintained  a  high  standard  of  literary  work,  the  organization 
disbanded  in  191 3,  and  was  merged  into  the  Department  Club. 

THE  TOURIST    CLUB. 

In  the  early  days  of  club  life  in  Greensburg,  there  was  organized  the 
first  literary  club  for  both  ladies  and  gentlemen.  It  was  on  the  evening 
of  October  i,  1894,  at  the  home  of  Judge  F.  E.  Gavin,  that  this,  the  Tourist 
Club,  was  started.  Throughout  the  subsequent  years,  until  the  recent  merg- 
ing of  all  the  literary  clubs  of  Greensburg  into  the  great  Department  Club, 
the  Tourist  Club  was  a  live  organization  in  the  literary  circles  of  the  city. 

Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  was  the  president,  and  among  the  charter  mem- 
bers were :  Prof,  and  Mrs.  W.  P.  Shannon,  Judge  and  Mrs.  F.  E.  Gavin, 
]\Ir.  and  Airs.  D.  M.  Silberberg,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  H.  Morris,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cortez  Ewing,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Dowden,  Judge  John  D.  Miller,  Mr. 
Harry  Lathrop,  Mr.  Oscar  G.  Miller,  Miss  Martha  Miller,  Miss  Margaret 
Lathrop  and  Miss  Clara  Lambert. 

The  imaginary  journeys  of  the  club,  to  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  both 
far  and  near,  brought  both  profit  and  pleasure — profit  by  way  of  prepara- 
tion for  subsequent  real  journeys  and  pleasure,  by  way  of  promoting  the 
closer  ties  of  friendship. 

The  personnel  of  the  club  shifted  with  the  changing  years,  but  always 
composed  a  band  of  Greensburg's  most  interesting  citizens.  At  the  time 
the  club  entered  the  Department  Club,  two  years  ago,  but  two  of  the 
charter  members  still  belonged,  namely :  Oscar  G.  and  Clara  Lambert  Miller. 


336  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

THE   FORTNIGHTLY   CLUB. 

For  the  puqxjse  of  research  along  the  Hne  of  literature,  history  and 
art,  the  Fortnightly  Club  was  organized  in  1894,  with  Clara  Ardery.  Lottie 
Dickerson  Dobyns,  Jessie  Donnell  Erdmann,  Kate  Emmert,  Bertie  Mitchell 
Morgan,  Myrtle  Hollensbee  Hamilton,  Annette  Miller  Davidson,  Anna 
Monfort,  Glenn  Jklontgomery  Russell,  Clara  Russell  Mills,  Cora  Sefton 
Robliins,  Kate  Stewart,  Mary  Thomson  and  Cora  Zoller  Davidson  as 
charter  members.  The  membership  has  grown  until  at  the  present  time 
(1915)  it  includes  thirty  names.  The  names  of  Clara  Russell  Mills,  Nell 
Donnell  Erdman,  Annette  Miller  Davidson,  Bessie  Montfort  and  Kate 
Rogers  Crawford,  who  have  departed  from  this  world,  are  held  in  sacred 
remembrance  by  the  club  members.  For  the  last  four  years,  Mrs.  Demarchus 
Brown,  of  Indianapolis,  has  lectured  before  the  club,  \\nien  the  Depart- 
ment Club  was  organized  in  1913,  the  individual  members  of  the  Fortnightly 
Club  entered  that  organization  and  the  literary  work  of  the  later  organiza- 
tion was  dropped.  Since  that  time  it  has  existed  simply  as  a  social  club. 
The  officers  for  1915  were:  Mrs.  Harry  Mount,  president;  Mrs.  J.  C.  Alex- 
ander, vice-president;  Mrs.  Van  W'oodfill,  secretary,  and  Kate  Stewart, 
treasurer. 

THE    RESEARCH    CLUB. 

On  the  23rd  of  February,  1909.  at  the  home  of  the  late  ]\Irs.  Nettie 
Sampson  Dils,  was  formed  the  Research  Club.  The  purpose  of  the  club, 
as  set  forth  in  its  constitution,  was  intellectual  and  social  growth.  With 
this  ever  in  mind,  its  programs  and  meetings  were  rich  in  value  and  interest. 
Mrs.  Dils  was  the  inspiring  genius  of  the  little  group  and  her  memory  is 
held  by  the  memljers  of  the  club  with  tender  reverence.  Throughout  the 
organization  she  was  tiie  gentle  censor  that  molded  its  purpose.  As  a 
tribute  to  the  honor  and  esteem  in  which  she  was  held,  she  was  chosen  its 
first  president.  To  aid  her,  Mrs.  Ella  Long  Doles  was  chosen  vice-presi- 
dent; Mrs.  Ada  Richardson  Porter,  corresponding  secretary;  Mrs.  Minnie 
Ketchum  Porter,  recording  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Ella  Hittle  Christian,  treas- 
urer. A  membership  committee,  of  Mrs.  Ollie  Dickey  Gilham,  Mrs.  Ada 
Richardson  Porter  and  Mrs.  Nelle  McKee  Kercheval,  and  a  program  com- 
mittee, of  Mrs.  Ollie  Rogers  Donnell,  Mrs.  Nettie  Sampson  Dils,  Mrs.  Ella 
Long  Doles,  Mrs.  Ada  Richardson  Porter  and  Mrs.  Ella  Hittle  Christian, 
were  appointed.     The  list  of  original   members   included  Terressa  Ardery, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2)2l7 

Mary  Ardery,  Annie  Rouse  Bird,  Ella  Hittle  Christian,  Eula  Christian,  Net- 
tie Sampson  Dils,  Ella  Long  Doles,  Ollie  Rogers  Donnell,  Ruby  Doyle 
Eward,  Ollie  Dickey  Gilham,  Nelle  Drake  Hazelrigg,  Maude  Kitchin  John- 
ston, Rose  JMoffett  Kessing,  Nelle  McKee  Kercheval,  Fannie  Wood  Nord- 
meyer,  Ada  Richardson  Porter,  Minnie  Ketchum  Porter,  Edith  Patton, 
Katie  Sefton  Robbins,  Grace  VanBuskirk,  Delia  Mount  Wooden  and  Mary 
Wood  Weaver.  The  club  held  thirteen  very  instructive  meetings  at  the 
homes  of  its  members  during  the  first  year  of  its  existence. 

During  the  second  year,  from  September,  1910,  to  ^lay,  1911,  Edith 
Patton  acted  as  president,  with  Mary  Ardery  as  vice-president,  Mrs.  Rose 
Mofifet  Kessing  as  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Olive  Dickey  Gilham  as 
recording  secretary'  and  Mrs.  Maude  Kitchin  Johnston  as  treasurer.  This 
year's  membership  list  included  the  name  of  Mary  Snodgrass  Wallingford. 

The  next  year  saw  Anna  Albrecht  Meek,  Eleanor  Eich  Lowe,  Sallie 
Wright  Weaver  and  Pearl  Kitchin  WoodfiU  as  new  members,  and  the  fol- 
lowing officers  served :  Mrs.  Annie  Rouse  Bird,  president ;  Mrs.  Mary  Wood 
Weaver,  vice-president:  Mrs.  Fannie  \\'ood  Xordmeyer,  corresponding 
secretary:  ]\Irs.  Ruby  Doyle  Eward,  recording  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Nell 
Drake  Hazelrigg,  treasurer. 

The  year  1912-1913.  saw  the  last  of  the  Research  Club  as  an  independ- 
ent organization,  as  about  that  time  it  was  incorporated  into  the  Depart- 
ment Club.  Mrs.  Ada  Richardson  Porter  was  president  this  last  year,  and 
Mrs.  Terressa  Lowe  Ardery,  vice-president;  Mrs.  Delia  Mount  Wooden,  cor- 
responding secretary;  Eula  Christian,  recording  secretary,  and  ]\Irs.  Nona 
Eich  Lowe,  treasurer.  This  year's  membership  shows  the  new  name  of 
Louise  Fogel  Baker. 

THE    LITERARY    CLUB    OF    I914. 

The  Ladies'  Literary  Club  of  1914  was  organized,  as  the  name  indicates, 
in  the  year  19 14.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  on  February  20,  at  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Clara  Talbott.  In  the  beginning  the  club  consisted  of  eighteen  mem- 
bers, with  Mrs.  Ella  Christian,  president:  ]\Irs.  Sarah  ^^'ooden  and  Mrs. 
Maggie  Woodfill,  vice-presidents;  Mrs.  Maiy  Stegmaier,  secretary:  }*Irs. 
Mattie  Rucker.  treasurer,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Bracken,  sponsor.  The  purpose 
of  the  club  was  to  promote  a  love  of  knowledge,  the  first  motto  being,  "The 
love  of  knowledge  cometh  with  reading  and  grows  upon  us."  The  pro- 
grams were  of  a  miscellaneous  character  and  broadening  in  their  effect.  One 
(22) 


338  DECATUR    COUXTY,    INDIANA. 

of  the  strong  features  of  tlie  club's  work  is  its  social  life.  The  love  among 
the  members  was  of  the  Jonathan  and  David  type  and  when  an  invitation 
came  to  become  a  member  of  the  Department  Club — to  amalgamate  with  the 
other  clubs  of  the  city  and  thereby  lose  its  identity — the  Club  of  1914  pro- 
tested. The  old  ties  could  not  be  broken.  And  when  at  last  it  submitted 
to  the  inevitable,  a  unanimous  vote  was  cast  for  a  semi-annual  meetings  of 
the  members,  that  the  social  life  might  never"  die,  and  so  in  spirit  it  lives 
on.  Of  the  original  members,  those  holding  membership  to  the  last  were: 
Mrs.  Nellie  Donnell,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Lambert,  Mrs.  Fannie  Nordmeir,  Mrs.  Anna 
Pleak,  Mrs.  Mattie  Rucker,  Mrs.  Sarah  Wooden  and  Mrs.  Maggie  Wood- 
f^ll. 

THE   MARRIED  LADIES"   MUSIC  ALE. 

The  first  musical  club  of  Greensburg  was  known  as  the  ^Married  Ladies' 
Musicale,  and  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1889,  with  about  twenty  mem- 
bers. Recognizing  the  need  of  some  plan  to  preserve  the  musical  talent  of 
the  busy  home-makers  of  Greensburg,  Mrs.  Milton  F.  Parsons  in\-ited  a 
number  of  musical  ladies  to  her  home,  and  suggested  the  plan  and  line  of 
work  which  she  thought  would  prove  helpful,  not  only  to  the  individual 
members,  but,  by  elevating  the  musical  taste  of  the  public,  to  the  city  as 
well.  The  idea  was  enthusiastically  receixed,  and  an  organization  at  once 
effected. 

Mrs.  Parsons  was  made  the  first  president.  Under  her  eflicient  leader- 
ship, the  work  was  so  w^ell  launched,  that  the  membership  and  interest  in- 
creased from  year  to  year. 

The  Married  Ladies'  INIusicale  gave  many  concerts  in  Greensburg,  and 
furnished  the  music  for  many  public  occasions,  one  of  the  greatest  being  the 
dedicatory  service  of  the  Odd  Fellows  home. 

Those  who  served  as  presiding  officers  were  Mrs.  IMilton  F.  Parsons, 
Mrs.  J.  K.  Ewing,  :\Irs.  Jessie  Moore,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Bonner,  Mrs.  J. 
Bracken,  Mrs.  R.  W.  Montgomery.  Mrs.  David  Silverberg,  Mrs.  \V.  C. 
Woodfill,  Mrs.  Frank  Bennett,  Mrs.  Curtis  Kendall,  Mrs.  Charles  Stegmier, 
Mrs.  Frank  Batterton,  Mrs.  Seth  Donnell,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Thomas  and  Mrs. 
Cassius  Hamilton,  who  was  the  last  presiding  officer.  In  191 3  this  organ- 
ization disbanded  to  become  a  part  of  the  Department  Club. 

THE    CECILIANS. 

During  the  winter  of  1897,  Prof.  Charles  Hansen,  of  Indianapolis,  was 
instructing  a  class  in  pipe  organ  in  Greensburg,  and  to  him  some  young  ladies 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  339 

expressed  the  desire  for  a  musical  club.  He  heartily  approved  the  desire, 
offered  his  aid  to  the  purpose,  and  on  February  i8,  1897,  met  with  a  num- 
ber of  young  ladies  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  club  to  study  the  masters  and  their  works.  After  much  discussion,  the 
club  was  organized,  bearing  the  name,  The  Cecilian.  The  officers  chosen 
were :  President,  Stella  Murphy ;  vice-president,  Pearl  A.  Williams ;  treasurer, 
Nona  Eich;  assistant  treasurer,  Cora  Zoller,  and  secretary,  Riena  Stevens. 
The  Misses  Delia  Mount,  Ina  Cox  and  Bertie  Hitchell  were  appointed  to 
draft  a  constitution  and  set  of  lay-laws.  The  decision  was  reached  to  have 
miscellaneous  programs,  alternating  with  programs  given  to  the  study  of 
some  composer  and  his  work. 

The  first  regular  meeting  was  held  with  ]\Iiss  Cora  Zoller,  on  March 
4,  1897,  Professor  Hansen  having  charge  of  the  program.  He  gave  a  lec- 
ture on  the  development  of  music,  with  illustrations  on  the  piano,  using  the 
familiar  air  of  "Johnny  Smoker,"  playing  it  in  the  styles  peculiar  to  Bach, 
Handel,  Mozart,  Haydn,  Beethoven  and  Schumann. 

For  a  time  no  organization  better  fulfilled  its  purpose.  The  work 
accomplished  was  a  delight  to  both  performers  and  listeners.  The  chorus 
work,  under  Miss  Claribel  Winchester,  is  indelibly  stamped  on  the  memories 
of  the  members.  For  several  seasons  meetings  were  held  in  the  auditorium 
of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  with  associate  members  as  audi- 
ences. Guest  day  recitals  were  eagerly  looked  forward  to  by  all  the  lovers 
of  music  in  the  community.  Profitable  courses  of  study  were  included  in 
the  work  of  the  organization  as  well  as  bringing  artists  to  the  city  as  an 
inspiration  to  higher  music  culture.  The  Cecilians  put  forth  many  efforts 
for  music  advancement  in  the  county,  one  of  which  was  the  editing  a  news- 
paper column  under  the  heading  "Music  Notes." 

The  last  officers  serving  the  organization  were :  Eula  Christian,  presi- 
dent; Ethel  Watson,  vice-president;  Mrs.  D.  A.  Meyers,  secretary;  Pearl  A. 
Williams,  corresponding  secretary,  and  Worth  Stewart,  treasurer.  The  last 
membership  enrollment  contained  the  names  of  Vivian  Baylor,  Mrs.  P.  C. 
Bentle,  Eula  Christian.  Mrs.  Earl  Crooks,  Mrs.  George  Diewart,  Emma 
Donnell,  Mrs.  Guy  Guthrie,  Kate  Haas,  Alice  Haas,  Clara  Hamilton,  Mrs. 
Earl  Hite,  Emma  Hitchell,  Vina  Knowles,  Mrs.  Walter  Kirby,  Ruth  Kam- 
merling,  Mrs.  Arthur  Lowe,  Stella  Murphy,  Mrs.  Bart  McLaughlin,  Mrs. 
D.  A.  Myers,  A^Iayme  O'Hare,  Nellie  Rigby,  Stella  Stagg,  Florine  Meek, 
Mrs.  Bert  Morgan,  Emma  Stout,  Marguerite  Shannon,  Worth  Stewart, 
Mrs.  Paul  Tindall,  Pearl  A.  Williams,  Ethel  Watson,  Mrs.  E.  E.  W^ooden, 
Mabel  Welsh,  Mrs.  Robert  Woodfill,  Louise  Ehlers  and  Mrs.  Edward  Owens. 


340  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  names  of  the  deceased  members,  Ohve  Smyth,  Mrs.  Roxy  Thoniburg 
Eward  and  Mrs.  Adahne  Zoller  Ansted,  will  ever  be  held  in  remembrance. 

The  Cecilians,  realizing  the  value  of  the  Department  Club,  became 
ardent  promoters,  and  today  many  of  its  members  are  enrolled  in  the  music 
study  circle. 

THE    ATHENAEUM. 

The  Athenaeum,  a  literary  society  organized  in  the  spring  of  1912,  was 
founded  by  a  group  of  men,  all  then  in  Greensburg,  who  were  interested 
generally  in  literature,  and  was  designed  for  more  serious  work  in  research 
and  writing.  It  held  some  important  meetings  before  some  of  its  members 
removed  from  Greensburg,  at  which  some .  work  of  permanent  value  was 
produced.  The  society  was  limited  in  membership  to  ten  men,  as  follow: 
B.  F.  Bennett,  C.  W.  Bare,  Dr.  Charles  R.  Bird,  John  F.  Goddard,  E.  L. 
Grover,  Lewis  A.  Harding,  E.  C.  Jerman.  John  W.  Rhodes.  F.  D.  Townsley 
and  Dr.  D.  W.  Weaver. 

The  society  maintained  its  activities  for  one  good  year,  191 2-19 13,  and 
during  that  time  the  following  men  served  as  its  officers :  D.  W.  Weaver, 
president;  E.  C.  Jerman,  vice-president;  and  John  W.  Rhodes,  secretary- 
treasurer.  The  following  program  of  work  was  presented  by  the  society  to 
the  membership  and  invited  guests  during  the  year:  "The  Preliminary 
Diplomacy  of  the  Spanish- American  War,"  Lewis  A.  Harding;  "Child  Philo- 
sophy," Prof.  C.  W.  Bare;  "Medicine  in  Shakespeare,"  Dr.  Charles  R.  Bird; 
"The  Ivinetick  Theory  of  Matter,"  Prof.  F.  D.  Townsley;  "The  Lawyer's 
Literpretation  of  'The  Merchant  of  Venice',"  John  F.  Goddard ;  "Right 
Thinking."  Dr.  D.  W.  Weaver;  "Plant  Breeding — Mendel's  Law  and  Appli- 
cation," Prof.  E.  L.  Grover;  "The  Dynamic  Force  of  Human  Development," 
Prof.  E.  C.  Jerman ;  "The  Short  Story,"  John  W.  Rhodes ;  "The  Jury  Sys- 
tem," B.  F.  Bennett. 

This  society  represented  perhaps  the  most  serious  effort  at  research 
and  writing  ever  attempted  in  an  organized  way  by  a  literary  organization  at 
Greensburg.  The  members  tackled  big  subjects.  Of  Mr.  Harding's  work 
on  "The  Preliminary  Diplomacy  of  the  Spanish-American  War,"  Dr.  Amos 
Hershey,  professor  of  political  science  and  international  law  in  Indiana  Uni- 
versity, says  "it  will  be  of  interest  and  value  to  students  of  American  his- 
tory." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


THE     MEDICAL     PROFESSION. 


There  have  been  phj'sicians  in  Decatur  county  from  its  earHest  organ- 
ization, and  in  the  ninety-three  years  which  have  elapsed  since  its  creation 
there  have  been  hundreds  of  physicians  who  have  practiced  in  the  county 
for  varying  lengths  of  time.  Few  of  the  early  doctors  had  college  train- 
ing, but  they  seem  to  have  successfully  combated  the  "fever  an'  ager"  and 
such  complaints  as  were  common  among  the  pioneers.  The  old-time  doctor 
was  a  man  of  wonderful  versatility.  He  could  bring  the  new-born  child  into 
the  world,  christen  the  babe  or  comfort  the  mother  if  the  child  failed  to  live. 
He  could  formulate  a  will  or  dictate  a  codicil  and,  in  a  case  of  necessity, 
could  act  as  a  lawyer  for  his  ]3atients.  His  medicines  were  largely  manu- 
factured by  himself  from  medicinal  plants  which  he  gathered  in  the  neigh- 
boring woods.  These  home-made  remedies,  together  with  c[uinine  and  calo- 
mel, constituted  practically  the  extent  of  the  pioneer  doctor's  supply  of 
remedial  agents. 

It  is  not  certain  who  was  the  first  physician  in  Decatur  county,  but  it 
is  know  that  Mrs.  Justus  Rich  practiced  medicine  in  Greensburg  as  early  as 
182 1  or  1822.  Other  early  physicians  were  Conduit,  Gillespie,  Hartley,  Teal, 
Lyman  and  Stubinger.  These  were  followed  by  Drs.  Joshua  Poole,  John 
Richey,  Frederick  Fogg  and  Abram  Carter,  these  four  coming  at  various 
periods  between  1835  and  1840.  Doctor  Carter  had  practiced  in  Clinton 
township  for  several  years  previous  to  this. 

About  1840,  Dr.  William  Armington,  a  native  of  Saratoga  county,  New 
York,  located  in  Greensburg,  after  having  practiced  for  a  short  time  in 
Switzerland  county,  Indiana.  He  was  probably  the  leading  physician  of  the 
county  until  the  time  of  his  death,  February  24,  1862.  Another  able  phy- 
sician who  settled  here  about  the  same  time  as  did  Dr.  Armington  was  Dr. 
John  W.  Moody,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  practiced  in  the  county  until 
his  death  in  1867.  There  was  perhaps  no  more  popular  physician  in  the 
county  than  Doctor  Moody,  and  in  the  treatment  of  acute  diseases  he  made 
a  reputation  which  was  not  confined  to  the  county.  Other  physicians  set- 
tling in  Greensburg  before  the  Civil  War  were  Drs.   George  W.   New,  E. 


342  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

B.  Swem,  Newberry  \\'lieeldon  and  John  Wheeldon.  Doctor  Strong  is  said 
to  have  been  tlie  first  physician  at  Clarksburg,  although  Doctor  Gillespie, 
who  later  moved  to  Greensburg,  was  the  first  physician  in  Fugit  township. 
Other  early  physicians  of  Fugit  township  were  Doctors  Wiley,  Weed, 
Hughes  and  Hopkins. 

According  to  the  1882  atlas,  there  had  been  or  were  practicing  at  that 
time  in  the  various  townships  of  the  county  the  following  physicians :  Adams 
township,  Drs.  Ritchey,  R.  J.  Depew,  U.  G.  Reeves,  \Y.  H.  Webb,  Floyd 
Connett,  Lewis,  Cook,  Armstrong,  Underwood,  Shipman  and  Howard; 
Clay  township,  Drs.  W.  E.  Crawford,  Lewis  McAllister,  John  Ritchey,  St. 
John,  Hawk,  James  O'Byrne,  William  A.  and  Joseph  Ardery,  A.  L.  Under- 
wood, George  F.  Chittenden,  J.  W.  Martin,  John  Craig,  J.  L.  Wooden,  E. 
W.  Leech,  U.  G.  Reeves,  J.  H.  Alexander  and  George  S.  Crawford;  Fugit 
township,  Drs.  Nathaniel  Lewis,  S.  C.  Foster,  Robert  H.  Crawford,  Bell  & 
Roberts,  Burk,  Cain,  Thomas  Johnson  and  J.  L.  Smith  (other  practicing 
physicians  of  Fugit  township  have  been  previously  mentioned)  :  Jackson 
township,  Drs.  William  and  D.  B.  Davis,  S.  W.  Ryker,  Austin  Marlow, 
William  Hanna,  N.  E.  Charlton,  D.  Owens,  J.  W.  Allison,  William  F.  and 
J.  H.  S.  Reiley  and  Biddinger;  Sand  Creek  township,  Drs.  Schultz,  Conwell, 
McCullough,  Pottinger,  Sparks,  Van  Horn,  J.  P.  Burroughs,  William 
Hause,  Michael  Daily  and  J.  V.  Schofield  (two  of  these  physicians.  Bur- 
roughs and  Hause,  were  surgeons  in  the  Civil  War)  ;  Marion  township,  Drs. 
Lutz,  S.  B.  Hitt,  Hammond,  Frank  Daily  and  Reamy ;  Salt  Creek  township, 
Drs.  Pennington,  Price,  Pye,  McConnell,  Floyd  and  Dowden ;  Washington 
township,  Drs.  J.  L.  Armington,  George  Armington,  William  Bracken,  L. 

C.  Bunker,  J.  L.  and  W.  H.  Wooden,  M.  G.  Falconlserry.  J.  Y.  and  S.  B. 
Hitt,  C.  A.  Covert,  J.  C.  Humphries,  J.  W.  Craig,  Samuel  Maguire,  S.  V. 
Wright,  Samuel  Cook,  A.  A.  Armington,  J.  C.  French,  R.  D.  Homsher, 
John  H.  Bobbitt  and  D.  L.  Scobey.  Presumably  all  these  practiced  in 
Greensburg. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1885  provided  for  the  registration  in  each 
county  of  all  the  physicians  practicing  therein,  and  the  subsequent  list  exhibits 
the  names  of  all  the  physicians  registered  in  Decatur  county  since  that  year. 
The  lengthy  list  of  i8'85  gives  not  only  those  who  were  admitted  to  practice 
that  year,  but  also  all  those  who  had  been  practicing  previously  to  that  year. 

1885 — Frank  H.  Snedeker,  Thomas  Johnson,  John  H.  Bobbitt,  George  E. 
Clark,  G.  Tassfeld  Ruby,  John  W.  Parker,  Samuel  V.  Wright,  George  S. 
Crawford,  William  Bracken,  Cornelius  Cain,  John  H.  Alexander,  C.  M. 
Beall,  John  L.  Smith,  Mordecia  B.  Mobly,  A.  A.  Armington,  J.  Y.  Hitt,  John 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  343 

L.  Wooden,  Alphanso  Armstrong,  Francis  M.  Howard,  J.  W.  Howard, 
William  H.  Wooden,  S.  B.  Hitt,  Benjamin  S.  White,  Samuel  Maguire,  Eli 
Pennington,  L.  C.  Bunker,  J.  W.  Selman,  Daniel  L.  Scobey,  William  F. 
Reiley,  J.  H.  S.  Reiley,  D.  J.  Ballard,  Alfred  S.  Remy,  W.  A.  McCoy,  Mil- 
ford  G.  Falconbury,  R.  M.  Thomas,  Londa  W.  D.  Jerman,  Minton  C.  Vest, 
J.  V.  Schofield,  F.  M.  Daily."  E.  B.  Swem,  J.  H.  Leatherman,  William  Hause, 
Richard  J.  Depew,  J-  B.  Kirkpatrick,  J.  B.  Bracken,  Erastus  E.  Eads,  Bart 
Fitzpatrick,  James  T.  Burroughs,  Samuel  Pagin,  Thomas  J.  Clark,  Cornelius 

A.  Covert,  Austin  Marlow,  George  W.  Godfrey,  Conrad  Hauser,  S.  W. 
Biddinger,  W^esley  Goff. 

1886— James  L.  Tevis.  W.  H.  Webb,  ^^'illiam  G.  Butler,  Robert  D. 
Homsher,  T.  E.  F.  Miller,  John  C.  Hicks,  James  S.  Shields,  Berry  Painter, 
Lewis  C.  McFatridge. 

1887— Alvin  L.  Bailey.  W.  S.  Tingley.  John  F.  Rodgers,  Samuel  C. 
Thomas,  Simeon  Stapp.  J.  K.  Smalley.  A.  Smithworth,  Thomas  B.  Gullefer, 

B.  AI.  \Miite,  I.  B.  Hettinger. 

1888 — Sam  H.  Riley,  James  ^Monroe  Woods.  ]\Iyron  FI.  Williams,  John 
M.  Tobias,  Hiram  B.  Wray. 

1889 — Alva  M.  Kirkpatrick,  E.  ^^'.  Leech.  Frank  H.  Rorick.  Orion  K. 
Thomson.  E.  W.  Leech,  Frank  H.  Rorick.  W.  O.  Coffee.  Amos  W.  Dowden, 
Samuel  Salisbury. 

1890 — Dr.  E.  J.  Price.  Charles  H.  Bogmann,  L.  P.  Walter.  Fernando 
A.  Grant. 

189 1 — John  ^^'immer,  Henry  Johnston. 

1892 — James  R.  Jacks. 

1893 — Mary  Hobbs  Iredals,  Sanford  E.  Givan.  Mrs.  Carrie  Branden- 
burg, Charles  Westley  Brandenburg. 

1894 — Condie  Butler  Beck. 

1895— Eden  T.  Riley,  Charles  Gilchrist,  Elton  Baker  Crowell. 

1896 — Isaac  Dunn,  Frank  E.  Auten,  D.  W.  Weaver,  L-a  ^\'itten  San- 
ders, Charles  B.  Jeffers,  George  McDonnell  Ober. 

1897 — Charles  Leslie  Howard.  Daniel  J.  Ballard.  \\"illiam  Bracken, 
John  H.  Alexander,  John  H.  Bobbitt,  L.  W.  D.  Jerman,  T.  B.  Gullifer,  R. 
M.  Thomas,  D.  W.  Weaver,  Eden  T.  Riley,  L.  E.  Bunker,  S.  E.  Givan, 
Thomas  Johnson,  Henry  Johnson,  W^illiam  Hause,  John  'SI.  Tobias,  J.  V. 
Schofield,  L  M.  Sanders,  J.  M.  Wood,  C.  A.  Covert.  Samuel  Wright,  Myron 
H.  Williams,  B.  S.  White.  J.  Y.  Hitt,  E.  B.  Crowell,  C.  M.  Beall,  John  W. 
Parker,  Milton  C.  Vest,  C.  L.  Howard,  J.  H.  D.  Lorimor,  W.  H.  Web,  T. 
E.  F.  Miller,  Thomas  J.  Clark,  G.  S.  Crawford,  Wm.  H.  Wooden,  Condie 


344  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

B.  Beck,  John  L.  Smith,  S.  B.  Hitt,  Francis  M.  Daily,  J.  H.  S.  Riley,  George 
E.  Denny,  F.  M.  Howard.  J.  W.  Howard,  G.  D.  Dorremus,  I.  T.  Burroughs, 
J.  M.  Boyer,  Oliver  F.  Welsh,  C.  B.  Grover. 

1898— A.  B.  Morris,  Harriet  C.  D.  Wilson,  \\'illiam  L.  Wilson,  William 
Warner,  Clarence  Fay  Kercheval,  O.  K.  Thomson. 

1899— R.  T.  Gephart,  T.  A.  Welch,  William  J.  Hatfield. 

1900 — J.  B.   Crisler,  Loren  A.  Hyde. 

igoi— Ezra  H.  Pleak,  W.  E.  Thomas,  Harry  N.  Oldham,  John  Robert 
Love,  M.   A.  Tremain. 

1902 — Charles  W.  Pagel,  George  jNIcOber,  J.  B.  Kinsinger,  Leroy  M. 
Comyer,  Jesse  W.  Rucker. 

1903 — Herman  Essex,  Hiram  !M.  Johnson,  \\'arren  D.  Scott,  William 
Edgar  Thomas. 

1904 — John  Curtis  Hill,  Charles  Lafayette  Williams,  Clement  L. 
Canada,  H.  E.  Wilcox,  Charles  W.  Pagel,  J.  W.  Shrout,  Clyde  C.  Morrison. 

1905 — John  Francis  Duckworth. 

1905 — Harry  Gilbert  Fleming,  E.  K.  Westhafter,  John  \\'.  Bell,  Curtis 
Bland. 

1906— Thomas  J.  Martin,  P.  C.  Bentle,  Charles  R.  Bird. 

1907 — William  B.  McKinstry,  Jacob  C.  Glass,  Charles  Wood,  John 
Curtis  Hill,  Harley  S.  McKee,  H.  E.  Wilcox,  John  Q.  Garver. 

1908 — Edward  A.  Porter,  Charles  H.  Weaver,  Clarence  W.  Mullikin, 
William  G.  French,  John  H.  S.  Riley. 

1909 — Nicholas  C.  Bauman,  Charles  D.  Allison,  Andrew  Robison,  J. 
E.  Curtis,  C.  S.  Bolender. 

19 10 — Carl  D.  Jewett,  John  H.  S.  Riley. 

1911 — Charles  W.  Pagel,  Clyde  C.  Morrison,  Prosser  E.  Clark. 

1912 — Dilber  E.  Douglas,  Paul  R.  Tindall,  Carl  Y.  Carlewysbeane, 
Cecil  G.  Harrod. 

191 3 — George  J.  Martz,  Gewase  C.  Flick. 

19 1 4 — William  R.  Turner. 

191 5 — Joseph  Coomes,  Louis  D.  Robertson. 

The  editor  of  this  volume  has  been  very  fortunate  in  securing  the  services 
of  Dr.  John  FI.  Alexander,  one  of  the  oldest  physicians  of  Decatur  county,  to 
write  brief  sketches  of  the  most  prominent  deceased  physicians  of  the  county. 
For  the  sake  of  reference  they  are  arranged  in  alphabetical  order: 


DliCATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  345 


IIYSICIANS  OF  DECATUR  COUNTY. 
By  J.  H.   Alexander,  M.   D. 


Dr.  Joseph  C.  Ardery  was  born  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  in  1825,  and 
died,  from  a  congestive  chill,  in  Hartsville,  in  1854.  He  was  one  of  the  four 
delegates  from  Decatur  county  to  the  convention  that  met  in  Indianapolis, 
June  6,  1849,  to  organize  a  state  medical  society.  He  probably  was  a  member 
of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society,  organized  January  25,  1847,  two 
years  before  the  state  society  was  organized.  His  postofifice  was  Milford  until 
a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  must  have  been  a  very  popular  physician, 
as  he  was  often  referred  to  and  quoted  by  his  former  patrons  in  Clay  town- 
ship fifty  years  after  his  death.     He  died  before  he  reached  his  thirtieth  year. 

Dr.  William  Ardery,  whose  name  is  among  the  members  of  the  medical 
society  organized  on  January  25,  1847,  in  Decatur  county,  resided  on  a  farm 
northeast  of  Greensburg. 

Dr.  John  L.  Armington,  younger  brother  of  Dr.  William  Armington, 
came  from  Switzerland  county,  Indiana,  to  Greensburg  in  1841  or  1842.  He 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother  and  practiced  in  this  county  fourteen 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society,  also  a  dele-' 
gate  to  the  convention  held  at  Indianapolis,  on  June  6,  1849,  to  organize  a 
state  medical  society — the  State  Medical  Association.  Drs.  Joseph  C.  Ardery, 
John  W.  Moody  and  George  W.  New  were  also  delegates  from  Decatur' 
county.     Doctor  Armington  removed  from  this  county  prior  to  1858. 

Dr.  William  Armington  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  in 
1808,  and  died  on  Februarj^  24,  1862.  He  came  to  Switzerland  county,  Indi- 
ana, in  1829,  and  practiced  there  until  in  1840.  he  removed  to  Decatur  county, 
where  he  continued  in  practice  until  shortly  before  his  death.  He  was  a  very 
successful  physician.  In  politics,  he  was  a  Democrat.  Probably  he  was  not 
a  member  of  any  church,  though  possibly  a  Methodist.  He  was  a  moral  and 
exemplarj^  man :  a  good  citizen ;  neat  in  apparel :  liked  to  talk  medicine  and 
was  always  instructive  and  entertaining.  His  advice  to  one  doctor  was, 
"When  you  don't  know  what  to  do,  give  calomel."  He  surely  was  a  calomel 
doctor.  He  believed  in  blood-letting,  as  was  common  at  that  time  in  cer- 
tain conditions.  He  was  a  safe  and  discreet  consultant.  Doctor  Arming- 
ton's  name  is  among  the  members  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society, 
organized  on  January  25,  1847.  He  was  a  member  of  Greensburg  Lodge 
No.  36,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

In  an  obituary  in  the  Decatur  Republican,  published  in  Greensburg,  we 
find  the  following  tribute  from  his  lodge : 


346  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"His  labors  have  been  indefatigable,  and  success,  corresponding,  his 
skill  and  knowledge  are  known  and  acknowledged  by  all.  To  relie\e  suffer- 
ing has  Ijeen  the  leading  object  of  his  life.  Where\-er  the  sufferer  was  he 
was  ever  ready  to  go,  whether  among  the  rich  or  poor,  among  the  noble  or 
ignoble.  A  man  of  mark — in  whatever  department  he  acted  with  his  fellow- 
man — he  was  made  for  a  ruler.  His  own  clear  intellect  and  varied  attain- 
ments rendered  him  prominent  in  the  community.  Unpretending,  yet  com- 
manding, such  position  was  never  sought,  but  always  attained.  But  while 
yet  in  the  midst  of  usefulness  to  his  family  and  community,  he  has  been 
removed  by  death,  and  the  living  have  a  legacy  in  his  character  and  dis- 
charge a  last  duty  to  him  by  conveying  his  body  to  that  narrow  house  to 
which  all  the  living  are  hastening;  therefore, 

"Resolved,   That,  as  a  lodge,   we  attend   the    funeral   of   our  deceased 
brother,  to  testify  our  high  esteem  for  him  as  a  man  and  a  ]\Iason,  and  to 
assure  those  of  his  immediate  family  that  they  have  our  heart-felt  sympathy. 
"Resolved,  That  in  the  character  of  our  deceased  brother  we  recognize 
the   accomplished   physician,    the    intelligent   and    honorable   gentleman,    the 
devoted  husband  and  father,  as  well  as  a  much  esteemed  and  consistent  man. 
"B.  W.  Wilson, 
"J.   B.   Lathrop, 
"P.  EWING, 

"Committee. 
"George  M.  Collins,  Secretary." 

His  remains  rest  in  South  Park  Cemetery,  beside  his  two  wives,  se\eral 
sons  and  other  members  of  his  family. 

Sam  C.  Bartholomew  was  a  member  of  the  Decatur  County  Aledical 
Society,  organized  on  January  25,  1847,  but  no  other  history  of  him  can 
be  found. 

Dr.  William  Bracken,  a  noted  physician  and  esteemed  resident  of  Greens- 
burg  since  1862,  was  born  near  Valley  Junction,  Dearborn  county,  Indiana, 
May  26,  1817.  His  parents,  Thomas  and  Matilda  (Coen)  Bracken,  removed 
with  their  family  to  Rush  county,  Indiana,  in  182 1.  In  1834,  when  only 
seventeen  years  old,  young  Bracken  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Drs. 
H.  C.  Sexton  and  W.  H.  Martin,  in  Rushville.  Being  a  persistent  student 
and  eager  for  knowledge,  his  acquirements  soon  gave  him  claim  to  an  exam- 
ination and  license  for  the  practice  of  medicine.  Medical  colleges  at  that  day 
were  not  available  to  many,  but  a  ]irovision,  as  substitute  for  them,  was  the 
district  board  of  censors,  to  whom  by  state  law,  was  given  the  privilege  to 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  347 

examine  and  license  to  practice  medicine  such  as  desired  it.  Young  Bracken, 
being  recommended,  appeared  before  the  censors  of  the  fifth  medical  dis- 
trict, passed  his  examinations  successfully  and  received  his  license,  which 
read  as  follows : 

"We,  therefore,  have  licensed  William  Bracken  to  practice  as  a  phy- 
sician and  surgeon,  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  and  honors  thereonto 
appertaining,  and  we  do  recommend  him  to  the  faculty  and  the  patronage 
of  the  public. 

"Done  at  Connersville,  Indiana,  November  2,  1836,  the  year  of  Amer- 
ican independence  the  sixty-first. 

"Witness  our  hands  and  the  seal  of  the  society  atfixed. 

"John  ]\I.  Howland,  Prcs., 

[Seal.]  "Rvland  T.  Brown,  Sec."' 

Dr.  John  M.  Howland  was  the  father-in-law  of  Dr.  John  W.  JMoody, 
of  Greensburg.  He  was  a  prominent  physician  of  the  day  and  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Maryland,  in   18 19. 

Dr.  Ryland  J.  Brown  was  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  at 
Cincinnati,  class  of  1829.  He  was  state  geologist  in  1854  and  professor  of 
natural  science  in  Northwestern  Christian  University,  at  Indianapolis,  in 
1858.     He  was  an  author  and  a  man  of  mark  and  unusual  acquirements. 

Doctor  Bracken,  within  sixty  days  after  receiving  his  authority  to 
practice  medicine,  removed  to  a  small  village  in  Jackson  county,  remaining 
there  but  a  short  time.  It  seems  he  had  plenty  of  malaria  and  practice,  and 
but  little  pay.  Returning  to  Rush  county,  he  located  at  Richland,  and  later 
at  Milroy.  In  1862  he  remo^'ed  to  Greensburg.  On  November  9,  1837, 
Doctor  Bracken  was  married  to  Patience  A.  Berry,  of  Rush  county,  and  to 
this  union  there  were  born  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Bracken  died 
on  April  18,  1898.  in  Greensburg.  Mrs.  Martha  Rucker  is  the  only  survivor 
of  the  family. 

In  1850,  while  a  resident  of  Rush  county.  Doctor  Bracken  was  elected 
a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  convention  of  Indiana  and  was  the  last  sur- 
viving member. 

For  the  advancement  of  his  chosen  profession  he  was  always  a  willing 
worker.  He  was  an  acti\e  member  in  the  county  medical  society,  and  very 
seldom  absent  from  its  meetings.  When  Doctor  Bracken  spoke,  the  mem- 
bers present  always  "sat  up  and  took  notice,"  as  he  always  said  something — 
though  not  always  according  to  conceded  points  or  opinions.  He  was  some- 
times aggressive,  but  defended,  with  ability,  authorities  cited  or  his  personal 


348  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

experience  given  to  sustain  his  position.  Doctor  Bracken  was  a  good  diag- 
nostician, a  close  obser\er,  did  his  own  thinking  and  formed  his  own  opinions 
and  conchisions.  In  the  sick  room  he  acted,  and  knew  why  he  did  so.  He 
had  confidence  in  himself.  He  w'as  president  of  the  Decatur  County  Med- 
ical Society  several  years.  In  later  years  he  let  those  who  experimented  with 
new  remedies  lead,  and,  when  tested  and  proven,  was  ready  to  approve  and 
use  them. 

Doctor  Bracken  was  one  of  the  first  secretaries  of  the  county  board  of 
health  as  now  organized. 

The  last  time  Doctor  Bracken  met  with  the  county  society,  he  was 
called  on  to  address  the  members  then  present.  His  remarks  were  almost 
entirely  reminescent,  as  a  pioneer  physician,  relating  to  the  hardships,  dan- 
gers, difficulties,  doubts  and  trials  of  these  physicians,  which  were  described 
with  trembling  voice,  sometimes  with  sadness,  again  animated  with  the  pride 
of  victory  and  success.  Some  of  the  older  physicians  present  had  similar 
experience,  while  the  younger  were  surprised  and  perhaps  skeptical.  In 
those  days  visits  were  necessarily  made  on  horseback,  with  saddle  bags  to 
carry  his  armamentarium  of  herbs,  roots,  barks,  etc.,  often  to  be  prepared 
at  the  bedside  as  infusions.  There  were  no  granular  tablets  or  fluid  extracts 
in  those  days. 

Doctor  Bracken  had  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  believed  in  govern- 
ment by  the  people,  for  the  people.  He  was  a  Mason  and  for  many  }-ears 
was  worshipful  master  of  Greensburg  Lodge  No.  36,  which  had  charge 
of  the  burial  ceremony.  . 

An  incident  in  the  life  of  Doctor  Bracken  is  probably  proper  to  relate 
here.  He  was  devoted  to  his  profession,  lodge,  church  and  other  duties, 
and  not  disposed  to  sacrifice  any  of  them  to  the  requirements  of  society. 
Dressing  reluctantly  for  a  function  of  this  kind,  he  said  to  his  wife,  "Mother, 
I  would  rather  ride  ten  miles  than  go."  A  call  at  the  door  gave  him  the 
opportunity  to  miss  the  party  and  see  the  patient,  sure  enough  ten  miles 
away.  A  ride  through  the  cold  dark  night,  letting  down  fences,  wandering 
across  fields  with  doubts  as  to  his  course,  he  finally  arrived  at  his  destination, 
to  be  detained  several  hours  to  relieve  a  patient  in  distress.  Later,  the 
doctor  said  that  while  he  had  failed  to  meet  his  friends  at  the  party,  the 
satisfaction  of  having  relie\'ed  pain  and  suffering  and  saved  a  life  more 
than  recompensed  him  and  that  he  would  do  it  again  under  similar  circum- 
stances. 

Dr.  L.  C.  Bunker  was  born  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  on  October 
21,  1 82 1.     His  parents  moved  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  when  he  was  a  small  lad, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  349 

and  went  from  there  to  Branch  county,  Michigan,  in  1833.  Later  they  set- 
tled in  Boone  county,  Indiana,  and  in  1848  located  in  Ripley  county.  While 
in  Michigan,  L.  C.  Bunker  had  the  unusual  experience  of  associating  him- 
self with  an  Indian  trilae  and  in  two  years  became  cjuite  intimate  with 
Indian  life  and  lore,  being  able  to  converse  intelligently  with  the  red  men 
of  the  Michigan  wilderness.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war,  in 
1846,  he  enlisted  in  the  second  Illinois  Regiment,  that  joined  Taylor's  army 
and  marched  to  the  city  of  JMexico.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1845. 
in  the  office  of  Doctor  Wright,  at  Belvidere,  Illinois,  and  after  his  return 
from  the  war,  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Rush  Medical  College,  in 
Chicago;  in  1852,  he  graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  College  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  After  practicing  several  years  in  Ripley  county,  he  removed 
to  Greensburg  in  1865. 

Doctor  Bunker  married  Alvira  E.  Alden,  of  Ripley  county,  on  Novem- 
ber 15,  1849.  Eight  children  were  born,  five  of  whom  survive:  Mrs.  Lucy 
E.  Montgomer}',  of  Chattanooga,  Tennesee;  Henry  A.,  a  physician  of  New 
York  city;  George,  engaged  in  business  in  Dover,  Delaware;  Mrs.  ]May  \\'ise, 
of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  Arthur  Clifford,  an  electrician,  of  Mount  Clair, 
New  Jersey.  One  son,  William,  a  physician  at  Winston,  Illinois,  died  in 
1892.  Doctor  .Bunker's  first  wife  died  some  twenty-fi\'e  years  ago,  and,  on 
April  5,  1899,  he  married  Mrs.  Ida  V.  McElvain. 

Doctor  Bunker  practiced  medicine  more  than  fifty-three  years  in  Rip- 
ley and  Decatur  counties.  He  was  a  verj'  successful  physician  and  surgeon 
and  kept  up  with  the  advanced  knowledge  of  the  profession.  His  former 
patrons  speak  with  commendation  of  his  care  for  the  interest  and  comfort  of 
his  patients — always  attentive,  kind  and  sympathetic.  Doctor  Bunker  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  when  possible  an  attendant  at  the  services 
of  the  church.  He  died  on  his  farm  near  Greensburg,  on  August  26,  1907. 
and  his  remains  rest  in  South  Park  cemetery. 

Dr.  Cornelius  Cain  was  born  on  August  i,  1808,  near  Dover,  Delaware, 
and  died  on  June  28,  1903,  in  this  county,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Orlando  Hamilton.  His  father  settled  in  Brookville,  Franklin  county,  about 
1827.  Doctor  Cain  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Rufus  Haymond,  in  Brook- 
ville. He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Laurel,  and  in  1857  he  removed 
to  Clarksburg,  Decatur,  county.  He  was  married  to  Eliza  Clements  in  1836. 
To  them  were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  lived  to  rear  families. 
Two  sons,  Albert  and  John,  are  Methodist  preachers.  Albert  resides  in 
New  Jersey,  and  John  is  in  the  North  Indiana  conference.  Homer  was 
engaged  in  business  and  died  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,   in   1893.     Another 


350  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

son,  Elmer  Ellsworth,  who  was  a  teacher,  died  in  1890.  The  daughters 
were  Mrs.  Orlando  Hamilton,  Nancy,  the  widow  of  E.  M.  Smith,  living 
at  Muncie,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Bell,  living  at  Upland. 

Doctor  Cain  continued  in  practice  from  1857  to  1898,  forty-one 
years,  in  Clarksburg,  when  he  retired  to  reside  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Orlando  Hamilton,  near  Kingston,  where  he  lived  until  his  death.  Doctor 
Cain  was  a  frequent  attendant  at  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society.  He 
often  reported  cases  in  minute  detail,  showing  that  he  was  a  close  observer 
and  good  diagnostician.  He  reported  several  cases  of  colitis  (dysentery) 
treated  with  castor  oil  and  tincture  of  opium  successfully,  which  was  not 
the  usual  treatment  at  that  day,  neither  was  the  treatment  in  vogue  nearly 
so  successful  as  his. 

Dr.  Abram  Carter  came  from  Kentucky  to  Greensburg  prior  to  1847, 
and  was  present  at  the  organization  of  perhaps  the  first  medical  society  on 
January  25,  1847.  His  daughter  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  George  W.  New,  sur- 
geon of  a  regiment  of  Indiana  volunteers.  She  was  a  very  efficient  nurse 
and  was  with  her  husband  during  his  service,  being  a  great  favorite  with 
the  members  of  the  regiment.     Doctor  Carter  probably  died  in  this  county. 

Dr.  Cornelius  A.  Covert,  the  son  of  Samuel  Covert,  was  born  in  Har- 
mony, Butler  county,  on  June  i,  1831,  and  died  in  Greensburg,  Indiana, 
March  29,  1910.  At  the  solicitation  of  Dr.  John  W.  Moody,  he  came  to 
Decatur  county  during  the  Civil  War,  from  Williamstown,  on  the  Decatur- 
Rush  county  line,  where  he  had  been  only  a  few  years  in  practice.  He 
read  medicine  in  his  native  town  of  Harmony  with  Dr.  Lusk,  took  a  med- 
ical course  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and,  in  1869,  a  post-graduate  course  in  the 
Chicago  Medical  College.  Doctor  Covert  was  in  continuous  practice  from 
the  time  he  came  to  Decatur  county,  except  a  few  instances  when  he  returned 
to  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania,  and  when  he  was  absent  in  Chicago  in 
1869.  Doctor  Covert  was  a  safe  and  conser\'ative  physician,  always  atten- 
tive to  the  most  minute  detail,  and  never  "gave  a  case  up"  as  long  as  the 
patient  breathed,  and  hardly  then.  He  believed  in  "feeding,"  had  confidence 
in  remedies,  was  successful  in  his  surgical  cases,  and  had  the  confidence  of 
his  patrons  to  an  unusual  degree,  because  he  had  confidence  in  himself  and 
the  remedial  means  he  used.  If  duty  called  him,  he  seemed  indifferent  to 
pain.  In  one  of  many  instances  he  made  daily  visits  to  see  cases  under  his 
care  after  he  had  been  thrown  out  of  his  buggy  and  two  ribs  broken  and 
other  injuries  received.  He  continued  to  do  so  after  all  efifort  to  prevail 
on  him  to  desist  had  failed.  Dr.  Covert  came  to  Williamstown  prior  to  the 
fall   of    1858,   probably   in    1857.      None  of   his   family  resides   in   Decatur 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  35 1 

county.  One  son,  Samuel,  lives  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  another,  named  for 
his  old  friend.  Dr.  J.  W.  Moody,  resides  in  Indianapolis. 

The  late  Dr.  Francis  M.  Daily,  of  Milhousen.  was  born  in  Ireland  on 
March  i6,  1842,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1847.  He  was  the 
son  of  Dr.  Michael  Daily,  who  practiced  in  this  county  from  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  America  in  1847  until  his  death.  Dr.  Francis  M.  Daily  was  mar- 
ried on  April  26,  1865,  to  Catherine  Conwell,  of  Westport.  He  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  186S  at  Milhousen,  Dr.  John  Hicks  being  in  practice 
there  at  that  time. 

Dr.  Richard  J.  Depew  was  born  in  18 15.  He  practiced  medicine  in  St. 
Omer,  and  later  in  St.  Paul,  Decatur  county,  for  many  years.  He  was  a 
sturdy,  robust  man,  physically  able  for  the  hardships  of  the  pioneer  phy- 
sician. For  many  years  his  professional  trips  were  made  on  horseback.  He 
was  a  bachelor  until  late  in  life.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  was 
always  ready  to  defend  the  principles  of  the  party.  Indifferent  and  neg- 
lectful in  keeping  his  accounts,  if  he  needed  money,  which  was  seldom,  he 
would  call  on  some  of  his  patrons  and  "jump"  accounts,  indifferent  as  to 
whether  his  was  too  much  or  little.  If  too  much,  it  was  the  fault  of  the 
patron,  who  "ought  to  have  been  sick  more."  It  was  his  way  of  "squaring 
books."  He  moved  to  Indianapolis  after  marriage,  and  died  there  in  1879. 
He  left  a  large  bequest. 

Dr.  Jesse  M.  Gillespie  was,  perhaps,  the  first  physician  to  locate  in 
Greensburg,  as  he  was.  here  prior  to  the  year  1825.  He  Iniilt  a  brick  resi- 
dence, the  second  one  in  the  town,  in  1826,  on  the  south  side  of  the  square. 
He  died  in   1833,  and  his  widow  married  Mr.  Thomson. 

Dr.  John  Y.  Hitt  was  born  in  Oldham  county,  Kentucky,  on  February 
9,  1832.  He  studied  medicine  and  graduated  at  the  University  of  Kentucky 
in  1853.  He  came  to  Decatur  county  in  1854,  to  follow  his  profession.  He 
was  married  to  Martha  Logan,  daughter  of  Samuel  Logan,  Sr.,  in  1853. 
Two  sons  were  born  to  this  union.  Dr.  Sherman  B.  and  Joel,  both  deceased. 
When  the  Seventeenth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteers,  was  organized.  Dr.  J. 
Y.  Hitt  was  appointed  surgeon  and  served  with  Wilder's  brigade.  When  the 
first  board  of  examining  surgeons  for  pensions  was  organized  for  Decatur 
county.  Doctor  Hitt  was  appointed  as  secretary  by  Commissioner  of  Pensions 
John  C.  Black,  on  February  11,  1886,  serving  in  that  capacity  up  to  May  8, 
1889.  Doctor  Hitt  continued  in  practice  in  Greensburg  up  to  a  few  years 
before  his  death.  He  was  surgeon  for  the  Big  Four  Railroad  Company  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  department  of 
Indiana,  for  two  years.     Doctor  Hitt,  with  short  intervals  of  absence,  prac- 


352 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


ticed  medicine  in  Decatur  county  about  fifty-five  years.  He  died  in  Greens- 
burg  and  was  buried  in  South  Park  cemeteiy.  Mrs.  Martha  Hitt  also  is 
dead. 

Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt  was  born  in  Suhivan,  lUinois,  January  lo,  1854, 
and  died  in  Greensburg.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  John  Y.  and  Martha 
(Logan)  Hitt.  Except  a  very  few  years,  he  always  resided  in  Greensburg. 
He  graduated  in  the  Greensburg  public  schools,  later  attended  Notre  Dame 
Institution  two  years.  He  attended  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  graduated  in  the  Ohio  Medical  College  in  1886.  Doctor  Hitt 
was  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  about  twenty  years.  He  was  also  sec- 
retary of  the  Greensburg  board  of  health  for  several  years.  He  belonged 
to  the  Greensburg  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Dr.  Sher- 
man Hitt  married  Mrs.  Mary  Cline.  of  Greensburg,  May  9,  1893,  and  one 
daughter  was  born  to  them. 

Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt,  who  spent  more  than  fifty  years  of  his  life  in 
Greensburg,  was  known  by  almost  everybody.  He  was  neat  in  his  dress, 
always  tidy  and  was  large,  portly  and  stylish.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  popular, 
as  shown  by  his  frequent  election  to  city  offices.  As  a  physician,  he  was  up 
to  the  times  in  his  profession.  His  death,  on  September  25,  1911,  was  sud- 
den and  a  great  shock  to  those  who  knew  him  and  greatly  regretted  by  his 
friends  and  patrons.  A  daughter,  Gladys  M.,  was  married  to  Louis  S. 
Linville  on  May  13,  1915. 

Dr.  Silas  Cooke  was  born  in  Montville,  New  Jersey,  in  1809.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  City  in 
1832.  He  was  married  the  same  year  to  Hannah  Maria  Mills,  of  Morris- 
town,  New  Jersey,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Boonton,  in 
the  same  state.  In  1844,  he  remo\'ed  to  Rahway,  New  Jersey,  and  in  1866 
to  Greensburg,  Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1882.  Doctor  Cooke  was  a  cour- 
teous gentleman;  in  his  practice  he  was  ethical,  conforming  to  the  rules  and 
usages  of  the  profession,  and  was  highly  respected  by  his  associates  in  the 
profession  for  his  qualifications  and  polished  manners.  The  doctor's  family 
consisted  of  wife,  two  daughters  and  one  son.  All  are  deceased  except  Mrs. 
Marshall  Grover,  of  Greensburg. 

Dr.  J.  Mills  Cooke  was  born  in  Boonton,  New  Jersey,  in  1835,  graduated 
from  Princeton  College  in  1855,  and  later  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  New  York  City.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Toledo,  Ohio.  He  was  surgeon  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Regiment  from 
1862,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  Chickamauga  with  all  the  medical  corps  and 
sent  to  Libby  prison.     Upon  his  release  he  rejoined  his  regiment  and  was 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  353 

with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Toledo  and  in  1876  he  came  to  Adams.  Decatur  county,  where  he  died 
in  1884.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Silas  Cooke  and  brother  of  Mrs.  Marshall 
Grover,  of  Greensburg. 

Dr.  Thomas  Johnson  was  born  in  Oswego  count)-.  New  York,  on 
January  14,  1827,  and  came  west  with  his  parents  in  1838.  He  was  a  sopho- 
more when  he  quit  the  now  DePauw  University  to  begin  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, which  he  did  under  Dr.  I.  P.  Kilcher,  of  Laurel.  He  graduated  at  the 
Cincinnati  Medical  College  in  1865.  He  had,  however,  practiced  before  this 
and  had  located  at  Clarksburg,  where  he  remained  until  1882.  At  this  time 
he  removed  to  Greensburg  and  practiced  his  profession  successfully.  After 
the  election  of  President  Harrison,  he  was,  in  May,  1889,  appointed  by 
Commissioner  of  Pensions  James  Tanner  on  the  board  of  pension  examin- 
ing surgeons  for  Decatur  county,  on  which  he  served  four  and  a  half  years. 
He  was  a  Mason,  having  belonged  to  Decatur  Lodge  No.  36  and  Chapter 
No.  8.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Greensburg.  He  was 
married  on  January  i,  1854,  in  Fayette  county,  and  two  married  daughters 
survive.  The  mother  died  in  October,  1870.  On  May  28,  1871,  he  married 
Sarah  F.  Gest,  who  survives  her  husband,  who  died  in  Clarksburg. 

Dr.  Elliott  W.  Leech  came  to  Milford  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  about  the 
year  1856,  and  entered  in  partnership  with  Dr.  James  O'Byrne,  which  asso- 
ciation continued  until  he  removed  to  St.  Paul  in  1862.  From  there  he  was 
commissioned  assistant  surgeon  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regi- 
ment, Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  Resigning  his  commission,  he  returned 
to  St.  Paul,  and  later,  in  1865,  returned  to  Milford  to  resume  the  practice 
at  that  place.  In  1876,  he  removed  to  Shelbyville  and  followed  his  pro- 
fession. While  at  that  place  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of 
examining  surgeons  for  pensions,  which  he  filled  with  credit  until  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  board.  Doctor  Leech  was  a  very  successful  physician, 
made  many  friends  and  had  the  utmost  confidence  of  his  patrons.  He  died 
in  Shelbyville,  leaving  a  wife,  one  daughter  and  two  sons. 

Dr.  Lewis  McAllister  and  brother,  Lucius,  also  a  physician,  came  from 
New  Jersey  and  located  at  Milford  as  early  as  1840.  The  latter  moved  to 
Crawford  county,  Illinois,  married  a  widow,  Mrs.  Alfred  Lagow.  and  died 
there.  Dr.  Lewis  McAllister,  when  he  came  to  Milford,  was  apparently  but 
a  boy.  He  remained  there  until  the  spring  of  1865,  when  he  removed  to 
Windfall,  Howard  county,  Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  practice  of  medi- 
cine up  to  his  death,  in  1890,  being  in  active  practice  more  than  fifty  years. 
(23) 


354  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Doctor  McAllister  believed  in  calomel,  antimony  and  bleeding,  a  heroic 
practitioner,  even  in  his  day.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  a 
Republican  in  politics.  Dr.  John  L.  \\'ooden  was  a  student  of  Dr.  McAllister. 
The  latter  was  a  member  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society,  attending 
the  meeting  of  January  25,  1847,  the  first  in  the  county  of  which  any  record 
is  found.  He  married  Rachel  Fugit  about  1850.  There  were  no  children. 
She  was  an  active  and  working  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Dr.  Samuel  Maguire  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  25,  1818.  His  father,  James  Maguire,  moved  with  his  family, 
consisting  of  the  wife  and  eight  children,  to  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  in 
1 83 1.  He  was  the  contractor  who  built  the  old  ]\Iaysville  and  Le.xington 
turnpike,  which  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  world.  In  1832  they  moved 
to  Fleming,  an  adjoining  county,  and  lived  near  the  one-time  popular  old 
Blue  Lick  Springs.  Doctor  Maguire's  education  was  obtained  at  the  famous 
Maysville  Academy,  conducted  by  Rand  and  Richardson.  This  academy 
claimed  the  distinction  of  having  for  its  pupils  Gen.  William  H.  Nelson, 
Gen.  U.  S.  Grant.  Hon.  H.  Watterson  and  many  others  of  historic  fame. 
Samuel  Maguire  graduated  in  medicine  at  Transylvania  University  and  began 
the  practice  in  Flemingsburg,  Kentucky,  in  1840.  In  1842  he  married  Eliza 
R.  Fleming,  the  granddaughter  of  John  D.  Fleming,  after  whom  the  county 
and  town  were  named.  To  this  union  three  sons  and  one  daughter  were 
born.  John  J.,  William  F.,  Samuel  and  Ida  Louise.  The  daughter  sun-ives 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  Judge  James  K.  Ewing,  of  Greensburg. 

In  1854,  Doctor  Maguire  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  six 
years,  and  while  there  he  served  two  terms  in  the  Missouri  Senate.  In  i860, 
he  returned  to  Flemingsburg,  just  when  the  South  was  on  the  brink  of  war. 
He  at  once  took  a  bold  stand  for  the  National  Union.  Being  gifted  as  a 
public  speaker,  he  endeavored  to  persuade  the  people  to  stand  by  the  flag. 
His  position  was  one  of  great  personal  danger.  He  was  denounced,  threat- 
ened and  persecuted,  but  his  fealty  to  the  government  was  never  lessened,  and 
he  remained  steadfast  in  his  loyalty  to  what  he  believed  a  just  cause.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Tenth  Kentucky  Cavalry,  and  was  commissioned  assistant 
surgeon.  Afterwards  he  served  as  surgeon  in  the  Forty-fifth  Kentucky 
Mounted  Infantry  with  the  rank  of  major.  The  war  over,  he  returned  to 
his  old  Kentucky  home,  to  find  that  many  who  had  once  delighted  to  call 
him  their  friend  and  family  physician  were  now  bitter  enemies.  His  wife 
died  soon  afterward  and  he  decided  to  turn  his  back  on  the  scenes  that  had 
once  been  dear  to  him  and  seek  a  new  home  in  Greensburg,  Indiana,  taking 
with  him  his  youngest  son,  Samuel,  and  his  daughter,  Ida  Louise. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  355 

In  1872  he  married  Mrs.  Bella  Willett,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  To 
this  union  two  sons  were  born,  Herbert  Cortez  and  Neil  Gillespie.  In  1891, 
he  moved,  with  his  wife  and  two  younger  sons,  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  from  paralysis  on  August  10,  1892.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in 
beautiful  Crown  Hill  cemetery. 

During  Dr.  ]\Iaguire's  long  residence  in  Greensburg  he  made  many 
warm  friends.  He  stood  high  in  his  chosen  profession ;  was  a  high  Mason ; 
a  leading  elder  in  the  Christian  church  and  a  prominent  Grand  Army  man. 
His  activities  were  ceaseless,  but  in  whatever  circle  one  found  him,  he  was 
always  the  same  courteous,  fair-minded  Christian  gentleman,  with  a  sterling 
integrity  and  advocacy  for  the  right. 

Dr.  John  ^^^  Moody,  a  pioneer  physician,  became  a  resident  of  Greens- 
burg in  1839.  He  was  born  in  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  June  12,  1816. 
He  was  one  of  the  four  delegates  to  the  convention  from  Decatur  county 
who  were  present  at  the  formation  of  the  present  State  Medical  Society 
(now  association),  June  6,   1849,  at  Indianapolis. 

Among  some  papers  found  in  1865,  left  by  Dr.  Lewis  McAllister,  for- 
merly of  Milford,  Indiana,  was  an  article  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Moody,  read  before 
the  state  medical  society  on  "Epidemic  Dysentery."  There  was  no  date  to 
the  paper,  but  it  must  have  been  written  as  early  as  1851  or  1852,  as  a 
very  fatal  epidemic  prevailed  in  this  county  about  that  time,,  and  the  doctor 
was  in  the  midst  of  it.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  meetings  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  up  to  his  death,  and  discussed,  with  great  ability,  any 
and  all  subjects  coming  before  the  society.  As  a  practitioner  he  was  careful, 
skillful,  discreet  and  successful.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  state  hospital  for  the  insane.  Among  the  doc- 
tor's duties,  he  was  often  called  on  to  examine  applicants  for  certificates  to 
teach  in  the  public  schools.  An  applicant  got  a  certificate  that  read :  "This 
woman  can  read  a  little  and  write  a  little."     It  is  not  known  if  she  taught. 

Doctor  Moody  was  a  Republican.  A  safe  and  discreet  adviser,  he  was 
often  consulted  by  Governor  Morton  and  others  in  his  position  in  his  party. 

Doctor  Moody  was  married  to  Martha  Howland,  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
M.  Howland,  who  died  in  Brookville,  Indiana,  January  11,  1858.  There 
were  two  sons.  After  the  doctor's  death,  on  August  27,  1867,  Mrs.  Moody 
and  one  son  removed  to  New  York  city.  She  was  an  authoress  of  note,  an 
entertaining  conversationalist  and  a  dignified  and  beautiful  woman. 

Dr.  Theophilus  E.  F.  Miller  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  February 
4,  1852,  and  died  in  Westport  on  May  26,  1908.  He  came  to  Milford,  Deca- 
tur county,  Indiana,  early  in  1884,  direct  from  the  Hahnemann  ]\Iedical  Col- 


356  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

lege,  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  His  predecessor,  an  eclectic  and  homeopathic,  Dr. 
James  O'Byrne,  after  more  than  twenty-two  years'  practice,  had  made  an 
opening  for  a  physician  of  the  school,  from  which  Doctor  Miller  had  recently 
graduated.  Doctor  Miller  was  of  German  parentage  (Lutherans)  and  came 
to  Chicago  with  his  parents  about  1855.  He  attended  the  schools  of  that 
city  and  lived  there  up  to  his  coming  to  Milford,  where  he  remained  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  for  about  two  years.  Doctor  Miller  was  a  firm  believer 
in  the  similia  similibus  curantur  theory  of  his  brother  physicians  of  that 
order  and  practiced  it  without  deviation  or  concession.  While  in  Milford,  he 
made  many  friends  and  patrons,  was  a  bachelor,  wore  a  Prince  Albert  coat, 
neat  and  always  well  dressed,  gentlemanly  and  respected  by  everyone  who 
knew  him.  In  1886  he  moved  to  Westport,  in  this  county,  where  he  had  a 
lucrative  practice  up  to  his  death,  which  was  regretted  by  his  many  friends 
and  patrons.  Doctor  Miller  was  married  to  Mrs.  Nannie  Cann  in  January, 
1895.     She  died  on  June  10,  1915. 

Dr.  George  W.  New  was  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  at 
Cincinnati,  in  the  class  of  1839-40.  He  located  in  Greensburg  and  was 
engaged  in  practice  until  1859.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Decatur  County 
Medical  Society  on  January  25,  1847,  ^"d  was  a  delegate  from  Decatur 
county  to  the  convention  at  Indianapolis,  June  12,  1849,  that  formed  the 
present  state  medical  association.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Indianapolis  to 
enlarge  his  field  for  surgical  work,  as  he  was  specially  qualified  as  a  surgeon. 
This  was  recognized  by  Governor  Morton,  who  commissioned  him  surgeon 
of  the  Seventh  Indiana  Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry  in  1861,  he  serving 
three  years.  In  1864  Governor  Morton,  having  confidence  in  his  integrity 
and  qualifications,  sent  him  to  New  Orleans  as  military  agent  for  Indiana. 

After  the  war  he  was  for  two  years  examiner  of  drugs  in  the  Nevi^ 
Orleans  custom  house,  showing  his  standing  with  the  federal  government. 
Doctor  New  was  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  general  accomplishments.  He 
died  in  Indianapolis  in  1891,  aged  seventy-two  years.  Mrs.  New  accom- 
panied her  husband  and  rendered  very  efficient  service  as  a  nurse,  endear- 
ing herself  by  her  kindness  and  interest  in  many  ways.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  Abram  Carter,  one  of  the  early  physicians  of  Greensburg. 

Dr.  James  O'Byrne,  eclectic  and  homeopath,  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1820.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  locating  near  Brookville,  Frank- 
lin county,  Indiana,  in  1832.  He  married  Ann  D.  Moore  in  the  year  1840. 
He  moved  to  Milford,  Decatur  county,  in  1851,  where  he  practiced  medicine 
tip  to  1873,  when  he  and  his  family  and  the  families  of  two  of  his  sons 
removed  to  Carroll  county,  Missouri.     He  practiced  medicine  at  that  place 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  357 

Up  to  his  death,  in  1896.     Doctor  O'Bryne  was  a  successful  physician,  made 
many  friends,  and  had  a  large  practice  up  to  the  time  of  his  removal. 

Dr.  Uriah  G.  Reeves  was  born  in  Warren,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  in 
1820,  and  died  in  Milford  in  1882.  He  was  educated  at  Allegheny  College, 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  after  which  he  taught  school  at  Shelbyville  and 
Liberty,  Indiana.  He  was  married  to  Jane  Craig  on  February  28,  1846.  He 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  William  Armington.  He  began  practice  at  St.  Omer, 
remaining  there  five  years,  and  then  followed  his  profession  at  Greensburg 
from  i860  to  1863,  when  he  removed  to  Milford,  continuing  in  practice 
there  up  to  his  death,  in  1882,  from  cerebro-spinal  meningitis,  which  pre- 
vailed at  that  time.  Doctor  Reeves  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
church  and  was  always  ready  and  willing  to  serve  in  that  capacity.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society,  a  good  debater  and  con- 
tributed several  papers  of  merit  on  medical  subjects.  He  was  also  an  Odd 
Fellow,  in  which  order  he  passed  all  the  chairs  and  was  elected  a  representa- 
tive to  the  grand  lodge  from  Centenary  Lodge  No.  535.  As  a  member  of 
the  investigating  and  other  committees,  he  was  fair,  unbiased  and  just.  His 
family  consisted  of  a  wife,  four  daughters  and  one  son.  The  latter  died  in 
1866,  aged  about  eight  years.  Doctor  Reeves  was  successful  in  his  practice 
and  was  always  willing  to  serve  the  needy,  regardless  of  compensation.  He 
could  do  more  practice  on  a  small  quantity  of  medicine  than  almost  any  other 
doctor.     His  remains  rest  in  Milford  cemetery. 

Dr.  William  F.  Reiley  was  born  on  April  21,  1828.  He  received  a  com- 
mon-school education  and  taught  school  several  years.  He  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  William  Armington,  beginning  practice  in  1854.  On  February  8, 
1859,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  E.  Hood,  daughter  of  William  Hood,  a  sol- 
dier of  the  War  of  1812  and  an  early  settler  in  Decatur  county.  To  this 
union  two  children  were  born,  Anne  H.,  who  married  Sanford  Darrah,  now 
living  at  San  Diego,  California,  and  one,  the  youngest,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Doctor  Reiley  had  an  extensive  practice  in  all  directions  from  Sardina  before, 
during  and  after  the  Civil  War.  He  was  president  of  the  first  board  of 
examining  surgeons  for  pensions,  under  President  Cleveland,  with  Dr.  J.  Y. 
Hitt  and  J.  H.  Alexander.  In  his  association  with  men  of  the  profession  he 
was  found  always  polite,  patient,  sympathetic  and  considerate  in  the 
interest  of  the  soldier,  never  being  able  to  do  as  much  for  them 
as  he  desired.  He  never  desired  office,  as  his  time  was  engaged  pro- 
fessionally, but  he  was  prevailed  upon  and  elected  joint  senator  from  Deca- 
tur, Jennings  and  Scott  counties  in  the  state  senate  for  one  or  more  terms. 
He  was  a  Democrat  and  highly  respected  by  all  parties.     He  died  at  Sardina, 


35^  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

this  county,  November  21,  1895.  The  hst  of  graduates  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  shows  that  W.  F.  Reiley,  of  Indiana,  graduated  in  1858. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Remy  was  born  near  Brookville,  Indiana,  October  16,  1819. 
After  passing  his  boyhood  on  a  farm  and  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, he  entered  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  he 
was  a  graduate.  In  1844  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Almirah  Scoby,  and 
moved  to  Zenas,  Jennings  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. To  this  union  were  born  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  In  1856  he 
bought  a  farm  near  Greensburg,  Decatur  county,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
together  with  the  practice  of  medicine.  His  wife  died  in  1862,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  married  to  Annie  Kluge.  To  this  union  two  children 
were  born,  one  son  and  one  daughter,  the  daughter  dying  in  infancy.  Doc- 
tor Remy  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.     He  died  March  31,  1890. 

Dr.  Alfred  Scoby  Remy  was  born  on  January  29,  1847,  ^t  Zenas,  Jen- 
nings county,  and  died  at  Zenas  on  June  20,  1882,  being  buried  at  South 
Park  cemetery,  Greensburg.  He  graduated  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College  in 
1869.  He  was  married  to  Anna  DeBolt  on  February  14,  1869.  There  were 
four  children  born  to  this  union :  Harry ;  Nellie,  who  died  in  Kansas  in 
1873;  Mrs.  Ella  Carter,  living,  and  Carl,  who  died  in  Greensburg  in  1893. 
Doctor  Remy  practiced  medicine  in  Jennings  and  Decatur  counties. 

Dr.  William  H.  Remy  was  born  on  October  30,  1850,  at  Zenas,  Jen- 
nings county,  Indiana.  He  was  educated  at  Butlerville  College,  Butlerville, 
Indiana,  after  which  he  entered  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati.  He 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1875  at  Millhousen,  Decatur  county.  In 
1878  he  was  married  to  Delia  Carper.  He  continued  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  until  1886,  when  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  engaged  in 
farming. 

Dr.  John  Ritchie  removed  from  Greensburg  to  Milford,  Decatur  county, 
at  an  early  day  and  was  one  of  the  first  physicians  to  locate  at  that  village 
in  the  forties.  One  of  his  daughters  married  a  Methodist  minister.  Rev. 
Landy  Haven.  Another  daughter,  Sallie,  married  Lieut.  A.  J.  Hungate,  and 
with  her  husband  moved  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  in  1866.  Doctor  Ritchie  was 
most  probably  a  member  of  the  medical  society  organized  on  January  25, 
1847. 

Doctor  Edmund  Swem  was  born  near  Camden,  New  Jersey,  on  August 
12,  1810,  and  died  in  Greensburg  on  March  4,  1898.  He  received  his  medi- 
cal education  at  Cincinnati  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Peru, 
Indiana,  later  practicing  at  Mooresville.      He    came    to    Greensburg    about 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  359 

1846.  He  married  Martha  Gibson,  daughter  of  Israel  Gibson,  an  early  resi- 
dent of  Greensburg-  and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  His  remains  rest  in 
South  Park  cemetery.  A  plain  marble  slab  marks  the  Gibson  grave.  He 
was  a  Mason,  which  was  noted  on  the  headstone.  Doctor  Swem  and  his 
wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary  several  years  before  his 
death,  in  1898.  Mrs.  Swem  survived  her  husband.  Rev.  Edmund  Hez 
Swem,  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  Mrs. 
Ale  Howard,  of  Greensburg,  are  the  only  children  surviving.  Doctor  Swem 
was  president  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society  in  1869,  and  was 
re-elected  in  187 1.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  meetings  and  filled 
other  offices  up  to  the  time  he  was  unable  to  attend  owing  to  the  infirmities 
of  age.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  Medical  Association  several  times. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  his  pew  was  seldom  vacant 
at  its  meetings.  Doctor  Swem  was  a  conservative  and  cautious  physician; 
he  advocated  small  doses :  he  had  faith  in  the  recuperative  powers  of  nature ; 
he  was  not  very  favorable  to  calomel,  as  he  had  seen  the  ill  effects  of  its 
abuse.  He  was  very  neat  in  his  dress,  quiet  in  demeanor,  always  polite, 
unassuming  and  gentlemanly. 

There  was  also  a  Doctor  Teal,  who  lived  in  Greensburg  and  who  died 
in  1833. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Underwood  came  to  Milford  about  1856.  He  married  a  Miss 
Avery,  who  lived  on  a  farm  on  Flat  Rock,  Shelby  county.  There  were  two 
daughters.  He  removed  from  Milford  to  St.  Paul  early  in  the  Civil  War 
period.  He  died  from  cancer  of  the  stomach  and  was  buried  at  Ogden  ceme- 
tery, near  Waldron.  He  was  a  popular  and  successful  physician  and  had 
many  friends  at  both  Milford  and  St.  Paul. 

Dr.  Newbery  Wheeldon  practiced  medicine  in  this  county  prior  to  i860, 
following  what  was  then  known  as  the  Thomsonian  system,  and  called 
"steam  doctors"  by  some  in  derision.  These  doctors  used  lobelia  to  control 
fevers,  colds  and  almost  any  disease  "flesh  is  heir  to."  Their  system  was 
mostly  by  stimulation,  profuse  sweating  and  discarded  all  mineral  prepara- 
tions as  used  by  the  allopaths  in  that  day.  The  abuse  of  calomel  by  some  of 
the  ultra-allopaths,  who  believed  that  salivation  (ptyalism)  was  the  only  sal- 
vation in  certain  conditions,  made  patrons  for  this  class  of  doctors,  and  they 
made  all  the  capital  possible  out  of  it.  Doctor  ^^^heeIdon  was  perhaps  the  last 
doctor  to  practice  that  system  in  the  county,  as  the  eclectics  have  superseded 
them  here. 

Dr.  M.  H.  Williams-Letts,  eclectic,  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
examining  surgeons  for  pensions  with  J.  H.  Alexander  and  W.  H.  \\'ooden. 


360  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

organized  on  May  19,  1897,  and  served  on  the  board  until  June  19,  1901, 
when  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Indianapohs.  He  was.  a  careful,  conscien- 
tious examiner  always  ready  for  the  duties  of  his  office  and  pleasant  and 
obliging  in  his  relations  with  others. 

Dr.  John  L.  Wooden  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  May  17, 
1826,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  in  October, 
1830.  In  1848  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Louis 
McAllester,  at  Milford,  Decatur  county.  In  1853  he  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  Andersonville,  Franklin  county,  and  continued  there  up  to  1859, 
when  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  on  March  i,  i860,  re- 
ceived his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  His  first  military  service  was 
with  the  Seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  On  the  formation  of  the 
Sixty-eighth  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  he  was  commissioned  sur- 
geon of  that  regiment,  on  August  29,  1862,  having  rendered  efficient  service 
in  this  organization.  With  his  regiment,  he  was  taken  prisoner  of  war  at 
Mumfordville,  Kentucky,  in  September,  1862.  He  was  exchanged  in  Novem- 
ber, 1862,  but  was  again  taken  prisoner  while  in  charge  of  the  division  hos- 
pital during  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863.  He  was  sent 
to  Libby  prison  and  remained  a  prisoner  until  exchanged  three  months  later. 
He  acted  as  brigade  surgeon  in  General  Willich's  command  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  medical  staff  up  to  the  end  of  the  Civil  War.  Doctor  Wooden 
was  the  first  pension  examining  surgeon  for  Decatur  county,  and  remained 
in  charge  up  to  the  appointment  of  the  first  board  of  examining  surgeons 
for  pensions,  imder  the  Cleveland  administration.  His  services  in  that  capac- 
ity were  eminently  satisfactory  to  the  soldiers,  and  duly  appreciated  by  the 
pension  department.  Doctor  Wooden  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  County 
Medical  Society  and  State  Medical  Association  and  was  a  willing  and  work- 
ing member  in  both.  His  reports  of  cases  were  always  interesting,  instruc- 
tive and  inspiring.  His  diagnosis  of  cases  seemed  to  be  by  intuition,  so 
prompt  and  so  generally  correct  were  they.  As  a  consultant  he  was  help- 
ful and  tactful,  and  gave  confidence  and  hope  to  the  patient.  As  a  surgeon 
he  was  cautious  and  skillful.  He  paid  special  attention  to  the  details,  anti- 
septically,  in  preparation  for  operative  surgery,  and  hence  his  general  suc- 
cess. Doctor  Wooden  was  of  Methodist  parentage  and  had  been  a  mem- 
ber since  early  in  life.  For  many  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was  a  leading 
Mason  and  was  master  of  Concordia  Lodge  of  Greensburg  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  his  service  as  master  embracing  the  following  periods:  1873-81, 
1883-4,  1886.  As  a  soldier,  he  seldom  failed  to  ineet  with  his  comrades  of 
Pap  Thomas  Post  No.  5,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  which  he  had 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  361 

been  commander.  He  was  also  senior  vice-commander  of  the  Department 
of  Indiana  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repubhc.  Doctor  Wooden's  death 
occurred  on  Sunday,  November  28,  1886,  to  the  regret  and  surprise  of  his 
many  friends.  His  indomitable  energy  and  active  life  was  more  than  his 
enfeebled  condition  could  bear.  He  left  his  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  Guest  Wooden, 
and  four  children — Dr.  W.  H.  Wooden,  now  deceased:  Elmer  E.  Wooden, 
Mrs.  Edgar  Hamilton  and  Mrs.  Ida  Moss — to  mourn  his  sudden  death. 

Dr.  William  Herschel  Wooden  was  born  in  the  village  of  Milford, 
Decatur  county,  Indiana,  August  12,  1857,  and  died  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on 
April  23,  1903.  In  1867,  he  came  to  Greensburg  with  his  father's  family, 
where  he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  public  schools  up  to  his  graduation  in 
the  high  school  in  1873.  He  then  entered,  for  a  classical  course,  the  State 
University  at  Bloomington.  In  1876  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with 
his  father.  Dr.  John  L.  Wooden,  and  graduated  from  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  in  1879,  eminently  well  qualified  for  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  On  his  return  to  Greensburg  he  entered  his  father's  office  as  a 
partner  in  his  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  Prior  to  1882  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society,  and  was  an  efficient  officer 
for  several  years.  In  keeping  the  records  and  abstracts  of  important  cases 
reported  by  the  members,  he  was  accurate,  bringing  out  the  important  point 
in  each  case,  not  infrequently  taking  part  in  the  discussion  to  cover  in  his 
report  real  deficiencies  in  the  discussion.  He  seldom  failed  to  be  at  the 
meetings  of  the  State  Medical  Society,  in  which  he  took  great  interest.  Doc- 
tor Wooden  continued  in  a  successful  practice  in  this  city  up  to  1888,  when 
he  had  a  call  from  parties  who  knew  his  qualifications  and  appointed  him 
civil  engineer  on  the  Maple  Leaf  railroad  through  Missouri  and  Kansas  to 
Minneapolis,  and  later  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad. 
After  his  return,  in  1892,  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  county  board 
of  health,  continuing  up  to  December,  1894,  his  professional  business  pre- 
cluding his  continuance  in  that  office  any  longer.  In  May,  1897,  Doctor 
Wooden  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  board  of  examining  surgeons  for 
pensions  in  Greensburg,  serving  in  that  capacity  up  to  November,  1899, 
when,  because  of  the  pressure  of  professional  business,  he  resigned,  to  the 
regret  of  his  associates  on  the  board,  Doctors  Williams  and  .AJexander,  who 
always  found  him  accurate,  truthful  and  careful  in  his  examinations  and 
scrupulously  neat  and  correct  in  his  papers.  Dr.  Herschel  Wooden  was  a 
Mason,  and  served  as  master  of  his  lodge  in  1892  to  1893  and  1894.  He 
also  belonged  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  the  Benev- 
olent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.     He  continued  in  the  practice  of  medi- 


362  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

cine  and  surgery  up  to  his  fatal  sickness  in  1903.  His  mother,  brother  and 
two  sisters  survive  and  reside  in  Greensbnrg.  His  remains  rest  in  South 
Park  cemetery,  Greensbnrg,  alongside  his  father. 

Dr.  James  Brown  Bracken  was  a  graduate  of  a  Philadelphia  college  of 
medicine  and  practiced  medicine  for  many  years  with  his  father,  Dr.  William 
Bracken,  of  Rush  and  Decatur  counties,  though  the  latter  part  of  his  life  was 
devoted  to  the  care  of  his  father  after  he  had  retired  from  active  life,  owing 
to  ill  health.  Dr.  James  B.  Bracken  was  a  man  well  read  in  his  profession 
and  other  fields  of  literatiire  and  had  qualities  that  made  him  firm  friends  and 
admirers.  His  opinions  were  positive  and  expressed  openly  either  to  advance 
a  cause  or  oppose  one  in  which  he  was  interested  or  advocated.  He  died  in 
Greensburg,  October  31.  19 13. 

Dr.  Jesse  Wakefield  Rucker,  grandson  of  Dr.  William  Bracken  and 
nephew  of  Dr.  James  B.  Bracken,  obtained  his  degree  from  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio  (Cincinnati)  in  1885  and  practiced  medicine  in  Cincinnati  and 
in  Shelby ville,  Indiana,  until  1902,  when  he  moved  to  Greensburg,  his  native 
city.  While  he  has  not  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  in  Decatur 
county,  he  holds  a  physician's  certificate  or  license  and  has  been  often  con- 
sulted by  brother  physicians,  being  considered  a  fine  diagnostician.  At  pres- 
ent he  is  editor  of  the  Nczv  Era,  a  straight  Democratic  newspaper. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PHYSICIANS. 

In  addition  to  the  physicians  above  mentioned,  the  names  of  several 
others  have  been  located,  but  little  is  known  of  any  of  them.  Austin  Marlow, 
known  .as  a  "chronic  doctor,"  practiced  at  Newburg,  Adams  and  Greens- 
burg. Doctor  Pettigrew  practiced  at  Xewburg  and  Forest  Hill.  Doctor 
Riker  was  also  at  Xewburg  for  some  years.  Dr.  John  L.  Brown  was  prac- 
ticing at  St.  Omer  in  1876.  Dr.  George  F.  Chittenden  was  at  Mil  ford  in 
1858,  and  later  become  surgeon  of  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  Dr.  J.  K.  Smalley,  of  Forest  Hill,  had  a  large  practice  in 
the  seventies  in  that  community.  Dr.  John  Wheeldon,  an  eclectic,  was  prac- 
ticing in  Greensburg  in  1866.  Two  other  eclectic  physicians  of  Greensburg 
of  half  a  century  ago  were  Doctors  Falcomberry  and  Reiley.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  early  Catholic  physicians  was  Dr.  Michael  Daily,  of 
Irish  parentage,  who  Ii\-ed  (jn  a  farm  south  of  Greensburg.  Another  Catho- 
lic physician  of  the  county,  who  died  some  years  ago,  was  Dr.  Francis  M. 
Daily,  of  Millhousen,  who  was  well  educated  and  built  up  a  large  practice 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  363 

in  Millhousen  and  the  siirroiincling  country.  One  of  the  best  known  of  the 
younger  physicians  of  Greensburg,  who  was  accidentally  killed  a  few  years 
ago,  was  Dr.  James  Bracken,  a  son  of  Dr.  William  Bracken.  He  graduated 
from  Ohio  Medical  College  and  upon  his  death,  on  October  31,  1913,  his  body 
was  cremated  at  his  wish.  There  have  undoubtedly  been  many  other  physi- 
cians in  the  county,  but  they  have  not  come  under  the  observation  of  the 
writer.  No  effort  has  been  made  to  touch  upon  the  careers  of  the  living  mem- 
bers of  the  profession.     Their  work  speaks  for  them. 

THE   FIRST    DECATUR    COUNTY    MEDICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  first  medical  society  of  Decatur  county  was  formed  on  January 
25,  1847,  with  Drs.  A.  Carter,  of  Greensburg;  John  Ritchie,  perhaps  of  Mil- 
ford;  William  Armington.  of  Greensburg;  John  L.  Armington,  of  Greens- 
burg; George  W.  Xew,  of  Greensburg;  Sam  C.  Bartholomew,  of  Greens- 
burg; Lewis  ^McAllister,  of  Milfod,  and  \\'illiam  Ardery  as  charter  mem- 
bers. A  short  biography  of  each  of  these  men  may  be  found  among  the  list 
of  doctors  given  elsewhere  in  this  chapter.  Two  years  later  Joseph  C.  'Ard- 
ery, of  Milford;  John  L.  Armington,  John  W.  Moody  and  George  W.  New, 
both  of  Greensburg,  were  sent  to  Indianapolis,  where  they  helped  to  organize, 
on  June  6.  1849,  the  State  Medical  Society. 

TRAINED    NURSES. 

The  Legislature  of  1905  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  registration  of 
trained  nurses  in  the  counties  where  they  followed  their  profession.  Since 
that  time  the  official  records  of  Decatur  county  show  that  seven  nurses  have 
been  registered  in  the  county,  as  follow:  Mary  Wood  Weaver,  1906;  Myr- 
tle O.  Smiley,  1906;  Mary  Donnell  Stewart  Erdmann,  1906;  Mrs.  Hannah 
H.  Evans  Donnell,  1906;  Josephine  Wright,  1906;  Roxie  Parker,  1909. 

OPTICIANS. 

The  registration  of  opticians  in  the  \'arious  co.unties  of  the  state  has 
been  a  legal  requirement  since  1907.  During  the  past  eight  years  six  opti- 
cians have  registered  in  the  county:  Eustace  Foley,  1907;  John  Edward 
Russell,  1907;  Philip  H.  Spohn,  1907;  Cassius  C.  McCoy,  1907;  James  M. 
Burk,  1908:  ^^'alter  E.  Woolley,  1908. 


_.;64  DECATUR  county;  INDIANA. 

PENSION  BOARD  OF  DECATUR  COUNTY. 

The  pension  examiner  consisted  of  one  man  at  first,  with  an  assistant, 
but  the  assistant  received  no  remuneration  for  his  services.  Dr.  John  L. 
\\'ooden  was  appointed  as  first  examiner  by  Gen.  John  C.  Black,  and  Doctor, 
Hershel  Wooden  served  as  his  assistant.  On  February  ii,  1886,  the  board 
of  examiners  was  created.  Drs.  John  H.  Alexander,  John  Y.  Hitt  and  Will- 
iam F.  Reiley  served  on  this  first  board.  Doctor  Hitt  was  chosen  as  secretary. 
Certain  days  were  set  apart  in  which  to  make  the  examinations.  The  exam- 
iners received  two  dollars  for  each  examination  up  to  five,  and  after  five  only 
one  dollar  was  received. 

On  May  8,  1899.  a  new  board  was  appointed  as  follows:  Drs.  Thomas; 
Johnson,  John  Schofield  and  Samuel  McGuire.  Doctor  McGuire  soon  re-i 
signed  and  Doctor  Alexander  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  Xovem-' 
ber,  1893,  after  the  Democrats  had  regained  power,  a  new  board  was  ap-' 
pointed  and  consisted  of  the  following  members:  Drs.  James  M.  W'ood,  R. 
M.  Jhomas,  who  was  appointed  secretary,  and  Benjamin  F.  White.  This- 
board  served  until  the  election  of  William  McKinley,  when  the  following 
board  took  its  place,  on  May  19,  1897:  Dr.  John  Alexander,  who  was- 
elected  secretary,  William  H.  Wooden  and  M.  H.  W^illiams,  who  was  elected 
treasurer.  Doctor  Wooden  resigned  on  November  23,  1899.  This  vacancy 
was  filled  by  Dr.  R.  M.  Thomas,  who  was  elected  president.  In  June,  1901, 
Doctor  Williams  resigned,  and  on  July  3,  of  the  same  year.  Dr.  D.  W. 
Weaver  was  appointed  to  fill  this  vacancy  until  April  19,  1905,  after  which 
the  following  board  was  elected  and  served  one  year:  Drs.  T.  B.  Gullifer, 
William  R.  Thomas  and  William  Hause.  They  were  succeeded  by  Drs.  Beal, 
of  Clarksburg;  Eden  T.  Reiley,  of  Greensburg,  and  \\^illiam  Hause,  of  West- 
port. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


NEWSPAPERS  OF  DECATUR   COUNTY. 


Newspaper  men  have  frequently  tried  to  sum  up,  in  a  pithy  paragraph, 
the  functioij  of  the  newspaper  and  thousands  of  articles  have  been  written 
on  its  influence  on  modern  life.  Perhaps  no  more  apt  summary  of  the  place 
of  the  newspaper  in  our  civilization  of  today  has  ever  been  written  than 
that  of  Joseph  H.  Finn,  a  newspaper  man  of  Chicago,  and  delivered  by  him 
as  part  of  an  address  before  the  Associated  Advertising  Clubs  of  the  World 
in  the  spring  of  1915.     His  apostrophe  follows: 

"^I    AM    THE    NEWSPAPER." 

"Born  of  the  deep,  daily  need  of  a  nation — I  am  the  Voice  of  Now — 
the  incarnate  spirit  of  the  Times — Monarch  of  Things  that  Are. 

"My  'cold  type'  burns  with  the  fireblood  of  human  action.  I  am  fed 
by  arteries  of  wire  that  girdle  the  earth.  I  drink  from  the  cup  of  every  liv- 
ing joy  and  sorrow.  I  know  not  day  nor  night  nor  season.  I  know  not 
death,  yet  I  am  born  again  with  every  morn — with  every  moon — with  every 
twilight.     I  leap  into  fresh  being  with  every  new  world's  event. 

"Those  who  created  me  cease  to  be.  The  brains  and  heart's  blood  that 
nourish  me  go  the  way  of  human  dissolution.     Yet  I  live  on — and  on. 

"I  am  majestic  in  my  strength — sublime  in  my  power — terrible  in  my 
potentialities — yet  as  democratic  as  the  ragged  boy  who  sells  me  for  a  penny. 

"I  am  the  consort  of  kings — the  partner  of  capital — the  brother  of  toil. 
The  inspiration  of  the  hopeless — the  right  arm  of  the  needy — the  champion 
of  the  oppressed — the  conscience  of  the  criminal.  I  am  the  epitome  of  the 
world's  Comedy  and  Tragedy. 

"My  responsibility  is  infinite.  I  speak,  and  the  world  stops  to  listen. 
I  say  the  word,  and  battle  flames  the  horizon.  I  counsel  peace,  and  the  war 
lords  obey.  I  am  greater  than  any  individual — more  powerful  than  any 
group.  I  am  the  dynamic  force  of  Public  Opinion.  Rightly  directed,  I  am 
the  creator  of  confidence ;  a  builder  of  happiness  in  living.  I  am  the  teacher 
of  patriotism. 


366  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"I  am  the  liands  of  the  clock  of  time — the  clarion  \-oice  of  civilization. 
I  am  the  newspaper." 

It  is  often  a  difficult  matter  for  the  conscientious  newspaper  editor  to 
discriminate  between  his  duty  to  the  public  and  his  duty  to  the  individual — 
to  determine  what  should  be  printed  and  what  should  be  withheld.  In  de- 
termining this,  he  is  often  misjudged  and  charged  with  an  attempt  to  shield 
one  misdemeanant  while  he  exposes  another.  Sometimes  he  is  accused  of 
withholding  certain  information  from  the  public  through  mercenary  mo- 
tives. It  is  not  the  province  of  the  modern  newspaper  to  be  the  mouthpiece  of 
the  scandal-monger,  nor  has  it  any  right  to  suppress  information  which  the 
public  is  entitled  to  possess.  The  tendency  of  a  newspaper  should  be  for 
uplift,  for  the  common  good.  It  should  hold  prominently  before  its  readers 
that  which  is  best  for  the  community  and  best  worthy  of  emulation.  News 
that,  if  printed,  would  do  more  harm  than  good,  the  modern  editor  consigns 
to  the  waste-basket. 

The  early  editor  had  a  great  man}'  difficulties  to  surmount  in  getting  his 
white  paper.  Roads  were  bad,  collections  worse  and  paper  could  be  procured 
only  for  cash.  On  .Vugust  15,  1846.  the  editor  of  the  Standard  announced: 
"There  will  be  no  paper  next  week.  We  are  out  of  money,  out  of  paper  and 
we  can't  and  won't  buy  on  credit."  The  paper  did  not  appear  for  two  weeks. 
The  next  issue  was  almost  exclusively  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  a  forth- 
coming debate  between  Rev.  W.  Terrill  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  Jacob  Wright,  of  the  Christian  church  upon  a  religious  topic.  After  a 
considerable  amount  of  sparring  between  the  reverend  gentlemen,  regarding 
details  of  the  debate,  the  affair  was  called  off. 

On  account  of  the  scarcity  of  money  in  ante-bellum  days,  the  editor 
usually  received  pay  for  his  paper  in  trade,  produce  and  anything  which  sub- 
scribers, not  needing,  were  willing  to  give  him.  Sometimes  the  editor  was 
forced  to  run  up  the  "S.  O.  S."  sign  and  simimon  assistance.  Witness  the 
following  clipping,  from  an  1847  Greensburg  paper: 

"Very  Late  and  Important. — We  are  just  out  of  wood  and  would  be 
very  much  pleased  to  receive  a  few  loads  immediately.  W^ood  that  is  dry  and 
would  burn  well  in  a  stove  would  suit  us  best." 

A  striking  feature  of  the  early  newspapers  of  Indiana  was  their  reckless 
use  of  adjectives  in  writing  of  those  who  differed  with  them  along  political 
lines.  A  few  specific  instances  from  Greensburg  papers  will  illustrate  the 
point.  In  1858  the  Decatur  Democrat  and  the  Rushville  Jacksonian  were 
"on  the  outs''  on  the  slavery  question.  The  former  was  opposed  to  sla\'ery 
and  branded  the  Buchanan  administration  as  "a  humbug  and  a  swindle."  The 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  367 

Jacksonian  stood  for  the  "simon-pure"  Democracy  of  that  day.  The 
Standard,  referring  to  the  hitter  words  that  had  been  tossed  back  and  forth, 
said,  "They  respectively  make  each  other  out  as  e.xtremely  great  bars  and 
very  dirty  dogs,  and  it  gives  us  much  pleasure  in  uttering  the  conviction  that 
they  both  tell  the  truth."  This  kind  of  language  would  appear  out  of  place 
in  the  modern  newspaper.  The  editor  of  the  Standard  was  a  master  of 
invective  and  his  language  in  the  sixties  was  often  vitriolic  to  the  extreme. 
During  war  times,  Decatur  county  editors  sometimes  waxed  hot  in 
criticising  those  who  were  lukewarm  for  the  Union  and  once  in  a  while  laid 
down  the  law  to  such  citizens.  In  1863,  when  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle  were  getting  very  bold  near  Westport  and  were  considering  taking 
arms  to  resist  the  draft,  the  Grccnshurg  Standard  gave  them  the  following 
gentle  hint :  "The  draft  will  be  enforced  in  this  county  though  the  streets 
run  red  with  human  gore  and  the  torch  destroy  every  town  and  village  in  the 
county.     This  is  fully  decided  and  can  be  relied  upon." 

GREEN.SBURG   NEWSP.'XPERS. 

In  the  Grccnshurg  Standard  of  January  4.  1895,  the  late  Orville  Thomp- 
son had  a  history  of  the  papers  of  Greensburg  which  covered  the  period  from 
1830,  the  date  of  the  first  paper,  down  to  1895.  The  historian  feels  that  no 
more  comprehensi\-e  article  on  the  papers  of  the  city  can  be  written  with  the 
available  material  than  that  of  ]\Ir.  Thompson  and  therefore  gives  his  article 
here,  verbatim : 

"In  the  spring  of  1830  Elijah  [Mitchell — an  uncle  of  the  writer  and  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  1823 — began  the  publication  of  a  paper  here  styled  the 
Greensburg  Clironiclc,  and  after  an  experience  of  about  a  year  sold  the  outfit 
to  Thomas  Dowling,  who  changed  the  name  to  The  Political  Clarion.  He 
conducted  it  until  the  close  of  the  Clay-Jackson  campaign  of  1832,  when  he 
sold  it  to  James  Harvey  Brown,  whose  editorial  career  was  a  brief  one — 
the  paper  dying  a  very  few  months  later  of  inanition. 

"Dowling  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  of  Celtic  blood ;  a  vigorous  writer, 
who  learned  almost  all  that  was  then  knowable,  and  never  forgot  anything, 
nor  anyone  whom  he  ever  had  known.  A  pleasant  instance  of  this  occurred 
with  the  writer,  who  was  a  lad  of  nine  years  when  he  (Dowling)  left  here. 
I  did  not  see  him  until  twenty  years  later  and  then,  meeting  him  at  Indian- 
apolis, he  at  once  recognized  me  and  called  me  by  name.  This  preliminary 
sketch  seems  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  correct  a  mistaken  notion  enter- 
tained by  many  people  that  the  Repository  was  the  first  paper  issued  in 
Greensburg. 


368  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"For  three  years  following  the  demise  of  the  Clarion  the  county  was 
without  the  fructifying  power  of  the  press.  In  the  faU  of  1835.  my  father 
(John  Thomson),  issued  a  prospectus  for  a  paper  to  be  called  The  Grccnsburg 
Repository,  and,  having  doubts  whether  a  partizan  paper  could  be  maintained 
here,  despite  his  ardent  Whig  sentiments,  he  proposed  that  the  paper  should 
be  a  'family  newspaper,  independent,  but  not  neutral.'  But  in  this  instance, 
as  is  often  the  case  in  human  affairs, 

"The  best  laid  schemes  of  men  and  mice 
Gang  aft  aglee." 

"Scarce  had  the  ink  become  dry  on  his  prospectus,  when  there  came  one 
who  signed  his  name  \\'illiam  Vallette  Coleman,  bringing  with  him  the  ma- 
terial of  a  late  defunct  Democratic  paper  from  Brookville,  and  proposed  a 
partnership  in  the  new  enterprise.  This  was  declined  and  he  (Coleman)  at 
once  began  the  publication  of  a  Democratic  paper,  The  Greenshnrg  Courier. 
This  necessitated  a  change  of  base  on  the  part  of  the  Repository  (not  an 
altogether  unpleasant  one  to  the  proprietor)  and  when  its  first  issue  appeared 
in  the  first  week  of  December,  1835,  it  bore  at  its  head  the  motto,  'The  Union, 
the  Constitution,  and  Enforcement  of  Laws,'  and  underneath,  in  bold  faced 
type,  there  read. 

For  President, 

GENERAL  WILLLAM  HENRY  HARRISON, 

of  Ohio, 

Sul)ject  to  the  Decision  of  a  \A'hig  National  Con\'ention. 

"Through  all  its  changes,  both  in  names  and  proprietors,  this  paper  has 
remained  true  to  its  birthday  inspiration,  both  in  its  printed  columns  and  by 
representatives  on  the  battlefield,  six  of  its  editors  having  enlisted  under 
Old  Glory. 

"And  someone  rises  to  ask  what  became  of  the  Grecnsbiirg  Courier. 
It  survived  the  wintry  blasts  of  1835-36,  but  when  the  spring  time  came  and 
the  roads  settled,  its  proprietor  loaded  it  on  a  wagon  and  hauled  it  to  Shelby- 
ville.  From  this  time  until  the  early  part  of  1841  the  Repository  was  the 
only  paper  in  the  county,  Mr.  Thompson  continuing  as  owner  and  editor. 

"During  the  fore  part  of  1841,  Peter  J.  Bartholomew  began  the  publica- 
tion of  a  paper  with  the  lumbering  title  of  The  Chronicle  of  the  Times.  The 
stress  of  newspaper  life  must  have  worried  him,  since  he  died  a  few  months 
after   he  had  his  paper   started.     Philander   Hamilton   and   James   Monroe 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  369 

Talbot  bought  the  outfit  in  November  of  the  same  year  and  changed  the  name 
to  the  Decatur  Sentinel.  A  year  later  the  same  sheet  appears  as  the  Decatur 
Plweni.v,  under  the  guidance  of  Israel  T.  Gibson.  But  the  two  papers,  the 
Whig  Repository  and  the  Democrat  Phoenix,  could  not  both  prosper  with 
the  limited  patronage  which  they  received  and  in  November,  1843,  ^^^^  two 
were  consolidated  under  tlie  name  of  the  Repository.  Jacolj  ^V.  Mills,  the 
foreman  of  the  Phoenix,  had  purcliased  that  paper  and  he  and  the  writer 
( Or\'ille  Thompson),  or  one  or  the  other,  continued  the  management  of  the 
paper  until  1S51. 

"In  the  latter  year,  the  Repository  went  into  the  hands  of  Davies  Batter- 
ton  and  \\'illiam  H.  Hazelrigg,  William  H.  Rhiver  being  taken  into  the  firm 
later.  In  July,  1853,  it  was  again  purchased  by  the  writer  (Orville  Thomp- 
son) and  conducted  by  him  until  the  latter  part  of  1856,  when  it  went  into 
the  hands  of  the  former  firm  again.  W^ith  the  issue  of  December  26,  1856, 
the  paper  appeared  as  the  Decatur  Republican.  In  1858  the  paper  was 
bought  by  J.  J.  Hazelrigg  and  George  R.  Rhiver.  Rhiver  dying  in  1862, 
Hazelrigg  continued  the  paper  until  1863  and  then  sold  it  to  Dr.  S.  H.  Riley, 
J.  B.  Mallett  and  Redin  B.  Conover.  This  firm  kept  it  until  1865  and  then 
.disposed  of  it  to  Will  Pound.  The  changes  since  then  ha\'e  been  as  follow: 
Pound  to  J.  J.  Hazelrigg,  1868;  Hazelrigg  to  Joseph  A.  McKee,  1872; 
McKee  to  George  H.  McKee,  1873:  McKee  to  J.  J.  Hazelrigg,  1878,  who 
with  his  sons  conducted  it  until  1894,  when  the  present  owner,  Luther  D. 
Braden,  became  the  owner  and  editor. 

"Since  1848,  under  the  several  managements  above  given,  the  paper  has 
borne  several  diflferent  names:  Decatur  Clarion,  1848-51;  Decatur  Press, 
1851-58;  Decatur  Republican.  1858-65:  Grcensbnrg  Chronicle.  1865-68; 
Grecnsbury  Staiutard.  1868-1915.  But  with  all  these  changes,  it  has  sailed 
under  the  same  'old  flag.' 

"As  the  Decatur  Republican,  in  1858.  it  was  the  first  among  Indiana 
newspapers  to  pronounce  'For  President  in  1860,  Abraham  Lincoln.'  Whether 
in  regard  to  national,  state  or  local  afi^airs,  it  has  not  hesitated  to  sustain  the 
right,  nor  once  failed  to  strike  tlie  wrong. 

"The  Repository  was  launched  upon  the  broad  sea  of  journalism  with  a 
subscription  list  of  about  three  hundred,  and  its  growth  up  to  1843  ^^'^s  a  slow 
one,  being  little  above  four  hundred  at  that  time.  The  consolidation  with 
the  Phoenix  in  the  fall  of  1843  g'^ve  an  increase  of  only  about  one  hundred, 
the  patrons  of  one  being  largely  patrons  of  the  other. 

"The  local  feature  was  first  introduced  into  the  paper  on  1851,  previous 
(24) 


370  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.      ■ 

to  which  time  httle  attention  had  been  given  to  local  news  by  either  city  or 
county  papers.  This  feature,  together  with  the  political  ground  swell  in 
1854,  started  an  upward  tendency.  By  the  close  of  the  Fremont  campaign  of 
1856  the  subscription  list  had  grown  to  a  little  over  six  hundred,  a  number 
that,  run  off  on  the  old  hand  press,  was  about  the  acme  of  the  country  pub- 
lisher's ambition.  The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  began  a  new  era  in 
the  history  of  the  newspaper ;  men  who  had  not  heretofore  been  newspaper 
readers  now  began  to  read,  and  those  who  had  read  began  to  read  more. 
The  introduction  of  the  power  press  revolutionized  the  mechanical  side  of 
the  business  and  was  a  great  stimulus  to  the  printer. 

"From  1836  to  1841  and  again  from  1843  to  1850,  the  Repository,  its 
predecessors  and  successors,  had  no  competition.  In  the  latter  year  Oscar  B. 
Hord  and  Charles  R.  Hobbs  established  a  Democratic  sheet  by  the  name  of 
the  Greenshtirg  Gazette.  It  gave  way,  two  years  later,  to  the  Democratic 
Rifle,  Bernard  Mullen,  editor,  which  succumbed  under  the  withering  frosts 
of  the  ensuing  November.  In  1856  John  B.  Covington  entered  the  arena 
with  another  Democratic  paper,  which  led  a  wavering  career  until  some- 
time in  1859.  In  that  year  the  following  notice  appears  in  the  Decatur 
Republican.  'The  Democrat  office  of  this  place  was  sold  last  week  at  sheriff's 
sale  for  twenty-five  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents — rather  a  small  price  for  a 
printing  office.'  Whether  this  paper  was  styled  the  Democrat  or  whether  it 
was  a  Democratic  paper  under  some  other  name  has  not  been  ascertained. 
There  seems  to  have  been  another  Democratic  paper  established  shortly  after- 
ward, but  its  name  and  founder  evidently  made  little  impression  on  the  news- 
paper world,  since  neither  have  been  preserved.  In  1863  Riley  and  Mallett, 
of  the  Decatur  Republican,  absorbed  the  flickering  Democratic  sheet,  and  for 
the  succeeding  six  years  there  was  only  the  one  paper  in  Greensburg. 

"In  1869  Martin  Zorger  and  Martin  Blair  established  the  Democratic 
-Nc-ci.'  Era  and  this  paper,  with  several  changes  in  ownership,  is  still  in  exist- 
ence. The  owners  of  this  paper  in  succession  have  been  as  follows :  Zorger, 
Ed.  D.  Donnell  &  James  Hart,  W.  A.  Donnell  &  Sons,  J.  E.  Mendenhall, 
Allen  W.  Clark,  \V.  H.  Glidewell  and  Dr.  J.  W.  Rucker,  since  1902." 

"In  1 90 1  Dr.  J.  W.  Rucker  came  to  Greensburg  from  Shelbyville  and 
became  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Graphic,  which  was  issued  from  the  Nezt'  Era 
office.  This  was  issued  until  January,  191 5,  when  it  was  discontinued, 
although  the  weekly  is  still  continued. 

"Meantime  there  have  sprung  up  Greenback  papers.  Prohibition  papers, 
'Coming'  and  departing  'Nations,'  and  more  'Democrats'  than  you  could  shake 
a  stick  at,  all  of  which  have  gone  down  to  unmarked  and  forgotten  graves." 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  37I 

Thus  closes  the  interesting  article  of  the  veteran  newspaper  man,   Orville 
Thompson. 

"died MOURNERS   SCARCE." 

Among  the  "unmarked  and  forgotten"  papers  which  Thomson  mentions, 
the  historian  has  located  some  half  dozen  or  more  with  definite  names  and 
more  or  less  indefinite  dates.  On  March  25,  1863,  Burnham  &  Howell  put 
out  the  first  issue  of  the  Grcensburg  Fact,  a  Democratic  sheet,  but  its  earthly 
career  was  very  brief.  In  November  of  the  same  year  the  Decatur  Republican 
pays  tribute  to  the  Fact  in  the  following  dolorous  fashion:  "Died — In  this 
city  last  week,  of  starvation,  the  Grcensburg  Fact.  Mourners  scarce."  The 
Saturday  Evening  Revieiv  was  started  August  2,  1879,  by  George  H.  McKee 
and  Robert  W.  Montgomery  and  espoused  the  Republican  cause.  It  was 
edited  with  ability  and  was  issued  regularly  for  several  years.  During  the 
summer  of  1878,  O.  P.  McLane,  a  young  teacher  of  Jackson  township,  started 
a  Democratic  paper  in  Greensburg  under  the  name  of  the  Decatur  Democrat, 
which,  after  a  brief  and  meteoric  career,  succumbed  and  was  merged  with  the 
Nezvs. 

On  July  I,  190 1,  a  Baptist  minister  at  Burney,  Charles  J.  Dickens  by 
name,  issued  the  first  number  of  a  small  church  paper,  to  which  he  gave  the 
title  of  Salem  Ne7i's.  The  Baptist  church  at  Burney  was  called  Salem,  hence 
the  name  of  his  paper.  \\"ishing  his  paper  to  have  a  wider  significance.  Rev. 
Dickens  changed  its  name,  on  August  15  of  the  same  year,  to  the  Baptist] 
Voice.  It  was  printed  in  the  office  of  the  Greensburg  Standard  from  the  time 
of  the  first  issue  until  December,  1902.  In  July,  1901,  Rev.  Dickens  bought 
the  job  plant  of  Elzo  Reed  in  Greensburg  and  from  the  issue  of  July  20,  1901, 
to  December,  1902,  the  type  was  set  in  his  office  and  tiie  press  work  done  in 
the  Standard  office.  During  1902  the  official  state  paper  of  the  Baptists, 
which  had  been  published  at  Indianapolis,  was  discontinued  and  Rev.  Dickens 
succeeded  in  getting  his  paper  made  the  official  paper  of  his  denomination  in 
the  state.  It  seems  that  with  the  adoption  of  his  paper  as  the  state  organ  of 
his  church  Rev.  Dickens  changed  its  name  to  the  Baptist  Observer,  a  title 
which  it  still  bears.  It  was  issued  weekly  in  Greensburg  until  the  latter  part 
of  March,  1910,  and  then  moved  to  Seymour,  where  it  is  now  issued  from 
the  office  of  the  Seymour  Republican  by  J.  C.  Smith.  The  plant  in  Greens- 
burg was  sold  to  Walter  A.  Kaler,  who  at  once  started  the  JJ'eekly  Democrat. 
Sometime  before  leaving  Greensburg  the  Observer  passed  into  the  hands  of 
A.  D.  Berry  and  W.  A.  Phillips,  the  latter  soon  retiring  and  leaving  the  sole 
management  in  the  hands  of  Berry,  who  was  in  charge  until  the  paper  was 
removed  to  Sevmour. 


■^'J2  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  Coming  Nation  was  established  in  Greensburg  in  August,  1892,  by 
J.  A.  Wayland  and,  while  it  was  published  only  a  few  years  here,  it  attained 
a  national  circulation  of  about  eighty  thousand.  Wayland  was  a  socialist  of 
ability,  a  man  of  literary  facility  and  built  up  a  paper  here  which  was  known 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country.  Later,  Wayland  estab- 
lished the  Appeal  to  Reason  at  Girard,  Kansas,  and  made  it  the  leading 
Socialist  organ  of  the  whole  country.  While  still  in  charge  of  the  paper,  he 
committed  suicide  in  19 12.  \\'ayland  was  born  in  Versailles,  Ripley  county, 
Indiana,  in  1854.  \\'hile  publishing  his  paper  in  Greensburg  he  had  his  office 
in  the  Privett  block. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Grccnshnrg  Revicn'  made  its  appearance  on  August 
I,  1879,  with  George  W.  McKee  and  Robert  W.  Montgomery  as  editors  and 
owners.  The  paper  was  an  eight-column  folio,  all  home  print,  and  from  the 
outset  gained  favor  with  the  reading  public  of  Decatur  county.  It  was  a 
weekly  publication,  issued  on  Saturday,  and  gave  special  attention  to  county 
and  local  news. 

In  1884,  Mr.  McKee  sold  a  one-fourth  interest  in  the  paper  to  the  Hon. 
John  O.  Donnell,  who  took  charge  of  the  editorial  department  and  attracted 
wide  attention  by  his  work.  On  September  i,  1885,  Mr.  Donnell  sold  his 
interest  to  A.  M.  Willoughby,  who  for  two  years  prior  had  been  city  editor  of 
the  Standard,  and  the  firm  became  Montgomery  &  Willoughby.  For  ten 
years  this  partnership  existed.  In  1884  the  paper  became  a  semi-weekly, 
issued  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  July  i,  1895,  Mr.  Montgomery  sold 
two-thirds  of  his  one-half  interest  in  the  paper  to  Ed  D.  Donnell,  and  the 
partnership  of  ^^^illoughby  &  Donnell  continued  until  April,  1897,  when  Mr. 
Donnell  retired. 

On  November  i,  1898,  the  Greensburg  Daily  Review  was  established, 
with  A.  M.  Willoughby  as  editor  and  Dix  D.  Hazelrigg  as  city  editor.  The 
daily  edition  was  a  success  from  the  start,  and  has  continuously  grown  in 
circulation  and  influence  until  it  is  ranked  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
up-to-date  newspapers  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

Desiring  to  give  the  people  of  Decatur  county  a  newspaper  worthy  of 
the  name  and  one  far  superior  to  all  its  former  editions,  the  Daily  Review' 
Printing  Company  was  formed  in  June,  1912,  and,  on  the  ist  day  of  July 
following,  the  property  was  taken  over  by  the  company.  Many  improve- 
ments were  made  at  once.  A  linotype  machine  was  put  in  and  a  large  cpian- 
tity  of  new  type  and  other  material  was  added.  A  full  leased  wire  news 
service  was  installed,  which,  with  improvements  made  on  the  general  plant, 
at  once  pushed  The  Daily  Rez'iczv  thus  in  the  lead  of  all  other  Decatur  county 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  373 

newspapers.  Tliis  prestige  the  paper  is  championing  at  the  present  time,  and 
as  it  intends  to  employ  the  same  enterprise  in  the  future  as  in  the  past  its 
owners  confidenth^  anticipate  a  continued  growth  in  both  subscription  and 
advertising. 

The  Daily  Re\-iew  Printing  Company  is  composed  of  Will  H.  Robbins, 
a  well-known  farmer  and  capitalist ;  Dan  S.  Perry,  cashier  of  the  Greensburg 
National  Bank;  David  A.  Myers,  prominent  attorney  and  ex-judge  of  the 
Indiana  appellate  court ;  Fred  L.  Thomas,  weW  known  telephone  man,  and  A. 
M. Willoughby,  who  has  been  continuously  with  the  Rcz-icn'  for  thirty  years. 

The  Rczic-a'  has  always  stood  for  the  best  interests  of  Decatur  county 
and  Greensburg,  and  has  labored  at  all  times  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  com- 
munity, socially,  morally  and  financially.  It  was  the  first  paper  to  print  an 
article  advocating  the  location  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  home  in  Greensburg,  and 
the  splendid  institution  which  is  today  the  pride  of  e\-ery  resident  of  the  city 
is  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  paper.  In  short,  the  paper  has 
always  led  in  efforts  for  the  public  welfare,  and  this  accounts  in  a  measure 
for  the  hearty  support  that  is  given  it  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding  terri- 
tory. In  politics  the  Rcz'icw  is  Republican,  and  has  always  advocated  Repub- 
lican principles,  but  it  is  not  offensively  partisan,  as  it  grants  every  man  the 
right  to  differ  with  it  in  his  opinions,  political  and  otherwise. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Greensburg  Daily  Times  (at  that  time  called  the 
Daily  Democrat)  made  its  appearance  on  April  9,  1910.  It  came  very  quietly 
and  without  having  been  heralded.  The  usual  preliminaries  at  the  birth  of  an 
institution  as  public  as  a  newspaper  were  dispensed  with  and  the  first  intima- 
tion that  the  public  had  that  another  mold  for  the  formation  of  opinion  had 
been  under  contemplation,  was  when  the  paper  made  its  bow,  and  its  editor 
handed  his  "salutatory"  to  the  citizens  of  Greensburg. 

Nor  was  the  manner  of  its  coming  into  life  altogether  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  people  of  Greensburg  had  become  accustomed  to  the  birth  of  news- 
papers in  a  community  which  has  seen  the  start  and  the  finish  of  at  least  as 
many  organs  of  the  press  as  most  places  of  its  size  can  boast  of. 

Its  first  editor  and  owner,  Walter  A.  Kaler,  had  been  in  the  printing 
business  for  many  years.  He  had  grown  up  in  a  country  newspaper  and 
job  office,  and  knew  the  game  in  all  its  angles.  Just  prior  to  starting  the 
Times,  he  had  been  issuing  the  St.  Paul  Telegram,  a  paper  he  started  in  the 
town  of  that  name  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  count}-. 

Mr.  Kaler  was  an  astute  and  far-seeing  man.  Although  there  were 
already  three  daily  papers  (two  Republican  and  one  Democrat)  then  being 
issued  in  Greenslmrg.  he   felt  that  another  Democratic  paper  was   needed. 


374  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

He  believed  that  not  only  the  members  of  that  party,  but  the  people  of  all 
parties,  would  welcome  another  newspaper  devoted  to  the  principles  of 
Democracy. 

There  had  been  published  in  Greensburg  for  several  years  just  before  the 
first  issue  of  the  Times,  the  state  organ  of  the  Baptists.  This  paper,  known 
as  the  Baptist  Observer,  had  been  sold  to  Seymour  people  and  the  offices 
moved  to  that  city.  The  plant  was  not  moved,  the  presses  and  full  equip- 
ment being  taken  over  by  the  Times.  Within  a  few  months  after  its  first 
appearance  a  company  was  formed  for  the  purchase  of  the  business.  A  cor- 
poration charter  was  obtained.  Of  this  company,  Alexander  Porter  was 
president,  John  F.  Russell,  vice-president,  and  Charles  H.  Ewing,  secretary. 
Mr.  Kaler  continued  as  editor  and  manager  until  February,  191 1,  when  he 
retired  from  the  business  and  moved  with  his  family  to  Florida. 

The  Ti)iies  was  first  published  in  the  Bracken  building  on  West  Main 
street,  just  west  of  Montfort  street.  In  March,  1912,  a  move  was  made  to 
the  Red  Men's  building,  nearer  the  public  square.  The  Times  was  the  first 
newspaper  in  the  county  to  install  modern  printing  machinery.  Its  equip- 
ment was  always  up-to-date  and  has  always  been  kept  at  its  best.  Its  linotype 
machine  was  the  first  to  be  used  in  the  county. 

Charles  H.  Ewing  succeeded  Mr.  Kaler  as  editor  and  manager  in  Febru- 
ary, 191 1,  and  two  years  later  Hamilton  Mercer,  the  present  editor  took 
charge.  Under  his  management  the  paper  has  held  to  a  high  plane.  The 
little  bickerings  so  common  among  country  newspapers  have  never  found  a 
place  in  its  columns.  Personalities  of  a  disagreeable  or  unwelcome  nature 
have  always  been  ruled  out,  and  the  Times  has  always  been  a  credit  to  its 
managers,  its  owners,  and  the  party  of  which  it  is  the  organ. 

The  Weekly  Democrat  is  the  weekly  edition  of  the  Times. 

Hamilton  Mercer,  editor  of  the  Evening  Times  and  Weekly  Democrat, 
is  a  native  Hoosier,  but  he  has  been  in  the  newspaper  business  in  several  other 
states.  He  started  in  the  business  on  the  Anderson  Daily  Bulletin.  Later 
he  went  to  Marion  and  became  editor  of  the  old  Morning  Nezvs.  He  was 
for  a  short  time  on  the  Cincinnati  Post  and  later  was  editorial  writer  on  the 
Danville  (111.)  Democrat.  Mr.  Mercer  is  author  of  "The  Reproach  of 
Capital  Punishment,"  a  work  which  has  distinguished  him  as  a  criminologist. 

THE  DAILY  NEWS. 

The  Daily  News  was  started  on  January  i,  1894,  by  Frank  Trimble  and 
Ed  Lines  and  was  the  first  daily  paper  to  be  published  in  Greensburg.     On 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  375 

May  I,  1894,  Ed  Lines  disposed  of  his  interests  to  Mr.  Trimble,  who  after- 
wards sold  out  to  Harry  Matthews,  and  he  in  turn  sold  to  James  D.  White. 

The  Weekly  Nczcs  was  launched  in  iS'98  by  the  owners  of  the  daily,  and 
it  has  since  been  continued  by  the  various  editors  during  their  periods  of 
ownership. 

All  the  aforementioned  owners  have  passed  to  their  final  reward,  the 
last  named,  James  D.  White,  dying  in  November,  1902.  The  present  owner 
and  editor,  James  E.  Caskey,  purchased  the  paper  from  the  mother  of  Mr. 
White,  soon  after  his  death,  taking  charge  on  December  x,  1902.  At  that 
time  the  daily  had  a  circulation  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  and  the  weekly, 
five  hundred  and  sixty.  At  the  present  time  the  circulation  of  the  Daily  News 
is  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty  and  the  weekly,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  and  sixty.  The  A'cr^'s  stands  alone  in  its  field  in  that  its  unprece- 
dented circulation,  considering  the  territory  in  which  it  operates,  was  obtained 
through  meritorious  effort. 

As  this  is  especially  an  agricultural  county,  Greensburg  being  the  active 
center  of  one  of  the  richest  farm  areas  in  Indiana,  Editor  Caskey  has  devoted 
much  time,  labor  and  money  towards  matters  of  interest  to  the  husbandry- 
man.  This  step,  taken  when  he  first  assumed  control  of  the  Nezvs,  has  been 
one  of  his  best  circulation  builders. 

It  was  he  who  advocated  and  caused  to  be  held  the  first  corn  school 
in  this  county,  so  agriculturists  everywhere  familiar  with  the  policy  of  the 
A'czvs,  are  unstinted  in  their  praise  of  the  man  who  has  so  successfully  con- 
trolled its  destinies  for  more  than  a  decade,  and  show  their  appreciation  by 
their  most  liberal  and  continued  patronage.  This  advocacy  of  better  seed 
corn  and  scientific  farming  on  more  advanced  lines,  has  had  its  desired 
results,  for  today  no  county  of  the  state  stands  higher  in  quality  or  quantity 
of  its  products — land  area  under  cultivation  considered. 

Mr.  Caskey  at  present  has  a  boys'  corn  club  of  one  hundred  and  six 
members.  During  the  initiatory  year  he  furnished  fine  seed  corn  free,  and 
encouraged  the  boys  to  raise  better  corn  than  their  fathers  by  offering  to  the 
winner  a  free  trip  to  the  farmers'  short  course  at  Purdue  University.  The 
winners  were  to  be  determined  from  those  raising  either  best  ten  ears  of  corn, 
best  single  ear  or  largest  yield  on  a  single  acre.  To  date  he  has  personally 
paid  the  expenses  of  such  trips  for  twelve  boys,  who  each  spent  a  week  at 
the  experiment  station  of  the  university. 

In  1914,  impressed  with  the  idea  that  motorists,  travelers  through  the 
country  and  even  the  rural  mail  carriers  would  find  it  a  convenience  and  a 
pleasure  to  know  who  lived  here  and  there  as  they  journeyed  the  highways  of 


376  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  county.  Mr.  Caskey  a'^sumed  the  huge  task  of  painting  each  rural  resi- 
dent's name  on  his  mail  box.  This  enterprise,  Mr.  Caskey  shows,  was 
done  at  no  expense  to  the  owners,  and  was  a  gift  from  the  A'cu's.  Previous 
to  sending  men  into  the  country  to  letter  the  boxes,  it  was  made  plain  that 
the  lettering  of  a  box  carried  no  obligation.  It  was  a  gift,  and  the  five  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  fifty  names  on  boxes  in  this  county  today,  underscored 
with  words  suggesting  and  heralding  the  Ncivs,  is  but  one  sample  of  many 
of  what  the  Nczi's  is  doing  in  the  community  where  it  flourishes.  Today  as  a 
result  (if  this  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  Nczi'S,  Decatur  county  stands  alone 
of  all  the  counties  of  the  United  States  where  the  rural  mail  service  is 
extended,  that  has  a  solid  service  of  this  sort.  Immediately  following  this. 
Editor  Caskey  distributed  free  metal  mail  boxes  in  Greensburg,  and  every 
residence  in  this  county  is  now  supplied  with  such. 

The  News  aims  to  interest,  inform  and  entertain,  not  any  special  class, 
or  kind  of  people,  but  the  great  mass  of  Decatur  county  readers  in  general. 
Che  slogan  of  the  editor-in-chief  has  always  been,  "Get  the  news,"  regardless 
of  expense,  and  "get  it  first."  The  paper  has  never  attempted  to  compete 
with  the  metropolitan  dailies,  confining  its  efforts  solely  to  an  "up-to-the- 
minute"  service  of  all  news  of  Greensburg,  various  towns  and  countrysides 
in  the  county. 

This  policy  of  all  the  news,  all  the  time,  handled  with  absolute  fairness 
and  accuracy,  which  applies  to  political  as  well  as  general  news  stories,  are 
pre-eminently  responsible  for  the  Daily  Nezvs  being  a  welcome  visitor  into 
so  many  of  the  homes  of  this  county  where  it  is  a  source  of  interest,  enter- 
tainment and  pleasure. 

ST.  PAUL  NEWSPAPERS. 

The  history  of  the  St.  Paul  papers  has  been  difficult  to  trace  owing  to  the 
fact  that  no  files  have  been  preserved.  The  first  paper  in  St.  Paul  was  the 
Press,  which  seems  to  have  began  and  ended  its  existence  in  i860.  The 
second  paper  in  the  town  was  the  Democrat,  which  was  started  in  1868  by 
Elias  Barnes,  but  it  was  doomed  to  a  short  career  of  only  a  few  months. 
It  was  then  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  it  proved  no  more  successful  and, 
after  a  few  more  months  of  futile  struggling,  it  was  quietly  laid  away  to  rest. 
The  next  paper  in  St.  Paul  was  the  Rer/ister.  which  first  made  its  appearance 
on  October  15,  1879,  under  the  management  of  J.  P.  Hankins.  It  lasted 
about  two  years,  the  last  issue  being  dated  August  i,  1881.  The  paper  was 
then  moved  to  Greensburg  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Decatur  Democrat, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  377 

with  Thomas  Greenfield  and  Hankins  as  editors  and  owners.  If  there  was 
a  paper  in  St.  Paul  from  1881  to  1890,  it  has  not  heen  discovered.  On 
January  6,  1890,  Cox  &  Trissal  issued  the  first  number  of  the  St.  Paul  Mail, 
but  just  how  long  this  paper  was  published  has  not  been  ascertained.  Cox 
left  the  firm  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1891,  to  accept  a  place  on  the  hidi- 
aiiapolis  Siai  and,  according  to  the  best  evidence  obtainable,  the  Mail  shortly 
afterward  breathed  its  last.  The  next  St.  Paul  paper  to  try  its  fortune  in  the 
town  was  the  Telegram,  which  appeared  under  the  management  of  Walter  A. 
Kaler  on  March  17,  1905.  Kaler  continued  as  owner  and  editor  until  Novem- 
ber I,  1909,  when  he  disposed  of  the  plant  to  Ora  C.  Pearce,  the  present 
editor.  Pearce  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  he  took  charge  of 
the  paper,  Ijut,  despite  his  3^outh,  he  made  it  a  success  from  the  start.  It  is  a 
six-column  folio,  independent  in  politics,  devoted  first  of  all  to  local  news 
and  advertising,  and  is  receiving  hearty  support  in  the  community.  The 
office  has  sufficient  ecpiipment  to  do  all  kinds  of  job  work  and,  with  its  lino- 
type machine,  is  able  to  turn  out  work  on  short  notice. 

WESTPORT    NEWSPAPERS. 

The  Jl'cstport  Iiidcpciiilrnf  was  established  in  iSS'6  by  Rev.  Leroy  Hirsh- 
burg,  a  Methodist  minister,  who  issued  the  paper  several  years  and  then  dis- 
posed of  it  to  Carl  Shafer.  About  1899  the  West  port  Courier  was  started  by 
Dickens  &  Morgan  and  advocated  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
On  July  14.  1904,  the  Courier  sold  out  to  the  Independent,  and  Shafer  became 
the  owner  and  editor  of  the  new  paper,  the  Courier-Independent,  the  name  by 
which  the  paper  is  still  known.  Shafer  continued  in  charge  of  the  paper 
several  years  and  then  sold  it  to  Joseph  Tucker  and  James  E.  Nicely.  Later 
Tucker  acquired  the  sole  interest  in  the  paper  and  issued  it  until  1913  when 
he  disposed  of  it  to  T.  W.  Robinson.  In  March,  1914,  Robinson  sold  it  10 
James  H.  Keith  after  an  ownership  of  eight  months.  Keith  has  built  up  the 
paper  since  he  has  acquired  it  until  he  now  has  a  first-class  sheet,  which  finds 
its  way  into  seven  hundred  homes  in  Decatur  and  surrounding  counties. 
There  appears  to  ha\'e  been  a  paper  by  the  name  of  the  Decatur  Journal  pub- 
lished in  W'estport  in  the  eighties,  but  no  definite  information  concerning  it 
has  been  obtained. 

CLARKSBURG  BUDGET. 

On  July  10,  1909,  the  first  issue  of  the  Bi-Jl'eeklyBudf/et,  the  only  paper 
ever  published  in  Fugit  township,  made  its  appearance  in  Clarksburg.  It 
was  a  two-column,  four-page  sheet  (five  and  one-half  Ijy  eight  inches)   and 


378  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  published  by  two  Clarksburg  boys,  C.  G.  McCracken  and  J.  C.  Smith, 
the  office  being  located  in  the  home  of  the  former.  On  May  i.  19 11,  the 
office  was  moved  to  the  Brodie  blacksmith  building  and  on  July  22,  of  the 
same  year,  the  paper  was  enlarged  to  a  three-column  sheet.  The  paper  was 
moved,  on  January  i,  1912,  to  its  present  location  in  a  room  erected  for  that 
purpose  by  C.  E.  Kincaid.  In  the  spring  of  1912  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved, McCracken  taking  over  the  management,  and  ^'Ir.  Smith  removing  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  engage  in  other  business.  On  July  5,  191 2.  the  paper 
was  made  a  weekly  and  the  word  "bi-weekly"  dropped  from  the  title.  Since 
that  time  the  Budget  has  gone  steadily  onward,  endeavoring  to  give  its  read- 
ers the  news  of  the  community,  free  from  all  political  bias.  It  would  not  do 
to  leave  a  discussion  of  this  paper  without  making  mention  of  its  editor. 
Mr.  McCracken  is  an  invalid  and  unable  to  walk.  He  does  all  of  his  work  in 
a  chair  and  deserves  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  the  efifort  he  has  made  to  give 
his  community  such  an  excellent  little  paper.  He  is  assisted  in  the  office  by 
his  sister,  who  runs  the  small  foot-press  on  which  the  paper  is  printed. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


AGRICULTURE. 


Horace  Greeley,  addressing  a  [gathering  of  farmers  at  the  Tippecanoe 
fair  grounds  at  Lafayette,  in  1871,  said: 

"Indiana  farmers  are  slovenly.  They  grow  more  weeds  to  the  acre 
than  any  other  locality  in  the  world,  with  which  I  have  had  any  acquaintance. 
They  try  to  cultivate  too  much  land.  Their  crops  do  not  show  the  increase 
they  should,  only  showing  an  average  of  twelve  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre, 
when  it  should  reach  twenty-five.  The  hay  crop  is  not  cut  soon  enough  and 
a  very  large  amount  of  it  is  lost  on  this  account.  The  ground  is  plowed  too 
shallow.  It  should  be  plowed  deep,  so  as  to  enable  grains  to  take  deeper  hold 
and  thus  withstand  our  frec|uent  droughts." 

This  general  indictment  of  Indiana  farmers,  made  forty-five  years  ago 
by  Mr.  Greeley,  was  doubtless  justified  at  the  time,  and  no  doubt  the  condi- 
tions he  mentioned  obtained,  in  a  measure,  in  Decatur  county.  But  since  that 
time  there  has  been  a  tendency  to  diminish  the  size  of  farms  held  and  the 
gospel  of  deep  plowing  is  now  universally  accepted.  While  the  weeds  have 
the  same  tendency  to  grow  that  they  exhibited  then,  they  are  kept  cut  back 
along  the  roads  and  fences  and  their  presence  among  growing  crops  is  no 
longer  tolerated. 

Early  settlers  had  considerable  to  contend  with,  when  they  attempted  to 
raise  a  corn  crop.  It  is  said  that  in  the  fall  of  1822  the  squirrels  traveled 
much  and  ate  nearly  all  the  corn  in  the  county.  But  Decatur  county  pioneers 
were  persevering  folk,  and  the  mere  failure  of  a  corn  crop  was  not  sufficient 
to  daunt  them.  They  cut  their  wheat  with  a  hook,  trampled  it  out  with 
horses,  cleaned  it  on  a  sheet  and  hauled  it  to  Cincinnati,  where  they  sold  it 
for  thirty-seven  cents  a  bushel.  They  also  found  a  market  there  for  fox  and 
coon  skins  at  ten  cents  each,  which  helped  a  little  in  alleviating  financial 
stringencies  back  home. 

The  first  steam  threshing  machine  to  be  used  in  the  count}-  was  tried 
out  by  Jackson  &  Butler  on  the  J.  E.  Robbins  farm,  one  mile  south  of  Greens- 
burg,  July  12,  1859.  Several  hundred  farmers,  coming  from  all  parts  of 
the  county,  were  present  to  witness  the  test. 

The  most  important  farm  crop  of  pioneer  days  is  no  longer  culti\-ated. 


380  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

This  crop  was  flax.  It  is  probable  that  three-fourths  of  the  present  popula- 
tion of  the  county  have  never  seen  a  flax  patch.  A  curious  characteristic  of 
this  crop  was  after  it  had  been  raised  for  a  few  years  in  the  same  place,  the 
ground  "ran  out"  and  was  rendered  worthless  for  flax  growing.  The  hemp 
was  put  through  a  \ariety  of  processes  before  it  was  ready  to  weave.  It 
was  first  pulled,  bound  into  bundles  and  stored  away  to  dry,  after  which  the 
seeds  were  beaten  out.  It  was  then  spread  out  in  order  to  rot  the  woody  part, 
after  which  it  was  "broken,"  "swingled"  and  "hackled."  The  fibre  was  then 
carded  and  threaded,  after  which  it  was  ready  for  the  spinning  wheel. 

Another  industry  which  has  almost  disappeared  is  the  cultivation  of 
sorghum  cane.  In  1870,  J.  G.  H.  Montgomery,  who  lived  east  of  Greens- 
burg,  produced  one  thousand  three  hundred  gallons  of  sorghum.  One  acre 
alone  produced  three  hundred  and  twenty  gallons. 

One  of  the  prize  animals  shown  at  Decatur  county  fairs  forty  years  ago 
was  the  roan  steer,  "Decatur,"  owned  1iy  T.  M.  McCoy.  He  was  eighteen 
hands  high  and  weiglied  three  thousand  seven  hundred  pounds.  It  was 
claimed  that  by  proper  feeding  he  could  ha\'e  been  made  to  weigh  half  a  ton 
more. 

Each  year  there  is  a  steady  increase  in  the  number  of  Decatur  county 
farmers  who  are  devoting  their  time  and  money  to  raising  pure-bred  live 
stock.  For  a  number  of  years  there  has  been  a  general  awakening  to  the  fact 
that  it  costs  no  more  to  keep  a  prize  animal  than  it  does  a  scrub,  and  that 
the  rewards  from  fancy  stock  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  income  deri\ed 
from  inferior  animals. 

Among  the  leading  breeders  of  fancy  stock  in  the  county  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

Hogs. — Poland  China,  G.  S.  Gilmore  and  Wright  &  Thompson,  of 
Greensluirg.  Durocs,  James  Clark,  of  Clarksburg,  and  Mr.  Redelnian,  Mr. 
Shafer  and  S.  S.  Cole,  of  Greensburg.  Hampshires,  John  E.  Roljbins,  M.  E. 
Newhouse  and  W.  H.  Robbins,  of  Greensburg.  Mulefoots,  Charles  Thomp- 
son, of  Letts.  Chester  Whites,  Walter  Sharp,  of  W^estport,  and  Adam  Hess- 
ler,  of  Greensburg. 

Cattle. — Shorthorn,  William  Robbins  Sons  and  Horace  and  Londa 
Wright,  of  Letts.  Aberdeen  Angus,  Frank  Baker,  of  Greensburg,  and  Ray- 
mond Pleak,  of  St.  Paul.  Hereford,  W.  A.  ]\IcCoy,  of  Greensburg.  Jersey, 
Henry  Helmich,  of  Greensburg,  and  Walter  Sharp,  of  Westport.  Holstein. 
John  Hornung,  of  Greensburg. 

Cinder  the  laws  of  the  state,  all  pure-bred  mares  and  stallions  in  the  state 
must  be  registered,  with  their  general  description  and  condition.     The  latest 


COEX  EXHIBIT,   GREENSBUKG. 


HKUSCHEL   OSTiXd.  RALrH   IIITE. 

WIXXKRS  OF  CORN  I'KIZKS. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  381 

bulletin  issued  by  Purdue  University  gives  the  following  list  of  owners  of 
Decatur  county  stallions  and  pure-bred  mares : 

Belgians — Ralph  Anderson,  Letts;  J.  W.  Corya,  Hope;  J.  E.  Davis, 
Westport ;  Charles  H.  Ray,  Greensburg ;  Morton  Tanner,  Adams,  and  Charles 
H.  Thompson,  Letts.  French  Draft — Ralph  Anderson  and  Charles  H. 
Thompson,  Letts.  German  Coach — H.  M.  Redelman,  Greensburg.  Perch- 
eron — William  Blake.  Letts;  C.  M.  Beall,  Clark.sburg;  Jacob  Black,  Letts; 
J.  B.  Clark,  Greensburg:  H.  H.  Flint.  Greensburg;  Frank  Jordon,  Letts; 
John  Korte,  Newpoint ;  Estal  Pleak,  Letts;  H.  M.  Redelman,  Greensburg, 
and  Morton  Tanner,  Adams.  Shire — W.  A.  Miers,  Burney.  Standard 
bred — G.  A.  Anderson,  Greensburg,  and  J.  D.  Davis,  St.  Paul. 

The  list  of  owners  of  pure-bred  registered  jacks  in  the  county  is  as 
follows :  R.  Anderson,  Letts ;  William  Blake,  Letts ;  J.  B.  Clark,  Greensburg ; 
H.  C.  demons,  Greensburg;  J.  E.  Davis.  Westport;  Bert  Davis,  Westport; 
Carl  Johnson,  Greensburg;  Williard  A.  Miers,  Burney;  Charles  H.  Ray. 
Greensburg;  Hill  &  Jordan,  Letts;  William  Kincaid,  Greensburg;  Charles  H. 
Thompson,  Letts,  and  Straughter  V.  Pleak,  Greensburg. 

CATTLE   FEEDING. 

Owing  to  a  number  of  causes,  but  mainly  through  the  growth  of  the 
silo  in  popular  regard,  the  cattle-feeding  industry  has  enjoyed  a  wonderful 
growth  in  Decatur  county  during  the  past  few  years.  Now  in  almost  every 
barn,  which  has  a  silo  standing  beside  it,  a  few  head  of  cattle  are  fed  during 
the  winter  months,  while  a  large  number  of  farmers,  instead  of  making  cattle 
feeding  a  side  issue,  are  devoting  all  their  efforts  to  fattening  cattle  for  the 
market. 

The  marked  growth  of  this  branch  of  farming  bespeaks  much  for  the 
future  prosperity  of  Decatur  county.  Every  carload  of  cattle  fed  through  the 
winter  means  many  dollars  to  the  feeder  in  the  increased  fertility  of  his  soil. 
While  there  may  be  years  when  market  fluctuations  will  cut  the  profits  of 
the  cattle  feeder,  he  can  always  be  certain  of  realizing  pay  for  his  labor 
through  increased  crop  production. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  branches  of  cattle  feeding  is  fattening  "baby 
beef."  While  sometimes  a  money-losing  undertaking  in  the  hands  of  the 
novice,  this  particular  branch  yields  exceptional  returns  to  the  expert  feeder. 
Among  the  successful  producers  of  "baby  beef"  in  the  county  are  John 
Gartin,  Burney;  Harry  Pavy,  Burney;  W.  E.  Jackson;  J.  G.  Miller,  Cliff 
Eward,  George  Osting  and  Bernard  Duffy,  Greensburg;  Edward  Moore  and 
Milton  Moore,  Letts. 


362  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  farmers  in  the  county  who  go  to  the  Chi- 
cago and  Kansas  City  stock  markets  each  fall  and  purchase  grass-fed  cattle, 
to  fatten  on  ensilage  and  cotton-seed  meal  during  the  winter  months.  An 
attempt  to  enumerate  all  such  feeders  in  the  county  would  be  futile.  Promi- 
nent among  the  more  extensive  feeders  are  the  Hamiltons,  Meeks,  Donnells 
and  Sefton  and  Miers. 

Mule  feeding  is  another  Decatur  county  enterprise,  in  which  several 
leading  farmers  are  profitably  engaged.  Among  them  are  William  Mobley, 
of  Clay  township,  who  is  one  of  the  largest  mule  producers  in  the  state. 
Marion  Elliott,  of  Jackson  township,  also  raises  a  large  number  of  mules. 
Hamilton,  Fee,  Kincaid  and  Powers  are  other  extensive  mule  breeders. 

THE    TOMATO-GROWING    INDUSTRY. 

The  tomato-growing  industry  of  Decatur  county  is  still  in  its  infancy. 
It  was  not  until  the  fall  of  19 14  that  any  serious  step  was  taken  toward  its 
development.  At  that  time  a  contract  was  made  by  a  few  of  the  progressive 
citizens  of  Alert,  Jackson  township,  with  Frank  and  F.  C.  Doly,  of  Columbus, 
Indiana,  to  erect  and  have  ready  for  the  19 15  crop  a  canning  factory  at  Alert, 
providing  that  the  proper,  or  rather  necessary,  number  of  acres  could  be 
secured.  During  the  winter  months  the  question  of  raising  tomatoes  for 
market  was  taken  up  with  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity  by  Doctor  Bamster, 
Mulford  8z  Webb,  Dr.  T.  J.  Norton  and  others,  with  the  result  that  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  were  contracted  for.  At  time  of  writing  (July, 
1915)  the  site  for  the  factory  had  been  purchased  and  work  started  on  the 
building.  Experts  who  have  examined  the  soil  declare  that  Jackson  town- 
ship should  be  second  to  none  in  tomato  raising  and  the  farmers  of  that  com- 
munity have  high  hopes  that  the  industry  may  be  as  successful  as  it  has  been 
predicted. 

THE  COUNTY  AGENT. 

The  county  agent  is  an  outgrowth  of  a  demand  on  the  part  of  the  farmer 
to  keep  in  constant  touch  with  the  latest  and  best  agricultural  thought.  The 
farmers'  institute  was  the  prime  mover  in  this  awakening,  and  the  idea  was 
hastened  by  the  industrial  trains  and  short  courses  in  agriculture  given  under 
the  auspices  of  Purdue  University.  The  Legislature  of  191 3  provided  for  a 
county  agent  and  since  that  time  a  large  number  of  counties  have  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  law  and  engaged  such  an  official. 

Decatur  county  has  had  a  county  agent  since  August  i,  1913,  and  W.  E. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  383 

McCoy  has  been  in  charge  of  the  office  since  it  was  established.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  Ohio  State  University  and  has  taken  special  courses  in  Purdue 
University  since  coming  to  the  county.  He  has  shown  his  value  to  the  farm- 
ers of  the  county  in  scores  of  ways  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  not  a 
farmer  in  the  county  but  has  been  benefited  in  some  way  or  other  by  his  work. 
In  general  it  ma}'  be  said  that  the  county  agent  is  nothing  more  than  an  expert 
scientific  farmer.  In  every  case  in  Indiana  he  is  a  graduate  of  a  recognized 
agricultural  college  and  thus  has  the  scientific  training  which  makes  him  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  community  which  he  serves. 

The  first  report  of  Mr.  McCoy  appears  in  the  report  of  the  state  statis- 
tician for  1914  and  covers  the  year  closing  June  30,  1914.  Some  idea  of  the 
work  done  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  held  139  meetings,  with  a  total  attend- 
ance of  9,002 ;  had  762  office  calls  and  made  500  farm  visits,  with  a  total 
mileage  of  5,703.  The  calls  at  the  office  and  the  visits  to  the  farms  over  the 
county  covered  practically  every  phase  of  farm  work  and  crops. 

During  the  winter  of  1913-14  four  farmers'  institutes  were  organized  in 
the  county,  in  addition  to  the  three  which  were  already  in  operation.  Mr. 
McCoy  was  very  successful  in  getting  the  teachers  of  the  county  to  show  their 
pupils  how  to  test  seed  corn  and  clover.  There  was  a  hog  campaign  conducted 
during  the  latter  part  of  March,  which  was  very  helpful.  An  alfalfa  auto 
tour  was  held  and  in  the  course  of  his  first  year  Mr.  McCoy  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  acreage  of  this  crop  doubled.  During  each  spring  office  meetings  are 
held  and  some  special  topic  discussed  each  Saturday.  It  is  known  that  a  large 
part  of  Decatur  county  has  acid  soil  and  Mr.  McCoy  has  taken  much  time  in 
showing  how  this  can  be  cultivated  to  the  best  advantage.  Demonstration 
plots,  where  the  soil  is  treated  with  limestone,  have  been  established  at  various 
places  and  it  has  been  found  that  the  soil  is  capable  of  raising  clover  with  the 
proper  addition  of  lime.  Four  such  demonstration  plots  were  established 
the  first  year;  a  corn  variety  test  plot,  and  three  co-operative  fertilizer  test 
plots. 

Summing  up  the  first  year's  work  of  the  county  agent  in  I^ecatur  count}', 
it  is  seen  there  is  no  longer  a  question  as  to  the  usefulness  of  the  office. 
Among  other  valuable  things  which  the  first  year  has  brought  forth  may  be 
mentioned  the  following :  A  farm-service  bureau  was  established  where  stock 
and  farm  articles  are  listed  for  sale,  farm  help  secured,  etc. :  several  boys' 
corn  and  poultry  clubs  were  organized,  with  an  average  enrollment  of  forty 
each ;  a  soil- fertility  campaign  was  inaugurated ;  a  men's  five-acre  corn  con- 
test was  conducted ;  and  lastlv,  an  interest  has  been  aroused  in  better  farm- 


384 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


ing  throughout  the  county  whicli  cannot  help  but  be  of  great  benefit  to  its 
agricultural  interests. 


AGRICULTURAL  STATISTICS. 


The  blanks  of  the  township  assessors  schedule  seven  different  items  for 
taxation :  Horses  and  mules,  cattle,  hogs,  sheep,  automobiles,  farm  imple- 
ments and  household  furniture.  The  last  report  (1915)  of  James  Cline, 
county  assessor,  to  the  state  statistician  gi\'es  the  following  facts : 

Number.  Assessed  Value.    Av.  Value. 

Horses  and  mules 9.386  $801,210        ■     $85.30 

Cattle 21,723  512.438  23.60 

Hogs    ' 22,950  254,702  8.50 

Sheep 2,950  14.204  4.85 

Automobiles 437  119.31?  270.75 

Sets  of  farm  implements.  1,412  114,550  81. 

Sets  of  furniture 4.367  195,022  44.60 

The  last  item,  sets  of  furniture,  includes  the  household  goods  in  the 
urban  as  well  as  the  rural  districts.  There  is  nothing  in  the  report  to  indicate 
the  respective  number  of  sets  in  each  district.  There  is  no  division  of  horses 
and  in  the  report,  although  another  report  gi\'es  the  county  two  thousand  one 
hundred  and  one  mules  on  January  i,  1914.  Decatur  is  one  of  the  ten  lead- 
ing mule-producing  counties  of  the  state. 

The  last  (1914)  state  statistician's  report  gives  the  following  crop  sta- 
tistics for  Decatur  county : 

Wheat   30,542  acres.  516,068  bushels. 

Corn    51,444  acres.  2,015,946  bushels. 

Oats 4,925  acres.  64,700  bushels. 

Rye    1,511  acres.  16,486  bushels. 

Barley 20  acres.  370  bushels. 

Buckwheat    __, 4  acreg.  18  bushels. 

Berries    7  acres.  540  bushels. 

Potatoes    49  acres.  3,690  bushels. 

Tobacco    7  acres.  15  tons. 

Timothy   hay    14,203  acres.  9,787  tons. 

Clover  hay 5,560  acres.  4,623  tons. 

Alfalfa    166  acres.  298  tons. 

Cow  peas   22  acres.  32  tons. 


DECATUR    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  385 

There  are  many  other  items  of  interest  in  this  valuable  report,  a  \-olume 
of  which  may  be  obtained  by  anyone  upon  addressing  the  state  statistician. 
Among  other  things,  it  was  noticed  that  Decatur  county  had  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty-se\'en  separate  farms,  four  hundred  and  six  wind- 
mills and  ninetv-three  silos. 


FARMERS     ORGANIZ.VTIONS. 
DECATUR    COUNTY    AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Probably  the  first  organization  in  the  county  which  had  for  its  object  the 
improvement  of  farming  conditions  was  the  Decatur  Countv  Agricultural 
Society.  A  meeting  of  its  directors  is  reported  on  January  3,  1859,  for  the 
purpose  of  electing  officers  for  that  year.  J.  D.  Pleak  was  elected  president, 
J.  Q.  Adams,  secretary,  and  J.  V.  BemusdafYer,  treasurer.  R.  R.  Cobb  was 
the  retiring  president.  The  secretary  was  allowed  twenty-five  dollars  and  the 
treasurer  fifteen  dollars  for  services  during  the  year.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  commending  the  Indiana  Fanner  and  urging  farmers  to  read  agricul- 
tural periodicals. 

WAYNESBURG    FARMERS'    CLUB. 

The  \Va}-nesburg  Farmers'  Club  was  organized,  with  Harrv  Carr  as 
president  and  Wilbert  Thurston  as  secretary,  in  1912.  The  organization 
meets  twice  a  month  for  discussion  of  farm  topics  and  home  economics. 
Programs  are  laid  out  for  the  entire  season  by  a  special  committee,  composed 
of  the  officers  and  two  others.  Two  successful  corn  shows  have  been  held 
by  the  club  and  are  strong  factors  in  the  social  life  of  that  community.  The 
present  officers  of  the  club  are:  Wilbert  Thurston,  president;  John  W.  Smith, 
secretary,  and  M.  M.  Carter,  treasurer. 

THE    farmers'   CLUB   OF   SPRINGHILL. 

On  Frida)-  evening,  No\ember  27,  1914,  a  few  friends  met  at  the  home 
of  Mr.  and  ^Nlrs.  Robert  Scott,  in  Fugit  township.  After  enjoying  the  usual 
six  o'clock  dinner  and  spending  a  social  hour  together,  an  organization  was 
affected  which  was  to  be  known  as  the  Farmers'  Club  of  Springhill.  Plans, 
aims  and  purposes  were  discussed  at  the  time  and  permanent  officers  were 
elected:  President,  Ernest  Power;  vice-president,  Mrs.  Elbert  Meek;  secre- 
(25) 


386  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tary,  Mrs.  Robert  Scott;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Nathan  Logan.  A  committee  of 
the  executive  officers  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a  constitution  and  set  of 
by-laws.  Membership  in  the  organization  is  Hmited  to  twelve  families.  The 
regular  meetings  of  the  club  are  held  on  the  third  Thursday  of  each  month 
and  the  annual  business  meeting  and  election  of  officers  are  held  at  the 
November  meeting.  At  the  meetings  there  are  usually  talks  on  farm  or 
household  subjects,  recitations  by  the  children  and  a  general  discussion  of 
topics  of  interest.  Everything  is  kept  as  simple  as  possible.  In  order  to 
make  the  work  of  the  club  as  practicable  as  possible,  one  day  is  set  apart  in 
each  August  to  investigate  some  special  farm  problem.  On  this  particular 
day  the  club  repairs  to  the  home  of  one  of  its  members  where  a  special  study 
is  made  of  some  farm  crop.  The  club  also  makes  trips  to  county  fairs  and 
studies  the  agricultural  exhibits. 

THE   farmers'   institute. 

The  first  session  of  the  Decatur  county  farmers'  institute  was  held  on 
December  2  and  3,  1910,  at  Clarksburg.  Despite  the  cold  weather,  the 
sessions  were  well  attended  and  a  great  interest  was  manifested  by  all  of 
those  present.  In  ^■iew  of  the  fact  that  this  was  the  first  session  of  this 
organization  the  details  are  here  given  in  full : 

The  institute  was  opened  by  devotional  exercises  conducted  by  Rev. 
H.  \V.  Edwards.  Papers  we're  read  by  Joe  G.  Miller  and  Bart  McLaughlin 
on  "Agricultural  Education."  J-  J-  Doan  talked  on  "The  Use  and  Abuse 
of  Corn  Fodder."  Miss  Mary  L.  Matthews,  of  Wayne  county,  gave  her 
views  on  "Planning  Meals"  and  "Furnishing  a  Home,"  and  Miss  Edith 
Hamilton  opened  the  discussion. 

Dr.  Curtis  Bland  gave  a  very  interesting  address  at  the  evening  session 
on  "Preventable  Diseases.'' 

The  Saturday  morning  program  was  as  follows :  De\'otional  exercises, 
Rev.  Wimmer;  music;  "Cattle  as  Money  Savers,"  J.  J.  Doan;  discussion, 
Henry  Dravis ;  paper.  Earl  Gartin;  "Planning  Meals,"  Miss  Mary  L.  Mat- 
thews, Cambridge  City;  discussion,  Mrs.  Rollin  Clark;  music;  "Furnishing 
the  Home,"  Miss  Matthews;  discussion,  Miss  Edith  Hamilton;  adjournment. 

The  Saturday  afternoon  program  was  ec|ually  excellent  and  was  as 
follows:  Reading,  Prof.  Zetterburg;  "Building  and  Using  the  Silo,"  J.  J. 
Doan;  discussion,  William  Jackson  and  Henry  Hodges;  "Poultry  on  the 
Farm,"  Miss  Hannah  Baker;  discussion,  Mrs.  Walter  Hite;  "A  Girl's  Part  in 
Country  Life,"  Miss  Matthews;  general  discussion;  adjournment. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  387 

The  ladies  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  served  a  bounteous  repast 
each  day  at  the  noon  hour  in  the  Odd  Fellows  hall. 

PATRONS   OF    HUSBANDRY    MUTUAL   INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

Sixteen  hundred  Decatur  county  farmers  are  protected  against  loss  from 
fire  and  lightning,  through  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  Mutual  Fire  and  Light- 
ning Insurance  Company  of  Decatur  County.  The  association  takes  its 
name  from  the  order  that  effected  its  organization.  It  was  organized  on 
June  20,  1S78.  At  that  time  there  were  many  organizations  throughout  the 
county  known  as  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  commonly  called  the  Grange. 

On  the  date  mentioned,  187S,  delegates  from  Decatur  county  granges 
met  in  Greensburg  at  Hoosier  hall  and  formed  the  company  under  provisions 
of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  in  1877,  which  authorized  such  organiza- 
tions to  conduct  an  insurance  business.  Granges  interested  in  the  forma- 
tion of  this  compan}-  were  those  at  Flat  Rock,  St.  Paul,  Greensburg,  Center, 
Washington,  Mt.  Vernon,  Flora,  Sand  Creek,  Alert  and  Bell. 

According  to  the  by-laws  of  the  company  as  organized,  the  insurance 
would  not  go  into  effect  until  policies  amounting  to  fifty  thousand  dollars 
had  been  written.  This  amount  was  secured  during  the  following  Septem- 
ber and  the  company  was  then  ready  for  business.  The  first  officers  were : 
Wesley  Gof¥,  president;  M.  L.  Wright,  vice-president:  Woodson  Hamilton, 
secretary;  A.  H.  Hice,  treasurer,  and  George  Hogg,  assessor.  These  officers, 
with  F.  P.  Applegate  and  T.  G.  Power,  constituted  the  first  board  of  directors. 

In  the  beginning  the  company  only  insured  members  of  the  Grange,  but 
later  it  was  arranged  so  that  any  reputable  farmer  might  share  in  its  benefits. 
In  iS'87  the  Alechanicsburg  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  united  with  this 
association.  It  was  during  this  year  that  the  company  sustained  its  first  loss, 
rendering  an  assessment  necessary.  Lntil  191 5  the  company  had  made  thirty- 
one  assessments,  amounting  to  a  total  of  sixty-seven  mills  on  the  dollar,  thus 
giving  its  members  protection  against  loss  through  fire  and  lightning  at  an 
annual  cost  of  about  eighteen  cents  on  the  hundred  dollars. 

At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  in  19 15  the  company  had  paid  for  fire 
losses,  $93,983.93.  The  total  number  of  persons  now  insured  in  the  com- 
pany is  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-two  and  the}-  carr_\'  insurance 
amounting  to  $3, 575.595- 

The  company  is  managed  by  a  board  of  seven  directors.  Fifty-two 
farmers  have  served  the  organization  in  this  capacity.  Eleven  others  have 
served  as  its  president.     During  its  existence  it  has  had  but  six  secretaries, 


306  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

as  follow :  Woodson  Hamilton,  Lafayette  Shellhorn,  Robert  W'hiteman, 
Matthew  Porter,  \V.  F.  Robbins  and  S.  W.  Hillman.  Present  officers  and 
directors  are :  M.  E.  Newhouse,  president ;  Frank  Brown,  vice-president ; 
S.  W.  Hillman,  secretary ;  J.  F.  Templeton,  treasurer,  Ovid  House,  W.  A. 
McCoy  and  James  F.  Blackmore. 

Only  farm  buildings  are  insured  by  this  company,  which  thus  avoids 
dangerous  risks  and  large  losses.  No  business  is  solicited  and  it  is  neces- 
sary for  a  farmer  to  ask  for  a  representative  of  the  company  to  call  upon 
him  if  he  wishes  to  secure  insurance. 

DECATUR    COUNTY    FAIRS. 

County  fairs  have  had  a  rather  varying  existence  in  Decatur  county. 
They  have  thrived,  only  to  die  a  natural  death,  rise  and  flourish,  only  to  die 
again.  The  first  fair  was  held  in  1852  by  the  Agricultural  Society  of 
Decatur  County,  which  was  organized  on  September  13  of  that  year.  The 
first  officers  were,  James  Morgan,  president;  W.  W.  Hamilton,  vice-presi- 
dent; B.  H.  Harney,  treasurer;  Davies  Batterton,  secretary,  and  Seth  Lowe, 
Robert  Foster,  Moses  Rutherford,  John  Hillis,  James  Moody,  Charles  Miller 
and  James  B.  Foley,  directors.  This  first  fair  was  held  just  north  of  Hend- 
ricks street,  between  Broadway  and  Lincoln,  in  "Hendrick's  woods."  Its 
receipts  were  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  and  the  profits  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars.  The  agricultural  society  continued  to 
give  annual  fairs  for  many  years,  with  ever-increasing  success.  In  1856  the 
society  met  an  exception  b}'  losing  considerable  money,  the  receipts  for  that 
year  being  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars  and  ninety-eight 
cents  and  the  expenditures  two  thousand,  two  hundred  and  forty-four  dollars 
and  fifty-eight  cents.  In  1857  the  gate  receipts  totaled  over  ele\'en  hundred 
dollars  and  eight  hundred  dollars  were  given  in  premiums,  three  hundred  dol- 
lars of  which  was  "in  silverware."  The  greatest  fair  up  to  this  time  was 
held  in  1858,  when  R.  R.  Cobb  served  as  president,  J.  O.  Adams  as  secre- 
tary of  the  society  and  John  T.  Hamilton  as  marshal  of  the  grounds.  Cur- 
rent accounts  of  the  fair  say  that  whisky  was  secretly  sold  on  the  grounds  in 
spite  of  the  marshal's  efforts.  Exceptionally  good  horse  races  were  held 
on  the  last  day,  when  "John  Snialley,"  a  grey  pony  that  was  the  pride  of  the 
state,  made  a  mile  in  the  fast  time  of  3:11.  Most  of  the  races  of  the  day 
were  won  in  times  between  3:18  and  3:48.  In  1869  the  society  bought 
twenty  acres  of  ground,  part  of  which  is  now  covered  by  the  warehouses  of 
the  American  Tobacco  Company,  for  forty-seven  hundred  dollars. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  389 

In  the  late  seventies  a  thorough  reorganization  of  the  society  was  under- 
taken by  the  Hon.  Will  Cumback  and  from  that  time  until  late  in  the  nine- 
ties the  fair  flourished.  Then  the  fairs  were  discontinued  because  they 
proved  a  money-losing  proposition  and  the  fair  grounds  were  lost  on  a  mort- 
gage. 

On  August  8,  1905,  Uriah  Privett,  A.  A.  Magee,  Goddard  &  Deem,  I. 
Carl  Mitchell,  Phil  H.  Spohn,  C.  B.  Ainsworth,  Gregg  Alyea,  John  \V. 
White.  James  E.  Caskey,  Pulse  &  Porter,  George  S.  Littell,  Elmer  E.  Roland, 
Willis  O.  Elder,  E.  E.  Doles,  Williams  &  Clemons,  Oscar  M.  Elder,  A.  M. 
Willoughby,  John  G.  Zollener,  Luther  D.  Braden,  Mike  Conner,  R.  S.  Meek, 
J.  Y.  Hitt,  George  Saunders,  C.  H.  Reed,  J.  C.  Davis,  J.  B.  Kitchin,  Walter 
W.  Bonner,  John  W.  Rhodes,  C.  W.  Woodward,  Orlando  Lee  and  Williard 
A.  Miers,  alh  prominent  citizens  of  the  county,  incorporated  themselves  as 
the  Decatur  County  Fair  Association.  They  rented  the  old  fair  grounds 
north  of  the  city,  built  an  amphitheatre  and  some  buildings  and  continued 
the  old  fairs.  Five  or  six  years  later  they  were  reorganized  as  the  Greens- 
burg  Fair  Association.  The  last  fair  was  held  July  23-26,  1912,  when  they 
were  discontinued  because  of  lack  of  popular  support.  At  that  time  the 
officers  were:  President,  W.  C.  Pulse;  vice-president,  George  S.  Littell; 
secretary,  Dr.  C.  B.  Ainsworth;  treasurer,  E.  E.  Doles,  and  Will  A.  McCoy, 
a  director.  The  association  is  still  in  existence,  but  its  assets  have  been 
liquidated  and  it  is  inactive.  Whether  another  fair  will  ever  be  held  is  a 
question  which  only  the  future  can  tell. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


ROADS    AND    TRANSPORTATION. 


When  the  first  settlers  came  to  Decatur  county,  there  were  no  roads 
north  of  the  Ohio  river.  There  were  rough,  half-opened  wagonways  lead- 
ing back  from  the  river  to  points  ten  to  twenty  miles  distant,  but  no  real 
roads.  Three  of  these  wagon  ways  extended  into  the  woods  from  Vevay, 
Madison  and  Lawrenceburg.  After  running  for  a  few  miles,  they  became 
nothing  but  blazed  trails  and  all  three  came  together  at  Jericho,  located  two 
miles  southeast  of  Napoleon. 

On  account  of  its  then  advantageous  transportation  facilities,  Jericho 
had  high  ambitions  of  sometime  becoming  a  great  commercial  center.  Its 
hopes,  however,  were  ultimately  blasted  by  its  more  lucky  neighbor.  From 
Jericho  northward  there  was  but  a  single  trail. 

This  trail  was  known  as  the  Wilson  trace,  starting  at  Jericho  and  run- 
iiing  almost  on  the  site  of  the  Michigan  road  to  the  Cobb  settlement.  It  then 
crossed  what  i,vas  later  the  Clarksburg  pike  and,  swinging  south,  entered 
Greensburg  near  what  is  now  Lincoln  street  and  Central  avenue. 

At  first  this  trace  was  not  cut  out  at  all  points.  Those  first  over  it  had 
to  widen  the  path,  remove  limbs  and  sometimes  cut  down  trees  in  order  to  get 
through.  The  roots  made  it  rough  riding,  but  they  served  one  useful  pur- 
pose— they  kept  the  wagons  from  sinking  so  deep  into  the  mud  that  they 
could  not  be  moved  at  all. 

The  first  movement  toward  roads  was  after  the  county  was  organized  in 
1822,  when  Jonathan  Dayton  and  others  presented  a  petition  asking  for  the 
laying  off  of  a  road  running  from  the  Lawrenceburg  state  road,  near  St. 
Omer,  to  the  Cliffy  and  Brookville  road.  This  petition  the  board,  after 
consideration,  refused  to  grant,  "on  account  of  indefiniteness."  At  that  time 
the  Lawrenceburg  road  had  e.xistence  on  paper  only,  and  there  was  consider- 
able conjecture  as  to  where  it  would  be  eventually  located. 

At  the  same  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners  William  Henderson 
and  others,  of  Fugit  township,  asked  for  appointment  of  viewers  for  a  road 
beginning  at  the  east  county  line  and  running  southwest  to  the  forks  of 
Cliffy.     This  prayer  was  granted  and  William  Custer,  James  Logan  and 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  39I 

Adam  Rankin  were  appointed  viewers.  This  was  the  same  route  later  fol- 
lowed by  the  Sandusky,  Springhill  and  Clarksburg  pike. 

The  road  running  from  St.  Paul  to  St.  Omer  and  thence  to  Downey- 
ville  was  allowed  at  the  next  session  of  the  board  of  commissioners,  August 
12.  Daniel  Pike  and  others  asked  for  a  road  from  where  the  Flatrock 
crosses  the  county  line  to  Robert  Campbell's  house.  This  road  was  granted 
and  is  still  in  use. 

The  early  roads  were  not  laid  out  according  to  any  definite  plan,  but 
were  run  in  such  a  way  as  to  strike  the  high  ground  and  keep  away  from 
the  low  lands  and  swamps,  which  would  render  them  impassable  several 
months  in  the  vear.  The  following  description  of  a  new  road  found  in 
Volume  I,  page  142,  of  the  commissioners'  records,  is  illustrative  of  this 
point: 

"Leading  from  Greensburg  to  the  count)-  line,  beginning  on  the  west 
bank  of  W.  I.  Lowry's  spring  branch,  running  west,  crossing  Cliffy  with  the 
open  line,  passing  Eliza  Craig's  to  the  first  branch  west  of  Eliza  Craig's, 
thence  north  of  the  line  so  far  as  to  strike  corner  of  small  meadow,  thence 
west  with  the  fence  of  the  farm  of  Lewis  Craig's  heirs  to  Laughridge's 
corner,  then  on  open  line  between  the  heirs  and  Laughridge,  continuing  the 
open  line  to  Elliott's  corner  where  it  strikes  the  old  road."  (Approved 
July  31,  1831.) 

TURNPIKES. 

Though  the  county  had  been  continuously  and  rapidly  growing  in  wealth 
from  its  earliest  settlement,  its  roads  were  greatly  neglected  for  a  time  and 
no  provision  was  made  for  their  betterment.  Until  the  year  1847  "O  improve- 
ments were  made  on  the  roads  and  travel  in  the  rainy  seasons  was  a  difficult 
task.  The  Greensburg  and  Napoleon  Turnpike  Company  was  incorporated 
on  January  24,  1847,  '^'^'ith  Ezra  Lathrop.  John  T.  Stevens,  R.  R.  Cobb, 
Elias  Connel),  George  Dart.  M.  D.  Ross,  R.  H.  Harvey,  J.  B.  Foley,  John 
Glass,  James  Hamilton  and  Preston  E.  Hopkins  as  directors.  The  Greens- 
burg and  Harrison  Turnpike  Company  was  incorporated  on  January  26, 
1847,  with  the  following  directors:  A.  R.  Eorsythe,  Seth  Lowe,  John 
Thomson,  G.  B.  Roszell,  James  Hamilton,  Robert  Ross,  James  Morgan, 
James  B.  Foley,  John  Hopkins  and  James  Treman. 

From  1847  until  1863  there  is  no  record  of  any  further  advancements 
in  the  matter  of  good  roads.  On  December  2,  1863,  John  E.  Robbins  and 
fifty-one  other  citizens  of  Decatur  county  filed  their  petition  with  the  board 
of  county  commissioners   for  an  order  allowing  them  to  build  a  turnpike 


392  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

along  the  line  of  the  Vernon  road  from  a  point  where  it  leaves  the  south  line 
of  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  Greensburg,  to  a  point  where  it  crosses  the 
line  between  Washington  and  Marion  townships.  The  capital  stock  of  the 
compan}'  was  fixed  at  three  thousand  dollars  per  mile,  of  which  four  thousand 
eight  hundred  dollars  had  already  been  subscribed  by  the  petitioners.  Their 
petition  was  granted,  work  was  begun  soon  after,  and  the  road  was  com- 
pleted in  the  year  1866.  Since  that  time  about  sixty  additional  miles  of 
turnpikes  have  been  built  in  this  county,  reaching  out  in  all  the  roads  leading 
from  Greensburg  to  distances  of  from  five  to  twelve  miles.  The  list  of  these 
different  turnpikes  follows:  To  Clarksburg,  twelve  miles;  Kingston  short 
line,  four  miles ;  Greensburg  and  Milroy,  six  miles ;  Greensburg  to  Cliffy, 
five  miles;  Greensburg  to  county  line,  via  Milford,  twelve  miles;  Greensburg 
and  Hartsville,  thirteen  miles ;  Greensburg  and  Sand  Creek,  nine  miles ; 
Greensburg  and  Layton's  Mill,  six  miles. 

These  roads  have  done  a  great  work  in  the  development  of  the  material 
interests  of  the  county  and  in  giving  the  citizens  of  the  county  means  of 
travel,  not  only  for  pleasure,  but  also  they  served  as  a  great  aid  in  bettering 
the  facilities  for  placing  the  products  of  this  county  on  the  different  foreign 
markets. 

Some  of  the  early  acts  of  the  Legislature  concerning  roads  in  and 
through  Decatur  county  were  as  follows:  Januaiy  20,  1820,  an  act  establish- 
ing the  Michigan  road  from  Lawrenceburg  to  Indianapolis;  January  24, 
1824,  a  special  act,  providing  for  a  road  from  Madison  to  Greensburg; 
January  12,  1829,  an  act  locating  the  Vandalia  state  road. 

WATER    TRANSPORTATION. 

Whether  or  not  Sand  creek  was  ever  navigable  depended  largely  upon 
the  nature  of  craft  that  the  navigator  desired  to  use.  As  early  as  1827, 
some  enterprising  citizens,  for  some  unknown  reason,  conceived  the  idea 
that  it  was  of  sufficient  size  to  float  a  water  craft  of  some  kind.  This  belief 
led  the  rejiresentative  from  Decatur  to  introduce  a  bill  in  the  state  Legis- 
lature looking  toward  its  utilization  as  a  waterway. 

On  January  22,  1827,  an  act  was  passed  to  improve  the  navigation  of 
Sand  creek,  requiring  Bartholomew  and  Jennings  counties  to  keep  it  clear 
of  obstructions.  By  widening  its  channel  and  deepening  it  and  providing 
it  with  additional  water,  as  many  present-day  congressmen  seek  to  do  in 
order  to  get  some  creek  back  home  improved,  it  might  yet  become  an  artery 
of  commerce.  Even  in  those  days,  however,  Sand  creek  could  hardly  have 
been  brought  within  the  reach  of  a  modern  rivers  and  harbors  appropriation 
bill. 


DECATUR    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  393 

Sand  creek  was  not  the  only  navigable  river  in  Decatur  county  in  those 
days.  Flat  Rock  also  had  aspirations  as  a  waterway.  Dr.  Jonathan  Griffin 
and  Alfred  Major,  in  early  advertisements  of  a  St.  Omer  lot  sale,  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  city  is  but  "three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
navigable  waters  of  Flat  Rock,  where  boats  pass  down  to  New  Orleans." 

RAILROADS  OF  DEC.-VTUR   COUNTY. 

As  early  as  the  year  1832,  steps  were  taken  by  the  citizens  of  this 
county  to  procure  a  railroad  for  Greensburg.  The  Lawrenceburg  &  Indian- 
apolis Railroad  was  incorporated  on  February  2,  1832,  under  the  leadership 
of  George  H.  Dunn.  Three  years  later,  at  the  1835-36  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature, an  act  of  incorporation  was  procured  for  this  same  road,  which  was 
to  pass  through  Greensburg  and  Shelbyville.  The  tliree  directors  of  this 
road  from  Decatur  county  were  Martin  Adkain,  James  Freeman  and  Nathan 
D.  Gulion.  It  was  provided  that  construction  should  start  within  three  years 
and  that  the  road  should  be  completed  within  ten  years  after  the  passage  of 
the  act.     The  route  was  to  include  Napoleon  and  Greensburg. 

Hon.  George  M.  Dunn  was  chosen  president  and  considerable  stock 
was  subscribed  along  the  line.  Work  was  immediately  begun  on  this  road 
at  Lawrenceburg.  The  financial  crash  of  1837  stopped  its  operations,  and 
this  company  later  was  wiped  out  of  existence  by  the  provisions  of  the  time 
limit  for  the  completion  of  this  road  as  set  forth  in  the  act. 

In  1847-48  a  charter  was  obtained  for  the  Lawrenceburg  &  Rushville 
Railroad,  and,  on  its  organization.  Judge  Dunn  was  chosen  its  president. 
The  projected  line  of  this  railroad  passed  about  six  miles  northeast  of 
Greensburg,  and  this  aroused  the  citizens  of  the  town,  also  those  of  the 
central  and  western  part  of  the  county,  to  the  importance  of  securing  a 
"branch"  of  that  road  through  their  section.  After  due  consideration,  a 
meeting  was  held  in  Greensburg  on  March  30,  1849,  "to  consider  the  pro- 
priety of  carrying  on  the  proposed  road  from  Lawrenceburg  to  Greensburg, 
and  on  through  Edinburg."  The  proposition,  which  was  placed  before 
the  assembled  citizens  by  Judge  Dunn,  was  that  there  had  been  $70,000  of 
stock  taken,  $25,000  of  which  was  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and 
the  rest  in  Lawrenceburg.  The  sum  required  for  an  organization  was 
$140,000,  and,  of  this,  he  pledged  the  city  of  Edinburg  for  $30,000.  He 
asked  that  Decatur  county  should  subscribe,  in  its  corporate  capacity,  the 
sum  of  Sioo.ooo  to  the  stock  of  the  company,  towit :  $50,000  to  the  line 
between  Greensburg  and  Lawrenceburg,  and  $25,000  each  to  the  Rushville 


394  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  Edinburgh  branches,  payable  when  the  road  bed  should  be  ready  for  the 
iron. 

The  committee  reported  at  the  end  of  the  meeting  a  series  of  resolutions 
indorsing  the  scheme  and  appointing  a  committee  of  three  in  each  town- 
ship to  circulate  a  petition  in  each  township,  asking  the  county  commissioners 
to  make  a  subscription  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  company.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  held  the  5th  day  of  June,  the  petitions 
were  presented,  signed  by  a  majority  of  the  freeholders  of  the  county, 
whereupon  the  board  made  an  order,  that  "the  auditor  of  Decatur  county 
be,  and  he  is  hereby,  authorized  and  directed  to  subscribe,  on  behalf  of  the 
county  of  Decatur,  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  stock  in  the  Rushville 
&  Lawrenceburg  Railroad  Company,"  under  the  conditions  asked  by  the 
citizens'  meeting. 

The  road  was  opened  as  far  as  Greensburg-  in  the  early  summer  of 
1853.  Judge  Dunn  died  shortly  after  the  road  was  finished  and  General 
Morris,  of  Indianapolis,  became  president,  and  by  his  energetic  work  the 
road  was  opened  to  that  city  the  following  year.  Owing  to  a  failure  of  the 
citizens  along  the  Rushville  and  Edinburg  lines  to  subscribe  the  required 
stock,  the  branches  to  these  places  were  not  built  at  this  time,  and  the  county 
was  only  called  on  for  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  subscribed  to  the  main  line. 

Stephen  Ludlow  was  an  incorporator  and  director  of  the  Lawrenceburg 
&  Indianapolis  Railroad  (1836),  and  in  his  honor  the  dinky  engine  that 
was  first  put  on  the  rails  was  christened  the  "Stephen  Ludlow."  Fred 
Lungen  was  the  engineer  and  Jacob  W.  Mills  was  the  conductor. 

From  1853  up  to  1879  many  efforts  were  made  toward  the  building 
of  other  railroads,  to  all  of  which  the  county,  the  townships  and  the  citi- 
zens made  liberal  offers  of  subscriptions :  but,  from  various  causes,  these 
failed  to  materialize. 

An  organization  was  affected  in  Greensburg  in  1879,  which  was  known 
as  the  North  Vernon,  Greensburg-  &  Rushville  Railroad  Company.  This 
company  set  to  work  at  once  to  procure  township  and  individual  subscrip- 
tions for  the  building  of  a  railroad  from  North  Vernon  to  Rushville,  through 
Greensburg.  Their  efforts  met  with  such  marked  success  that  they  were 
able,  December  15th  of  the  same  year,  to  let  the  contract  for  the  entire  work 
of  putting  the  road  in  readiness  for  the  cars.  Col.  Horace  Scott,  of  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  was  awarded  the  contract,  and  the  road  was  opened  to 
Greensburg  on  April  15,  1880,  and  to  Rushville  on  September  10,  1880. 

The  first  shoveful  of  dirt  for  the  Cincinnati  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad 
was  thrown  on  Monday,  June  10,  1872,  at  a  point  one-half  mile  east  of  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  395 

home  of  Patrick  Ewing,  in  Clay  township.  Mr.  Ewing,  "veteran  sire  of 
many  ilkistrious  sons."  sank  the  first  spade  into  the  right  of  way.  Robert 
Bognell,  the  general  contractor  and  a  number  of  railway  officials,  were 
present.  Col.  J.  S.  Scobey  presided  and  made  a  speech,  as  did  Will  Cum- 
back,  James  Ga\in,  Major  Robbins  and  Judge  Bonner.  Others  called  upon 
to  talk  were :  Dr.  J.  Y.  Hitt,  B.  W.  Wilson,  J.  K.  Ewing,  Dr.  S.  McGuire, 
S.  Forsyth  and  David  Lovett. 

The  Greensburg  Lateral  Railroad  was  finished  to  Harris  City  in  1876. 
This  road  was  only  six  miles  long  and  was  owned  by  the  Harris  City  Stone 
Company.  It  was  an  outlet  for  the  products  of  this  quarry  and  was  operated 
bv  the  company,  they  having  their  own  dinky  engine  to  place  the  cars  on 
the  North  Vernon,  Greensburg  &  Rushville  tracks.  This  road  originally 
ran  into  Greensburg,  but  when  the  Columbus,  Hope  &  Greensburg  road  was 
built,  this  company  took  over  their  tracks  from  Quarry  Switch  into  Greens- 
burg. 

GREENSBURG    UNION     DEPOT. 

The  present  union  depot  in  Greensburg  was  thrown  open  to  the  public 
for  the  first  time  on  Sunday,  May  16,  1909.  It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  and  is  modern  in  evei-y  respect. 

The  first  depot  in  Greensburg  was  located  on  South  Monfort  street, 
where  the  freight  depot  is  now  located,  and  remained  there  from  the  com- 
pletion of  the  old  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati  &  Lafayette  railroad  to  this  place 
in  1853,  until  1865,  when  it  was  moved  to  Franklin  street.  Now  it  is  moved 
back  two  scjuares  beyond  the  first  location  on  Ivlonfort  street  to  the  "Y," 
where  it  will  probably  remain  permanently. 

The  distance  from  the  square  is  increased  from  one  block  to  about  six,^ 
a  little  less  than  a  half  mile.  The  new  location  is  the  proper  one  from  the 
railroad  point  of  view,  as  it  is  at  the  junction  and  obviates  the  former 
necessity  of  backing  trains  in  on  the  Michigan  division  and  out  again,  mak- 
ing about  an  extra  mile  for  each  train  on  that  division. 

The  change  in  location  made  it  necessary  for  the  postoffice  department 
to  deliver  the  mail  between  the  station  and  the  postoffice,  as  the  distance  is 
greater  than  eighty  rods,  being  in  fact  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  rods. 
The  first  mail  messenger  was  Louis  Fultz,  who  started  in  to  carry  the  mail 
on  the  da}'  the  new  station  was  opened. 


3g6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

INDIANAPOLIS    &    CINCINNATI    TRACTION    LINE. 

The  Indianapolis  &  Cincinnati  Traction  Company  owns  the  only  inter- 
urban  line  coming  into  Decatur  county.  This  is  a  direct  line  from  Indian- 
apolis to  Greensburg.  The  right  of  way  for  this  line  was  purchased  from 
August  to  December,  1905,  and  the  first  car  was  run  in  1907.  The  total 
length  of  the  line  from  Indianapolis  to  Greensburg  is  forty-nine  miles,  of 
whicli  ten  and  one-half  miles  are  in  Decatur  county.  It  touches  the  towns  of 
St.  Paul,  Adams  and  Greensburg,  all  limited  cars  stopping  at  principal  towns, 
while  the  local  cars  stop  at  intermediate  points.  According  to  the  present 
schedule,  nine  cars  are  operated  each  way  between  Greensburg  and  Indian- 
apolis. The  first  car  leaves  Greensburg  at  six  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  the  last 
one  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Regular  service  is  maintained  at  intervals  of 
one  and  one-half  hours  daily.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  car  which 
made  the  initial  run  in  1907,  is  still  in  use.  The  interurban  station  is 
located  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  East  streets. 

RAILROAD  STATISTICS. 

The  following  is  the  complete  valuation  and  mileage  of  the  different 
railroads  running  through  Decatur  county  as  given  in  the  1914  annual  report 
of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics: 

The  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  (Big  Four 
route)  has  20.59  miles  of  main  track,  with  a  valuation  of  $29,500  per  mile, 
totaling  $607,405.  There  are  10.91  miles  of  second  main  track,  valued  at 
$8,900  per  mile,  totaling  $87,200.  Side-tracks  of  13  miles  are  valued  at 
$4,900  per  mile,  totaling  $55,880.  Rolling  stock  of  20.59  miles  is  valued  at 
$4,000  per  mile,  totaling  $82,360.  The  improvements  on  the  right  of  way 
amount  to  $18,100.     The  total  valuation  is  $851,025. 

The  Chicago,  Terre  Haute  &  Eastern,  Westport  branch,  has  6.46  miles 
of  road,  valued  at  $6,500  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $41,900.  There  are  1.98 
miles  of  side-track,  valued  at  $2,000  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $3,960.  Roll- 
ing stock  of  6.46  miles  is  valued  at  $1,500  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $9,600. 
The  improvements  on  the  right  of  way  amount  to  $160.  The  total  valuation 
is  $57,250. 

Columbus,  Hope  &  Greensburg  Railroad  has  8.98  miles  of  main  track, 
valued  at  $8,000  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $71,840.  Side-track  of  0.27  mile 
is  valued  at  $540.     Rolling  stock  of  8.98  miles  is  valued  at  $1,500  per  mile; 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  397 

total  value,  $13,470.  The  improvements  on  the  right  of  way  amount  to 
$160.     The  total  valuation  of  the  road  is  $86,010. 

North  Vernon,  Greensburg  &  Rushville  Railroad  has  24.94  miles  of 
main  track,  valued  at  $9,000  per  mile;  total  value,  $224,460.  Side-track  of 
4.19  miles  is  valued  at  $2,000  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $8,380.  Rolling 
stock  of  24.94  miles  is  valued  at  $1,500  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $37,410. 
Improvements  on  the  right  of  way  amount  to  $1,505.  The  total  valuation  of 
the  road  is  $271,755. 

Indianapolis  &  Cincinnati  Traction  Company  has  10.41  miles  of  main 
track,  valued  at  $5,900  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $61,360.  The  side-track 
of  0.37  mile  is  valued  at  $550.  Rolling  stock  of  10.41  miles  is  valued  at 
$500  per  mile;  total  valuation,  $5,200.  The  improvements  on  the  right  of 
way  amount  to  $2,400.     The  total  valuation  of  the  road  is  $69,515. 

The  total  valuation  for  all  railroads  in  the  county  is  $1,335,555. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    UNDERGROUND    RAILROAD. 

For  at  least  thirty  years  before  the  opening  of  the  Civil  ^^'ar  there  \va^. 
in  parts  of  Decatur  county,  pronounced  opposition  to  the  institution  of  slav- 
ery. The  early  settlers  of  the  Kingston  and  Spring  Hill  neighborhoods  came 
from  that  part  of  Kentucky  where  there  was  a  violent  hatred  of  slaver)-  and 
they  had  not  been  in  Decatur  county  many  years  before  they  began  to  voice, 
in  no  uncertain  manner,  their  opposition  to  the  slave  traffic.  About  1830 
these  worthy  people  took  the  lead  in  the  organization  of  the  Decatur  County 
Colonization  Society,  a  branch  of  the  National  Colonization  Society.  The 
ostensible  purpose  of  this  organization  was  to  assist  in  freeing  men  of  color 
and  providing  them  with  the  means  of  finding  a  home  in  a  new  country,  where 
the  colored  man  might  have  a  chance  to  develop  himself.  A  few  years  before 
this  time,  Liberia,  Africa,  had  been  prepared  for  the  reception  of  such  col- 
ored people  of  the  United  States  as  could  be  induced  to  make  it  their  home. 
However  philanthropic  such  a  scheme  might  have  been,  it  did  not  work  out 
well  in  practice  and  only  tended  to  alienate  many  people  who  were  really 
opposed  to  slavery.  The  South  naturally  regarded  the  Colonization  Society 
with  an  intense  hatred  and  the  result  was  that  they  watched  their  slaves 
only  the  more  carefully  and  punished  the  more  severely  those  who  escaped 
and  were  recaptured.  Many  people  in  the  North  thought  that  there  was  too 
much  stress  placed  on  getting  a  few  colored  people  out  of  the  country,  when 
the  energy  of  those  opposed  to  the  traffic  had  better  be  given  to  ultimate 
emancipation. 

Many  persons  in  Decatur  county  took  the  latter  stand,  with  the  result 
that,  about  1835  or  1836,  the  more  radical  of  the  anti-slavery  people  of  the 
county  (most  of  whom  li\-ed  in  Fugit  township)  withdrew  from  the  Colo- 
nization Society  and  united  in  the  organization  of  the  Decatur  County  Anti- 
Slavery  Society.  Among  the  leaders  in  this  movement  were  Samuel  Donnell, 
Sr.,  John  C.  McCoy,  Thomas  Hamilton,  Alexander  McCoy,  Campbell  McCoy, 
Samuel  A.  Donnell,  Luther  A.  Donnell,  Andrew  Robison,  Jr.,  Angus  C. 
McCoy,  and  Cyrus  Hamiltnn,  of  the  Kingston  neighborhood,  and  the  Ran- 
kins,  Andersons,  Logans  and  others,  of  Spring  Hill.     The  creed  of  the  anti- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  399 

slavery  people  was,  in  short,  that  slavery  was  a  sin — a  sin  for  which  the 
whole  nation  was  responsible,  and  for  which  there  was  but  one  cure — imme- 
diate emancipation.  The  consequence  of  this  second  organization  was  a 
bitter  and  unrelenting  fight  between  the  supporters  of  the  two  societies,  the 
creation  of  bickerings  between  neighbors,  friends  and  relatives,  and,  finally 
schisms  in  the  churches.  It  is  not  necessary  here  to  say  which  side  was  in 
the  right — they  both  hated  sla\ery  and  differed  only  in  their  methods  of 
dealing  with  it. 

It  is  enough  to  say  that  abolitionism  gradually  grew  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  persecution  and  ostracism  which  its  adherents  were  forced  to  undergo, 
they  finally  saw  their  fondest  hopes  realized.  The  Free-Soil  part}-  and  the 
subsec|uent  Republican  party,  founded  on  the  remnants  of  the  Whig  and 
Free-Soil  parties,  finally  forced  the  issue  and  January  i,  1863,  saw  the  eman- 
cipation of  all  the  slaves  in  the  United  States — and  only  thirty  years  after 
Decatur  county  had  taken  up  the  agitation  in  earnest. 

The  purpose  of  the  present  article  is  to  deal  with  one  phase  of  the  anti- 
slavery  fight  in  Decatur  county,  the  so-called  "underground  railroad."  One 
of  the  main  trunk  lines  of  this  famous  railroad  was  through  the  eastern  part 
of  Decatur  county.  Its  ofiicers  and  conductors  were  sworn  to  secrecy  and 
it  was  manv  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  before  some  of  these 
brave  men  and  women  told  of  the  part  which  they  had  borne  in  helping 
to  get  the  poor  negroes  through  the  count}'  on  their  way  to  freedom.  The 
story  of  the  "underground  railroad"'  has  never  been,  and  probably  never 
will  be  told  in  detail.  Its  work  was  done  under  cover  of  darkness  and  those 
who  received  negroes  at  one  point  often  did  not  know  who  had  brought 
them  that  far  along  the  line.  Southward  from  Decatur  county,  the  railroad 
branched  off  into  several  different  directions.  The  main  crossing  places 
from  Kentucky  into  the  southeastern  ]Dart  of  Indiana  seemed  to  have  been 
near  Madison,  \'evay  and  Rising  Sun.  Those  coming  across  near  Madison 
were  shifted  through  New  Marion,  in  Ripley  county,  and  Zenas,  in  Jen- 
nings county ;  those  landing  at  Vevay  and  Rising  Sun  were  taken  past  Milan, 
in  Ripley  county!  The  three  roads  seemed  to  have  effected  a  junction  in 
Decatur  county  south  of  present  McCoy's  Station.  From  this  place  the  route 
led  northward  along  the  Decatur-Franklin  county  line,  through  a  small  col- 
ored settlement  a  short  distance  east  of  Clarksburg,  and  thence  northeast 
through  Fayette  and  Wayne  counties.  Fugitives,  on  crossing  the  Ohio 
ri\-er,  were  met  by  a  trained  conductor — sometimes  one  of  their  own  color, 
but  oftener  by  a  white  man — who  took  them  to  the  next  station.  Here  the 
runaways  stayed  in  hiding  all  day  and  on  the  second  night  another  conductor 


400  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

took  the  colored  passengers  on  to  the  next  station.  Thus  was  the  journey 
made  to  Canada  and  freedom,  the  nightly  trips  being  continued  until  the 
fugitives  were  safely  over  the  border.  How  many  negroes  were  thus  trans- 
ported to  Canada  will  never  be  known,  but  the  number  ran  up  into  the  thou- 
sands, and  very  few  of  them  were  ever  captured  en  route  or  apprehended 
once  they  set  foot  in  Canada.  The  passage  of  the  fugitive  slave  law  in 
1850  so  outraged  the  North  that  the  business  of  the  underground  railroad 
increased  by  leaps  and  bounds  and  it  became  positively  dangerous  for  slave- 
catchers  to  appear  on  free  soil.  In  the  escape  of  these  runaways,  the  good 
people  of  Decatur  county  bore  no  small  part  and  it  is  fortunate  to  find  avail- 
able a  personal  account  of  one  case  which  is  typical  of  scores  of  others  which 
took  place.  This  particular  case,  known  as  the  "Donnell  Rescue  Case,"  was 
described  l^y  the  late  William  ]M.  Hamilton,  who  was  one  of  the  participants: 

"I  will  try  to  relate  in  detail  the  history  of  the  escape,  capture,  rescue 
and  final  escape  to  Canada,  of  a  colored  woman  and  four  children,  claimed 
as  the  property  of  George  Ray,  of  Kentucky,  in  which  Mr.  Donnell  and 
myself  became  involved  in  litigation  before  both  the  state  and  federal  courts. 

"In  the  fall  of  1848,  probably  in  October,  Caroline  and  her  four  chil- 
dren made  their  way  across  the  Ohio  river  near  the  city  of  Madison,  Indiana. 
From  there  she  was  assisted  on  her  way  to  Decatur  county  by  a  man  named 
Wagoner,  who  was  one  of  the  regular  conductors  in  charge  of  fugitives 
between  Madison  and  this  county.  Wagoner  delivered  his  passengers  at 
what  is  now  McCoy's  Station,  probal^ly  about  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  Mr.  McCoy  at  once  mounted  the  poor  woman  and  her  four  chil- 
dren on  horses  and  started  for  the  colored  settlement  near  Clarksburg,  which 
was  not  far  from  the  home  of  Luther  A.  Donnell. 

"On  the  way  to  the  colored  settlement,  McCoy  and  his  party  came  by 
way  of  my  father's  (Cyrus  Hamilton)  and  asked  me  to  accompany  and 
assist  him  on  to  the  colored  settlement.  ^Vhen  we  were  within  a  mile  and 
a  half  of  Clarksburg  we  found  that  we  could  not  make  the  desired  goal 
before  daylight,  so  we  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  colored  man  Ijy  the  name 
of  Pernell,  who  lived  near.  McCoy  then  returned  home.  Pernell  was  uneasy 
and  seemed  afraid  to  keep  the  fugitives,  so  I  rode  over  to  Donnell's  and 
awakened  him,  telling  him  'what  was  up,'  and  that  Pernell  was  afraid  to 
keep  the  people. 

"Donnell  said  he  would  go  over  to  the  colored  settlement  and  have  them 
come  and  get  the  woman  and  her  children.  WHiereuixDn  I  started  back  home, 
but  soon  met  Pernell  with  the  fugitives  mounted  on  horses.  It  was  then 
daylight,  and  he  hurried  on  to  the  house  of  a  colored  woman,  Jane  Speed, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4OI 

who  lived  where  George  Warlow  now  Hves.  The  woman  and  children  were 
secreted  in  an  old  house  which  had  some  hay  in  it.  This  house  was  located 
on  a  remote  portion  of  her  (Jane  Speed's)  place  and  not  far  from  where 
Woodson  Clark  lived. 

"This  Clark  was  reputed  to  be  a  slave-catcher  and  hunter  and  was  ever 
ready  to  obstruct  the  pathway  of  those  seeking  their  freedom.  During  the 
day  Clark  saw  Jane  Speed's  boy  come  away  from  the  old  house,  whither  he 
had  been  sent  to  convey  food  to  the  fugitives.  This  was  enough  to  prompt 
an  investigation  of  the  contents  of  the  old  house  by  Clark.  He  took  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance  and  told  the  woman  she  was  in  a  very  unsafe  position 
and  that  he  would  conduct  her  to  the  colored  settlement,  but,  instead  of 
doing  so,  he  took  the  colored  woman  and  her  children  to  his  own  house. 

"The  colored  woman,  suspecting  that  all  was  not  right,  asked  him 
( Clark )  where  the  colored  people  were  to  whom  he  had  promised  to  guide 
her.  It  was  then  late  in  the  evening,  and  he,  suspecting  that  her  friends 
would  miss  her  and  the  children  from  their  place  of  concealment  and  that 
he  would  be  suspected,  resolved  to  secrete  them  in  an  old  fodder  house  on 
the  farm  of  his  son.  At  the  same  time  Clark  decided  the  safest  thing  for 
him  to  do  was  to  tell  the  colored  people  to  come  and  get  her  and  the  children. 
After  several  hours  of  waiting  in  the  fodder  house,  the  woman  concluded 
that  she  had  been  betrayed,  and,  knowing  that  there  was  a  colored  settlement 
in  the  neighborhood,  left  her  children  and  started  out  in  quest  of  her  friends. 
The  night  was  dark  and  she,  a  stranger  to  the  fields,  soon  lost  her  way. 

"Leaving  the  woman  and  her  children  for  the  time,  the  reader's  atten- 
tion is  called  to  what  was  being  done  by  her  friends.  As  soon  as  the  fugitives 
were  missed  from  the  hut  on  Jane  Speed's  place  (otherwise  known  as  the 
Peyton  place),  the  colored  people  tracked  them  to  Clark's  yard  gate.  They 
then  informed  Luther  A.  Donnell,  who  advised  them  to  secure  enough  assist- 
ance to  watch  Clark's  premises  so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  fugitives. 
Mr.  Donnell  then  held  an  interview  with  my  father,  and  they  determined  to 
apply  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and  by  legal  intpiir}'  find  by  what  authority 
the  fugitives  were  detained  by  Clark. 

"By  this  time  darkness  was  setting  in.  My  father  and  Mr.  Donnell 
applied  to  John  Hopkins,  then  associate  judge  of  Decatur  county,  for  the 
required  writ,  which  was  granted.  But  it  was  found  necessary  to  go  to 
Greensburg  to  obtain  the  seal  of  the  court  and  the  attendance  of  the  sheriff 
to  serve  the  writ.  The  sheriff  was  Michael  Swope,  who  sent  the  writ  to  a 
deputy  named  John  Imlav,  then  living  in  Clarksburg,  with  orders  to  serve  it. 
(26) 


402  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

When  my  father  and  Mr.  Donnell  started  for  Greensburg  I  was  detained  to 
look  after  the  party  who  were  watching  Clark's  premises.  I  found  about 
twenty  colored  men  assembled.  They  were  very  much  excited  and  were 
armed  with  corn  knives,  clubs  and,  maybe,  more  deadly  weapons.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  I  restrained  them  from  making  a  forced  search. 

"At  length  the  deputy  sheriff  came,  and  with  him  Robert  Hamilton,  to 
assist  in  the  execution  of  the  writ.  It  had  been  arranged  to  have  the  colored 
men  rush  in  a  body  on  to  the  sheriff  and  take  the  fugitives  by  force  as  soon 
as  they  could  be  brought  out  of  Clark's  house.  But  the  search  proved  fruit- 
less and  we  were  all  'chop  fallen,'  as  it  looked  as  thought  we  had  been  out- 
generaled. Clark  appeared  greatly  offended  and  said  he  would  see  some 
one  through  with  this  business.  He  went  to  Clarksburg  and  tried  to  get  a 
writ  from  a  justice  of  the  peace,  by  which  he  could  take  the  slaves  back  to 
Kentucky,  but,  of  course,  failed  to  get  one. 

"Mr.  Donnell,  R.  A.  Hamilton,  myself  and  the  colored  people  then  held 
a  council  and  decided  to  extend  the  search  to  the  premises  of  the  two  sons 
of  Clark,  who  lived,  one  on  the  north  and  the  other  on  the  south  of  their 
father's  farm.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Donnell  and  myself  went  to  Mr.  Donnell's 
house  to  await  developments.  A  short  time  before  daylight  a  squad  came 
and  reported  that  they  had  found  the  woman  near  one  of  the  Clarks.  She 
was  rambling  about  the  fields  in  a  state  of  bewilderment  and  did  not  know 
where  her  children  were.  She  told  the  story  of  her  removal  to  the  hut  and 
subsequent  concealment  in  the  Clark  fodder  house.  Of  course,  the  colored 
men  soon  found  the  children,  and  the  party  was  once  more  intact  and  with 
friends. 

"The  colored  men  took  the  fugitives  down  into  their  neighborhood  and 
secreted  them  in  a  deep  ravine  on  the  Bull  fork  of  Salt  creek,  in  Franklin 
county,  intending  to  start  them  on  their  way  the  next  night.  We  were 
greatly  rejoiced  at  the  turn  things  had  taken,  yet  we  felt  assured  that  the 
slave-catchers  would  press  hard  after  their  game,  having  once  had  them  in 
their  possession. 

"R.  A.  Hamilton  returned  home  as  soon  as  the  search  was  over.  After 
remaining  at  Donnell's  house  until  the  colored  men  had  reported,  I  started 
for  home,  and  on  my  way  met  four  or  five  men  whom  I  knew  were  slave 
hunters.  Some  were  from  Greensburg,  and  one  was  a  stranger,  who,  as  I 
afterwards  learned,  was  the  man  Ray,  of  Kentucky,  who  owned  the  slaves. 
A  son  of  Clark  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hobbs  had  been  to  Greensburg 
for  a  writ  to  enable  them  to  secure  possession  of  the  fugitives  and  had  given 
the  alarm.     All  this  had  happened  while  the  woman  and  children  were  being 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4O3 

found  and  while  I  was  at  the  home  of  Donnell,  as  before  related.  I  hur- 
riedly changed  horses  and  kept  a  watch  over  the  slave  hunters.  They  went 
through  Clarksburg,  and  I  went  to  Donnell's  house  and  reported  what  I  had 
seen.  He  proposed  that  we  mount  our  horses  and  skirmish  around  the 
Clark  premises  and  the  colored  settlement  in  order  to  see  what  might  happen. 

"We  went  to  a  horse-mill  in  the  edge  of  the  colored  settlement.  There 
we  remained  some  time,  but  learned  nothing  more  than  that  there  was  quite 
a  party  at  Clark's  house.  In  the  afternoon  the  slave  hunters  made  some 
demonstrations  in  and  about  the  settlement  and  did  attempt  to  search  one 
or  two  houses,  but,  finding  it  an  unsafe  business,  they  abandoned  the 
expedition. 

"The  colored  people  were  naturally  very  much  excited  and  determined. 
The  woman  was  almost  helpless,  encumbered  as  she  was  with  her  children, 
the  youngest  of  which  was  a  nursing  babe.  They  could  not  be  moved  like 
adults.  Now,  there  was  a  colored  man  and  his  wife  who  had  recently  moved 
from  Union  county  to  the  settlement,  who  had  two  children  about  the  age 
of  two  of  the  fugitive  children.  Accordingly  they  made  a  bold  daylight 
trip,  with  the  slave  woman's  children  instead  of  their  own,  and  arrived 
safely  at  the  home  of  William  Beard,  an  underground  railroad  man  and  a 
godly  Quaker,  who  lived  beyond  the  reach  of  the  pursuers. 

"But  the  woman  and  two  of  her  children  were  still  to  be  disposed  of. 
About  sunset,  word  came  that  the  slave  hunters  had  discovered  the  hiding 
place  of  the  remaining  fugitives,  and  again  we  were  disconsolate.  We  rea- 
soned that  they  would  bring  her  to  Clark's  house  for  safe  keeping  over  night, 
and  we  resolved  to  tiy  our  writ  again  and  see  if  it  woiild  not  give  us  posses- 
sion of  the  fugitives. 

"Meanwhile,  we  had  assembled  at  Donnell's  house  for  supper.  \\'hile 
we  were  thus  mourning  over  our  ill  luck,  a  colored  man  came  and  announced 
that  matters  were  all  right — that  the  man  who  was  on  guard  had  mistaken 
a  party  of  men  who  were  returning  home  from  a  'raisin'  for  the  slave  hunt- 
ing party,  but  that  they  passed  by  without  observing  the  woman's  hiding 
place.  Again  our  drooping  spirits  revived  and  we  set  ourselves  to  the  task 
of  planning  the  successful  evasion  of  the  pursuers. 

"The  route  over  which  the  underground  railroad  passengers  were  con- 
veyed was  through  Laurel  and  Blooming  Grove  (Franklin  county),  crossing 
the  East  fork  of  White  river  at  Fairfield,  and  thence  on  to  William  Beard's 
home  in  Union  county.  This  line  had  been  discovered  by  the  enemy  and  was 
well  watched;  besides,  the  excitement  was  running  high  and  spreading  wide 
by   this   time,   while   our   rescuing  party   was   more   determined   than    ever. 


404  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Heretofore  we  had  depended  upon  the  colored  people  to  do  the  work,  while 
we  made  the  calculations,  hut  Donnell's  determination  was  now  fairly  aroused, 
and  he  proposed  to  me  that  we  take  this  matter  in  hand  and  see  the  slaves 
safely  through,  let  it  cost  what  it  might. 

"Accordingly,  we  instructed  the  colored  people  to  disguise  the  woman 
in  male  attire  and  for  three  or  four  of  them  to  accompany  her,  mounted, 
and  others  on  foot,  to  Peyton's  corner,  where  we  would  meet  them.  They 
executed  the  details  promptly  and  were  on  hand  in  time.  We  found  it 
necessary  to  press  through  Clarksburg  to  reach  the  point  we  had  in  mind. 
It  was  a  dangerous  place  to  enter,  as  there  were  plenty  of  watchful  slave 
hunters  there,  so  we  instructed  her  to  ride  to  the  middle  of  the  road,  flanked 
by  a  trusty  colored  man  on  either  side.  We  had  the  children  taken  around 
the  village  of  Clarksburg  to  about  one  mile  beyond  the  town.  The  exit  was 
easily  made  and  the  proposed  point  reached  without  any  trouble.  We  then 
dismissed  the  colored  men  and  resolved  to  keep  our  own  council. 

"The  woman  was  mounted  on  a  horse  with  one  of  us  and  the  children 
with  the  other,  and  thus  we  rode  through  Spring  Hill  and  to  the  home  of 
Thomas  Donnell,  about  one  mile  west  of  that  village.  Day  was  breaking 
and  Luther  A.  Donnell  awakened  his  brother,  Thomas,  who  assisted  him  in 
hiding  the  slaves  in  an  out-of-the-way  building,  while  I  took  charge  of  the 
horses.  During  the  next  day  the  refugees  were  fed  by  two  children  of  the 
Donnell  family.  Luther  Donnell  and  myself  returned  to  our  homes  with 
the  understanding  that  we  were  to  meet  at  the  house  of  John  R.  Donnell 
that  night  at  ten  o'clock  for  the  purpose  of  making  final  disposition  of  the 
fugitives. 

"We  met  pursuant  to  our  agreement  and  at  this  juncture  we  pressed 
Lowry  Donnell  and  John  R.  Donnell  into  service.  The  latter  entered  into 
the  arrangement  with  a  hearty  good  will  by  bringing  out  his  fine  carriage, 
with  closed  top  and  side  curtains.  The  woman  and  children  had  been  pro- 
vided with  plenty  of  warm  woolen  clothing,  and,  being  doubly  veiled,  were 
placed  in  the  carriage  and  started  on  their  way  to  freedom. 

"The  party  was  composed  of  Luther  A.  Donnell,  John  R.  Donnell, 
Lowry  Donnell,  Robert  Stout,  Nathaniel  Thompson  and  myself.  Stout  and 
Thompson  only  went  with  us  as  far  as  New  Salem,  Rush  county." 

The  narrative  of  Mr.  Hamilton  goes  on  to  tell  of  the  details  of  the 
journey,  which  was  devoid  of  any  striking  incidents.  After  a  drive  of 
twenty-four  hours,  with  only  a  short  rest  to  feed  the  horses,  the  party 
arrived  at  William  Beard's  home  in  Union  county,  where  they  received  a 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4O5 

warm  welcome.  The  rescuers  returned  home  the  next  day,  with  men  and 
horses  worn  and  jaded,  carriage  springs  broken,  and  with  the  experience  of 
one  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  of  the  underground  railroad  which 
ever  occurred  in  the  state.  The  poor  slave  woman  was  given  her  four  chil- 
dren, reached  Canada  eventually,  and  in  after  years  wrote  to  Donnell, 
expressing  her  great  thankfulness  for  his  assistance. 

But  Donnell  was  not  yet  through  with  his  connection  with  the  case. 
The  slave  hunters  were  determined  to  ha\e  their  revenge  for  the  shrewd 
way  in  which  they  were  outwitted.  Having  lost  their  chattels  and  been 
defeated  in  their  attempts  to  recover  them,  the  slave  owner  and  his  sym- 
pathizers resolved  to  take  advantage  offered  by  a  state  statute  then  supposed 
to  be  in  force  in  Indiana.  Accordingly,  a  few  days  later,  a  grand  jury  of 
Decatur  county  indicted  Luther  A.  Donnell  for  "aiding  and  abetting  the 
escape  of  fugitives  from  labor,"  etc.  The  case  came  up  for  trial  at  the 
]\Iarch  term  of  court,  1849.  George  H.  Dunn  was  the  presiding  judge  and 
John  Hopkins  and  Samuel  Ellis,  associate  judges.  The  jury  was  composed 
of  twelve  men  of  the  county.  The  state  was  represented  by  John  S.  Scobey, 
prosecuting  attorne}-,  and  Andrew  Davidson,  later  a  supreme  judge 
of  Indiana.  The  defense  was  in  the  hands  of  John  Ryman,  of  Lawrence- 
burg,  and  Joseph  Robinson  and  Philander  Hamilton,  of  Greensburg. 

On  the  calling"  of  the  case,  the  defense  moved  to  cjuash  the  indictment 
on  the  grounds  set  forth  in  the  case  of  Prigg  vs.  Pennsylvania,  in  which  it 
was  held  that  state  legislation  for  the  recovery  of  fugitives  from  labor  in 
other  states,  or  for  aiding  the  escape  of  such,  was  unconstitutional.  The 
motion  was  overruled  and  the  trial  proceeded.  The  evidence  is  too  volumi- 
nous for  the  i)urpose  at  hand  and  only  a  summary  of  it  will  be  given.  The 
evidence  in  the  case  seemed  to  turn  on  the  positive  statement  of  Richard 
Clark  (one  of  the  sons  mentioned),  who  testified  that  the  woman  and  chil- 
dren were  placed  in  his  fodder  house  about  two  o'clock  of  ]\Ionday  and  that 
l^etween  three  and  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  they  were  taken  out  by 
Luther  A.  Donnell  and  William  Hamilton,  which  the  reader  will  notice  is 
widely  at  variance  with  the  facts,  as  stated  in  Hamilton's  account.  But  in 
those  days,  a  man  could  not  testify  in  his  own  behalf,  neither  could  a  col- 
ored man  testify  in  a  case  where  a  white  man  was  interested.  There  was 
some  conflicting  testimony  in  this  case,  but  the  popular  voice  was  unfavor- 
able to  the  defense  and  the  verdict  was  against  the  defendant.  Donnell 
appealed  the  case  to  the  supreme  court  of  Indiana.  The  result  is  here  given 
in  the  words  of  the  record  : 


406  •  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"Donnell  vs.  State. 

"Perkins,  Judge.  Error  to  the  Decatur  Circuit  Court. 

"This  was  an  indictment  against  Luther  A.  Donnell,  containing  two 
counts;  one  charging  him  with  inducing  the  escape  of,  and  the  other  with 
secreting  a  woman  of  color,  called  Caroline,  then  being  the  slave  of  and 
owing  service  to  George  Ray,  of  Kentucky.  The  defendant  was  convicted. 
The  section  of  the  statute  of  our  state  upon  which  the  indictment  was 
grounded,  according  to  the  decision  in  Prigg  vs.  Pennsylvania,  is  unconsti- 
tutional and  void.  The  conviction  on  it  was,  therefore,  erroneous."  (Por- 
ter's Indiana  Reports,  Vol.  Ill,  page 480.) 

Encouraged  by  the  advantages  gained  here  in  a  criminal  action,  and 
by  the  popular  clamor,  Ray  brought  suit  in  the  United  States  court  at  Indi- 
anapolis, to  recover  the  value  of  his  property,  and  obtained  a  judgment  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  which,  with  costs,  amounted  to  about  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  was  promptly  paid  by  the  defendants  to  the  last  dollar. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  full  amount  was  refunded  to  the  defend- 
ants by  the  anti-slavery  men  of  the  state  and  neighborhood,  aided  by  some 
who  were  publicly  known  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the  movement. 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  exciting  legal  contests  ever  held  in  the 
state ;  in  fact,  the  effect  on  the  popular  mind  was  rather  unfavorable  to  the 
slave-catching  interests  here,  and  caused  many  who  had  before  been  indiffer- 
ent toward  the  anti-slavery  agitators  to  take  a  decided  stand  for  or  against 
that  issue.  No  other  efforts  were  made  to  recover  escaped  slaves  in  Deca- 
tur county,  although  from  then  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  "underground 
railroad"  was  in  full  operation.  It  is  said  that  not  one  slave  in  a  thousand 
was  ever  recovered  by  the  owners  in  the  decade  preceding  the  Civil  War. 

The  fugitive  slave  law  of  1850  was  heartily  denounced  in  many  pul- 
pits in  Decatur  county  immediately  after  its  passage,  and  a  minister  of 
Kingston  probably  voiced  the  sentiment  of  a  majority  of  the  people  of  the 
'  county  when  he  said  in  the  pulpit  at  the  end  of  one  of  his  sermons:  "It  is 
well  known  to  you  that  the  fugitive  slave  bill  has  become  a  law.  To  a  law 
framed  of  such  iniquity  I  owe  no  allegiance.  Humanity,  Christianity  and 
manhood  revolt  against  it.  For  myself — I  say  it  solemnly — I  will  shelter, 
I  will  help,  I  will  defend  the  fugitive  with  all  my  humble  means  and  power. 
I  will  act  with  any  Ixidy  of  decent  and  serious  men,  as  the  head,  or  foot,  or 
hand,  in  any  mode  not  involving  the  use  of  deadly  weapons,  to  nullify  and 
defeat  the  operation  of  this  law."  While  this  courageous  preacher  undoubt- 
edly expressed  the  sentiments  of  most  of  the  people  of  the  county,  yet  there 
were  not  a  few  who  had  no  sympathy  whatever  with  the  slave.     Many  of 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  407 

the  early  settlers  of  the  county  came  from  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and,  if 
the  facts  were  known,  it  could  be  shown  that  some  of  these  Southerners 
brought  slaves  here  with  them  and  held  them  as  such.  The  government 
census  of  1830  disclosed  the  startling  fact  that  there  was  one  negro  girl 
in  Decatur  county  who  was  returned  as  a  slave. 

The  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  had  a  large  following  in  Decatur 
county  during  the  Civil  War  and  were  especially  strong  in  Jackson  town- 
ship. They  were  responsible  for  most  of  the  depredations  committed  in  that 
township  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war.  Apropos  of  this  traitorous 
organization,  an  interesting  story  is  told  of  old  "Uncle"  Dan  Pike,  who 
lived  in  Jackson  township  near  Alert.  The  worthy  old  gentleman  was  an 
avowed  Southern  sympathizer  and  a  great  lover  of  fine  horses,  of  which 
he  had  a  large  number.  At  the  time  Morgan  made  his  raid  through  south- 
ern Indiana  in  the  summer  of  1863,  Uncle  Dan  had  some  misgivings  about 
the  safety  of  his  fine  horses.  He  thought,  however,  that  he  was  too  far 
north  for  Morgan,  but  he  was  destined  to  change  his  opinion  of  the  safety 
of  his  horses.  On  a  sweltering  day  in  July  a  detachment  of  Morgan's  men 
actually  appeared  before  his  home  and  in  no  uncertain  manner  demanded 
some  of  his  fine  horses.  Southern  sympathizer  that  he  was,  he  was  deter- 
mined that  no  horse  of  his  should  leave  the  barn  if  he  could  help  it.  Taking 
his  trusty  old  flint-lock  in  his  hands,  he  stationed  himself  near  the  stable 
door  and  defied  a  man  to  attempt  to  take  a  single  horse  out  of  the  stable. 
"The  first  man  who  goes  into  that  stable  door  gets  a  slug  of  hot  shot."  The 
soldiers  told  him  that  he  would  only  bring  about  his  own  death  and  in  no 
way  save  his  horses.  "That  don't  make  no  difference — it  will  not  save  the 
man  who  goes  into  my  stable,"  retorted  the  old  man.  The  upshot  of  the 
matter  was  that  they  left  Uncle  Dan  safe  in  the  possession  of  all  of  his 
beloved  horses. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


DECATUR  COUNTY  S  MILITARY  RECORD. 


SOLDIERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  IN  DECATUR  COUNTY. 

The  following  is  an  authentic  list  of  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
who  lived  and  are  buried  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  the  list  having  been  pre- 
pared in  May,  1901  : 

Thomas  Hooten,  buried  in  Sand  Creek  cemetery,  near  Greensburg,  has  a 
tombstone  stating  that  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1776  to  1783.  He  died 
on  July  26,  1841,  aged  eighty-nine  years,  two  months  and  twenty-six  days. 

John  Pemberton  was  also  buried  in  Sand  Creek  cemetery  and  has  a  tomb- 
stone stating  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  for  Independence.  He  died  on  June 
5,  1845,  aged  eighty-two  years,  ten  months  and  fifteen  days. 

Samuel  Brown  is  buried  at  Wesley  Chapel  cemetery.  There  is  a  broken 
slab,  the  inscription  being  almost  entirely  defaced.  It  is  believed  that  he  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

A  soldier,  named  Kirby,  was  known  to  be  a  soldier  of  1776  by  several 
person  in  this  county  and  the  grave  can  be  located.  He  is  buried  in  what  is 
known  as  Burke  Chapel  cemetery,  five  miles  south  of  Greensburg.  No  head- 
stone.    Command  unknown. 

Hugh  Montgomery  is  buried  in  a  private  cemetery  on  a  farm  owned  by 
William  M.  Hamilton,  formerly  known  as  the  Antrobus  farm.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  also  of  the  War  of  1812.  He  had  three 
sons,  Thomas,  Henry  and  William,  in  the  War  of  1812.  William  was  killed 
in  battle.  Henry  died  and  is  buried  near  his  father  in  Antrobus  cemetery. 
The  headstone  was  placed  by  descendants. 

John  Gilleland,  who  served  in  the  War  of  1776,  is  buried  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Gilmore  farm,  in  a  small  country  cemetery.  The  grave  is  grown 
over  with  brush  and  briars,  but  a  small  tombstone,  with  the  inscription  almost 
obliterated,  marks  the  grave. 

George  King,  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Milford,  is  known  to  have  been  a 
soldier  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.     The  grave  can  be  located  by  grand- 


MR.  AND   MRS.   JOIIX    FIXXERX.   LATH   OF   CRFFXSIUIM;.   THE   ONLY   MARRIED 
COUPLE   WHO  SEItVED  TOCiETHEi:  DIRIXG  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4O9 

children  and  others.  The  headstone  was  furnished  by  the  war  department  and 
placed  under  charge  of  William  Tateman,  sexton. 

James  Crawford,  also  of  the  War  of  1776,  is  buried  alongside  King. 
There  is  a  headstone,  giving  name,  also  that  he  died  in  February,  1836,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  The  headstone,  placed  by  William  Tateman,  sexton,  was 
furnished,  on  requisition,  by  the  war  department. 

Wheeler  is  the  last  name  of  another  soldier  of  1776,  who  was  buried  in 
the  group.  None  of  his  relatives  are  in  this  part  of  the  country.  These  three 
men  just  mentioned  were  well  acquainted  and  associates  before  they  died. 
They  are  buried  southeast  and  a  few  feet  from  a  beech  tree.  It  is  not  known 
whether  or  not  King,  Crawford  or  \Mieeler  were  pensioners. 

Joseph  Morris,  born  in  1761,  died  in  Greensburg,  Indiana,  in  1849. 
He  was  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  and  the  remains  were  removed,  but  the 
grave  cannot  be  located.  His  wife  also  died  in  Greensburg.  He  was  nine- 
teen years  old  when  he  enlisted  and  it  is  known  that  he  served  to  the  end 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Parties  lived  in  this  county  who  knew  this  sol- 
dier.    The  above  information  was  given  by  a  relative. 

Thomas  Meek,  Sr.,  father  of  Adam  R.  Aleek,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
1812,  was  a  soldier  of  the  \\'ar  for  Independence.  He  came  from  Virginia 
and  is  buried  in  the  cemeter}-  at  Springhill,  Indiana.  He  was  Ijorn  in  1756, 
and  died  in  1838.  A  good  stone  marks  the  grave,  from  which  the  above 
dates  are  taken. 

John  Collins,  born  in  1757,  died  near  Kingston  in  1848,  and  is  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Kingston.  It  is  Ijelieved  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.     The  dates  are  taken  from  a  headstone  at  the  grave. 

John  DeMoss  was  born  in  South  Carolina  about  1760,  removed  to  Vir- 
ginia and  probably  went  as  a  soldier  from  that  state.  He  came  to  Indiana 
with  his  family  and  died  in  a  caljin  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Robert 
Braden  farm,  owned  b}'  Jeremy  Braden,  being  buried  on  the  adjoining  farm, 
owned  by  Alilton  Byers,  located  in  Clay  township,  this  county,  in  an  old 
cemetery.  The  grave  was  located  by  Ralph  Pavey,  who  was  at  the  inter- 
ment. There  are  two  stones,  without  inscription,  that  mark  the  grave.  It 
is  confidently  believed  that  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  ^Var  of  Independence. 
The  headstone  was  furnished  by  the  war  department  and  placed  by  a 
descendant. 

Lovejoy,  initials  not  known,  was  buried  at  the  Downeyville  'cemetery. 
It  is  thought  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1776.  Xo  headstone.  Prob- 
ably of  the  War  of  1812. 

Joseph  Lee,  believed  to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  went  from 


4IO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

New  Jersey  and  is  buried  at  Shiloh  cemetery.  The  headstone  bears  the 
date  of  death,  etc. 

John  O.  Gulhon,  it  is  said,  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1776.  He  went 
from  Virginia.  He  is  buried  on  the  Spihman  farm  near  Shiloh.  The  grave 
cannot  be  located,  no  headstone  remaining. 

Levi  Weston  is  buried  in  South  Park  cemetery,  Greensburg,  on  the  east 
side,  near  two  pine  trees.  There  is  a  headstone  stating  that  he  was  a  soldier 
of  the  War  of  1776.  He  died  on  June  9,  1852,  aged  ninety-nine  years  and 
thirteen  days. 

Ichabod  Parker,  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  was  buried  in  Sand- 
creek  cemetery.  There  is  a  headstone,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  fact  that  he 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  giving  date  of  death,  etc. 

Jeremiah  I.  Dogan,  of  the  War  of  1776,  was  a  pensioner.  He  drew 
his  pension  through  the  Madison  agency,  at  an  early  day.  He  died  on  April 
14,  1857,  aged  about  ninety  years.  He  was  a  Virginian,  and  was  buried  at 
Mt.  Carmel  cemetery.  There  was  a  headstone.  The  grave  could  probably 
be  located. 

HUGH     MONTGOMERY. 

Hugh  Montgomery  and  wife  are  buried  in  the  Watts  graveyard  on  the 
Lanham  farm.  Before  the  war,  he  came  to  the  colonies  from  Ireland  with 
two  brothers.  His  brothers  fought  with  the  British,  but  Hugh  Montgom- 
ery cast  his  lot  with  the  thirteen  colonies.  He  served  for  three  years  in  the 
company  commanded  by  John  Sullivan,  of  Colonel  Russel's  Ninth  Virginia 
Regiment. 

^^^len  the  war  was  over,  Hugh  Montgomery  moved  to  Ohio,  and  later 
to  Decatur  county,  and,  on  October  7,  1822,  applied  for  a  pension,  claiming 
that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  support  himself.  In  his  application  for  a  pen- 
sion he  listed  his  worldly  possessions  as  follows :  One  mare,  $25 ;  one  cow 
and  calf,  $12:  four  sheep,  $4;  two  shoats,  $3;  two  pots  and  bed,  $17.50; 
total,  $61.50.     He  then  makes  the  following  declaration: 

"In  pursuance  of  the  act  of  May,  1820,  I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  was 
a  resident  of  the  United  States  on  the  i8th  day  of  May,  18 18,  and  that  I 
have  not  since  that  time,  by  gift,  sale,  or  in  any  manner,  disposed  of  my 
property,  or  any  part  thereof,  with  intent  thereby  to  diminish  it,  so  as  to 
bring  myself  within  the  provisions  of  an  act  to  provide  for  certain  persons 
engaged  in  the  land  and  naval  forces  of  the  United  States  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  passed  on  the  i8th  day  of  March,  1818." 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4I I 

Concerning  the  application  of  Montgomen'  for  a  pension,  the  follow- 
ing letter  is  still  preserved : 

"War  Department,  Pension  Office,  March  29th,   1824. 
"Hon.  James  Noble.  Senate,  United  States: 

"Sir — I  have,  on  examining  the  papers  in  the  case  of  Hugh  Montgom- 
ery, every  reason  to  believe  that  the  one  who  now  lives  in  Decatur  county, 
Indiana,  is  the  same  person  who  resided  in  Ohio  three  years  ago  and  whose 
application  for  a  pension  was  then  rejected  on  account  of  his  property.  You 
will  perceive,  by  referring  to  your  letter  to  him,  which  is  herewith  returned, 
that  he  was  required  to  prove  that  he  was  not  the  same  person  who  lived  in 
Ohio;  instead  of  which,  all  the  evidence  that  has  any  bearing  on  the  sub- 
ject goes  to  show  that  he  lived  in  the  very  same  county  and  state  (Butler, 
Ohio)  from  which  the  first  application  was  made.  The  claim,  of  course, 
cannot  be  allowed.  The  papers  which  you  sent  to  me  will  remain  upon  our 
files,  agreeably  to  the  regulations  of  the  war  department. 
"I  am  respectfully, 

"Your  Obt.  Servt., 

"J.  L.  Edwards." 

Three  sons  of  Montgomery  fought  in  the  War  of  1812.  They  were" 
Thomas,  William  and  Henry  Montgomery.  William  was  killed  in  battle 
and  Thomas  is  buried  in  South  Park  cemetery.  Henry  Montgomery  is 
buried  beside  his  father  in  the  Antrobus  cemetery. 

SOLDIERS   OF   THE   W.\R   OF    l8l2    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

David  Bailey,  a  pensioner  of  the  War  of  1812,  was  paid  through  the 
Indianapolis  agency.  He  served  in  Captain  Hawkins'  and  Captain  Gray's 
companies,  the  Seventeenth  and  Third  United  States  Infantry.  His  pen- 
sion certificate,  which  bore  the  number  3255,  came  into  the  possession  of 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Perry  Tremain,  residing  near  Greensburg.  David  Bailey 
died  in  the  city  of  Greensburg  on  March  6,  1879,  aged  eighty-one  years 
and  ten  months,  and  was  buried  in  South  Park  cemetery.  There  is  no 
headstone,  but  there  is  a  staff  and  the  grave  has  been  decorated.  Applica- 
tion was  made  to  the  war  department  for  a  gravestone. 

George  Myers  was  a  pensioner  of  the  War  of  1812  and  on  the  list 
of  pensioners  in  the  Indianapolis  agency.  No  service  given.  He  was  buried 
in  a  cemetery  near  Harris  City  and  has  a  monument  with  inscription  of 
himself  and  wife.     He  had  a  son  living  in  the  county  named  William  Myers. 


412  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

This  information  was  secured  through  a  granddaughter,  Mrs.  L.  E.  John- 
son, in  Greensburg. 

WilHam  BiUington  (written  "BeUington"  on  the  rolls  of  the  Indian- 
apolis pension  agency),  belonged  to  Capt.  Harry  Ellis's  Kentucky  militia 
and  was  in  Hull's  surrender.  He  was  born  on  September  ii,  1788,  died  on 
September  20,  1874,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Union  church. 
There  is  a  broken  slab  at  the  grave. 

Joseph  Frakes,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  belonged  to  the  "Ken- 
tucky Rangers."  He  went  from  Mason  county,  Kentucky.  He  was  born 
on  June  6,  1771,  died  on  June  9,  1854,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Union  church,  near  the  grave  of  R.  M.  Hayes.  There  was  a  slab  at  the 
grave,  broken  in   fragments,  from  which  this  data  was  taken. 

Daniel  S.  Perry,  a  pensioner  on  the  roll  of  the  Indianapolis  pension 
agency,  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Kentuck)-,  on  October  g,  1791.  He  was 
a  son  of  Henry  Perry,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  enlisted 
and  ser\'ed  in  the  Kentucky  militia,  command  not  known.  In  the  year  181 1 
he  was  in  a  cavalry  branch  of  the  United  States  service.  He  served  under 
General  Harrison.  He  came  to  Decatur  county  on  March  3,  1823,  and 
died  on  October  27,  1872.  He  is  buried  in  what  is  known  as  the  Ross 
cemetery,  three  miles  east  of  Greensburg.  His  grave  is  marked  by  a  head- 
stone, in  good  condition,  but  there  is  nothing  on  it  to  indicate  that  he  was 
a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  A  son  and  other  descendants  resided  in  this 
county. 

George  Silva,  known  to  have  been  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  was 
born  near  Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  He  died  in  April,  1849,  and  is  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Clarksburg.  There  is  no  stone,  but  the  grave  was  located 
by  a  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Burns,  of  Clarksburg. 

William  Butcher,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  was  captured  at  the 
battle  of  River  Raisin.  He  is  buried  at  Mount  Carmel,  but  the  grave  can- 
not be  located.  It  is  not  known  whether  he  was  a  pensioner  or  not,  but 
it  is  probable  that  he  was. 

Henry  Miller,  a  pensioner  of  the  War  of  1812,  Avas  buried  at  INIount 
Carmel.  There  is  no  information  as  to  his  services.  There  is  a  monument, 
and  the  age  and  date  of  Ijirth  are  on  that.  John  S.  Miller  stated  that  Plenry 
Miller  was  captured  at  the  Imttle  of  River  Raisin  and  W.  A.  Donnell  knew 
he  was  a  pensioner. 

William  Beetem,  a  pensioner  of  the  War  of  1812,  was  buried  at 
Clarksburg.  There  is  no  headstone  at  this  time  and  the  grave  cannot  be 
located. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4I3 

John  Butler  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  It  is  not  known  to 
what  command  he  belonged ;  perhaps  the  Kentucky  militia.  He  moved  to 
Indiana  at  an  early  day  and  settled  on  his  farm,  six  miles  east  of  Old  \'er- 
non.  His  wife  dying,  he  married  Mrs.  Editha  Myers,  widow  of  Thomas 
H.  Myers,  and  li\ed  and  died  on  the  old  Myers  homestead,  one  mile  east 
of  Milford.  He  was  buried  in  what,  to  the  old  settlers,  was  known  as  the 
Douglas  graveyard,  later  called  the  Wesley  Chapel  cemetery,  located  on 
the  Nelson  Mowrey  home  farm.  There  is  a  slab  at  the  grave,  broken  near 
the  ground.  He  came  to  Decatur  count}-  in  1847  and  died  in  i860.  A 
daughter  of  John  Butler,  by  the  name  of  Nancy  Neal,  lived  near  Lebanon, 
Boone  county,  Indiana.  John  Butler  was  the  father  of  John  F.  Butler, 
deceased:  Col.  Harvey  Butler,  and  stepfather  of  John  L.  Evans,  Sanford 
Myers,  ]Mrs.  Bean  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Jackson. 

Thomas  Campbell,  of  the  War  of  1812,  Captain  Deshold's  Virginia 
militia,  was  a  pensioner  on  the  roll  of  the  Indianapolis  agency ;  his  post- 
office  was  Westport.  He  died  on  May  26,  1879,  and  is  Iniried  in  the 
McCammon  cemetery,  five  miles  south  of  Westport.     There  is  a  headstone. 

John  P.  Oakley,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  lived  in  this  county 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  buried  in  Antioch,  old  Christian  church, 
alongside  his  wife  and  several  children.     There  is  a  headstone. 

Israel  Gibson  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  His  wife  was  a  pen- 
sioner. He  was  buried  in  South  Park  cemetery,  Greensburg,  about  one 
hundred  feet  south  of  the  vault.  There  is  a  slab  on  which  is  inscribed  his 
name  and  a  ]\Iascnic  emblem,  but  no  other  inscription.  He  belonged  to  a 
Pennsylvania  command. 

William  Hood,  a  pensioner  on  the  Indianapolis  rolls,  belonged  to  Cap- 
tain Mathews'  Kentucky  INIilitia.  He  is  buried  at  Spring  Hill  and  has  a 
monument.  There  was  a  son,  Thomas  Hood,  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Riley 
and  Mrs.  Foley,  residing  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana. 

Mackie  Elliott,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  is  buried  in  the  cemetery 
one-half  mile  west  of  the  Nauvoo  school  house,  and  has  a  monument. 
Mackie  Elliott  and  his  brother,  Robert,  served  alternately  during  the  War 
of  1812.    Two  sons,  John  and  Robert  Elliott,  resided  in  the  city  of  Greensburg. 

Henry  Critzer,  of  the  War  of  1812,  is  buried  in  the  Milford  cemetery. 
He  has  a  monument  on  which  is  inscribed  the  fact  that  he  was  in  Hull's 
surrender.  He  served  during  the  war.  His  wife,  Martha  Critzer,  drew  a 
pension. 

Hartwell  Knight,  of  the  War  of  1812,  was  not  a  pensioner,  but  received 
a  land  warrant  for  services  during  that  war.     His  resting  place,  in  the  Mil- 


414 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


ford  cemetery,  is  marked  with  a  small  headstone,  with  inscription  of  age 
and  death. 

Henry  Barr,  a  pensioner  of  the  War  of  1812  and  buried  on  the  home 
farm  in  Clay  township,  has  a  monument.  Mrs.  Achsah  Harrell,  of  ^lil- 
ford,  this  county,  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Barr. 

Andrew  Robinson,  St.,  born  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  ist 
of  January,  1793,  died  on  August  28,  1884,  and  is  buried  in  the  Kingston 
cemetery.  He  was  a  soldier  in  Captain  Hutchinson's  company,  of  Ken- 
tucky volunteers,  and  was  on  the  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency.  There 
is  a  monument. 

John  Robertson,  of  Captain  Gray's  Kentucky  Militia,  was  a  pensioner 
on  the  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency.  He  was  also  a  captain  of  an  artil- 
lery company  in  the  Indiana  Militia  in  the  Fifty-fifth  Regiment.  His  pen- 
sion certificate,  dated  December  6,  1871,  is  in  possession  of  his  descendants. 
He  was  born  on  March  15,  1796,  and  died  on  December  2,  1881,  being 
interred  at  Downeyville,  this  county.     There  is  a  good  tombstone. 

It  is  almost  certain  that  Joseph  Mazingo  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812.  He  was  in  a  Kentucky  battalion,  name  or  number  unknown.  This 
man  was  buried  in  what  is  known  as  the  McConnell  cemetery,  located  on 
the  Greene  Barnes  farm,  two  miles  southeast  of  Greensburg.  There  is  a 
rough  stone,  but  no  inscription.  The  grave  was  located  and  a  staff  placed 
at  the  grave,  which  was  decorated  on  May  30,  1901. 

Thomas  Mazingo,  a  brother  of  Joseph,  also  lived  and  died  in  this 
county.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2,  went  from  Virginia,  and 
was  an  officer  in  his  company.  He  lived  one-half  mile  south  of  the  village 
of  Smyrna,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Martin  farm.  He  is  buried  in  an 
old  cemetery  on  that  farm,  on  a  knoll,  southwest  of  the  house.  His  wife 
was  known  as  "Aunt  Milla"  and  was  buried  beside  her  husband.  These 
graves  were  located  by  Mr.  Martin  from  personal  knowledge  of  the  parties, 
whom  he  knew  when  a  young  man.  There  are  two  rough  stones  at  the 
heads  of  these  graves  without  inscriptions. 

Joseph  and  Thomas  Mazingo  were  the  sons  of  Spencer  Mazingo,  who 

was  a  soldier    of    the    War    for    Independence,    and  went  from    Culpeper 

county,  Virginia.    Thomas  Mazingo's  grave  was  decorated  on  May  30,  1901. 

John  Sanders,  who  is  buried  at  Mount  Pisgah,  this  county,  is  thought 

to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 

William  Evans,  who  is  buried  at  the  Union  church,  near  Forest  Hill, 
it  is  thought  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  18 r 2.  William  Evans  moved  to 
Jackson  township,  this  county,  in  1833,  and  he  died  in  1864. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  415 

Owen  W.  Blackmore,  of  Captain  Ireland's  Virginia  Alilitia,  War  of 
1812,  was  on  the  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency.  His  postofifice  was 
Kingston  and  he  is  probably  buried  at  that  place,  though  the  grave  has  not 
been  located. 

Valentine  Pollard,  of  Captain  Ireland's  Virginia  Alilitia,  was  on  the 
Indianaixilis  Pension  Agency  nAh.  His  postoffice  was  Greensburg.  He 
was  probably  buried  in  the  old  cemetery,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  pres- 
ent boundaries  of  the  city  of  Greensburg.  If  the  remains  were  ever  removed, 
it  is  likely  the  grave  was  not  marked. 

William  Bird  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  widow,  Maria 
Bird,  drew  a  pension.  He  is  buried  at  Shiloh  and  has  a  monument.  There 
are  numerous  descendants  of  William  and  Maria  Bird  residing  in  Decatur 
county. 

W^illiam  W.  Pierce  belonged  to  Capt.  John  Howe's  New  York  Militia 
and  was  on  the  pension  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency.  His  postofifice  was 
St.  Paul,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  on  March  4, 
1876.  He  is  probably  buried  in  a  cemetery  located  on  the  farm  formerly 
owned  by  "Colonel"  W.  W.  Pierce.  The  cemetery  is  east  of  Mill  creek 
and  north  of  the  Michigan  road. 

Richard  Wells,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  is  buried  in  the  Wesley 
Chapel  cemetery  on  the  Nelson  Mowery  farm.  It  is  impossible  to  locate 
the  grave  with  certainty. 

James  Truitt,  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  was  also  a  pensioner.  He 
lived  at  St.  Omer,  but,  so  far,  it  has  not  been  possible  to  locate  the  grave. 
It  is  certain  he  was  a  pensioner. 

Jacob  Forrey,  of  the  War  of  1812,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  served  as  a  private  in  Capt.  Valentine  Geesey's  com- 
pany of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  called  the  "Brownsville  Blues."  In  the 
year  1845,  he  came  to  Indiana  and  bought  some  land  in  Fugit  townshpi, 
this  county,  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Clarksburg,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  January  27,  1865,  aged  seventy-nine  years.  He  received 
two  land  warrants.  Under  the  Act  of  March,  1878,  his  widow  was  granted 
a  pension,  which  she  received  until  her  death,  January  16,  1884.  He  was 
buried  in  the  Clarksburg  cemeten,'.  There  is  a  monument  but  nothing  on 
the  monument  to  show  he  was  a  soldier.  The  father  of  Jacob  Forrey  and 
an  uncle  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  are  buried  in  this 
state.  This  information  was  furnished  by  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Winker,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Forrey. 

John  Caldwell  is  known  to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  War  of   1812. 


4l6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Charles  Kemble,  of  Greensburg,  knew  him  for  many  years.  He  hved  and 
died  in  Adams  township.  He  was  buried  in  the  Union  Church  cemetery. 
Caldwell  was  taken  captive  by  the  Indians  and  adopted.  After  three  years, 
he  made  his  escape  and  returned  to  Kentucky,  his  former  home.  There  is  a 
small  monument,  broken,  from  which  the  following  dates  are  taken:  Born, 
January  .20,  1790,  died  April  20,  1874. 

Isaac  Fisk  Stine  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  is  buried  in 
South  Park  cemetery  on  the  "old  lot"  of  Barton  H.  Harney.  He  was  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  the  southeastern  border  of  the  present  city  of  Greensburg, 
and,  later,  was  removed  to  South  Park.  He  entered  the  war  from  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  captain  of  a  "Light  Horse  Company."  He 
died  in  June,  1833.  There  is  no  headstone,  but  application  has  been  made 
for  one,  of  the  War  Department.    The  grave  was  decorated  on  May  30,  1901. 

Christian  Hegersweiler,  who  is  believed  to  have  been  a  soldier  of  1812, 
was  buried  at  Rossburg  cemetery,  but  the  grave  cannot  be  located. 

George  Marlow  was  a  soldier  drafted  into  the  War  of  1812.  His  colo- 
nel was  named  Ballon  and  was  in  the  command  of  General  Portersfield.  He 
was  born  in  Culpeper  county,  A^irginia,  on  August  28,  1787,  and  died  on 
December  11,  1859,  being  buried  at  Clarksburg  alongside  his  wife.  There 
is  a  small  headstone,  giving  date  of  birth  and  death.  He  came  to  Indiana 
about  1 82 1,  located  on  a  farm  in  Fugit  township,  on  which  he  li\-ed  until 
his  death.     He  never  applied  for  a  pension. 

Samuel  Marlow,  a  brother  of  George  Marlow,  was  also  drafted  in  the 
War  of  1812,  was  in  the  same  company  and  under  General  Portersfield, 
and  served  until  his  discharge,  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  came  to  Indiana 
the  last  of  February,  1821,  settled  in  Fugit  township,  and  lived  on  his  land 
until  his  death,  December  25,  1821.  He  was  buried  on  the  same  farm,  near 
two  trees  which  are  still  standing.  There  is  no  headstone,  but  the  grave  can 
be  located. 

Daniel  McCormack  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  belonged  to  the 
Kentucky  Militia,  is  buried  at  Union  church,  five  miles  south  of  Greens- 
burg.    There  is  a  monument  on  which  the  age  is  given. 

James  Elder,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  is  buried  in  the  Sand  Creek 
cemetery.     He  has  a  monument  for  himself  and  two  wives. 

John  Ammermon,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  lived  in  this  county 
several  years  before  his  death.  No  relatives  are  known  to  be  in  the  county, 
neither  can  the  grave  be  located.     He  was  buried  at  Rossburg. 

Elisha  Adams  was  a  pensioner  on  the  Indianapolis  roll.     There  is  a 


DECATUR    COUNTY, 


417 


good  gravestone  from  which  the  following  inscription  is  taken:  "Born 
April  7,  1792.  Died  November  9,  1883."  The  pension  roll  shows  that 
he  was  a  private  in  Captain  Ogden's  Battery,  Third  New  Jersey  Artillery. 
He  was  buried  at  Clarksburg.  His  widow  lived  in  Greensburg  and  drew 
a  pension. 

Robert  Hamilton  was  captain  of  a  company  of  Kentucky  riflemen  in 
the  War  of  181J.  He  was  born  on  June  17,  1768,  and  died  on  June  17, 
181 7.  He  served  in  the  garrison  at  \^incennes,  Indiana.  Buried  at  Old 
Concord,  Kentuck}-,  he  was  removed  to  Decatur  county  by  his  grandson, 
Robert  A.  Hamilton,  and  rests  by  the  side  of  his  wife  in  the  cemetery  at 
Kingston.     There  is  a  good  tombstone. 

William  Robbins,  St.,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  probably  of 
the  War  of  1776,  died  in  1834,  and  was  buried  at  Mt.  Pleasant  cemetery, 
alongside  his  wife.  There  is  a  headstone  with  an  inscription  to  some  extent 
obliterated.  He  was  the  father  of  William  Robbins,  Jr.,  who  was  the  father 
of  John  E.  Robbins,  deceased;  James  G.,  jNIerritt  H.  and  Mrs.  William 
Styers,  all  residents  of  Decatur  county.  This  family  came  to  Kentucky 
from  \'irginia,  and  to  Indiana  at  an  early  date. 

Adam  R.  Meek  was  a  soldier  in  Captain  ^^letcalfs  company,  in  Colonel 
Boswell's  Regiment,  "Kentucky  Rifles,  "  under  General  Harrison  at  the 
battle  of  Thames.  He  was  a  native  of  Fayette  county,  Kentucky,  born  on 
December  15,  1789,  and  died  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  being  buried  at 
Springhill  alongside  his  wife.  He  was  a  pensioner,  as  was  also  his  wife 
after  his  death.     There  is  a  headstone  in  good  condition. 

John  Gray  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  After  his  death  his 
widow  married  William  Walters.  After  the  latter's  death  she  drew  a  pen- 
sion as  the  widow  of  John  Gray  and  lived  several  years  near  the  city  of 
Greensburg.  John  Gray  died  on  April  5,  1836.  He  has  a  large,  erect  slab 
in  good  condition,  from  which  the  dates  given  above  are  taken. 

Byard  Elmore,  a  pensioner  on  the  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency, 
belonged  to  Capt.  James  McOuire's  Indiana  militia.  He  was  born  in  April, 
1790,  and  died  on  October  15,  1878,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Has  a  head- 
stone, and  is  buried  in  the  Kingston  cemetery. 

Thomas  I.  Glass  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  buried  in 
the  Kingston  cemetery.  He  has  a  headstone,  from  which  these  dates  are 
taken.     He  died  on  November  16,  1855,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

Joseph  Mitchell  served  in  the  War  of  1812  as  a  private  under  General 
Harrison.  He  was  buried  at  the  Kingston  cemetery.  He  has  a  good  head- 
(27) 


4IO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Stone,  which  shows  that  he  died  on  October  7,  1868,  aged  eighty-three 
years.     There  are  no  descendants  known  to  be  Hving  in  this  county. 

WilHs  Gulley,  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  came  to  this  county  from 
Kentucky.  It  is  known  by  residents  of  Decatur  county  that  he  was  buried 
at  the  Downeyville  cemetery. 

John  Moulton  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  The  most  of  his  time 
while  in  the  service  was  spent  in  a  block  house  at  the  mouth  of  Laughery 
creek,  on  the  Ohio  river,  in  this  state,  for  the  defense  of  the  few  settlers 
in  that  vicinity.  He  was  Ijorn  in  Pennsylvania,  March  24,  1793.  His 
parents  came  to  Kentucky  and  located  in  Nicolas  county.  He  was  married 
to  Susannah  Ricketts  in  18 14,  and  came  to  Decatur  county  in  1824,  locating 
four  miles  east  of  Greensljurg.  He  was  killed  by  a  horse,  on  May  8,  1844, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Ross  graveyard,  three  miles  east  of  Greensburg.  The 
headstone  and  grave  are  in  good  condition.  John  Moulton  was  a  noted 
hunter  in  his  day.  He  and  two  others  cut  out  the  Brookville  road  from 
near  Greensburg  to  the  Franklin  county  line.  He  has  descendants  living 
in  Decatur  county.  He  was  probably  not  a  pensioner,  but  it  is  possible  that 
his  wife  was. 

Thomas   Martin. 

George  Kerrick  is  said  to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  He 
is  buried  at  Mt.  Carmel  and  has  a  good  headstone. 

Seth  Wilder  served  in  Captain  Clark's  militia  in  the  War  of  1812.  His 
name  was  on  the  pension  rolls  of  the  Indianapolis  agency.  His  postoffice 
was  St.  Paul.  He  died  at  St.  Omer  and  is  buried  at  that  place.  There 
is  a  headstone. 

Samuel  Ferguson,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  lived  and  died  at  St. 
Omer,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place. 

Frederick  W.  Dillman,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1S12,  li\ed  and  died  in 
Decatur  county,  but  is  buried  just  over  the  line  in  Bartholomew  county.  He 
was  the  father  of  Jacob  A.  Dillman,  of  this  county. 

Mason  Watts,  known  to  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  lived 
in  Jackson  township,  in  this  county.  He  was  buried  in  Ripley  county,  In- 
diana. 

James  Wise,  a  son-in-law  of  Mason  Watts,  was  also  a  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812.  He  lived  in  Decatur  county  for  several  years,  afterwards 
moving  to  Brown  county,  where  his  death  occurred. 

Samuel  Eli  was  probably  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  died  in  Jackson 
township,  but  it  is  not  known  where  he  is  buried. 

Brumfield  Boone,  born  on  November  6,  1791,  served  in  a  garrison  in 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  4I9 

Kentucky.  He  died  near  Greensburg,  Indiana,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Thomas  Kitchen,  who  hves  in  Greensburg,  on  January  19,  1875.  and 
was  buried  in  the  old  Methodist  cemetery,  now  part  of  the  South  Park 
cemetery.  Enhsting  at  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1812,  at  the  end  of  his 
term  he  re-enlisted,  as  a  substitute.  He  served  in  the  brigade  commanded 
by  General  Gano,  in  General  Harrison's  array,  until  the  end  of  the  war. 
He  was  in  several  battles,  but  the  papers  giving  the  names  of  the  battles 
and  other  facts  are  mislaid  and  cannot  be  found.  The  family  came  from 
North  Carolina,  and  were  related  to  Daniel  Boone.  Mrs.  Turner,  another 
daughter,  also  lived  in  Greensburg. 

John  Pritchard,  of  the  War  of  18 12,  was  buried  in  Sandcreek  ceme- 
tery.    He  died  in  1841,  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

MEXICAN    WAR. 

Decatur  county  furnished  a  small  quota  of  men  for  the  Mexican  War 
(1846-48)  and,  although  the  state  did  not  keep  the  record  of  volunteers 
by  counties,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  men  en- 
listed from  Decatur  county  during  the  progress  of  the  war.  Indiana  fur- 
nished five  regiments,  totaling  four  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy  offi- 
cers and  privates,  to  the  government. 

Capt.  Morgan  L.  Payne  raised  a  part  of  a  company  in  the  county  and 
secured  the  rest  of  his  company  at  Lawrenceburg.  This  was  Company  C, 
Fourth  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  when  it  was  mustered  into 
the  service  it  was  placed  under  the  immediate  command  of  Col.  Willis  A. 
Gorman.  J.  V.  Bemusdafter  was  the  first  lieutenant  of  this  company  and 
W.  W.  Love  was  also  a  member  of  the  same  company. 

Lieut.  William  P.  Sanders  was  a  student  at  Hanover  College  when 
the  war  opened,  but  he  immediately  left  college,  volunteered,  and  later  be- 
came an  officer  in  the  mounted  infantry  of  Kentucky.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  April  18,  1847.  Sanders  was  a  brother  of  Mrs.  P. 
T.  Lambert,  of  Greensburg,  and  the  late  Mrs.  R.  A.  Hamilton. 

Major  J.  M.  Talbott  was  another  prominent  man  from  Greensburg 
who  won  distinction  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  raised  a  company  here  known 
as  the  Decatur  County  Volunteers.  Governor  Whitcornb  had  asked  for 
thirty  companies,  and  Talbott's  company  being  the  thirty-eighth  to  report, 
it  was  not  needed.  Talbott  was  elected  captain  of  his  company;  J.  E. 
Housier,  first  lieutenant;  J.  B.  Lathrop,  second  lieutenant.  Houser  rode  all 
night  as  soon  as  the  company  was  full  in  order  to  report  to  the  governor 


420  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

that  Decatur  county  had  a  company  ready  to  go  to  the  front,  1)ut  he  was 
five  hours  too  late  to  get  the  company  in.  Talbott  later  joined  the  Sixteenth 
Regiment  of  United  States  Regulars,  was  promoted  to  major  for  meri- 
torious work  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  died  in  1848,  while  in  the  service 
in  Mexico. 

Other  men  from  this  county  who  served  in  the  war  included  AIcHenry 
Pumphrey,  Robert  Favors,  Robert,  Eli  and  Joseph  Critser,  Benjamin  Jen- 
kins, E.  L.  Floyd,  Benjamin  Ricketts,  James  Morgan,  Alexander  Edwards, 
John  Larrison,  Robert  Myers,  Tarlton  Caldwell  and  Elijah  Hines.  There 
were  others,  probably  fifty  in  all,  who  served  in  the  war  from  this  county, 
but  their  names  have  not  been  preserved. 

CIVIL     WAR. 

On  Saturday  morning,  April  12,  1861,  the  first  shot  from  the  Con- 
federate batteries  in  Charleston  harbor  fell  on  the  rampart  of  Ft.  Sumter. 
Young  men,  middle-aged  men,  old  men,  stood  around  the  telegraph  offices 
all  over  the  United  States  on  that  day,  waiting  to  hear  the  result  of  the 
attack.  When  it  was  known  that  the  fort  had  fallen,  a  cry  went  up  through- 
out the  North — an  insistent  cry  that  active  steps  be  taken  at  once  to  crush 
the  incipient  rebellion.  On  that  Saturday  night  men  stood  in  groups,  with 
clenched  fists  and  beating  hearts,  from  the  knobs  of  the  Ohio  to  the  sand 
hills  of  Lake  Michigan,  patiently  waiting  to  hear  whether  the  brave  seventy 
in  the  fort  could  withstand  the  ten  thousand  raging  Rebels  who  were  attack- 
ing them.  At  ten  o'clock  that  night,  the  news  was  flashed  over  the  country 
that  "Sumter  has  fallen." 

On  the  Sunday  morning  following  there  was  scarcely  a  pulpit  in  the 
North  but  what  spoke  of  the  terrible  event.  Indiana  ministers,  with  few 
exceptions,  were  loyal  to  the  Union  and  demanded  from  the  pulpit  that  the 
country's  honor  should  be  upheld  at  all  costs.  On  the  morning  of  April  15, 
Governor  Morton  telegraphed  President  Lincoln  an  ofifer  of  ten  thousand 
men.  On  this  same  day  the  President  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for 
seventy-five  thousand  volunteers.  Every  county  in  the  state  was  called  upon 
by  the  governor  for  troops,  and,  although  the  state's  quota  was  only  four 
thousand,  six  hundred  and  eighty-three,  yet  within  ten  days  there  were 
twelve  thousand  men  in  Lidianapolis  ready  for  seiwice. 

For  the  three-year  service  Decatur  county  furnished  twenty-six  com- 
panies of  infantry  and  cavalry,  and  one  battery.  The  following  is  the  roster 
of  the  commissioned  officers,  with  the  regiments  in  which  they  served: 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  42I 


SEVENTH   REGIMENT. 


Colonels,  James  Gavin  and  Ira  G.  Grover;  lieutenant-colonels,  James 
Gavin  and  Ira  G.  Grover;  majors,  Benjamin  C.  Shaw,  Ira  G.  Grover  and 
Merritt  G.  Welsh;  surgeons,  George  W.  New  and  John  L.  Wooden. 

Company  D — Captains,  Merritt  C.  Welsh  and  Charles  Griffith;  first 
lieutenants,  Robert  Braden,  Charles  Griffith,  Henry  Knight  and  James  Leg- 
gett:  second  lieutenants,  Charles  Griffith,  Henry  Knight  and  James  Leg- 
gett. 

Company  E — Captains,  Ira  G.  Grover,  David  W.  Hamilton,  George  P. 
Clayton  and  Jenkins  'F.  Anderson ;  first  lieutenants,  D.  W.  Hamilton,  W.  D. 
Jocelyn,  George  P.  Clayton,  Charles  F.  Atwater,  J.  F.  Anderson  and  Robert 

F.  King;  second  lieutenants,  William  D.  Jocelyn,  John  M.  Hazen,  George  P. 
Clayton  and  Charles  F.  Atwater. 

Company  G — Captains,  Benjamin  C.  Shaw,  Wilson  C.  Lembert,  Mar- 
tin W.  Richardson  and  John  A.  Meek;  first  lieutenants,  W.  C.  Lembert,  M. 
W.  Richardson.  John  A.  Meek,  Orville  Thomson,  Samuel  L.  Anderson, 
David  B.  Gageby  and  Milo  Robertson;  second  lieutenants,  M.  \V.  Richard- 
son, John  A.  Meek,  Orville  Thomson,  S.  L.  Anderson  and  D.  B.  Gageby. 

SEVENTEENTH     REGIMENT. 

Colonel,  John  T.  Wilder,  promoted  to  brigadier-general ;  surgeon.  Dr. 
J.  Y.  Hitt. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH    REGIMENT. 

Adjutants,  \\illiam  B.  Harvey  and  Livingston  Howland. 

Company  E — Captains,  Mahlon  C.  Connett,  Frank  Hughes  and  William 
B.  Harvey;  first  lieutenants,  Frank  Hughes,  William  B.  Harvey  and  George 
Hungate;  second  lieutenants,  Andrew  J.  Hungate.  William  B.  Harvey  and 
George  W.  Hungate. 

Company  H — Captains,  William  H.  Tyner,  Quartus  C.  Moore,  George 
W.  Dye,  James  H.  Burk  and  John  L.  Hice;  first  lieutenants,  O.  C.  Moore, 

G.  W.  Pye,  James  H.  Burk,  John  L.  Hice  and  Augustus  H.  Tevis:  second 
lieutenants,  George  W.  Pye,  J.  H.  Burk,  J.  L.  Hice  and  A.  H.  Tevis. 


422  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


FIFTY-SECOND    REGIMENT. 


Major,  William  T.  Strickland. 

CoDipany  B — Captains,  W.  T.  Strickland  and  William  T.  Stott;  first 
lieutenants,  James  A.  Cunningham,  William  T.  Stott,  James  C.  Alden  and 
William  B.  Robbins;  second  lieutenants,  William  T.  Stott  and  Edwin  Alex- 
ander. 

SIXTY-EIGIITIT    REGIMENT. 

Colonel,  John  S.  Scobey;  lieutenant-Colonel,  B.  C.  Shaw;  major,  John 
S.  Scobey :  chaplain,  David  Monfort ;  surgeon,  John  L.  Wooden. 

Company  A — Captains,  John  S.  Scobey  and  Giles  E.  White;  first 
lieutenants,  Giles  E.  White  and  Reuben  Jones;  second  lieutenants,  Reuben 
Jones  and  Moses  Bailey. 

SEVENTY-SIXTH    REGIMENT    (THIRTY  DAYS.) 

Colonel,  James  Gavin;  lieutenant-colonel,  John  T.  \\'ilder;  adjutant, 
Irvin  Robbins;  quartermaster,  Samuel  A.   Bonner. 

Company  A — Captain,  Luther  Donnell ;  first  lieutenant,  Hugh  Weston-; 
second  lieutenant,  B.  H.  Harney. 

Company  B — Captain,  Benjamin  Jenkins ;  first  lieutenant,  Samuel 
Walker;  second  lieutenant,  Peter  Norris. 

Conipanv  C — Captain.  Robert  M.  Higgins;  first  lieutenant,  William 
Alyea;  second  lieutenant,  William  M.  Fletcher. 

Company  D — Captain,  Charles  Bell ;  first  lieutenant,  John  H.  Braden ; 
second  lieutenant,  John  H.  Kirby. 

Company  E — Captain,  Thomas  H.  Buder;  first  lieutenant,  William  P. 
Marsh ;  second  lieutenant,  William  A.   Mandlove. 

EIGHTY-THIRD    REGIMENT. 

Adjutant,  George  R.  Robinson;  first  lieutenants,  William  R.  Lanius 
and  Darius  H.  Dodd;  second  lieutenant,  Benjamin  Bridges. 

NINETEENTH   REGIMENT    ( FIFTH    C.WALRY.) 

Colonel,  Thomas  H.  Butler;  lieutenant-colonel,  Thomas  H.  Butler; 
quartermaster,  William  H.  Duncan. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  423 

-  Company  H — Captains,  Thomas  H.  Butler  and  William  H.  St.  John; 
first  lieutenants,  William  H.  St.  John  and  John  P.  Whitlow ;  second  lieu- 
tenants, James  Kennedy  and  John  P.  Whitlow. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY-THIRD    REGIMENT. 

Colonel,  John  C.  McOuiston;  lieutenant-colonel,  DeWitt  C.  Walters; 
majors,  D.  C.  Waters  and  Irvin  Robbins. 

Company  A — Captains,  Irvin  Robbins  and  Hugh  Weston ;  first  lieu- 
tenants, Hugh  Weston,  John  H.  Kirby,  Nathan  Thorp  and  William  H. 
Stout;  second  lieutenants,  Green  B.  Roszell,  Nathan  Thorp,  William  H. 
Stout  and  John  Castor. 

Company  B — Captains,  D.  C.  Walters,  William  H.  Dolby  and  John  A. 
Merrill;  first  lieutenants,  William  H.  Dolby,  John  A.  Merrill  and  Ephriam 
T.  Allen ;  second  lieutenants,  John  A.  Merrill,  E.  T.  Allen  and  John  Davison. 

Company  D — Captain,  Angus  F.  McCoy;  first  lieutenants,  James  Jef- 
fries, Joseph  Carter  and  Ira  E.  Stark;  second  lieutenants,  John  Case  and 
Harvey  Connett. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    FORTY-SIXTH    REGIMENT. 

Colonel,  Merritt  C  .Welsh;  major,  Thomas  P.  Spillman. 

Company  A — Captains,  Thomas  P.  Spillman,  George  W.  Reed ;  first 
lieutenants,  George  W.  Reed  and  Christian  J.  Henry;  second  lieutenants, 
C.  J.  Henry  and  John  W.  Moore. 

Company  F — First  lieutenant  and  captain,  B.  W.  Cole. 

Company  G — Second  lieutenant,  Enoch  Allen. 

Company  K — Second  lieutenant,  John  F.  Hobart. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    THIRTY-FOURTH    REGIMENT     (ONE    HUNDRED    DAYS.) 

Colonel,  James  Gavin;  adjutant,  A.  J.  Hungate;  quartermaster,  Charles 
H.  Wright;  chaplain,  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk;  assistant  surgeon,  John  ]\I.  Craig. 

Company  B — Captain,  Joseph  Drake;  first  lieutenant,  Robert  F.  Con- 
over  ;  second  lieutenant,  Hurum  M.  G.  Dugan. 

Company  C — Captain,  William  D.  Jocelyn;  first  lieutenant,  Thomas  P. 
Spillman;  second  lieutenant,  John  B.  Mallett. 

Company  D — Captain,  Charles  C.  Bell;  first  lieutenant,  Adam  Sam- 
ple; second  lieutenant,  Isaac  Seeright. 


424  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Company  E — Captain,  William  T.  Marsh;  first  lieutenants,  A.  J.  Hun- 
gate  and  William  M.  Friedly;  second  lieutenants,  William  M.  Friedly  and 
William  M.  Johnson. 

ONE    HUNDRED   AND   FORTY-SEVENTH    REGIMENT. 

Quartermaster,  John  C.  Blake. 

Company  C — First  lieutenant,  William  H.  Reddington. 

THIRD    BATTERY. 

First  Lieutenant,  Adolphus  G.   Armington. 

WILDER    BATTERY. 

Captain,  S.  F.  Rigby;  first  lieutenant,  William  H.  Carroll,  Jacob  R. 
Stewart,  William  K.  Wilson,  C.  W.  McLaughlin,  Charles  H.  Porter  and 
Robert  H.  Randall;  second  lieutenant,  Jacob  R.  Stewart,  William  K.  Wil- 
son, Matthew  E.  Jackson,  Benjamin  M.  Ricketts,  C.  \Y.  McLaughlin. 

By  referring  to  the  summary  of  Decatur  county's  representation  in  the 
Civil  War,  above  given,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  county  had  men  in  twelve 
regiments  of  infantry  and  two  batteries  of  artillery.  Undoubtedly  there 
were  also  men  in  other  regiments,  not  only  in  this  state,  but  in  other  states 
as  well.  The  most  important  regiment  from  this  county  was  probably  the 
Seventh,  which  first  went  out  for  the  three-month  service,  and  then  re-en- 
listed for  a  period  of  three  years.  The  other  important  regiments  from 
this  county  were  the  Thirty-seventh,  Sixty-eighth,  Seventy-sixth,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third,  One  Hundred  and  thirty-fourth  and  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-sixth.     These  six  regiments  will  be  treated  in  this  order. 

THE    SEVENTH     REGIMENT (tHREE     MONTHS'     SERVICE). 

Decatur  county  began  enrolling-  troops  as  soon  as  the  governor  issued 
his  call,  and  on  Monday,  April  21,  two  companies  were  on  their  way  to 
Indianapolis.  The  Grccnsburg  Standard,  in  its  issue  of  April  26,  gives  the 
full  list  of  the  men  composing  these  two  companies,  later  assigned  to  the 
Seventh  Regiment  as  Companies  B  and  F.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  but 
eighty-four  would  be  received  in  a  company,  not  all  who  went  to  Indian- 
apolis were  permitted   to  go   to   the    front  at   that   time.     Company    No.    i 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  425 

(later  Company  B,  Seventh  Regiment)  went  to  Indianapolis  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  James  Morgan,  captain;  I.  G.  Grover,  first  lieutenant;  Ben- 
jamin M.  Rickets,  second  lieutenant:  H.  H.  Talbott,  third  heutenant;  D.  W. 
Hamilton,  orderly;  R.  M.  Higgins,  second  sergeant;  G.  B.  Rozell,  third 
sergeant:  Edward  Carlisle,  fourth  sergeant:  John  Roling,  ensign.  The  pri- 
\-ates  of  this  company  were  as  follows:  J.  H.  Alyea,  Milton  Bryan,  John 
Bennett,  R.  F.  Conover,  J.  B.  Carter,  M.  C.  Connett,  Benedict  Brown,  Will- 
iam Burk,  Josiah  Crume,  William  Catterson,  Richard  Craycraft,  William 
G.  Dufin,  Alex.  Edwards,  Josiah  Hockersmith,  John  T.  Hazen,  William  D. 
Jocelyn,  Fred  Ketchum,  William  B.  Loyd,  James  Leggett,  William  J. 
McAttee,  John  C.  McKim,  William  McDonald,  William  T.  Nesbit,  Will 
Pound,  William  D.  Rossell,  Thomas  Rust,  John  W.  Sullivan,  H.  M.  G. 
Dugan,  John  Edwards,  H.  H.  Harvey,  Bennett  Heck,  J.  B.  Israel,  Andy 
Eudwick,  J.  H.  Loyd,  James  H.  Lathrop,  Joshua  Magee,  Will  T.  Marsh, 
Lewis  McGoughy,  John  W.  Pullen,  John  Pine,  Ed  T.  Picket,  Calvin  C. 
Sisco,  John  Slawson,  William  Saunders,  John  Topky,  James  B.  White, 
Orville  T.  Welch,  G.  W.  Walker,  \Y.  T.  Stott,  William  Tarkington,  William 
Wolverton.  Joseph  Welch,  William  L.  Alyea,  H.  T.  Bush,  J.  M.  Bodine, 
Smith  Craig,  Will  Cumback,  Harrison  Barkly,  Benjamin  Bridges,  Henry 
Bennett,  H.  C.  Conner,  H.  B.  Carter,  James  Demoss,  Joseph  Devoy,  James 
M.  Fugit,  Newt.  Hazelrigg,  Edgar  Henry,  Robert  Imlay,  Peter  Lohner, 
Samuel  Lee,  Richard  Lewis,  Frank  Mackey,  Thomas  McMahon,  James 
Neilus,  John  S.  Pritchard,  Thomas  Perry,  James  G.  Ricketts,  James  Smith, 
William  H.  Snook,  Hugh  Draper,  William  T.  Green,  Lee  Holman,  William 
M.  Jones,  G.  W.  H.  Kemper,  H.  W.  Lanham,  George  Lee,  Charles  Lewis, 
William  S.  McKim,  James  S.  McFeeters,  Joel  G.  Nicum,  Isaac  T.  Phares, 
C.  M.  Rosczell,  James  T.  Ricketts,  M.  D.  Smith,  Wentworth  Sackett.  H. 
H.  Talbott.  Jr.,  John  Tucker,  C.  J.  Wilson,  J.  B.  Wright,  S.  A.  Wallace, 
John  Toothman,  Nathan  Withers,  Richard  West,  Jqhn  W.  Watkins,  William 
A.  Whitton,  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  twelve. 

Company  No.  2  (later  Company  F,  Seventh  Regiment)  had  the  follow- 
ing officers:  J.  V.  Bemusdaffer,  captain;  James  Gavin,  first  lieuatent;  B.  C. 
Shaw,  second  lieutenant;  A.  G.  Armington,  third  lieutenant.  The  privates 
were  as  follows :  J.  G.  Adkin,  W.  T.  Baldwin,  Samuel  Barkley,  Henry  Baker, 
Daniel  Coy,  W.  A.  Donnell,  Frank  Devoy,  David  Frelander,  J.  Fosset,  W. 
A.  Glass,  Bruson  Brosier,  J.  F.  Baett,  Ed.  A.  Blair,  G.  D.  Clayton,  Harvey 
Connett,  G.  G.  Dement,  W.  L.  Edwards,  Lafayette  Ford,  J.  L.  Griffits, 
Hamilton  Grinold,  J.  N.  Hann,  Z.  Inkle,  S.  Kirby.  Polk  Long,  John  Maple, 
John  H.  Meek,   Stephen  Maston,  J.  J.  Loan,  T.  B.   Peery,  Isaac  Price,  C. 


426  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Rowe,  C.  D.  Reece,  W.  H.  Stewart,  E.  Southwick,  H.  S.  Stewart,  Ed 
Speer,  J.  Y.  Hitt,  W.  B.  Harvey,  Ross  Jones,  James  King",  Elisha  Kirk, 
Samuel  Lovall,  John  Morris,  Jesse  Miller,  William  McLaughlin,  T.  D. 
Purdy,  Virgil  Pultz,  M.  W.  Richardson,  W.  B.  Risk,  William  Roberts,  W. 
T.  Smith,  D.  N.  Smith,  A.  Shires,  H.  Skillman,  J.  L.  Tucker,  T.  E.  Weston, 
J.  C.  Thomas,  C.  Warriner,  Samuel  Anderson,  H.  Baley,  Samuel  Bishop, 
Jaiiies  Cones,  J.  R.  Canfield,  W.  A.  Doyer,  James  Day,  William  A.  Fortner, 
Samuel  Garrison,  Lewis  Bennett,  W.  G.  Hays,  ^^^  T.  Bagley,  Thomas  E. 
Banes,  John  Coy,  T.  S.  Davis,  D.  H.  Dodd,  J.  W.  Foster,  James  Gainor, 
W.  H.  Goddard,  Joseph  Hill,  Frank  Hughes,  John  Jones,  Abram  Knapp, 
Marion  Linville,  Joseph  McCartney,  Thomas  Miles,  Mathew  McElvoy,  John 
McConnell,  Richard  Phillips,  Robert  Patterson,  W.  Ryan,  Irvin  Robbins, 
C.  C.  Snodgrass,  G.  W.  Sheffield,  B.  Shires,  J.  Shaw,  William  Hutcherson, 
Daniel  Hendrickson,  W.  Jackson,  James  Kirkpatrick,  Carter  Loyd,  Burnard 
Mullen,  George  D.  Miller,  James  Elroy,  Thomas  Mozingo,  William  Potter, 
James  Phillips,  George  R.  Rhiver,  Jeremiah  Robertson,  Robert  Smith,  J. 
B.  Sharp,  D.  M.  Smith,  John  Springer,  Orville  Thomson,  H.  Weston,  D.  C. 
Walters,  G.  W.  Walker,  T.  F.  Walters,  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

As  only  eighty-four  men,  rank  and  file,  were  necessary  to  form  a  com- 
pany, only  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  could  be  mustered  in.  This  left  a 
surplus  of  sixty-four  men,  who  had  to  return  home.  There  were  some, 
however,  whose  names  were  not  in  the  printed  list  who  were  mustered  in. 
How  many  is  not  known.  So  there  were  proljably,  in  round  numbers,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  Decatur  county  men  who  volunteered  at  the  first  tap  of  the 
drum,  or  enough  for  three  companies,  which  would  have  been  two  hundred 
and  fifty-two  men. 

The  two  companies  from  here  were  organized  as  follows  when  sworn 
into  the  service  at  the  old  fair  grounds  at  Lidianapolis  on  April  25  : 

Company  B — Captain,  James  Morgan;  first  lieutenant,  Ira  G.  Grover; 
Second  lieutenant,  Benjamin  M.  Ricketts. 

Coiupaiiv  F — Captain,  J.  V.  Bemusdaffer ;  first  lieutenant,  B.  C.  Shaw ; 
second  lieutenant,  J.  L.  Tucker. 

These  men  remained  in  camp  at  Indianapolis  from  April  22  until  April 
29,  when  they  marched  down  Illinois  and  Washington  streets  to  the  union 
depot  and  took  the  cars  for  West  Virginia.  There  they  remained  for  three 
months  and  participated  in  the  three  first  battles  of  the  war:  Phillipi,  on 
June  3;  Laurel  Hill,  on  July  8,  and  Carrick's  Ford,  July  13. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  Company  B  led  the  advance  at  Phillipi 
and  fired  the  first  volley  in  the  first  battle  of  the  great  Civil  War.    The  only 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  42" 

casualt}'  was  the  wounding  of  Colonel  Kelly,  of  the  First  Virginia  Regi- 
ment. Two  of  the  enemy  were  hurt,  one  man  by  the  name  of  James  E.  Han- 
ger, had  his  left  leg  shot  off  by  a  cannon  ball,  and  Dr.  G.  W.  New,  a  former 
Greensburg  doctor  and  surgeon  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  amputated  the 
leg  and  the  man  recovered. 

James  Gavin,  who  enlisted  in  Company  B,  became  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment when  it  was  organized,  and  when  it  was  reorganized  three  months 
later  for  the  three-year  service  he  became  lieutenant-colonel,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 3  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy,  which  he  held  until  April  22,  1863. 

In  the  battle  of  Laurel  Hill,  on  July  8,  John  Smith,  of  Company  C, 
which  was  raised  in  Shelby  county,  was  killed.  He  was  the  first  Union 
soldier  killed  in  the  war.  Upon  their  return  nearly  all  of  the  Decatvir  men 
re-entered  the  service,  either  in  the  three-year  Seventh  or  some  other  regi- 
ment, and  many  of  them  became  officers. 

The  ladies  of  Greensburg  sent  the  boys  bountiful  provisions  for  a  fine 
dinner  at  their  camp  in  Indianapolis  on  April  25.  Captain  Morgan  presided 
at  a  meeting  following  the  dinner  and  Will  Cumback  acted  as  secretary. 

The  Standard,  in  its  issue  of  April  26,  in  speaking  of  the  soldiers  going 
to  Indianapolis,  goes  on  to  say  that,  "The  ^'olunteers  are  mostly  from  this 
city  and  township  and  are  the  best  men  of  the  community.  Their  departure 
on  Monday  was  witnessed  by  the  largest  crowd  ever  convened  in  Greens- 
burg. Almost  every  man,  woman  and  child  was  affected  to  tears.  Strong 
men  and  affectionate  women,  loving  husbands  and  fond  wives  wept  bitterly, 
but  firmly  submitted  to  the  bitter  necessity  of  parting  and  to  the  call  of 
their  country.  It  is  indeed  a  sad  sight  to  witness  the  departure  of  a  father, 
husband  or  son  for  the  battlefield,  when  perhaps  naught  but  suffering  and 
death  await  them,  and  it  is  truly  a  sad  reflection  when  looking  upon  their 
manly  forms  to  know  that  some  of  them  will  never  return  alive.  May  the 
Lord  bless  and  protect  them  is  the  prayer  of  everyone. 

"The  volunteers  reached  Indianapolis  at  twelve  o'clock,  Monday,  marched 
to  the  state  house  and  from  there  to  Camp  Morton.  They  are  comfortably 
quartered,  have  plenty  to  eat  and  of  the  very  best  articles,  and  when  we  saw 
them  last  they  were  exercising  their  jaws  in  'double-quick  time,'  laughing, 
joking  and  yelping  for  the  Union.  May  they  e\'er  feel  and  fare  as  well  and 
return  safely  home  to  their  friends." 

ARTILLERY    AND    RIFLE    COMPANIES. 

In  addition  to  the  two  companies  above  mentioned,  Greensburg  raised  a 
company  of  artillerists  and  one  of  riflemen.     Captain  Wilder  was  head  of 


428  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  artillery  company.  The  Standard,  of  April  26,  says  that  "The  board  of 
commissioners  has  appropriated  six  hundred  dollars  to  purchase  a  cannon 
for  Wilder's  artillery  company.  Good!"  The  artillery  company  was  at  once 
accepted  by  Governor  Morton  and  was  told  to  hold  itself  ready,  "awaiting 
the  orders  of  the  government."  The  rifle  company  met  on  Tuesday  night, 
April  23,  and  elected  the  following  officers:  Captain,  Giles  White:  first  lieu- 
tenant, W.  H.  Reed;  second  lieutenant,  David  Eudailey.  This  was  what  was 
known  as  a  "home  guard"  company. 

GREENSBURG    BAND    GOES    TO    FRONT. 

The  Greensburg  regimental  band,  one  of  the  best  bands  in  the  state, 
ofifered  its  services,  which  were  promptly  accepted.  The  names  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  band  who  volunteered  in  the  service  of  their  country  were  as 
follows :  W.  H.  Lybrand,  Joseph  Tarkington,  F.  M.  Tackett,  William  Christ, 
W.  M.  Fletcher,  A.  C.  Withrow,  William  Withrow,  John  Hoffman,  A.  A. 
Ai-mington,  A.  B.  Armington,  Emanuel  Zorger  and  Samuel  Bigger.  The 
band  went  to  Indianapolis  Saturday,  April  20,  and  the  two  companies  of 
volunteers  followed  on  Monday,  April  22.  This  band  enlisted  with  the 
Seventh  Regiment  for  the  three-year  service,  but  was  at  the  front  only 
about  one  year  of  their  second  enlistment.  It  was  found  that  the  band  was 
not  as  essential  to  the  success  of  arms  as  it  had  been  supposed.  The  fife 
and  drum  took  the  place  of  the  band  in  nearly  all  regiments  before  the  end 
of  the  war.  Most  of  the  members  of  the  Greensburg  band  returned  home 
in   1862. 

THE    SEVENTH    REGIMENT     (tHREE-YEAR    SERVICE). 

A  complete  history  of  the  Se\-enth  Indiana  Regiment  was  written  and 
published  by  one  of  its  members  from  Decatur  county,  Orville  Thomson. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  as  well  as  veteran 
of  the  newspaper  fraternity  of  Decatur  county,  set  all  of  the  type  by  hand 
for  this  volume  of  two  hundred  and  forty-two  pages. 

As  has  been  stated,  Decatur  county  had  two  companies  in  the  three- 
months  service.  The  regiment  left  Virginia  on  July  23,  1861,  and  reached 
Indianapolis  three  days  later.  They  were  discharged  on  August  2  and  at 
once  returned  to  their  homes  in  Decatur  county,  but  practically  all  of  them 
had  agreed  among  themselves  to  re-enlist  for  the  three-year  service. 

To  quote  from  Comrade  Thomson's  history,  "The  conception  of  the 
three-vear  Seventh  occurred  while  the  train  bearing  the  three-months  men 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  429 

homeward  lay  switched  off  at  a  station  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad. 
at  Cameron,  some  twenty  miles  southeajt  of  Wheeling.  It  was  there  that 
we  first  learned  of  the  Bull  Run  disaster  of  a  day  or  so  previous,  and  that 
President  Lincoln  had  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  three  hundred  thou- 
sand volunteers  to  ser\e  for  three  years.  This  intelligence  had  a  most 
depressing  efifect  upon  the  men,  hut  this  feeling  was  but  for  a  moment. 
When  the  train  was  again  under  way  a  be^y  of  officers  was  gathered  in  the 
headc|uarters  car  engaged  in  considering  the  situation.  When  each  had  had 
his  say,  the  colonel  wound  up  the  conference  with  this  suggestion:  'Com- 
rades, let  us  reorganize  the  regiment,  retaining  its  present  number.  Seventh, 
under  this  three-year  call  and  fight  it  out  to  the  grand  finale."  " 

Thus  came  into  existence  the  re-organized  Seventh  for  the  three-year 
service.  This  regiment  had  a  glorious  history  and,  without  disparaging  any 
other  regiment,  it  may  be  said  that  it  stands  pre-eminently  in  the  first  rank. 
Some  regiments  saw  mi:)re  service  and  met  with  hea\-ier  losses,  but  that  was 
later  in  the  war  and  did  not  attract  the  attention  that  the  deeds  of  the  Seventh 
did. 

Thirteen  days  after  the  men  from  this  regiment  returned  from  Virginia, 
in  August,  i8'6i,  word  came  from  Indianapolis  to  Decatur  county  that  the 
Seventh  Regiment  was  being  reorganized.  On  Monday,  Septemlier  2,  the 
men  began  to  arrive  in  camp  at  Indianapolis  and  eleven  days  later  the  regi- 
ment was  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser\-ice  by  Alajor  Wood  of  the 
regular  army. 

The  field  staff  and  non-commissioned  staft'  officers  of  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment were  as  follows : 

Acting  colonel,  Ebenezer  Dumont ;  promoted  brigadier-general  United 
States  \''olunteers,  September  2,  and  assigned  to  that  dutv  (ju  November  3, 
1861. 

Lieutenant-colonel,  James  Gavin ;  promoted  to  colonel,  No\'ember  3, 
1861 ;  resigned  April  22.  1863:  re-entered  service  as  colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty- fourth  Regiment. 

Major,  John  F.  Cheek;  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  November  3, 
1861  :  resigned  March  15,  1863. 

Adjutant,  John  M.  Blair:  promoted  to  captain  and  acting  chief  surgeon 
United  States  Volunteers,  April  14,  1862. 

Quartermaster,  Richard  P.  Johnson:  mustered  out  August  2,  1862. 

Chief  surgeon,  George  W.  New:  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Assistant  surgeon,  W^illiam  Gillespie:  transferred  to  Eighty-third  Regi- 
ment, August  14,  1862. 


430  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Risden  D.  Moore ;  no  date. 

John  L.  Wooden;  promoted  surgeon  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Regiment. 

James  T.  Duffield ;  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Daniel  P.  Linegar,  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Chaplains,  John  Kiger,  resigned  March  15,  1863;  William  R.  Jewell, 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Sergeant-major,  Cyrus  B.  Goodwin:  discharged  to  accept  commission 
in  Sixty-eighth  Regiment. 

Quartermaster-sergeant,  William  A.  Curran;  discharged  January  24, 
1863,  by  special  order. 

Commissary-sergeant,  Joseph  M.  Wallace;  mustered  out  in  April,  1862. 

Hospital  steward,  Frank  C.  New:  transferred  to  Twentieth  Regiment. 

REGIMENTAL    BAND. 

(Under  a  general  order  of  the  war  department,  of  about  the  last  of 
April,  1862,  all  the  regimental  bands  were  mustered  out,  the  Seventh's  being 
the  thirtieth  to  be  discharged).  The  principal  musicians  were  as  follows:, 
George  W.  Rhiver,  died  at  home,  April  21,  1862;  Joseph  B.  Pepper,  Charles 
M.  Green,  Nelson  C.  Lawrence.  Joseph  A.  Tarkington,  Francis  M.  Tuckett, 
Aaron  C.  Withrowe,  John  HoiTman,  Alfred  Beard,  Charles  H.  Doan,  James 
T.  Howard,  Joseph  B.  Isreal,  James  King,  Henry  C.  Reece,  John  A.  Howard, 
Nathon  W.  Sargeant,  Joseph  D.  Patton,  William  H.  H.  Withrowe,  William 
H.  Snook,  John  T.  Wheatley,  William  H.  R.  Tarkington,  Harrison  F.  Bush, 
William  H.  Criss  (died  at  Cumberland,  February  13,  1862),  John  H.  How- 
ard (died  at  Elkwater,  December  6,  1861),  and  John  C.  Slawson. 

L.  D.  Braden,  in  the  Standard  of  September  17,  1909,  printed  a  six-col- 
umn history  of  this  regiment  and  it  is  deemed  well  to  cjuote  from  this  excel- 
lent article  for  the  remainder  of  the  discussion  of  this  regiment. 

"The  .Seventh  had  not  long  to  wait  until  it  was  into  war  in  earnest. 
After  three  months'  skirmishing  around  Elkwater,  the  regiment  was  shifted 
to  the  upper  Potomac  and,  after  some  more  skirmishing  around  Cheat 
Mountain,  they  finally  got  into  a  severe  battle  at  Kernstown  on  March  22, 
1862,  where  they  lost  nine  men  killed  and  thirteen  wounded,  of  whom  six 
died.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  battles  in  which  the  regiment 
fought  like  heroes  and  sustained  heavy  losses. 

"On  June  8,  they,  were  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  Port  Republic, 
where    they   lost   fifteen   killed,    thirty-four   wounded    and   eight   prisoners. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  43 1 

Speaking  of  this  engagement,  the  "Indiana  Roll  of  Honor"  says:  'It  was 
here  that  the  Seventh  Indiana  won  immortal  glory.' 

"Then  followed  Cedar  Mountain,  Manassas,  South  Mountain,  Antietam. 
Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Cold  Harbor,  Wilderness,  Petersburg  and, 
ending  with  the  battle  at  \Veldon  Railroad  on  August  2t,,  1864,  the  Seventh 
gave  a  good  account  of  itself  and  reflected  glory  upon  the  great  state  of 
Indiana.  About  September  15,  1864,  the  regiment  left  Old  Virginia  for 
home  and,  on  September  29,  they  were  mustered  out. 

"General  Hoffman,  of  Pennsylvania,  who  had  command  of  the  brigade 
of  which  the  Seventh  w^as  part,  gives  the  Seventh  Indiana  credit  for  saving 
the  Union  army  from  defeat  at  Gettysburg.  On  the  night  after  the  first 
day's  battle,  July  i,  1863,  Colonel  Grover  observed  there  were  no  troops 
on  our  right  on  Gulp's  Hill.  Taking  a  squad  of  men,  he  proceeded  to  in\esti- 
gate  the  gap  and,  while  there,  ran  up  against  a  rebel  scouting  party  with  the 
same  intent.  Colonel  Grover  ordered  them  to  'Halt!  Surrender!'  and  the 
enemy,  thinking  it  was  the  maifi  body  of  the  Unionists,  surrendered.  In  the 
party  brought  in  were  a  captain  and  a  lieutenant  of  the  Forty-second  Vir- 
ginia. Colonel  Grover  was  breveted  a  brigadier  for  his  clever  play.  He 
had  found  the  gap  and  his  prompt  action  kept  the  rebels  from  pre-empting  it 
and  flanking  the  Union  right  wing,  which  would  have  meant  defeat  of  the 
entire  army. 

"In  all,  the  regiment  participated  in  twenty-seven  battles  and  lost  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  men.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  men  whose 
term  of  office  had  not  expired  in  September,  1864,  were  transferred  to  the 
Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  United  States  regiments  and  were  present  at 
Appomattox  when  Lee  surrendered.  So  the  men  of  the  Seventh  were  in  the 
fray  from  first  to  last." 

DECATUR    COUNTY  LOSSES. 

Following  are  losses  sustained  b}'  the  companies  from  this  county : 
Killed  in  action  during  the  war,  24;  died  of  wounds,  5:  died  in  prison,  17; 
died  of  disease,  33;  total  deaths,  79.  Wounded  in  battle:  Company  D,  14; 
Compan}'  E,  9;  Company  G,  1 1  ;  total,  34.     Total  deaths  and  wounded,  113. 

KILLED    IN    ACTION. 

Company  D — Lieutenant  Robert  Braden,  Henderson,  Kentucky,  July 
26,  1862;  Henry  Bartee,  Winchester,  May  12,  1863;  Asa  Chapman,  Spottsyl- 


432  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

vania.  June  9,  1864:  James  C.  Kelly,  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1862;  Joab 
Shirk,  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1862:  Will  S.  Owens,  Petersburg,  June  18. 
1864;  Oliver  A.  Owens,  Spottsylvania,  May  12,  1864;  Samuel  Thornburg, 
^Vilclerness,  May  12,  1864. 

Company  E — Capt.  George  P.  Clayton,  Wilderness,  May  7,  1864; 
Albert  W.  Vorris,  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  George  W.  Michael,  Port 
Republic,  June  9,  1862;  John  M.  Young,  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1862;  John 
Theodore,  Uniontown,  November,  1861  ;  James  W.  Young,  Laurel  Hill, 
May  8,  1864. 

Company  G — Sergeant  David  B.  Gageby,  North  Anna  River,  May  27, 
1864;  Joseph  Beetem,  Petersburg,  June  18,  1864:  Benjamin  Higdon,  Yellow 
House,  May  3,  1864;  James  Higdon,  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  Charles 
Jones,  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  Thomas  McLaughlin,  Wilderness,  May  5, 
1864;  Daniel  J.  McCoy,  Wilderness.  May  5,  1864;  John  Patterson,  Manas- 
sas Plains,  August  29,  1862;  William  T.  Ryland,  Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863; 
McCowan  H.  Smith,  Wilderness,  ]\Iay  5,  1864. 

DIED   OF    WOUNDS. 

Company  G — John  McCain,  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1864;  John  A.  Small, 
Spottsylvania,  May  14,  1864. 

Company  E — George  W.  Aleek,  Petersburg,  August  i,  1864. 

Company  G — John  N.  Hann,  wounded  at  South  Mountain,  September, 
1862;  Sydney  R.  Griswold,  Winchester,  May  5,  1863. 

DIED  IN    PRISON. 

Compan\'  D — Will  Clendenning,  Florence;  Isaac  Higgs,  Wilmington; 
George  W.  Johnson,  Wilmington ;  George  W.  Shirk,  Florence. 

Company  E — Daniel  W.  Anderson,  Andersonville ;  Uriah  Bartclay, 
Andersonville ;  John  W.  Foster,  Andersonville;  Peter  L.  Hamilton,  Ander- 
sonville ;  John  LL  Horn,  Andersonville ;  Amzi  Demaree,  Andersonville ;  Sam- 
uel Le\'el,  Andersonville;  John  Tremain,  Salisbury. 

Coiiipanv  G — Orion  W.  Donnell,  Salisbury ;  Bazil  G.  Boyce,  Salisbury ; 
Newton  J.  Land,  Salisbury ;  William  Paul,  Andersonville. 

Besides  furnishing  three  companies  for  this  regiment,  Decatur  county 
also  furnished  the  regimental  band  of  twenty  men,  which  was  with  the 
regiment  until  April  30,  1862.  Three  of  these  died  while  in  service:  G.  W. 
Hiver,  John  W.  Howard  and  William  H.  Criss. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  433 


OFFICERS  IN    COMMAND. 


The  Seventh  was  in  the  command  of  the  following  colonels ;  April 
22  to  July  22,  1861,  Dumont;  September  13  to  November  3,  1861,  Dumont ; 
November  3,  1861,  to  April  22,  1863,  Gavin;  April  22,  1863,  to  September 
20,  1864,  Grover.  The  lieutenants  were  Gavin,  Cheek  and  Banta.  The 
majors  were  Cheek,  Banta  and  Welsh. 

On  May  4,  1864,  Colonel  Grover  and  forty-four  of  his  men  were  cap- 
tured in  the  Wilderness,  and  he  was  away  from  the  regiment  for  four 
months.  During  this  time  Lieutenant-Colonel  Banta  was  ill  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  regiment  fell  upon  Major  M.  C.  Welsh,  who  kept  up  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  leaders  of  the  regiment  and  was  a  favorite  with  the  boys. 

The  next  day  after  the  capture  of  Colonel  Grover — May  5 — the  Sev- 
enth got  into  a  hard  fight  with  the  Fiftieth  Virginia,  and  captured  practically 
all  the  regiment,  including  the  colonel  and  the  flag.  It  is  claimed  the  capture 
of  the  flag  was  made  by  Perry  S.  Tremain,  Robert  L.  Alyea  and  T.  ]\I. 
Mozingo,  of  Company  E,  although  the  records  credit  it  to  J.  N.  Opel,  of 
Company  G.     All  were  Decatur  county  men. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH    REGIMENT. 

The  Thirty-seventh  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers  went  into  camp  at 
Lawrenceburg  in  August,  1861,  and,  after  drilling  about  a  month,  was 
mustered  into  the  service  on  September  18.  Decatur  county  had  two  com- 
plete companies,  E  and  H,  in  this  regiment,  and  also  a  number  of  men  in 
Company  K. 

The  commissioned  officers  of  Company  E  were  as  follow:  Captains, 
Mahlon  C.  Connett,  Frank  Hughes  and  William  B.  Harvey;  first  lieuten- 
ants, Frank  Hughes,  William  B.  Harvey  and  George  W.  Hungate;  second 
lieutenants,  Andrew  J.  Hungate,  William  B.  Harvey  and  George  W.  Hun- 
gate. The  non-commissioned  officers  of  this  company  were:  First  sergeant, 
William  B.  Harvey;  sergeants,  Lafayette  Ford,  Thomas  B.  Peery,  Willa 
Raynes  and  George  W.  Hungate;  corporals,  William  A.  Whitlow,  Philip 
S.  Guthrie,  Daniel  J.  Ballard,  Abraham  B.  Cook,  Charles  W.  Sherman, 
Martin  F.  Sidener,  James  K.  Gully  and  Wesley  N.  Barnes;  musicians, 
Nicholas  A.  Butler  and  William  Stopper;  wagoner,  Benjamin  F.  Price. 

The  privates  were  James  G.  Adkins,  Wesley  H.  Adkins,  Columbus 
Ballard,  Joshua  Barton,  Frederick  Beck.  Hiram  Bowling,  ■Martin  Brooks, 
(28) 


434  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Lewis  C.  Brooks,  George  W.  Buffington,  Matthew  Buell,  Thomas  H.  Carter, 
Wilham  E.  Clark,  Albert  B.  Connet,  Andrew  J.  Cook,  Edward  Coleman, 
Reuben  H.  Conner,  James  R.  Conner,  James  Cox,  William  J.  Crisler, 
Howard  Creed,  Samuel  Davidson,  William  Deen,  Andrew  Ensinger,  George 
H.  Eubanks,  Robert  Favour,  George  W.  Fleming,  Joseph  Ford,  Benjamin 
Ford,  Oscar  M.  Garrett,  John  T.  Glass,  George  W.  Gullion,  James  A. 
Hanger,  Robert  F.  Heaton,  Henry  Hogan,  Charles  Hogan,  Gideon  Hornice, 
Addison  Hughes,  Charles  T.  Hunt,  James  T.  Johnson,  James  Jordon, 
Abram  Knapp,  Thaddeus  Knight,  Stephen  Lewis,  James  C.  Lewis,  Milton 
Martin,  Willard  R.  Marsh,  Jacob  Maharry,  Joseph  A.  Marks,  William 
McKeeon,  James  C.  McKee,  Bert  McNeely,  John  T.  Morgan,  Jacob  W. 
Neeb,  John  Parson,  Dudley  Price,  William  Richy,  Enoch  Rickets,  Arthur 
O.  Scull,  Alfred  C.  Scull,  Philip  Slifer,  John  Slifer,  Reuben  Smawley, 
Lewis  Smawley,  John  H.  Smith,  Benjamin  R.  Smith,  John  B.  Stogsdell, 
Bethuel  G.  Stark,  Solomon  Swango,  Thomas  S.  Tevis,  James  Tillison,  Will- 
iam H.  Thompson,  James  Tracewell,  Lafayette  Walker,  Samuel  Wells, 
Buckner  C.  Whitlow,  Milton  M.  Wilson,  James  Kimber,  Wesley  Wilder, 
James  H.  Wooley,  Albert  Wooters,  John  F.  Wolverton  and  Thomas  J. 
Wood.  Recruits,  Thomas  J.  Stevens,  Samuel  Scott  and  Charles  W. 
Woodard. 

The  commissioned  officers  of  Company  H.  are  here  given :  Captains, 
William  H.  Tyner,  Ouartus  C.  Moore,  George  W.  Pye,  James  H.  Burke 
and  John  L.  Hice;  first  lieutenants,  Quartus  C.  Moore,  George  C.  Pye, 
James  H.  Burke,  John  L.  Hice  and  Augustus  H.  Tevis;  second  lieutenants, 
George  W.  Pye,  James  H.  Burke,  John  L.  Hice  and  Augustus  H.  Tevis. 
The  non-commissioned  officers  were :  First  sergeant,  James  H.  Burke ; 
sergeants,  John  S.  Douglas,  Levi  Smith,  Benjamin  D.  Fowler  and  John  L. 
Hice;  corporals,  Augustus  H.  Tevis,  Joel  M.  Proctor,  John  N.  Jones,  John 
J.  Paul,  John  M.  Roop,  David  B.  Sutton  and  Joseph  W.  Garrison; 
musicians,  Isaac  J.  Tyner  and  James  J.  Cunningham;  ^yagoner,  Milton  G. 
Moor. 

The  privates  were  Noah  L.  Brunton,  William  H.  Burk,  Newton  Burk, 
William  Baldwin,  James  Buck,  Squire  H.  Cowen,  Harrison  Cowen,  John 
Cowen,  Benjamin  F.  Clark,  Edward  Davis,  Samuel  Dickson,  James  C.  Day, 
David  Douglas,  Benjamin  L.  Demoss,  Henry  Day,  Barton  N.  Dailey, 
George  C.  W.  Diggs,  Stephen  Enos,  Robert  Ewbanks,  William  S.  Ford, 
Thomas  S.  Ford,  James  P.  Ferguson,  Hiram  Fredinburg,  Alfred  Fry, 
Samuel  Harper,  Lewis  M.  Hunter,  John  Hoter,  Jacob  A.  Hutchinson,  John 
Hunter,   Daniel  Harry,  William  Homsher,  William  Harrell,  John  S.   Har- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  435 

rell,  John  A.  Johnston,  WilHam  Laforge,  Martin  Moor,  Francis  F.  Mc- 
Cracken,  Samuel  Miller,  Richard  Martin,  William  R.  Murray,  James 
Miller,  Samuel  M.  McClure,  James  T.  Mitchell,  Anderson  Owen,  Warren 
Patrick,  Elisha  G.  Patrick,  James  Patrick, '  James  Pettit,  James  W.  Peak, 
Absalom  Robbins,  Harrison  Robbins,  Anderson  Rutherford,  David  Stone- 
cypher,  Nathaniel  Shattuck,  Theodore  L.  Stout,  James  R.  Scott,  William 
G.  Shafer,  Thomas  W.  Shera,  Benjamin  Starrett,  Thomas  A.  Shirk,  Zemry 
Shaw,  Henry  J.  Steward,  Martin  J.  Snook,  William  A.  Thompson,  Andrew 
Waggoner,  Samuel  Williams,  Alfred  Watson,  John  D.  Woodall,  John  C. 
Wimmer,  Robert  Whittaker,  Isaac  Yauger.  Recruits,  Benjamin  T.  Den- 
ham,  James  B.  Denham  and  James  Ward. 

On  the  evening  of  Saturday,  October  19,  1861,  the  regiment  marched 
through  Lawrenceburg  and  took  boats  down  the  river  to  Louisville,  where 
they  arrived  the  next  morning.  After  spending  a  few  weeks  there  in  a  drill, 
it  moved  on  to  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  and  from  thence  to  Bacon  Creek, 
Kentucky,  where  they  spent  the  months  of  December  and  January.  Early  in 
February  it  moved  against  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  and  on  the  Confed- 
erates' retreat  from  that  town,  proceeded  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  went 
into  camp.  From  there  they  proceeded  by  easy  marches  to  Huritsville, 
Alabama.  From  there  they  went  to  the  rescue  of  the  Eighteenth  Ohio  at 
Athens,  Alabama,  and  then  returned  again  to  Fayettesville  and  from  there 
proceeded  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  The  Thirty-seventh  first  saw  heavy 
fighting  in  the  battle  of  Stone's  River  on  December  31,  1862,  where  its  losses 
were  severe.  It  was  then  detailed  to  guard  Murfreesboro  and  from  there 
started  on  the  Tullahoma  campaign.  About  the  last  of  August.  1863,  a  for- 
ward movement  was  ordered  and'  the  Thirty-Seventh  took  part  in  the  Chick- 
amauga  campaign,  with  its  great  battle  at  Chickamauga.  No  campaign  or 
battle  of  the  Civil  War  did  greater  honor  to  the  fighting  cpiality  of  the 
Northern  soldier,  or  accomplished  more  for  the  crushing  of  the  rebellion 
than  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  When  they  arrived  at  Chickamauga  on 
the  morning  of  the  22nd  of  September,  they  went  into  camp  and  prepared  for 
the  siege  of  that  place.  During  this  siege  they  nearly  starved,  living  on  corn, 
cowtails  and  acorns.  But  Chattanooga  fell  and  early  in  May,  1864,  the 
Atlanta  campaign  was  ushered  in.  In  this  the  Thirty-seventh  did  its  part 
in  helping  to  push  the  Confederate  forces  back  to  Buzzard  Roost,  to  Rocky 
Face  and  on  to  Resaca.  From  there  it  moved  forward  to  Calhoun,  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Pumpkinvine  Creek  and  helped  Sherman  take  Atlanta. 

As  the  regiment  had  been  mustered  into  the  service  on  the  i8th  day  of 
September,  1861,  it  was  ordered  on  that  day  in  1864  to  report  at  Indianapolis 


436  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

as  early  as  possible.  On  the  19th  it  reported  from  Atlanta  on  a  train  com- 
posed mostly  of  stock  and  platform  cars.  They  arrived  in  Indianapolis  on 
the  22nd,  and  on  October  27th  were  paid  off  and  mustered  out  of  service. 

SIXTY-EIGHTH   REGIMENT. 

The  Sixty-eighth  Regiment  was  recruited  in  the  fourth  congressional 
district  under  Benjamin  C.  Shaw.  It  was  organized  at  Greensburg  by  Shaw, 
who  later  became  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regiment.  It  was  mustered  into 
the  service  on  August  ig,  1862,  at  Indianapolis,  with  E.  A.  King  as  colonel. 
It  was  taken  to  Louisville  and  shortly  afterwards  was  captured  at  the  battle 
of  Mumfordville,  Kentucky.  It  was  paroled  and  sent  to  Indianapolis  to 
await  exchange.  On  December  2G,  1862,  part  of  the  regiment  went  to 
Louisville,  where  it  was  joined  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  by  the  remainder 
of  the  regiment.  It  was  then  taken  to  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  and  until 
after  the  fall  of  Knoxville  it  was  fighting  in  that  state.  It  was  in  the  three 
big  battles  of  Hoover's  Gap,  Chickamauga  and  Missionary  Ridge.  At  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  the  regiment  lost  one  hundred  and  thirty-tive,  killed, 
wounded  and  missing,  out  of  a  total  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  men  and 
officers.  This  frightful  casualty  list  was  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  one  of 
the  last  to  leave  the  field.  On  August  14,  1864,  the  regiment  went  to  Dalton, 
Georgia,  and  for  the  next  three  months  was  fighting  in  Georgia,  Alabama 
and  Tennessee,  returning  to  the  latter  state  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battle 
of  Nashville,  on  December  15,  1864.  It  stayed  at  Nashville  until  the  second 
week  in  January  and  was  then  taken  to  Chattanooga,  where  it  did  guard 
duty  from  January  to  June.  It  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Nash- 
ville, June  20,  1865. 

SEVENTY-.SIXTH    REGIMENT. 

Decatur  county  had  more  men  in  the  Seventy-sixth  Regiment  of  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry  than  in  any  other  regiment,  having  furnished  five  full 
companies,  as  well  as  several  commissioned  officers  in  addition.  This  regi- 
ment was  probably  organized  on  shorter  notice  than  any  other,  with  the 
exception  of  those  which  went  to  the  front  in  the  spring  of  1861.  The 
Rebels  were  threatening  to  cross  the  Ohio  river  into  Kentucky  during  the 
summer  of  1862  and  when  a  band  of  thirty  actually  crossed  the  river  into 
Warrick  county,  the  whole  state  of  Indiana  was  aroused  as  it  has  never 
been  before  or  since.  They  plundered  Newburg,  in  Warrick  county,  and 
the  frightened  inhabitants  of  the  southern  part  of  the  state  were  in  a  state 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  437 

of  terror,  not  knowing,  of  course,  but  that  a  larger  force  was  making  ready 
to  make  a  descent  on  the  state. 

It  was  this  incident  which  led  to  the  organization  of  the  Seventy-sixth 
Regiment.  Colonel  Gavin,  of  Greensburg,  who  was  home  on  a  furlough  at 
the  time,  telegraphed  Governor  Morton  on  Friday,  July  18,  1862,  tendering 
his  services  and  three  hundred  men  to  dri\-e  these  "bushwhackers''  out  of 
that  region.  A  favorable  reply  was  received  at  ele\-en-thirty  that  night  and 
the  city  was  aroused  and  enlistments  began  at  once.  By  nine  a.  m.  the  next 
day  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  ready,  but  lack  of  transportation  made 
it  necessary  to  wait  until  afternoon,  when  five  hundred  left  for  the  capital, 
having  been  raised  in  eighteen  hours.  This  shows  the  temper  of  the  times. 
Decatur  county  had  already  sent  three  companies  in  the  Seventh,  one  in  the 
Thirt}'-seventh,  Rigby's  battery,  and  others  in  other  commands,  amounting 
to  probably  n\-e  hundred  men  in  the  service  when  these  "minute  men" 
responded  so  nobly.  \Mien  they  reached  Indianapolis,  men  from  other  parts 
of  the  state  joined  them  and  formed  the  Se^•enty-sixth  Indiana  Regiment. 
This  was  one  of  the  most  exciting  times  during  the  whole  war.  At  three 
P.  AI.,  Sunday  they  left  Indianapolis  for  Evansville,  where  they  arrived  on 
Monday.  They  crossed  the  river  and  marched  eighteen  miles  to  near  Peters- 
burg, Kentucky,  in  the  hottest  of  weather.  Many  of  the  raw  troops  were 
overcome  with  heat.  After  scouring  the  country  south  of  Henderson  for 
three  days,  they  were  unable  to  find  any  considerable  force — they  having 
taken  wings  to  other  parts.  On  July  24  Lieut.  Robert  Braden  was  killed  by 
bushwhackers  while  riding  with  Colonel  Gavin,  Doctor  \\'orz  and  Delos 
Thompson.  Colonel  Gavin  was  shot  through  the  left  hand.  On  August  i 
the  regiment  was  ordered  from  Henderson  to  Morganfield,  where  a  force  of 
eight  hundred  was  reported,  but  when  they  got  there  the  enemy  had  flown. 

The  officers  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Regiment  were  as  follows :  Colonel, 
James  Gavin;  lieutenant-colonel,  John  T.  Wilder;  major,  D.  W.  Elliott; 
adjutant,  Irvin  Robbins :  surgeon,  J.  T.  Duffield ;  cjuartermaster,  S.  A. 
Bonner. 

The  five  companies  from  Decatur  county  were  ofiicered  as  follows : 

Company  B — Captain,  Robert  Higgins;  first  lieutenant,  \V.  L.  Alyea; 
second  lieutenant,  W.  M.  Fletcher:  orderlv,  J.  B.  ^^'right. 

Company  C — Captain,  Luther  Donnell ;  first  lieutenant.  Hugh  Weston ; 
second  lieutenant,  B.  H.  Harney;  orderly,  I.  X.  Shirk. 

Company  D — Captain,  Charles  T.  Bell;  first  lieutenant,  John  H.  Braden; 
second  lieutenant,  John  H.  Kirbv:  orderly,  William  Caldwell. 


438  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Company  E — Captain,  T.  H.  Butler;  first  lieutenant,  ^^'illiam  ]\Iarsh; 
second  lieutenant,  William  Mandlove;  orderly,  Robert  Imlay. 

Company  F — Captain,  Benjamin  Jenkins ;  first  lieutenant,  Peter  Wal- 
ker; second  lieutenant,  William  Smith;  orderly,  J.  McLean. 

But  little  has  been  written  about  the  Seventy-sixth  Regiment.  Some  of 
the  men  who  saw  longer  and  more  difficult  service  have  spoken  lightly  of 
the  "gallant  Seventy-sixth,"  and  yet  it  did  a  good  job  in  clearing  the  Ken- 
tucky woods  of  the  pestiferous  guerrillas,  murderers  and  outlaws  who  preyed 
upon  the  people.  They  captured  a  number  of  them  and  scared  the  others 
away.  Many  of  the  officers  and  men  in  the  Se\'enty-sixth  had  seen  service 
in  other  commands,  and  if  it  had  been  necessary  the  regiment  could  have  put 
up  a  hard  fight,  even  if  they  were  hastily  gathered  together  and  the  majority 
of  them  without  training.     History  ofters  a  word  of  praise  for  them. 

The  body  of  Lieutenant  Braden  was  brought  back  to  his  home  near 
Milford  by  John  H.  Braden  and  Joseph  D.  Pleak,  and  on  Sunday,  July  29, 
the  funeral  was  held  in  the  presence  of  one  of  the  largest  audiences  ever  seen 
in  that  locality.     The  burial  was  in  charge  of  the  Masons. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY-THIRD    REGIMENT. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment  was  recruited  from  the 
fourth  and  seventh  congressional  districts  and  rendezvoused  at  Greensburg 
during  the  winter  of  1863-64.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  on  March  9, 
1864,  with  John  C.  McOuiston  as  colonel.  On  March  18  the  regiment  left 
for  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  shortly  afterward  was  ordered  to  join  Sherman 
in  his  attack  on  Atlanta.  After  remaining  with  Sherman  for  most  of  the 
summer  in  Georgia,  the  regiment  returned  to  Tennessee  in  pursuit  of  Hood 
and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  December  15-16,  1864.  Within 
a  few  weeks  it  was  taken  to  Washington,  D.  C,  en  route  to  Fort  Anderson, 
North  Carolina,  where  it  remained  through  February  and  March,  1865.  It 
was  then  taken  to  Newbern  and  later  through  the  central  part  of  the  state 
until  it  joined  Sherman  at  Goldsboro.  It  was  eventually  mustered  out, 
August  25,  1865,  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  left  for  Indianapolis  on  the 
same  day,  arri\-ing  there  September  4. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND    THIRTY-FOURTH     REGIMENT. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment  was  mustered  in  at 
Indianapolis,  May  25,  1864,  with  James  Gavin  as  colonel.  It  spent  its  short 
time  at  the  front  doing  garrison  and  guard  duty  in  Tennessee. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  439 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-SIXTH    REGIMENT. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Regiment  was  recruited  in  the  first, 
third  and  fourth  congressional  districts  and  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Indianapolis  on  March  9,  1865,  with  Merit  C.  Welsh  as  colonel.  It  was  sent 
to  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  during  its  hundred  days  at  the  front  was 
engaged  in  guard  and  post  duty  at  Charlestown,  Winchester,  Stevenson  Sta- 
tion, Gordan  Sprnigs  and  Summit  Point,  Virginia.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Baltimore,  August  31,  i8r)5,  and  arrived  at  Indianapolis  on  September  8. 
It  engaged  in  no  fighting  of  consequence  and  returned  with  the  thirty-two 
officers  and  seven  hundred  and  seventy-one  men  with  which  it  went  into  the 
field. 

DECATUR   COUNTY    AND   MORG.\n's   RAID. 

The  long-expected  in\asion  ol  Indiana  by  the  Rebels  occurred  in  July, 
1863,  and  for  a  few  da_\-s  the  wildest  and  most  exciting  times  of  the  whole 
war  took  place  as  far  as  Indiana  was  concerned.  The  men  in  the  state  were 
in  the  harvest  fields,  but,  as  one  man,  they  rose  to  defend  their  state.  Satur- 
day, Sunday  and  Monday,  July  11,  12  and  13,  1863,  ^^^  three  memorable 
days  in  the  history  of  Indiana,  for  it  was  then  that  Morgan  with  his  band 
of  freebooters  was  riding  through  southeastern  part  of  the  state.  It  is 
supposed  that  he  intended  to  get  as  far  north  as  Indianapolis,  liberate  the 
Rebel  prisoners  there,  devastate  the  city,  and  gather  as  much  booty  as  his 
men  could  carry  away  with  them.  He  had  counted  on  help  from  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  but,  as  far  as  is  known,  he  received 
absolutely  no  aid  whatever  from  them.  A  few  of  Morgan's  men  were  in  the 
southern  part  of  Decatur  county,  but  no  specific  acts  of  depredation  can  be 
charged  to  them.  They  had  too  little  time  to  do  any  mischief.  The  Grccns- 
hurg  Standard,  in  its  issue  of  July  19,  1863,  has  a  graphic  account  of  the 
raid  as  it  affected  Decatur  county,  and  the  same  is  here  given  in  full : 

"Sunday  and  Monday  (July  12  and  13)  last,  our  city  appeared  more 
like  a  military  camp  than  anything  else.  Companies  had  gone  from  here 
upon  the  reception  of  the  first  news  of  the  invasion  below,  but  not  until 
Saturday  night  did  we  suppose  Morgan  intended  making  so  extensive  a  trip 
as  he  had  projected. 

"At  that  time  we  learned  of  his  moving  farther  north  and  east,  threat- 
ening the  counties  south  of  here.  The  people  were  aroused,  and  preparations 
for  defense  commenced.     Sunday  seemed  like  no  Sunday  at  all,  but  certainly 


440  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

like  no  other  day  we  had  ever  seen.  Arms  of  all  sorts  were  gathered  up 
and  companies  organized. 

"Men  came  in  from  the  county,  singly  and  in  sc^uads,  mostly  mounted, 
but  coming  anyway  to  get  here.  About  half  past  two  Colonel  Gavin's  regi- 
ment of  militia,  including  the  companies  from  this  county,  arri\-ed  from 
Indianapolis  and  were  met  at  the  depot  by  vast  crowds  of  people  and  large 
quantities  of  provisions. 

"They  remained  until  nearly  four  o'clock,  when  they  left  for  Lawrence- 
burg,  or  wherever  their  services  were  needed.  About  two  hours  afterward, 
Colonel  Shryock's  regiment  from  Wayne  and  adjacent  counties  arrived.  In 
this  regiment  Judge  Gooding  and  a  brother-in-law  of  General  Burnside  were 
"high  pri\ates."  They  expected  for  a  time  to  remain  here  over  night, 
but  about  nine  o'clock  got  news  that  hurried  them  on,  it  being  reported  that 
the  advance  regiment  had  been  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  about  Sunman, 
twenty-three  miles  distant  on  the  railroad.  A  battery  also  passed  through 
in  the  night. 

"In  the  meantime,  people  came  into  town  from  all  directions,  with  all 
sorts  of  weapons.  Scouts  were  sent  out  in  eveiy  direction  and  pickets  were 
stationed  on  all  roads.  News  came  in  and  rumors  of  all  sorts  were  cir- 
culated. During  all  this  time  almost  everybody  appeared  cool,  though  there 
were  some  exceptions. 

"Monday's  operations  were  a  repetition  of  those  of  the  pre\ious  day, 
only  on  a  larger  scale.  Men  continued  to  come  in  and  new  companies  were 
organized,  though  quite  a  number  of  men  appeared  to  rely  upon  bushwhack- 
ing on  their  own  account. 

"Business  was  totally  suspended  and  the  stores  remained  closed.  Toward 
evening  reliable  news  came  that  the  rebels  had  crossed  the  railroad  about 
twenty-five  miles  below  and  were  pushing  into  Ohio.  Many  at  once  started 
for  home,  but  a  large  number  remained  until  night  and  some  till  morning. 
At  this  time  the  treasurer's  office  was  stored  full  of  provisions  of  all  sorts, 
enough  to  feed  ten  regiments  at  least.  Another  alarm  was  given  Monday 
night,  but  it  was  soon  discredited,  and  Ijy  Tuesday  business  commenced 
again." 

The  first  C()ni]iany  left  Greensburg  on  Friday  morning.  ha\-ing-  been 
recruited  in  about  ten  hours'  time.  The  officers  were:  Ir\-in  Rolihins,  cap- 
tain; James  S.  McPheeters,  first  lieutenant;  G.  M.  Hamilton,  second  lieu- 
tenant; James  Alexander,  orderly  sergeant,  and  O.  B.  Scobe}',  company 
clerk. 

The   regiment   organized   here   was   known   as    the     One   Hundred   and 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  441 

Fourth  Indiana.  There  were  six  such  regiments  in  the  state,  beginning  with 
the  One  Hundred  and  Second.  They  were  known  as  "minute  men"  and 
were  to  serve  ten  days.  The  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  was  organized  July 
ID,  and  after  being  taken  to  Sunman  the  following  day,  and  from  there,  to 
Lawrenceburg,  it  marched  toward  Harrison,  but  gave  up  the  chase  and 
returned  home  July  iSth  and  was  mustered  out. 

Six  of  the  companies  were  from  Decatur  county.  The  officers  were 
as  follows :  Colonel,  James  Gavin :  lieutenant-colonel,  James  S.  Buchanan : 
major,  M.  W.  Richardson;  adjutant,  A.  G.  .\rmington:  quartermaster,  W. 
S.  Woodfill:  surgeon.  Dr.  L.  C.  Thomas;  assistants.  Dr.  James  McLain  and 
Dr.  John  Wheeldon;  sergeant-major,  James  S.  Halsey;  quartennaster-scr- 
geant,  John  IM.  Tucker;  commissary  sergeant,  Rufus  Hinkley. 

Coiiipanx  A — Rush  county,  captain,  Franklin  F.  Swain,  Milroy. 

Company  B — Captain,  Charles  T.  Bell,  St.  Omer;  first  lieutenant,  Isaac 
Seright ;  second  lieutenant,  James  A.  Rankin. 

Coiiipaiiv  C — Captain,  Luther  Donnell,  Kingston;  first  lieutenant,  G. 
B.  Roszell ;  second  lieutenant,  A.  F.  McCoy. 

Company  D — Captain,  Hugh  Weston,  Xewpoint ;  first  lieutenant,  Adam 
Sample;  second  lieutenant,  O.  T.  Briggs. 

Company  E — Captain,  W.  T.  Marsh,  Milford;  first  lieutenant,  A.  J. 
Hungate ;  second  lieutenant,  R.  C.  Benson. 

Company  F — Captain,  W.  A.  Donnell,  Clarksburg;  first  lieutenant, 
James  F.  Smith;  second  lieutenant,  Edward  Speer. 

Company   G — Madison  county. 

Company  H — Captain,  Irvin  Robbins ;  first  lieutenant,  James  S.  Mc- 
Pheeters ;  second  lieutenant,  G.  M.  Hamilton. 

Company  I — ]\Iarion  county. 

Company  K — Fa}'ette  county,  captain,  J.  P.  Orr,  Bentonville. 

A    WAR-TIME    CONVENTION. 

Probably  the  biggest  political  gathering  held  at  Greensburg  during  the 
war  was  a  union  county  convention  held  February  21,  1S63.  Samuel  Bryan 
presided  and  J.  J.  Hazelrigg  acted  as  secretary.  Speakers  were  United  States 
Senator  Joseph  H.  Wright,  Senator  Brown,  of  Delaware  county,  and  Dr. 
Ryland  T.  Brown,  of  Indianapolis.  Resolutions  adopted  called  for  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war  and  denounced  all  schemes  for  a  compromise  as 
treasonable. 

Senator  Wright  declared  that  Jeff  Davis  could  not  justify  his  cause  as  a 


442  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

revolt  against  tyranny,  as  not  one  single  right  belonging"  to  any  state  had 
been  taken  away  from  it.  For  this  reason,  he  said  there  were  no  grounds 
for  secession  and  rebellion  and  no  wrongs  to  redress. 

"This  war  was  brought  on  by  designing  men  thirsting  for  power,"  he 
said.  "If  the  right  of  secession  is  established,  our  go\-ernment  is  gone  and 
we  will  have  nothing  left  but  anarchy  and  ruin." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting  the  following  county  central  commit- 
tee was  appointed :  Washington  township,  B.  H.  Harney,  J-  V.  WoodfiU 
and  Charles  Hazelrigg;  Fugit  township,  L.  A.  Donnell;  Clinton  township, 
Charles  Kemble;  Adams  township,  Charles  Woodward;  Clay  township,  W. 
S.  Tillson ;  Jackson  township,  Columbus  Trimble ;  Sand  Creek  township, 
William  McCullough ;  Marion  township,  G.  W.  Patrick,  and  Salt  Creek 
township,  James  Morgan. 

A  CIVIL-WAR  RIOT   IN   GREENSBURG. 

In  the  latter  part  of  iS'62  and  the  early  part  of  1863  there  began  to  be 
organized  in  Decatur  county,  as  well  as  in  other  counties  in  the  state,  groups 
of  men  who  were  opposed  to  the  further  prosecution  of  the  war.  So  pro- 
nounced and  rebellious  were  their  views  of  the  way  the  war  was  being 
conducted  that  they  often  came  into  conflict  with  the  military  author- 
ities. The  first  general  organization  of  these  men  was  known  as 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle ;  later  they  were  known  •  as  the 
American  Knights ;  still  later  thev  denominated  themselves  the  Sons  of  Lib- 
ertv.  ^Vhile  many  good  men  were  led  to  join  them,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
more  than  a  mere  handful,  comparatively  speaking,  ever  knew  the  extent 
of  their  secret  designs.  The  leaders  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle 
in  1863  claimed  to  have  forty  thousand  members  in  Indiana,  and  before  the 
end  of  the  war  this  number  must  have  reached  nearly  seventy-five  thousand. 
Locally,  they  were  known  as  "Butternuts"  and  "Copperheads"  and  the  loyal 
Union  men  hated  them  worse  than  they  did  the  Rebels.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  the  members  began  wearing  butternut  emblems  openly  and  defying 
public  sentiment  in  such  a  way  as  to  invite  trouble.  If  they  were  looking 
for  trouljle  they  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  it  and  numerous  personal 
encounters  were  staged  between  the  wearers  of  the  hated  emblem  and  the 
loyal  Union  men. 

Greensburg  witnessed  a  riot  on  Saturday,  April  25,  1863,  on  which  day 
there  was  a  great  political  rally  in  the  county  seat.  Hundreds  of  peo- 
ple   were    in    town    on    that    eventful    day    and    very    many    of    them    had 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  443 

on  butternut  emblems.  It  could  hardly  have  been  expected  that  the  day 
would  pass  without  some  violence  and  it  seems  that  the  "Butternuts"  were 
courting  trouble.  And  they  found  it.  Before  the  day  was  over  numerous 
shots  were  tired,  iist  fights  were  engaged  in  on  every  corner  and  more  excite- 
ment prevailed  around  the  public  scjuare  than  Greensburg  has  e\'er  seen 
before  or  since.  The  Grcciisbiir^/  Standard  tells  the  story  in  its  issue  of  the 
week  following  and  as  it  was  an  eyewitness  of  the  fracas,  its  account  is  given 
verbatim,  as  illustrative  at  least  of  the  stjde  of  discussion  then  indulged  in  by 
the  newspapers,  as  follows  : 

"The  day  had  been  extensively  advertised  among  those  who  opposed  the 
war,  and  great  speakers  were  here  to  criticise  the  government  and  influence 
the  already  excited  minds  of  the  'Butternuts'  and  'Copperheads,'  as  they  were 
called.  United  States  Senator  Thomas  Hendricks,  Judge  Joseph  E.  Mc- 
Donald, Attorney-General  Oscar  B.  Hord  and  Judge  R.  D.  Logan,  men  of 
commanding  ability,  were  here  and  spoke  in  the  court  house  to  an  immense 
audience  of  men,  many  of  whom  came  from  distant  parts  of  the  county  and 
adjoining  counties  armed  and  looking  for  trouble.  They  had  boasted  that 
they  would  'take  the  town.'  One  delegation  of  eighty  horsemen  from  Sand- 
creek,  Jackson  and  Clay  townships  met  at  the  Goddard  school  house  and 
drilled  for  an  hour  before  marching  into  town.  Many  of  them  were  armed 
and  wore  butternut  emblems.  They  rode  into  town  and  around  the  square 
just  before  noon.     This  was  the  only  demonstration  of  the  forenoon. 

"The  first  outbreak  was  about  noon,  when  a  man  by  the  name  of  Finley, 
wearing  a  butternut  pin,  challenged  a  Union  man  to  take  it  off,  feeling  that 
he  had  such  strong  backing  that  no  one  would  dare  attempt  it.  When  the 
dust  had  cleared  away  Finley  and  his  brother  were  liadly  used  up  and  Captain 
Robbins  was  knocked  down,  but  not  seriously  injured.  The  air  was  full  of 
rocks,  and  things  looked  bad  for  a  while. 

"The  speaking  was  at  one  o'clock.  Capt.  J.  V.  Bennisdaffer,  fornicrlv 
a  Union  soldier,  presided.  Hendricks  spoke  for  an  hour.  McDonald  fol- 
lowed. Both  these  men  counseled  against  violence  and  advised  the  men  to 
obey  the  laws,  but  make  their  protests  at  the  ballot  box.  It  remained  for 
Judge  Logan  to  fan  the  flame,  and  he  did  it  successfully.  His  speech  was 
highly  inflammatory.  He  exhorted  his  hearers  to  preserve  their  God-given 
rights  and  not  be  trampled  on.  The  war  has  degenerated  into  an  abolition 
raid.  Hord  followed  Logan,  attacking  Governor  Morton  for  scjuandering 
the  people's  money,  etc.  The  meeting  dispersed  quietly  about  three-thirty, 
and  about  a  half  hour  later  the  riot  began  on  the  south  side  of  the  square, 
near  the  southwest  corner.     One  Jesse  Myers,  who  was  intoxicated,  fired  a 


444  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pistol  at  Sergeant  John  Pierce,  of  W'ilder's  battery,  who  was  here  on  detached 
duty.  Myers  was  arrested  and  taken  to  the  office  of  Squire  Bryan,  on  the 
south  side,  where  the  crowd  congregated. 

"About  this  time  one  Allen  G.  Robbins  fired  a  revolver  at  some  one  in 
the  crowd  and  ran.  He  was  pursued  by  Sergeant  Pierce,  Deputy  City 
Marshal  Man  Zorger  and  others,  at  whom  he  fired  back  three  times.  Rob- 
bins  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  and  ran  into  Will  Pound's  law  office,  three  doors 
east  of  the  southwest  corner  of  the  square,  where  Zorger  disarmed  him.  As 
Zorger  turned  around  with  Robbins's  revolver,  he  found  a  revolver  pointed 
in  his  face  by  S.  H.  Logan.  Some  one,  said  to  be  Joe  Drake,  knocked 
Logan's  arm  up  and  he  was  shot  in  the  abdomen. 

"This  closed  the  performance,  and  those  of  the  Copperheads  who  were 
able  to  get  out  of  town  were  soon  making  rapid  advances  toward  home." 

It  seems  that  Judge  Logan  should  bear  most  of  the  blame  for  the  trouble, 
since  it  was  his  inflammatory  speech  which  stirred  things  up.  Those  who 
are  still  living  tell  how  the  cavalry  brigade  from  "Jagneck"  and  "Sand 
Creek"  made  a  most  ludicrous  get-away  when  the  tide  turned  against  them. 
Some  jumped  on  their  horses  at  the  court  house  rack  and  forgot  to  untie 
them  in  their  excitement.  Others  crawled  on  their  horses  backwards  and 
groped  blindly  toward  the  tails  of  their  faithful  steeds  in  a  vain  effort  to  get 
hold  of  the  reins  of  their  bridles.  Some  never  took  the  trouble  to  find  their 
horses,  but  took  to  their  heels  in  the  direction  of  the  tallest  woods.  Looking 
at  the  performance  from  a  distance  pf  fifty-two  years,  it  looks  like  it  must 
have  indeed  been  an  exciting  day. 

SOME  CIVIL  WAR  STATISTICS. 

Decatur  countv  furnished  twenty-six  companies  of  infantry  and  one 
battery,  making  in  all  about  twenty-five  hundred  men.  Deducting  those  who 
enlisted  twice  or  more,  it  would  appear  that  the  county  sent  at  least  two 
thousand  men  to  the  front  during  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion. 

Fifty-eight  men  from  the  county  were  killed  on  the  battlefield,  dis- 
tributed among  the  different  regiments  as  follows:  Seventh,  twenty-four; 
Thirty-seventh,  eleven;  Sixty-eighth,  seven;  Fifty-second,  three;  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third,  nine.  Six  men  of  the  Fifty-second  were  frozen  to 
death  on  the  cold  New  Year's  day,  1864.  Twenty-two  died  of  wounds 
received  in  the  service;  twenty-two  died  in  prison;  one  hundred  and  forty- 
one  died  of  diseases;  two  were  drowned — making  a  total  casualty  list  of 
two  hundred  and  fiftv-one. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  445 

During  the  progress  of  the  war  the  county  commissioners  were  autlior- 
ized  to  offer  bounties  for  enhstments  and  by  the  end  of  the  struggle  the 
county  had  expended  one  hundred  seventy-one  thousand  six  liundred  dollars 
for  this  purpose.  Some  of  the  townships  also  offered  bounties  for  enlist- 
ments and  they  expended  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  along  the  same  line. 

RELIEF   FOR   .SOLDIERS'    FAMILIES. 

Within  the  first  week  after  the  men  went  to  Indianapolis  a  subscription 
list  was  started  for  the  support  of  soldiers"  families.  Amounts  ranging  from 
five  to  one  hundred  dollars,  with  a  total  of  three  thousand  six  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars,  was  raised  in  three  days.  The  following  subscribed 
one  hundred  dollars  each  to  this  fund:  M.  D.  Ross,  B.  H.  Harney,  J.  F. 
Stevens,  W.  H.  Reed,  G.  Woodfill  &  Sons,  E.  and  L.  P.  Lathrop,  T.  M. 
Hamilton,  Samuel  Bryan,  A.  R.  Forsyth,  Da\'id  Lovett,  D.  and  J.  Stewart, 
J.  P.  Hittle,  R.  A.  Hamilton,  L.  A.  Donnell.  J.  S.  Scobey  and  John  Ander- 
son. Our  citizens  deserx'e  no  small  amount  of  credit  for  the  liberal  manner 
in  which  they  contributed  to  the  volunteers  that  went  from  this  place. 
Besides  the  amount  subscribed  for  the  support  of  their  families  while  thcA' 
were  gone,  each  one  was  furnished  with  a  new  blanket  and  two  check  shirts 
and  four  hundred  dollars  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  captains  of  the  com- 
panies to  be  used  to  promote  the  comfort  of  the  companies.  All  must 
acknowledge  that  Decatur  did  her  whole  dut}-. 

A  relief  committee,  organized  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers' 
families,  secured  an  order  from  the  county  commissioners  that  the  county 
would  pay  a  sum  equal  to  that  raised  by  private  subscription.  This  made  the 
sum  double  $3,678,  or  $7,356,  all  of  which  was  available  within  the  first  week 
after  the  soldiers  went  to  Indianapolis.  B.  H.  Harney  was  secretar>^  of  the 
relief  committee  and  A.  R.  Forsyth  was  treasurer. 

Because  some  advantages  had  been  taken  of  the  countv  commissioners 
in  the  matter  of  relief  for  soldiers'  families,  it  was  decided  to  discontinue  this 
method  of  supplying  relief  and  put  the  work  in  the  hands  of  township 
trustees.  This  was  done  nine  months  after  the  war  started,  up  to  which 
time  the  sum  of  $7,777.89  had  been  paid  out  by  the  county  commissioners. 

The  county  commissioners  passed  an  order,  August  14,  1861,  for  the 
relief  of  soldiers'  families.  Barton  H.  Harney,  who  had  been  appointed 
chairman  of  the  relief  committee  in  April,  was  continued  as  such  to  look 
after  Washington  township.   Commissioner  John  Aloody  was  assigned  Fugit 


446  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  Salt  Creek  townships,  Daniel  Beyer,  Clinton,  Adams  and  Clay  and  Wren 
Jackson,  Sandcreek  and  Marion. 

As  the  war  progressed  it  was  found  that  a  large  number  of  the  famihes 
were  in  need  of  the  necessities  of  life  and  provisions  were  made  to  take  care 
of  them  by  the  county  at  large  as  well  as  by  the  individual  townships.  The 
county  issued  orders  for  relief  to  the  amount  of  $128,582  and  the  townships 
spent  $20,000  more  for  the  same  purposes.  Greensburg  alone  paid  bounties 
to  the  amount  of  $6,000  and  relief  to  the  amount  of  $8,686.  Besides  these 
specific  amounts  paid  out  by  the  county,  townships  and  the  city  of  Greens- 
burg, the  county  and  the  cit}'  expended  $1,500  and  $40,000,  respectively,  for 
miscellaneous  purposes.  The  grand  total  for  the  whole  county,  including 
the  townships  and  city  of  Greensburg,  amounted  to  $401,863. 

A  statement  by  the  adjutant-general  of  the  state  on  October  6,  1862, 
for  Decatur  county,  discloses  the  following:  Total  men  of  military  age, 
2,884;  total  volunteers,  1,353;  total  exempts,  432;  total  opposed  to  bearing 
arms,  i  ;  total  volunteers  in  service,  888;  total  subject  to  draft,  2,451.  Under 
the  call  for  troops  made  February  7,  March  4  and  July  18,  1864,  Decatur 
county  furnished  1,012  men  and  filled  its  quota  with  the  exception  of  two — 
one  from  Marion  and  one  from  Jackson  township.  Under  the  last  call  of 
December  19,  1864,  the  county  furnished  173  men,  a  surplus  of  16  above  its 
quota. 

DECATUR    COUNTY   OFFICERS    IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

Decatur  county  furnished  about  twenty-five  hundred  men  for  service 
during  the  Civil  War  and,  because  of  gallantry  on  the  battlefield,  a  number 
of  them  rose  from  the  ranks  and  became  commissioned  officers.  The  list 
follows : 

COLONELS. 

James  Gavin,  Seventh  Regiment,  November  3,  1861  ;  Seventy-sixth 
Regiment,  July  25,  1862;  One  Hundred  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  May  20, 
1864. 

John  T.  Wilder,  Seventeenth  Regiment,  INIarch  21,  1862;  breveted 
brigadier-general,  March,  1863;  resigned,  October  5,  1864. 

T.  H.  Butler,  Fifth  Cavalry,  September  2,  1862. 

I.  G.  Grover,  Seventh  Regiment,  April  27,,  1863;  breveted  brigadier-gen- 
eral, July  5,  1863. 

John  S.  Scobey,  Sixty-eighth  Regiment,  September  21,  1863. 

W.  C.  Lemert,  Fighty-sixth  Ohio,  June,  1862. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  447 

John  C.  McQuiston,  One  Hnndred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment,  March 
7,  1864;  breveted  brigadier-general.  Alarch  13,  1865. 

Lemert  was  from  Greensburg  and  first  enhsted  as  first  Heutenant  in  Com- 
pany G,  Seventh  Indiana.  He  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  his  com- 
pany on  December  20,  1861,  and  resigned  his  commission  on  June  3,  1862, 
to  become  the  colonel  of  the  Eighty-sixth  Ohio  Regiment. 

MISCELLANEOUS    OFFICERS. 

Irvin  Robbins,  major,  Se\'enth  Regiment;  lieutenant-colonel.  Sixty- 
eighth  Regiment :  adjutant,  Seventy-sixth  Regiment. 

Thomas  P.  Spilman,  major,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Regiment. 

W.  T.   Strickland,  major,  Fifty-second  Regiment. 

W.  B.  Harvey,  adjutant.  Thirty-seventh  Regiment. 

Livingston  Howard,  adjutant,  Thirty-seventh  Regiment. 

D.  C.  ^^^alters,  adjutant  and  lieutenant-colonel.  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-fourth  Regiment. 

A.  J.  Hungate,  adjutant.  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment. 

Dr.  J.  Y.  Hitt,  surgeon.  Seventeenth  Regiment. 

Dr.  G.  W.  H.  Kemper,  surgeon.  Seventeenth  Regiment. 

Rev.  David  Monfort,  chaplain.  Sixty-eighth  Regiment. 

Rev.  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk,  chaplain.  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth 
Regiment. 

Will  Cumback,  offered  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  Thirteenth  Regiment, 
but  declined  it  and  took  the  rank  of  colonel,  as  paymaster  in  the  ami}-. 

DEC.\TUR   county's   ROLL   OF    HONOR. 

No  military  history  of  Decatur  county  would  be  complete  without  a 
complete  list  of  its  brave  sons  that  offered  up  their  li\'es  on  the  altar  of 
freedom  that  this  nation  might  live.  The  following  statistics  show  by  regi- 
ment those  who  were  killed  in  action,  died  of  wounds,  in  prison  or  of  disease. 

SEVENTH    INFANTRY. 

Company  D. 

Killed  in  action :  Lieut.  Robert  Braden,  by  guerillas  near  Henderson, 
Kentucky,  August,  1862,  buried  in  Milford  cemetery:  Henry  Bartee  at  Win- 
chester, March  23,  1862,  Winchester  cemetery;  Asa  Chapman,  at  Spottsyl- 
vania.   May   12,    1864,   Fredericksburg  cemetery;  James   C.    Kelly,   at    Port 


448  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Republic,  June  9,  1862,  body  not  recovered;  Will  S.  Owens,  at  Spottsyl- 
vania,  May  12,  1864,  Fredericksburg  national  cemetery;  Samuel  Thornburg, 
in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  body  not  recovered;  Joab  Shirk,  at  Port  Repub- 
lic, June  9,  1864,  body  not  recovered. 

Died  of  wounds;  John  McCian,  June  12,  1862,  wounded  at  Port 
Republic  and  buried  there;  John  .\.  Small,  at  Spottsylvania,  May  14,  1864, 
Fredericksburg  national  cemetery. 

Died  in  prison ;  Will  Clendenning.  captured  in  Wilderness,  died  in 
Florence,  Alabama,  prison  grave  yard;  Isaac  Higgs,  captured  on  secret  expe- 
dition, died  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  May  8,  1S64,  prison  graveyard; 
George  \Y.  Johnson,  captured  in  ^Vilderness,  died  in  southern  prison ;  George 
W.  Shirk,  captured  in  \\'ilderness,  died  in  Florence,  Alabama,  prison,  Flor- 
ence national  cemetery. 

Died  of  disease ;  Sergt.  Francis  M.  Wadkins,  at  Elkwater,  November 
2,  1 86 1,  Iniried  there;  Evan  Armstrong,  at  W''aynesburg,  August  14,  1864, 
Waynesburg  cemetery ;  Matthias  Davis,  at  Cumberland,  Maryland,  March 
15,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery;  John  S.  Gibberson,  at  Elkwater,  November 
9,  1861,  buried  there;  John  S.  Lowry,  near  Milford,  December  14,  1861, 
Lowry  cemetery;  Isaac  ^^'.  Pavy,  at  Culpeper,  Virginia,  February  29,  1864, 
Culpeper  cemetery;  Will  Smith,  at  Wasliington  city,  November  17,  1863, 
Arlington  cemetery;  Samuel  G.  Wasson,  at  Elkwater,  November  20,  1861, 
buried  there;  Prince  Wimmer,  at  Strasburg,  Virginia,  April  12,  1862,  buried 
there. 

Wounded,  not  fatally :  Sergt.  Anderson  Griffey,  at  Petersburg,  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment;  Pilgrim  Cox,  at  Port  Republic,  discharged 
August  9,  1862;  Andrew  F.  Flannigan,  at  Port  Republic,  discharged,  dis- 
ability ;  William  W.  Newton,  at  Petersburg,  mustered  out  with  the  regiment ; 
Thomas  Mount,  in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  the  regiment;  Isaiah 
Shafer,  at  Port  Republic,  discharged  September  16,  1862;  Andrew  F.  Simp- 
son, in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  the  regiment;  Lewis  Striker,  at  Port 
Republic,  discharged,  disability;  Moses  Sawyer,  at  Manassas  Plains,  dis- 
charged December  29,  1862;  William  Toothman,  in  ^^■iIderness,  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment;  Joseph  H.  Voiles,  at  Cedar  Mountain,  discharged, 
disability ;  .\ndrew  J.  Wheeler,  in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  the  regi- 
ment; John  W.  W'uherton,  at  Port  Republic,  discharged  February  26,  1863. 

Company  E. 

Killed  in  action;  Capt.  George  P.  Clayton,  in  W^ilderness.  May  7,  1864, 
body  not  recovered;  George  W.  Michael,  at  Port  Republic,  June  9,    1862, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  449 

body  not  recovered;  John  Theodore,  at  Uniontown,  November,  1861  ;  Alljert 
M.  Vorris,  in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  body  not  recovered;  James  \\'. 
Young,  at  Laurel  Hill,  Alay  8,  1864,  I'Vedericksburg  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  wounds:  George  W.  Meek,  August  i.  1864,  at  Petersburg,  on 
battlefield. 

Died  in  prison :  Daniel  W.  Anderson,  captured  in  ^^'ildcrness,  died  in 
Andersonville  prison,  date  not  known,  Andersonville  national  cemetery ;  Uriah 
H.  Barclay,  captured  in  ^^'ilderness,  died  in  Andersonville  prison,  date  not 
known,  Anderson\'ilIe  national  cemetery ;  John  W.  Foster,  captured  in 
Wilderness,  died  in  Andersonville  prison,  date  not  known,  Andersonville 
national  cemetery;  Peter  L.  Hamilton,  captured  at  Weldon  railroad,  died  in 
Andersonville  prison,  September  6,  1864.  Andersonville  national  cemetery; 
John  H.  Horn,  captured  at  Weldon  railroad,  died  in  Andersonville  prison, 
February  2,  1865,  Andersonville  iiational  cemetery;  Amzi  T.  Demaree,  cap- 
tured in  Wilderness,  died  in  southern  prison ;  Samuel  Level,  captured  in 
Wilderness,  died  in  Andersonville  prison,  date  not  known,  Andersonville 
national  cemetery;  John  Tremain,  captured  in  Wilderness,  died  in  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina,  prison,  November  11,  1864,  Salisbury  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  disease;  Sergt.  Joseph  N.  Self,  at  Elkwater,  December  6. 
1861,  South  Park  cemetery;  John  W.  Campbell  at  Cumberland,  3.1aryland, 
December  15,  1861,  Cumberland  cemetery;  Amos  G.  Connor,  at  Grafton, 
West  Virginia.  January  9,  1862,  South  Park  cemetery;  Robert  W.  Christian, 
at  Phillipi,  December  8,  1861,  South  Park  cemetery;  Nathan  F.  Fiscus,  at 
Cumberland,  February  2,  1862,  Cumljerland  cemetery;  James  M.  Huffman, 
at  Cumberland,  April  2,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery;  John  W.  Lo\e,  at 
Knoxville,  Maryland,  December  10,  1862,  South  Park  cemeterv ;  Tames 
McGrew,  at  Cumberland,  February  2.  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery;  ^^'illiam 
Orders,  at  Cumberland,  February  2,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery;  George 
Rolan,  at  Cumberland,  January  3,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery;  John  H. 
Sefton,  at  Cumberland,  February  5,  1862,  Shiloh  cemeterv,  Clinton  town- 
ship; Calvin  C.  Sisco,  at  Greensburg,  March,  1862,  South  Park  cemetery; 
Lafayette  Sparks,  at  Cumberland,  May  27,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery; 
Hinkey  Zook,  at  Fairfax,  A'irginia,  1862,  Arlington  National  cemetery. 

Wounded,  not  fatally :  Dyar  C.  Elder,  in  Wilderness,  arm  and  shoulder, 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment;  Mortimer  Burtch,  accidental,  discharged 
March  15.  1863;  William  L.  Ford,  in  Wilderness,  knee  joint,  mustered  out 
with  regiment;  David  Heifner,  at  North  .\nna  river,  mustered  out  with 
regiment ;  Ezra  L.  Lee,  at  Petersburg,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  George 
(29) 


450  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Miller,  at  Port  Republic,  discharged  January  17,  1863;  Matthew  R.  Porter, 
at  Winchester,  mustered  out  with  regiment :  Perry  S.  Tremain,  at  Weldon 
railroad,  in  knee,  discharged  October  20,   i8'63. 

Company  G. 

Killed  in  action :  Sergt.  David  B.  Gageby,  at  North  Anna  river,  May 
25,  1864,  buried  on  field:  Joseph  Beetem,  at  Petersburg,  June  18,  1864, 
buried  on  field;  Benjamin  Higdon,  at  Yellow  House,  August  21,  1864,  buried 
on  field;  James  Higdon,  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1864,  Fredericksburg 
cemetery;  Charles  Jones  in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  body  not  recovered; 
Thomas  McLaughlin,  in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  body  not  recovered; 
Daniel  J.  McCoy,  in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  body  not  recovered;  John 
Patterson,  at  Manassas  Plains,  August  29,  1862,  Arlington  national  ceme- 
tery; William  T.  Ryland,  at  Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863,  body  not  recovered; 
McCowan  H.  Smith,  in  Wilderness,  May  5,  1863,  body  not  recovered. 

Died  of  wounds:  John  X.  Hann,  wounded  at  South  Mountain,  died  in 
hospital  at  Fredericksburg,  Maryland,  buried  in  Antietam  national  cemetery; 
Sydney  R.  Griswold,  wounded  at  Winchester,  died  at  Washington  city  June 
22,  1862,  Arlington  national  cemetery. 

Died  in  prison:  Sergt.  Orion  W.  Donnell,  captured  at  Yellow  House, 
August  19,  1864,  died  at  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  prison,  November  14, 
1864,  Arlington  national  cemetery;  Bazil  G.  Boyce,  captured  at  Yellow 
House,  August  19,  1864,  died  in  Salisbury  prison,  October  2S,  1864,  Salis- 
bury national  cemetery;  Newton  J.  Land,  captured  at  Yellow  House,  August 
19,  1864,  died  in  Salisbury  prison,  January  13,  1865,  Salisbury  national  ceme- 
tery; George  M.  Burk,  captured  at  Weldon  railroad,  died  in  southern  prison, 
date  not  reported ;  William  Paul,  captured  at  Yellow  House,  died  in  Ander- 
sonville  prison,  date  not  reported,  Andersonville  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  disease:  Corp.  John  J.  Robbins,  at  Elkwater,  November  4, 
1861,  buried  there;  Moses  Coen,  at  Cumberland,  January  31,  1862,  Cumber- 
land cemetery ;  Charles  S.  Bailey,  where  and  when,  not  known ;  William  T. 
Kerrick,  at  Washington  city,  May  15,  1863,  Arlington  cemetery;  James  H. 
Kerrick,  at  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  February  10,  1862,  Wheeling  ceme- 
tery; George  Hamily,  at  Fairfax,  Virginia,  June  18,  1862,.  Arlington  national 
cemetery;  John  Lewis,  at  Elkwater,  December  2,  1861,  buried  there;  Will- 
iam Wick  Lewis,  at  Philadelphia,  1865,  buried  in  Mt.  Carmel  cemetery: 
George  Wise,  at  Beverly,  West  Virginia,  September  27,  1861,  Beverly  ceme- 
tery; Benjamin  F.  Worth,  at  Beverly.  December  21,  1861.  Beverly  cemetery. 

Wounded,  not  fatally :     George  Brickler,  at  Cathett's  Station,  in  breast. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  45 1 

discharged  January  6,  1862;  James  Gaynor,  at  Winchester,  veteranized  in 
1864;  George  AI.  ■Meek,  in  Wilderness  through  breast,  mustered  out  with 
regiment;  James  R.  Cox,  lost  arm  at  ^lanassas  Plains,  August  29.  1862; 
William  H.  Perry,  in  mouth,  in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  regiment; 
Alilo  Robertson,  in  foot,  at  Gettysburg,  mustered  out  with  regiment;  Henry 
Reddington.  lost  arm  at  W'inchester,  June  18,  1863,  discharged,  disability; 
John  C.  Roster,  in  leg,  in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  James  M. 
Springer,  through  breast,  in  Wilderness,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Henry 
Thomson,  through  breast,  at  Winchester,  lost  leg  in  Wilderness,  mustered 
out  with  regiment ;  William  \\'alker,  in  leg  at  Fort  Royal,  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment. 

GREENSBURG    BAND. 

Died:  George  W.  Rhiver,  at  Greensburg.  April  21,  1862;  William  H. 
Crist,  at  Cumberland,  Alaryland,  February  12,  1862,  Cumberland  cemetery; 
John  H.  Howard,  at  Elkwater,  December  6,  1861,  South  Park  cemetery. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH     INFANTRY. 

Company  E. 

Killed  in  action :  James  E.  Conner,  at  Elkins  bridge,  near  Athens, 
Georgia,  May  9,  1S62,  buried  in  field;  Robert  F.  Heaton,  at  same  ])lace  and 
date,  Adams  cemetery;  James  Jordon,  same  place  and  date,  on  field;  John  F. 
Morgan,  same  place  and  date,  on  field;  Alfred  C.  Scull,  same  place  and  date, 
on  field. 

Died  of  wounds:  Capt.  Frank  Hughes,  February  2,  1862,  Brownsville 
cemetery ;  Sergt.  Willa  A.  Raynes,  at  Elizabethville.  Kentucky,  December  20, 
1861,  Vienna  cemetery.  Rush  county;  Martin  Brooks,  at  Macon,  Georgia, 
August  20,  1862,  Macon  national  cemetery;  Nicholas  A.  Butler,  at  Wash- 
ington city,  October  20,  1862,  Arlington  national  cemetery;  Will  Deem,  at 
Bacon  Creek,  February  15,  1862,  South  Park  cemetery:  Charles  Hogan,  at 
Adams,  October  19,  1862,  Adams  cemetery;  Jacob  ]\Iaharry,  at  Murfrees- 
boro,  Tennessee,  April  i,  1862,  Murfreesboro  national  cemetery;  Joseph  A. 
Markes,  at  Elizabethtown,  December  18,  1861,  Elizabethtown  national  ceme- 
tery; Will  Richey,  at  Chattanooga,  August  10,  1864;  Reuben  Smawley,  at 
Bacon  Creek,  February  2,  1862,  South  Park  cemetery;  John  B.  Stagsdill,  cap- 
tured, died  at  Macon,  October  14,  1864,  INIacon  cemetery;  Thomas  S.  Tevis, 
at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  October  12,  1862,  Charlotte  cemetery;  James 
Whimper,  at  Bacon  Creek,  December  30,  1861,  on  field;  James  Trackwell,  at 


452  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIAN^. 

Elizabethtown,   December    lo,    1861,   near   Cynthiana,   Rush   county;   Albert 
Wootnes,  at  Bacon  Creek,  January  9,  1863,  on  field. 

Wounded,  not  fatally :  Capt.  Mahlon  C.  Connett,  seven  wounds  at 
Elkins  bridge,  ;\Iay  9,  1862,  resigned  February  26,  1863;  Marion  Garrett,  at 
Elkins  bridge,  May  9,  1S62,  through  breast,  discharged  January  27,  1863; 
James  A.  Hanger,  at  Elkins  bridge.  May  9,  1862,  deserted  February  19, 
1863;  James  Tillison,  at  Elkins  bridge.  May  9,  1862,  discharged  August  i, 
1862;  Buckner  C.  Whitlow,  at  Elkins  bridge.  May  9.  1862,  August  i,  1862: 
John  F.  Wolverton,  at  Elkins  bridge.  May  9,  1862,  transferred  to  reorganized 
Thirty-seventh. 

Company  H. 

Killed  in  action:  Sergt.  Joel  ^I.  Proctor,  at  Pumpkinvine  Creek, 
Georgia,  May  27,  1864,  Marietta  national  cemetery;  John  S.  Hall,  at  Stone's 
River,  December  31,  1862,  Stone's  River  national  cemetery;  William  R. 
Murray,  at  Stone's  River,  December  31,  1862,  Stone's  River  national  ceme- 
tery; James  W.  Pleak,  at  Dallas,  Georgia,  May  ly,  1864,  Marietta  national 
cemetery;  Harrison  Robbins,  at  Stone's  River,  December  31,  1862,  Stone's 
Ri\-er  national  cemetery;  Samuel  William,  at  Stone's  River,  December  31, 
1862,  Stone's  River  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  wounds.  Capt.  James  H.  Burk,  at  Pumpkinvine  Creek, 
Georgia,  July  9,  1864,  Burk's  Chapel;  Sergt.  Benjamin  L.  Demoss,  at  Chat- 
tanooga, May  10,  1862,  Chattanooga  national  cemetery;  James  L.  Buck,  died 
at  Nashville,  January  10,  1862,  Nashville  national  cemetery;  Alfred  Watson, 
at  Nashville,  July  24,  1864,  Nashville  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  diseases:  William  H.  Burk,  at  Louisville,  July,  1863,  Louis- 
ville cemetery;  Sergt.  John  Jones,  at  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  March  14, 
1862,  Bowling  Green  national  cemetery;  Corp.  John  J.  Paul,  at  Jackson, 
Tennessee.  March  5,  1862,  Bowling  Green  national  cemetery;  George  C.  W. 
Diggs,  at  Bowling  Green,  March  2,  1862,  Bowling  Green  national  cemetery; 
Henry  Dav,  at  Murfreesboro,  March  12,  1863.  Murfreesboro  national  ceme- 
tery; Hiram  Fredenburg,  at  Evansville,  November  4,  1863,  Evansville  ceme- 
tery; Jacob  A.  Hutchinson,  at  Murfreesboro,  February  11,  1863,  Murfrees- 
boro national  cemetery;  William  Laforge,  at  Camp  Jefferson.  Kentucky, 
January  5,  1862,  Camp  Jefferson  cemetery;  Elisha  G.  Patrick,  at  Huntsville, 
July  13,  1862,  Patrick's  cemetery.  Clay  township;  James  R.  Scott,  at  Nash- 
ville, October  9,  1862,  Nashville  national  cemetery;  Thomas  W.  Shera,  at 
Stone's  River,  May  4,  1863,  Mt.  Olive  cemetery,  near  Alert;  Zemri  Shaw,  at 
Murfreesboro,  April  14,  1863,  Murfreesboro  national  cemetery. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  453 

Wounded,  not  fatally :  Sergt.  Cyrus  A.  Jackson,  at  Pumpkinvine 
Creek,  discharged  January  9,  1863;  Corp.  John  M.  Roop,  at  Stone's  River, 
discharged  February  9,  1863;  Francis  F.  McCracken,  at  Stone's  River,  dis- 
charged March  2,  1863 ;  John  L.  Hice.  at  Stone's  River,  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment;  William  G.  Sharp,  at  Stone's  River,  mustered  out  with  regi- 
ment; David  Stone  Cypher,  discharged  June  6,  1862;  \\'illiam  A.  Thompson, 
discharged  October  24,  1S63. 

Company  K. 

Corp.  James  H.  Rankin,  killed  at  Peachtree  Creek,  Georgia,  July  2, 
1864,  Spring  Hill  cemetery;  William  W.  Hamily,  died  of  disease  at  Louis- 
ville, June  8,  1863,  Louisville  cemetery. 

FIFTY-SECOND  REGIMENT. 

Co)iipany  B. 

Frozen  to  death :  Capt.  Edwin  Alexander,  at  Island  No.  10,  December 
31,  1863,  buried  in  South  Park  cemetery;  David  W.  Dean,  at  Island  No.  10, 
same  date,  at  Fort  Pillow;  William  M.  Falconbury,  at  Island  No.  10,  same 
date.  South  Park  cemetery;  George  W.  Havelin,  at  Island  No.  10,  same, 
date,  at  Fort  Havlin;  William  Tyler,  at  Island  No.  10,  same  date,  at  Fort 
Pillow;  George  W.  Wilson,  at  Island  No.  10,  same  date,  at  Fort  Pillow. 

Killed  in  action :  Joshua  Barnes,  at  Fort  Blakely,  Alabama,  April  4, 
1863,  on  field;  John  Pettit,  at  Durkamsville,  Tennessee,  September  2,  1862, 
on  field;  Joseph  Regan,  at  Fort  Donelson,  February  15,  1862,  on  field. 

Died  of  wounds;  Fdward  Roe.  June  2^.  1864,  received  at  Collinsville, 
Tennessee. 

Died  of  disease;  Perry  S.  Brisbain,  at  St.  Louis,  April  2,  1862,  St.j 
Louis  cemetery;  Francis  A.  Barton,  at  St.  Louis,  October  6,  1864,  St.  Louis, 
cemetery;  John  Frost,  at  St.  Louis,  May  12,  1862,  St.  Louis;  Martin  Louthan, 
April  16,  1862,  place  not  reported;  Timothy  Moore,  at  Murfreesboro,  Janu-. 
ary  12,  1865,  IMurfreesboro  national  cemetery;  Alfred  Madden,  at  St.  Louis; 
June  5.  1S62,  St.  Louis;  Jeremiah  Morgan,  at  St.  Louis,  December  20,  1862, 
St.  Louis  cemetery;  Ferrill  Roark,  at  Memphis,  October  2,  1862,  St.  Louis, 
cemetery;  James  Rupel,  drowned,  March  7,  1864,  where,  not  reported;  Syl-, 
vester  Yoder,  at  Scipio,  July  23,  1862,  Scipio  cemetery. 

Wounded,  not  fatally;  James  Alexander,  discharged  August  i,  1862;, 
John  Milholland,  Sr.,  discharged  October  29,  1862;  ^^'illiam  H.  O'Donnell, 
discharged  March  7,  1862. 


454  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Company  C. 
Francis  Corwin.  August  3,  1863,  not  reported  where. 

Cojiipany  F. 

Horatio  May,  at  Andersonville,  Indiana.  December  28,  1862.  Anderson- 
ville  cemetery;  William  H.  Thompson,  at  Andersonville,  JNIay  5,  1862,  Ander- 
sonville cemetery. 

SIXTY-EIGHTH    INFANTRY. 

Killed  in  action :  William  Griffin,  Company  D,  at  Chickamauga,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1863,  Chickamauga  national  cemetery;  George  G.  Hankins,  I,  at 
Chickamauga,  September  19,  1863,  Chickamauga  national  cemetery;  John 
W.  Gilmore,  I,  missing  and  stipposed  killed  at  Missionary  Ridge;  Solomon 
H.  Patrick.  I,  at  Chickamauga,  September  19,  1863;  William  P.  Sutfin,  at 
Chickamauga,  September  19,  1863,  Chickamauga  national  cemetery;  Frank- 
lin T.  Showalter,  I,  at  University,  Tennessee,  August  9,  1863;  John  P. 
Shumm,  I,  at  Nashville,  April  20,  1863,  Nashville  national  cemetery. 

Died  of  disease:  Samuel  Hone,  A,  at  Andersonville  prison,  July  14, 
1864,  Anderson\'ille  national  cemetery;  Joseph  H.  Gantt,  A,  at  Murfreesboro, 
April  15,  1864,  Murfreesboro  national  cemetery;  John  H.  Burns,  A,  cap- 
tured and  died  in  Richmond  prison,  February  19,  1864;  John  T.  Becraft,  F, 
at  Nashville,  March  3,  1863,  Nashville  national  cemetery;  Thomas  Clenden- 
ning,  I,  at  Nashville,  March  4,  1864,  Nashville  cemetery;  George  C.  Dement, 
A,  at  Newpoint,  December  14,  1864,  Rossburg  cemetery;  Andrew  J.  Gil- 
more,  I,  in  field,  Tennessee,  July  20,  1865 ;  George  W.  Higgs,  I,  at  University, 
Tennessee,  August  8,  1863;  Thomas  Hooten,  A,  at  Pennington  Farm,  Tenn- 
essee, July  20  1865;  Samuel  Hise,  K,  in  Andersonville  prison,  July  14,  1864; 
Walter  S.  Lange,  D,  at  Murfreesboro,  May  19,  1862;  Joseph  L.  Nelan.  A, 
at  Louisville,  September  28,  1863;  John  W.  Stafford,  I,  in  Andersonville 
prison,  June  25,  1864;  William  Shera,  I,  at  Nashville,  July  8,  1863,  Nash- 
ville national  cemetery;  John  F.  Thompson,  I,  at  Cowan,  Tennessee,  August 
15,  1863;  James  Wynn,  L  at  Nashville,  March  26,  1863,  Nashville  national 
cemetery;  Robert  Woodward,  A,  at  Nashville,  June  16,  1864,  Nashville 
national  cemetery. 

SEVENTY-SIXTH   REGIMENT. 

Lieut.  Robert  Braden  was  detailed  to  Company  D,  Seventh  Indiana 
Infantry,  and  James  M.  Pierce  was  drowned  at  Cannelton,  Indiana,  July  26, 
1862. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  455 

EIGUTV-TMIRD   REGIMENT. 

C  QUI  pan  x  E. 

Lieut.  Benjamin  Bridges,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  December  28,  1862:  I.ieut. 
Darius  ]\I.  Dodd,  died  at  Memphis,  October  2,  1863,  Memphis  national  ceme- 
tery; William  R.  Lanius,  died  Jamiary  19,  1863;  Oliver  P.  Andrews,  at 
Mound  City,  Illinois,  January  2/.  1863;  Huston  J.  Craig,  at  Young's  Point, 
Louisiana,  March  2,  1863:  Matthew  D.  Evans,  at  St.  Louis,  March  29,  1863, 
St.  Louis  cemetery;  Samuel  Higgs,  on  hospital  boat,  January  2^.  1863: 
James  Harrell,  at  St.  Louis,  January  i,  1863,  St.  Louis  cemetery;  John  W. 
Kelly,  at  Memphis,  November  13,  1863,  Memphis  national  cemetery;  John 
M.  Long,  at  St.  Louis,  May  14.  1863,  St.  Louis  cemetery;  Charles  Lindsey, 
Company  L  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  March  18,  1863. 

NINETIETH     REGIMENT FIFTH     C.WALRV. 

Company  H. 

John  G.  Aldridge,  at  Baltimore.  Maryland,  June  i.  1864;  Alfred  Austin, 
in  Andersonville  pri,son,  Xovember  2y,  1864:  John  G.  Shew,  at  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  March  19,  1863;  W'illiam  F.  Sumpter,  at  Florence,  South  Caro- 
lina, February  9,  1865. 

GRAND  ARMY   OF   THE    REPUBLIC. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Repuljlic  has  had  six  posts  in  Decatur  county, 
at  Greensburg,  Xewpoint,  St.  Paul,  \\'estport,  Clarksburg  and  Sardina,  but 
only  two  of  these,  Greensburg  and  Westport,  are  now  active.  Death  is  fast 
claiming  the  old  veterans  and  Greensburg  Post  now  has  only  se\"ent}'-six 
members  out  of  a  total  membership  of  over  five  hundred  which  it  has 
enrolled  during  its  career. 

"Pap"  Thomas  Post  No.  5  was  established  at  Greensburg,  July  2,  1879. 
This  was  before  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  had  a  state  organization 
in  Indiana  and  the  local  post  was  organized  by  Col.  E.  R.  Chamberlain 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Illinois  department  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Greensburg  Post  claims  to  be  the  oldest 
in  Indiana  and  should  be  No.  i  instead  of  No.  5.  Thirty-five  members 
were  mustered  in  as  charter  members,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected 
on  the  initiatory  night :  Captain  commander.  Dr.  John  L.  Wooden ;  senior 
vice-commander,  M.  D.  Tackett;  junior  vice-commander,  C.  W.  Harvey; 
quartermaster,  J.   F.  Childs ;  surgeon.   Dr.   Samuel  INIaguire ;  chaplain.  Rev. 


456 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


B.  F.  Cavins;  officer  of  the  day,  G.  H.  Dunn;  officer  of  the  guard,  A.  J. 
Smith;  adjutant,  W.  W.  Dixon;  quartermaster-sergeant,  J.  M.  Stevens; 
sergeant-major,  Allen  Withrow. 

The  names  of  the  members  are  taken  from  the  official  records  of  the 
post  in  the  order  in  which  they  appear:  John  F.  Childs,  Conrad  Ehrhardt, 
George  Higgs,  John  M.  Stevens,  Stephen  Miller,  Jacob  Tice,  L.  H.  Mar- 
shall, James  Leggett,  S.  F.  Rigby,  E.  Anderson,  B.  F.  Cavens,  George  San- 
ders, John  W.  Sanders,  William  Bruner,  Thomas  T.  Brown,  D.  C.  Elder, 
J.  N.  Wallingford,  Daniel  Davis,  L.  Worcester,  Thomas  Mozingo,  John 
Kirby,  James  B.  Carter,  Josiah  Crume,  H.  H.  Talbott,  Samuel  Light,  B.  T. 
Black,  J.  W.  Lanham,  James  B.  White,  B.  M.  Ricketts,  Aquilla  Edwards, 
Frank  M.  Dowden,  Henry  B.  Carter,  Lewis  Fortune,  Charles  Barton,  George 
W.  Hightower,  John  F.  Wolverton,  John  E.  Rhiver,  James  H.  Gallup,  Will 
Cumback,  James  W.  Purvis,  John  Beeson,  Giles  E.  White,  George  A.  Bower, 
John  Pierce,  Samuel  Wimmer,  William  S.  Johnston,  Henry  C.  Snell,  J.  N. 
Adams,  John  A.  Meek,  John  H.  Brown,  George  W.  Buffington,  Hanibald 
H.  Burns,  Henry  Leswig.  B.  F.  Wells,  Perry  S.  Freeman,  S.  F.  Hearn, 
Robert  W.  Snyder,  John  W.  Terhune,  Martin  V.  Bruner,  Angus  F.  McCoy, 
William  C.  Dodd,  Richard  Braden.  J.  F.  Kersey,  George  H.  McKee,  Will- 
iam Bruner,  Jeremiah  Evans,  William  L.  Miller,  William  Footman,  James 
Fortune,  Jasper  Maple,  E.  A.  McWilliams,  R.  C.  Hall,  J.  W.  Garrison, 
Michael  Grow,  Samuel  McCrory,  James  M.  Hall,  William  Maynard,  A.  B. 
Armington,  John  Moulton,  Richard  Baker,  Charles  H.  Little,  Samuel  L. 
Keeley,  James  Clemens,  John  J.  Nesbit,  John  W.  Whipple,  Ira  Tanner, 
William  Dwyer,  Solomon  K.  Ames,  Peter  H.  Huber,  Milton  S.  Siling,  W. 
H.  Vandever,  Jerry  B.  Forbes,  James  F.  Stewart,  A.  S.  Creath,  Majenca 
Oldham,  William  A.  Doles,  John  Tucker,  Lewis  Graham,  James  H.  Alyea, 
Jackson  S.  Riley,  Andrew  J.  Terrell,  James  L  Gageby,  Van  B.  Straight. 
David  A.  Davidson,  Allen  G.  Bates,  William  H.  Montgomery,  William  S. 
Ketcham,  Henry  Jones,  David  A.  Tucker,  Robert  Miller,  Jackson  Isgrigg, 
David  Short,  James  Endicott,  John  B.  Hardeback,  James  R.  Nicely,  C. 
Anderson.  John  W.  Stevens,  James  W.  Fiscus,  Taylor  Meek,  John  W. 
Stout,  Thomas  Freel,  R.  Christian,  H.  H.  Montgomery,  John  Foley,  J.  H. 
Kersey,  Lewis  J.  Lafforge,  Wilham  Harrell,  Erastus  S.  Bussell,  J.  C.  Bar- 
nard, Ezekiel  Horstley,  William  Kennedy,  G.  W.  Brown,  W.  A.  Dryden, 
B.  D.  Fowler,  James  McConnell,  Frank  S.  Soper,  Henry  Thomson,  Marion 
Fiscus,  E.  F.  Herrick,  Bernard  Muller,  W.  F.  Bird,  Thomas  Doles,  Zephe- 
miah  Lawrence,  William  Conquest,  O.  D.  Martin,  Elisha  Chance,  Matthias 
Herr,  John  R.  Snook,  James  Kenned}-,  Robert  H.  Evans,  E.  K.  Pond,  N. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  457 

M.  Higgins,  W.  H.  Sedrick,  Richard  Literel,  W.  R.  Elder,  A.  D.  Reeves, 
James  H.  Pavy,  James  M.  Berry,  George  Griffitts,  F.  W.  Sisco,  Isaac  W. 
White,  Alexander  Ralston,  John  Suttles,  Charles  I.  Ainsvvorth,  Daniel  Hig- 
don,  J.  W.  Burney,  W.  H.  Jussey,  Myron  S.  Harding,  Merritt  Dorsey,  John 
Welsh,  J.  T.  Applegate,  W.  D.  Dailey.  W.  L.  Hasbrouck,  James  H.  >Veeks, 
Jared  S.  Ryker,  George  W.  Morgan,  W.  H.  Walters,  Robert  Tillman,  John 
C.  Rile}^  Brumfield  Turner,  Jesse  Jones,  Scjuire  Hittle,  Paul  R.  Stage,  Alfred 
M.  Hooten,  Josiah  Savage,  Samuel  Barbour,  Milton  G.  Moore,  Lafayette 
Dillman,  John  H.  Weaver,  George  N.  Vanostram,  John  T.  Glass,  M.  C.  Welch, 
Edward  E.  Rouse,  Joseph  Drake,  Moses  Knox,  John  H.  Alcorn,  William  M. 
Miller,  Felix  Gartin,  B.  F.  Cooksey,  David  Bruner,  John  Jones,  John  T. 
Hazen,  Frank  Rahe,  John  Coy,  George  S.  Dickey,  J.  F.  Osting,  Absolom 
Robbins,  William  Jones,  William  S.  Smith,  Jasper  Cobb,  O.  C.  Elder,  George 
Durk,  Barney  Murray,  George  Wayner,  William  F.  Marsh,  Francis  M. 
Kinney,  James  H.  Conley,  Robert  B.  Whiteman,  J.  W.  Stivers,  R.  G. 
Adams,  F.  C.  Eddleman,  T.  S.  Hughes,  R.  H.  Evans,  J.  S.  Christy,  James 
H.  Cox,  Jesse  Miller,  Charles  Fromer,  J.  H.  Kirkpatrick,  Hugh  D.  Galla- 
gher, J.  H.  St.  John,  John  T.  Sturgis,  Thomas  Edmeads,  Henry  W.  Vogle, 
W.  H.  Binning,  Matthew  R.  Porter,  James  B.  Conover,  Benjamin  Ketcham, 
Milton  G.  Alyea.  Nottingham  Bradburn,  B.  F.  McCoy,  Samuel  L.  Ander- 
son, Francis  M.  Grumes,  Lewis  A.  Sturgis,  J.  B.  F.  Reed,  John  W.  Taylor, 
Theodore  Miller,  W.  A.  Craig,  William  J.  McClain,  John  Hunter,  William 
N.  Moberly,  Joshua  F.  Cox,  Thomas  H.  Kennedy,  W.  N.  Rozzell,  Judson 
Hays,  James  M.  Hiner,  Samuel  F.  Applegate,  Charles  B.  Johnson,  Daniel 
Miller,  Spencer  Clemmons,  Thomas  Hughes.  Thomas  Kratt,  A.  E.  Hirsh- 
field,  John  S.  Marsh,  T.  B.  Peery,  Charles  Smith,  William  McCune,  R.  D. 
Black,  Henry  Duncan.  W.  'A.  Lawson,  James  M.  McConnell,  Samuel 
Scott,  James  S.  Elliott,  Benjamin  Ketcham.  Isaac  D.  Waits,  Charles  W. 
Wiley,  Harry  H.  Dowden,  W.  H.  Snodgrass,  James  P.  Long,  Reuben 
Smalley,  Noah  Moody,  R.  F.  Thomas,  James  G.  Adkins,  Moses  Butcher, 
John  Mullenix,  D.  W.  Sanders,  Joseph  W.  Hubbell,  Oliver  Perry  Ennis. 
John  F.  Hinman,  John  Ehrhard.  Samuel  Brown,  James  L.  Powner,  Jacob 
L.  Doll.  Elihu  Tooley,  Samuel  Jones,  Edmund  A.  Trusler,  Hugh  Brison, 
E.  D.  Smith,  Eli  Hase,  I.  G.  Wolverton,  James  C.  Bell,  George  C.  Conk, 
George  W.  Mowrer,  James  Leggitt,  W.  M.  McKay,  H.  F.  Witter,  W.  J. 
Crisler,  Isadore  Strawback,  Joseph  F.  Wainwright,  A.  P.  Bone,  John  Ran- 
kin, Daniel*  Coy,  James  Welch,  W.  S.  Haycock,  Ephriam  Ashcraft.  Edmond 
M.  Garten.  J.  M.  Tobias,  Orlando  Hood,  :\Ionroe  Marsh,  A.  G.  Fisher,  Will- 


458  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

iam  R.  Withers,  John  W.  Boyd,  Samuel  Brimer,  W.  P.  Wynkoop,  WiUiam 
Douglass,  J.  J.  Hazelrigg,  G.  B.  Fleming,  C.  C.  Ennis  and  James  A.  Wilson. 
The  present  officers  of  "Pap"  Thomas  Post  are  as  follows:  W.  W. 
Dixon,  post  commander;  H.  C.  Snell,  senior  vice-commander;  Benjamin 
Ketcham,  junior  vice-commander;  O.  C.  Elder,  chaplain;  Samuel  H.  Stew- 
art, surgeon;  J.  F.  Childs,  adjutant;  A.  S.  Creath,  quartermaster;  J.  S. 
Short,  quartermaster-sergeant;  Jasper  Cobb,  sergeant-major;  J.  N.  Annis, 
officer  of  the  day;  Reuben  Smalley,  officer  of  the  guard;  A.  Murphy,  patriot 
instructor.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  post  has  one  living  member, 
Reuben  Smalle}-,  who  wears  a  medal  of  honor  conferred  upon  him  by 
Congress  for  distinguished  bra\'ery  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  Mr.  Smalley 
enlisted  from  Ripley  county,  but  has  lived  most  of  his  life  since  the  war 
in  Decatur  county.  He  is  the  only  living  soldier  in  the  county  with  such  a 
medal  and  one  of  the  very  few  in  the  United  States  who  has  been  a  recipient 
of  official  recognition  on  the  part  of  Congress.  One  other  Ripley  county 
volunteer,  and  a  later  resident  of  Decatur  county  to  receive  this  coveted 
honor  was  the  late  Jacob  Overturf. 

THE   G.    A.    R.    CANNON. 

On  May  19,  1897,  the  local  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  post  received 
a  thirty-two-pound  cannon,  which  was  donated  by  the  government.  It  was 
shipped  to  Greensburg  from  Portsmouth,  Maine,  and  the  post  had  to  pay 
the  freight  charges  of  thirty-one  dollars.  It  now  stands  in  South  Park 
cemetery  and  is  flanked  by  the  fifty  thirty-two-pound  balls  which  came  with 
it.  Major  M.  D.  Tackett  and  Capt.  Silas  F.  Rigby  had  charge  of  the  plac- 
ing of  the  cannon  at  its  present  location. 

THE    woman's    relief    CORPS. 

The  cause  which  led  to  the  organization  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps 
can  be  traced  back  to  the  first  battlefield  of  the  great  Rebellion.  The 
work  of  American  women  in  tfie  great  conflict  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union  was  that  of  relief  upon  the  field  of  battle,  and  in  the  hospital; 
relief  for  the  wives  and  children  of  those  at  the  front;  relief  for  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  those  who  never  returned. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  was  organized  ])y  the  "boys  in  blue" 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  to  perpetuate  the  principles  of  fraternity, 
charity  and  loyalty,  and  to  relieve  the  wants  of  their  needy  comrades.  It 
soon  became  evident  they  needed  the  assistance  which  only  loyal  patriotic 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


459 


women  could  give.  In  response  to  this  demand,  many  societies  were  formed 
under  various  names;  but  it  was  not  until  July,  1883,  by  invitation  of  Paul 
Vandervoort,  commander-in-chief  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  that 
representatives  of  societies  from  sixteen  states  met  with  the  national  encamp- 
ment in  Denver,  and  perfected  a  national  organization  to  be  known  as  the 
National  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  which  was  at  once  adopted  by  the  encamp- 
ment as  the  auxiliary  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  From  this  little 
band  of  fifty-six  meml'.ers,  the  membership  is  now  more  than  one  himdred 
and  sixty  thousand. 

The  objects  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  are  to  assist  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  in  caring  for  the  Union  veteran  and  his  dependent  ones;  to 
perpetuate   the   memor\'  of   their   heroic   dead,   and   to   inculcate  lessons   of 


f^^"^S 


(^jAuxiliarytethe 


patriotism  and  lo\e  of  countr\-  among  the  children  and  in  the  communities 
in  which  they  live. 

Patriotic  teaching  in  the  public  schools  was  adopted  in  1893.  Thou- 
sands of  flags,  Declaration  of  Independence  charts,  oliographs  of  the  origin 
and  history  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  patriotic  primers,  flag  drills  and  salutes 
have  been  presented  the  schools;  one  thousand  primers  and  five  hundred 
oleographs  were  sent  to  the  commissioner  of  education  in  San  Juan,  Porto 
Rico,  for  distribution  in  their  schools;  one  thousand  primers  and  five  hun- 
dred oleographs  to  Honolulu;  five  hundred  primers  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  oleographs,  with  hundreds  of  flags,  to  the  schools  in  the  South.  Flags 
and  patriotic  •literature  have  also  been  sent  the  schools  of  Panama  and  New 
Mexico. 

From  the  organization  to  March  31,  19 14,  $4,428,064  have  been 
expended  for  relief  and  Memorial  day  in  the  South. 


46o 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


"Pap"  Thomas  Corps  No.  113  was  instituted  at  Greensburg,  May  21, 
1888,  with  twenty-seven  members,  by  Miss  India  Hackleman,  assisted  by 
Mrs.  Ben  Smith,  Mrs.  Mary  Conover,  Mrs.  Lon  S.  Havens  and  Mrs.  J.  B. 
Reeve,  all  of  Rushville.  The  charter  members  were,  Joanna  Elder,  Clara 
Creath,  Louisa  M.  Bone,  Ella  Hightower,  Versie  Bell,  Ella  Straisinger, 
Jane  Stage,  Mary  L.  Hearne,  Elizabeth  Leswing,  Martha  J.  Alyea,  Stella 
Alyea,  Catharine  Jones,  Rose  Bruner,  Matilda  Davis,  Margaret  Johnson, 
Flora  B.  Theis,  Mellie  D.  Drake,  Louisa  V.  Knox,  Martha  E.  Garrison, 
Mary  W.  Scobey,  Ella  Childs,  Eliza  J.  Crisler,  Cyrena  White,  Margaret 
Trusler,  Margaret  Conquest,  Alice  M.  Dowden  and  Lottie  M.  Ehrhardt. 
Of  this  number,  eighteen  are  living,  nine  have  been  called  home,  and  seven 
have  withdrawn. 

Our  blessed  Lord  framed  a  memorial  to  perpetuate  His  own  memory 
throughout  all  time  when  He  said,  "This  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  And 
when,  in  1868,  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  then  commander-in-chief  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  designated  the  30th  day  of  May  for  the  purpose  of 
"strewing  with  flowers  the  graves  of  those  who  died  in  defense  of  their 
country  during  the  late  rebellion,  and  whose  bodies  now  lie  in  almost  every 
city,  village  and  hamlet  church-yard  in  the  land,"  he  builded  for  himself  and 
them  a  memorial  which  will  never  disappear  from  American  history. 

And,  believing  it  fitting  that  the  living  should  also  be  remembered,  in 
1890  the  Flower  Mission  was  introduced,  and  like  the  mustard  seed  it  has 
flourished,  its  branches  reaching  almost  three  thousand  corps.  By  it,  many 
darkened  homes  and  sad  hearts  have  been  made  brighter. 

"For  who  so  careth  for  the  flowers, 
Will  much  more  care  for  Him." 

During  the  past  year  "Pap"  Thomas  Corps  has  expended  for  flowers 
for  sick  comrades  and  funerals,  $65.85. 

Fifty-one  orphans  have  been  placed  in  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Orphans' 
Home  at  Knightstown,  where  they  have  every  advantage  of  the  children  of 
well-to-do  parents.  A  number  of  them  now  occupy  positions  of  honor 
and  trust. 

Six  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  have  been  spent  for  relief,  and  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  necessaries  for  relief.  Each  year  ten  dol- 
lars is  turned  o\-er  to  the  post,  and  five  dollars  for  Memorial  day  in  the 
South  and  for  the  Christmas  fund. 

The  Greensburg  schools  have  the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  first 
to  adopt  patriotic  teaching  as  introduced  by  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps. 


DECATUR    COUNTY, _  INDIANA.  461 

Two  large  flags,  ten  by  twenty  feet  in  size,  have  been  furnished  city 
schools ;  one  hundred  patriotic  primers,  and  one  hundred  oleographs  of  the 
origin  and  historjr  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  with  flag  drills  and  patriotic 
selections,  have  been  presented  the  teachers  of  Decatur  county;  and  Dec- 
laration of  Independence  charts  furnished  each  school  in  Washington 
township. 

Through  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  a  law  was  enacted  by  the  Indiana 
Assembh-  in  191 1.  b\-  which  every  school  in  Indiana  may  be  provided  with 
a  flag,  if  the  teacher  asks  for  it. 

DAUGHTERS    OF    THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  was  organized  on  October 
II,  1890,  in  Washington,  D.  C,  with  eighteen  members.  The  first  presi- 
dent-general was  Airs.  Caroline  Scott  Harrison,  wife  of  Benjamin  Harri- 
son, then  President  of  the  United  States,  which  position  she  held  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  October  25,  1902.  The  late  Airs.  Charles  W.  Fairbanks, 
also  of  Indiana,  held  this  position  from  1901  to  1905. 


The  objects  of  the  society  are,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  men 
and  women  who  achieved  American  independence;  the  protection  of  histor- 
ical spots  and  the  erection  of  monuments ;  the  encouragement  of  historical 
research  in  relation  to  the  Revolution  and  the  publication  of  its  results;  the 
preservation  of  documents  and  relics,  and  of  the  records  of  the  individual 
services  of  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  patriots,  and  the  promotion  of  cele- 
brations of  all  patriotic  anniversaries;  to  carry  out  the  injunction  of  Wash- 
ington in  his  farewell  address  to  the  American  people,  "to  promote,  as  an 
object  of  primary  importance,  institutions  for  the  general  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge," thus  developing  an  enlightened  public  opinion  and  affording  to  young 
and  old  such  advantages  as  shall  develop  in  them  the  largest  capacity  for 
performing  the  duties  of  American  citizens;  to  cherish,  maintain  and  extend 
the  institutions  of  American  freedom;  to  foster  true  patriotism  and  love  of 
country,  and  to  aid  in  securing  for  mankind  all  the  blessings  of  liberty. 


462  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Any  woman  is  eligible  for  membership  who  is  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  is  lineally  descended  from  a  patriot,  man  or  woman,  who  aided  in 
establishing  American  independence. 

On  March  i,  191 5.  one  hundred  fourteen  thousand  one  hundred  and 
sixt}'-six  had  been  admitted  to  membership.  There  were  one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  thirty  chapters  in  the  United  States,  and  one  each  in  Cuba, 
Mexico  and  the  Philippines. 

Memorial  Continental  Hall,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  erected  by  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  American  Revolution,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  is  the  only  such  building  erected  by  women,  and  was  built  by  volun- 
tary contributions,  the  chapters  of  Indiana  contributing  almost  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  is  of  Vermont  marble  and  in  design  and  general  appear- 
ance is  a  copy  of  the  classic  buildings  of  our  Revolutionary  period.  The 
corner  stone  was  laid  on  April  19,  1904,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity;  the  gavel  used  was  the  one  with  which  George  Washington  laid 
the  corner  stone  of  the  national  capitol  in  1793.  In  this  building  all  docu- 
ments and  records  of  the  society  are  preserved,  also  priceless  relics  of  the 
past.  It  is  furnished  tljroughout  with  magnificent  old-time  furniture  and 
rare  paintings,  the  gifts  of  chapters  and  indi\'iduals.  The  continental  con- 
gress of  the  national  society  is  held  in  this  building. 

Lone  Tree  Chapter  No.  743  was  organized  in  Greensburg  by  the  state 
regent,  Mrs.  William  Guthrie,  April  6,  1907,  with  the  following  charter 
members :  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Tarkington  Alexander,  Mrs.  Lida  Montgomery 
Cobb,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Montgomery  Craig,  Mrs.  Emma  A.  Donnell,  Mrs. 
Eliza  McNabb  Eddleman,  Mrs.  Maude  Kitchin  Johnson,  Mrs.  Ella  Robbins 
Kitchin,  Mrs.  Juliet  Spliker  Lemon,  Mrs.  Alice  Gray  Markland,  Miss  Sarah 
Gageby  Montgomery,  Miss  Sue  M.  Montgomery,  Miss  Rebecca  Montgom- 
ery, Miss  Elizabeth  Fulton  Shirk,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Woodfil  Turner,  Mrs.  Pearl 
Kitchin  Woodfil,  Mrs.  Eliza  Talbott  Wolverton,  Annetta  Wampler  Shan- 
non, Mrs.  Ensebia  Craven  Stimson  and  Mrs.  Rose  Hendricks  Zoller. 

The  first  officers  were  Mrs.  Ensebia  C.  Stimson,  regent ;  Mrs.  Lizzie  W. 
Turner,  vice-regent ;  Emma  A.  Donnell,  secretary ;  Pearly  K.  Woodfil,  cor- 
responding secretary;  Mrs.  Eliza  T.  Wolverton,  treasurer;  Elizabeth  F. 
Shirk,  registrar,  and  Sue  M.  Montgomery,  historian.  The  past  regents  are, 
Mrs.  Stimson,  Mrs.  Turner,  and  Miss  Donnell.  The  present  (1915)  officers 
and  members  are :  Mrs.  Jessie  Riley,  regent ;  Mrs.  Maude  Kitchin  Johnson, 
vice-regent;  Mary  Wolverton,  secretary;  Mrs.  Oliver  Dickey  Gilham,  cor- 
responding secretary;  Mrs.  Irma  Cory  Douglas,  treasurer;  Rebecca  Mont- 
gomery, registrar,  and  Anna  L.   Riley,  historian;  ]\Irs.   Mary  'SI.  Tarking- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  463 

ton  Alexander,  Mrs.  Mabel  Kennedy  Bainbridge,  Sadie  Baker,  Hasnah  Baker, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gavin  Bryan,  Mrs.  Lida  Montgomery  Cobb,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Montgomery  Craig,  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Stagg  Crisler,  Emma  A.  Donnell,  Winona 
Crisler  Deiwert,  Mrs.  Mollie  Stoner  Fogg.  Mabel  D.  Foley,  Mrs.  Mary 
Spliker  Haines,  Grace  E.  Haines,  Mrs.  Flora  Gaines  Haas,  Gertrude  Haas, 
Mrs.  Ella  Robbins  Kitchin,  Sue  M.  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Stella  Green  Rucker, 
Patience  Rucker,  Mrs.  Ethel  Riley  Ryan,  j\Irs.  Laura  Gates  Sefton,  Flor- 
ence Sefton,  Elizabeth  Fulton  Shirk,  I\Irs.  Sarilda  Robbins  Smiley,  Mrs. 
Ensebia  Craven  Stimson,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Woodfil  Turner,  Pearl  A.  Williams, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Talbott  Wolverton.  Mrs.  Pearl  Kitchin  Woodfil  and  Mrs.  Rose 
Hendricks  Zoller. 

The  chapter  has  lost,  by  death,  ]\liss  Sarah  Gageby  ^Montgomery,  Mrs. 
Juliet  Spilker  Lemon,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Gageby  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Mary 
Jane  Quick  Mendenhall,  Miss  Bessie  Craig  and  Mrs.  Amanda  Gageby  Sil- 
ing;  by  withdrawal,  Mrs.  Eliza  M.  Eddleman,  Mrs.  Alice  G.  ]\Iarkland  and 
Mrs.  ]\Iary  Hendee  Fradenburgh;  Ijy  transfer,  Mrs.  Anna  G.  Stagg  Magill. 

At  the  last  state  conference,  IMiss  Emma  Donnell  was  elected  state 
vice-regent,  an  honor  well  bestowed,  and  appreciated  by  the  local  chapter. 
On  July  4,  1908,  a  large  flag  was  presented  to  the  public  library,  at  which 
time  an  appropriate  program  was  rendered.  Markers  have  been  provided 
for  the  graves  of  four  Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  ninety  dollars  contributed 
to  the  Memorial  Continental  Hall  at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  Alichigan 
road,  the  most  historic  in  Decatur  county,  will  be  marked  with  a  handsome 
boulder  bearing  a  bronze  inscription  tablet,  to  be  presented  to  the  city  on 
Flag  day,  June  14.  1916,  as  Lone  Tree  Chapter's  part  in  the  celebration 
of  the  anniversary  of  Lidiana's  admission  into  the  Union.  The  committee 
in  charge  is  Pearl  A.  Williams,  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Crisler  and  Mrs.  Ensebia  C. 
Stimson.  The  boulder  will  adorn  the  triangular  lot  at  the  intersection  of 
North  Michigan  avenue  and  Ireland  street,  and  will  be  a  lasting  tribute 
to  the  honored  pioneers  and  a  spot  where  the  present  and  future  generations 
may  pause  in  reverence  to  the  memorj'  of  the  sturdy  ancestors  who  opened 
the  way  to  the  present  advanced  civilization. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

GERMANS    AND    THE    GERMAN    INFLUENCE. 

An  account  of  the  growth  and  development  of  Decatur  county  would 
be  incomplete  did  it  not  make  more  than  passing  mention  of  the  German 
influence  that  has  been  exerted  there  during  the  past  three-cjuarters  of  a  cen- 
tury. Germans  were  not  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  They  were  not  the  pio- 
neers who  first  wielded  the  ax  and  felled  the  forest  trees.  Their  voice  was 
not  heard  in  the  formative  period  of  the  county,  their  arrival  being  consid- 
erabi}^  later. 

German  emigration  from  the  Fatherland  started  in  1848,  after  the 
revolution  there,  and  continued  until  the  formation  of  the  empire  in  1871. 
In  this  score  of  years  thousands  of  strong,  self-reliant  young  men  from 
Prussia,  Hanover,  Bavaria  and  the  other  German  states  poured  into  the 
United  States.  Dissatisfied  with  conditions  at  home  and  seeking  a  more 
perfect  freedom,  they  came  to  this  country  intent  upon  establishing  homes 
and  remaining  here.  Local  records  of  these  immigrants  show  that  most  of 
them  remained. 

The  Teuton  came  to  the  United  States  with  the  intention  of  following 
so  far  as  possible  the  same  occupation  by  which  he  made  his  livelihood  in 
Germany.  This  was  either  in  agriculture  or  in  business.  Thrifty,  industrious 
and  frugal,  all  he  needed  was  a  chance  to  establish  himself  and  his  success 
was  assured. 

Decatur  county  owes  much  to  her  German  settlers.  They  came  at  a 
time  when  the  best  lands  of  the  county  were  under  cultivation  and  were 
producing  profitable  crops.  The  Germans  did  not  seek  this  kind  of  land. 
What  they  wanted  was  that  which  could  be  purchased  for  a  few  dollars  an 
acre,  land  which  was  generally  regarded  as  almost  worthless  at  that  time. 
They  made  their  settlements  in  Marion  and  adjacent  townships,  where  the 
poor  woods-land  abounds,  and  started  in  to  wrest  from  stubborn  soil  a  liv- 
ing that  would  be  adequate  for  their  needs. 

A  less  self-reliant  race  would  have  flinched  from  the  undertaking;  a 
less  competent  people  would  have  failed  entirely.     But  they  persisted,  build- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  465 

ing  up  the  soil  as  best  they  could,  guarding  their  slender  savings  and  dili- 
gently striving  to  increase  their  stores.  Today,  a  second  or  third  generation 
has  replaced  many  of  these  immigrants,  and,  practicing  the  same  thrifty 
precepts  inculcated  by  their  sires  and  grandsires,  ha\e  made  the  soil  respond 
kindly  to  their  efforts,  have  reared  commodious  barns  and  comfortable 
dwellings  and  made  the  one-time  barren  places  resplendent  with  the  yellow 
and  gold  of  harvest  time. 

Some  who  had  busied  themseh'es  in  the  marts  of  trade  in  the  Father- 
land, sought  the  city  in  preference  to  the  rural  community,  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising and  exchange,  and  built  for  themsehes  a  reputation  for  honest 
dealing  that  is  a  dominant  characteristic  of  the  Teuton's  contribution  to 
the  great  American  "melting  pot." 

The  annals  of  Decatur  county's  German-Americans  are  brief.  Their 
names  appear  infrequently  in  the  court  docket.  They  have  rareh'  held  or 
sought  public  office.  They  have  industriously  gone  their  several  ways, 
minded  their  own  business  and  permitted  their  neighbors  to  do  the  same 
without  assistance  or  hindrance ;  have  reared  strong  sons  and  daughters  and 
prepared  them  for  efficient  and  useful  citizenship. 

From  the  time  Maximillian  Schneider  laid  out  the  town  of  IMillhousen 
and  named  it  Muhlhousen  for  the  ancient  municipality  in  .Alsace,  German 
influence  in  Decatur  county  has  been  none  the  less  marked  because  of  its 
indirectness.  A  people  that  does  nothing  but  set  standards  of  living  for 
the  emulation  of  others  has  done  enough. 

The  roster  of  these  German-American  residents  of  Decatur  county  is  too 
long  for  individual  discussion,  but  there  are  a  few  who  may  be  taken  as  illus- 
trative of  the  entire  list.  One  of  the  first  among  those  living  might  be  Louis 
Zoller,  vice-president  of  two  financial  institutions  and  a  successful  business 
man.  Born  in  Bavaria,  he  worked  for  a  time  in  Berlin,  and  then  came  to 
the  United  States  to  try  his  fortune  in  this  country.  He  engaged  for 
twenty-one  years  in  the  butcher  business  and  then  became  a  partner  in  a 
Greensburg  dry  goods  store.  He  is  now  retired  from  acti\-e  l)usiness  pur- 
suits, but  the  example  of  his  fine  success  cannot  be  altogether  lost  upon  a 
younger  generation. 

Barney  Zapfe  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  at  Alillhousen.  He  opened 
a  store,  made  that  store  earn  money,  in\ested  the  money  wisely  and  died 
possessed  of  a  comfortable  fortune.  Barney  Hardabeck — another  early 
German-American — bought  the  first  mill  built  at  Millhousen,  conducted  a 
store  and  woollen  mill  and  achieved  financial  independence.  Joe  and  Julius 
(30) 


466  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Rothschield,  at  Milford,  conducted  a  store  and  woollen  mill,  treated  the 
puljlic  fairly  and  honesth',  and  died  wealthy. 

John  Johannes,  president  of  the  St.  Paul  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion, started  the  manufacture  of  wagons  and  buggies  there  upon  a  small 
scale,  worked  early  and  late,  and  is  now  possessed  of  a  comfortable  financial 
rating.  John  Puttmann,  a  leading  citizen  of  Newpoint,  owning  a  store  and 
stone  quarry  and  other  property,  started  in  life  with  nothing  but  the  desire 
to  succeed.  George  Metz,  another  Newpoint  merchant,  is  also  of  Ger- 
man blood,  as  is  also  John  Hoff,  successful  business  man  of  that  place. 
Henry  Schroeder,  Sr.,  the  oldest  resident  living  in  Salt  Creek  township,  came 
from  Germany  to  Decatur  county,  through  Louisville,  Kentucky,  a  poor  boy, 
and  made  his  wealth  by  honest  toil. 

John  Zollner  and  H.  Kaby,  who  together  monopolize  the  bakery  busi- 
ness of  Greensburg,  are  German-Americans.  Daniel  Silberberg,  a  German 
Jew,  who  .recently  died  in  New  York  City  after  accumulating  a  fortune, 
obtained  his  start  to  success  in  Greensburg.  John  Weimar  came  to  the 
United  States  with  little  more  than  the  shirt  he  wore  upon  his  back.  He 
became  a  shoemaker  in  Greensburg  and  stuck  to  his  last  so  consistently 
that  when  he  retired  a  few  years  ago  he  found  himself  comfortably  well-ofif. 

Charles  Zoller  was  elected  county  treasurer  in  1874.  Henry  Metz 
became  one  of  the  wealthiest  farmers  in  Fugit  township  and  once  failed  to 
be  elected  county  commissioner  by  just  one  vote.  Joe  Herbert  purchased 
the  Millhousen  flour-mill  from  Barney  Hardabeck  and  managed  it  with  suc- 
cess and  profit. 

And  so  the  list  might  be  run  through  its  entirety.  None  of  them 
achieved"  more  than  local  distinction,  but  none  of  them  fell  into  disrepute 
at  home  or  abroad.  They  ran  their  mills,  they  garnered  their  harvests,  they 
watched  their  tills  and  yet,  withal,  found  plenty  of  time  for  recreation  and 
for  service. 

Decatur  county's  naturalization  records  exist  only  from  1867,  when 
German'  immigration  was  at  high  tide  and  almost  ready  to  subside.  Since 
then  two  hundred  and  eighty  men  of  foreign  birth  have  been  admitted  to 
the  privileges  and  duties  of  citizenship.  Of  this  number,  all  but  eighty- 
seven  were  born  in  Germany.     Following  is  the  list  complete : 

NATURALIZED    CITIZENS. 

1867 — Caspar  Menkhans,  Germany;  Leopold  Bahn,  Russia;  James 
Brehemg,  England;  Caspar  Camm,  Switzerland;  Henry  Eichgara,  Germany; 
John  Miller,  France;  Caspar  Voeka,  Germany. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  467 

1868 — Frederick  Schroder,  Germany;  Igiiatz  Borchard,  Germany; 
Henry  Winker,  Germany;  Christopher  Horstman,  Germany,  Christian  H. 
Winker,  Jr.,  Germany;  Christian  H.  Winker,  Sr..  Germany;  Christian 
Horstman.  Germany;  WilHam  Temaat,  Prussia;  Deidrick  Hudler,  Ger- 
many; George  Schever,  Germany;  WilHam  Buch,  Prussia;  G.  Henry  Pott- 
mann,  Germany;  Nicholas  Burgurgh,  Germany;  Henry  Brinkmann,  Ger- 
many; Henrv  L.  W>nkes,  Prussia;  John  Wack,  Germany;  Solomon  Ganz, 
Sachsen  Weimar;  Wendelin  Fox,  Germany;  Henry  Shaffer,  Germany; 
John  Laubanthal,  Prussia;  Barney  Heidemann,  Prussia;  Henry  Shrader, 
Germany;  Hugh  Waters,  Ireland;  William  Rowman,  England;  Raymond 
Loarkim,  Germany ;  George  Weber,  Bavaria ;  Michael  Hannon,  Ireland ;  John 
Hannon,  Ireland ;  Henry  Macke,  Germany ;  Louis  Zoller,  Bavaria ;  John  Goed- 
ing,  Prussia ;  Bernard  Blenker,  Prussia ;  Luke  Moore,  Ireland ;  William  Brone, 
Hanover;  August  Buddemier,  Prussia;  Chris  Mier,  Hanover;  Charles  H.  ]\Iil- 
ler,  Prussia;  Frederick  Brenner,  Prussia;  Frederick  ]\Iiene,  Prussia;  Christ 
Chrisler. 

1869 — Michael  Zeigler,  Germany. 

1870 — Michael  Hyland,  England;  Frederick  Shrader,  Prussia;  Henry 
Heier,  Prussia;  George  Loslein,  Bavaria;  Thomas  Adams,  England;  George 
Corscadden,  Ireland;  Henry  Stretmier,  Germany;  George  Acheson,  Ireland; 
Barney  Hoeing,  Prussia ;  William  F.  Deisher,  Germany ;  Martin  Madden,  Ire- 
land; Bernard  Talkenberg,  Germany;  Martin  Monkendorf,  Germany;  Andrew 
Little,  England;  Louis  Schmitt,  Bavaria;  William  Dews,  England;  Remick 
Wanner,  Germany;  John  Schild,  Switzerland;  Herman  Freising,  Hanover; 
Henry  Hight,  England ;  Joseph  Hollander,  Bavaria ;  Peter  Fonseth,  Holland. 

1871 — Casper  Schnieder,,  Germany;  Thomas  Brannon.  Ireland;  Bar- 
ney Fritz,  Germany;  John  G.  Theurer,  Germany. 

1872 — Henry  Schmidt,  Germany;  Frederick  Bauer.  Germany:  Freder- 
ick Hoffman,  Germany;  Daniel  Davarn,  Ireland;  Philip  Borck.  Germany; 
Henry  Schrieber,  Germany;  Barney  Tonyes,  Germany;  Michael  Connally, 
Ireland ;  John  ]\Ietz,  Germany ;  Joseph  Launderville,  England ;  Edward  Ryan, 
Ireland;  John  Emmert,  Germany;  Adam  Hartiges,  Germany;  John  Math- 
ews, Austria;  Huber  Martin,  Austria;  Theodorel  Frazer,  England;  Isidor 
Hock,  Germany;  Anton  Ransch,  Germany;  Oswald,  Switzerland;  Joseph 
Stier,  Germany;  John  Schroth,  Germany;  Frank  H.  Mayer,  Germany;  John 
F.  Waldhans,  Germany;  Thomas  Smith,  England;  William  Rinking,  Ger- 
many; Nicholas  Schroth,  Bavaria;  Diedrick  Rilmeyer,  Germany;  August 
Want,  Germany;  Frank  H.  Holtmeyer,  Hanover;  Joseph  Bouchard,  France; 
John  Klutz,  Germany;  Adam  Erhart,  Germany;  Thomas  Finn.  England; 
William   Ensemeier,    Germany;    Leoa   Joly,    France;    William    Brunkhorsh, 


468  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Germany;  Charles  Meyer,  Germany;  Joseph  Edelstein,  Russia;  Charles 
Voltz,  Germany. 

1874 — James  Davis,  Ireland;  Anton  Minster,  Germany;  William  G. 
Gommett,  Germany;  William  Huddler,  Prussia;  Louis  Hammer,  Germany; 
Phillip  Kanarr,  Germany;  John  Riley,  Ireland;  John  Evans,  Germany;  John 
Smith,  Sweden;  Edward  Stolle,  Germany;  Frank  Sieves,  Germany;  George 
Stahl,  Bavaria;  Charles  Grumbelbeck,  Germany;  L,  Joseph  Trilling,  Prussia; 
Michael  Greibhuhl,  France. 

1875 — George  Wendt,  Prussia;  William  IT.   Wegener,  Germany. 

1876 — Christian  G.  Maisch,  Germany;  Henry  Scherschligh,  Prussia; 
George  Bessler,  Prussia;  Tony  Halter,  France;  Frank  Wack,  Germany; 
Benjamin  Faust,  Germany;  George  Savaller,  Canada;  Edward  Roach,  Ire- 
land; Rudolph  Keller,  Germany;  Edwin  Hillier,  England;  Sichmund 
Wachtel,  Germany;  Joseph  Hegermann,  Germany;  John  Coney,  France;  Abton 
Pfeifer,  Germany;  Peter  Haunsz,  Germany;  Charles  Kanarr,  Germany; 
Valentine  Goskie,  Prussia;  Frederick  Rentzelmann,  Germany;  Frank  H. 
Meyer,  France;  Martin  Date.  Germany;  Ferdinand  Pulking,  Germany; 
Edward  Phillips,  England;  William  A.  Garrett,  England;  John  Hornung, 
Germany;  Michael  Clements,  Germany;  Alfred  Maynard,  England;  Henry 
Fernading,  Germany;  Jacob  Clementz,  France;  Harman  Thieman,  Ger- 
many; Laurence  Hook,  Germany;   Henry  Esaman,   Prussia. 

1878 — Jone  E.  Jones.  England;  John  Myers,  Germany;  Reinhold 
Moehleissen,  Wurttemberg;  James  Farrell,  England;  John  Woods,  Eng- 
land; Alexander  Xeal,  Wurttemberg;  Joseph  Esebett,  France;  Parks  Tem- 
pest, England;  James  Eenn,  Ireland;  Christian  Thrin.  Germany;  Henry 
Link,  Germany. 

1880 — Patrick  Kearns,  Ireland;  August  Einemann,  Germany;  John  J. 
Fauth,  Germany;  Joseph  Bachebele,  Germany;  John  W.  Kemper,  Germany; 
William  Kuhn,  Germany;  John  Thomas  Hock,  Germany;  Clement  F. 
DeCroes,  France;  Henry  M.  Vahlenkamp,  Germany;  George  Reisenweber, 
Germany;  William  Haase,  Germany;  Henry  Haase,  Germany;  Ferdinand 
Kock,  Germany. 

1882 — Henry  Niemann,  Germany;  Barney  Moormann,  Germany; 
Henry  Moormann,  Germany;  Barney  Kremer,  Germany;  George  Miller, 
Germany;  Thomas  Woods,  Ireland;  Signond  Harsany,  Himgary;  Falinten 
Gutting,  Germany;  John  Pohlman,  Holland;  John  B.  Blankmann,  Germany; 
Valentine  Bork,  Germany;  George  Newberry,  England;  Joseph  Wuger- 
pfenig,  Germany. 

1884 — Gottliel)  Holzwarth,  Germany;  Henry  Weis,  Germany;  Joseph 
Parker,  England;  Martin  Kelly,  England;  Jacob  Knarr,  Germany;  Charles 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  469 

Boahnka,  Germany;  Patrick  Griffin,  England;  John  W.  Melloh,  Germany; 
Bvordem  Esche,  Germany;  Wilhelm  Bachmann,  Germany;  Henry  Dreves, 
Germany;  John  Woods,  England;  Henry  Ortman,  Germany;  August 
Wucherpfennig,  Germany;  Rudolph  Keller,  Germany;  Bernard  Busche, 
Germany;  Frederick  O.  Mobius,  Germany;  Frederick  Pfeifer,  Germany; 
Alfred  Eggers,  Germany;  Christian  Link,  Germany. 

1886 — John  N.  Stier.  Germany;  Michael  Darmedy.  Ireland;  Herman 
Westerfiekl,  German}-;  William  Westerfeld,  Germany;  Xicholass  Hennen- 
fent.  (iermany;  Jacob  ^1.  F.  Henrichs,  Germany;  Frank  H.  Vollmer,  Ger- 
many: Clamor  Seibert,  Germany;  Henry  Seibert,  Germany;  Joseph  Herel, 
German)-;  John   Zollner,   Germany;  Henry  Kriger,   Germany. 

1888 — John  Henry  Picker,  Germany;  Joseph  Litman,  Germany;  Henry 
Thielking,  Germany;  John  Thompson.  Scotland;  John  Ferlan,  Germany; 
John  Bessler,  Germany;  Henry  Vogel,  Germany;  Henry  W.  Cosfoid,  Eng- 
land ;   Louis   Holler,   Germany ;   Adam   Knerr,    Germany. 

1889 — Albert  Wucherpfebbig,  Germany;  Henry  P.   Welker,   Germany. 

1890 — William  H.  Barthel,  Sweden;  Christopher  Aliller,  Germany; 
Henry  Rabjahns  Lune;  England;  John  Sicmer,  Germany;  John  M.  Krone, 
Germany.  I 

1 89 1 — Fred  Weyt,   Germany;    Barney  Hoeing,   Prussia. 

1892 — Andrew  Miller,  Germany:  Joseph  Schnoitgoke,  Germany;  Jacob 
Le\-enson.  Russia ;  John  Ever,  Prussia ;  Joseph  Byer,  Prussia ;  Gustavo  Wull- 
schleger,  Switzerland ;  Philip  Thompson,  England ;  Joseph  Moorman,  Ger- 
many ;  John  G.  Mayor,  Germany ;  John  Adams,  Germany ;  Carl  Parsch, 
Germany. 

1894 — Nicholas  Rosenstengel,  Germany;  Joseph  Lamniardauk,  Ger- 
many; William  G.  Haddade,  Syria,  Asia;  Frank  Plover,  Germany;  Jacob 
Bender,  Germany:  August  Price,  Germany;  John  Geisel,  Switzerland;  Clem 
Austing,  Germany:  Fred  Austing,  Germany;  John  C.  Stier,  Germany;  Mike 
Miser,  Russia. 

1896 — Lauvit  H.  Schelva,  Norway;  John  Schneider,  Germany;  Louis 
Levenstein,  Russian  Poland :  John  Gettelenger,  Germany. 

1898 — John  Kuert,  Switzerland;  Christian  Weimes,  Germany;  Albert 
Keen,  Germany. 

1900 — James  Donohue,  Ireland. 

1 90 1 — Frederick  Ehrhard,  Germany. 

190/ — Sam  Levenstein,  Russia. 

1909 — Jacob  Telles,  Austria. 

1910 — Henry  Nieman,  Germany. 

1912 — Johan  W.  Hilland,  Sweden. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

EARLY    ELECTIONS   IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  field  to  the  historian  than  that  of  politics 
and  in  no  field  is  it  so  difficult  to  arrive  at  definite  conclusions.  It  is  natural 
that  newspapers  should  set  forth  the  virtues  of  the  political  party  which 
they  support  and  at  the  same  time  try  to  discount  any  possible  merits  which 
opposition  parties  might  have.  In  the  early  history  of  our  country  this  fea- 
ture was  more  pronounced  than  it  is  today,  although  there  are  still  partisan 
papers  which  would  have  their  readers  believe  that  their  particular  party 
had  a  monopoly  on  all  the  political  wisdom  of  the  country.  In  the  days  of 
Jackson,  in  the  thirties  and  forties,  party  spirit  ran  high,  and  opposition 
papers  vied  with  each  other  in  vitriolic  remarks.  To  the  Jackson  followers, 
John  Ouincy  Adams  was  the  acme  of  aristocracy,  the  arch  enemy  of  democ- 
racy and  a  man  who  hated  the  common  herd.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fol- 
lowers of  Adams  pictured  the  old  warrior  as  a  Mephistopheles,  a  demon 
with  a  fire-brand  in  each  hand  and  a  man  who  would  plunge  his  country 
into  anarchy.  Even  gentle  and  unassuming  as  William  Henry  Harrison 
was,  the  Democratic  papers  made  him  out  as  a  disciple  of  the  Evil  One,  a 
man  who  made  a  diet  of  whiskey  alone  and  a  weakling  who  had  neither 
brains  nor  courage.    Such,  in  general,  was  the  condition  of  politics  up  to  1840. 

STATE    POLITICS     (1816-24). 

The  first  vote  for  President  in  Indiana  was  taken  in  1824..  In  1816 
and  1820  the  Presidential  electors  had  been  chosen  by  the  state  Legislature. 
There  were  no  clearly  defined  parties  in  the  state  during  the  eight  years 
preceding  1824.  All  were  followers  of  Jefferson  and  called  themselves 
Republicans.  However,  no  boss  ever  controlled  a  state  more  perfectly  than 
did  Governor  Jennings  the  young  state  of  Indiana.  He  lived  at  Jeft'erson- 
ville,  where  he  could  take  advantage  of  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  and  the 
desire  of  the  people  to  move  the  capital  to  the  center  of  the  state.  \\'illiam 
Hendricks,  of  Madison,  and  Senator  James  Noble,  of  Brookville,  were  the 
other  members  of  this  early  triumvirate. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  47I 

It  was  against  these  conditions  the  people  of  the  state  rose  in  rebelHon 
under  Jackson — an  attempt  by  the  common  people  to  take  a  hand  in  the 
government.  The  leaders  tried  to  head  off  the  uprising,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful. Clay  had  a  strong  following  in  all  parts  of  the  state.  It  was 
thought  the  people  could  agree  on  him.  Admirers  of  Clay  got  together  and 
put  an  electoral  ticket  in  the  field. 

In  the  meantime  the  reputation  of  Jackson  was  rapidly  spreading.  His 
services  in  the  Revolution,  in  the  Creek  \\'ar  and  at  New  Orleans  helped, 
but  his  chief  claim  to  popular  support  was  the  fact  that  he  was  not  a  politi- 
cian.    "He  knows  nothing  of  politics,"  was  the  argument  of  his  friends. 

Straw  votes  were  taken  at  the  county  musters.  At  Richmond  such  a 
vote  showed  ii6  for  Adams,  37  for  Jackson  and  8  for  Clay.  One  at  Spen- 
cer, Owen  county,  gave  Jackson  57;  Clay,  42,  and  Adams,  9.  One  at  Law- 
renceburg  gave  Jackson  305,  Clay,  90,  and  Adams,  70.  One  at  Indianapo- 
lis gave  Clay  158,  Adams  2,  and  Jackson  2.  In  ^\'ashington  county  a  straw 
vote  gave  Jackson  88  out  of  a  total  of  132. 

Pursuant  to  call,  the  state  convention  of  Jackson  men  met  in  the  court 
house  at  Salem,  September  18,  1824.  Eighteen  delegates,  representing  thir- 
teen counties,  were  present.  Each  delegate  was  required  to  present  his 
properly  signed  credentials  before  being  admitted.  Samuel  Milroy.  of  Wash- 
ington county,  was  made  chairman.  Jacob  Call,  of  A'incennes,  was  made 
secretary.  David  Robb,  Samuel  Alilroy,  Elias  McXamee,  Jonathan  JNIcCarty 
and  John  Carr  were  placed  on  the  electoral  ticket. 

The  platform  was  uniciue.  It  was,  first  of  all,  a  eulogy  of  Jackson.  He 
was  heralded  as  the  second  Washington.  Just  as  George  Washington  had 
shown  himself  a  trusty  statesman,  so  would  General  Jackson  prove  to  be. 
Alexander,  Caesar  and  Kapoleon  had  t}Tannized  over  a  corrupt  people.  Jack- 
son came  to  rescue  the  people  from  corruption.  The  present  officers,  it  was 
pointed  out,  were  engaged  primarily  in  petty  thieving,  and  no  less  a  master 
than  Old  Hickory  would  be  necessary  to  drive  the  money  changers  from 
the  temple. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  the  campaign  was  carried  on,  but 
the  records  fail  us.  Jackson  carried  twenty-four  counties  and  received  7,343 
votes  in  the  state.  Clay  carried  twenty-six  counties,  with  5,315  votes.  Adams 
carried  two  counties,  with  3,093  votes.  In  general.  Clay  was  supported  by 
the  politicians,  Adams  by  the  settlers  from  the  East  and  Jackson  by  those 
from  the  South. 


472 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


FIRST    PRESIDENTIAL    ELECTION    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 


Care  has  been  taken  to  examine  the  early  election  returns  in  Decatur 
county,  and  below  follow  some  interesting  facts  and  figures : 

The  following  was  the  vote  cast  at  the  first  election  ever  held  for  Presi- 
dential electors  in  Indiana,  November  6,  1824.  There  was  no  contest  in 
1820,  when  James  Monroe  was  re-elected,  hence  no  election.  There  could 
not  have  been  an  election  in  Decatur  county  anyway,  because  the  county  was 
not  organized  until  1822. 

Decatur  county  entered  the  political  arena  by  casting  a  preference  for 
Henry  Clav.     There  were  only  144  votes  cast  in  the  county,  as  follows: 

Clay       Jackson     Adams 

Washington   41  52  11 

Fugit    24  3  6 

Sand  Creek   700 

Total   72  55  17 

Plurality  for  Clay,  17. 

It  will  be  obser\'ed  that  if  the  Adams  men  had  voted  with  the  Jackson 
men,  it  would  have  been  a  tie.  Adams  township,  which  contained  about  the 
same  number  of  voters  as  Fugit,  was  not  counted  by  the  returning  board  on 
the  ground  that  the  returns  had  not  been  properly  made.  The  election  com- 
missioners were  Samuel  Bryan,  Andrew  McCoy  and  Martin  Adkins.  The 
record  was  made  to  Henry  H.  Talbott,  county  clerk,  who  made  out  the  report, 
which  was  duly  signed  by  the  three  gentlemen  named  above.  There  is  no  list 
of  the  names  of  voters,  which  would  be  of  interest  had  they  been  preserved. 

At  this  election,  and  also  in  1828,  Indiana  was  entitled  to  only  five  elec- 
tors. In  1832  the  number  was  increased  to  nine,  and  Indiana  began  to  cut 
cjuite  a  figure  in  national  elections. 

THE  PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION  OF   1828. 

During  the  four  years  between  1824  and  1828  the  voting  population  of 
Decatur  county  increased  from  144  to  638,  or  more  than  fourfold.  General 
Jackson  was  again  a  candidate,  and,  although  he  carried  the  state  by  22,237 
votes  against  17,625  for  Adams,  he  did  not  carrj-  Decatur  county,  although 
he  did  run  a  pretty  good  "hickory." 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  473 

The  vote  was  as  follows : 

Adams  Jackson 

Washington 259  211 

Fugit    28  44 

Adams    28  S3 

Clay    23  4 

Total 346  292 

Adams's  majorit}',  54. 

Sand  Creek  township  failed  to  record  her  vote,  although  she  cast  seven 
votes  in  1824.  The  election  commissioners  were  Ben  Jones,  Griffey  Griffiths, 
Isaiah  Kimble  and  William  Hopkins. 

THE  FIRST  COUNTY  ELECTION  IN   1823. 

The  first  county  election  in  Decatur  county  was  held  on  Monday,  August 
4,  1823,  to  elect  a  state  senator  for  eight  counties,  ^^larion,  Madison,  Hamilton, 
Johnson,  Henry,  Rush,  Shelby  and  Decatur;  a  member  of  the  House  for  four 
counties,  Henry,  Rush,  Shelby  and  Decatur;  a  county  commissioner,  and  to 
decide  whether  a  convention  should  be  held. 

For  senator,  John  Brison  led  with  163  votes;  James  Gregor3%  76;  S.  G. 
Mitchell,  2 1 ;  scattering,  7. 

For  representative,  William  Hendricks,  126;  John  Hopkins,  82;  Griggs, 
24,  Glass,  10. 

The  vote  for  commissioner  was  as  follows : 

Washington  Fugit  Adams 

William  Parks 125  13  i 

William  Henderson 6  61  40 

James  Long 14  i  2 

Total   145  75  43 

For  convention,  43. 
Against  convention,  208. 

Parks  had  been  appointed  one  of  the  first  three  lay  Governor  Jennings. 
The  other  two  members  were  Seth  Lowe  and  William  Harbard. 

There  were  then  only  three  townships.  Washington  township  was  in  the 
center  and  ran  from  east  to  west,  the  entire  breadth  of  the  county,  embracing 
what  is  now  Marion,  Sand  Creek,  Jackson,  Clay,  Washington  and  Salt  Creek 


474 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


townships.  Fugit  had  its  present  limits  and  the  eastern  half  of  Clinton  town- 
ship. Adams  embraced  its  present  territory  and  the  western  half  of  Clinton 
township.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how  sparsely  settled  the  county  must  have 
been  at  that  time.  Washington  township  cast  only  104  votes  in  1824.  Prob- 
ably half  of  these  voters  lived  outside  of  the  then  struggling  little  village  of 
Greensburg,  which  could  not  possibly  have  had  a  population  of  over  300  souls, 
and  was  only  two  and  a  half  years  old. 

FIRST  TOWNSHIP  ELECTIONS. 

The  first  election  of  any  kind  held  in  the  county  was  the  township  election 
held  on  June  i,  1822,  to  elect  justices  of  the  peace.  Two  justices  were  elected 
in  Washington  and  one  in  each  of  the  other  townships.  In  Washington  the 
election  was  held  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Hendricks,  with  Richard  Hall  as 
inspector;  in  Fugit  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Throp,  with  Isaac  Darnell  as 
inspector;  in  Adams  at  the  home  of  Edward  Tanner,  with  Paul  Brown  as 
inspector.  William  Miller  and  William  O.  Ross  were  appointed  constables  for 
Washington;  Henry  Hobbs  for  Fugit,  and  Solomon  Robinson  and  Daniel 
Howard  for  Adams,  by  the  county  commissioners. 

PRESIDENTIAL    ELECTION    OF    1 832. 

In  1824  Henry  Clay  received  ■]2  votes  in  the  county,  Andrew  Jackson 
55,  and  J.  O.  Adams  17.  In  1828  J.  O.  Adams  received  346  and  Jackson 
292.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  pioneer  fathers  and  grandfathers  of 
Decatur  county  showed  a  decided  preference  for  Henry  Clay  and  the  Whig 
partv.  The  \-oting  population  was  increasing  rapidly.  In  1832  the  vote 
was  as  follows : 

Clay  Jackson 

Washington 129  .  276 

Fugit    40  16 

Clinton 19  9 

Adams    22  34 

Clay    20  41 

Sand  Creek 9  29 

Total 539  405 

Clay's  majority,  134. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  475 

Marion  township  was  organized,  but  did  not  vote  for  some  reason.  The 
vote  in  the  state  was:  Clay,  15,4/-^;  Jackson,  31,552. 

PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION  OF    1 836. 

It  was  not  until  1836  that  all  the  townships  lined  up  and  voted  for  Presi- 
dent.    The  result  was  as  follows ; 

Harrison  \'an  Buren 

Washington 590  274 

Fugit 98  54 

Clinton 24  19 

Adams   97  34 

Clay   67  75 

Jackson    20  7 

Sand  Creek 31  ^^ 

Marion S  i 

Salt  Creek 15  11 

Total 950  513 

Harrison's  majority,  437. 

Harrison  carried  the  state  with  41,281  votes  to  32,480  cast  for  \^an 
Buren,  but  the  latter  was  elected. 

In  1840  the  total  vote  again  got  a  big  boost,  and  the  \\'hig  majoritv  con- 
tinued to  increase.  Clay  and  Jackson  townsliips  were  the  (inly  ones  that 
went  Democratic.     The  result  was  as  follows : 

Harrison  \'an  Buren 

Washington 729  331 

Fugit    100  43 

Clinton y^  42 

Adams    117  66 

Clay    61  94 

Jackson    24  31 

Sand  Creek 96  q6 

Marion 52  21 

Salt  Creek _l6  35 

Total 1,298  759 

Harrison's  majority,  539. 


476  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Harrison  again  carried  the  state  with  65,362  votes  to  51,695  cast  for  Van 
Buren.    The  vote  in  Sand  Creek  township  at  this  election  was  a  tie — 96  to  96. 

PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION  OF    1844. 

Clay  Polk 

Washington 615  380 

Fugit    132  87 

Clinton 54  16 

Adams    128  107 

Clay    87  157 

Jackson    39  74 

Sand  Creek 109  171 

Marion 62  62 

Salt  Creek '_ 49  37 

Total 1,275  1,091 

Clay's  majority,   184. 

DECATUR  COUNTY  ELECTION  IN  CIVIL  WAR. 

Party  spirit  ran  high  during  the  Civil  War  and  personal  encounters  on 
election  day  were  of  very  frequent  occurrence.     On  October   14,   1863,  an 

election  was  held  for  state  and  county  officials,  and,  although  the  state  went 
Democratic,  Decatur  returned  a  majority  for  the  Union  ticket.  The  vote 
in  the  county  was  as  follows : 

Union        Democratic  Majority 

Secretary  of  state 1.834              1.674  159 

Congress    1.856             1,673  ^73 

Representative 1,827              1.685  142 

Sheriff    1,840              1,672  168 

Treasurer 1,848             1,664  184 

Commissioner  first  district 1,827              1,666  161 

Commissioner  second  district 1,827              1,662  165 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


477 


The  vote  by  townships  for  secretary  of  state  \vas  as  follows : 

Union        Democratic 

Washington 609  259 

Fugit    220  132 

Chnton 79  54 

Adams   206  196 

Clay    196  226 

Jackson    130  217 

Sand  Creek 115  228 

Marion 125  245 

Salt  Creek 154  118 

Total 1.834  1,675 

Union  majority,  159. 

CONGRESSIONAL   VOTE. 

Colonel  Gavin,  for  Congress,  carried  this  county  by  173  and  Ohio  by  7. 
The  other  counties  went  for  Holman,  who  was  re-elected  by  2,934.  l-Acn 
Rush  county  ga\e  Holman  208  majority.  The  state  went  Democratic  bv 
9.591.  The  Democrats  elected  seven  members  of  Congress,  while  the  Union 
party  got  four.  Julian,  Dumont,  Orth  and  Colfax.  The  i^emocrats  had 
Law,  Cravens,  Harrington,  Holman,  V'oorhees,  Edgerton  and  McDowell. 

COUNTY    OFFICIALS. 

D.  R.  \'anBuskirk,  for  representative,  defeated  Captain  Bemusdaffer 
by  142;  Philip  Mowrer  defeated  W.  H.  Carroll  by  168;  James  Alorgan, 
for  treasurer,  defeated  William  A.  Manlove  by  184;  Abel  Withrow,  for 
coroner,  defeated  J.  M.  Watson  by  171;  Morgan  James  and  \\'ren  Gray- 
son were  elected  commissioners  by   161   and   165,  respectively. 

The  result  of  the  election  in  Decatur  county  was  very  gratifying  to 
the  Union  party.  Over  a  thousand  men  were  absent  in  the  army  at  this 
time.  Practically  all  of  them  would  have  supported  the  Union  ticket  if 
tliev  had  been  at  home. 


478  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

PRESIDENTIAL    ELECTION    OF    1860. 

The  election  of  i860  was  one  of  the  most  bitterly  contested  in  the  whole 
history  of  Decatur  county,  coming  as  it  did  on  the  eve  of  the  Civil  War. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  table,  Lincoln  carried  all  but  three 
townships,  while  the  Republican  majority  over  the  Douglas  Democrats  was 
482.  Breckenridge  received  only  93  votes  in  the  whole  county,  and  Bell, 
the  candidate  of  the  Constitutional-Union  party,  received  only  20  votes.  The 
vote  by  townships  for  Lincoln  and  Douglas  was  as  follows: 

Lincoln.  Douglas. 

Washington  township 605  254 

Fugit  township 280  120 

Clinton  township 82  62 

Adams  township 227  186 

Clay  township 213  201 

Jackson  township    161  201 

Sandcreek  township 144  180 

Marion  township 151  215 

Saltcreek  township 165  127 

Totals 2,028  1.546 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


LITERARY    GLIMPSES. 


It  may  be  a  surprise  to  many  to  know  that  Decatur  county  has  produced 
several  people  who  ha\'e  courted  the  muses,  but  when  a  request  for  original 
verse  for  a  chapter  in  this  volume  was  made,  a  hearty  response  came 
from  all  parts  of  the  county.  While  it  is  not  possible  to  reproduce  all  that 
has  been  submitted,  yet  sufficient  is  given  in  succeeding  pages  to  convince 
the  most  skeptical  that  the  county  has  some  who  can  at  least  "lisp  in  num- 
bers." It  may  be  true  that  some  of  the  lisping  is  not  up  to  the  Shakespearean 
standard,  but  there  is  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  many  people  in  the  county 
have  made  an  effort  to  emulate  the  immortal  Bard  of  x\von.  The  author 
does  not  presume  to  say  that  all  of  the  verse  submitted  has  real  poetic  merit ; 
it  is  given  for  what  it  is  worth,  without  any  comment,  and  the  reader  may 
be  the  judge  of  its  value. 

The  late  Will  Cumback  is  one  of  the  prominent  writers  the  count}^  has 
had,  and  some  of  his  verses  ha^•e  the  true  poetic  gift.  As  an  orator  and 
statesman,  he  is  better  known  to  those  familiar  with  Indiana's  famous  men 
than  as  a  poet.  But  though  the  number  of  poems  which  he  wrote  was  not 
large,  they  were  all  of  a  character  which  made  them  a  factor  for  happiness 
with  all  who  read  them.  Mr.  Cumback  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Indiana, 
March  24,  1829.  Being  reared  on  the  farm,  his  early  educational  advan- 
tages were  limited.  Studying  law  and  beginning  its  practice,  he  soon 
attained  considerable  reputation  as  a  public  speaker.  When  barely  twenty- 
five  he  was  elected  to  Congress.  Following  that  he  was  presidential  elector, 
paymaster  of  the  army,  state  senator,  lieutenant-governor  and  collector  of 
internal  revenues.  During  all  the  time  that  he  was  serving  in  public  office 
he  wrote  many  articles  for  newspapers  and  spent  much  time  lecturing. 

Perhaps  his  best  poem  is  "Memory's  Banquet."     In  part,  it  is  as  follows : 

I  am  banqueting  tonight — 

Not   with   wassail   and  with   wine, 
Not  with  eating  and  with  drinking, 

At  a  bacchanalian   shrine; 
For  in  my  lonely  chamber 

Where  the  shadows  and  the  light 
Are  quaintly  crossed  and  checkered, 

There   I'm  banqueting  tonight. 


480  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

In  the  hush  and   in  the   stillness 

Of  the  quiet  midnight  hour, 
I   said  to  memory,   "Bring  me 

The  best  you  have   in  store  ;" 
And  the  feast  was  spread  before  me, 

And   the   present   took  her   flight. 
While  the  past  and  I  made  merry 

With  our  banqueting-  tonight. 

And  the  comfort  and  the  kindness 

That   loving  hearts  have  given, 
Making  life  to  me  the  prelude 

Of  the  higher  joys  of  heaven; 
Sat  at  the  board  and  cheered  me, 

Making  life  a  great  delight, 
As  I  drank  the  cup  of  memory 

In   my  banqueting  tonight. 


A   SABBATH   DAY. 

By  Will   Cumback. 

Like  a  mother's  kiss  to   the  weary  child, 

Like  the  calm  sea  waves,  raging  and  wild; 

Like  rest,   sweet   rest,   to   tired   feet; 

Like  joy's  sweet  dream  while  sorrows  sleep; 

Like  dew   upon   the   drooping  flower; 

Like  hope   in  a  despairing  hour; 

Like  joyful  news  from  those  we  love; 

Like  benedictions   from  above, 

Comes  the  Sabbath  morn  to  me. 

Smiley  Fowler,  who  is  now  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Grccnsbnrg 
Nen's.  has  written  many  poems,  stories  and  feature  articles  for  papers, 
which  have  been  copied  in  newspapers  throughout  the  country.  He  collabo- 
rated with  George  Gary  Eggleston  in  the  latters  novel,  "Jack  Shelby,"  the 
scene  of  the  story  being  partly  laid  in  Decatur  county.  He  has  published 
serially  a  newspaper  "Literati  of  Indiana,"  in  which  he  reviewed  the  work 
of  some  twenty  authors  of  the  state.  He  now  has  in  preparation  a  volume 
entitled  "The  Quality  of  Recent  American  Verse,"  taking  up  the  period 
between  the  death  of  Whitman  and  Whittier  and  the  present  time.  He  in- 
tends to  pubhsh  a  small  collection  of  his  verse  within  the  next  few  months. 
Two  of  his  most   striking  poems  are   given. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  481 


THE    SYLVAN    FANE. 

We  walk  again   beside  the   sylvan   streams, 
And  seek  anew  the  love-god's  rustic  fane 

We  built  him  in  the  fleeting  May-time  dreams — ' 
Beyond  the  pale  of  glory  and  of  pain. 

I  come  from  far  across  the  world,  from  land 
Of  eternal  snows  and  plains  of  hellish  heat; 

And  you  from  scenes  I   do  not  understand — 
Of  gild  and  ease,  half  bitter  and  half  sweet. 

Oh,  I  am  weary  with  the  march  of  men 

Upon  the  great  white  road.     ^My  feet  are  sore, 

And  long  to  walk  in  shaded  lines  again. 
Where  I  may  dream  of  failure  nevermore. 

My  ears  are  filled  with  woful  monodies 
Of  alien   muses.      Threnodies   have    drowned 

The  joyous  primal  anthem,  such  as  rise 
To  dying  ears  in  only  less  than  sound. 

My  love,  your  face  is  pale!     How  sweet  to  rest 
Your  eyes  on  these  old   stable   things ! 

Forgetting  evermore  the  ancient  jest 
Of  tinselled  crowns  and  pomp  and  puppet  kings! 

Now  once  again  the  leaden  mists  uplift, 
Revealing  hills  where  reinless   fancies  rove; 

And  o'er  the  boundary  of  Time  we  drift. 
Together  to  the  lyric  realm  of  Love. 


A   SON    OF   ADAM. 

If  I  would  know  myself,  it  is 

Of  ancient  Clio  I  must  seek; 
Then  let  me  rest  not  till   I   reach 

Her  clouded  shrine  and  bid  her  speak. 

A  son  of  Adam,  I  should  lose 
My  perfect   Eden.     I   shall  wrest 

From  him  the  secret  of  myself — 
With  Eve  to  aid  me  in  my  quest. 

I   feel   somewhat   of   Plato   now 
Within  my  strange,  unconquered   soul, 

Still  groping  toward   the  light   that   gleams 
Beyond  the  portal  of  my  goal. 


<3i) 


482  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

I  am  Thomas,  who  would  not   believe 

Until  he   touched   Him  with  his   hand. 
I  am  rash,  avenging  Absalom ; 

And  faint-heart  spy  to  th'  promised  land. 

Delilah  yet  can  bind  my  arms. 

And  win  my  secret  with  her  smile. 
Yea,  even  Rome  would   I   forget 

To  please  the  sorceress  of  the   Nile. 

One  of  the  most  prolific  versifiers  of  the  county  was  the  late  Elmer  E. 
Meredith.  Born  at  Sardinia,  December  21,  1864,  he  graduated  at  DePauw 
University  in  1887,  became  a  lawyer  at  Muncie,  Indiana,  but  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  forsake  his  profession  and  go  to  Colorado  in  search  of  health. 
He  married  Carrie  Wynn  in  1894,  but  lived  only  three  years  afterward^ 
dying  at  his  father's  home  in  Sardinia.  He  was  a  young  man  of  much 
promise  and  had  already  made  a  name  for  himself  in  his  chosen  profession. 
He  wrote  a  large  number  of  dialect  poems  for  newspapers,  and  showed  a 
genuine  poetic  gift.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Western  Association  of 
Writers.     Two  of  his  poems  are  given. 

CIDER    MAKIN'    time. 

The  dear  old  cider  makin'  time  is  a  comin'  round  agin, 
An'  I  feel  so  awful  tickled  that  it  seems  almost  a  sin; 
Fer  onct  I  heard  the  preacher  say,  with  face  twelve  inches  long, 
"When  little  chaps  get  tickled  they's  surely  sumthin'  wrong;" 
But  I  can't  help  bein'  happy,  when  I  see  the  orchard  trees 
Jist  a  breakin'  down  with  apples,  an'  I  hear  the  hummin'  bees 
Gittin'  just  so  drunk  on  cider,  that  they  gether  everywhere, 
That  they  stagger  in  their  flyin'  an'  wobble  through  the  air. 
No  matter  what  the  preacher  says,  it  surely  is  a  crime 
Fer  boys  to  not  be  tickled  in  the  cider  makin'  time. 

Oh,  it's  fun  to  get  up  airly  on  the  cider  makin'  day! 

The  air's  so  stimulatin'  it  drives  the  blues  away. 

An'  makes  a  feller  go  about  a  singin'  everywhere 

With  heart  so  light  an'  happy  that  he  doesn't  think  o'  care. 

It's  fun  to  bring  the  apples,  them  big'  red  Northern  Spies, 

That  make  such  jolly  dumplin's  an'  big  fat  juicy  pies. 

An'  the  russets  an'  the  pippins,  some  sweet  an'  others  sour — 

Oh,  I  love  to  set  an'  smell  'em  an'  taste  'em  by  the  hour, 

Then  the  grindin'  of  the  apples  is  a  mighty  pleasant  sound, 

When  some  other  feller's  muscles  makes  the  heavy  wheel  go  round. 

An'  the  drippin'  an'  the  pourin'  of  the  cider  in  the  tub, 

When  they  put  the  pressure  on  it,  is  a  purty  rub-a-dub. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  483 

At  last  we  git  the  barrel  full  an'  then  we  have  to  stop 
And  turn  it  on  its  bosom  with  the  bunghole  on  the  top. 
Then  comes  the  sweetest  pleasure  that  mortal  ever  saw, 
Of  suckin'  hallelujah  through  the  bunghole  with  a  straw. 
I  know  you'll  all  forgive  me  for  borin'  you  with  rhyme, 
Fer  I  feel  so  awful  jolly  in  the  cider  makin'  time. 


DEACON  Jones's  melon  patch. 

In  the  sultry  days  uv  August 

When  the  corn  begins  ter  shoot, 
An'  the  thrashin'  injine's  whistle 

Everywhar  begins  ter  toot. 
An'  the  great  big  yaller  apples 

In  the  orchard  smell  so  sweet, 
Then  I  love  to  sit  a-thinkin' 

In  the  great  old  rustic  seat, 
While   I  rest   frum  diggin'  taters— 

Fer  the  sun  is  bilin'  hot 
An'  my  shirt  is  all  a-drippin' ; 

Not  a  single  little  spot 
But  is  wringin'  wet  an'  steamin' — 
Thar  I  set  an'  fall  ter  dreamin' 

An'  my  heart  swells  up  with  joy, 
At  the  'membrence  of  mischief 

W'en  I  wus  a  boy. 

Thar  I  love  ter  set  a  musin' 

An'  a  thinkin'  uv  the  past. 
While  the  mem'ries  come  a  oozin' 

Through  my  noodle  quick  an'  fast, 
Then  a   gentle,   sweet   sensation 
Seems  ter  run  through  all   creation; 
An'  a  pleasant  kind  uv  feelin' 
Over  all  my  senses  stealin'. 
Calls  up  pictures  uv  my  childhood 

By  the  little  laughin'  stream. 
That  meandered  through  the  wildwood 

Like   the   shadder   uv  a  dream. 

Down  thar  in  the  strip  of  bottom, 

Runnin'  up  an'  down  the  crick, 
Deacon  had  'is  patch  uv  melons, 

An'  they  growed  so  tarnel  thick 
That  we  couldn't   walk  among  'em 

Without  trampin'  on  the  vines. 
An'  we  boys  could  hardly  find  a  place 

Ter  hide  away  the  rines. 
No,  nothin',  sir,  'could  hold  a  match 
Ter  Deacon  Jones's  melon  patch. 


484  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


Many  things   I  now  remember 

That  I  loved  when  but  a  boy; 
An'  I  call  'em  up  before  me 

With  a  sweet  and  touchin'  joy. 
Oh,   I  loved  the  dear  old  orchard 

An'  I  liked  the  medder,  too, 
An'  the  pond  down  in  the  pastur 

Whar  the  worter  lilies  grew; 
But  all  these  things  were  not  a  match 
Fer  Deacon  Jones's  melon  patch! 

The   Deacon  wus   a   stingy  cuss, 
Always  gittin'  up  a  fuss, 
Prosecutin'  an'  a  suin' 

Fer  trespassin'  an'  fer  theft, 
An'  a  threatnin'  uv  the  ruin 

That  he'd  scatter  right  an'  left; 
An'  sometimes  he  kep'  'is  promise 

When  he  caught  us  boys  by  chance 
Stealin'  through  his  bottom  ground, 
Then  he  made  a  smackin'  sound 

With  'is  cane  upon  our  pants. 
Though  all  things   else   I   may  forgit 
One  mem'ry  sure  will  linger  yit 
An'  kinder  make  me  scringe  an'  twitch 
An'  make  my  trousers  smart  and  itch; 
Though  all  things  else  may  pass  away 
I'll  feel  until  my  dyin'  day 
The   lickens   that   I   uster   catch 
In  Deacon  Jones's  melon  patch! 

Now  when   I   think  uv  them  dear  joys, 

I   almost  b'lieve  I'm  with   the  boys 

A  goin'  on  another  lark 

An'  stealin'  melons  in  the  dark; 

But  no,  now  sence  I  come  ter  think — 

The  idee  ftlmost  makes  m.e  shrink — 

Them  days  wus  long,  long  years  ago, 

My  har  is  turnin'  like  the  snow, 

The  boys  with  whom  I  uster  play 

Have  long  sence  died  an'  passed  away, 

An'  my  time,  too,  is  comin'  soon, 

I  know  my  life  is  past  the  noon. 

But  when  my  soul  shall  fly  away 

Fer  glory  on  my  dyin'  day, 

I'll  jist  look  down  and  try  ter  catch 

A  glimpse  of  Jones's  melon  patch. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  485 

A  number  of  poems  have  been  submitted,  but  no  data  of  the  authors 
being  obtained  the  poems  are  given  without  any  personal  mention  of  the 
composer. 

A   RETROSPECT. 
By    Henry    C.    Hodges. 

When  life'  bright,  pleasant  vestibule, 
With    flowers   and    morning   sunshine    decked, 

Is  seen  through  corridors   of  years 
Its   beauty   grows   by   retrospect. 

Our   school   days   thus   will    e'er   appear; 

Outlined  within  the  past  they  shine, 
The   fairest,  sweetest  picture   there. 

Its  radiant  glow,  a  light  divine. 


TAKE    HEED. 
By   WiUiam    T.    Zetterberg. 

There's  one  thing  in  the  United  States 
That's  an  evil  from  start  to  finish, 

It  ought  to  be  against  men's  taste 
To  allow  that  thing  to  replenish. 

Of  course  there  will  be  some  men  kick; 

Not  because  they  are  in  the  right, 
But  because  they  are  on  the  trick 

Of   selling  votes   just   for   the   mite. 

This,  you  know,  is  a  very  great  sin, 
But  there   is  one  greater  than  it. 

Which  causes  a  great  many  to  go  in 
Where  they  can't  never  o'ercome  it. 

The   drinking  of  whisky   is   this. 
That  makes  so  many  homes  go  bad; 

That's  the  reason  the  money  is  amiss 
For  food  and  things  that  should  be  had. 

Show  me  the  man  that  drinks  liquor 
Every  time  he  can  get  the  stuff. 

I  will  show  you  where  he  is  lacker 
In  carrying  on  his  big  bluff. 

Is   he  any   better   socially 

While  his  mind  is  all  out  of  whack? 
Is   he  making  a  standard,   really. 

In  which  other  people  ought  to  track? 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Say,  drinker,  would  you  just  like  to  see 
Your   sister   or   dear   old   mother 

In  a  saloon  drinking  their  tea 
And   quarreling  with   one   another? 

I  say  this  for  the  habit  drinker, 

He  is  not  thought  of  the  least  in  the  world 
By  people  who  do  not  tinker, 

This,  surely,  you  have  all  been  told. 

Then  is   there  some  economy 

That  tends  to  make  the  people  spend 

The  whole  of  their  past  week's  money 
On  that  which  life  does  not  depend? 

Is  it  teaching  the  boy  such  habits 
That  will  make  them  good  gentlemen? 

The  kind  the  world  should  have  in  it. 
And  be   something  like  chosen  men. 

Men,  are  you  of  the  drinking  kind, 
Who  think  such  things  should  fill  the  air? 

Say,   people,   do   you  think  you'll   find 
Saloons  and  tigers  Over  There? 

The  last  of  all  I  have  to  say 
Is  just  go  to  the  polls  and  cry, 

"I'm  all  and  all  for  the  right  way, 
So   I   will   cast  my  vote   for  'Dry.' " 


THE   OLD   HOMESTE.\D. 
By   W.   M.   Gard. 

Oft  as   I   muse  there   comes  to  me 
Visions  of  that  long  ago, 

Across   life's   changing,   shoreless   sea 
Of   the   friends    I    used   to   know. 

Pure  as  the  breath  of  flowers  that  bloom 
When  the   chill  of  winter  is   o'er; 

Sweet  as  fields  of  clover  in  June- 
All   those   tender   memories   are. 

But  those  memories  never  come 

So  fresh  and  full  as  when  the  day 
Grows  hazy,  and  the  winter  sun 

Pursues  his  solitary  way 
Low  down  through  the   lone,  southern  sky- 

O'er   fields   that   are   buried    in   snow— 
And  the  glad  holidays  are  nigh, 

And  the  world  with  love  is  all  aglow! 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  487 

Once  more   I  see  the  rocks  and  hills, 

The  dear  Old   Homestead  and  farm; 
The  dark  woodland  and  the  rills 

And  shocks  of  the  gathered  corn. 
I  hear  the  pheasant's  drumming  call 

"And  the  "whirr"  of  the   startled  quail; 
There's  the  old  elm  tree  and  the  waterfall, 

And  the  spring  never  known  to  fail! 

But  those  I  loved  are  there  no  more; 

Strangers  now  dwell   in   their  place; 
I   sigh  for  the  happy  days  of  yore 

And  one  glimpse  of  a  vanished  face! 
For  the  simple   faith  of  childhood  dear 

In   that   quaint,   old   Santa   Claus, 
With  his  tiny  sleigh,  and  blithe  reindeer 

Loaded  down  with  gaudy  toys! 

For  other  hearts  the  bells  shall  ring. 

For  them  the  violets  bloom; 
And   they  shall  hail  the  lovely  spring, 

The  azure  skies  of  June; 
But  there  shall  come  to  me  no  more 

Those  happy  days  gone  by, 
Till  I  shall  reach  that  other  shore— 

My  "Homestead"   in  the  sky! 

The  following  little  piece  of  humorous  verse  was  published  in  the 
Indianapolis  Sentinel  during  the  Spanish-American  War,  and  the  names 
of  local  persons  (as  history  recalls)  were  analogous  to  those  prominent  in  the 
newspaper  dispatches  at  the  time.  Mr.  Stewart  was  at  that  time  a  reporter 
on  a  Greensburg  paper.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  the  Washing- 
ton correspondent   for  Eastern  papers,   occupying  a  high  position. 


By  OrviUe   H.   Stewart. 
(To  Master  Dennis  Donald  Webb,  son  of  Merritt  Webb,  of  Adams,  Indi 

His   father   called   him   Dennis; 

His  mother  called  him  Don; 
But  never  could  the  same  name 

His  parents   agree   upon.- 

When  into  a  boy  he  grew 

And  he  went  to  school,  then 
Half  the   scholars   called   him   Don 

And  the  others  called  him  Den. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

So  it  was  Den  and  Don, 
Whether  at  ball  or  tennis; 

But  since  Merritt  whipped  the  Dons 
His  name  now  is   Dennis. 


THE   GRAPEVINE   SWING. 

By  W.  A.   Kirkpatrick. 

In  the  silent  night,  when  the  witches  steal 

Through  my  drowsy  brain  and  break  the  seal 

Of  doors   long  closed  on   forgotten  things, 

'Tis  my  youthful   days   the   dream   fay  brings. 

And  the  memory  most  dear  to  me 

Is  a  grapevine  swing  in  an  elm  tree. 

Where,  perched  in  the  vine,  by  my  sweetheart's  side, 

We  would  sit  and  swing  until  the  old  cat  died. 

O  Father  Time,  you  travel  too  fast  for  me; 

Take  me  back  to  my  boyhood  days  so  free; 

Hang  up  your  scythe,  forget  you're  off  the  track. 

Turn  your  hour-glass  on  the  other  end  and  let  the  sand  run  back, 

For  I  want  to  close  my  eyes  and  see 

That  gEjipevine  swing  in  the  elm  tree. 

On  summer  nights,  when  the  wind  sang  low. 

And  the  air  was  flooded  with  the  moon's  pale  glow; 

When  the  bullfrog  bugled  his  mellow  bass 

From  the  reeds  that  grew  in  the  old  mill  race. 

Where  the  limpid  water,  like  a  silver  sea, 

Reflected  the  shadow  of  the  vine  and  tree — 

Then  I   forgot  the  world  held  anything 

But  my  sweetheart's   form   in  the  grapevine   swing. 

GOOD  BYE,   OLD  HOME,   GOOD  BYE. 

By  W.  A.  Kirkpatrick. 

Have  you  forgotten,  dear,  the  time  'most  fifty  years  ago. 
When  to  this  house  we  came  to  stay.    I  loved  you  then,  you  know. 
And  all  the  years  that  we  have  lived   beneath  its  sheltering  eaves 
Have  been  filled  up  with  blessings  that  no  pain  or  sorrow  leaves. 
But  now  the  home  is  sold  and  we,  although  our  hearts  are  sore. 
Will  never  have  the  right  again  to  enter  that  old  door; 
We'll  have  to  bid  farewell  to  all  that  every  night  and  day 
A  paradise  has  been  to  us,  but  as  we  go  we'll  say — 

Good  bye,  old  home,  good  bye,  how  hard  it  is  to  leave. 

The  joys  and  bliss  you  gave  to  us,  may  others  now  receive. 

No  matter  where  our  feet  may  stray,  or  where  our  heads  may  lie. 

You'll  always  be  for  us  a  shrine, 

Good  bye,  old  home,  good  bye. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

How  well  do  I  remember,  dear,  the  place  you  used  to   sit. 
When  in  the  evening  work  was  done,  and  you  would  sew  or  knit. 

'Twas   in  the  chimney  corner  there,   beside  the   mantel  tree 
That  held  the  clock  which  told  the  time  so   long  for  you  and  me. 
But  that  old  clock  will   never  tell  for  us  the  passing  hours. 
And  your  old  chair  went  with  it  when  they  sold  this  home  of  ours. 
There's  nothing  left  to  keep  us  here,  so  we  will  go  away. 
And  as  we  leave  this  sacred  spot,  we'll  bow  our  heads  and  say — 

When  you  first  came  to  this  old  home  your  cheeks  were  like  the  rose, 
Yours  eyes  were  like  the  violet  that   in  the  valley  grows. 
Your  face  is  old  and  wrinkled  now,  but  looks  as  young  to  me. 
Try  as  I  may,  your  girlish  form  is  all  that  I  can  see; 
You're  worn  out  with  the  cares  of  life,  your  hair  is  thin  and  gray. 
But  love  for  me  looks  from  your  eyes  as  on  our  wedding  day. 
If  I  could  bear  for  you  the  pain  that  lines  your  tear-wet  cheek, 
I'd  gladly  give  my   life   for   you,   and   say   in   accents   meek — 

The  flowers  in  the  garden,  dear,  will  miss  your  tender  care, 

The  birds  will  hunt  in  vain  for  crumbs  you  always  scattered  there, 

And  out  beneath  the  maple   tree  upon   the   little  mound. 

Some  other  hand  will  plant,  perhaps,  a  rose  when  spring  comes  'round. 

So  put  your  hand  upon  my.  arm,  don't  cry,  dear  heart,  don't  cry, 

There  must  be  somewhere  in  this  world  a  place  for  you  and   I, 

Where  we  can  rest  our  weary  feet,  the  short  time  we've  to  stay, 

But   if  we  never  find  that   spot  our   hearts   will   always   say — 

THE    OLD    BLACK    SHAWL. 
By    Mrs.     Delia    White    ilarkland. 

'Tis  not  a  handsome  thing  to  see. 

'Tis  spoiled,  old  and  brown, 
Though  it  was  black  as  night  could  be 

When   first   it   came    from   town. 
'T\vas  large  and  ample  in  its  folds; 

\\'e  bought  it  in  the  fall, 
But  then  it  had  not  grown  to  be 
The  old  black  shawl. 

In  rain  or  shine,  through   heat  or  cold. 

In  clear  or  cloudy  weather, 
We've   worn    it    individually 

And  worn  it  all  together. 
For  twenty  years  'twas  one   of  us. 

And  served  us  one  and  all. 
Oh,   we'll   ever   have   a   reverence    for 
The  old  black  shawl. 

In  winter  time  when   sleighing's   good. 

We've  wrapped  in  furs  and  cloak. 
With  robe,  and   rug,  and  woolen  scarf, 

Until  it  seemed  we'd  choke. 


490  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

We  hear  a  voice  behind  us, 
'Tis  mother's  in  the  hall: 
"I  think,  my  dear,  you'd  better  take 
The  old  black  shawl." 

And  in  the  summer,  if  perchance 

A  cloud  was  in  the  sky, 
Or  summer   breezes   blowing 

In  the  wheat  or  in  the  rye; 
If  one  of  us  were   starting  out 

We're  sure  to  hear  the  call, 
"For  fear  it  rains,  you'd  better  take 
The  old  black  shawl." 

When  we   picnicked   on   the   grass, 

'Twas  formed  into  a  seat 
Or  a  pillow  for  the  head, 

Or  a  carpet  for  the  feet.     . 
Where'er  we  went,  whate'er  we  did, 

I  think  that  one  and  all 
Felt  we  were  not  equipped  without 
The  old  black  shawl. 

If  one  of  us  lie  down  to  rest 
Or  fell  asleep  while  nursing, 

'Twas  over  us  spread  by  some  kind  hand 
Without  our  thought  or  choosing. 

When  mother's  sight  was  nearly  gone. 
And   o'er  fell  the  pall. 

To  shield  from  light  those  eyes,  we  brought 
The  old  black  shawl. 

And  when   her   sight  restored  again. 
How   thankfully,   how   tender 

We  placed  it  round  her  feeble  form. 
Naught  could  excel  its  splendor. 

And  later  on,  when  boys  and  girls 
Were  grown  and  married  all. 

Then  grandpa  put  the  babies  on 
The  old  black  shawl. 

And  when  to  boys  and  girls  they'd  grown, 
'Twas  formed  into  a  saddle 

For   Dobbin's  back,  and   to   the  barn 
They  rode  on  it  a-straddle. 

For  tent,  for  playhouse,  or  for  show, 
For  masquerade  or  ball, 

Methinks  no  usefulness   escapes 
The  old  black  shawl. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

But  now  we  sadly  lay  it  by, 
Touch  it  with  reverent  fingers. 

For  added  to  these  memories 
Is  one  that  with  us   lingers, 

Of  saddest  hours,  of   darkest  days. 
And  the   Death  Angel's  call. 

.Since  mother's  gone  we've   laid  away 
The  old  black  shawl. 


THE    OLD    WATER    MILL. 

By    Mrs.  'Delia    White    Markland. 

In  fancy  I  view  it — the  old  water  mill 
That  stood  tall  and  grand,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 
The  glad  happy  song  of  the  soft  rippling  stream, 
Like  a  lullaby,  comes  to  me  now  in  my  dream; 
The  old  mill  dam,  glistening  bright  in  the  sun 
That  scattered  its  gems  on  the  waves  as  they  run. 

The  big  water  wheel  that  we  wondering  saw. 

With  its  splatter,  and  rush,  as  we  viewed  it  with  awe; 

The  kindly  old  miller  with  dust  covered  o'er. 

Whose  jolly  voice  came  to  us  through  the  roar, 

And  rattle  and  clatter  of  belt,  wheel  and  stone. 

When  we  played  on  the  mill,  in  the  days  that  are  gone. 

Up  the  long  stairs  was  the  railroad. 
That  carried  the  grain  from  the  wagon's  load. 
At  the  old  mill  door,  on  the  horse's  back. 
The  freckled  faced  boy,  with  corn  in  a  sack. 
That  was  shelled  by  hand  the  night  before, 
By  the  dear  home  folks  on  the  kitchen  floor. 

He  bashfully  stands  and  waits  around. 

Or  plays  in  the  stream  till  his  grist  is  ground, 

And  the  corn  we  parched  on  the  office  stove. 

We'll  never  forget  where  e'er  we  rove. 

Our  laughter  all  through  the  mill  was  heard, 

As  the  sweet  brown  corn  we  stirred  and  stirred. 

Then  we  hunted  for  pennies  the  miller  so  sly 
Had  dropped  just  to  see  the  glad  light  in  our  eye 
As  onward  we  scampered,  still  searching  for  more, 
And  wondering  how  ever  they  got  on  the   floor 
Then  we  waded  knee  deep  in  the  old  tail  race, 
Or  fished  with  long  poles,  and  tan  on  our  face. 


491 


492  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

As  we  breathlessly  watched  for  a  "nibble"  and  took 

With  screams  of  delight  a  fish  from  our  hook. 

Then  the  old  spring  house,  and  peppermint  fine, 

Where  we  made  long  curls  of  the  first  dandelion. 

There  the  birds  sang  all  day,  and  the  soft  summer  breeze 

Seemed  laughing  with  us,  'neath  the  wide-spreading  trees. 

But  gone  with  the  past,  as  new  scenes  come  in  view, 
Is  the  water  mill,  and  joys  that  we  knew. 
With  the  dear  ones  that  loved  us,  and  lived  with  us  then 
Who  will  walk  this  world  with  us,  ah!  never  again, 
But  the  sweetest  memories  of  life  linger  still 
Around  happy  days  in  the  old  water  mill. 


THE  TREE  ON   THE  TOWER. 
By  Lida  M.  Cobb. 


Beautiful  tree  upon  the  tower, 

Though  your  lot  be  cast  on  high, 
Where  the  town  clock  tells  the  hour 
And  storms  sweep  from  the  sky. 

To  thee  we  lift  our  wondering  eyes 

And  beholding,  proudly  say 
Thou  art  one  of  nature's  wonders 

Within  thine  own  unique  sway. 

None  know  how  thy  roots  are  nurtured, 
All  are  guessing  and  some  do  say 

Thou  art  a  fake,  but  every  one 

Admires  thee  when  they  pass  this  way. 

There  is  much  inquiry  about  thee 
From  all  sections  of  the  earth. 

But  no  one  can  ever  conceive 

From  whence  came  thy  lofty  birth. 

You  are  surely  enthroned  in  grandeur. 
As  your  branches  wave  on  high. 

But  we  know  you  are  only  transient 
And  must  some  day  droop  and  die. 

With  the  leaves  of  the  wild  wood 

Your  bright  garment,  too,  must  fade 
And  come  fluttering  down  to  earth 
To  mingle  in  death's  silent  shade. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  493 

Yet,  with  pride,  we  now  behold  thee 

And  friends  and  strangers,  if  they  will, 

May  come  and  view  our  lone  tree 
Towering  on  and  upward  still. 

When,  like  all  earth,  you  have  perished. 

Leaving  naught  but  your  good  name. 
Still  in  history  you'll  be  known 

As  the  Greensburg  tree  of  fame. 

Some  extracts  of  Lewis  A.  Harding,  the  editor  of  this  volume,  have 
been  included  at  the  request  of  the  publishers  and  his  many  personal 
friends  in  the  county.  They  are  taken  from  his  volume,  "The  Call  of 
the  Hour,"  and  printed  with  the  permission  of  the  Sunflower  Publishing 
Company,  Wichita,  Kansas. 

THE    GREAT    FOUNDATION. 
Written  on  the  Burning  of  a  Tabernacle. 
Hark! 
The  alarm ! 
It  is  fire  ! 
Fire!     Fire!     Fire! 

Look ! 

People  run! 

Hear  the  bells  ! 

Fire!     Fire!     Fire!     Fire! 

Oh! 

See  the  smoke  ! 

Can  it  be  !     But  alas  ! 

The  Tabernacle! — The  Tabernacle  is  on  fire  I 

Ah!  then  men  hurry  quickly  to  and  fro, 

And  desperate  firemen  dash  in  maddened  flight 
And  pallid  faces  like  the  sullen  snow. 

In  terror  gaze  on  that  unwonted  sight; 
While  every  heart  is  strained  with  fear,  for  soon 

Those  clouds  of  black,  then  whitening  smoke,  shall  doom 
It  all  to  direful  flames  and  ashy  ruin! 

Behold,  on  yesterday  what  splendid  pile. 

When  sunrise  lit  the  windows  of  its  dome 
With  all  the  fresh,  fine  beams  of  morning;  while 

At  evening,  all  the  twilight  of  the  gleam 
Seemed  caught  and  held  up  there  in  those  rich  panes 

To  linger  as  the  shadows  mounted  higher, 
And  then  in  silence  when  the  westland  wanes. 

At  last  to  mount  toward  heaven  from  the  spire! 


494  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

But  now,  behold,  what  awful  pity!     Ah— 

Those  sacrad  windows  and  the  splendid  wall. 
That  lofty  arch  and  all  the  fine  eclat. 

Are  scorching  with  the  smoky  heat;  and  all 
That  splendid  dome,  with  heaven-pointing  spire, 

Is  wrapt  in  smoke;  and  falling  windows  fly 
To  pieces;  while  above,  red  tongues  of  fire 

Leap  wildly  upward  toward  the  darkened  sky! 

The  scene  is  awful  now!     Those  sheets  of  flame 
Envelope    roof  and   dome   and   spire,  while   clouds 
Of  smoke  ascend. — Oh,  what  could  drown  or  tame 

Those  deadly  flames  that  rage  beneath  the  shrouds 
Of  bursting  smoke!     Behold!  that  splendid  tower. 
Like  some  great  martyr's  sacred  head,  is  bent 
Amid  the  withering  flames;  and  all  the  power 

Of  that  strong  crest,  now  lost  in  dire  destruction! 

A  few  hours  do  their  work.     And  after  all 

That  fearful  spectacle  of  fire  and  smoke, 
The  only  grandeur  is  the  blackened  wall; 

The  faithful  clock  has  stopped  upon  the  stroke 
Of  time  for  service.     All  the  power  and  worth 

Of  art  seem  but  an  ashy  heap  ere  long; 
But  planted  deeply  in  the  solid  earth 

The  great  foundation  still  stands  firm  and  strong. 

O  faithful  man,  renew  that  house  of  light 

Whose  walls  are  built  upon  the  solid  rock; 
Uprear  its  columns  to  their  ancient  height; 

Secure  its  altar  from  the  tempest's  shock; 
Its  beams  and  rafters  anchor  sure  and  strong, 

Restore  its  grandeur  to  the  olden  state. 
And  let  the  cadence  of  its  sacred  song 

Ascend  high  up  to  heaven's  holy  gate  ! 

Methinks  I  see  that  temple  all  renewed, 

And  throngs  have  entered  through  the  open  door. 
And  all  its  sacred  windows  seem  imbued 

With  holy  light,  that  brightens  more  and  more! 
And  then  I  see  a  wanderer  come  apart. 

And  leave  the  world  with  all  its  gloom  and  night, 
Some  holy  book  against  his  faithful  heart. 

His  face  turned  upward  toward  the  higher  Light! 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  495, 

A  child's  soliloquy. 

I  wonder  who  it  is  that  knows  just  who  or  where  old  Santa  is;  and  after  Christ- 
mas where  he  goes  with  those  reindeer  of  his.  If  I  could  see  an  Esquimau  who  lives- 
up  North  where  it  is  cold,  I  surely  think  that  he  would  know,  for  Santa  lives  up 
there   I'm  told. 

He  doesn't  make  a  bit  of  stir,  but  always  comes  when  I'm  in  bed  ;  my  mamma 
says  he's  dressed  in  fur,  and  papa  says  his  nose  is  red.  I  thought  I  heard  him  at 
our  door,  or  coming  down  our  kitchen  flue;  and  mamma  saw  him  at  the  store, — I 
wonder  who  he  is,  don't  you?  If  I'd  sit  up  I  might  find  out,  but  papa  talks  so  much 
of  him,  and  mamma's  seen  him  too,  no  doubt,  and  so  I  think  I'll  just  ask  them. 

But  all  of  the  efforts  of  Decatur  county  writers  have  not  been  directed 
toward  poetic  composition.  Some  have  turned  to  prose  and  their  product 
has  attained  more  than  a  local  circulation.  One  of  the  most  notable  prose 
works  produced  in  the  county  is  a  volume  on  "The  Reproach  of  Capital 
Punishment,"  by  Hamilton  Mercer,  the  editor  of  the  Greensburg  Democrat. 
This  was  issued  first  in  1914  and  received  very  favorable  comment  from 
newspapers  and  magazines  generally.  This  volume  is  a  very  effective  weapon 
against  all  the  arguments  advanced  in  favor  of  capital  punishment.  Mr. 
Mercer  has  made  a  careful  study  of  his  subject,  and  his  wide  experience  as  an  ' 
editor  has  enabled  him  to  see  the  subject  from  every  side. 

Mr.  Mercer  begins  his  book  by  the  discussion  of  the  subject  of  vested 
authority,  and  from  the  very  first  sentence  to  the  close  he  shows  that  he  is 
a  logician.  He  maintains  that  "governments  derive  their  just  powers  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed,  and  proceeds  to  show  that  if  magistrates  put 
men  to  death  they  are  doing  no  better  than  an  individual  who  murders." 
This  is  true  because  the  power  of  the  magistrates  comes  from  the  individual. 
In  this  first  chapter  Mr.  Mercer  shows  his  familiarity  with  Blackstone  and 
other  authorities  in  jurisprudence. 

In  the  discussion  of  "Moses  and  the  Death  Penalty,"  the  author  shows 
his  splendid  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  He  proves  that  that  law  requiring 
death  penalty  originated  when  the  recognized  rule  was  "blood  for  blood."' 
But  if  this  be  now  carried  out,  "man  is  nearly  two  thousand  years  behind 
his  Creator,  who  permitted  the  last  blood  offering  to  his  name  to  be  sacri- 
ficed on  Calvary."  If  we  hold  the  old  Jewish  law  concerning  the  death 
penalty  for  murder,  then  we  must  hold  it  for  the  other  crimes  that  were 
punishable  by  death  under  the  law  of  Moses. 

Mr.  Mercer  shows  very  clearly  that  capital  punishment  is  administered' 
not'  for  the  reform  of  the  criminal,  or  would-be  criminals,  but  out  of  the 


.496  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

spirit  of  vengeance.  This,  of  course,  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Scripture  which  gives  the  requiring  of  vengeance  to  the  Lord. 

This  volume  is  concluded  by  some  vital  statistics  showing  that  capital 
punishment  does  not  reduce  crime. 

Other  writers  of  prose  include  Will  Cumback,  Lewis  A.  Harding, 
Smiley  Fowler,  Orville  Thomson  and  the  various  newspaper  men  of  the 
county,  all  of  whom  have  written  some  excellent  articles  on  a  wide  variety 
of  subjects.  The  Standard  in  1910  had  a  resume  of  interesting  historical 
facts  gleaned  from  the  early  files  of  that  paper.  The  News  has  a  special 
correspondent,  Noah  Rogers,  who  has  written  many  local  historical  articles 
for  his  paper.  The  Democrat  and  Review  have  also  had  special  historical 
articles  from  time  to  time.  Lewis  A.  Harding  has  issued  one  volume,  "The 
Call  of  the  Hour,"  which  has  elicited  much  favorable  comment.  The  volume 
contains  a  variety  of  prose  and  poetry  and  shows  the  author  in  his  best  mood. 
Favorable  reviews  have  l:)een  made  of  this  work  by  such  critics  as  the  Indian- 
apolis News,  the  Kansas  City  Garjcttc  Globe,  the  Pittsburg  Ga:octtc,  the  Cincin- 
nati Enquirer,  the  Topcka  Daily  Capital,  the  Boston  Globe,  Portland  Orc- 
gonian,  etc.  Another  work  of  Mr.  Harding's  is  entitled  "The  Preliminary 
Diplomacy  of  the  Spanish-American  War,"  with  an  introduction  by  Dr.  Amos 
S.  Heiskey,  instructor  in  political  science  and  international  law  in  Lidiana 
University.  In  19 15  was  published  Mr.  Harding's  "A  Few  Spoken 
Words,"  with  an  introduction  by  Prof.  John  M.  Clapp,  head  of  the  department 
of  English  of  Lake  Forest  College.  He  has  written  many  articles  for  news- 
papers and  magazines.  The  late  Orville  Thomson  published  a  history  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  setting  up  the  type  and  doing  his 
own  press  work.  This  is  remarkable  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  was  more  than 
eighty  years  of  age  at  the  time.  Smiley  Fowler  is  a  versatile  writer,  turning 
his  hand  with  equal  facility  to  either  prose  or  poetry.  Some  of  his  short 
articles  have  been  widely  copied  in  the  newspapers  of  the  country.  The 
addresses  and  lectures  of  the  late  Will  Cumback  have  been  gathered  in  a 
volume  and  have  found  a  place  in  many  of  the  best  libraries  of  the  nation. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DECATUR  COUNTY  INDUSTRIES,   PAST  AND   PRESENT. 

During  pioneer  days  in  the  Middle  West,  when  transportation  facih- 
ties  were  limited  and  communities  were  more  dependent  upon  their  own 
resources,  industrial  enterprises  of  a  county  often  outnumbered  those  of 
the  present,  since  steam  and  electricity  have  been  harnessed  to  bring  in 
commodities  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  Small  mills  and  shops  sprung 
up  apace.  There  was  grain  to  be  ground,  saddles  and  harness  to  be  made, 
cloth  to  be  manufactured  and  brick  to  be  burned.  Civilization  had  sup- 
planted the  Indian,  and  the  never-ceasing  wheels  of  industry  had  received 
their  impetus. 

In  1823  John  House  built  the  first  saw-mill  and  water  grist-mill  just 
back  of  where  South  Park  cemetery  is  located.  House,  besides  operating 
these  mills,  earned  a  little  extra  money  by  gunsmithing  and  blacksmithing. 
His  son,  Isaac,  operated  the  mill  for  about  twenty-five  years.  The  miller 
in  this  case  took  one-eighth  of  the  grain  for  grinding  it.  This  mill  ground 
mostly  corn,  but  some  wheat  was  raised  by  the  early  settlers  and  taken 
there  to  be  made  into  flour. 

William  Ross  built  the  first  horse  grist-mill  in  the  same  year,  one-half 
mile  north  of  McCoy's.  In  1832  Elijah  Mitchell  built  the  first  oil-mill.  It 
■was  located  one  mile  west  of  Greensburg.  The  following  year  he  built  the 
first  steam  saw-  and  grist-mill,  on  the  lot  just  east  of  the  Garland  mills. 

The  first  water-power  saw-mill  was  started  by  John  Forsythe,  two 
miles  east  of  Greensburg,  in  1824.  Another  industry  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood was  that  operated  by  John  Layton,  who  made  flax  brakes,  plow  woods, 
ox  yokes  and  other  articles.  Layton  also  made  rope  and  twine  from  the 
fiber  of  a  variety  of  nettles  which  was  very  common  at  that  time. 

The  first  water-mill  in  Sand  Creek  township  was  owned  by  Elijah 
Davis  and  the  first  horse-mill,  by  William  Robbins.  Robbins  built  one  of 
the  first  water-mills  located  in  Slabtown,  six  miles  east  of  Greensburg.  This 
mill,  which  is  called  Layton's  mill,  is  still  running,  but  steam  is  now  used 
to  operate  it. 
(32) 


49°  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

In  1836  or  1837  Edward  Warthin  introduced  the  first  steam  engine  in 
Clay  township.  It  was  used  to  run  a  mill  on  Clifty  creek,  below  Milford, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  steam-mill  with  a  bolting  apparatus 
in  the  county.  However,  the  first  millers  of  the  township  were  the  Critzers, 
who  owned  several  mills  on  Clifty  creek,  one  of  which  is  still  in  use  a  few 
miles  south  of  Milford.  One  of  their  later  competitors  was  William  W. 
Burton,  who  operated  a  horse-mill  in  the  same  neighborhood. 

The  first  mill  in  Marion  township  was  owned  by  a  man  named  Brush 
and  was  located  on  Sand  creek.  William  Evans  owned  the  first  horse-mill 
in  Jackson  township.  The  first  grist-mill  in  Clinton  township  was  built  by 
John  and  William  Hamilton,  two  brothers,  who  had  emigrated  from  Vir- 
ginia in  1822.  This  mill  was  placed  on  Clifty  creek.  All  traces  of  it  dis- 
appeared years  ago. 

Some  time  later,  William  Buchanan  built  a  corn  cracker  for  Thomas 
Lanham,  which  stood  on  the  south  fork  of  Clifty  creek.  About  the  same 
time,  the  first  saw-mill  in  the  neighborhood  was  built  by  a  man  named  Doug- 
lass, who  was  later  killed  in  its  machinery. 

At  an  early  day,  the  Hamilton  brothers  changed  one  of  their  grist- 
mills into  a  bark-mill  and  used  in  to  pulverize  slippery  elm,  dogwood  and 
sassafras  bark  for  shipment  to  Eastern  markets.  One  of  the  first  grist-mills, 
carding  machines  and  distilleries,  combined,  in  Fugit  township  was  oper- 
ated by  William  Henderson,  who  lived  near  what  is  now  Springhill.  Another 
mill  was  operated  near  Kingston  by  a  man  named  Smith. 

The  first  tanyard  in  Fugit  township  was  built  by  Lewis  Lacker  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Everett  Hamilton.  In  1841  H.  C.  Cowles,  of  Mil- 
ford, was  manufacturing  fanning  mills  for  cleaning  wheat,  rye  and  oats. 
These  fans  were  capable  of  clearing  three  or  four  hundred  bushels  of  grain 
in  a  day. 

Anthony  Degant  purchased  the  tanyard  owned  by  Benjamin  Martin, 
two  miles  from  Millhousen,  near  the  Ripley  county  line,  in  1847.  He  had 
learned  the  trade  in  Germany  and  operated  the  establishment  on  a  toll 
basis,  taking  a  certain  per  cent  of  hides  tanned  for  his  pay. 

Blacksmiths,  in  the  early  days,  manufactured  all  plows  and  other  farm 
implements  used.  The  smiths  made  plows  during  the  winter,  when  business 
was  not  very  brisk,  and  sold  them  in  the  spring  when  farming  activities 
started.  There  were  two  shops  in  Greensburg  which  were  well  known  about 
the  county.  One  was  owned  by  Squires  &  Johnson  and  the  other  by  John 
Roszell. 

One  of   the   very   early  industries  of   Greensburg  was   a   hat   factory,. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  499 

which  was  located  on  East  Washington  street.  This  estabhshment  was 
doing  business  as  far  back  as  1825.  In  addition,  there  were,  of  course,  the 
usual  number  of  shoemakers,  chairmakers  and  other  workers  in  wood. 

A  man  from  Cincinnati  started  an  oil-mill,  for  the  extraction  of  oil 
from  flax  seed,  in  1840.  Just  a  3'ear  or  two  later  a  Scotchman  named  Craig 
began  the  manufacture  of  coverlids  on  the  site  of  the  First  Methodist 
church.  James  Connor  started  a  wagon  and  buggy  shop  in  1850  on  West 
Main  street  and  managed  it  very  successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  Seven 
years  later  a  chair  factory  was  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  square. 
Ezra  Conner,  in  i860,  began  the  manufacture  of  wagons  of  excellent  design 
which  had  a  wide  demand.  He  sold  them  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  each.     They  were,  of  course,  hand-made  throughout. 

EARLY   WOOLEN    MILLS. 

Decatur  county  pioneers  were  very  industrious  people.  While  the  men 
were  clearing  the  forest  and  planting  the  crops,  their  wives  and  daughters 
found  plenty  to  do  in  spinning,  carding,  fulling,  dyeing  and  weaving  the 
wool  from  the  flock  of  sheep  which  each  householder  possessed.  These 
processes  were  the  only  means  by  which  the  early  settlers  could  obtain 
cloth,  unless  they  had  money  with  which  to  purchase  it  from  some  trader. 
After  a  time,  small  shops  were  set  up  and  people  pursued  this  sort  of  work 
as  a  trade,  and  gradually  home  spinning  was  abandoned. 

For  a  number  of  years,  these  industries  flourished,  and  then  larger 
establishments  drove  the  smaller  concerns  out  of  existence.  So  completely 
has  the  industry  been  wiped  out,  that  it  is  now  a  rare  thing  to  see  a  carding 
machine  or  even  a  spinning  wheel  in  Decatur  county. 

John  Thompson  had  a  mill  for  carding  wool  one-half  mile  northwest 
of  Greensburg,  in  1844.  Others  who  operated  woolen  mills  at  Greensburg 
were  Peyton  H.  Barkley  and  John  T.  Hamilton.  Hamilton  had  a  shop 
where  he  carded  wool,  flax,  linen  and  linsey.  He  also  has  a  saddlery  and 
harness  shop. 

In  1844  Michael  Gilman  started  a  shop  for  carding,  fulling  and  dyeing 
on  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  near  St.  Omer.  He  had  two  sets  of  carding 
machines  and  the  other  necessary  equipment.  His  terms  were  plain  wool, 
five  cents  a  pound  and  mixed  wool,  seven  and  one-half  cents  a  pound.  He 
took  wheat  and  other  farm  products  in  payment. 

Among  the  older  woolen  mills,  was  one  at  St.  Paul,  which  was  oper- 
ated by  John  D.  Paul  in  connection  with  his  saw-mill.     The  mill  was  pur- 


500  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

chased,  upon  Paul's  death  in  1867,  by  Erastus  Floyd,  who  had  been  in  part- 
nership with  him  for  a  number  of  years.  They  were  also  jointly  interested 
in  a  flour-mill  at  that  place. 

Their  woolen  mill  was  equipped  to  handle  the  finest  Merino  and  Sax- 
ony wool.  They  kept  in  stock  a  large  amount  of  satinetts,  blankets,  cassi- 
meres,  full  cloths,  jeans  and  yarns  to  be  exchanged  for  wool.  They  charged 
three  dollars  and  a  half  a  pair  for  making  blankets,  sixty  cents  a  yard  for 
cloth  and  thirty-five  cents  a  yard  for  white  flannel.    The  mill  burned  in  1877. 

In  1845  William  Shaner  and  Samuel  Snyder  rented  the  machinery 
owned  by  Michael  Oilman,  and  commenced  the  manufacture  of  guaranteed 
products.  They  .stood  responsible  for  all  cloth  they  made,  providing  the 
wool  they  received  was  first  class.  They  had  fixed  cash  prices,  or,  in  case 
the  customer  desired,  took  one-seventh  of  the  wool  in  exchange  for  their 
preparation  of  the  remainder. 

The  silk  industry  was  once  started  in  Decatur  county,  but  never  resulted 
in  anything  permanent.  In  1842  W.  B.  Cobb  cultivated  four  thousand 
mulberry  trees  for  sale,  to  be  used  in  cultivation  of  silk.  He  sold  them  at 
twenty  dollars  a  thousand,  which  made  them  good  investments  for  shade 
purposes,  if  nothing  else. 

Millhousen  also  boasted  of  a  woolen  mill,  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire  on  May  30,  1874.  This  mill  had  been  very  active  in  its  output,  but  com- 
petition had  begun  to  tell  on  its  business  and,  although  the  loss  at  that  time 
was  estimated  at  twenty  thousand  dollars,  this  was  only  about  one-third 
of  its  actual  cost. 

In  1852  Gageby  and  Siling  ventured  on  the  experiment  of  making 
furniture  by  machinery  propelled  by  steam.  This  was  the  first  real  manu- 
facturing venture  with  modern-day  equipment  in  Greensburg.  In  five  years 
this  enterprise  had  increased  and  was  employing  fifteen  men,  with  an  annual 
output  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  One  of  their  orders  at  that  time  was 
for  the  fixtures  in  the  Shelby  county  court  house.  Their  building  was  a 
five-story  structure  and  fifty  by  seventy-five  feet.  It  was  operated  until  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighties,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  never  replaced. 

In  perusing  the  files  of  the  Standard  for  1874,  it  is  found  that  the 
main  industries  which  are  listed  and  commented  on  in  that  paper  are  the 
marble  works  of  J.  &  J.  Pool  and  the  carriage  works  of  Hazelrigg,  Pool 
&  Company.  The  history  of  these  two  manufactories  are  written  up  in  full, 
but  whether  these  were  all  that  Greensburg  boasted  of  at  this  time  or  whether 
these  were  the  only  ones  which  made  it  worth  the  editor's  while  to  visit  and 
comment  on,  is  not  for  us  to  say. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  5OI 


GREELEY  LIMESTONE  COMPANY,  AT  ST.   PAUL. 

Limestone  quarries  of  the  Greeley  Stone  Company  at  St.  Paul  are  the 
most  extensive  in  the  county  that  are  operated  by  local  capital.  Operations 
of  the  plant  cover  a  space  of  sixteen  acres,  three  and  one-half  of  which  have 
already  been  excavated  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet.  It  is  planned  to  carry  the 
work  to  a  point  fourteen  feet  lower  before  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  company  owns  a  modern  plant,  built  in  1908.  It  was  a  powerful 
crusher,  the  largest  known,  capable  of  handling  seven  and  one-half  tons  of 
hfteen-inch  stone  at  a  time.  The  mill  will  produce  fifteen  carloads  of 
crushed  stone  a  day. 

Power  is  supplied  by  a  one  hundred  and  fifty-horse-power  engine,  driven 
by  steam  from  a  two  hundred  and  fifty-horse-power  boiler.  Drills  are  steam 
driven  and  the  engine  pulls  cars  from  the  quarry,  by  means  of  an  endless 
chain,  to  the  crusher. 

A  valuable  by-product  of  the  plant  is  pulverized  limestone,  which  makes 
a  valuable  fertilizer  and  is  readily  sold  to  farmers  wishing  to  correct  the 
acidity  of  their  soil.  About  a  carload  of  this  limestone  dust  is  produced  each 
day  the  plant  is  operated.  Chemical  analysis  shows  that  this  dust  is  ninety- 
four  per  cent,  calcium  carbide  and  magnesium. 

Twenty-five  men  are  regularly  employed  at  the  plant,  which  is  situated 
in  a  picturesque  location  upon  the  banks  of  Flat  Rock.  Cincinnati  and  a 
number  of  Indiana  cities  are  regular  customers  of  the  company,  taking  about 
one  thousand  two  hundred  carloads  of  crushed  stone  a  year  for  street  con- 
struction and  repair. 

The  company  is  capitalized  for  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Its  officers  are 
*&.  E.  Greeley,  president  and  general  manager;  Albert  Greeley,  vice-president, 
and  Clarence  Greeley,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Albert  Greeley  is  the  father  of 
the  other  two  members  of  the  company  and  is  a  prominent  lumber  man  of 
Muncie,  Indiana. 

CONTRACTORS. 

The  most  extensive  constructive  lousiness  in  the  county  is  that  of  the 
firm  of  Pulse  &  Porter,  Greensburg,  general  contractors.  In  December, 
1887,  Alex  Porter  and  Will  Pulse  formed  a  partnership  and  bought  the  plan- 
ing-mill  and  lumber  yard  on  West  Main  street  that  had  been  operated  by 
Edward  and  Charles  A.  Porter.  At  the  same  time  they  started  in  the  gen- 
eral contracting  business.  Their  first  ventures  were  successful  and  they 
enlarged  their  field  of  operations.     Since  the  firm  was  organized  it  has  had 


502  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  hand  in  the  construction  of  some  of  the  largest  and  best  known  institutions 
and  plants  in  the  state  of  Indiana. 

Two  of  the  first  contracts  taken  by  this  firm  were  for  the  construction  of 
Science  hall  and  the  Hendricks  library  at  Hanover  College.  The  next  w^as 
Science  hall,  at  Indiana  University,  a  one-hundred-thousand-dollar  contract. 
This  firm  later  secured  the  contract  and  erected  the  buildings  for  the  South- 
eastern Hospital  at  Madison,  a  contract  amounting  to  more  than  a  million 
and  a  half  of  dollars. 

Other  well-known  buildings  which  have  been  built  by  Pulse  &  Porter 
are  the  Gentry  hotel,  Bloomington,  $35,000;  the  Union  Traction  Company's 
power  house  at  Anderson,  $200,000;  the  Maxwell-Briscoe  plant,  New  Castle, 
$225,000;  Odd  Fellows  Home,  Greensburg,  $100,000,  and  the  factory  of  the 
Bromwell  Brush  and  Wire  Company,  Greensburg,  $30,000. 

The  sanitary  sewer  system  of  Greensburg  was  laid  by  this  firm.  It  is 
nineteen  miles  in  length  and  cost  the  city  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Since 
completing  this  contract  it  has  built  power  houses  at  Winona  and  New  Castle, 
erected  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall  at  Greensburg  and  the  Greensburg  and  Osgood 
school  buildings,  both  of  which  are  considered  models  of  their  kind.  At 
various  times  the  firm  has  given  employment  to  more  than  five  hundred  men. 

All  kinds  of  mill  work  is  done  at  the  planing-mill  in  West  Main  street. 
Wood  is  sawed  out  for  interior  finishing,  sash  and  doors  and  every  con- 
ceivable purpose.  The  first  contract  ever  taken  by  this  firm  was  the  erection 
of  the  Greensburg  Baptist  church  in  1888.  The  building  is  still  used  as  a 
church. 

MEEK   ICE    COMPANY. 

The  first  artificial  ice  plant  in  Greensburg  was  established  by  John  E, 
Robbins,  on  West  Railroad  street.  He  conducted  the  plant  for  several  yearsj 
and  then  disposed  of  it  to  the  Meek  Ice  Company  in  1912.  The  plant  has  a 
daily  capacity  of  forty  tons  and  employs  twelve  men  in  the  factory  and  oui 
the  delivery  wagons.  They  not  only  supply  the  city  of  Greensburg,  but  have, 
built  up  a  large  trade  with  the  smaller  towns  of  the  county  as  well.  The 
delivery  outside  of  the  city  is  done  with  an  automobile  truck. 

BROMWELL  BRUSH   AND   WIRE  WORKS. 

The  Bromwell  Brush  and  Wire  Works  of  Greensburg  was  established 
in  1903  as  a  branch  of  the  Cincinnati  firm  of  the  same  name.  The  company 
is  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Ohio.     In  the  branch  at  Greensburg  only 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  5O3 

wire  cloth  for  window  screens  is  manufactured.  During  the  year  1914  six- 
teen million  square  feet  of  screening  was  made  in  the  local  factory.  The 
seventy  employees  of  the  plant  are  paid  a  total  of  three  thousand  dollars  a 
month.     The  local  manager  is  E.  M.  Beck. 

THE  GARLAND  MILLING  COMPANY. 

Foreign  as  well  as  domestic  demand  is  supplied  by  the  Garland  Milling 
Company,  whose  flour-mill  ranks  eighth  in  capacity  among  Indiana  mills. 
This  company  sells  all  over  the  Southeast  and  through  the  New  England 
states  and  has  a  growing  market  in  the  British  isles,  Norway  and  Holland. 

The  company  was  organized  and  incorporated  in  1898  by  R.  P.  Moore, 
of  Princeton,  Indiana.  Its  original  capital  stock  was  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
An  old  mill  built  by  John  Emmert  in  1869  was  purchased  and  business  was 
started  on  a  modest  scale.  Since  then  the  plant  has  been  greatly  enlarged. 
It  now  has  an  elevator,  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  bushels,  a 
cooper  shop,  which  turns  out  thirty  thousand  barrels  a  year,  and  a  flour-mill 
with  a  daily  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels. 

Twenty-five  men  are  employed  in  the  mill  and  five  in  the  cooper  shop. 
The  mill  is  equipped  with  the  best  of  modern  machinery  and  its  product  has 
found  favor  wherever  it  has  come  into  use.  In  1909,  in  order  to  care  for 
increased  business,  the  company  was  reorganized  and  the  capital  stock 
increased  to  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  present  officers  of  the  company 
are:  John  F.  Russell,  president;  G.  D.  Ayres,  vice-president,  and  George  P. 
Shoemaker,  secretary-treasurer. 

Wheat  is  purchased  in  the  open  market  and  is  brought  to  Greensburg 
from  all  parts  of  the  county.  On  account  of  the  excellent  shipping  facilities, 
distribution  is  readily  secured,  and  the  flour  can  be  shipped  to  the  eastern 
seaboard  by  three  different  routes. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


SIDELIGHTS  ON   DECATUR   COUNTY   HISTORY. 


DECATUR    COUNTY    THE    SCENE    OF    "tHE    HOOSIER    SCHOOLMASTER."" 

There  have  been  several  stories  and  novels  written  whose  scenes  are 
laid  in  Indiana,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  one  novel  of  Indiana  life  has 
created  such  a  universal  interest  as  "The  Hoosier  Schoolmaster,"  published 
by  Edward  Eggleston  in  1871.  There  has  been  much  controversy  as  to 
where  the  scene  of  the  novel  was  laid,  and  every  county  in  Indiana  through 
which  flows  a  cliffy  creek  has  persisted  in  claiming  to  be  the  scene  of  the 
novel.  Before  his  death  in  1902,  Mr.  Eggleston  was  questioned  concerning 
the  location  of  the  plot  and  he  replied  without  hesitation  that  Decatur 
county  furnished  the  background  and  that  the  territory  immediately  sur- 
rounding Cliffy  in  Clay  township  was  the  one  and  only  place  where  the 
scene  could  have  been  laid.  Moreover,  several  characters  in  the  novel  were 
taken  from  well-known  people  who  lived  in  or  near  Cliffy. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  Eggleston  came  with  his  widowed  mother 
to  live  in  Cliffy,  Decatur  county,  when  he  was  nine  years  old.  Born  at 
Vevay,  Indiana,  December  10,  1839,  he  had  lived  there  until  his  father's 
death  and  had  then  gohe  with  his  mother  to  Decatur  county,  where  she  had 
several  relatives,  among  them  the  Lowrey,  Craig  and  Welsh  families.  Two 
years  later  (1850)  Mrs.  Eggleston  became  the  wife. of  Rev.  Williamson 
Terrell,  a  noted  Methodist  minister  of  southern  Indiana.  In  this  commun- 
ity in  Clay  township,  Decatur  county,  young  Eggleston  grew  to  manhood, 
and  in  the  same  township  he  taught  his  first  term  of  school.  The  location 
of  this  school  house  is  still  pointed  out  to  tourists  who  make  annual  pil- 
grimages to  this  county  tO'  visit  the  scene  of  the  "Hoosier  Schoolmaster." 
Eggleston  learned  to  intimately  know  the  people  whom  he  later  incorporated 
in  his  novel  and  there  can  be  no  question  of  the  identity  of  many  of  his 
characters  with  persons  who  actually  lived  in  Clay  township  in  the  middle 
of  the  last  century.  This  section  was  then  populated  with  an  uncouth,  un- 
cultured and,  in  many  cases,  a  lawless  band  of  people.  Bands  of  robbers 
and  highwaymen  were  known  to  exist  in  this  part  of  the  county  and  it  is. 


EDWARD  EGGLESTON  HOME  AT  MILFOKD. 


I'ASCHAL  T.  LAMBEUT  CAUIX.  15UILT  IX 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  5O5 

an  actual  robbery,  noted  in  the  records  of  Decatur  county,  which  furnished 
Eggleston  with  the  background  of  his  story. 

The  framework  of  the  "Hoosier  Schoolmaster"  was  taken  from  a 
robbery  committed  on  Caleb  Stark,  who  figures  in  the  novel  as  "Jack  Means," 
and  on  another  man,  a  German,  who  in  real  life  was  John  Dronberger.  In 
the  novel  the  Dutchman  appears  as  "Schroeder."  However,  in  order  to 
bring  both  robberies  into  the  novel  in  the  form  of  one,  the  author  combined 
the  incidents  of  both  robberies  into  a  robbery  committed  on  the  Dutciiman, 
Schroeder.  The  brains  of  the  trio  of  robbers  was  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smalley, 
a  physician,  who  appears  in  the  no\-el  as  Doctor  Sinall.  His  compatriots  in 
crime  were  Walter  Johnson,  a  student  in  his  ofiice,  who  is  the  "Greenwood 
Harrison"  of  the  novel,  and  David  Ricketts,  the  "Pete  Jones"  of  the 
story.  Doctor  Smalley  li\ed  about  two  miles  south  of  Adams  on  Caleb 
Stark's  farm  in  a  house  which  stood  near  the  present  residence  of  Oliver 
Deem,  while  Caleb  Stark  lived  opposite  him  across  the  road. 

Stark,  "Jack  Means,"  who  appears  so  prominently  in  the  story,  was 
no  less  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  Decatur  county,  as  a  successful 
farmer,  than  as  a  strong  supporter  of  schools.  He  was  one  of  the  three  men 
who  supervised  the  erection  of  the  present  court  house  and  to  this  day  may  be 
seen  the  name  "Caleb  Stark"  carved  on  a  stone  slab  above  the  west  entrance 
of  the  court  lionse.  He  owned  a  large  farm  on  which  he  had  several  tenants. 
His  wife,  Anna  Boone,  was  a  cousin  of  the  farftous  old  frontiersman,  Daniel 
Boone.  One  of  his  sons,  Willet  Stark,  later  flattered  himself  that  he  was 
"Bud  Means,"  but  Eggleston  wrote  at  one  time  that  Bud  Means  never  existed 
in  any  one  person,  but  that  his  traits  were  taken  from  several  of  the  young 
men  whom  he  knew  around  Cliffy. 

The  actual  incidents  of  the  real  rolilsery  in  Clay  township  were  as  fol- 
low :  Doctor  Smallev  in  some  way  had  learned  that  Stark  had  a  large 
sum  of  money  concealed  in  his  house.  Accordingly  he  laid  plans  whereby 
he  hoped  to  rob  the  honest  old  farmer  of  some  of  his  hard-earned  posses- 
sions. With  this  idea  in  view,  the  crafty  doctor  went  to  Stark  to  borrow  a 
bunch  of  keys,  one  of  which,  so  he  told  Stark,  would  open  his  (Smalley's) 
trunk,  the  key  to  which  he  pretended  he  had  lost.  Up  to  this  time  Smalley 
had  borne  an  unblemished  reputation  and  there  was  no  one  who  thought 
he  had  any  connection  with  the  band  of  robbers  who  had  been  operating 
in  the  vicinity.  Smalley  secured  the  keys  from  Stark  without  any  diffi- 
culty, returned  them  in  a  short  time,  but  while  he  had  them  in  his  possession 
he  took  an  impression  of  one  which  unlocked  a  certain  door  of  Stark's 
house.     With  a  key  made  from  this  impression,  Smalley  was  now  able  to 


506  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

gain  entrance  to  Stark's  house  and  at  once  planned  to  execute  the  robbery. 
He  and  his  two  partners  in  crime,  Harrison  ("Johnson")  and  Ricketts 
("Pete  Jones")  decided  upon  the  night  when  the  robbery  should  take  place. 
On  the  appointed  night  Harrison  held  the  horses  a  short  distance  from  the 
house  and  Smalley  remained  in  the  yard,  while  Ricketts  went  into  the  house 
and  got  the  money  without  disturbing  anyone  in  the  family.  Once  on  the 
outside  the  men  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  away  and  at  once  left  the  com- 
munity. The  robbery  was  discovered  the  next  day  and  Col.  Merritt  C. 
Welsh,  the  constable  and  the  keeper  of  a  store  in  Cliffy,  was  sent  in  search 
of  the  robbers.  By  shrewd  detective  work  he  tracked  the  robbers  over  sev- 
eral states  and,  after  about  three  months,  he  captured  them.  However,  in 
his  search  for  evidence  against  the  men.  Colonel  Welsh  broke  into  a  trunk 
belonging  to  Smalley  and  Harrison  without  the  proper  warrant.  Smalley 
immediately  filed  suit  against  him  in  the  Bartholomew  circuit  court  and  the 
Colonel  was  fined  one  cent,  while  the  costs  were  thrown  on  the  plaintiff. 
The  doctor  and  Ricketts  were  let  out  on  bail  until  the  trial  could  be  held 
before  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Milford. 

Before  the  case  came  to  trial,  however,  Harrison  confessed  and  turned 
state's  evidence  against  his  fellow  conspirators.  Harrison  was  kept  under 
guard  at  Stark's  house  pending  the  trial  and  during  this  time  was  allowed 
to  go  around  the  farm  under  guard.  He  slept  in  a  room  in  an  upper  story 
and  it  seems  that  this  part  of  the  house  was  the  only  part  that  had  an  upper 
story.  The  rest  of  the  house,  one  story  high,  consisted  of  two  wings  ex- 
tending out  on  either  side  from  this  central  portion,  which  stood  like  a 
turret  above  the  rest  of  the  building.  A  day  or  two  before  the  trial  Harri- 
son jumped  out  one  night  and  made  his  way  along  the  roof  to  the  edge  of 
the  building  and  thus  escaped.  He  left  the  county  that  night  and  no  one 
in  the  county  has  ever  heard  of  him  since  that  night. 

The  case  came  to  trial  at  IMilford  on  the  appointed  day,  but  there  was 
not  sufficient  evidence  given  to  convict  the  robbers,  and  the  case  was  dis- 
missed. Smalley  then  faled  suit  against  Stark  for  false  imprisonment,  but 
nothing  could  be  proved,  so  the  case  was  dropped. 

Apropos  of  this  case,  the  following  document,  taken  from  the  Decatur 
county  records,  is  very  interesting: 

"In  vacation :  State  of  Indiana, 
"Decatur  County. 
"We,   Henry   Smalley,   Reuben   R.   Cobb,   James   Morgan,    Payton   H. 
Barclay  and  Robert  Smith,  owe  the  state  of  Indiana  two  thousand  dollars 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  507 

to  be  levied  on  our  property.  The  condition  of  the  above  bond  is  that  the 
said  Henry  B.  Smalley  shall  personally  be  before  the  Decatur  circuit  court 
on  the  first  day  of  next  term,  there  to  answer  to  a  charge  of  receiving  and 
concealing  stolen  property,  and  abide  the  order  of  the  court,  and  not  to 
depart  thence  without  leave.  Then  this  recognizance  to  be  void;  else  to 
remain  in  full  force. 

"Henry  B.  Smalley. 

"Reuben  R.  Cobb. 

"James  Morgan. 

"Peyton  H.  Barclay. 

"Robert  Smith. 
"Taken  and  approved  before  me  this  29th  day  of  August,  1853. 

"John  Iml.\y,  Sheriff." 

In  the  records  of  the  circuit  court  at  Greensburg  is  found  a  similar 
bond  for  Greenwood  Harrison,  tiled  August  30,  1853,  signed  by  Greenwood 
Harrison,  M.  C.  Welsh,  William  Armington,  Willet  H.  Stark,  Elijah  Mark- 
land,  John  Dronberger,  J.  O.  A.  Garrison,  Thomas  Harwood,  James  Cory 
and  Robert  Smith. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  settle  forever  the  question  as  to  the  location 
of  the  scene  of  the  "Hoosier  Schoolmaster."  Many  places  in  the  story  can 
be  found  from  the  descriptions  given  by  the  author  and  old  residents  of  the 
little  village  of  Cliffy  (Milford)  point  out  with  pardonable  pride  where 
Eggleston  lived  in  the  town.  The  novel  created  a  distinct  impression  when 
it  came  out  in  the  fall  of  1871  and  to  this  day  it  linds  a  ready  sale  among 
the  reading  public.  It  has  been  translated  into  French.  German  and  Danish 
and  received  with  popular  favor  in  all  those  countries.  Clifty  enjoys  the 
unique  distinction  of  being  the  only  village  of  Indiana  whose  beauties  and 
early  incidents  may  be  read  in  four  languages.  Eggleston  has  immortalized 
a  period  in  Indiana  life  and  given  it  such  a  flavor  that  the  lives  of  the  people 
of  that  period,  their  manners  and  customs,  will  be  preserved  for  all  genera- 
tions to  come. 

DECATUR  county  TAX  PAYERS  IN  1 862. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  the  people  of  Decatur  county  in  191 5  to  note 
the  list  of  taxpayers  of  1862,  who  paid  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  in 
taxes.     The  complete  list  follows : 

Greensburg — David  Lovett,  $356.36;  Judge  Davidson,  $305.00; 
Greensburg  Bank,   $268.52;    J.     S.     Scobey,    $232.39:   D.   and  J.    Stewart, 


508  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

$189.05;  Ezra  Lathrop,  $185.43;  A.  R.  Forsythe,  $178.70;  J.  P.  Hittle, 
$157.85;  G.  Woodfill,  $155.81;  E.  and  L.  P.  Lathrop,  $132.50;  H.  H.  Tal- 
bott,  $150.79;  Smith  &  McDougle,  $146.40;  W.  S.  Woodfill,  $127.49. 

Washington  Township — George  W.  Sidener,  $286.72;  R.  M.  Hamilton, 
$264.87;  J.  E.  Hamilton,  $238.15;  Nath  Patton,  $220.84;  J-  B.  Foley, 
$209.45;  J.  E.  Robbins,  $209.31;  T.  M.  White,  $205.91;  Adam  R.  Meek, 
$191.26;  T.  M.  Hamilton,  $177.64;  M.  D.  Ross,  $170.92;  R.  A.-  Hamilton, 
$170.16. 

Fugit  Township — Luther  A.  Donnell,  $205.50;  Samuel  A.  Donnell, 
$176.40;  John  Kincaid,  $142.81;  John  C.  Donnell,  $131.39;  Thomas  Meek, 
$124.95;  John  Carroll,  $124.50. 

Clinton  Township — William  Sefton,  $292.68;  George  McLaughlin, 
$239.85;  Warder  Hamilton,  $216.75;  Jacob  Sandusky,  $191.48;  T.  G. 
Hamilton,  $156.16;  John  Meek,  $143.25;  Nathan  Swails,  $135.54. 

Adams  Township — Manly  Kimble.  $183.26;  Joseph  D.  Pleak,  $166.84; 
W.  J.  Robinson,  $131.92;  Charles  Miller,  $131.82;  Hiram  Jewett,  $128.52; 
David  Jewett,  $126.78. 

Clay  Township^ — Richard  Williams,  $182.31;  J.  J.  Pavey,  $172.90; 
Walter  Braden,  $154.99;  Caleb  Stark,  $123.95;  Thomas  C.  Miers,  $123.23; 
S.  M.  Edward,  $122.76. 

Jackson  Township — R.  and  D.  Gibson,  $117.10. 

Sand  Creek  Township — Robert  Armstrong,  $130.33. 

Marion  Township — Charles  Hazelrigg,  $151.61;  B.  Hardebeck, 
$100.20. 

POPULATION    STATISTICS    OF    DECATUR    COUNTY. 
I9IO 

Adams  township 1,851 

Clay  township,  including  Milf(.rd  town I-508 

Milford  town 169 

Clinton   township    641 

Fugit  township 1-328 

Jackson  township,  including  Forest  Hill  town_  1.369 

Forest  Hill  town iii 

Marion  township,  including  Millhousen  town  1,670 

Millhousen  town 211 

Salt  Creek  township,  including  Newpoint  town  1,228 

Newpoint  town 341 


1900 

1890 

1,867 

1.942 

1-503 

1,681 

211 

231 

641 

699 

1,538 

1,605 

1-477 

1,562 

152 

124 

t-794 

2,030 

265 

224 

1-532 

1-733 

451 

DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  509 

Sand  Creek  township,  including  \\'estport  town  2,370  2,562  2,499 

Westport  town   675  614  452 

Washington   township,    inchuling   Greensburg 

city   6,828  6,604  5.518 

Greensburg   city   5420  5.034  3.596 

Total 18,793  19.518  19,277 

THE    TEMPERANCE    MOVEMENT    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

A  perusal  of  newspaper  and  contemporary  documents  discloses  the  fact 
that  the  temperance  question  has  been  before  the  county  from  almost  the  date 
of  its  organization.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  our  American  pioneers 
counted  whiskey  as  sne  of  the  necessities  of  life  and  such  orders  here  given 
from  the  commissioners'  records  were  of  daily  occurrence  and  caused  no 
comment:  "May  term,  1823.  Ordered  by  the  board  that  the  county  agent 
give  Thomas  Hendricks  a  credit  for  the  sum  of  two  dollars  being  a  part  of 
an  order  made  him  for  thirty  dollars,  forty  and  a  fourth  cents  for  his  services 
in  surveying  the  town  of  Greensburgh  and  for  Whiskey  furnished  the  Agent 
on  the  day  of  the  sale  of  lots.  *  *  *  Received  of  Samuel  Huston,  Agent 
for  the  county  of  Decatur,  ninety-three  and  three-fourths  cents  for  one  gallon 
and  a  half  of  whiskey  got  for  the  use  of  said  county,  August  14,  1823.  Sam 
T.  Cross  ■  *  *  *  Silas  Stewart,  Agent  Decatur  county,  Cr. :  To  amount 
paid  for  crying  ofT  the  carpenter  work  of  the  court  house,  35  cents;  for 
vi^hiskey  37^  cents." 

Probably  the  first  of  the  temperance  advocates  of  the  county  was  Levi 
Wooden,  who,  according  to  well-authenticated  traditions,  was  the  first  in 
Clay  township,  and  perhaps  the  county,  to  refuse  to  serve  whiskey  at  a  log 
rolling. 

The  early  nation-wide  temperance  agitation,  known  as  the  Washing- 
tonian  movement,  hit  Decatur  county  in  1840  and,  from  the  point  of  view  of 
numbers,  was  undoubtedly  the  strongest  of  the  early  temperance  societies. 
More  than  two  hundred  men  joined  this  society  and  took  the  pledge  of  total 
abstinence,  but,  five  years  later,  less  than  half  a  dozen  had  held  fast  to  the 
oath  and  the  organization  died  in  Greensburg.  The  Washingtonians  had 
organizations  in  other  parts  of  the  county  also  and  the  society  at  St.  Omer 
continued  for  many  years.  This  society  held  a  large  rally  in  1845,  ^t  which 
Joseph  Robinson,  Thomas  Hendricks,  I.  T.  Gibson,  the  Rev.  J.  Presley,  W. 
F.  Ferguson  and  J.  Cable,  made  stirring  addresses  on  the  evils  of  strong 


5IO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

drink.  The  climax  of  the  Washingtonian  agitation  was  reached  when  the 
county  board  of  commissioners,  on  December  4,  1843,  as  a  result  of  tli^ 
numerous  petitions,  refused  to  grant  any  liquor  licenses  for  a  period  of  five 
years. 

Decatur  county  first  voted  on  the  liquor  question  in  1847.  At  that  time 
the  license  fee  was  one  hundred  dollars  and  was  known  as  a  grocery  license 
fee.  The  "wets"  won  in  six  townships,  Washington  and  Fugit  townships 
voting  dry.     The  vote  was- as  follows: 

Wet.  Dry. 

Washington   township    154  304 

Fugit  township 72  153 

Clinton   township    71  36 

Adams    township    175  59 

Clay    township    140  94 

Jackson  township 35  16 

Sandcreek  township loi  33 

Marion   township    87  23 

Total    835  868 

About  this  same  time  the  township  in  which  Columbus,  Indiana,  is 
located  voted  "wet"  by  a  majority  of  twenty-six,  while  the  majority  at  Brook- 
ville,  Indiana,  was  thirty-six.  The  relative  standing  of  the  "wets"  and 
"drys"  did  not  change  at  Greensburg  during  the  next  sixty  years. 

In  1858,  Carrie  D.  Filkins,  a  well-known  temperance  lecturer  of  the 
day,  spoke  in  Greensburg  on  the  evils  of  the  liquor  traffic.  She  advocated, 
among  other  things,  that  the  sale  of  intoxicants  be  placed  exclusively  in  the 
hands  of  women  and  that  a  law  be  passed  making  it  illegal  to  sell  alcoholic 
liquors  for  beverage  purposes.  As  a  result  of  her  visit,  the  Ark  of  Safety 
was  organized.  The  Greensburg  Standard  of  the  following  week  comment- 
ing upon  the  situation  says,  "There  are  at  the  present  time  no  less  than  ten 
whiskey  shops  in  the  moral,  as  some  folks  term  it,  town  of  Greensburg. 
In  the  southern  part  of  town,  known  as  Ireland,  we  are  told  that  almost 
every  house  has  within  its  walls  a  barrel  of  whiskey.  What  is  our  beautiful 
village  coming  to?" 

The  temperance  wave  again  struck  Greensburg  in  June,  1877,  when  a 
number  of  meetings  were  held  in  Alumni  hall.  The  Red  Ribbon  Club  was 
organized  and  gave  a  social  in  the  city  hall.  On  June  15,  several  inveterate 
drinkers  signed  the  pledge  and  organized  a  "Dare-to-do-Right"  club. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  gll 

FIRST    LOCAL    OPTION    ELECTION    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

The  first  local  option  election  in  Decatur  county  was  held  on  January 
26,  1909,  and  resulted  in  a  "dry"  majority  of  1,679.  -'^s  will  be  seen  from 
the  appended  table,  eight  of  the  nine  townships  voted  to  abolish  the  saloon, 
Marion  township  alone  returning  a  "wet"  majority  of  63.  There  is  no  way 
to  tell  exactly  how  the  city  of  Greensburg  voted,  as  its  vote  was  included  in 
Washington  township,  but  it  was  estimated  at  the  time  that  there  were  four 
hundred  votes  outside  the  city.  It  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  country  vote 
was  not  materially  dififerent  from  the  city  vote  and  on  this  basis  the  city  vote 
was  1,035  for  the  "drys"  and  513  for  the  "wets."  The  entire  county,  except 
a  small  strip  in  the  southeastern  part,  \'oted  by  more  than  two  to  one  to 
eliminate  the  saloon.     The  vote  by  townships  was  as  follows : 

Dry.  Wet.  Maj. 

Washington    1,237  611  626 

Fugit   239  105  134 

Clinton 106  ;^;}  y^ 

Adams 339  150  189 

Clay 274  103  171 

Jackson   259  88  171 

Sand  Creek 480  115  365 

Salt  Creek 160  148  13 

Marion    178  241 

Totals    3,273  1,394  1,741 

The  city  of  Greensburg  voted  "wet"  by  137  majority  in  191 1  and  three 
years  later  voted  "dry"  by  a  majority  of  80.  Millhousen  and  Newpoint  are 
the  only  towns  in  the  county  now  (191 5)  having  saloons.  There  are  two 
saloons  in  St.  Paul  on  the  Shelby  county  side  of  the  town. 

THE   woman's    christian    TEMPERANCE   UNION. 

The  Greensburg  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  was  organized 
on  December  9,  1883,  by  Mrs.  M.  L.  Wells,  of  Greencastle,  who  was  at  that 
time  president  of  the  state  organization.  Mrs.  Dr.  Johnson  was  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  local  group,  with  Mrs.  L.  S.  Meal  as  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs. 
Anna  Thomson  as  recording  secretary  and  Mrs.  Charles  Kemble  as  treasurer. 
Mrs.  Thomson  resigned  as  recording  secretary  and  Mrs.  Larrie  Lathrop  was- 


512  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

elected.  Vice-presidents  were  appointed  from  the  following  churches :  Mrs. 
Louise  M.  Thomson,  from  the  Presbyterian :  Mrs.  Johnston,  from  the  Baptist ; 
Miss  Spreaker,  from  the  Centenary  Methodist  Episcopal ;  Mrs.  Birdsell,  from 
the  Christian;  Mrs.  Dr.  Bracken,  from  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal,  and 
Mrs.  Thurman,  from  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  the  First  Methodist  church  on  December 
12,  1883.  with  twelve  members  present.  At  this  time  all  the  meetings  were 
Tield  in  the  various  churches.  At  this  first  meeting,  following  devotional  exer- 
cises— which,  as  always  afterward,  came  first  on  the  program — it  was  proposed 
to  take  up  some  of  the  different  departments  of  work  and,  later,  superintend- 
ents were  appointed.  Mrs.  Charles  Kemble  and  Mrs.  Ben  Swem  were 
appointed  superintendents  of  jail  and  prison  work  and  Mrs.  Louise  M.  Thom- 
son was  made  evangelistic  and  gospel  superintendent.  Other  departments 
were  added  at  various  intervals. 

During  the  first  year,  meetings  were  held  weekty.  During  this  year  a 
reading  room  was  opened,  a  mission  school  started,  under  the  supervision  of 
Mesdames  Bonner  and  Styers,  a  dining  hall  managed  and  public  lectures  and 
sermons  arranged  for.  For  the  latter,  the  opera  house  was  secured.  At  the 
meeting  of  December  26,  1883,  in  the  Presbj'terian  church,  in  Greensburg, 
the  devotional  exercises  were  a  period  of  spiritual  interest  and  profit  to  all. 

In  November,  1885,  after  two  prosperous  years,  the  list  of  members 
included  the  following:  Mesdames  Johnston,  Kemble,  Wheatley,  Thomson, 
Copper,  Hittle,  Styers,  Doctor  Johnson,  Colonel  Scobey,  Collet,  Drake, 
Wooden,  Pool,  B.  D.  Swem,  Gavin,  S.  A.  Bonner,  Laura  M.  Thomson,  L.  S. 
Meal  and  the  Misses  Isabella  Hamilton,  Stalla  Hamilton,  Smiley,  Davidson, 
Falconbury  and  Henika. 

The  fourth  district  convention  met  at  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  March  27  and  28,  1884,  with  the  state  secretary  presiding  in  the 
absence  of  the  state  president.  Mrs.  Louise  M.  Thomson  was  chosen  district 
president,  with  Mrs.  Chester  Hamilton  as  secretary  and  Miss  Lizzie  Lathrop 
as  treasurer.  A  short  time  afterward  the  old  district  organization  was  dropped 
and  each  county  was  organized.  The  present  county  officers  are :  Mary  Gray, 
of  Greensburg,  president;  Mrs.  Emma  D.  Shaffer,  of  Westport,  secretary,  and 
Mrs.  Eva  Stephenson,  of  Greensburg,  treasurer. 

At  the  present  time  the  roll  contains  the  names  of  one  hundred  and  eight 
of  the  most  prominent  women  of  Greensburg,  and  the  names  of  fourteen  men 
who  are  honorary  members.  There  are  now  twelve  departments,  each  with 
its  superintendent.  Regular  meetings  are  held  on  the  second  and  fourth 
Tuesdays  of  each  month,  with  special  meetings  occasionally.     For  the  year 


IIOX.  WII.I.  (T.Ml'.ACK. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  513 

1915  an  excellent  program  was  prepared  containing  the  declaration  of  prin- 
ciples, list  of  members  and  the  program  of  each  meeting. 

The  officers  and  superintendents  of  departments  for  the  present  year 
(1915)  are:  President,  Versie  B.  Owens;  vice-president,  Ella  Adams; 
recording  secretary,  Rosalie  Kercheval;  corresponding  secretary,  Josephine 
Moody;  treasurer,  Nannie  Gray.  Superintendents  of  departments:  Flower 
mission,  Etta  Woods,  Lessie  Gray ;  mothers'  meetings,  Josephine  Moody,  Arlie 
Gray;  scientific  temperance,  Laura  M.  Thomson,  Carrie  Clark;  medical  tem- 
perance, Minerva  Galbraith;  Stmday  school  work,  Emily  Brown;  press,  Ella 
Adams ;  temperance  literature,  Julia  Montgomery ;  Sabbath  observance,  Sarah 
Hunter;  franchise,  Ella  F.  Smith,  Ella  McKay;  medal  contest,  Louisa  Cory, 
Anna  Kennedy  ;  evangelistic  and  visiting  committee,  Mary  Gray,  Mary  Eward, 
Elizabeth  Bennett ;  music,  Hattie  Morrison,  Ethel  Watson,  Esther  ^Vood. 

DECATUR  COUNTY  PEOPLE  WHO  HAVE  RISEN  TO  DISTINCTION. 

Every  county  in  the  state  of  Indiana  has  produced  a  few  people  who  have 
gained  reputations  for  themselves  which  have  extended  beyond  the  limits  of 
their  own  county,  and  Decatur  county  is  no  exception.  In  this  brief  sum- 
mary of  notable  persons  from  this  county,  only  those  are  given  who  are  not 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  county  is  proud  to  honor  such  men 
as  Congressmen  Cumback  and  Foley,  men  who  have  probably  carried  the  name 
and  fame  of  Decatur  county  farther  than  any  other  man.  As  an  orator,  as 
a  scholar,  as  a  lyceum  lecturer,  as  a  statesman  and  as  a  public-spirited  man 
of  affairs,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  Will  Cumback  was  the  county's  most 
distinguished  citizen.  Foley's  claim  to  inclusion  among  the  leaders  in  his 
county  lies  in  his  service  to  the  state  while  a  member  of  Congress,  and  his 
subsequent  career  as  a  successful  lawyer. 

Two  men  from  the  county  have  been  in  the  consular  service  of  the 
United  States,  Richard  H.  Belt  and  John  Goodnow.  Belt  was  born  in  Balti- 
more and  was  a  merchant  at  Westport  when  he  was  appointed  consul  by 
President  Tyler  in  1843.  He  was  stationed  at  Matamoras,  Mexico,  but  died 
there  a  year  later  of  the  yellow  fever.  He  came  to  Decatur  county  from  his 
native  city  in  company  with  his  brother,  Thomas.  There  are  no  descendants 
of  the  family  now  living  in  the  county.  John  Goodnow  was  born  in  Greens- 
burg  in  1856,  the  same  year  his  father  moved  here  from  Vernon,  Indiana,  to 
open  a  flour-mill.  He  was  appointed  consul  to  Shanghai,  China,  by  President 
McKinley  in  1897. 
(33) 


514  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Hon.  Robert  W.  Miers  was  born  in  Clay  township  in  1845,  graduated 
from  Indiana  University,  was  prosecutor  and  circuit  judge  at  Blooming- 
ton  and  was  elected  to  Congress  on  the  Democratic  ticket  three  times.  He 
is  now  judge  of  the  Monroe-Owen  circuit  court. 

B.  F.  Clayton,  born  in  Adams  township  about  1840,  moved  to  Iowa 
forty  years  ago  after  having  served  as  county  commissioner  here.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Iowa  Legislature  and  was  later  president  of  the  National 
Farmers'  Congress.     He  is  now  a  prominent  banker  at  Indianola,  Iowa. 

Lycurgus  McCoy,  born  near  Greensburg  in  1835,  moved  to  Iowa  in 
1855.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Thirty-third  Iowa  Regiment  in  the  Civil 
War.  Later  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  at  Sigourney,  Iowa.  He 
became  a  Seventh-Day  Adventist  minister  and  moved  to  Battle  Creek,  Mich- 
igan, thirty  years  ago  to  become  secretary  of  the  sanitarium  there.  He  is 
now  chaplain  of  that  institution. 

Alvin  I.  Hobbs,  born  in  Greensburg  in  1835,  became  a  minister  in  the 
Christian  church,  filling  prominent  pastorates  in  Cincinnati,  Louisville  and 
Indianapolis.  He  was  president  of  Drake  University  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
in  the  seventies.  He  held  a  public  debate  with  a  Universalist  preacher  at 
Des  Moines  and  the  same  was  later  published  in  book  form. 

John  A.  Donnell,  born  near  Kingston  in  1838,  located  in  Iowa  in  1855 
and  twenty  years  later  went  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  where  he  was 
elected  prosecutor  and  became  a  prominent  attorney  for  many  years  prior 
to  his  death  in  1913. 

Edmon  Hez  Swem,  born  in  Greensburg  in  1858,  was  educated  at 
DePauw  University  and  became  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  1882.  In  1886 
he  changed  his  affiliation  to  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Ninth 
Street  Baptist  church  in  Washington,  D.  C,  for  twenty-five  years,  and  is 
still  preaching  in  that  city. 

Elias  R.  Monfort,  son  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Monfort,  was  born  in  Greensburg 
in  1840.  He  served  in  an  Ohio  regiment  in  the  Civil  War  with  the  rank  of 
captain.  He  was  department  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic; was  prosecuting  attorney  here  in  1871  to  1873,  and  served  as  postmaster  at 
Cincinnati,  from  1899  to  191 5. 

William  H.  Carroll,  born  in  Greensburg  in  1842,  served  in  Wilder's 
battery.  He  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1866. 
He  moved  to  Marion  in  1870,  served  as  circuit  judge  there,  and  is  still 
practicing  law  at  that  place. 

Dr.   Lora   M.    Henry,   born  near   Springhill   in    1856,   graduated    from 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  515 

Monmouth  United  Presbyterian  College,  studied  medicine  and  became  a 
medical  missionary  at  Assiut,  Egypt,  where  he  has  been  for  fifteen  years. 

Piatt  Wicks,  born  in  Greensburg  about  1837,  served  as  prosecutor  just 
before  the  Civil  War  and  was  a  prominent  attorney  during  the  sixties.  He 
later  moved  to  Harlan,  Iowa,  where  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  Still 
later  he  moved  to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  where  he  was  a  prominent  barrister 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  about  ten  years  ago. 

Jacob  G.  Collicott,  born  in  Salt  Creek  township  in  1874,  graduated 
from  the  State  University  in  1896.  He  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at 
Elwood  and  Evansville  and  city  superintendent  at  Tacoma,  Washington, 
before  becoming  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  Indianapolis  three 
years  ago. 

Floy  Gilmore  was  born  in  Greensburg  in  1877  and  graduated  from  the 
local  high  school  in  1895.  She  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1899  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Law.  She  was  assistant  attorney- 
general  of  the  Philippines,  1901-03;  later  she  took  a  post-graduate  course 
at  Columbia  University  and  was  appointed  professor  of  economics  at  Welles- 
le}'  College  in  1913. 

Wilbur  W.  Woodford,  artist,  died  at  Lawrenceburg,  March  19,  iS'82. 
He  was  born  at  St.  Omer,  January  8,  185 1,  and  followed  his  father,  Capt. 
Charles  Woodward,  as  fifer  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  Indiana  Regiment,  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  His  father  was  elected 
sheriff  in  1866,  and  the  family  moved  here  from  St.  Paul.  Wilbur  showed 
marked  art  talent  while  in  our  city  schools,  and  in  1870  began  a  study  of 
art  in  the  School  of  Design  in  Cincinnati.  When  he  died  he  was  a  profes- 
sor in  that  school.  He  spent  two  years  in  Paris  and  won  many  honors 
there.  He  was  buried  at  Spring  Grove  cemetery,  in  Cincinnati,  a  proces- 
sion of  students  escorting  his  body  to  the  tomb,  where  ex-Governor  Noyes, 
former  minister  to  France,  spoke  feelingly  of  his  acquaintance  and  friend- 
ship for  his  deceased  friend. 

THE   ODD    fellows'    HOME. 

Greensburg  is  justly  proud  of  the  beautiful  state  Odd  Fellows'  Home 
which  adjoins  the  city  on  the  east.  The  cardinal  principles  of  Odd  Fellow- 
ship are  friendship,  love  and  truth,  and  it  is  due  to  the  practical  working 
of  these  three  virtues  that  the  Odd  Fellows  of  Indiana  erected  this  beautiful 
home  fifteen  years  ago.  It  was  the  generous  impulses  of  this  great  frater- 
nity in  Indiana  which  made  possible  a   home   which  seeks  to  provide  the 


5l6  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

proper  care  for  all  its  unfortunate  members.  Here  may  be  found  a  com- 
fortable home  for  the  brothers  and  sisters  on  whom  time  has  laid  heavy 
hands  and  to  whom  good  fortune  has  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  Here 
prattling  childhood,  robbed  of  kindly  home  and  parents,  finds  its  nearest 
substitute. 

The  first  building  was  dedicated  on  May  i6,  1900,  and  a  second  build- 
ing oil  May  17,  1905.  These  two  buildings  have  a  total  capacity  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  while  the  hospital  will  accommodate  twenty-eight  more. 
The  grounds  comprise  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  beautiful  roll- 
ing ground.  This  land  was  the  gift  of  Decatur  Lodge  No.  103  and  the  citi- 
zens of  Greensburg  and  vicinity.  At  the  time  the  grand  lodge  was  looking 
for  a  location  for  the  home,  many  cities  in  the  state  offered  sites,  but  the 
present  location  has  shown  the  wisdom  of  the  final  choice.  The  farm  and 
buildings  are  now  valued  at  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  institution,  which  is  incorporated  as  the  Odd  Fellows'  Home  Asso- 
ciation of  Indiana,  is  maintained  by  a  direct  per  capita  tax  of  thirty-two 
cents  on  each  subordinate,  fifteen  cents  on  each  Rebekah  and  ten  cents  on 
each  encampment  membership,  respectively.  The  total  receipts  in  1914 
were  about  thirty-eight  thousand  dollars  from  these  sources.  The  operating 
expenses  of  the  institution,  including  administration  and  maintenance,  were 
twenty-nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-one  dollars  and  forty-two  cents, 
an  average  per  capita  cost  per  meal  of  eighteen  cents. 

Since  the  home  was  opened  in  1900,  five  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
guests  have  been  cared  for.  In  June,  191 5,  there  were  one  hundred  and 
fifty  in  the  home,  as  follows:  Men,  sixty-nine;  women,  forty;  boys,  thirty- 
two;  girls,  nine.  The  ages  of  the  guests  range  from  two  to  ninety-two 
years.  Since  the  home  was  opened  in  1900  two  hundred  and  fifty-four 
children  have  been  received  and  one  hundred  and  ten  of  this  number  have 
later  been  returned  to  their  parents.  Ninety-three  children  have  been 
placed  in  good  homes  in  various  parts  of  the  state.  A  striking  evidence 
of  the  care  of  these  children  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  not  a  single  child 
has  ever  died  in  the  home.  During  the  past  year  ten  adults  died,  four 
children  have  been  placed  in  homes  and  nine  other  children  returned  to  their 
parents. 

The  home  is  managed  by  a  board  of  three  directors — one  selected  by 
the  grand  lodge,  one  by  the  grand  encampment  and  one  by  the  Rebekah 
assembly.  This  board  serves  for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  assembly  is  ex-officio  president  of  the  board  of  directors.  The 
present  directors  are  as  follows:     Florence  McGregor,  president  ex-officio; 


THE  0L1>   SEMIN'A1:Y.   tiUEEXSBUUG 


.s  *^j 

RAILROAD  YARDS,  GREENSBl  KG 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  517 

W.  H.  Bradshaw,  vice-president;  Mrs.  Kate  E.  Barnett,  secretary;  W.  E. 
Longley,  treasurer.  The  present  superintendent  of  the  Home  is  Charles  E. 
Lockhart  and  his  wife  serves  as  his  assistant. 

As  the  result  of  agitation  which  had  its  inception  in  an  address  before 
the  Rebekah  assembly  by  Charles  E.  Lockhart,  superintendent  of  the  home, 
soon  after  he  assumed  charge,  the  graves  of  twenty  Odd  Fellows  in  South 
Park  cemetery  are  now  honored  by  a  massive  handsome  monument.  This 
monument  is  a  gift  to  the  home  from  the  lodges  of  the  state,  which  contrib- 
uted fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  its  erection.  The  monument  is  seven  feet 
four  inches  by  four  feet  six  inches  at  the  base  and  stands  six  feet  and  two 
inches  in  height.  It  is  of  Barre  granite,  hammer  finished  and  has  the  gen- 
eral style  of  a  sarcophagus.  The  monument  was  dedicated  on  May  19, 
1915.  On  that  day  fourteen  hundred  and  thirteen  members  of  the  grand 
lodge  and  Rebekah  assembly  went  by  two  special  trains  from  Indianapolis, 
where  they  were  in  session,  to  participate  in  the  dedicatory  services  and 
attend  the  unveiling  of  the  monument.  Addresses  were  made  by  W.  H. 
Leedy,  Charles  Warren  Fairbanks,  Ella  M.  Clark  and  Mary  A.  Poths. 

THE    OLD    SEMINARY. 

During  the  seventies  and  eighties  James  G.  May  wrote  a  series  of 
articles  for  the  local  papers  on  the  old  seminary,  an  institution  of  which 
he  was  the  head  for  several  years.  He  speaks  of  whipping  six  boys  on 
October  26,  1836,  and  three  of  them  were  sons  of  preachers.  The  boys 
were  from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age  and  had  been  guilty  of  defacing 
some  of  the  outbuildings  of  the  seminary  at  night.  The  old  professor 
says  his  pupils  did  good  work  for  him  "in  spite  of  these  little  diversions." 
In  August,  1836,  fourteen  of  his  pupils  signed  a  challenge  which  read: 
"We  challenge  at  the  close  of  the  session  the  most  rigid  examination  in  all 
our  studies,"  and  laid  it  on  his  desk.  It  was  signed  by  Cynthia  Ann  Free- 
man, Margaret  Jane  Bryan,  Eliza  Jane  Ewing,  George  G.  M.  Craig,  Saph- 
ronia  Hazelrigg,  Magdalene  Uttinger,  Camilla  A.  Thomson,  Eliza  A.  Han- 
way,  Orville  L.  Thomson,  Tabitha  O'N.  Craig,  Tamson  Church,  Mary  E. 
Reilley,  Mary  Kendall,  John  H.  Sanders. 

When  the  last  day  came  the  school  trustees  and  parents  were  present. 
A  lawyer  and  a  minister  proceeded  to  examine  the  class  and  found  them 
equal  to  their  profession.  When  it  came  to  examining  them  on  six  books 
of  Caesar  the  lawyer  explained  that  he  was  "kind  o'  rusty"  on  the  classics, 
and  told  them  to  examine  themselves.     One  of  the  class  took  charge  and, 


5IO  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  course,  was  easy  on  the  others.     During  the  1836  term  there  were  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  pupils  enrolled. 

A   RELIGIOUS   REVIVAL. 

Probably  the  greatest  religious  revival  ever  held  in  Greensburg  and 
throughout  the  county  occurred  during  the  winter  of  1869-70.  The  Stand- 
ard, in  its  issue  of  March  10,  1870,  says:  "The  spirit  of  revival  continues 
in  the  churches  throughout  the  county  up  to  this  date.  More  than  one  thou- 
sand have  come  to  Christ  and  united  with  some  division  of  our  Lord's  army. 
In  this  city  the  number  added  to  the  churches,  as  far  as  we  have  ascertained, 
is  as  follows:  First  Methodist,  R.  M.  Barnes,  pastor,  137;  Centenary  Meth- 
odist, G.  L.  Curtis,  pastor,  82;  Third  Methodist,  J.  Tarkington,  pastor,  6; 
Presbyterian,  J.  C.  Irwin,  pastor,  90;  Christian,  D.  R.  Van  Buskirk,  pastor, 
70;  Baptist,  J.  Green,  pastor,  8;  total,  393." 

A    BAND   TOURNAMENT. 

A  band  tournament  was  held  in  Greensburg,  November  i,  1882,  when 
a  crowd,  estimated  at  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand,  was  present.  Eight 
bands  competed  for  prizes :  Jonesboro,  Seymour,  Lawrenceburg,  Franklin, 
Rushville,  Thorntown,  Milton  and  Aurora.  The  judges  were  Roll  Adams, 
of  Greensburg;  James  A.  Nunn,  of  New  Castle,  and  F.  N.  Myers,  of  Indi- 
anapolis. The  first  prize  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  went  to 
Franklin;  the  second,  seventy-five  dollars,  to  Thorntown,  the  third,  fifty 
dollars,  to  Milton;  the  fourth,  twenty-five  dollars,  to  Lawrenceburg.  It 
seems,  from  the  account  in  a  local  paper  of  that  week,  that  various  kinds 
of  running  races  were  held  on  this  day.  John  B.  Kuhns,  of  Irvington,  won 
a  ten-dollar  prize  in  a  running  race  and  Fred  Boyle  won  five  dollars  as  second. 
In  a  walking  match  for  men  over  seventy,  Joseph  Patterson,  of  VVaynesburg, 
won  first  and  six  dollars,  and  John  S.  Campbell,  of  Greensburg,  took  second 
and  received  four  dollars  for  his  efforts. 

SARTOR   RESARTUS. 

The  lost-and-found  column  in  the  early  Greensburg  papers  was  fully 
as  interesting  as  any  other  part  of  the  sheet.  The  editors  had  a  keen  sense 
of  humor  and  sometimes  used  language  which  would  hardly  be  thought  in 
good  taste  at  the  present  time.     The  loss  of  a  part  of  some  woman's  rai- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  519 

ment  gave  the  editor  of  the  Grcensbiirg  Standard  (June  25,  1842)  a  chance 
to  get  oft"  the  following  witticism:  "Found  on  the  streets  of  Greensburg, 
a  hve,  full  grown,  sawdust,  bran,  straw  or  rag  bustle.  Owner  can  obtain 
same  by  applying  at  this  office." 

A   VERSATILE   PREACHER. 

Versatility  was  one  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  old  pioneer 
preachers,  and  it  is  probable  that  no  early  preacher  in  the  county  could  turn 
his  hand  to  more  things  than  Rev.  David  Douglas.  He  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ky.,  in  1781,  was  married  there  in  1801,  and  came  to  tnis 
county  in  1825.  His  father  was  killed  in  1805  by  the  Indians  in  the  battle 
at  Stroud's  station.  Air.  Douglas  settled  in  Clay  township  about  five  miles 
west  of  this  city,  on  land  now  owned  by  Nelson  Mowrey.  He  was  known 
as  "Davy"  Douglas,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  his  voice  was  heard  as  a 
plain,  simple,  earnest  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  woods,  in  the  cabins,  in 
the  school  houses  and  occasionally  in  the  churches.  He  could  make  a  plow, 
shoe  a  horse,  do  any  kind  of  farm  work,  and  he  did  it.  He  was  called  to 
settle  disputes,  estates,  etc.,  and  was  everywhere  respected  as  an  honest, 
God-fearing  man.  He  was  what  w^as  called  a  "New  Light,"  believed  in 
Christian  union  without  any  frills,  insisted  on  Bible  names  and  the  throw- 
ing aside  of  all  human-made  creeds.  He  went  to  his  reward  at  Milroy  in 
January,  1861,  just  as  the  mutterings  of  the  approaching  Civil  War  were 
being  heard. 

A   RECORD-BREAKING   PIONEER. 

It  is  probable  that  Decatur  county  had  in  the  person  of  Henry  H.  Tal- 
bott  not  only  a  man  who  held  office  for  a  longer  period  than  any  other  man 
in  the  county,  but  in  the  state  as  well.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln  county, 
Kentucky,  in  March,  1800.  He  had  become  a  resident  of  Greensburg  in 
1 82 1.  When  the  county  was  organized  in  April,  1822,  he  was  elected  county 
clerk  and  recorder,  a  position  he  held  continuously  until  1841.  During  this 
time  he  was  also  county  auditor,  a  period  of  twenty  years.  For  thirteen 
years  following  1841  he  was  auditor  and  recorder  and  for  four  3-ears  there- 
after he  was  clerk,  making  thirty-seven  years  clerk,  thirty-three  years  recorder 
and  twenty  years  auditor.  He  would  have  served  longer,  but  a  new  law 
made  him  ineligible.  Practically  all  of  the  early  public  records  were  writ- 
ten by  this  man  in  his  well-known  clear,  legible  handwriting.  He  married 
Eliza  Hendricks,   December  20,    1824;  she  died  in   i860.     The   following 


520  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tribute  is  paid  him :  "In  all  his  business  transactions  he  was  scrupulously 
honest,  and  he  leaves  a  history  for  honesty  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the 
county."  He  died  at  IndianapoHs,  July  21,  1872,  where  he  had  gone  to 
take  treatment. 

A   WILD-PIGEON   ECLIPSE   OF   THE   SUN. 

Wild  pigeons  which,  years  ago,  went  the  way  of  the  great  auk  and 
other  now  extinct  forms  of  animal  life,  were  at  one  time  very  common  in 
Decatur  county,  and  many  of  the  older  residents  can  remember  when  they 
flew  so  thick  and  close  together  as  to  obscure  the  sun.  The  largest  flock 
of  wild  pigeons  recorded  to  have  passed  over  Decatur  county  migrated  in 
i860.  The  immense  flock  of  pigeons,  which  extended  in  all  directions  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  passed  over  Greensburg,  February  i,  i860.  It 
is  said  that  the  sun  was  completely  shut  out  and  the  city  in  darkness  for 
more  than  an  hour. 

A  STORY   FOR  MEN   ONLY. 

There  have  been  all  kinds  of  clubs  in  Greensburg,  but  the  Bachelor's 
Club,  which  flourished  more  than  thirty-odd  years  ago,  was  probably  the 
most  unicjue  club  the  city  has  ever  had.  Many  of  the  members  of  this  club 
are  still  living  and,  as  far  as  the  historian  has  found  out,  not  one  of  them 
has  lived  up  to  the  principles  which  he  took  an  oath  to  observe.  One  of  the 
local  papers,  in  its  issue  of  September  i,  1882,  says,  "they  met  at  'J™  Polk' 
Ewing's  office,  just  across  from  Fromer's,  and  marched  through  the  alley 
to  Ross  Look's  depot  dining  room,  where  they  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous 
feast.  The  affair  was  in  honor  of  Warren  Wilson,  who  was  just  depart- 
ing for  Chicago."  The  following  worthies  are  reported  as  being  present: 
W.  H.  Goddard,  J.  K.  and  George  Ewing,  J.  S.  Throp,  Grover  Stevens, 
George  Holby,  John  Jarrard,  J.  C.  McQuiston,  P.  A.  Doyle,  Joe  Witten- 
berg, Joe  Davidson,  M.  D.  Tackett,  J.  E.  Mendenhall,  Robert  Hazelrigg, 
Cash  Lowe,  Todd  Wright,  Dick  Warthin,  John  Batterton,  Professor  Rim- 
yon,  Frank  Bennett,  Ed  Kessing,  Lou  Samuels  and  Dola  Cunningham. 
How  long  this  club  lasted  or  just  why  it  was  finally  relegated  to  oblivion 
the  historian  leaves  to  the  reader,  but  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  there  are 
many  women  in  Greensburg  who  could  explain  its  disappearance. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  521 

A   STORY   CONCERNING  GREENSBURG's   FIRST   LAWYER. 

The  Cincinnati  Enquirer  several  years  ago  told  a  story  on  James  T. 
Brown,  the  first  lawyer  of  Greensburg,  who  came  here  in  the  year  1822  and 
remained  until  1838.  Brown  was  a  bachelor  and  a  humorist  of  the  first 
water.  The  story  relates  that  when  he  was  about  to  die  at  Lawrenceburg 
a  preacher  was  called,  and  knelt  in  prayer  by  his  bedside.  The  prayer  had 
not  proceeded  far  until  Brown  reached  for  his  trousers  and  got  a  ten-dollar 
bill  and  shook  it  close  to  the  parson's  ear.  The  minister  stopped,  looked  up 
and  remarked  that  he  did  not  make  any  charge  for  his  services.     "Don't 

you?"  gasped  Brown.     "Well,  I'll  be  d d  if  I'd  make  such  a  plea  as 

you've  made  for  less  than  ten  dollars." 

DODDRIDGE   ALLEY,    AN    ECCENTRIC    PIONEER. 

Concerning  Doddridge  Alley,  who  represented  the  county  in  the  Legis- 
lature in  1826  and  again  in  1831,  a  large  number  of  good  stories  are  still  told. 
Alley  was  a  chronic  office-holder,  \Vas  very  illiterate  and  stuttered.  Some  of 
the  stories  preserved  are  true,  and  some  are  not,  but  all  are  worth  relating. 

Alley  introduced  a  bill  giving  sheriffs  authority  to  perform  marriage 
ceremonies,  giving  as  his  reason  that  "ministers  were  scarce  in  some  localities, 
but  that  sheriffs  were  found  everywhere."  The  bill  was  actually  passed,  but 
was  never  given  a  place  in  the  statutes. 

He  came  in  for  a  considerable  amount  of  ridicule  later,  upon  introduction 
of  one  of  his  bills,  providing  for  annexation  of  eighteen  sections  of  Shelby 
county  to  Decatur  county,  for  the  reason  that  "Shelby  county  was  unhealthy 
and  some  of  its  people  wanted  out  of  it."'  In  regard  to  this  bill,  his  fellow 
legislators,  who  made  him  the  butt  of  their  rough  humor,  were  rather  unfair. 
Ten  citizens  of  Shelby  county  had  asked  for  the  introduction  of  this  bill. 
They  were  only  eight  miles  distant  from  Greensburg,  while,  in  order  to  attend 
muster,  they  were  compelled  to  travel  eighteen  miles  to  Shelbyville,  through  a 
wet  and  unhealth}'  country.     The  measure  never  reached  a  vote. 

Alley  once  expostulated  with  his  son-in-law  because  the  latter  had  pur- 
chased a  pistol.     "Well,  a  man  is  apt  to  need  a  gun,  sometimes,"  said  the 

young  man  in  defense  of  his  act.     "Yes,  and  a  man  is  apt  to  be  a  d d  fool 

sometimes,"  retorted  his  father-in-law. 

Once,  when  a  candidate  for  some  office.  Alley  gave  an  immense  barbecue, 
which  was  attended  by  several  hundred  voters.  The  cooks  neglected  their 
work  and  the  meat  was  served  half  raw.     To  this  culinary  mishap.  Alley 


522  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

afterwards  attributed  his  unexpected  and  overwhelming  defeat.  Alley  was 
an  old-fashioned,  stump-speaking,  bushwhacking  campaigner,  and  in  one  elec- 
iion  polled  every  vote  in  Clay  township. 

BOUND  BOYS. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  county  the  law  provided  for  the  "binding  out" 
■of  children  who  were  thrown  upon  the  county  for  support.  The  children  were 
let  out  to  the  highest  bidder,  the  one  getting  them  agreeing  to  furnish  them 
with  food,  clothing  and  shelter  and  give  them  such  educational  advantages 
as  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood  provided. 

The  following  communication  to  H.  H.  Talbott,  first  county  clerk,  is 
preserved  in  the  public  library  at  Greensburg : 

"Sir:  I  want  you  to  draw  a  piece  of  writing,  certifying  that  Stephen 
has  served  his  time  with  me  and  is  now  a  free  man,  and  put  the  county  seal 
thereon  in  order  that  he  may  not  be  interrupted  in  another  state. 

"October  14,  1824.  Joseph  Henderson." 

It  is  difficult  to  judge  whether  Stephen  was  a  slave  or  had  merely  been 
"bound  out."  For  the  reason  that  he  is  designated  merely  by  his  first  name, 
as  was  customary  with  slaves,  and  since  his  master  feared  that  he  might  be 
stopped  when  he  left  home,  it  is  possible  that  he  might  have  been  a  negro 
slave.  ^  But  so  far  as  positive  information  is  concerned  no  slaves  were  ever 
held  in  Decatur  county. 

The  first  recorded  instance  of  a  boy  being  "bound  out"  or  apprenticed 
until  he  attained  his  majority  is  that  of  AYarren  Jackson.  It  is  contained 
in  the  following  court  record : 

"Return  of  William  Ross  and  John  Gageby,  overseers  of  the  poor  for 
Washington  township,  1825.  Bound  to  John  Springer,  Warren  Jackson,  aged 
five  in  July,  1825,  to  learn  the  art  and  mystery  of  a  house  joiner." 

It  seems  that  not  all  boys  were  satisfied  with  the  treatment  they  received 
at  the  hands  of  their  masters  and  the  incident  below  related  is  probably  only 
one  of  many  similar  cases.  This  advertisement  appeared  in  a  Greensburg 
paper  in  1846: 

"Fifty  Cents  Reward. — Run  away  from  the  subscriber,  living  in 
Greensburg,  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  Silas  F.  White,  an  indented  apprentice 
to  the  tanning  and  currying  business.  Said  apprentice  is  seventeen  years  old, 
in  February  last,  and  was  bound  to  me  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty 
years.     All  persons  are  forewarned  from  harboring  or  trusting  him,  as  I  will 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  523 

pay  no  debts  of  his  contracting;  all  persons  are  forewarned  from  employing 
him  or  paying  him  wages,  as  I  am  entitled  to  his  services,  and  I  shall  look 
to  them  for  pay  for  his  services.     The  above  reward  and  no  charges  will  be 
paid  to  any  person  returning  him  to  me. 
"May  27,  1846.  Chatfield  Howell." 

The  guardians  of  apprenticed  boys  had  to  enter  into  a  written  agreement 
to  do  certain  things,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  agreement,  taken  from  the 
court  records  of  Decatur  county : 

"Greensburg,  Indiana. 

"This  indenture,  made  the  second  day  of  August,  1830,  Witnesseth  that 
Merit  Duncan,  aged  eleven  years,  eleven  months  and  twenty-four  days  has  by 
and  with  the  consent  of  James  Floyd,  guardian  of  the  said  Merit  Duncan,  and 
of  his  own  free  will  hath  placed  and  bound  himself  apprentice  to  Samuel 
Hood,  wheelwright,  of  the  county  of  Decatur  and  the  state  of  Indana,  which 
trade  the  said  Samuel  Hood  now  useth,  and  with  him  as  an  apprentice  to 
dwell,  continue  and  serve  from  the  day  of  the  date  hereof  until  the  full  end 
and  term  of  nine  years  at  which  time  the  said  JNIerit  Duncan  will  be  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  fully  to  be  completely  ended  during  which  time  the  said 
apprentice  his  said  master  well  and  faithfully  shall  serve,  his  secrets  keep, 
his  lawful  commands  gladly  do  and  obey ;  hurt  to  his  master  he  shall  not  do  nor 
willingly  suffer  it  to  be  done  by  others,  but  of  the  same  to  the  utmost  of  his 
powers  shall  forthwith  give  notice  to  his  said  master;  the  goods  of  his  said 
master  he  shall  not  embezzle  or  waste,  nor  lend  them  without  his  consent  to 
any;  at  cards,  dice  or  other  unlawful  games  he  shall  not  play;  taverns  or 
tippling  shops  he  shall  not  frequent,  fornication  he  shall  not  commit,  matri- 
mony he  shall  not  contract ;  from  the  service  of  his  said  master  he  shall  not  at 
any  time  depart  or  absent  himself  without  his  master's  leave  but  in  all  things 
as  a  good  and  faithful  apprentice  shall  and  will  demean  himself  and  behave 
toward  his  master  during  said  term. 

"And  the  said  Samuel  Hood  in  the  art  trade  or  mystery  of  a  wheelwright, 
which  he  now  useth  with  all  things  thereunto  belonging,  shall  and  will  teach 
and  instruct  or  cause  to  be  well  and  sufficiently  taught  and  instructed  after  the 
best  way  and  manner  that  he  can ;  and  shall  and  will  lind  and  allow  unto  his 
said  apprentice  meat,  drink,  washing  and. lodging  and  apparel,  both  linen  and 
woolen  and  all  other  necessaries  lit  and  convenient  for  said  apprentice  during 
the  term  aforesaid,  and  shall  also  cause  the  said  apprentice  within  such  term 
to  be  instructed  to  read  and  write  and  cypher  as  far  as  the  single  rule  of  three 
direct  inclusive,  and  at  the  end  of  said  term  to  give  to  said  apprentice  a  good 
5uit  of  Holy  day  clothes  of  broadcloth,  a  good  hat,  shoes,  etc. 


524  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"In  witness  whereof  the  said  parties  have  hereunto  set  their  hands  and 

seals  on  the  day  and  year  above  written. 

"James  Loyd  His 

"Merit   Duncan — X 
"Samuel  Hood  (mark)." 

"Attest;     H.  H.  Talbott. 

THE  ESTRAY   pound. 

In  the  early  days,  before  there  were  newspapers,  in  which  advertisements 
could  be  run,  to  locate  lost  stock,  the  estray  pound,  or  "stray  pen,"  as  our 
fathers  called  it,  was  used  for  the  purpose  of  impounding  all  stock  found  run- 
ning at  large.  Then  when  the  owner  missed  his  property,  all  he  had  to  do 
was  to  look  for  it  in  the  pound,  pay  the  proper  charge  and  take  the  animal  or 
animals  home. 

Provision  for  such  an  institution  was  first  made  by  the  Decatur  county 
board  of  commissioners  in  1823.  In  this  year  the  board  ordered  the  county 
agent  to  let  the  construction  of  a  pound,  forty-four  feet  square,  of  oak  posts 
and  rails,  sufficiently  strong  to  retain  any  animal  that  might  be  placed  therein. 
The  contractor  was  to  receive  half  his  pay  when  his  work  was  completed  and 
the  other  half  in  eight  months.  The  pound  was  to  be  erected  on  the  public 
square  in  Greensburg.  The  pound  was  maintained  on  the  square  until  1826, 
when  the  court  ordered  it  moved  to  the  school  lot  and  its  size  somewhat 
reduced.  The  contract  for  this  removal  was  given  to  Isaac  Plough,  who 
received  three  dollars  eighty-seven  and  one-half  cents  for  his  labor.  It  was 
maintained  on  this  lot,  Michigan  avenue  and  Railroad  street,  until  1842,  when 
it  was  again  placed  on  the  public  square.  Incensed  citizens,  who  objected  to 
having  the  pen  on  the  public  square,  tore  it  down  twice  within  a  week,  and 
the  institution  passed  into  history. 

politics  in  1842. 

In  the  county  election  of  1842  party  lines  were  drawn  only  in  the  fight 
for  representative.  David  Montague  was  the  Whig  candidate  and  many 
voters  propounded  the  following  list  of  questions  to  him:  (i)  Are  you  an 
infidel  in  religious  matters?  (2)  Are  you  an  abolitionist?  (3)  Are  you  in 
favor  of  taxing  distilleries  so  as  to  break  them  down?  (4)  Are  you  in  favor 
of  the  present  property  laAv?  (5)  Are  you  in  favor  of  a  "stop  law"?  if  so, 
how  long?  (6)  Are  you  a  member  of  any  temperance  or  Washingtonian 
Society? 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  525 

"Uncle  Davy"  came  through  with  repHes  immediately.  He  answered 
the  first  three  questions  in  the  negative,  the  next  two  in  the  affirmative,  and 
ignored  the  last  one.  He  received  one  thousand  and  sixty-eight  votes  to  eight 
hundred  and  thirty  for  his  opponent,  Harvey  Dunlavew  E\identl_\-  his  stand 
on  these  questions  met  with  the  approval  of  the  voters. 

THE    WHIG    BARBECUE   OF    1 844. 

On  October  4.  1844,  a  \\  hig  barbecue  for  the  third  congressional  district 
was  held  in  Greensburg.  It  was,  beyond  doubt,  the  biggest  political  gathering 
ever  held  in  this  region  up  to  that  time.  There  was  bunting,  flags  and  other 
decorations  galore  and  ten  thousand  people  are  reported  to  have  been  present. 
Hon.  James  M.  Cravens,  the  Whig  congressman  from  this  district,  presided 
and  P.  A.  Hackelman,  of  Rush  coiuity,  C.  F.  Clarkson,  of  Franklin  county, 
and  D.  C.  Rich,  of  Jennings  county,  were  secretaries. 

The  principal  speaker  was  the  Hon.  Caleb  Smith,  of  Connersville,  who 
was  then  considered  the  most  eloquent  speaker  in  the  state.  The  meeting  wa^ 
held  in  the  Hendricks  grove,  a  half  mile  northwest  of  the  court  house,  in  the 
locality  of  the  old  orphans'  home.  The  task  of  feeding  the  multitude  was 
successfully  accomplished. 

After  dinner,  Hon.  Oliver  H.  Smith  delivered  a  memorable  campaign 
speech.  At  night  the  meeting  was  continued  in  the  Presbyterian  church, 
where  Hackelman,  Rich,  Cravens  and  Milton  Gregg,  of  Dearborn  county, 
were  the  orators.  On  October  24,  another  monster  rally  was  held  at  Rushville 
and  many  Decatur  county  Whigs  attended.  Clarksburg  was  represented  in 
the  parade  at  Rushville,  with  a  huge  canoe  cut  from  a  large  sycamore  log, 
drawn  by  twenty  white  horses  and  filled  with  twenty  fair  maidens  to  represent 
the  number  of  states  then  comprising  the  Union. 

ONE   HUNDRED   STRONG   AXD    FOUR   THOUSAND    MILES   TO    GO. 

Alan}'  of  the  early  citizens  will  recall  hearing  of  the  overland  trip  of  the 
Decatur-Rush  county  colony  of  1852.  On  March  8,  1852,  this  colony  of  one 
hundred  brave  souls  started  from  the  Spring  Hill  and  Richland  communities 
on  an  overland  journey  by  ox  teams  to  far-away  Oregon.  They  went  from 
Madison  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  by  boat  and  the  remaining  distance  was 
traversed  overland.  After  six  months  of  privations  and  dangers,  they  landed 
in  the  Willamette  valley,  September  13,  1852.  where  they  remained  six  years, 
when  they  moved  to  near  The  Dalles. 


526  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


AN    OLD-TIME    DEBATING    SOCIETY. 

During  the  Civil  War  a  well  organized  debating  society,  composed  of 
fifteen  young  men  of  Greensburg,  flourished  in  that  city.  The  society  met 
every  Friday  evening  in  the  office  of  the  sheriff  and  discussed  matters  of 
public  interest.  After  several  lengthy  arguments,  the  society  decided  that 
abolition  of  slavery  would  be  necessary  to  stop  the  war  and  that  the  removal 
of  General  McClellan  was  justifiable. 

One  of  the  most  famous  debates  conducted  by  the  society  was  at  the 
court  house  when  the  justifiability  of  Napoleon's  banishment  was  discussed, 
J.  D.  Spillman  and  W.  A.  JNIoore  taking  the  affirmative  and  R.  C.  Talbott 
and  Captain  Irvin,  the  negative.     The  record  does  not  say  who  won. 

A   GLIMPSE   OF   THE   ANTI-MASONIC    MOVEMENT. 

Some  of  the  able  debaters  of  the  early  days,  according  to  recorded 
evidence,  must  have  been  Joseph  Hopkins,  Andrew  Robison,  Thomas  and 
Cyrus  Hamilton  of  the  Kingston  neighborhood.  The  story  is  told  that 
back  some  time  in  the  late  twenties  two  youthful  students  at  Hanover  came 
to  Kingston  and  issued  a  challenge  to  the  whole  wide  world  for  a  discussion 
of  Masonry. 

Andrew  Robison  and  Cyrus  Hamilton,  although  neither  knew  a  thing 
about  Masonry,  agreed  to  meet  them,  and,  according  to  one  who  was  pres- 
ent at  the  discussion,  "when  it  was  over,  there  was  only  a  grease  spot  on 
the  floor  where  the  students  had  stood." 

Twenty  years  later,  at  the  same  place,  there  was  held  a  very  celebrated 
discussion  of  the  subject,  "Is  a  United  States  bank  constitutional,  accord- 
ing to  the  constitution?"  The  judges  were  Alexander  and  John  Porter 
and  a  man  named  Travis.  All  were  property  owners  and  had  been  selected 
because  every  one  had  implicit  confidence  in  their  fairness. 

Disputants  were  John  B.  Trimble  and  James  B.  Yearns  for  the  affirma- 
tive and  William  L.  Douglas  and  Thomas  Jones  for  the  negative.  Soon 
after  the  judges  had  retired  to  consider  the  points  adduced,  one  of  them 
reappeared  and  asked,  "On  which  side  of  this  question  is  James  Yearns?" 
He  was  supplied  with  the  needed  information  and  the  judges  at  once  filed 
back  with  a  decision  favoring  Yearns'  side. 

The  announcement  came  as  a  surprise,  the  question  being  a  partisan 
one  and  two  of  the  judges  being  of  the  anti-bank  party,  which  made  it  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


527 


more  difficult  to  understand.  Yearns,  however,  was  a  son-in-law  of  one  of 
the  Porters,  'which,  it  was  later  decided,  was  the  senegambian  in  the  wood 
pile. 

A    CIVIL    WAR    DEBATE. 

In  September,  1S62.  occurred  a  bitter  joint  debate  between  Colonel 
Bemusdaffer  and  the  Reverentl  \'an  Buskirk  at  Milford.  The_v  were  candi- 
dates for  the  Legislature  on  the  Democratic  antl  Republican  tickets,  respec- 
tively. \^an  Buskirk  took  for  his  text  the  words  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
and  stuck  to  his  text  all  the  way  through.     These  words  were  as  follow : 

"How  are  we  to  overcome  partisian  antipathies  in  the  minds  of  men  of 
all  parties  so  as  to  present  a  united  front  in  the  support  of  our  country? 
Whoever  is  not  prepared  to  sacrifice  party  organizations  and  platforms  on 
the  altar  of  his  country  is  not  worthy  of  the  support  and  countenance  of 
honest  people,  ^^'e  must  cease  discussing  party  issues,  make  no  allusions  to 
old  party  tests,  ha\'e  no  criminations  and  recriminations,  indulge  in  no  taunts 
one  against  the  other  as  to  who  has  been  the  cause  of  these  troubles.  When 
we  shall  have  rescued  the  country  and  go\'ernment  from  its  perils  and  seen 
its  flag  floating  in  triumph  over  e\'ery  inch  of  American  soil,  it  will  then  be 
time  enough  to  inquire  as  to  who  and  what  has  brought  about  these  troubles 
upon  us.  Then  it  will  be  time  enough  for  each  of  us  to  return  to  our  party 
banners." 

Van  Buskirk  argued  that  the  Republican  party,  whose  candidate  he  was, 
was  true  to  this  conception,  that  the  Republican  part)'  had  eschewed  its  name 
and  had  nominated  a  state  ticket,  with  three  Republicans  and  three  Demo- 
crats upon  it.  He  also  pointed  out  that  Colonel  Gavin,  a  Democrat,  had  been 
named  for  Congress. 

EARLY    GREENSBURG    LIBRARIES. 

A  fugitive  notice  in  a  local  newspaper  in  1857  says  that  there  were  two 
public  libraries  then  open  in  Greensburg  every  Tuesday  and  Friday  after- 
noons. The  McClure  library  was  free  to  members  of  the  Workingmen's 
Institute,  others  paying  twenty-five  cents  per  quarter  for  library  privileges. 
The  other  library  belonged  to  the  township  and  had  been  established  by 
Professor  Larrabee  in  1855.  The  records  showed  that  in  nine  months  five 
hundred  and  seventy-six  books  were  taken  from  the  McClure  library  and 
four  hundred  and  twenty-nine  from  the  township  library.  No  other  account 
has  been  found  of  either  library. 


528  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


ORTHOGRAPHIC    CONTESTS. 

Public  spelling  matches  became  very  popular  in  the  seventies  and  all 
over  the  country  matches  were  held  in  school  houses,  opera  houses  and  other 
places.  A  town  in  Ohio  in  1875  claimed  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  con- 
duct a  public  spelling  match  and  the  editor  of  a  Greensburg  newspaper  comes 
back  in  this  wise : 

"The  question  of  where  the  spelling  mania  originated  is  being  discussed, 
and  Ohio,  with  her  usual  brazenness,  is  claiming  the  honor.  We  want  to 
say  that  the  first  public  spelling  match  in  the  country  took  place  in  Greens- 
burg in  1874.  The  papers  of  the  state  made  considerable  fun  over  it  at  the 
time,  and  said  that  we  were  without  other  forms  of  amusement.  Now  they 
want  to  claim  the  honor  of  being  first." 

One  of  the  most  famous  spelling  matches  of  forty  years  ago  was  held 
in  the  county  court  house  on  March  18,  1875,  when  Susie  F.  Wise,  New 
Pennington,  won  first  prize  over  lawyers,  doctors,  teachers  and  others.  This 
prize  was  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  western  land  owned  by  James 
Hart. 

A  second  spelling  match  was  held  at  the  court  house  on  March  25,  of 
the  same  year,  with  Judge  W.  A.  Moore  and  G.  H.  Dunn  as  captains.  W.  A. 
Powner  was  umpire  and  Doctor  Wright  pronouncer.  Dunn  had  first  choice 
and  took  F.  E.  Gavin.  Moore  took  N.  S.  Cooper.  Miss  Wise,  who  had  won 
the  week  before,  went  down  and  out  on  "hostage."  The  last  four  standing 
were  Moore,  Cooper,  E.  T.  Jordan  and  J.  Iv.  Ewing.     In  the  end  Cooper  won. 

LINCOLN   IN    GREENSBURG. 

A  fact  not  generally  known  is  that  Abraham  Lincoln  once  observed  a 
birthday  in  Greensburg.  It  was  February  12,  1861,  his  fifty-second  birth- 
day, and  he  was  on  his  way  to  Washington  to  be  sworn  in  as  President  of 
the  United  States.  According  to  his  itinerary,  he  was  to  go  from  Indian- 
apolis direct  to  Cincinnati,  but  Will  Cumback  prevailed  upon  those  in 
charge  to  hold  the  train  at  Greensburg  for  a  short  time  in  order  that  Decatur 
county  people  might  pay  their  respects  to  the  President-elect.  A  meeting  of 
prominent  citizens  had  been  held  the  week  before  to  perfect  arrangements. 

When  the  train  stopped  at  the  station,  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared  at  the  rear 
platform  and  was  introduced  by  Will  Cumback,  who  was  one  of  the 
committee  of  escort.  A  crowd  estimated  at  two  thousand  had  gathered. 
Lincoln,  after  explaining  that  he  had  no  time,  on  account  of  the  limitations 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  529 

of  his  schedule,  to  make  an  extended  speech,  thanked  his  auditors  for  their 
courtesy,  and  then,  noticing  that  there  was  a  band  present,  called  for  some 
music,  adding  that  of  course  the  sentiment  of  it  would  no  doubt  favor  the 
Union.  The  crowd  sang  "The  Flag  of  Our  Union,"  the  band  played  "Hail, 
Columbia"  and  then  the  train  pulled  out.  While  Lincoln  was  listening  to 
the  music,  he  was  presented  with  a  large  red  apple  by  John  Dokes,  a  well- 
known  character. 

Commenting  upon  the  President-elect,  the  Grccnsbitrg  Standard  said  in 
its  next  issue:  "Almost  everybody  who  saw  President  Lincoln  as  he  passed 
through  this  place  on  last  Tuesday  seemed  to  be  surprised  to  find  him  so 
good  looking  a  man  as  he  is.  From  what  they  had  heard  and  from  the  pic- 
tures they  had  seen,  they  of  course  expected  to  see  an  altogether  different 
looking  man.  He  is  not  a  beauty,  but  then  he  is  about  as  good  looking  as 
Presidents  generally  are." 

THE    FIRST    SUNDAY   SCHOOL   IN    DECATUR   COUNTY. 

The  first  Sunday  school  in  Decatur  county  was  held  in  the  fall  of  1827 
near  the  present  Mt.  Camiel  church,  two  miles  south  of  Clarksburg.  There 
was  no  church  building  there  at  that  time,  but  a  log  school  house  on  Andra 
McCoy's  farm,  in  which  the  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  United  Brethren  and 
New  Lights  had  occasional  services.  Here  was  organized  the  first  Sunday 
school.  The  officers  of  this  first  Sunday  school  were  as  follows :  John 
Hopkins,  superintendent;  Zenas  Darnell,  assistant  superintendent;  Dr.  Jesse 
M.  Gillespie,  secretary.  The  teachers  were  Miss  Andra  McCoy,  Jane  Don- 
nell  (Mrs.  Luther  A.  Donnell),  Jane  Throp,  Elizabeth  Bell  and  John  Bell. 
Dr.  Nathaniel  Lewis  was  appointed  to  raise  money  to  buy  a  library  for  the 
school,  and  when  the  books  came  some  of  the  members  did  not  like  some 
■of  them  and  withdrew  from  the  school,  because  of  the  fictitious  character 
of  some  of  the  books.  This  school  was  continued  until  about  1830,  when 
it  was  disbanded,  and  the  Methodists,  who  then  had  a  church  society  there, 
organized  another  Sunday  school. 

THE    ONLY    LY^NCHING    IN    DECATUR    COUNTY. 

Just  once  in  the  history  of  the  county  has  mob  law  overruled  the  courts 
and  claimed  its  victim.    In  the  summer  of  1879  Oscar  M.  Garrett,  an  Adams 
countv  farmer,  was  arrested,  charged  with  the  murder  of   John  ^^^alton,  a 
(34) 


530  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

neighbor.  Walton  had  a  young  wife  in  whom  Garrett,  although  a  married 
man,  took  an  undue  interest.  The  crime  was  at  once  laid  at  his  door  and  the 
widow  was  also  arrested,  charged  with  complicit_v  in  the  deed.  So  strong 
was  public  sentiment  against  him,  that  Garrett  took  a  change  of  venue  to 
Bartholomew  county.  Mrs.  Walton  was  tried  in  the  local  court  and  sen- 
tenced to  the  penitentiary  for  life.  In  the  trial  at  Columbus  the  state  en- 
deavored to  show  that  Garrett  had  hired  a  colored  man  to  perform  the  act. 

Garrett  was  acquitted  and  returned  to  Decatur  county,  where  he  was 
at  once  arrested  upon  another  charge.  Sentiment  ran  high,  and  a  few  nights 
later  twenty  men  burst  the  jail  door  and  laid  hands  upon  their  victim.  He 
fought  like  a  tiger,  with  all  the  madness  of  despair.  Shrieking  and  bleeding, 
he  was  borne  toward  the  door  and  out  into  the  yard.  All  the  time  he  fviri- 
ously  fought  his  assailants.  When  the  mob  at  last  overpowered  him  and 
strung  him  to  a  tree  in  the  jail  yard,  life  was  almost  extinct. 

John  Stout  was  county  sheriff  at  this  time.  He  did  his  best  to  protect 
his  prisoner,  but  the  mob  overpowered  him.  Under  the  state  law  at  that 
time,  Walton's  widow  secured  a  third  of  his  estate. 

THE  AGAPHONE. 

In  1878  Israel  D.  Jewett,  of  St.  Omer,  invented  an  instrument  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  "agaphone."  The  county  papers  of  that  year  refer  to  it 
in  glowing  terms  and  prophecy  that  it  will  supplant  the  telephone  in  a  short 
time.  The  Greensburg  Standard  says  that  "A  reporter  of  the  Cincinnati 
Gazette,  who  has  twice  visited  St.  Omer  to  inspect  this  invention,  reports  it 
a  perfect  triumph  over  the  Edison  instrument."  For  some  reason  the  won- 
derful invention  failed  to  materialize  and  nothing  more  is  heard  of  it  after  that 
year.  Whether  it  was  ever  used  as  a  means  of  communication,  has  not 
been  discovered,  but  it  seems  certain  that  it  was  never  manufactured  for  com- 
mercial purposes.     It  was  in  reality  nothing  but  a  telephone. 

PIONEER   COLD   STORAGE. 

It  is  claimed  that  Rev.  Benjamin  M.  Nyce,  of  Decatur  county,  Indiana, 
was  the  first  man  to  apply  refrigeration  to  the  storage  of  fruit.  One  capital- 
ist offered  him  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  patent  rights  for  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  two  hundred  and  fiifty  thousand  dollars  was  reported 
to  have  been  offered  him  for  the  Louisiana  concessions.  He  firmly  declined 
all  such  offers,  but  failed  in  business  at  last. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  53I 


A  GUNPOWDER  PLOT. 


Emulating  Guy  Fawkes,  three  young  men,  in  a  spirit  of  play,  on  the 
evening  of  February  i8,  1876,  placed  a  beer  keg  containing  gtinpowder 
against  the  south  side  of  the  court  house  and  touched  it  off.  All  the  windows 
on  that  side  of  the  building  were  shattered  and  bits  of  the  keg  were  blown 
across  the  square,  breaking  a  number  of  windows  in  business  places.  John 
Moody,  Hick  James  and  a  Gageby  boy  were  arrested,  but  were  later  released. 

TO   BUSS   OR   NOT   TO   BUSS. 

In  the  summer  of  1912  there  was  organized  at  St.  Paul  one  of  the  most 
unique  clubs  which  has  ever  arisen  in  the  county,  or  in  the  state  or  nation. 
The  cause  leading  up  to  its  organization  is  shrouded  in  more  or  less  mystery, 
the  charter  members  refusing  to  divulge  the  reasons  which  lead  to  its  forma- 
tion, although  there  are  those  who  have  offered  a  very  satisfactory  explana- 
tion. The  Indianapolis  News,  in  the  fore  part  of  August,  had  a  long  article 
on  this  club  in  which  its  aims  were  set  forth  in  detail.  This  club  bore  the 
culinary-osculatory  title  of  the  "St.  Paul  Anti-Spooning  Club"  and  was 
limited  to  twenty  members,  divided  equally  between  the  two  sexes.  Whether 
the  fair  maidens  of  St.  Paul  originated  the  club  or  whether  it  was  the  young 
men,  has  not  been  ascertained;  neither  has  it  been  possible  to  find  out 
the  nature  of  the  initiatory  services.  The  supposition  is  that  the  neophytes 
were  initiated  in  pairs  and  forced  to  abjure  all  those  practices  common  to 
amorously-stricken  couples.  In  the  constitution,  which  was  the  last  thing 
every  member  was  allowed  to  kiss,  the  initiate  was  sworn  to  forego  all  "flirt- 
ing, fussing,  spooning,  kissing,  holding  of  hands,  or  any  demonstrations  of 
an  amorous  nature."  (See  Greensbiirg  News,  August  9,  1912.)  For  the 
first  violation  of  any  one  of  these  rules  the  offender  was  compelled  either  to 
hold  the  hands  of  the  town  clock  or  salute  the  mouth  of  Flatrock.  The 
second  violation  was  met  with  instant  expulsion  from  the  club  and  perpetual 
ostracism  from  all  good  society  in  the  town.  This  club,  so  organized  and 
with  such  excellent  eugenic  and  sanitary  provisions  for  its  members,  opened 
its  first  meeting  with  the  full  membership  present.  After  the  regular  busi- 
ness of  the  club  was  concluded,  on  this  opening  night,  a  social  hour  was 
indulged  in  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  members.  At  the  next  weekly 
meeting  the  club  unanimously  voted  to  disband,  the  fair  damsel  moving  its 
dissolution  saying  that  she  voiced  the  sentiments  of  her  nine  sisters  when  she 
said  that  such  an  organization  was  detrimental  to  the  advancement  of  home 


532  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

life  in  particular  and  civilization  in  general.  Thus  died  one  of  the  most 
unique  organizations  which  the  mind  of  man  ever  conceived,  and  peace  and 
contentment  once  more  reigned  supreme  in  St.  Paul. 

"aunt  jane"  warriner  and  her  well. 

The  location  of  the  new  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  on  the  lot  where  "Aunt 
Jane"  Warriner  lived  for  so  many  years  has  recalled  to  many  of  the  older 
residents  of  Greensburg  that  old  pioneer  lady  and  her  famous  well.  This 
lot  was  sold  at  the  first  public  sale  of  lots  on  the  first  Monday  in  September, 
1822,  to  Ella  Warriner  (a  man)  for  the  sum  of  ten  dollars.  The  directors 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  paid  seven  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars  for  this  same  lot  in  1914. 

"Aunt  Jane"  Warriner  was  born  at  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1800 
and  was  married  to  Edmund  Heuston  in  1819.  In  the  winter  of  1820-21 
her  husband  came  to  Decatur  county  with  Col.  Thomas  Hendricks  and  helped 
to  survey  the  county  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  182 1.  During  the  follow- 
ing winter  "Aunt  Jane"  came  down  the  Ohio  river  in  a  barge  as  far  as 
Cincinnati.  From  there  she  walked  to  Greensburg,  alone  through  the  for- 
ests, carrying  her  babe  at  her  breast. 

Her  husband  died  a  few  years  later  and,  on  May  26,  1831,  she  married 
Franklin  Warriner,  a  brother  of  Ella.  It  was  soon  thereafter  that  they 
located  on  the  present  Y.  M.  C.  A.  lot  in  a  rude  log  cabin.  They  dug  a  well 
in  front  of  the  house,  which,  from  about  1835  to  1875,  a  period  of  forty 
years,  was  a  social  center  for  the  whole  town..  People  came  for  squares 
around  to  get  water  from  this  well,  school  children  flocked  to  it  on  their  way 
to  and  from  school,  and  all  were  welcomed  by  "Aunt  Jane."  About  1875 
the  well  was  filled  up  and  the  once  famous  gathering  place  is  now  only  a 
pleasant  memory. 

A  TWO-DOLLAR   PRAYER. 

The  Bible  says  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire  and  George  W.  dem- 
ons, a  prominent  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  Greensburg,  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  truth  of  this  statement.  In  the  spring  of  191 5  Mr.  demons 
happened  to  attend  services  at  the  First  Methodist  church  and  Reverend 
Dodridge,  knowing  that  he  often  offered  public  prayer  in  his  own  church, 
called  upon  Mr.  demons  to  pray  upon  this  particular  occasion.  Mr.  demons 
gave  a  very  effective  prayer  and  during  the  following-  week  sent  a  bill  to 
Reverend  Dodridge  for  two  dollars  for  his  services.   Whether  the  preacher  was 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  533 

expected  to  reimburse  Mr.  demons  for  his  services  when  he  called  upon  him 
is  unknown,  but  he  felt  that  JNIr.  demons  by  right  owed  him  ten  dollars  for 
his  semion  at  the  time  in  question.  Accordingly,  Reverend  Dodridge  made 
out  a  statement  for  ten  dollars  for  services  rendered,  and  this  he  took  in 
person  to  Mr.  demons  and  presented  it  to  him  with  the  request  that  he  (Mr. 
demons)  still  owed  him  eight  dollars.  Mr.  demons  still  owes  the  preacher 
eight  dollars. 

CENTER   OF    POPULATION. 

According  to  the  United  States  census  of  1890,  the  center  of  population 
for  continental  United  States  was  in  Decatur  county,  about  ten  miles  south 
of  Greensburg  and  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Westport.  When  the 
exact  spot  was  located,  in  the  spring  of  1891,  the  Chicago  Herald  asked  and 
obtained  permission  from  the  owner  of  the  farm,  A.  M.  Armstrong,  on 
which  it  was  located,  to  put  up  an  appropriate  monument.  On  Sunday,  May 
10,  1 89 1,  the  moniunent  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  Ad- 
dresses were  made  bv  \\'i!l  Cumliack,  Frank  E.  Gavin  and  H.  C.  Aliller, 
and  A.  M.  Willoughby  read  a  historical  sketch  suitable  to  the  occasion. 
Music  was  furnished  by  the  Greensburg  band  and  the  Mapleton  glee  club. 

DRIPPING  SPRINGS  GARDEN. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  an  industry  has  been  started  in  Decatur 
county  which  promises  to  become  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States.  In  the  spring  of  1915  Mrs.  Frances  F.  Ballard  and  Mrs.  Nellie  F. 
Muehler  started  a  flower  farm  a  half  mile  northeast  of  St.  Paul  and  before 
the  middle  of  the  summer  of  the  same  year  had  twenty  acres  in  flowers. 
They  intend  to  enlarge  their  acreage  as  fast  as  they  find  a  market  for  their 
product  and  hope  to  have  one  of  the  largest  flower  farms  in  the  country 
within  a  few  years.  They  have  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres, 
with  sixty-five  acres  under  cultivation,  and  it  is  their  intention  to  place  all 
of  the  cultivated  land  in  flowers.  Strange  to  say,  they  do  not  intend  to  make 
their  money  from  the  sale  of  flowers,  but  from  the  bulbs  of  the  flowers.  At 
the  present  time  (June,  1915)  they  have  eighteen  acres  devoted  to  four 
flowers,  namely,  peonies,  asters,  gladiolas  and  dahlias.  The  other  two  acres 
in  flowers  are  planted  in  Shasta  daisies,  delphinium,  rudbekias,  and  miscel- 
laneous flowers.  The  farm  is  well  supplied  with  springs  which  run  the  year 
around  and  this  feature  gives  the  farm  its  name,  "Dripping  Springs  Garden." 


/C^w^^^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


JOHN  E.   ROBBINS. 

Old  Decatur  has  given  to  the  United  States  many  citizens  of  wide  prom- 
inence in  various  Hnes  of  human  endeavor,  many  men  of  state  prominence 
and  a  few  men  who  have  attained  even  national  distinction.  As  a  fanner, 
stockman  and  business  man,  Decatur  county  has  produced  perhaps  no  more 
widely-known  man  than  John  E.  Robbins,  who  has  won  pre-eminence  in 
many  phases  of  human  endeavor.  In  the  first  place,  he  is  the  proprietor  and 
general  manager  of  the  John  E.  Robbins  Company,  manufactures  of 
"Saltone,"  a  medicated  salt,  Avhich  has  an  enormous  sale  among  stockmen 
throughout  the  entire  country,  an  enterprise  which  has  brought  thousands 
of  dollars  to  its  owner  and  proprietor.  In  the  second  place,  he  is  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  and  progressive  farmers  to  be  found  in  the  Middle  West, 
and  a  man  who  has  succeeded  in  a  large  way,  merely  because  he  has  applied 
to  the  farm  the  same  principles  which  he  might  apply  to  the  operation  of  a 
railroad,  a  factory  or  a  large  department  store.  As  a  breeder,  however,  it 
is  possible  that  Mr.  Robbins  is  most  widely  known.  A  man  of  wide  vision, 
he  recognized  the  larger  opportunities  and,  in  1896,  while  at  Jersey  Island, 
purchased  ten  head  of  Jersey  cows,  which  were  considered  by  experienced 
breeders  on  the  Island  to  be  the  best  that  could  be  procured  there.  As  a 
breeder  of  Hampshire  hogs,  he  is  equally  well  known  and  has  accom- 
plished equally  remarkable  feats.  No  attempt  to  explain  his  large  success 
would  be  complete,  unless  one  were  able  to  met  and  know  the  man  himself.  It 
is  significant,  however,  that  he  is  descended  from  the  best  stock  that  Decatur 
county  has  ever  produced.  His  father,  his  grandfather  and  his  remote  ances- 
tors were  men  of  large  vision  and  great  accomplishments,  and  it  is  true,  no 
doubt,  that  John  E.  Robbins  has  inherited  from  these  worthy  progenitors 
many  of  his  most  sterling  traits  of  character  and  much  of  his  capacity  for 
large  business  enterprise. 

John  E.  Robbins  was  born  j\Iarch  29,  1864,  on  the  old  Robbins  home- 


536  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Stead,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  Greensburg.  Here,  in  a  beautiful 
country  home,  surrounded  with  all  of  the  opportunities  which  the  father  of 
wonderful  ability  could  give  to  his  son,  he  grew  to  manhood.  The  house 
in  which  he  was  born  and  in  which  he  lived  during  the  early  years  of  his 
life,  was  supplanted  by  a  magnificent  brick  house,  erected  by  the  father  in 
1868.  Since  he  was  twenty  years  old,  he  has  been  well-known  in  this  state 
as  a  breeder.  His  business,  of  this  character,  has  grown  from  year  to  year 
until,  in  19 14,  he  raised  five  hundred  head  of  Hampshire  hogs,  and  it  was 
only  in  191 1  that  he  began  breeding  Hampshires.  He  sells  fancy  sows  and 
boars  all  over  the  country  and  has  exhibited  his  choice  animals  at  state 
fair  in  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  and  the  international 
live  stock  expositions.  He  has  carried  away  a  majority  of  the  prizes  and 
ribbons  at  each  exhibit.  A  list  of  prizes  he  has  won  on  his  most  famous 
animals  would  far  exceed  the  available  limits  of  this  biographical  review. 
Nevertheless,  at  his  auction  sale  held  on  January  8,  19 14,  the  "Saltone  Stock 
Farm"  established  a  new  record.  Sixty-nine  Hampshire  hogs  sold  for  eight 
thousand  seven  hundred  dollars,  a  previously  unheard-of  average  price  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  dollars  a  head.  "Lady  Over"  brought  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  dollars;  "Saltone  II.,"  five  hundred  and  ten  dollars; 
"Vesta,"  four  hundred  aiid  fifteen  dollars,  and  "Bessie  Burk,"  four  hundred 
and  five  dollars.  Ten  hogs  sold  at  an  average  of  three  hundred  and  thirty 
dollars,  twenty  hogs  sold  at  an  average  of  two  hundred  and  forty-five  dol- 
lars, and  forty  at  an  average  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  dollars.  Mr. 
Robbins  attributes  a  part  of  his  success  with  Hampshire  hogs  to  the  liberal 
use  of  Saltone,  a  medicated  salt,  which  he  himself  manufactures.  At  the 
international  live  stock  exposition  at  Chicago  in  1913,  his  herd  of  Hampshire 
hogs  won  two  grand  championships,  and  three  championships,  the  prizes 
including,  however,  not  only  the  prizes  won  at  international  live  stock  exposi- 
tion, but  also  at  the  Iowa,  Kentucky,  Indiana  and  Illinois  state  fairs  of  the 
same  year.  In  191 5  he  sold  one  hog  for  one  thousand  and  twenty-five  dol- 
lars. Formerly  a  noted  importer  of  Jersey  cattle,  Mr.  Robbins  made  many 
trips  to  Jersey  Isle,  and,  during  his  career,  imported  many  thoroughbred 
Jersey  cattle.  Beginning  in  1896,  for  fourteen  years  he  bred  and  sold  Jer- 
seys and  was  the  only  man  in  the  United  States  who  ever  bred,  raised  and 
sold  a  Jersey  bull  which  brought  the  enormous  price  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. This  excellent  animal,  "  Silverine  Coomassie,"  was  sold  to  Dr.  C.  E. 
Still  in  the  spring  of  1905. 

Of  the  Saltone  enterprise,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  manufactured  by 
the  John  E.  Robbins  Company,  which  was  organized  on  December  i,  191 1. 


DECATUR    COUNTYj    INDIANA.  537 

It  is  especially  designed  to  destroy  worms  in  live  stock  and  to  tone  np 
animals  physically.  The  formula  was  discovered  in  an  enterprise  launched 
by  Mr.  Robbins  under  the  trade-mark  name,  "Saltone."  This  enterprise  has 
been  very  successful,  and,  in  nomial  times,  the  company  employs  about  forty 
people  and  the  sales  in  19 14  amounted  to  more  than  eighty  thousand  dollars. 

With  all  of  these  enterprises  to  look  after,  it  is  not  hard  to  conclude 
that  John  E.  Robbins  is  a  \ery  busy  man.  He  owns  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres  of  land,  and  it  is  upon  this  farm,  situated  near  Greens- 
burg,  that  his  extensive  business  operations  are  carried  on.  Personally,  he 
is  an  intelligent  and  progressive  citizen  and  an  independent  thinker  and  voter, 
although  nominally  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  INIasonic  lodge;  the  JNlurat  Temple;  nobles  of  the 
]\Iystic  Shrine,  of  Indianapolis ;  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 

Mr.  Robbins  has  been  twice  married,  the  first  time,  December  24,  1884, 
to  Lou  Elder,  the  daughter  of  James  Elder.  She  died  on  February  2,  1885, 
only  a  short  time  after  their  marriage.  JMr.  Robbins  was  married  again, 
December  11,  1912,  to  Elizabeth  C.  Ehrhard,  the  daughter  of  Adam  Ehr- 
hard,  of  Greensburg.  To  this  second  marriage  has  been  bom  one  son, 
John  Everman,  who  was  born  February  4,   191 5. 

John  E.  Robbins  is  a  son  of  John  E.,  Sr.,  and  Nancy  (Hunter)  Rob- 
bins. The  genealogy  of  the  Robbins  family  begins  with  Bethiah  V^ickery, 
who  was  born  on  December  i,  1760,  and  who  married  \\'illiam  Rol:)bins.  To 
them  were  born  three  children :  Albe,  Charity  and  Benjamin.  William  Rob- 
bins was  killed  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  soon  after  enlisting,  and  his 
widow  married  a  second  William  Robbins  in  Guilford  county.  North  Caro- 
lina. To  this  couple  were  born  nine  children :  Marmadnke  and  Jacob,  born 
on  May  15,  1783;  Elizabeth,  born  on  February  5,  178S;  Polly,  bom  on 
April  9,  1791 ;  Nathaniel,  born  on  April  5,  1793;  John,  born  on  February  8, 
1795;  William,  born  on  August  6,  1797;  Dosha,  born  on  I\Iay  20,  1804. 
William  Robbins,  the  second  husband  of  J\Irs.  Robbins,  was  born  on  October 
21,  1761,  in  Randolph  county.  North  Carolina.  In  October,  1777.  when  six- 
teen years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  sen'ing  until  1781 
under  Capt.  Joseph  Clark  and  Colonel  Dugan  and  Col.  Anthony  Sharp.  He 
left  Virginia  for  Henry  county,  Kentucky,  and,  in  1821,  came  to  Decatur 
county,  settling  nine  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Greensburg.  Here  he 
made  a  home  among  the  timbered  hills.  Trees  were  cleared  away  and  a  new 
log  house  of  one  room  was  erected  with  a  shed,  in  which  was  built  a  room 
for  carpet  weaving  and  many  kinds  of  cloth.     In  Septemljer  11.  1834,  Will- 


-538  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

iam  Robbins  passed  away  and  was  buried  at  Mt.  Pleasant  cemetery.  The  third 
WiUiam  Robbins,  heretofore  referred  to  in  the  children  born  to  the  second 
William  Robbins  and  Bethiah  Vivery,  was  born  in  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains 
of  Virginia.  He  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Henry  county,  Kentucky,  and 
accompanied  them  to  Indiana,  when  the  family  came  in  182 1.  At  this  time 
he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  selected  the  site  for  a  home  for  him- 
self about  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  his  father's  home,  but  the  next 
year  returned  to  Kentucky  and  was  married  to  Eleanor  Anderson,  of  that 
state. 

Upon  returning  to  his  new  home  with  his  bride,  and  during  the  same 
year,  three  sisters  and  two  brothers,  John  and  Nathaniel,  settled  in  the  same 
vicinity.  A  short  time  later  other  relatives  of  the  Robbins  family  came  to 
the  same  township.  The  Robbins  family  became  prominent  both  as  to  num- 
ber and  influence  in  the  early  affairs  of  this  section.  Nathaniel  Robbins  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  Sand  Creek  township.  William  and  Eleanor 
Robbins  lived  on  the  farm  originally  selected  as  their  home,  during  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  They  had  four  children :  Sarilda,  born  in  October, 
1823,  who  married  William  Styers;  John  E.,  born  on  February  20,  1825, 
who  married  Nancy  O.  Hunter;  James  G.,  born  on  June  10,  1827,  who  mar- 
ried Elmira  Stout,  and  Merrit  H.,  born  in  1829,  who  married  Jeannette 
Gilchrist.  William  Robbins  died  on  February  3,  1868,  and  his  wife  died 
four  years  later. 

John  E.  Robbins,  Sr.,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  near  Greensburg, 
February  20,  1825,  and  was  married  on  November  7,  1844,  to  Nancy  Hunter, 
the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth  Hunter.  After  their  marriage,  the 
young  couple  went  to  housekeeping  on  a  farm  of  forty  acres  given  them  by 
Mr.  Robbins'  father.  After  living  on  this  farm  until  February  15,  1848, 
they  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  one  mile  south  of 
Greensburg,  where  they  made  their  home  until  their  death.  To  this  pur- 
chase, however,  they  added  large  tracts  of  land  until  they  owned  three 
thousand  acres  in  Decatur  county  and  twenty-four  hundred  acres  in  Bartholo- 
mew county,  besides  personal  property  of  great  value. 

In  1882,  John  E.  Robbins  helped  to  organize  the  Third  National  Bank 
of  Greensburg,  and  became  a  dire'ctor  and  its  president,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  until  his  death.  Under  his  direction  and  management,  the  Third 
National  Bank  grew  to  be  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  successful  insti- 
tutions in  the  country.  Mr.  Robbins  passed  away  on  July  22,  1896.  His 
-wife,  who  had  shared  all  of  his  interests  and  labors,  a  most  willing  and 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  539 

efficient  helpmate,  continued  to  live  on  the  farm  until  her  long  and  useful 
life  closed,  J\lay  2,  1905.  John  E.  and  Nancy  Robbins  had  fourteen  children, 
of  whom  the  names  of  twelve  are  herewith  given :  Elizabeth  Ellen,  deceased ; 
Charlotte  Adeline,  deceased;  Sarilda  Ruth,  who  married  H.  F.  Smiley; 
Minerva  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of  Archie  Gilchrist;  Nancy  Elmira, 
who  married  J.  B.  Kitchen;  Sarah  Jeanette,  deceased;  William  Hunter, 
who  married  Cora  Sefton;  Clara  Alinda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  B. 
Kitchin;  Olive  Ida,  who  married  Robert  IMcCoy;  John  Everman,  who  mar- 
ried Louisa  Elder;  Frank  Roscoe,  who  married  Katie  Sefton,  and  Eliza 
Angeline,  who  became  the  wife  of  Will  Q.  Elder. 

John  Everman,  given  in  the  above  list  of  children  as  having  married 
Louisa  Elder,  is  the  John  E.  Robbins  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Robbins  is  at  the 
present  time  at  the  very  zenith  of  his  usefulness,  but  it  must  not  be  assumed 
that  he  is  at  the  zenith  of  his  power  and  prosperity.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he 
is  hardly  fifty-one  years  old  today,  and  it  is  well  known  among  men  who  have 
studied  personal  careers  that  great  fortunes  are  generally  acquired  after  the 
age  of  fifty.  The  people  of  Decatur  county  have  every  reason  in  the  world 
to  be  proud  of  the  career  of  John  E.  Robbins,  and  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  thev  are  proud  of  what  he  has  accomplished ;  proud  of  the  fame 
and  name  he  has  given  to  this  section;  gratified  that  the  exceptional  oppor- 
tunities of  which  he  has  taken  advantage,  lie  here  at  their  threshold. 


GEORGE  S.  LITTELL. 


When  a  neighbor,  himself  a  successful  business  man,  says  of  another, 
"He  is  the  greatest  worker  I  ever  saw,"  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  latter  is 
a  success  financially,  and  a  citizen  looked  up  to  as  a  leader,  whether  the 
locality  in  which  he. lives  is  a  town  or  city.  There  is  a  sort  of  energy  that  is. 
invincible,  an  ambition  that  knows  no  defeat,  and  when  these  characteristics! 
are  combined  with  a  genial  nature,  we  usually  find  a  man  well  known  and 
well  liked,  a  power  among  his  fellow  men  and  a  citizen  worthy  of  honor  and, 
esteem.  When  such  a  man  comes  of  a  line  of  ancestry  living  in  the  same 
neighborhood  for  many  years,  he  has  an  added  prestige,  for  he  and  his  family 
become  a  vital  part  of  the  community  whose  well-being  is  a  matter  of  their 
personal  concern.  Such  has  been  the  relationship  of  George  S.  Littell  and 
his  ancestors  to  Decatur  county,  that  its  history  could  not  be  written  without 
prominent  mention  of  them.     And  today,  l\Ir.  Littell  and  his  father  in  their 


540  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

beautiful  home  are  important  factors  in  the  commercial  and  social  life  of 
their  community. 

George  S.  Littell  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Ohio,  on  June  i,  1854.  His, 
father,  Benjamin  Littell,  who  still  lives  with  his  son,  George,  is  hale  and 
hearty  at  ninety-five,  and  retains  much  of  his  former  vigor  and  interest  in 
life.  His  mother,  who  was  before  her  marriage,  Jane  Van  Sant,  was  the 
daughter  of  Reuben  Van  Sant,  former  county  treasurer  of  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio.  The  grandfather  of  George  Littell  was  also  named  Benjamin,  who 
passed  away  during  the  cholera  epidemic,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children. 
Benjamin,  Elizabeth,  Sarah  Ann  and  Clara.  Of  Benjamin,  the  father  of 
Mr.  Littell.  we  shall  have  more  to  say  later  on  in  the  present  article,  for  he, 
too,  has  an  interesting  life  history.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  1822,  lived 
until  1907.  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Their  children  were,  Alan- 
son,  a  merchant  of  Greensburg;  William  T.,  a  bricklayer  and  mason  living 
in  Indianapolis ;  Frank,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Adelia  McCoy,  a  widow  who  is  now 
caring  for  the  home  of  our  subject  and  his  aged  father;  George  S.,  in  whom 
our  present  interest  centers;  Eliza,  wife  of  Phil  Weymar,  of  Greensburg; 
Samuel  V.  and  James  S.,  merchants  of  the  same  city;  Mrs.  C.  D.  Tillson, 
also  a  resident  of  Greensburg,  and  Curtis  R.,  who  lives  in  Washington  state. 
The  husband  of  Mrs.  McCoy,  mentioned  above,  was  city  councilman  eight 
years,  and  has  one  son,  Frank,  who  is  deputy  postmaster  of  Greensburg. 

Benjamin  Littell,  the  father  of  George,  first  came  to  Greensburg  in 
1863  to  manufacture  brick  for  Augusta  Lathrop,  so  it  was  on  easy  matter 
for  the  son  not  only  to  be  interested  in  that  line  of  work  but  to  pick  up  a 
practical  education  in  brickmaking.  George  was  two  years  old  when  his 
father  moved  from  Mt.  Pleasant,  O.hio,  to  Ripley  county,  Indiana,  and  eight 
years  afterward  they  came  to  Greensburg.  When  George  began  working 
in  the  brick  plant  of  his  father,  it  was  on  the  land  which  became  the  first  fair- 
ground of  the  county  as  well  as  the  location  of  the  first  gas  well  ever  drilled 
in  the  county.  Here  father  and  son  continued  working  together  until  1882, 
when  the  latter  went  in  business  for  himself,  making  and  selling  brick  until 
1905.  At  that  time  his  place  of  business  was  on  East  North  street.  While 
located  here,  he  made  brick  for  the  Union  Traction  station,  the  Big  Four 
livery  stable,  the  home  of  Robert  Watson,  the  Worthan  Block,  the  east  half 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  Home  (first  building),  the  resi- 
dence of  Charles  Zoller  and  Arthur  Hutchinson,  the  enginehouse  and  round- 
house and  the  DeArmond  hotel.  For  the  construction  of  the  latter  building, 
he  not  only  made  and  molded  every  brick,  but  also  delivered  them  himself. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  54I 

It  was  at  the  time  that  he  was  engaged  in  this  strenuous  work  that  the 
remark  was  made  by  Mr.  DeArmond  that  George  was  the  greatest  worker 
he  ever  saw. 

Besides  being  an  expert  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  Mr.  Littell  has 
been  and  is  now  a  successful  real  estate  dealer  and  live  stock  merchant.  It 
has  been  said  of  him  that  "there  is  nothing  in  that  line  that  he  will  not  trade 
for."  It  seems  that  he  is  too  ambitious  to  be  contented  with  raising  and 
selling  live  stock.  He  must  own  and  place  on  the  race-track  famous  horses, 
such,  for  instance,  as  "Exchange  Boy,"  the  renowned  horse  which  he  bred 
and  raised.  It  is  said  of  this  wonderful  creature  that  "considering  the  num- 
ber of  races  in  which  he  started,  he  holds  the  best  record  of  any  horse  in  the 
world  today."  He  started  in  seventy-two  races,  and  was  behind  the  money 
but  six  times,  making  a  record  of  2:17)4  on  a  half-mile  track.  Mr.  Littell 
was  also  the  owner  of  "Bunyp,"'  the  horse  with  no  hair,  which  was  exhibited 
with  great  success  in  all  the  large  cities  in  the  country,  and  was  considered  the 
greatest  freak  horse  in  the  world. 

Having  an  active  temperament,  there  seems  to  be  a  strain  of  adventure 
in  ]\Ir.  Littell  which  gives  him  many  and  various  interests.  For  example, 
he  at  one  time  was  owner  and  manager  of  a  "carnival"  which  consisted  of 
several  amusement  features,  including  a  merry-go-round,  a  Ferris  wheel, 
miniature  railroads,  etc.  At  the  first  street  fair  ever  held  in  Greensburg,  he 
won  the  first  ribbon  for  saddle-horse  and  rider  o\'er  the  competition  of  the 
best  riders  of  Kentucky. 

Mr.  Littell  is  still  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  and  beside  hand- 
ling property  for  others,  has  a  great  deal  of  his  own  to  look  after.  He 
owns  ninety  acres  on  the  outskirts  of  Greensburg,  near  his  own  magnificent 
residence,  and  valuable  land  on  Main  street,  including  the  site  and  building 
of  a  three-story  brick  block.  IMoreover,  he  is  the  owner  of  fifty  houses  in 
Greensburg,  some  large,  some  small,  and  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land  in  Decatur  county,  and  eight  hundred  acres  in  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Littell  is  a  Republican,  and  was  at  one  time  chairman  of  the 
county  central  committee.  His  interest  in  politics  has  been  genuine,  and  his 
influence  among  politicians  is  that  of  a  leader.  He  is  a  member  in  good 
standing  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 

Being  a  business  associate  of  his  father,  the  lives  of  these  two  men 
have  been  very  closely  bound  together,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  write 
of  one  without  frequent  reference  to  the  other.  In  all  of  the  activities  of 
the  younger  Littell,  he  has  had  the  interest  and  co-operation  of  his  father, 


542  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

who  was  an  active  business  man  for  many  years  in  Greensburg,  and  is  now 
the  oldest  citizen  of  Decatur  county.  He  was  born  on  December  24,  1820, 
in  Cincinnati,  wliere  he  lived  until  early  manhood.  The  Littell  home  was  on 
Fifth  street.  His  father,  a  brickmaker,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  so  it 
seems  that  the  brickmaking  industry  in  this  family  extended  through  three 
generations.  After  moving  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  nine  miles  from  Cincinnati,  they 
made  this  home  until  1856,  when  they  again  changed  their  place  of  abode, 
this  time  going  to  Ripley  county,  Indiana,  where  the  elder  Littell  engaged  in 
farming  until  1863,  and  then  returned  to  brickmaking,  his  first  contract  being 
to  supply  brick  for  the  building  at  the  southwest  corner  of  public  square, 
known  as  "crook's  corner."  He  also  manufactured  the  brick  for  the  Moss 
House,  now  the  DeArmond,  and  Annex  hotel,  of  which  Mr.  Minear  is  the 
proprietor.  Remaining  in  the  brick  business  ruitil  1890,  he  then  retired,  and 
has  made  his  home  with  his  son.  He  is  now  in  his  ninety-fifth  year,  but  is 
physically  sound  and  mentally  alert  although  he  has  been  totally  blind  for 
the  past  six  years. 

Much  of  the  success  of  this  family  has  been  due  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  hard-working  and  had  good  business  ability.  Benjamin  Littell  used 
to  work  early  and  late,  and  taught  his  children  the  value  of  a  good  day's 
work.  He  has  always  been  a  genial,  lovable  man,  and  in  spite  of  his  strenu- 
ous life,  has  taken  the  time  to  be  kind.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  could  do 
more  work  than  two  or  three  men,  and  had  the  happy  faculty  of  being  able 
to  teach  others  how  to  work.  As  an  employer,  he  was  wise  and  kind,  knew 
how  to  handle  men,  and  while  peaceable  in  his  nature,  when  occasion 
demanded  it,  he  could  defend  his  rights  with  physical  emphasis  if  necessary. 
In  other  words,  he  was  a  fighter  who  never  gave  up  when  once  he  had  been 
aroused.  He  may  be  regarded  as  a  typical  pioneer,  for  he  came  to  Indiana 
in  the  state's  infancy. 

A  lasting  testimony  to  the  thoroughness  and  honesty  with  which  the 
Littells  did  their  work,  is  found  in  the  fact  that  many  of  the  handsome  and 
substantial  structures  standing  in  Greensburg  today  are  made  of  the  material 
manufactured  by  them,  the  bricks  made  by  them  being  molded  by  hand. 

Even  at  his  advanced  age,  Mr.  Littell  retains  much  of  his  vigorous 
personality,  and  is  a  constant  source  of  happiness  to  his  son  and  daughter, 
who  are  tenderly  caring  for  him  during  his  declining  years.  During  his 
many  years  of  residence  in  this  county,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  has  made 
hosts  of  warm  friends,  having  both  the  faculty  of  making  new  friends  while 
retaining  the  old.  While  his  educational  advantages  were  not  what  they  are 
today,  he  has  a  brilliant  mind  and  a  retentive  memory.     He  is  an  interesting 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  543 

conversationalist,  and  is  versatile  both  in  mind  and  in  achievement.  As  a 
business  man,  his  remarkable  memory  was  an  important  asset.  The  home  of 
the  Littells  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Greensburg,  for  no  expense  has  been 
spared  to  make  it  both  comfortable  and  beautiful. 

With  such  an  energetic  father  and  grandfather,  we  do  not  wonder  that 
the  mental  inheritance  of  George  Littell  has  been  along  business  lines  as  well 
as  in  matters  of  politics  and  social  affiliations  as  exemplified  in  lodge  and 
fraternal  organizations.  To  say  that  such  a  career  has  been  useful  is  not 
sufficient,  for  the  history  of  counties  and  states  are  proof  of  the  fact  that 
their  growth  and  settlement  would  have  been  retarded,  if  not  absolutely 
impossible,  but  for  the  zeal,  the  perse^•erance  and  the  energy  of  such  men 
as  we  have  here  described.  Their  lives  have  gone  into  the  making  of 
Decatur  county,  and  it  may  be  said  of  the  younger  man,  especially,  that  he 
knew  how  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity,  and  to  mold  it  into 
reality,  thus  not  only  to  increase  his  own  fortune,  but  that  of  the  commun- 
itv  as  well. 


HARRY  BOYD. 


Harry  Boyd,  secretar}-  of  the  Union  Trust  Company,  of  Greensburg, 
Indiana,  who  has  risen  in  life  to  his  present  position  of  prominence  in  the 
financial  circles  of  Decatur  county,  was  born  on  October  i8,  i8'6i,  in  Jen- 
nings county,  Indiana,  the  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Dickerson)  Boyd,  the 
former  of  whom  was  of  Irish  parentage,  and  who  was  born  in  Dearborn 
county,  Indiana.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Jennings  county,  was  of  German 
descent.  They  settled  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  after  their  marriage, 
and  in  1865  Mrs.  Boyd  died.  After  her  death,  William  Boyd  was  mar- 
ried, secondly,  to  Mary  Marryman.  By  his  first  marriage,  William  Boyd 
had  seven  children,  only  one  of  whom,  Harry,  is  now  living.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  for  some  time  filled  the  office  of  assessor. 

Self-made  and  self-educated,  Harry  Boyd,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  finally  able  to  prepare  himself  for  the  schoolroom  and  taught  for  four 
years,  becoming  finally  the  bookkeeper  for  Mr.  Mitchell  at  Letts  Corner. 
After  holding  this  position  for  six  months,  he  taught  school  at  Letts  Corner 
for  a  part  of  one  term  and  then  returned  to  Mr.  Mitchell's  emplo}'.  Subse- 
quently, he  became  a  partner  with  W.  T.  and  J.  G.  Adams,  merchants  at 
Letts  Corner,  and  then,  in  partnership  with  ]Mr.  Mitchell,  opened  the  first 
hardware  store  at  Letts.     After  a  time,  he  traded  his  interest  for  a  farm  and 


544  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  engaged  in  farming  for  four  years.  Not  finding  the  farm  everything 
that  he  had  hoped  it  to  be,  Mr.  Boyd  and  Mr.  Adams  purchased  the  Moore 
store  and  continued  in  partnership  for  some  time,  when  Mr.  Boyd  came  to 
Greensburg,  as  secretary  of  the  Union  Trust  Company. 

In  1888  Harry  Boyd  was  married  to  Carrie  I.  Mitchell,  the  daughter 
■of  Oliver  S.  and  Mary  E.  Mitchell,  the  former  of  whom,  a  farmer  and 
merchant,  was  a  native  of  Decatur  county.  He  died  in  1897  and  his  wife 
•died  in  1894.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Boyd  has  been  born  one  child,  Jessie 
Gail,  who  was  born  on  January  31,  1895. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Boyd  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  x\s  secretary  of  the  Union  Trust  Company,  he 
has  had  a  considerable  part  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  during  recent  years 
of  this  institution.  Mr.  Boyd  is  popular  with  the  officers  and  directors  of 
the  company  and  also  with  the  patrons,  the  officers  of  which  at  the  present 
time  are :  President,  J.  H.  Christian ;  vice-president,  Lewis  Zoller,  and 
secretary  and  treasurer,  Harry  Boyd. 


JOHN  LOCKE  BRACKEN. 

In  the  golden  sayings  of  Epictetus  there  is  no  nobler  utterance  than 
this:  "What  wouldst  thou  be  found  doing  when  overtaken  by  Death?  If  I 
might  choose,  I  would  be  found  doing  some  deed  of  true  humanity,  of  wide 
import,  beneficent  and  noble.  But  if  I  may  not  be  found  engaged  in  aught 
so  lofty,  let  me  hope  at  least  for  this — what  none  may  hinder,  what  is  surely 
in  my  power — that  I  may  be  found  raising  up  in  myself  that  which  had 
fallen;  learning  to  deal  more  wisely  with  the  things  of  sense;  working  out 
my  own  tranquility,  and  thus  rendering  that  which  is  due  to  every  relation 
of  life.     .     .       . 

"If  Death  surprise  me  thus  employed,  it  is  enough  if  I  can  stretch  forth 
my  hands  to  God  and  say,  'The  faculties  which  I  received  at  Thy  hands  for 
apprehending  this  Thine  administration,  I  have  not  neglected.  As  far  as  in 
me  lay,  I  have  done  Thee  no  dishonor.  Behold  how  I  have  used  the  senses, 
the  primary  conceptions  which  Thou  gavest  me.  Have  I  ever  laid  anything 
to  Thy  charge  ?  Have  I  ever  murmured  at  aught  that  came  to  pass,  or  wished 
it  otherwise?  Have  I  in  anything  transgressed  the  relations  of  life?  For 
that  Thou  didst  beget  me,  I  thank  Thee  for  that  Thou  hast  given :  for  the 
time  during  which  I  have  used  the  things  that  were  Thine,  it  suffices  me. 


-  ^ 


>—  ^-t^%u^  A/,  Jd^ 


<£»-^t^/  Vf^. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  545 

Take  them  back  and  place  them  wherever  Thou  wilt.  They  were  all  Thine 
and  Thou  gavest  them  me.' — If  a  man  depart  thus  minded,  is  it  not  enough? 
What  life  is  fairer  or  more  noble,  what  end  happier  than  his?" 

The  above  beautiful  thought  is  suggested  to  the  biographer  by  a  review 
of  the  life  of  the  late  John  Locke  Bracken,  noted  attorney  and  one  time 
leader  of  the  bar  of  the  Decatur  Circuit  Court,  of  Greensburg,  Indiana. 
It  is  but  fitting  that  in  a  work  of  this  character,  carrying  a  historical  and 
biographical  review  of  the  times  in  this  county,  the  following  Ijrief  memorial 
should  be  preserved. 

John  Locke  Bracken  was  born  at  Milroy,  Rush  county,  Indiana,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1849,  the  son  of  Dr.  William  and  Patience  (Bracken)  Bracken. 
Dr.  William  Bracken  was  a  well-known  medical  practitioner  at  Milroy,  who 
moA-ed  to  Greensburg  in  1863,  practising  there  for  many  years,  during  which 
time  he  became  one  of  the  most  noted  physicians  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
being  held  in  the  highest  esteem  throughout  this  whole  region.  He  was 
spared  to  the  community  in  which,  for  so  many  years,  his  skill  was  so 
beneficially  exerted,  until  he  had  reached  the  great  age  of  ninety-one 
years,  having  maintained  his  practice  with  full  vigor  of  his  superb  powers 
unimpaired  until  he  was  eighty  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  retired  from 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  his  influence  in  the  community,  there- 
after, being  confined  to  the  no  less  useful  position  of  counsellor  and  friend, 
many  still  living  in  and  about  Greensburg  having  cause  for  grateful  remem- 
brance that  Doctor  Bracken  lived  and  labored  hereabout. 

John  L.  Bracken  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  Greensburg 
schools.  After  finishing  the  high-school  course  in  the  schools  of  his  home 
town,  he  entered  upon  a  supplementary  course  at  DePauw  University,  Green- 
castle,  Indiana,  and  was  later  graduated  from  Kenyon  College.  Thus 
equipped  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  at  Greensburg,  where  from  that 
time  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  occupied  a  most  prominent  and  honored  place 
in  the  affairs  of  the  city  and  county.  After  practicing  for  a  period  of  sixteen 
years,  Mr.  Bracken's  health  became  impaired  and  he  retired  from  practice 
for  a  time,  removing  to  a  farm  of  forty  acres  which  he  had  bought,  one  and 
one-half  miles  northeast  of  Greensburg,  on  which  he  remained  until  his  close 
communion  with  nature  had  restored  him  to  his  wonted  vigor,  after  which  he 
resumed  his  residence  and  practice  in  Greensburg,  the  rest  of  his  life  being 
spent  there.  As  a  practitioner  at  the  bar  of  the  Decatur  Circuit  Court,  Mr. 
Bracken  was  successful  beyond  the  most  of  his  fellow  attorneys,  and  for 
years  was  regarded  as  the  leader  of  the  bar  in  this  county.  He  had  an 
(35) 


546  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

unusual  grasp  upon  the  intricacies  of  his  exacting  profession,  and  the  vakie 
of  his  services  as  a  counsellor  in  this  community,  never  can  be  properly 
estimated.  In  the  early  period  of  his  practice,  he  served  as  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Decatur  county,  his  services  to  the  public  in  that  responsible 
capacity,  receiving  the  recognition  of  all.  During  President  Cleveland's 
administration,  Mr.  Bracken  served  as  deputy  revenue  collector  for  this 
revenue  district,  under  his  brother  William  Holsworth  Bracken,  who  was 
the  district  collector  under  that  administration. 

Mr.  Bracken  long  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  this  section  of  Indiana,  and  his  personal  services  ever  were 
at  the  command  of  the  managers  of  the  party  in  the  state.  He  had  served  his 
party  as  a  delegate  to  state  and  national  conventions  and  his  sagacious  coun- 
sels often  proved  of  value  in  the  deliberations  of  the  party  leaders.  His 
death  was,  therefore,  regarded  as  a  distinct  loss  in  political  circles  through- 
out the  state,  his  absence  creating  a  real  vacancy  in  the  councils  of  his  party, 
while  his  eng-aging  personality  had  so  endeared  him  to  all  classes  in  this 
county,  that  his  passing  was  regarded  as  a  distinct  loss  to  the  entire  com- 
munity. 

On  December  i8,  1877,  John  Locke  Bracken  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Maiy  F.  Christy,  who  was  born  at  Greensburg,  Indiana,  December  10, 
1852,  the  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Susan  (Israel)  Christy,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Kentucky  and  Pennsylvania. 

William  T.  Christy  was  born  on  September  6,  1829,  and  died  on 
January  25,  1905.  He  came  to  this  county  from  Kentucky  as  a  young  man 
and  located  at  Greensburg,  opening  there  a  merchant-tailoring  establishment, 
and  for  many  years  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  in  the 
city.  'For  years  he  had  practically  all  the  trade  of  the  growing  city  and 
became  very  successful  in  business.  He  was  not  only  a  man  of  fine  business 
qualifications,  but  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  the  highest  grade,  his 
influence  in  the  community  ever  being  exerted  for  the  best.  His  widow, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1834,  of  Dutch  extraction,  still  is  living, 
pleasantly  and  comfortably  situated  in  the  delightful  home  on  West  Wash- 
ington street,  in  the  city  of  Greensburg,  where  she  enjoys  the  most  respect- 
ful regard  of  her  large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christy  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  daughters,  Mary  C,  widow  of  Mr.  Bracken,  and 
Elizabeth  Anna,  who  married  the  Rev.  F.  S.  Tincher,  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  to  which  union  were 
born  two  children,  Mary  I.  and  Coyle  C,  the  latter  of  whom  lives  in  Minne- 
apolis,  Minnesota.      Mary   I.   Christy  married   Roscoe   Martin,   of   Moores 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  547 

Hill,  Indiana,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Martin,  president  emeritus  of 
Aloores  Hill  College,  and  Josephine  (Hansell)  Martin,  to  which  union  there 
was  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Dorothy  Irene,  on  February  ii,  1905. 

To  John  Locke  and  Mary  C.  (Christy)  Bracken  were  bom  two  children, 
William  Christy,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years,  and  Locke,  born  on 
August  18,  1888,  who  married  Clara  McXaught  and  was  manager  of  the 
Ward  manufacturing  establishment,  at  Decatur,  Indiana,  after  which,  in 
July,  191 5,  he  accepted  a  position  as  teller  in  the  Greensburg  National  Bank. 
Mr.  Bracken  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  as  is  his 
widow,  and  was  an  active  worker  in  the  aii'airs  of  the  congregation  to  which 
he  was  attached  and  the  son  was  brought  up  in  the  same  faith. 

Mrs.  Bracken  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  social  and  club  life  of 
Greensburg,  and  her  activities  therein  have  been  largely  influential  for  good. 
She  holds  membership  in  the  leading  musical  and  literary  clubs  of  the  city, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  influential  Department  Club.  She  is  devoted  to  the 
memory  of  her  late  husband,  and  the  whole  community  shares  with  her  the 
sense  of  loss  at  his  passing.  Such  lives  as  his  enrich  the  world  with  their 
presence.  Gracefully  and  graciously  they  mingle  with  their  fellows,  lea\-ing 
examples  well  worthy  of  imitation  by  the  generations  following.  The  real 
life  of  John  Locke  Bracken  abides  with  us  as  a  perfume  of  undying 
fragrance. 


WILL   T.   CRISLER. 


Among  the  well-known  citizens  of  a  past  generation  of  Decatur  county, 
Indiana,  Will  J.  Crisler,  for  many  years  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Decatur 
county  and  later  a  stone  dealer,  occupied  a  prominent  niche  in  the  educational 
and  business  life  of  this  county.  ]Mr.  Crisler  belonged  to  a  very  old  family 
in  America  and  he  was  a  man  who  worthily  upheld  the  tradition  of  a  noble 
family  name. 

A  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  the  late  Will  J.  Crisler  was  born  on 
October  7.  1840,  and  died  on  January  22,  1905.  He  was  the  son  of  James 
S.  and  ^largaret  (Arnold)  Crisler,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  early  settlers 
in  Shelby  county,  Indiana.  James  S.  Crisler  was  born  on  February  18, 
1817,  and  died  on  January  12,  1900.  His  wife,  who,  before  her  marriage, 
was  Margaret  Arnold,  was  born  on  April  11,  1826,  and  died  on  February 
24,  1881.  James  S.  Crisler  was  the  son  of  Lewis,  who  was  a  son  of  Leonard, 
who  was  the  son  of  Fawatt  Crisler.     The  latter  married  Rosina  Gaar,  the 


548  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

daughter  of  Andreas  Gaar,  born  in  1685.  Andreas  Gaar  was  the  son  of 
Jolm  Gaar,  who  was  born  in  1657,  and  who  died  in  1738.  Andreas  Gaar 
and  his  family  of  iive,  with  three  hundred  others,  came  from  Bavaria  to 
America  in  1732  in  a  saihng  vessel. 

Reared  in  Shelby  county,  Indiana,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  St. 
Paul,  Will  J.  Crisler  began  teaching  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  and, 
for  twenty  years,  was  a  teacher  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

On  October  20,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Thirty-seventh  Regi- 
ment, Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  out  of  service,  October 
27,  1864,  after  serving  in  many  battles  and  minor  engagements.  After  the 
war,  he  taught  school  in  Shelby  and  Decatur  counties  and  in  1887  engaged 
in  the  stone  business  at  Greensburg.  He  located  in  Greensburg  in  1887. 
Later  he  operated  a  quarry  at  Westport,  Indiana,  and  retired  in  1898. 

On  May  15,  1873,  Will  J.  Crisler  was  married  to  Eliza  J.  Stagg,  who 
was  born  on  January  26,  1852,  in  Switzerland  county,  Indiana,  and  who 
is  the  daughter  of  Philip  D.  and  Sarah  A.  (Anderson)  Stagg,  natives  of 
Indiana,  he  of  Ripley  county  and  she  of  Switzerland  county,  both  of  whom 
came  to  Decatur  county  in  1859.  After  two  years  in  Greensburg,  they 
moved  to  a  farm,  and  in  1906,  leased  the  farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  in  Mrs.  Crisler's  home. 

Philip  Doddridge  Stagg  was  one  of  eight  children.  His  ancestors  came 
to  America  during  Queen  Anne's  reign,  settling  near  Hackensack  and  Tren- 
ton, New  Jersey.  The  name  Stagg  is  of  Norman-French  origin  and  was 
originally  spelled  LeStagg.  In  the  rolls  of  Parliament  appear  the  names  of 
John  LeStagg  and  Dorthea  LeStagg.  It  is  derived  from  animal  traits  or 
characteristics,  such  as  pride,  swiftness,  speed  and  shyness  of  the  stag.  The 
motto  on  the  Stagg  coat-of-arms  is  "En  Dieu  est  ma  £ance,"  "In  God  is  my 
trust."  The  royal  mantle  of  crimson  velvet  and  the  Crusader's  cross  between 
the  stag's  horns  on  the  coat-of-arms  plainly  show  the  royal  lineage.  After 
settling  in  England,  branches  of  the  family  went  to  Holland,  from  which 
place  they  came  to  America.  Philip  D.  Stagg  was  an  artist  of  rare 
genius  and  skill  and  many  paintings  testify  his  artistic  ability.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Philip  D.  Stagg  was  the  son  of  James  Dunn  Stagg,  who 
was  the  son  of  Daniel  Stagg,  who  was  the  son  of  Capt.  James  Stagg,  who 
was  the  son  of  Cornelius,  who  was  the  son  of  John  Stagg  and  the  latter  was 
a  son  of  Thomas.  The  first  mention  of  Thomas  Stagg's  name  was  in  1632, 
when  he  immigrated  from  England  to  Holland.  He  was  one  of  the  Dis- 
senters of  those  times  and,  after  living  in  Holland  for  some  time,  came  to 


DECATUR    COITNTY,    INDIANA.  549 

America.  Thirteen  descendants  of  Thomas  Stagg  are  shown  to  have  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  James  Dunn  Stagg,  the  father  of  PhiHp  D., 
was  born  on  January  27,  1796.  Capt.  James  Stagg,  the  father  of  Daniel 
and  the  grandfather  of  James  Dunn,  was  born  on  September  18,  1737,  and 
died  on  May  4,  1825.  Major  John  Stagg,  a  cousin  of  Capt.  James  Stagg, 
was  private  secretary  to  General  Washington  at  Valley  Forge.  Capt.  James 
Stagg  owned  a  large  plantation  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky.  He  com- 
manded a  company  in  a  New  Jersey  regiment  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Mrs.  Crisler's  father,  Philip  D.  Stagg,  who  was  born  on  September 
I,  1827,  died  on  December  15,  1908,  and  her  mother,  Sarah  A.  (Anderson) 
Stagg,  was  born  on  [March  2,  1833,  and  died  on  December  6,  1913.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Matilda  Berkeley  (Adams)  Anderson, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Ouincy  Adams,  on  her 
paternal  side  and  of  Lord  Berkele}'  on  her  maternal  side. 

Philip  D.  and  Sarah  A.  Stagg  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living,  James  A.,  of  Greensburg,  married  Mary  A.  Fisher  on  June  29,  1875 ; 
Harvey  D..  of  Indianapolis,  married  Gertrude  M.  Greer  on  September  7, 
1905:  Mrs.  (Ida)  J.  N.  Hodgin,  of  Richmond,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Anna,  wife 
of  J.  H.  McGill,  of  Joplin,  Missouri :  Mrs.  Crisler';  Edith,  who  died  on  Novem- 
ber 4.  1S67,  at  the  age  of  four;  George,  who  died  on  March  24,  1904,  and 
Albert,  who  died  on  November  12,  1905. 

To  ~Slv.  and  Mrs.  Will  J.  Crisler  have  been  born  two  children,  Winona 
and  ^^^alter  W.  W^inona,  born  on  February  27,  1874,  married,  June  11,  1902, 
George  Deiwert,  of  Greensburg,  who  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Indiana,  in 
1870,  and  has  three  children  living.  Philip  Sebra.  Eliza  Adeline,  Albert  Emer- 
son, and  one,  William  Walter,  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  one-half  years,  on 
September  30,  1905  ;  Walter  W.,  born  on  June  3,  1882,  conducts  a  cigar  store 
in  Greensburg.  He  served  four  years  in  the  United  States  navy,  three  vears 
of  which  were  silent  in  the  Philippines,  and,  by  special  act  of  Congress, 
received  an  active-service  medal.  He  married  Minnie  L.  Crews,  of  North 
Carolina,  on  July  12,  1909. 

The  late  Will  J.  Crisler  was  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  as  is  also  his  widow.  He  was  a  member  of  Pap 
Thomas  Post  No.  5.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  served 
as  noble  grand.  He  was  past  commander  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  regimental  secretary  of  the  Union  Veteran  Legion. 
Mrs.  Crisler  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  No.  147,  and 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.     She  is  a  prominent  worker  in 


550  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  has  held  many  offices  in  this  organization, 
among  which  are  junior  vice-president,  senior  vice-president,  president  of  the 
department  of  Indiana,  department  press  correspondent  for  seven  years  and 
also  department  patriotic  instructor  for  eight  years  and  national  patriotic 
instructor  for  two  years,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  offices  in  this 
organization.  She  is  secretary  and  past  matron  of  Lois  Chapter  No.  147, 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star;  treasurer  and  past  president  of  Pap  Thomas 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  No.  113;  secretary  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Indiana  Regi- 
mental Association,  and  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  charities  and  cor- 
rection. 


LEN  J.  EMMERT. 


Four  miles  southeast  of  Greensburg,  Indiana,  on  the  old  state  road,  is 
the  old  Cobb  farm,  entered  from  the  government  by  the  grandfather  of 
Jasper  Cobb,  one  of  the  farms  settled  in  Decatur  county  and  one  which 
remained  in  the  Cobb  family  until  1906,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
E.  G.  Schultz,  of  whom  Len  J.  Emmert  purchased  it  in  March,  191 3.  In 
pioneer  times,  a  mill,  a  tavern  and  a  still  house  were  operated  on  this  farm 
and,  because  there  was  always  plenty  of  water  to  be  found  on  the  farm,  it 
was  a  camping  place  for  the  Indians.  Its  many  springs  furnished  abundant 
water  for  the  whole  countryside.  During  the  last  two  years,  the  old  Cobb 
farm  has  been  owned  and  operated  by  Len  J.  Emmert,  one  of  the  foremost 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  the  county,  an  extensive  breeder  of  Duroc-Jersey 
hogs,  cattle,  horses  and  calves.  Its  present  owner,  who  has  had  a  varied 
experience  in  business,  since  he  engaged  in  farming,  has  applied  the  same 
business  methods  to  the  farm  which  he  employed  in  the  shop  and  the  store. 

Len  J.  Emmert  was  born  on  May  11,  1871,  in  Greensburg,  the  son  of 
native-born  German  parents,  John  B.  and  Catherine  (Seitz)  Emmert,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Mannheim.  Germany,  and  who  came  to 
America  with  nothing  in  his  possession  except  good  health,  a  strong  heart 
and  a  willing  hand.  After  coming  to  Greensburg,  in  1866,  John  B.  Emmert 
built  and  operated  the  Garland  mills  until  his  death.  Previously  he  had 
lived  in  Lawrenceburg  for  thirteen  years.  Not  only  was  he  a,  successful 
business  man,  but  he  was  an  influential  and  prominent  citizen,  public  spirited, 
progressive  and  industrious.  Catherine  Seitz  was  born  in  Alsace-Lorraine 
and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1838.  After  living  for  some  time 
in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  the  family  moved  to  Dearborn  county  and  later  he 
became  a  well-known  farmer  in  this  county.  John  B.  Emmert  died  in  1882 
and  his  wife  in  1909. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  55I 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Greensburg,  in  1888,  Len  J.  Emmert 
went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  employed  for  nine  years  in  the  home  steam 
laundry.  Upon  returning  home,  he  engaged  in  business  for  a  short  time 
in  the  employ  of  Minear  &  Company.  For  a  short  time,  he  was  also  engaged 
in  the  dry  goods  business  at  Anderson  and  for  six  years  dealt  in  horses  and 
stock.  Eventually,  he  was  able  to  buy  his  present  farm,  which  is  located 
on  the  old  state  road,  four  miles  southeast  of  Decatur  county's  county  seat. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  raising  hogs  for  the  market  and  ordinarily 
has  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  brood  sows  and  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
■stockers  and  feeders.  The  old  Cobb  farm  is  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
hogs,  because  of  the  great  quantity  of  flowing  water.  They  are  believed  to 
be  immune  from  cholera.  In  19 14  Mr.  Emmert  raised  one  hundred  and 
thirty  head  of  hogs.  He  generally  fattens  them  until  they  weigh  two  hun- 
dred pounds  and  then  sells  them.  Lately  he  has  been  keeping  eighteen  or 
twenty  head  of  cattle,  the  same  number  of  calves  and  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
head  of  horses.  Mr.  Emmert  is  very  fond  of  horses  and  has  been  able  to 
make  substantial  profits  buying  and  selling  them.  Today  he  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  the  county  and  one  who,  perhaps 
more  than  any  other,  has  the  operations  of  the  farm  reduced  to  a  business 
basis. 

On  February  6,  1897,  Len  J.  Emmert  was  married  to  Lou  Goddard, 
who  was  born  on  October  18,  1874,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (McKinney)  Goddard,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1820  in 
Kentucky,  was  married  to  Mary  McKinney  on  December  6,  1866,  and  died 
in  1897.  Mary  McKinney  was  born  in  1832  in  Washington  county,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  fVan  Cleave)  McKinney,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky and  early  settlers  in  Washington  county.  They  moved,  in  1837,  to 
Decatur  county  from  Washington  county,  settling  in  Washington  town- 
ship. The  late  William  Goddard  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Goddard,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  whose  parents  came  originally  from  Virginia.  Mrs.  Emmert 
is  one  of  five  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  Samuel,  an 
auto  salesman  of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  William  R..  who  lives  on  the  home 
farm:  Margaret,  who  is  at  home,  and  Bertha. 

To  Air.  and  Mrs.  Len  J.  Emmert  have  been  born  three  children,  Louis, 
April  13,  i8g8,  and  is  a  student  in  the  third  year  of  the  Greensburg  high 
school:  Alildred,  December  26,  1901,  and  Mary  Catherine,  October  16,  1904. 

In  politics,  Len  J.  Emmert  is  active  and  influential  in  the  councils  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmert  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Greensburg  and  are  regular  attendants  of  the  services. 


552  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

They  are  liberal  contributors  to  the  support  of  this  church.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Greensburg. 
As  a  farmer  and  stockman,  it  is  doubtful  if  Mr.  Emmert  has  any 
superior  in  Decatur  county.  He  is  interested  in  worthy  public  movements, 
which  has  made  him  a  valuable  citizen  in  the  community  where  he  lives, 
while  his  genial  and  cordial  relations  with  the  public  have  made  him  decidedly 
popular.    The  Emmert  family  are  popular  socially  in  Greensburg  and  vicinity. 


DAVID  M.  BLACKAMORE. 

No  business  is  of  more  importance  economically  to  the  farmers  of  this 
country  than  the  elevator  and  warehouse  business,  to  which  is  sold  the  most 
important  products  of  the  farm.  Within  recent  years  there  has  been  a  wide- 
spread agitation  not  only  against  the  railroads  which  carry  the  farmers' 
grain  to  distant  markets,  but  in  many  instances,  against  the  local  elevator. 
Criticism  or  censure  has  centered  in  two  distinct  allegations,  first,  that  the 
farmers  were  not  provided  with  sufticient  facilities  to  market  their  grain, 
and  second,  that  a  combination  existed  among  the  elevator  men  to  beat  down 
prices  and  control  the  visible  supply  of  the  leading  cereals  which  come  from 
the  farm.  Perhaps  some  of  the  criticism  has  been  justified,  but  one  of  the 
troubles  of  the  grain  business  has  been  that  the  men  engaged  in  it  were 
incapable  of  grasping  the  farmer's  point  of  view,  or  of  appreciating  his 
demands  for  a  free  market.  When  David  M.  Blackamore  purchased  the 
McCoy  elevator  in  191 1,  he  brought  to  the  business  here  in  Greensburg  the 
farmer's  point  of  view,  as  well  as  an  equal  appreciation  of  the  elevator 
operator's  viewpoint.  During  the  past  five  seasons  the  business  of  this 
elevator  has  grown  enormously,  and  the  increase  is  due,  no  doubt,  to  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Blackamore  pays  for  the  farmers'  product  a  price  that  is  equal 
or  greater  than  the  price  paid  anywhere  in  Decatur  county.  Popular  as  he  is 
with  the  patrons  of  his  business,  larger  and  larger  increases  may  be  expected 
in  the  future. 

David  M.  Blackamore,  now  a  well-known  business  man  of  Greensburg, 
but  formerly  a  farmer  of  the  county,  was  born  on  August  30,  1874,  one 
mile  west  of  Greensburg,  the  son  of  David  F.  and  Lucetta  (Sayler)  Blacka- 
more, the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  April  6,  1823,  at  Shelbyville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  who  died  on  October  27,  1885,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
on  November  15,   1838,'  in  Ripley  county,  Indiana.     Mrs.  Lucetta  Blacka- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  553". 

more  is  still  living,  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  David  M.,  the  subject 
of  this  review.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Sayler,  an  early  settler  of 
Ripley  county.  David  F.  Blackamore  was  a  son  of  John  O.  Blackamore,  a 
pioneer  of  Decatur  county,  who  settled  here  in  1838,  one  mile  west  of 
Greensburg,  on  the  farm  where  David  M.  was  born.  He  was  a  sturdy, 
vigorous  man  when  in  his  prime,  a  man  of  great  mental  power,  strong 
convictions  and  determined  will.  He  was  very  successful  as  a  pioneer  farmer 
in  this  county,'  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  rated  as  being  worth  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  he  had  personally  hewed  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness. David  F.  Blackamore,  his  son,  lived  on  the  farm  settled  by  the  father 
until  February,  1875,  when  he  removed  to  Clay  township,  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  that  vicinity.  This  was  known  as  the  Joel  Bennett  farm,  which  he 
sold  in  the  spring  of  1880  to  Ralph  McGee.  Subsequently,  he  purchased 
the  Joseph  Graham  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Fugit  to-wnship, 
and  lived  on  this  farm  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

David  F.  and  Lucetta  (Sayler)  Blackamore  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  two  of  whom.  Will,  the  eldest,  and  Eliza,  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  are  deceased.  The  latter  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  The  living 
children  are  James  F.,  John  O.  and  David  M.  James  F.  lives  southeast  of 
Greensburg,  on  what  is  known  as  the  White  farm.  John  O.  lives  north  of 
Kingston,  on  a   farm. 

David  M.  Blackamore  lived  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Fugit  township 
until  the  spring  of  1900,  having  sold  the  farm  in  the  fall  of  1899,  to  H. 
Springmier.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
acres  of  the  old  farm.  Later,  in  1900,  he  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  one  mile  west  and  one  mile  south  of  the  original  farm,  known  as  the 
old  John  L  Throp  farm.  He  improved  this  place  and  held  it  until  19 10, 
when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Greensburg,  engaging  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness. He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  old  Grant  farm,  in 
Adams  township,  located  three  and  one-half  miles  from  the  Greensburg 
court  house,  which  farm  he  purchased  in  August,  1914.  He  is  operating 
this  farm  from  his  home  in  Greensburg. 

On  March  15,  191 1,  Mr.  Blackamore  took  over  the  elevator  and  grain 
business  of  R.  A.  McCoy.  This  plant  has  a  capacity  of  twenty-five  thousand 
bushels  o-f  wheat  and  six  thousand  bushels  of  corn,  and  its  proprietor  handles 
on  an  average  thirty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  and  twenty  thousand  bushels 
of  corn  annually.  He  also  buys  straw  and  hay,  and  has  a  wholesale  and 
retail  business  in  these  commodities.  He  buys  and  sells  farming  seeds,  oats, 
timothy,   clover,   alfalfa,   corn   and   retails   coal   and    feed.      Four   men   are 


3^54  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

employed  at  the  mill.  Feed  is  ground  for  local  consumption,  but  Mr.  Blacka- 
more  is  not  able  to  grind  enough  for  the  local  market,  and  purchases  great 
quantities  in  other  markets.  He  now  has  one  of  the  best-equipped  plants  in 
Decatur  county. 

On  June  17,  1896,  David  M.  Blackamore  was  married  to  Harriet  Eliza- 
beth Butler,  the  daughter  of  John  Butler,  of  Richland  township,  Rush  county, 
Indiana.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  this  union,  three,  all  of  whom  are 
sons,  are  still  living,  Merwin  Adelbert.  Loren  Jewel  and  Delmar  Butler,  all 
of  whom  are  students  in  the  local  schools.     Two  children  died  in  infancy. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Blackamore  has  been  prominent  in  Republican 
politics  in  Decatur  county.  In  19 12  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for 
representative  in  the  Indiana  General  Assembly,  and  was  defeated  by  sixty- 
two  votes,  at  a  time  when  the  defection  caused  by  the  Progressive  party 
was  a  very  severe  handicap.  He  made  a  splendid  race  in  the  face  of  great 
odds,  holding  the  normal  Republican  vote  and  receiving  many  Democratic 
votes.  He  cut  down  the  Progressive  vote  by  thirty-two  and  received  three 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  Democratic  votes  in  the  county,  from  five  to 
fifteen  votes  in  every  precinct. 

Mr.  Blackamore  and  family  are  earnest  and  faithful  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  they  are  regular  attendants  and  to  the  sup- 
port of  which  they  are  liberal  contributors.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Blackamore  is 
.a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


JOHN   F.   RUSSELL. 


One  of  the  most  thriving  and  extensive  industries  of  Decatur  county  is 
the  Garland  Milling  Company  of  Greensburg,  of  which  John  F.  Russell,  a 
prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  the  fourth  congressional  district,  is  presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  His  long  connection  with  one  of  Greensburg's 
leading  industries,  his  prominence  in  the  official  life  of  Greensburg  and 
Decatur  county,  his  long  service  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  Greensburg  and  Decatur  county,  have  combined  to  make  him  one  of 
the  best  known  men  of  this  section  of  the  state.  Like  so  many  of  the  pros- 
perous and  successful  business  men  of  the  present  generation,  he  has  been 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes.  It  is  no  small  step  from  a  delivery  wagon 
which  he  drove  at  the  beginning  of  his  career,  to  managerial  position  and  the 
presidency  of  a  large  milling  company,  one  which  has  a  trade  in  all  of  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  555 

principal  countries  of  the  globe,  yet  these  two  positions  describe  the  progress 
of  John  F.  Russell  during  an  active  working  period  of  about  twenty-five 
years. 

Born  on  February  14,  1870,  at  Lawrenceburg,  Dearborn  county,  Indiana, 
and  the  son  of  Richard  C.  and  Catherine  ( AlcCullough)  Russell,  John  F. 
Russell  has  enjoyed  a  phenomenal  rise  in  life.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  came  to  America  when  two  years  of  age,  in  1847,  ^"^1  after  locating 
in  Cincinnati,  was  married,  in  1869,  and  became  superintendent  of  telegraph 
construction  for  the  Big  Four  railway.  Eventually,  he  moved  to  Greensburg 
in  1879.  and  had  charge  of  the  building  of  the  Michigan  division  of  the 
Big  Four,  and  the  time  of  his  death  was  an  official  of  this  railroad.  He 
was  born  in  1845,  ^"d  died  in  1894,  the  son  of  John  F.  Russell,  Sr.  ]\Irs. 
Catherine  (McCullough)  Russell  is  the  daughter  of  John  McCullough,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  married  Margaret  King,  and  who,  after  their  mar- 
riage, settled  in  Galveston,  Texas,  where  the  mother  of  John  F.  Russell 
was  born.  The  McCullough  family  removed  to  Cincinnati  in  1852,  where 
Mrs.  Russell's  father  engaged  in  business  as  a  wholesale  commission  mer- 
chant. After  the  death  of  her  husband,  in  1894,  she  married  the  second 
time  to  Thomas  Hartman.  who  is  deceased,  and  she  now  resides  in  Greens- 
burg, Indiana.  Of  the  eight  children  born  to  Richard  C.  and  Catherine 
(McCullough)  Russell,  John  F.  was  the  eldest;  Katie  is  deceased;  Elsie  is 
the  wife  of  Dan  S.  Perry,  the  cashier  of  the  Greensburg  National  Bank; 
Clara  is  deceased;  Richard  E.  is  a  clerk  in  the  traffic  department  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  vt  Ouinc}'  railroad  at  Chicago ;  Clem  is  employed  by  the 
American  Express  Company  at  Chicago ;  Marie  is  the  wife  of  Stanton 
Guthrie,  an  extensive  news  dealer,  and  Lillian  lives  at  home. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Greensburg,  Indiana,  John  F.  Russell 
was  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1888,  in  the  meantime, 
however,  during  1886  and  1887,  having  worked  on  railroad  construction,  and 
during  his  vacations  having  learned  the  lineman's  trade.  During  1888  and 
1889  he  was  engaged  in  driving  a  delivery  wagon  for  a  grocery.  Two  years 
later  he  was  taken  into  the  business  of  Doles  &  Russell,  a  grocery  firm  of  this 
city.  During  1896  and  1898  Mr.  Russell  was  engaged  in  publishing  the 
Nczv  Era.  of  which  he  was  the  business  manager.  In  1898  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Garland  Milling  Company,  and  became  finally  a  stockholder, 
was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer,  then  vice-president,  and  finally  president 
of  the  company. 

The  Garland  Milling  Company  was  organized  in  1898,  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  manufacturing  wheat  flour   from  soft  winter  wheat.      Its  best 


556  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

kjiown  brands  are  "Pinnacle."  "Old  Times"  and  "Defender."  With  an  out- 
put of  five  hundred  barrels  a  day.  it  exports  its  products  to  all  the  leading 
markets  of  the  world,  and  especially  the  markets  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  South  America,  the  Scandinavian  Peninsula,  and  France.  Drawing 
its  raw  products  from  Franklin,  Shelby  and  other  counties  within  a  radius 
of  seventy-five  miles,  the  company  employs  twenty-eight  men,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  thriving  industries  of  this  city.  The  capital  of  the  concern  is  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  The  vice-president  is  George  B.  Ayers,  and  the  secretary- 
treasurer  is  George  P.  Shoemaker.  Mr.  Russell's  knowledge  and  his  popu- 
larity among  his  fellows,  are  well  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  served  two 
terms  as  president  of  the  Indiana  Millers'  Association,  and  is  at  present  a 
directer  of  this  organization. 

The  prominence  of  John  F.  Russell  as  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  of 
Decatur  county  is  proved  by  his  long-time  connection  with  the  Democratic 
organization,  Mr.  Russell  having  served  as  secretary  for  eight  years  and  as 
treasurer  for  eight  years  of  the  Democratic  city  and  county  committees. 
Altogether  he  has  served  in  various  capacities  connected  with  these  commit- 
tees for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  having  been  elected  in  191 1  by  the  Greens- 
burg  city  council  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  re-elected  in 
19 14,  and  served  until  his  appointment  by  Governor  Ralston  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  southeastern  hospital  for  the  insane,  at  Madison, 
a  board  of  which  he  is  now  secretary.  During  his  administration  the  new 
high  school  building  at  Greensburg,  which  cost  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
was  erected.  It  is  one  of  the  very  finest  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  and  the 
people  of  Greensburg  owe  as  much  to  Mr.  Russell  as  to  any  other  man,  for 
the  successful  completion  of  this  splendid  building.  During  the  Democratic 
state  convention  of  1914,  Mr.  Russell  represented  the  fourth  congressional 
district  on  the  resolution  committee.  He  also  served  two  terms  as  a  director 
and  as  president  of  the  local  associated  charities,  and  was  president  of  the 
commercial  club  for  one  term,  an  organization  in  which  he  is  now  a  director. 
]\Ir.  Russell  is  also  a  stockholder,  vice-president  and  director  of  the  Greens- 
burr/  JJ'cekly  Democrat  and  Greensburg  Evening  Times. 

On  November  22,  1891,  John  F.  Russell  was  married  to  Ella  E.  Doles, 
daughter  of  Henry  Doles,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1910,  was  the 
oldest  native-born  resident  of  Greensburg,  having  been  born  in  1822,  and 
being  at  the  time  of  his  death  eighty-eight  years  old.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Russell  have  been  born  two  children,  John  Francis,  familiarly  known  as 
Frank,   Jr.,   graduated    from  the   Greensburg   high   school   and   has   been   a 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  557 

■Student  at  Indiana   State  and   Purdue   Uni\'ersities;  the  other   child,   Clara 
Margaret,  died  in  19  lo. 

With  his  many  duties,  private  and  public,  Mr.  Russell  is  also  devoted 
to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  his  home  and  to  his  wife  and  only  son.  The 
Russell  family  are  favorites  in  Greensburg  and  Decatur  county,  and  Mr. 
Russell,  in  his  long  career,  has  won  a  host  of  friends  by  his  genial  personal 
relations  with  the  public  and  his  cordial  manner.  In  many  respects  he  has 
displayed  those  sturdy  traits  of  character  common  to  the  Scottish  and  Irish 
people,  from  whom  he  is  sprung.  His  greatest  asset  in  this  community, 
however,  is  not  so  much  the  business  he  has  conducted' with  such  conspicuous 
success,  or  the  position  which  he  has  held,  as  the  good  name  he  enjoys  among 
his  fellows. 


EDEN  T.  RILEY,  M.  D. 


Elsewhere  in  this  volume,  in  connection  with  the  biography  of  the  late 
Hon.  Zachariah  T.  Riley,  the  genealogy  of  the  Riley  family  in  this  county 
is  presented  at  some  length,  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  ancestry  of  the 
family  being  very  clearly  set  out.  In  the  presentation  at  this  point  of  the 
biography  of  Dr.  Eden  T.  Riley,  one  of  Greensburg's  best-known  and  most 
prominent  physicians,  the  genealogical  feature  of  the  same  therefore  may 
properly  be  omitted,  the  reader  being  referred  to  the  sketch  above  referred 
to  for  interesting  information  along  that  line,  it  being  sufficient  here  to  say 
that  Doctor  Riley  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
families  in  Decatur  county,  a  family  that  has  performed  valuable  service  in 
the  development  of  the  best  interests  of  the  local  commonwealth. 

Eden  T.  Riley,  of  Greensburg,  Indiana,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clinton 
township,  this  county,  June  23,  i8C)8,  the  son  of  Zachariah  Thompson  and 
Mary  Jane  (Anderson)  Riley,  prominent  residents  of  the  Springhill  neigh- 
borhood, the  former  of  whom  was  a  one-time  representative  in  the  Indiana 
General' Assembly  from  this  district,  genealogies  of  both  of  whom  the  reader 
may  find  presented  under  another  heading  in  this  ^-olume.  and  the  latter  of 
wfhom  is  still  living  at  her  home  in  Greensburg,  this  county,  enjoving  the 
■evening  of  her  life  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  There  were  four 
children  born  to  Z.  T.  and  Mary  J.  (Anderson)  Riley,  Mary  Libbie,  who 
•died  at  the  tender  age  of  sixteen  years;  \^essie,  who  is  living  at  h(ime  with 
her  aged  mother:  Dr.  Eden  T.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy. 


558  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Eden  T.  Riley  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  CHnton  township,  his 
preliminary  schooling  being  received  in  the  local  schools  of  that  township, 
supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  high  school  at  Greensburg,  from  which 
latter  school  he  was  graduated.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Butler  University, 
at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  after  which  he  entered  Ohio  Medical  College  at 
Cincinnati,  being  graduated  from,  that  excellent  institution  with  the  class  of 
1895.  Following  his  graduation.  Doctor  Riley  located  at  Montpelier,  in 
Blackford  county,  this  state,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  .Vt  the  end  of  this  time  he  returned  to 
Decatur  county,  locating  at  Greensburg,  in  which  city  he  ever  since  has  been 
very  successfully  engaged  in  practice,  having  made  for  himself  a  name  as  a 
practitioner  that  is  known  far  beyond  the  precincts  of  the  county.  He  served 
for  six  years  as  secretary  of  the  city  board  of  health  at  Greensburg  and  for 
two  years  as  secretary  of  the  Decatur  county  board  of  health,  his  services  in 
that  connection  having  met  with  the  most  appreciative  approbation  of  the 
general  public;  his  interest  in  the  public-health  service  having  been  very 
largely  instrumental  in  bringing  to  its  present  high  state  of  efficiency  the 
department  of  health  in  this  county  and  in  the  city  of  Greensburg. 

In  1902  Dr.  Eden  T.  Riley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lottie  McVey,  who 
was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  daughter  of  C.  P.  jNIcVey,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Riley  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  social  affairs  of  their  home  city  and  are 
deeply  interested  in  all  the  good  works  of  the  community.  They  are  very 
popular  among  their  many  friends  and  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all, 
being  regarded  as  among  the  leaders  in  all  movements  having  to  do  with  the 
advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

Doctor  Riley  is  a  prominent  Mason,  as  were  his  father  and  grandfather 
before  him,  his  grandfather,  W.  W.  Riley,  having  been  a  charter  member  of 
the  Greensburg  lodge  of  that  order  and  for  many  years  master  of  the  lodge 
at  Adams,  this  county.  Doctor  Riley's  membership  is  in  Greensburg  Lodge 
No.  136,  Free  and  Accepted  INIasons,  in  which  for  four  terms  he  has  served 
as  master,  there  being  few  Masons  in  this  section  of  the  state  who  display  a 
more  active  interest  in  Masonic  affairs  than  he.  Doctor  Riley  has  been  high 
priest  of  the  chapter,  and  past  worthy  patron  of  Eastern  Star.  He  has  had 
ten  years'  official  connection  with  Masonic  bodies.  He  is  a  highly-cultured 
gentleman,  genial  and  affable  and  a  prime  favorite  hereabout.  His  extensive 
practice  takes  him  to  all  parts  of  the  county,  and  the  number  of  his  friends  is 
limited  only  by  the  number  of  his  acquaintances,  all  who  know  him  holding 
him  in  the  highest  respect  and  esteem. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  5591 

GEORGE   E.   ERDMANN. 

George  E.  Erdmann,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Decatur  county,  Indiana, 
and  the  postmaster  at  Greensburg,  Indiana,  was  born,  March  i,  1867,  in 
Gilford,  Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  the  son  of  Charles  E.  and  Ellen  Morris 
Erdmann,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1838,  and  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  17,  1836.  Both  the  Erdmann 
and  the  Morris  families  emigrated  to  the  United  States  about  1850,  and 
settled  in  Cincinnati,  where  Charles  E.  Erdmann  and  Ellen  Morris  were 
married.  The}-  had  four  children:  Charles  J.,  a  bond  broker,  of  Greens- 
burg ;  William  W.  and  Frederick,  who  are  engaged  in  tlie  cigar  business,  and 
George  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  Erdmann  family  removed  to  Greensluirg.  Indiana,  in  March.  1868, 
when  George  E.  was  scarcely  a  year  old.  Here  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  and,  after  completing  his  education,  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  cigars  with  his  father  and  brothers,  until  1895.  when  he  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  business.  During  his  active  business  career  in  this 
city  he  built  and  repaired  many  of  Greensburg's  most  splendid  residences  and 
business  houses,  especially  one  now  occupied  by  the  "Shoe  Feller."  I\Ir. 
Erdmann,  from  the  time  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  Inisi- 
ness,  enjoyed  a  satisfactory  measure  and  was  able  to  build  up  a  large  patron- 
age in  Decatur  county. 

For  many  years  prominent  in  the  covmcils  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
Decatur  county,  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  County  Cen- 
tral committee  as  acting  treasurer  and  secretary ;  as  acting  chairman,  and, 
finally,  as  chairman  by  election.  During  his  career  as  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  Democratic  party  in  this  county  he  had  very  much  to  do  with  its  successes 
and  victories,  and  as  a  reward  for  faithful  service  to  his  party  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Greensburg  on  March  10,  IQ14.  and  is  now  ser\ing 
in  this  capacity. 

Mr.  Erdmann  was  married.  October  9,  1889,  to  Kate  Hamon.  who  died 
on  March  25,  1895,  leaving  three  children,  Morris,  Holden  and  William. 
Some  three  years  later,  Mr.  Erdmann  was  married  to  Carrie  L.  Livenguth, 
the  marriage  taking  place,  June  22,  1898.  Two  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  Alva,  who  died  in  1899,  and  Robert  L.,  who  is  still  living.  ^Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Erdmann  reside  at  432  East  Main  street,  Greensburg.  Indiana,  where 
they  have  a  comfortable  home  and  where  they  are  surrounded  with  all  the 
conveniences  of  life. 

A  well-known  citizen  of  this  county,  George  E.  Erdmann  has  won  the 


560  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

confidence  of  the  people  and  has  worthily  discharged  the  duties  of  every 
position  of  responsibility  and  trust  bestowed  upon  him.  He  is  a  man  of 
engaging  personality,  affable,  generous,  broad-minded  and  liberal  in  his 
views. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club  since  its  organization,  and  was 
secretary  for  four  years.  He  is  also  a  member  and  director  of  the  associated 
charities,  and  for  many  years  has  been  affiliated  to  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 


JOHN  J.  FOLEY. 


In  the  memorial  literature  of  Decatur  county,  no  name  is  more  worthy 
•of  honorable  mention  in  these  pages  than  that  which  the  reader  notes  above. 
Mr.  Foley,  a  one-time  well-known  and  wealthy  grain  dealer  of  the  city  of 
Greensburg  and  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  farmers  of 
Decatur  county,  was  the  son  of  the  late  Hon.  James  Bradford  Foley,  one 
of  the  most  noted  men  which  this  section  of  the  state  ever  produced,  and  in 
all  things  lived  worthy  of  the  good  name  which  had  been  bequeathed  to  him. 
Reared  on  a  farm  and  following  the  vocation  of  farming,  until  he  had  sub- 
stantially established  himself  in  a  financial  way,  John  J.  Foley  left  the  farm 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  business  in  Greensburg,  becoming  the  leading  grain 
dealer  of  that  city,  a  business  which  he  followed  with  much  success  until  he 
was  ready  to  retire  from  active  pursuits,  after  which  he  again  took  charge 
of  his  farm,  btit  never  left  the  city  of  Greensburg  after  locating  there.  At 
his  death  there  was  much  mourning,  for  he  was  a  man  who  made  and  retained 
friends  as  few  men  are  able  to  do  and  he  was  held  in  the  sincerest  affection 
throughout  the  whole  county.  His  widow  is  living  in  pleasant  retirement  at 
her  delightful  home  in  Greensburg,  located  at  222  South  Broadway,  enjoy- 
ing, in  the  evening  of  her  life,  the  profoundest  regard  of  all  who  know 
her. 

John  J.  Foley  was  born  on  January  21,  1830,  on  a  farm  in  Decatur  county, 
Indiana,  the  son  of  Gen.  James  Bradford  and  Mary  (Hackleman)  Foley,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  on  October  18,  1807,  and  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  and  most  prominent  citizens  of  this  county,  being 
honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  in  this  district  by  election  to  a  seat  in  the 
Indiana  state  constitutional  convention  in  1850;  honored  by  Governor  Wright 
by  the  appointment  to  the  post  of  brigadier-general  of  the  Indiana  state 
militia  for  the  fourth  district,  and  by  the  voters  of  this  congressional  district 


/r/^n  /  -yc/cy 


/l((  jy  ri  ret  J-.   /rlc^ 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  561 

to  a  seat  in  the  national  House  of  Representatives  in  1856.  General  Foley 
also  had  served  this  county  as  treasurer,  being  elected  to  that  responsible  office 
in  1841,  and  in  that  and  all.  other  offices  to  which  he  was  called,  perfonned 
the  most  faithful  public  service.  General  Foley  died  at  his  home  in  this 
county  on  December  5,  1886,  honored  and  respected  of  all  throughout  this 
entire  section  of  the  state. 

Gen.  James  B.  Foley  was  twice  married.  On  April  2,  1829,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  ]\Iartha  Carter,  of  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  who  was  born  on 
February  25,  1810,  and  died  on  April  22,  1847,  to  which  union  there  were 
born  three  children,  Mrs.  Mary  Mansfield,  who  lives  on  Broadway,  in  the 
city  of  Greensburg,  this  county;  Mrs.  Mary  Zoller,  also  of  Greensburg,  and 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Payne,  of  Franklin,  Indiana.  On  March  4,  1848,  General 
Foley  married,  secondly,  Mrs.  Mary  Hackleman,  of  this  county,  to  which 
latter  union  there  were  born  three  children,  John  J.,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  memorial  sketch,  Alexander  A.,  and  William  O.,  of  Connersville, 
Indiana.  Mrs.  Mary  (Hackleman)  Foley  was  born  on  January  21,  1830, 
and  died  on  October  18,  1888. 

John  J.  Foley  was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Washington  township, 
this  county,  and  received  excellent  schooling,  the  course  in  the  public  schools 
being  supplemented  by  careful  reading  in  his  father's  excellent  private  library. 
He  was  a  great  reader  and  one  of  the  most  devoted  lovers  of  books  in  this 
county,  being  recognized  as  a  person  of  very  fine  literary  tastes.  On  January 
13,  1853,  Mr.  Foley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  J.  Hillis  and  for  ten 
year  he  and  his  wife  resided  on  a  farm  in  Washington  township.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  they  sold  the  farm  and  moved  into  the  city  of  Greensburg, 
where,  for  years,  Mr.  Foley  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  business  of  buy- 
ing and  selling  grain,  becoming  one  of  the  most  extensive  dealers  in  grain  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  amassing  quite  a  comfortable  fortune  in  the  pursuit  of 
this  business.  Some  years  before  his  death,  Mr.  Foley  retired  from  business 
and  bought  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  the  Madison  road, 
near  Greensburg,  which  he  took  charge  of  until  his  death.  Mr.  Foley's 
death  occurred  on  February  16,  1903,  and  there  was  since  mourning  among 
his  friends  at  his  passing,  for  he  was  a  good  man. 

Mrs.  Foley,  widow  of  John  J.  Foley,  was  born  on  March  13.  1835, 
on  a  farm  in  this  county,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  (Hazelrigg)  Hillis, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on 
February  i,  1801,  and  died  on  May  6,  1876,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
■on  May  23,  1811,  and  died  on  November  8,  1870.  John  Hillis  was  the  son 
(36) 


562  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  William  and  Margaret  (Wilson)  Hillis,  who  were  the  parents  of  three 
sons  and  one  daughter,  William,  John,  who  married  Ann  Hazelrigg;  David, 
who  married  "Patsey"  McConnell,  and  Jane,  who  married  John  Hazelrigg. 
The  brothers  and  sisters  of  William  Hillis  were  John,  James,  Ebenezer,  who 
married  Jane  Lile ;  David,  who  married  Sarah  Burke ;  Matthew,  Mrs.  Nancy 
McConnell,  Mrs.  Cynthia  Stevenson  and  Mrs.  Jane  Legerwood. 

John  Hillis  and  his  wife  came  to  this  county  in  the  early  twenties  of 
the  last  century,  when  Greensburg  was  a  mere  hamlet,  and  here  they  reared 
their  family.  Mrs.  Foley  well  remembers  when  a  log  cabin  ser\'ed  as  a  court 
house  and  jail  for  Decatur  county,  and  she  has  been  a  witness  of  the  mar- 
velous development  which  has  taken  place  in  this  section  of  the  country 
since  the  time  of  her  girlhood,  a  development  to  which  she  and  her  late  hus- 
band were  among  the  most  active  contributors  in  their  day  and  generation. 

To  John  and  Margaret  J.  (Hillis)  Foley  two  children  were  born, 
Edwin  Wallace,  born  on  February  18,  1854,  died  on  September  8,  1867,  and 
Anna  Belle,  born  on  November  18,  1855,  died  on  August  21,  1868. 

Though  not  a  member  of  the  same,  Mr.  Foley  was  an  attendant  of  the 
services  of  the  Christian  church  and  was  active  in  the  good  works  of  his 
community,  an  honest,  honorable  and  upright  man,  who  believed  in  doing  his 
full  duty  in  the  observance  of  all  the  principles  of  good  citizenship.  He  was 
a  Democrat  and  took  an  earnest  interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county, 
though  not  an  office  seeker.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Greensburg  lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows,  which  he  joined  on  January  15,  1855,  and  in  the  affairs  of 
which  he  ever  took  an  active  and  interested  part.  In  the  development  of  the 
best  interests  of  both  city  and  cotmty,  Mr.  Foley  was  an  active  worker  and 
few  men  labored  in  this  region  in  the  past,  are  more  rightly  entitled  to  an 
honorable  memorial  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  than  he. 


CLARENCE  FAY  KERCHEVAL,  M.  D. 

Clarence  Fay  Kercheval,  now  a  well  established  physician  of  Greens- 
burg, Indiana,  who  was  born.  October  18,  1872,  in  Rush  county,  Indiana,  on 
a  farm,  is  the  son  of  J.  Louis  and  Martha  (Martin)  Kerche\-al,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  1846,  Decatur  county,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was 
born  in  1848,  Decatur  county.  J.  Louis  Kercheval  was  the  son  of  William 
Kercheval,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  married  in  that  state  to  Mary 
Parmore,  and  who,  in  1840,  came  to  Decatur  county  and  settled  in  Adams 


cA'Ti      (TLillti 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  563 

township,  where  he  was  a  farmer,  blacksmith  and  wagon  maker.  His  shop 
was  located  on  the  site  of  the  Kammerling  residence,  the  first  door  west  of 
the  Centenary  church.  He  died  in  1872,  after  having  been  twice  married. 
William  Kercheval  had  seven  children:  Courtney  and  Margaret,  deceased; 
Louis,  Oren,  William  and  Mary,  deceased,  and  ]\Iabel,  the  wife  of  James 
Caskey.  Louis  Kercheval  has  been  a  farmer  most  of  his  life.  In  1870  he 
moved  to  Rush  county,  but  moved  back  to  Decatur  county  and  settled  in 
Adams  township  in  187J.  He  resided  on  the  farm  until  1914,  when  he 
removed  to  Greensburg.  but  he  still  looks  after  his  farming  interests.  Mrs. 
Louis  Kercheval.  who,  before  her  marriage,  was  Martha  Martin,  was  born 
in  Decatur  county  in  1848,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Matthew  Martin,  a 
native  of  Harrison  county,  Kentucky,  and  a  practicing  physician  in  Decatur 
county  until  his  death  of  typhoid  fever  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Kercheval,  Albert 
lives  in  Indianapolis,  Earl  died  at  the  age  of  one  year,  and  Clarence  Fay  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

After  having  been  reared  on  the  farm  and  living  on  the  farm  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Clarence  Fay  Kercheval.  who,  in  the  mean- 
time, had  attended  the  district  schools,  was  married  upon  reaching  his 
majority.  For  several  years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Decatur 
county,  and  later  entered  Illinois  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  where,  after 
paying  his  own  expenses,  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1898.  Doctor 
Kercheval  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Harris  City,  in  Decatur 
county,  and  after  remaining  one  and  one-half  years,  located  at  Greensburg. 
Here  he  has  built  up  an  excellent  practice,  and  here  he  has  won  the  confi- 
dence of  the  public  to  an  unusual  degree. 

On  September  24,  1893,  Doctor  Kercheval  was  married  to  Nellie  McKee, 
of  St.  Paul,  Indiana,  and  the  daughter  of  John  McKee,  a  merchant  of  that 
place.  To  this  happy  union,  one  son,  Jolin  Marine,  has  been  born.  He  is 
now  fifteen  years  old,  and  a  junior  in  the  Greensburg  high  school.  He  is 
well  known  in  educational  circles  of  this  city  as  an  earnest  student,  and  was 
able  to  do  the  first  and  second  year  of  high  school  work  in  a  single  year. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  splendid  attainments  and  a  son  of  whom  his  parents 
are  very  proud. 

A  member  of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Indiana 
State  Medical  Association,  Doctor  Kercheval  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Loyal 
Order  of  Moose.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Kercheval  are  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  botl:  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  work  of 


564  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  church.  Doctor  Kercheval  is  not  only  an  eminent  physician  of  Decatur 
county,  but  he  is  hkewise  respected  and  honored  as  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising citizens  of  Greensburg. 


WILLIAM   STEWART   SMITH. 

Of  the  hundreds  of  young  men  who  left  home  and  friends  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  to  serve  their  country  and  to  assist  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  American  union,  no  private  soldier  had  a  better  record  than 
William  Stewart  Smith,  who  served  out  three  enlistments  during  this  war. 
At  the  first  call  for  volunteers,  he  enlisted  on  April  22,  1861,  in  the  Bemin- 
stuffer  Company,  of  Greensburg,  and  was  with  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
Indiana  Volunteers,  for  three  months.  He  then  enlisted  in  the  Seventeenth 
Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  eighteen  months,  and 
later  in  Wilder's  Battery  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  principal  battles 
in  which  he  was  engaged  were  those  of  Cross  Keys,  Port  Republic,  Win- 
chester, Harpers  Ferry,  Knoxville,  and  several  engagements  in  the  Atlantic 
campaign.  At  Harpers  Ferry  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and  set  free 
twenty-four  hours  later,  while  on  parade.  After  returning  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  he  rejoined  his  regiment  and  proceeded  south  to  Kentucky,  and 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Knoxville  and  Sherman's  campaign  to  the  sea 
as  far  as  Resaca.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  his 
Decatur  county  home  and  here  took  up  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  life. 

William  Stewart  Smith,  a  retired  farmer  of  Washington  township, 
and  the  owner  of  sixty-two  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  was  born  on 
October  22,  1839,  in  Switzerland  county,  Indiana,  the  son  of  Simeon  and 
Roxanna  (Jayne)  Smith,  natives  of  Indiana,  whose  parents  came  from  Ire- 
land and  settled  in  Switzerland  county.  Simeon  Smith  was  the  son  of 
Walter  Smith,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Jayne,  also  of  Ireland.  In  1853  his  parents  moved  from  Switzerland  to 
Ripley  county  and  William  Smith  came  with  them.  LTpon  the  death  of  his 
mother,  July  11,  1854,  and  the  remarriage  shortly  afterwards  of  his  father, 
William  Smith  left  home.  The  father,  who  was  born  on  January  29,  1812, 
and  who  was  married  the  first  time,  April  4,  1829,  died  on  June  14,  1886. 

Simeon  and  Roxanna  Smith  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  only  one 
other  besides  William  S.,  is  living.  The  other  living  child  is  a  daughter, 
Rosanna,  the  fifth  born,  who  lives  near  Lebanon,  Indiana.     The  eleven  chil- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  565 

dren,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  are  as  follow :  Mrs.  Jane  Dilks,  born  on 
February  9,  1830,  and  died  June  16,  1883,  who  married  Isaac  Dilks,  July  18, 
1849;  Beniah,  November  11,  1831,  and  died  February  18,  1832;  Cilicia,  in 
November,  1832,  and  died  Alay  16,  1859,  who  married  Sylvester  AI.  Rudy- 
cyla,  in  August,  1855 !  Celestia,  January  19,  1835,  and  died  on  November  6, 
1891,  who  married  James  A.  Burton;  Rosanna,  April  14,  1837,  who  married 
John  Williams,  October,  i860;  William  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Marian 
D.,  February  28,  1842,  and  died  on  March  14,  1892;  Maria  E.,  September 
28,  i8'44,  and  died  on  March  13,  1S61  ;  Mary  Alice,  January  20,  184S,  and 
died  August  4,  1908;  Eunice  Ellen.  August  5,  1850,  and  died  August  9, 
1851,  and  Harriet  Olive,  November  4,  1853,  and  died  on  August  20,  1854. 
Simeon  Smith  married  Laura  M.  Bowers  and  had  one  child  born  to  this 
marriage,  Dillard  M.,  May  13,  1856,  and  died  on  August  21,  1908. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Smith  was  married,  and 
some  time  afterwards  lived  at  Smith's  Crossing  for  three  years.  After  this 
they  moved  to  Boone  county,  Indiana,  where  they  lived  for  three  years  and 
then  moved  to  their  present  farm  in  Washington  township,  where  they  have 
lived  ever  since.  For  a  period  of  eleven  years,  Mr.  Smith  was  superintendent 
of  the  Greensburg  gas  and  woolen  works.  He  has  always  been  known  as  a 
hard-working  and  industrious  citizen,  but  the  active  period  of  his  career  is 
now  passed  and  Mr.  Smith  has  at  his  disposal  a  substantial  competence  for 
these  unproductive  years. 

On  March  15.  1866,  William  S.  Smith  was  married  to  Sarah  C. 
\\'illiams,  who  was  born  February  4,  1847,  '"  Washington  township,  and 
who  is  the  daughter  of  George  Washington  and  Drusilla  (Van  Cleave) 
\\'illiams,  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1812  and 
died  in  1879,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  1816  and  died  in  Alay, 
iS'97.  George  W.  Williams  came  to  Decatur  county  in  1830  with  his  father, 
John  Williams,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  181 2.  jNIrs.  George 
Williams  was  the  daughter  of  David  Van  Cleave,  a  pioneer  settler  in  Decatur 
county.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  only  two  are 
living:  Mary  Drusilla,  born  on  April  17,  1867,  died  in  infancy;  Charles  I., 
May  25,  1868,  also  died  in  infancy;  William  AI.,  October  21,  1869,  who 
married  Eugene  Petus,  and  has  one  cliild,  Alarion  Stewart;  Julia  Olive, 
A  larch  10,  1 87 1,  and  died  on  March  i.  1908,  who  married  Charles  E.  St. 
John  and  left  four  children.  Hazel  Catherine,  Elton  Livingston,  William 
Sherman  and  Nadine  Lavina;  Martha  Rosanna,  November  2,  1872,  who 
died  in  infancy ;  one  died  in  infancy  unnamed ;  and  Sarah  Elizabeth,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1880,  who  married  Monteville  Johnson,  of  near  Indianapolis,  and  has 


566  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

three  sons,  Ivan  William,  George  Franklin  and  Ralph  Smith.  William  M., 
the  only  living  son  of  Mr.  Smith,  served  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Sixty-first  Volunteer  Infantry,  recruited  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  by  General 
Wilder  for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  War.  W.illiam  M.,  who  was 
the  second  youngest  captain  of  this  company,  served  throughout  the  war. 
He  is  at  present  an  electrician  living  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  William 
Sherman  St.  John,  the  grandson  of  Mr.  Smith,  married  Blanche  Farlow  and 
has  one  child,  Edna  Marguerite. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  Pap  Thomas  Post  No.  5.  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Greensburg.  Since  the  organization  of  the  Pro- 
gressive party,  in  1912,  he  has  been  identified  with  this  party  and  is  well- 
known  throughout  Decatur  county  as  an  ardent  admirer  of  Colonel  Roose- 
velt and  of  Senator  Albert  J.  Beveridge.  Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 


ANDREW  M.  WILLOUGHBY.' 

Newspaper  editors  and  publishers  exert  upon  a  community  greater 
influence  than  any  other  institution.  When  a  newspaper  is  well  managed 
and  well  edited  and  when  it  seeks  conscientiously  to  represent  the  best  inter- 
ests in  the  community  where  it  circulates,  there  is  no  means  by  which  the 
breadth  and  depth  of  its  influence  can  be  accurately  measured.  In  Decatur 
county  the  Greenshurg  Daily  and  Weekly  Reviezv  has  exerted  a  profound 
influence,  socially,  religiously  and  commercially  for  many  years.  It  has 
always  stood  faithfully  and  valiantly  in  support  of  the  highest  ideals  of 
American  citizenship  and  its  high  standard  is  due,  in  a  large  measure,  to  the 
forcefulness  of  Andrew  M.  Willoughby,  former  mayor  of  Greensburg,  who 
has  been  connected  with  the  paper  for  thirty  years. 

Andrew  M.  Willoughby,  the  editor  of  the  Greensburg  Daily  and  JVcckly 
Review  and  the  former  Mayor  of  Greensburg,  was  born  on  April  i,  iS'57. 
Educated  in  the  public  schools,  he  began  learning  the  printer's  trade  on 
August  17,  1874,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  After  that  he  worked  on 
metropolitan  papers  in  the  Central  West  in  various  capacities  for  a  period  of 
nine  years,  coming  to  Greensburg  in  1883.  Two  years  later  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Review  and  has  been  continuously  connected  with  this  paper 
for  thirty  years.  Mr.  Willoughby  is  an  able  editor  and  a  writer  of  rare 
force  and  ability.     The  Review  is  a  Republican  newspaper  and  in  the  Fourth 


ANDREW   M.   Wir.LOTCHRY. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  567 

Congressional  District  there  is  no  paper  which  has  more  worthily  upheld  the 
ideals  of  the  Republican  party  and  which  has  fought  harder  for  the  success 
of  its  candidates  than  the  Grccnsbttry  Rcviciv. 

Mr.  Willoughby  is  a  Republican  and  was  elected  nia^or  of  Greensburg 
in  1898  and  served  almost  four  years,  during  which  time  he  looked  honestly 
and  sincerely  after  the  interests  of  the  city,  endeavoring  to  uphold  the 
patriotic  traditions  of  its  first  citizenship  and  to  promote  its  moral,  civic  and 
political  welfare. 

It  was  while  serving  as  Mayor  of  the  city  that  Mr.  Willoughby  opened 
a  correspondence  with  Andrew  Carnegie  which  resulted  in  the  establishment 
of  one  of  the  handsomest  public  libraries  in  the  state  in  Greensburg.  He  was 
a  trustee  of  Decatur  Lodge  No.  103,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
a  member  of  the  committee  which  located  the  State  I.  O.  O.  F.  Home  in 
Greensburg,  an  institution  of  which  not  only  Greensburg  but  the  entire  state 
of  Indiana  is  proud. 

He  resigned  as  mayor  in  February,  1902,  to  become  postmaster  of 
Greensburg,  which  position  he  held  until  IMarch,  1906.  During  his  term  as 
postmaster,  Mr.  Willoughb}'  ga\'e  to  Decatur  county  the  excellent  rural  mail 
delivery  service  that  it  now  enjoys,  and  in  many  other  ways  improved  the 
postal  service  of  the  city  and  county.  In  1900  Air.  AVilloughby  was  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  county  central  committee,  and  succeeded  in  restoring 
the  county  to  the  Republican  column  after  the  slump  to  the  Democrats  in 
1898.  Mr.  Willoughby  has  also  served  as  deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
for  fifteen  years,  as  secretary  and  president  of  the  Indiana  Republican  Edi- 
torial Association  and  as  a  member  of  the  library  board  for  two  terms. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Greensburg  Lodge  No.  148,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  of  the  Elks. 

]\Ir.  \\'illoughby  has  been  twice  married,  the  first  time  to  Minnie  E. 
Christy,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  Christy,  cashier  of  the  Citizens  National 
Bank.  To  them  was  born  one  son,  Raymond  C,  who  is  now  a  well-known 
newspaper  man  of  Indianapolis.  On  February  12,  1895,  Mrs.  Willoughby 
died  at  Greeley,  Colorado,  and  on  November  22,  1898,  Mr.  Willoughlw  was 
married  to  Clara  B.  Hollowell,  of  Harrison,  Ohio. 

Not  only  in  the  realm  of  public  life,  where  he  has  been  prominent  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  is  Andrew  M.  Willoughby  admired  and 
respected,  but  in  the  realm  of  private  affairs,  in  the  personal  relations  of  life, 
he  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  position  among  the  best  people  of  this 
city  and  county.  A  worthy  and  capable  editor,  he  is  also  an  honored  and 
courageous  citizen. 


568  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIA'nA. 

GEN.  JAMES  B.  FOLEY. 

The  civic  honors  which  were  bestowed  upon  Gen.  James  Bradford  Foley,, 
during"  his  long  and  useful  life  in  Decatur  codnty,  and  the  high  tribute  which 
the  people  of  this  section  of  the  state  of  Indiana  continue  lovingly  to  pay  to 
his  memory,  must  stand  as  an  abiding  earnest  of  his  singular  ability  as  a 
statesman  and  his  eminent  services  to  the  public,  in  the  various  capacities  ta 
which  his  fellow  citizens  had  called  him.  In  his  public  service,  General 
Foley  played  a  dignified  and  forceful  part;  in  his  private  life  he  was  gen- 
erous and  large-hearted,  greatly  beloved  of  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  him — a  fine  type  of  man,  a  useful  citizen,  who,  in 
all  things  is  fully  entitled  to  have  his  name  engraved  high  on  the  roll  of 
Decatur  county's  great  men.  Though  himself  a  leader  of  men,  none  was. 
more  willing  to  take  even  the  most  modest  part  in  the  service  of  the  com- 
mon weal,  and,  in  all  that  he  did,  the  good  that  might  be  done  in  behalf  of 
the  people,  ever  was  uppennost  in  his  mind.  Beginning  his  service  as  county 
treasurer  of  Decatur  county,  then  called  to  take  his  part  in  the  framing  of  the 
basic  law  of  Indiana  in  the  constitutional  convention  of  1850,  as  a  delegate 
from  this  district,  to  that  historic  convention;  then  given  by  the  governor  of 
the  state  command  of  the  Fourth  Brigade  of  the  Indiana  state  militia ;  next 
sent  to  Congress  by  his  admiring  constituents  in  this  district  in  1856,  declin- 
ing a  nomination  to  the  same  high  honor  in  1874 ;  all  the  while  regardful  of 
the  best  interests  of  his  home  county  in  a  moral,  civic  and  commercial  way, 
General  Foley  certainly  did  his  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  community  and 
did  it  well.  Therefore,  it  is  but  fitting  that  in  a  historical  and  biographical 
work  of  this  character,  honorable  tribute  should  be  paid  to  his  memory. 

James  Bradford  Foley  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  October 
18,  1807,  and  died  at  his  home  near  the  city  of  Greensburg,  in  this  county, 
December  5,  1886,  in  the  ripe  fullness  of  a  green  old  age,  honored  and 
beloved  of  all  throughout  this  entire  section  of  the  state.  His  father  died 
when  James  B.  was  seven  years  of  age,  leaving  to  his  mother  the  task  of 
rearing  and  supporting  a  family  of  seven  small  children.  This  brave  pio- 
neer mother,  who  was  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bradford,  superin- 
tendent of  the  arsenal  at  Harpers  Ferry  during  the  Revolutionary  War, 
was  stricken  with  blindness  shortly  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  and  the 
boys  of  the  Foley  family  very  early  began  life  as  bread  winners.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  James  B.  Foley  began  as  a  "hand"  on  a  flatboat  plying  the  waters- 
of  the  Mississippi,  engaged  in  the  New  Orleans  trade.     Applying  himself 


a^^r?\? .-^^d, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  569 

to  the  opportunities  which  thus  were  opened  to  his  discerning  and  enter- 
prising mind,  he  presently  engaged  in  the  river  trade  for  himself,  and,  by 
the  time  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  had  accumulated  a  fortune 
of  twenty  thousand  dollars ;  no  insignificant  achievement  for  one  of  his  years 
in  that  day.  On  June  15,  1834,  Mr.  Foley  abandoned  the  river  trade  and 
opened  a  dry-goods  store  in  the  growing  village  of  Greensburg,  the  seat  of 
government  in  this  county.  For  two  years  he  operated  this  store,  meeting 
with  much  success  in  his  commercial  \enture,  and  then,  in  the  year  1837, 
sold  the  store  and  bought  a  farm  two  miles  from  the  city  of  Greensburg, 
on  which  he  made  his  residence  until  the  year  1880,  at  which  time  he  sold 
this  farm  and  bought  a  residence  one  mile  out  of  town,  in  which  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life.  For  a  period  ending  with  1877,  General  Foley  was  engaged 
in  the  pork-packing  business  in  Cincinnati  and  in  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana, 
doing  for  years  an  aggregate  business  amounting  to  as  much  as  eighty 
thousand  dollars  a  year. 

During  all  this  time.  General  Foley  was  taking  an  active  part  in  the  civic 
affairs  of  this  section  and  there  were  few  men  in  this  part  of  the  state  whose 
lives  proved  more  useful  to  the  general  welfare.  He  was  ever  interested  in 
the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  this  comnninity  and  gave  himself 
unselfishly  and  ungrudgingly  to  the  public  service.  In  1841  he  was  elected 
county  treasurer  of  Decatur  county,  an  office  in  which  he  performed  good 
serxice.  \Mien  the  convention  for  the  revision  of  the  state  constitution  in 
1850  was  called.  General  Foley  was  elected  as  a  delegate  to  that  convention 
from  this  county  and  in  the  deliberations  of  that  historic  body,  his  counsel  and 
advice,  based  upon  his  sound  judgment  and  excellent  executive  ability,  proved 
of  high  value.  In  1852  Governor  Wright  appointed  General  Foley  to  be 
brigadier-general  of  militia  for  the  fourth  district  of  Indiana  and,  in  1856, 
he  was  elected  to  ser\-e  this  district  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  a  service 
which  he  performed  with  an  e}e  single  to  the  public  good,  largely  extending 
his  reputation  as  a  statesman  and  a  public  man.  'In  1874  he  was  importuned 
by  his  party  to  accept  a  second  nomination  to  Congress,  but  he  declined  the 
honor,  his  extensive  business  interests  and  the  inexorable  encroachment  of 
years,  necessitating  his  gradual,  though  reluctant,  retirement  from  a  measure 
of  his  former  public  activities. 

On  April  2,  1829,  General  Foley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Carter,  of  Mason  county,  who  was  born  on  February  25,  1810,  and  died  on 
April  22,  1847.  On  March  4,  i8-|8,  General  Foley  married,  secondly,  Mrs. 
Mary  Hackleman,  who  was  born  on  January  21,  1830,  and  died  on  October 
18,   1888.     To  each  of  these  unions  three  children  were  born,  as   follow: 


570 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


Mrs.  Mary  Mansfield,  who  lives  at  Greensburg,  this  county;  Mrs.  Mary 
Zoller,  who  also  lives  at  Greensburg;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Payne,  of  Franklin, 
Indiana;  John  J.,  born  on  January  21,  1830,  died  on  February  16,  1903,  a 
memorial  and  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  Alexander  A.  and  William  O.,  of  Connersville,  Indiana. 

General  Foley  was  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Christian  church  at  Greens- 
burg and  also  was  a  generous  contributor  to  Bethany  College,  Virginia,  and 
Butler  College  at  Indianapolis,  and  was  likewise  active  in  all  local  good  works 
in  and  about  Greensburg.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  was  one  of  the  strongest 
supporters  of  that  party  in  this  county  and  throughout  this  section  of  the 
state,  his  sage  counsel  ever  being  sought  by  the  party  managers  of  this  dis- 
trict. His  large  business  affairs  made  him  one  of  the  leaders  also  in  the 
commercial  and  financial  life  of  this  section,  while  his  strong  moral  and 
religious  convictions  made  him  also  one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the 
general  uplift  of  the  community — a  very  faithful  public  servant  of  whom  it 
truly  may  be  said  he  did  well  his  part ;  faithful,  devoted  and  true  in  all  the 
relations  of  life. 


ROBERT  CASSIUS  HAMILTON. 

One  of  the  pleasantest  and  most  hospitable  homes  in  Decatur  county, 
is  that  of  Robert  Cassius  Hamilton,  one  of  the  best-known  farmers  of  Wash- 
ington township,  who  is  living  on  the  farm,  in  the  fine  brick  house  ereceted 
by  his  father  in  1863,  and  is  active  in  the  labors  of  the  farm.  His  pleasant 
home  is  one  of  the  landmarks  in  that  part  of  the  county  and  is  a  source  of 
unbounded  enjoyment  to  its  genial  owner,  the  well-kept  lawn,  driveway, 
evergreens  and  shrubbery  testifying  to  the  care  with  which  the  place  is  kept 
up.  Cassius  Hamilton  is  a  member  of  the  well-known  Hamilton  family  of 
this  county,  of  which  further  reference  is  made  at  other  points  in  this  bio- 
graphical history,  particular  reference  being  made  to  the  genealogy  of  the 
family  in  the  biographical  sketch  relating  to  Chester  Hamilton. 

Robert  Cassius  Hamilton  was  bom  in  Clinton  township,  Decatur  county, 
Indiana,  June  26,  1844,  the  son  of  William  Warder  and  Isabelle  Jane  (Ham- 
ilton) Hamilton,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  April,  182 1,  died  on  January  22,  1907,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
on  February  7,  1820,  and  died  on  June  18,  1899.  William  Warder  Hamilton 
was  the  son  of  William  and  Polly  (Bernau)  Hamilton,  the  former  of 
Scottish  and  the  latter   of   French  descent,   residents   of   Nicholas   county, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  57! 

Kentucky.  Col.  ^Vi!liam  Hamilton  was  a  soldier  and  drilled  a  company  for 
service  in  the  War  of  i8'i2.  Isabella  Jane  Hamilton  was  a  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Polly  (Henry)  Hamilton,  natives  of  Kentucky,  both  of  wlmm 
died  within  three  days  of  each  other,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  To  the  unicm 
of  William  and  Polly  (Bernau)  Hamilton  were  born  five  children:  Cincin- 
natus,  who  died  in  Kentuck}- :  Thomas  George,  William  ^Varder  and  Samuel 
Robert,  all  of  whom  died  in  this  county,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Menefee,  who  died 
in  Missouri. 

\\'illiam  \\'.  Hamilton  came  to  this  county  in  1823,  when  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  here.  He  settled  on  a  tract  of 
sixty  acres  in  Clinton  township,  his  sole  possessions  at  that  time  being  a 
horse  and  saddle  and  fifteen  dollars  in  cash.  He  prospered,  his  energy  and 
initiative  quickly  making  him  one  of  the  dominant  factors  in  that  part  of  the 
county,  and  gradually  added  to  his  farm  lands  until  he  jiresently  was  the 
owner  of  no  less  than  two  thousand  acres  of  well-culti\'ated  land  in  the 
county.  In  the  very  nature  of  things  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs 
of  this  section  of  the  state,  his  energy  and  fine  executive  ability  giving  him  a 
place  among  the  leaders  of  men  and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  directors 
■of  the  state  board  of  agriculture,  part  of  which  time  he  served  as  president 
of  the  board.  He  was  widely  known  and  his  influence  was  more  than  local. 
He  was  one  of  the  men  most  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  location  of 
the  old  Vernon,  Greensburg  &  Rushville  railroad  and  the  Greensburg  &  Hope 
railroad  and  assisted  in  building  every  church  in  Greensburg,  even  the  Catho- 
lic church,  although  he  was  an  Old  School  Presbyterian.  He  was  singularly 
progressive  in  his  business  methods  for  that  day  and,  in  some  things,  might 
even  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  "plunger,"  although  it  must  be  said  for  him 
that  he  invariably  "made  good"  in  his  many  financial  transactions.  There 
was  no  more  popular  man  in  the  county  than  he  in  his  day  and  he  gained  and 
held  the  warmest  friendship  of  all  his  associates.  Charitable  to  all,  liberal- 
minded  and  kind-hearted,  he  was  extremely  well  liked.  In  1863  he  moved  to 
the  farm  on  which  his  son,  Cassius,  now  lives  and,  erecting  a  brick-kiln, 
burned  the  bricks  which  entered  into  the  construction  of  the  fine  house  which 
he  built  upon  the  place.  In  this  home  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  and  there 
his  son,  Cassius,  now  makes  his  home. 

To  William  Warder  and  Isabella  Jane  Hamilton  were  born  two  sons, 
Robert  Cassius  and  William  Brutus.  The  latter  died  in  1905  in  Greensburg, 
leaving  four  children,  William  Cassius  Hamilton,  of  Indianapolis:  Mrs. 
Mary  Florine  Roland,  of  Greensburg ;  Richard  Ray  Hamilton,  of  Greens- 
burg, and  Harry  Warder  Hamilton,  of  Indianapolis. 


572  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Cassius  Hamilton  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  district 
schools  of.  his  home  neighborhood,  supplementing  the  same  with  compre- 
hensive courses  in  Hanover  College  and  in  Monmouth  College.  His  father 
was  a  dealer  in  mules  in  an  extensive  way  and  when  a  young  man  Cassius 
was  given  practical  direction  of  this  branch  of  his  business  and  has  followed 
the  business  all  his  life,  having  been  very  successful.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  indirectly  supplied  the  government  with  large  numbers  of  mules  and  for 
years  was  one  of  the  heaviest  shippers  of  this  class  of  stock  in  the  country. 
He  gives  bis  personal  attention  to  the  direction  of  affairs  on  his  place.  This 
farm  consists  of  four  hundred  acres  of  highly-cultivated  land,  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  county. 

On  October  7,  1879,  Robert  Cassius  Hamilton  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Estelle  Fcnton,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  on  May  23,  1856,  the  daughter 
of  William  Warren  and  Mary  Eliza  (Totten)  Fenton,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  182  ^  and  died  in  1906,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  1826 
and  died  in  1877.  In  1859  the  Fentons  moved  from  the  state  of  Wisconsin 
to  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Fenton  had  been  connected  with  large  timber  interests 
in  Wisconsin  and  upon  moving  to  Cincinnati  was  connected  with  the  Little 
Miami  Railroad  Company.  In  1871  the  family  moved  to  Greensburg,  but 
after  Mrs.  Fenton's  death,  Mr.  Fenton  moved  to  Eaton,  Ohio,  later  returning 
to  Greensburg,  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Hamilton  has  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Iva 
Wooden,  of  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Phillip  Auer,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  Democrat.  They  have  many  friends  throughout  Decatur 
county,  all  of  whom  hold  them  in  the  highest  regard  and  their  pleasant 
home  in  Washington  township  is  the  center  of  much  hospitable  entertainment. 


DAVID  ANDREW  ARDERY. 

As  we  perceive  the  shadow  to  have  moved  along  the  dial,  but  did  not 
perceive  it  moving;  and  it  appears  that  the  grass  has  grown,  though  nobody 
ever  saw  it  grow ;  so  the  advances  we  make  in  knowledge,  as  they  consist  of 
such  insensible  steps,  are  only  perceivable  by  the  distance.  The  same  truly 
may  be  said  of  communities  in  a  civic,  social  and  industrial  way.  The 
present  generation  is  conscious  of  the  countless  advantages  shared  by  all  the 
members  of  the  community,  but  rarely  is  thought  given  as  to  how  these 
advantages  were  secured,   it    requiring  the  perspective   of   the   historian  to 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


573 


bring  into  view  the  insensible  steps  by  which  the  present  lofty  heights  were 
reached.  It.  is  this  perspective  which  volumes  of  this  character  design  to 
lend  to  the  view.  A  rigid  comparison  of  the  days  of  the  pioneers  in  tliis 
community,  with  those  of  the  present  generation,  is  as  startling  as  it  is 
illuminating,  and  if  this  biographical  work  shall  do  no  more  than  to  create 
within  the  minds  of  the  younger  generation  a  \ivid  and  comprehensive 
appreciation  of  the  blessings  they  so  readily  accept  as  common  gifts,  the 
labor  of  its  compilation  shall  have  been  well  requited.  There  are  still  a  few 
of  the  pioneers  remaining  in  this  section,  who  ha\'e  seen  these  commonly- 
accepted  blessings  slowly  bud  and  blossom  and  fructify,  and  it  is  of  one  of 
these  that  this  biography  shall  treat,  the  venerable  David  Andrew  Ardery, 
one  of  the  best-known  and  most  highly-regarded  citizens  of  Decatur  count}-, 
a  man  to  whom  his  community  owes  much  for  the  acti\'e  part  lie  has  taken  in 
the  development  of  the  same. 

David  Andrew  Ardery  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Fugit  township,  this 
county,  July  8,  1837,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  ^Martha  (INIcKee)  Ardery, 
both  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1801  and  died 
in-  1846,  the  latter  of  whom  was  1jorn  in  1801  and  died  in  1872.  Thomas 
Ardery  and  ^Martha  McKee  were  married  in  Kentucky  and  their  elder 
children  were  born  in  that  state.  In  1830  they  moved  to  this  county,  settling 
in  Fugit  township,  where  they  rented  a  farm.  Fifteen  years  later,  Thomas 
Ardery  died,  leaving  his  widow  with  the  responsibilities  of  the  farm  and  the 
care  of  a  family  of  young  children.  She  was  of  the  true  pioneer  Ijrand, 
however,  and  kept  the  family  well  together,  managing  the  farm  with  rare 
ability.  In  her  old  age,  Mrs.  Ardery  was  tenderly  cared  for  in  her  house- 
hold; David  A.,  her  son,  thus  lovingly  requited  the  devotion  of  her  earliei 
days. 

To  Thomas  and  Martha  CMcKee)  Ardery  were  born  seven  children, 
two  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  now  are  deceased,  save  Mrs.  Fliza 
Archibald  Spear,  of  Rushville,  this  state,  and  David  Ardery,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  The  other  children  were  Mrs.  Jane  Wallace  Smith,  Mrs. 
Mary  Alexander  Walters,  Mrs.  Martha  Thomas  Thomson,  Eliza  Archi- 
bald Speer,  Mrs.  Nancy  Margaret  Throp  and  John  William. 

David  Ardery  was  compelled,  by  the  necessities  of  the  case,  to  begin 
working  for  himself  at  an  early  age  and  received  but  a  limited  schooling, 
his  attendance  at  school  being  confined  to  a  few  months  in  the  season  at  the 
■district  schools,  during  his  early  boyhood.  He  was  active,  industrious  and 
energetic  and  kept  pushing  along  until,  in  1872,  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  \A^ashington  township,  on  which  he  ever  since 


574  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

has  made  his  residence.  In  i8Si  his  home  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  he  then 
erected  his  present  fine  large  farm  residence,  the  same  being  completed  in 
1884.  Mr.  Ardery  has  his  own  private  gas  well  on  his  farm,  the  house  aiid, 
barn  being  piped  for  lighting  and  heating  purposes.  On  his  farm  he  als"o  " 
is  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  fine  artesian  well,  the  water  from  which  is 
piped  through  the  house  and  barn,  the  local  water  system  receiving  its 
pressure  from  a  hydraulic  ram.  This  is  one  of  the  best  farm  houses  in 
Decatur  county  and,  with  its  many  modern  improvements,  affords  Mr.  Ard- 
ery and  his  family  much  comfort  and  pleasure. 

On  January  4,  1872,  David  A.  Ardery  was  united  in  marriage  to  Theresa 
J.  Lowe,  who  was  born  at  Kingston,  this  county,  October  5,  1852,  daughter 
of  x-\lfred  and  Isabella  (Ouigley)  Lowe,  members  of  old  families  in  that 
section  of  the  county.  Alfred  Lowe  was  the  son  of  Seth  Lowe,  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  Kingston  neighborhood.  Seth  Lowe  was  a  native  of 
Glenwood,  North  Carolina,  born  on  December  27,  1787,  and  who  emigrated  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  married  and,  in  1821,  settled  at  Kingston,  this  county, 
homesteading  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Charles  Throp.  He  was  a  fine, 
vigorous  character  and  a  strong  force  in  the  new  settlement,  his  influence 
for  good  thereabout  being  felt  in  many  ways  during  the  pioneer  days.  Seth 
Lowe  died  in  1S71,  while  on  a  visit  to  one  his  sons  in  Mills  county,  Iowa. 
Alfred  Lowe,  'who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1826  and  died  in  1887,  mar- 
ried Isabella  Ouigley,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Catherine  (Spear)  Ouigley,  who  settled  in  the  Kingston  neighborhood 
in  1837,  after  living  for  a  short  time  in  Franklin  county,  this  state.  Isabella 
(Ouigley)  Lowe  was  born  in  1835  and  died  in  1910.  Her  father,  Samuel 
Ouigley,  died  in  1847,  the  year  the  cholera  was  rampant  in  this  section  of  the 
state.  Both  the  Lowes  and  the  Ouigleys  were  strong  and  influential  families 
in  that  part  of  the  county. 

To  Alfred  and  Isabella  (Ouigley)  Lowe  were  born  eight  children, 
namely:  Mrs.  Ardery;  Seth,  who  lives  at  Greensburg;  Charles,  who  lives 
at  Kingman,  Kansas :  \\'illiam,  deceased ;  Edward,  the  Rex  salt  dealer,  at 
Greensburg ;  Catherine,  who  married  Thomas  Hamilton,  a  well-known  farmer 
who  lives  on  the  old  Hopkins  place  east  of  Kingston,  this  county;  Marsh,  a 
well-known  traveling  salesman,  who  travels  out  of  Cincinnati,  and  Arthur, 
who  was  assistant  cashier  of  the  Greensburg  National  Bank. 

To  David  A.  and  Theresa  J.  (Lowe)  Ardery  five  children  have  been 
born,  as  follow :  Mary,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents ;  Mrs.  Martlia 
Batchelor,  of  Indianapolis,  who  has  five  children,  David  Ardery,  Thomas 
Churchill,  Robert  Lowe,  Martha  Theresa  and  Helen  Emily;  Clara,  who  also' 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  575. 

is  at  home;  Samuel  David,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Washington  township, 
this  county,  who  married  Florine  Bowman  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  David 
Henry ;  Helen  Lowe,  a  studewt  in  Indiana  University  at  Bloomington.  and 
l\Tay.  a  graduate  of  Bloomington,  Indiana. 

Air.  and  Airs.  Ardery  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Greens- 
bur}-  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  They,  for  many  years, 
have  been  acti\e  in  good  works  and  no  couple  in  the  county  is  held  in  higher 
esteem.  Air.  Ardery  is  a  Republican  and  always  has  been  interested  in  local 
politics,  being  one  of  the  most  earnest  supporters  of  all  measures  designed 
to  elevate  the  standards  of  government,  not  only  being  an  active  worker  in 
the  ranks  of  his  party,  but  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  finances  of  the  party; 
such  work  as  he  has  done,  however,  having  been  done  only  as  a  means  of 
supporting  the  cause  of  good  government  as  he  recognized  it,  he  never 
having  been  included  in  the  office-holding  class.  Air.  Ardery  is  a  large  man 
and  in  the  days  of  his  vigor  was  a  veritable  giant  for  strength.  He  finds 
himself  now  somewhat  enfeebled,  with  the  near  approach  of  his  eightieth 
year,  but,  for  all  that,  retains  all  his  former  wit  and  jocular  manner.  In 
his  heyday,  he  was  a  man  among  men  and  still  enjoys  life  as  well  as  an^■one, 
proving  himself  a  most  entertaining  companion.  He  is  hospitable  and  cheer- 
ful, an  ardent  lover  of  his  home  and  is  proud  of  Decatur,  county  and  his 
native  state. 


HEXRY  AI.  AULTAIAN. 


To  be  a  successful  photographer,  a  man  must  study  both  cause  and  effect. 
Anyone  may  take  a  picture,  but  unless  one  has  that  artistic  instinct,  without 
which  no  art  is  perfect,  the-  result  is  apt  to  be  unsatisfactory.  It  is  like  mak- 
ing a  suit  of  clothes.  Anyone  may  build  cloth  into  a  covering  for  the  human 
form,  but  the  result  is  frecjuently  very  discouraging  to  all  concerned.  It  is 
true,  that  a  garment  may  frequently  be  tinkered  with  until  it  is  wearable, 
but  it  is  not  a  work  of  art,  and  comes  under  the  head  of  a  built-over  article. 
A  satisfactory  photograph  is  one  that  is  a  perfect  article  at  the  start.  It 
will  admit  of  no  building  over.  The  gentleman  whose  name  is  mentioned  in 
the  following  pages  has  so  thoroughly  satisfied  his  patrons  as  to  his  artistic 
ability  and  good  work,  that  he  has  no  need  for  worry  in  regard  to  his  future 
success. 

Henry  AI.  Aultman.  photographer  and  engra\er,  of  Greensburg.  Indi- 
ana, was  born  on  December  5,   1S68,  in  Jennings  county,  and  is  a  son  of 


576  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Martin  and  Nancy  (Porter)  Aultman.  He  worked  on  a  farm  for  a  time, 
and  after  his  marriage,  took  up  the  study  of  photography  at  home,  and  later 
established  his  present  gallery  at  Greensburg,  where  he  has  been  most  suc- 
cessful and  where  he  has  about  paid  for  a  fine  new  home.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 

Martin  Aultman,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and 
served  three  years  in  the  Confederate  army  in  a  Louisiana  regiment.  He 
was  captured  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  taken  to  Louisville,  where  he  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance.  He  came  directly  to  Indiana  after  the  war,  settling 
■on  a  farm  in  Jennings  county,  and  with  the  exception  of  about  five  years  in 
Illinois,  he  lived  in  Jennings  county  until  his  death. 

Henry  M.  Aultman,  our  subject,  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1895,  to 
Miss  Luella  Gelling,  daughter  of  George  Gelling,  of  Jennings  county.  They 
■were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:.  Ivan  O.,  Leroy  Chester,  Omer 
Franklin,  Edna  May  and  William  Raymond.  Ivan  O.  is  in  the  coast  artillery, 
United  States  army,  at  Fort  Stevens,  Oregon;  Leroy  is  at  home.  Mr.  Ault- 
man's  present  gallery  was  established  in  1903,  on  the  north  side  of  the  square 
at  Greensburg,  where  he  carries  on  aH  branches  of  photography  and  engraving. 


ROBERT  S.  MEEK. 


The  Meek  family  is  not  only  among  the  best  known  families  of  Decatur 
■county,  but  it  is  likewise  one  of  the  most  numerous  in  this  county.  The 
earlier  generations  of  the  family  all  had  large  families  of  children,  and  since 
the  family  was  established  in  this  county  in  pioneer  times,  it  naturally  has 
become  numerous.  Thomas  and  Martha  Meek,  who  came  from  Kentucky 
to  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  had  fifteen  children,  most  all  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity.  Samuel  Meek,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Martha  (Davis)  Meek, 
accompanied  by  two  brothers-in-law,  James  and  William  ]\IcCracken,  was 
the  first  of  the  Meek  family  to  settle  in  Decatur  county.  Samuel  Meek,  and 
the  McCrackens  came  here  in  1821.  Robert  S.  Meek,  the  son  of  John  Meek, 
who  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Meek,  who  in  turn  was  the  son  Thomas  and 
Martha  (Davis)  Meek,,  is  also  a  native  of  Decatur  county,  and  has  spent  all 
his  life  here.  His  wonderful  business  success  in  life  is  not  a  matter  of  acci- 
■dent,  since  it  is  founded  upon  habits  of  industry  and  methodical  ways  of 
■doing  work  formed  early  in  life.   In  fact,  most  successful  careers  are  founded 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  577 

upon  habits  formed  during  youth  and  young  manhood.  Robert  S.  Meek  is 
hale  and  hearty  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  this  is  a  condition  which 
is  due  to  his  open  and  active  life,  and  to  the  painstaking  care  he  has  always 
taken  of  his  health. 

Robert  S.  Meek,  well-known  capitalist  of  Greensburg,  and  one  of  the 
heavy  stockholders  in  ]\Ieek  Ice  Company,  was  born,  March  27,  1840,  on  a 
farm  in  Clinton  township,  in  a  log  cabin  built  by  his  grandfather,  John 
Montgomery,  who,  by  the  way,  was  the  father  of  his  mother,  Mrs.  Jane 
(Montgomery)   Meek. 

Robert  S.  Meek's  father,  John  Meek,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  October, 
1 8 14,  and  passed  his  youth  in  the  wilds  of  Fugit  and  Clinton  townships, 
Decatur  county.  He  married  Jane  Montgomery,  and  after  enjoying  a  suc- 
cessful career  as  a  farmer,  retired  to  Greensburg,  where  he  died  on  April  20, 
1896.  He  and  his  wife,  who,  during  their  lives,  were  devout  members  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  six  daughters, 
four  of  whom,  the  eldest,  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Turgot  Ennis,  Mrs.  Lola 
Smith,  Josiah  and  Etta  are  deceased.  The  last  two  died  early  in  life.  Robert 
S.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  other  children,  in  the  order  of  their 
birth,  are,  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Robinson,  John  T.,  Louisa,  the  wife  of  John  A. 
Meek,  Adam,  Jethro  C,  Mrs.  Mary  Brown,  of  Rushville,  and  Mrs.  Anna 
Pleak,  of  Greensburg. 

It  was  Thomas  Meek,  the  grandfather  of  John,  who  was  the  first  of  the 
Meek  family  to  settle  in  Decatur  county,  as  heretofore  related.  Samuel  was 
one  of  fifteen  children  born  to  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Martha  (Davis) 
Meek.  The  children  were  as  follow:  James,  born  January  8,  1781,  died  in 
Kentucky;  Samuel,  born.  May  15,  1782,  and  died,' August  18,  1837;  Sarey 
was  born,  August  17,  1784:  Priscilla  was  born,  September,  1786;  Adam  R. 
was  born,  December  15,  1789;  Martha  was  born,  April  30,  1792;  David  was 
born  on  January  21,  1794;  Jemima  was  born.  May  9,  1796;  Luziah  was  born, 
April  28,  1797;  Mary  was  born,  June  15,  1800;  Davis  was  born,  September 
18,  1802;  Sophia  was  born,  August  31,  1805,  and  Anna  K.  was  born,  "Janu- 
ary 18,  1808. 

With  little  or  no  opportunity  to  secure  education,  because  pioneer  edu- 
cational advantages  were  extremely  limited,  Robert  S.  Meek  remained  at 
home  until  of  age,  helping  to  clear  the  land  his  father  settled  and  working 
hard  from  early  boyhood,  usually  from  sunrise  until  dark.  His  earliest 
recollections  are  of  driving  cows  and  milking  them  at  the  age  of  six  years. 
He  actuallv  began  when  five  vears  old,  and,  by  the  time  he  was  grown,  had 
(37) 


578  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

built  up  a  strong  and  rugged  constitution.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  he 
was  accustomed  to  do  a  man's  work. 

In  April,  1861,  Robert  S.  Meek  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Seventh  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Captain  Beamenstaffer,  and  served  four  months. 
On  the  second  call,  he  responded  with  an  enlistment  for  thirty  days  to  help 
ward  off  a  guerrilla  attack  at  Henderson,  Kentucky,  in  1861.  He  also 
re-enlisted  to  repel  the  Morgan  invaders. 

After  the  war,  Mr..  Meek  settled  on  a  farm  at  Springhill  in  Fugit  town- 
ship, his  father  having  given  him  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  for 
which  he  paid  one  thousand  dollars,  as  he  earned  it.  Mr.  Meek  was  very 
successful  with  hogs  and  cattle.  For  a  long  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of  a 
Mr.  Allerton,  of  Illinois,  as  a  stock  buyer,  and  bought  thousands  of  cattle 
for  export  purposes  to  Europe.  Investing  his  savings  from  time  to  time, 
he  accumulated  about  nine  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Rush  and  Decatur 
counties,  and  this  land  is  today  well  improved  and  very  valuable.  Mr.  Meek 
has  refused  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  an  acre  for  his  home  farm. 

In  191 1,  Mr.  Meek  became  interested  in  the  Greensburg  Ice  Company, 
or  rather  in  what  came  to  be  called  the  Meek  Ice  Company.  Previously,  he 
was  associated  with  his  son,  Clyde  L.  Meek,  in  the  grain  business.  The 
Meek  Ice  Company  was  organized  by  Robert  S.,  Jethro  C,  his  brother,  and 
the  son  of  R.  L.,  Clyde  L.  Meek,  with  a  capital  of  fifty-five  thousand  dollars. 
The  Meek  Ice  Companj-  does  a  most  substantial  and  profitable  business,  and 
now  includes,  not  only  ice,  but  the  retail  coal  business,  and  furnishes  employ- 
ment to  ten  men.  In  1909,  Mr.  Meek  removed  to  Greensburg,  and  enjoys 
the  occupation  of  a  splendid  brick  residence  on  North  Franklin  street. 

On  January  26,  1861,  Robert  S.  Meek  was  married  to  Espy  Patton,  a 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Patton,  an  early  settler  of  Decatur  county,  and  a  native 
of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Espy  (Patton)  Meek  died  on  February  16,  1879,  after  hav- 
ing had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Of  these  children,  Leda, 
the  eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Mabel  is  the  wife  of  George 
Davis,  of  Greensburg;  Delta  died  in  childhood,  and  Clyde  L.  is  the  manager 
of  the  Meek  Ice  Company.  On  June  18,  1895,  Mr.  Meek  was  married  again 
to  Melissa  Patton,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Her  father,  Nathaniel  Patton, 
was  born  in  1809  and  died  in  1889.  He  married  Elizabeth  M.  Duncan,  of 
Kentucky,  who  was  born  in  181 2  and  died  in  1894.  Nathaniel  was  a  native 
of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  the  son  of  Nathaniel  Patton.  Sr.,  who  moved 
to  Rush  county,  about  1823. 

Although  a  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Meeks  has  never  found  time  for 
any  considerable  political  activity.     The  Meeks  are  stanch  members  of  the 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  579 

United  Presbyterian  church  at  Springhill,  four  Meek  brothers  having  con- 
tributed five  thousand  dollars  for  the  building  of  this  church.  In  fact,  the 
ancestors  of  Robert  S.  Meek  were  some  of  the  founders  of  the  church  at 
Springhill. 

Robert  S.  Meek  has  not  only  lived  a  life  of  usefulness  in  Greensburg 
and  Decatur  county,  but  he  has  set  a  worthy  example  to  young  men  of  the 
present  generation.  Few  men  have  more  effectively  demonstrated  what 
economical  and  frugal  living,  industry  and  good  management  will  accomplish. 
At  the  age  of  seventy-five,  Robert  S.  Meeks,  not  only  is  able  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  his  early  labors,  but,  because  he  has  cared  wisely  for  his  health,  he 
is  enabled  to  enjoy  the  competence  he  has  accumulated  in  the  fullest  measure. 
He  is  a  most  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  city  and  county. 


ALBERT  C.  RUSSELL. 


One  of  the  best-known  and  most  popular  men  in  Decatur  county,  is 
Albert  C.  Russell,  of  Greensburg,  a  retired  merchant  and  farmer  who  was 
born  in  this  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life,  being  known  to  nearly 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  that  part  of  the  county  in  which  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  life  was  spent,  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  in  the  Cliffy 
(or  Milford)  neighborhood  in  Adams  and  Clay  townships,  where  for  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  merchandise  business  and  where  for  years  he  also 
was  equally  well  known  as  a  farmer.  He  and  his  wife,  who  are  among  the 
large  landowners  of  the  county,  are  now  living  a  life  of  quiet  retirement 
in  the  county  seat,  where  they  enjoy  the  esteem  and  regard  of  all  their  large 
circle  of  acquaintances. 

Albert  C.  Russell  was  iiorn  in  Clifty,  this  county,  on  July  2.  1841,  the 
son  of  Robert  C.  and  Sarah  C.  (Craig)  Russell,  natives,  respectively,  of 
Ripley  county,  Indiana,  and  Kentucky.  Robert  C.  Russell  came  to  Decatur 
county  in  1845,  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  wheat  fans  at  Clifty.  He  also  farmed  and  engaged  in  the  merchandise 
business  at  that  place,  moving  from  thence  to  St.  Paul,  this  county,  where 
he  died  in  1901  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  married  Sarah  P.  Craig,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Craig,  an  early  pioneer  of  this  section,  who 
entered  about  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Burney  and  then  went  to 
Shelby  county.  To  this  union  there  were  born  ten  children,  two  sons  and 
eight  daughters,  Alice,  Dorcas,  Henrietta,  Albert  C,  Mary,  Lena,  George  H., 


580  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Adelia,  Ida  and  Ann  K.  Of  these  six  are  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Dorcas  Rid- 
len,  of  Rosedale,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Henrettia  Stevens,  of  Rushville,  Indiana; 
Albert  C,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Lena  lupenlautz,  of 
Oilman,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Adelia  Tomkins,  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  Mrs. 
Ida  Cory,  who  lives  near  Burney,  in  this  county. 

Albert  C.  Russell  was  reared  at  Milford  and  grew  up  to  a  full  acquaint- 
ance with  the  merchandise  business  in  his  father's  store  at  that  place.  After 
his  marriage,  he  became  a  partner  with  his  father  in  the  store  at  St.  Paul, 
this  county,  where  he  remained  four  years,  being  engaged  in  the  buying  of 
grain  in  connection  with  the  general  merchandise  business.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  he  bought  a  small  farm  in  Adams  township,  on  which  he  lived  for 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  the  farm  and  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  at  Turners  cross  roads,  which  he  presently  traded  to 
Edward  Marshall  for  'a  stock  of  goods  and  the  store  building  at  Cliffy, 
taking  in,  at  the  same  time,  a  partner  in  the  person  of  James  D.  Braddn, 
whose  interest  in  the  store  he  later  bought.  He  then  traded  a  half  interest  in 
his  store  for  the  Walter  Braden  farm  and  he  and  Mr.  Braden  bought  the 
adjoining  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  About  two  years  after  buy- 
ing the  Braden  interest,  Mr.  Russell's  store  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  Mr. 
Russell  moved  onto  the  Braden  farm,  where  he  lived  for  twenty  years  and 
where  his  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Walter  Braden,  died.  In  the  old 
brick  house  which  was  known  as  the  Braden  homestead,  Mrs.  Russell  was 
born,  married  and  died  and  there  she  also  spent  the  most  of  her  life. 

Following  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Russell  rented  his  farm  and  for 
about  thirteen  years  boarded  with  his  tenant  farmer,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  married  the  widow  of  James  D.  Braden  and,  in  February,  1906, 
moved  to  the  city  of  Greensburg,  where  he  and  Mrs.  Russell  are  living  in 
pleasant  retirement.  Together  they  own  a  farm  of  five  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  about  two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Cliffy,  in  Clay  township, 
and  are  very  well  circumstanced. 

In  the  year  1860,  Albert  C.  Russell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucinda 
Jane  Braden,  who  was  born  on  March  10,  1843,  ''"^  died  on  September  13, 
1894,  the  daughter  of  Walter  and  Elizabeth  (Mowery)  Braden,  pioneers  of 
the  Cliffy  neighborhood,  to  which  union  there  were  born  four  children, 
namely:  Nina  A.,  on  August  27,  1862,  married  J.  W.  Young  and  lives  on  a 
farm  south  of  Cliffy;  Walter  Braden,  September  3,  1864,  died  on  November 
5,  1891;  Robert  J.,  April  7,  1867,  was  graduated  from  the  Indiana  Dental 
College  at  Indianapolis  in  1894  and  has  practiced  dentistry  in  Greensburg 
for  twenty-one  years;  married  on  March  3,  1902,  Glenn  Montgomery,  daugh- 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  58 1 

ter  of  John  G.  and  Lida  IMontgomery,  of  Greensburg,  and  has  one  child,  a 
son,  Albert  M.,  and  John  N.,  born  on  March  i6,  1869,  died  on  November  30, 
1869.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1894,  as  set  out  above. 

On  March  7,  1906,  Albert  C.  Russell  married,  secondly,  Mrs.  Etta  G. 
(Anderson)  Braden,  widow  of  James  D.  Braden,  who  was  born  on  Nov^hi- 
ber  19,  1851,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  E.  (Stanley)  Anderson, 
natives  of  New  Jersey,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  February  15,  1814, 
died  on  May  26,  1894,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on  January  5,  1825, 
and  died  on  February  11,  1905,  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  John 
F.,  William  B.,  Mrs.  Sallie  R.  Whisman,  Mrs.  Russell,  Hamlin  and  Mollie. 
James  D.  Braden,  who  died  in  1S86,  was  the  son  of  Walter  Braden.  By  his 
marriage  with  Etta  G.  Anderson  he  had  one  son,  Emmet,  who  married  Clara 
Jenkins  and  died,  leaving  one  daughter,  Mary  Louise. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  take  a 
warm  interest  in  the  various  beneficences  of  that  church.  Mr.  Russell  is  a 
Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons.  He  also  is 
a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association  at  Cliffy.  Though 
practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  life,  he  continues  to  take  a  keen 
interest  in  public  and  general  affairs  and  he  and  his  good  wife  are  held  in 
universal  esteem  among  all  who  know  them. 


MRS.  DORCAS  E.   (McLAIN)   HOLMES. 

Among  the  well-known  women  of  Greensburg,  Indiana,  is  Dorcas  E. 
(McLain)  Holmes,  who  was  born  on  October  31,  1842.  in  Butler  county, 
Ohio,  the  daughter  of  David  and  Lucinda  (Brown)  McLain,  natives  of  Ohio, 
who  came  to  Indiana  in  January,  1842,  first  locating  in  Bartholomew  county. 
The  father  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  near  the  Decatur  county  line, 
buying  land  in  Decatur  county  and  becoming  a  very  wealthy  man.  He  and 
his  wife  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  childhood.'  The  three  chil- 
dren who  lived  to  maturity  are  Mrs.  Holmes ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Lafay- 
ette Elliott,  of  Bartholomew  county;  and  Oliver  Perry,  who  died  in  1905. 

Mrs.  Holmes  grew  up  in  Bartholomew  county,  Indiana,  and  lived  at 
home  with  her  parents  until  her  first  marriage  to  John  Kelley,  on  November 
7,  1858.  He  was  the  son  of  Matthew  and  Charity  Kelley.  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  large  landowner  in  Jackson  township,  Decatur  county.  John 
Kelley,  the  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Holmes,  who  was  a  well-known  school 
teacher  and  farmer,  died  in  1864,  leaving  a  son,  James  P.,  who  died  at  the 


582  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

age  of  thirty-three  years  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Holmes  and  her 
first  husband  Hved  in  Decatur  county. 

The  second  husband  of  Mrs.  Dorcas  E.  (McLain)  Hohnes  was  George 
W.  Holmes,  who  was  born  in  1828  and  died  in  1912.  He  was  born  in  Sand 
Creek  township,  Decatur  county,  and  was  the  son  of  Robert  Holmes,  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Decatur  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes 
were  married  on  July  3,  1865.  He  had  been  twice  married  before,  first  to 
Jane  McCannon,  who  bore  him  one  daughter,  Ann  Eliza,  who  is  now  deceased, 
and  second  to  Martha  Stafford,  who  bore  him  one  son,  George,  who  now 
lives  at  Redlands,  California.  Four  children  were  born  to  him  and  Mrs. 
Dorcas  E.  Holmes,  David  T.,  of  Greensburg;  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Anner- 
man,  of  Sardinia,  who  has  six  children,  Frederick,  Magnolia,  Ruth,  Calvin, 
Helen  and  Edna;  Mrs.  Lucinda  Williams,  of  Austin,  Texas,  and  Henry  Clay, 
of  Wyoming,  who  has  two  children,  Mary  and  Ruth. 

David  McLain,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Dorcas  E.  Holmes,  was  a  prominent 
citizen  of  two  counties,  having  served  as  county  commissioner  in  Bartholo- 
mew while  living  there,  and  having  been  elected  to  the  same  office  after  his 
removal  to  Decatur  county.  He  was  a  well-known  leader  in  the  councils 
of  the  Democratic  party.  Although  he  himself  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  he 
was  perfectly  willing  that  others  should  think  and  vote  as  they  pleased.  He 
owned  nearly  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Jackson  township  and,  before 
his  death,  presented  this  land  to  his  children.  The  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  acres  in  Jackson  township,  which  Mrs.  Holmes  now  owns,  she 
received  from  her  father.  Her  only  brother  who  grew  to  maturity,  Oliver 
Perry  McLain,  died  in  1905,  leaving  a  wife  and  three  daughters,  who  now 
live  in  Indianapolis.     The  daughters  are  Clara,  Blanche  and  Edith. 

After  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes  were  married,  they  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Westport,  in  Sand  Creek  township,  Decatur  county,  and  within  one  and 
one-half  years  they  moved  on  Sand  creek,  two  miles  south  of  Westport. 
Two  years  later  they  moved  to  near  Sardinia  in  Jackson  township  and,  in 
October,  1907,  moved  to  Greensburg,  Mr.  Holmes  dying  five  years  later. 

Mrs.  Dorcas  E.  Holmes  is  an  intelligent,  cultured  and  refined  woman  and 
is  highly  respected  by  the  people  of  Greensburg  and  is  well  known,  especially 
in  the  several  communities  in  which  she  has  lived  in  Bartholomew  and 
Decatur  counties.  She  has  experienced,  no  doubt,  her  share  of  both  joys  and 
sorrows,  but  she  has  borne  the  one  without  great  exultation  and  the  other  with- 
out complaint.  In  her  declining  years  she  is  able  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of 
life  and  to  live  in  ease.  These  are  her  compensations  for  the  toil  and  worry 
of  latter  days. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  583 

CHARLES  ZOLLER. 

Carles  Zoller  is  one  of  tlie  best-known  business  men  in  the  city  of  Greens- 
burg  and  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  a  man  who  for  sixteen  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in  this  city,  and  who  during  this  period 
has  built  up  a  large  clientele  and  patronage.  Aside  from  his  insurance  busi- 
ness, which  he  personally  conducts,  he  is  also  heavily  interested  in  two  of 
Greensburg's  most  flourishing  enterprises,  the  Greensburg  Building  and  Loan 
Association  and  the  Greensburg  Natural  Gas,  Oil  and  Water  Company,  to  the 
latter  of  which  he  is  secretary-treasurer  and  general  manager. 

.  During  Mr.  Zoller's  sixteen  years  in  the  insurance  business  at  Greens- 
burg, Indiana,  he  has  represented  most  of  the  time  fourteen  of  the  largest 
and  best  companies  of  this  country,  among  which  are  the  Aetna,  the  Hart- 
ford, Springfield,  Queen,  National,  Fire  Association,  New  York  Under- 
writers, Niagara,  Fireman's  Fund  and  the  Sterling.  He  also  is  the  Decatur 
county  representative  of  the  Fidelity  and  Casualty  Company,  the  Southern 
Surety  Company  and  the  Travelers  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford.  These 
companies  comprise  not  only  the  largest  and  the  best  in  the  insurance  field, 
but  the  ones  which  are  the  surest  and  safest  guarantee  of  the  promises  and 
pledges  contained  in  their  policies.  Mr.  Zoller  now  has,  as  a  result  of  his 
sixteen  years  continuous  business,  an  extensive  renewal  department,  which 
has  become  verj^  profitable. 

In  the  Greensburg  Building  and  Loan  Association,  a  corporation  estab- 
lished in  i8'96,  and  capitalized  at  a  half  million  dollars,  Mr.  Zoller  is  associ- 
ated with  some  of  the  best-known  business  men  of  Decatur  county.  The 
original  capital  of  this  company  was  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but  from 
year  to  year  it  has  grown  to  its  present  large  proportions.  The  president  of 
the  company  is  W.  C.  Woodfill ;  the  secretary,  Mr.  Zoller,  and  the  treasurer, 
Walter  W.  Bonner.  The  directors  include,  besides  the  officers,  Robert 
Nagle,  George  P.  Shoemaker,  P.  T.  Lambert  and  Louis  Zoller.  No  institu- 
tion in  Decatur  county  has  had  more  to  do  with  the  construction  of  new 
homes  and  the  repair  of  old  homes  than  the  Greensburg  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  since  it  has  furnished  to  home  owners  an  easy  means  by  which 
their  property  might  be  improved. 

Another  flourishing  enterprise,  of  which  Mr.  Zoller  is  an  important 
factor,  is  the  Greensburg  Natural  Gas,  Oil  and  Water  Company,  an  incor- 
porated concern  which  was  established  on  July  17,  1886,  and  of  which  he 
is  now  secretary-treasurer  and  general  manager.  Capitalized  at  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars,  it  supplies  natural  gas   for  domestic -purposes.     Its  presi- 


584  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

dent  is  W.  B.  Ansted  and  its  directors,  besides  the  officers,  are  Margaret 
Porter,  Mary  Lewis  and  Lotiise  German. 

Two  other  enterprises,  with  which  Charles  Zoller  is  connected,  are  the 
Decatur  County  Independent  Telephone  Company,  and  the  Third  National 
Bank.  He  is  secretary  of  the  telephone  company  and  a  director  in  the  Third 
National  Bank. 

Mr.  Zoller's  important  connections  with  leading  business  enterprises  in 
Decatur  county  is,  therefore,  apparent.  He  is  a  widely  known  citizen  and 
popular,  not  only  in  commercial  and  industrial  circles,  but  in  the  larger  life 
of  the  community.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views,  interested  keenly 
in  all  worthy  public  enterprises  and  a  man  who  in  support  of  their  behalf 
can  always  be  depended  upon. 


ARTHUR  J.  LOWE. 


A  resident  of  Decatur,  county,  Arthur  J.  Lowe,  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Greensburg  National  Bank,  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  been  the  youngest 
grand  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  ever  elected  in  this  state.  He 
had  filled  all  of  the  chairs  in  the  grand  lodge  and  had  attained  the  rank  of 
grand  chancellor  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-one.  He  is  now  one  of  the  five 
supreme  representatives  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  one  of  the  most  numerous 
of  the  fraternal  organizations  in  this  country.  The  Supreme  Lodge  of 
Knights  of  Pythias  hold  their  convention  every  two  years,  the  last  conven- 
tion having  been  held  at  Winnipeg,  Canada,  and  the  one  previously  at  Denver, 
Colorado.  Arthur  J.  Lowe  was  a  representative  to  both  conventions.  Aside 
from  the  distinction  which  he  enjoys  as  a  prominent  member  of  this  great 
fraternal  society,  he  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  favorably  known 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Decatur  county. 

Born  in  Greensburg,  Indiana,  on  February  8,  1877,  Arthur  J.  Lowe  is 
the  son  of  Alfred  and  Isabelle  (Ouigley)  Lowe,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  on  May  7,  1826,  and  who  died,  September  5,  1887,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  on  May  9,  1835,  and  who  died,  December  22,  1910.  Mrs. 
Isabelle  (Quigley)  Lowe  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  Ouigley. 
Alfred  Lowe  was  the  son  of  Seth  and  Rebecca  Lowe,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Glenwood,  Wilkes  county,  North  Carolina,  on  December  22, 
1787,  and  who  died  in  Mills  county,  Iowa,  in  May,  1871,  in  his  eighty-fourth 
year.     In   1795  he  had  moved  with  his   father's   family  to  Fayette  county. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  585 

Kentucky,  not  far  from  Lexington,  and  after  living  there  for  some  years  had 
moved  to  jNIontgomery  county,  where,  in  1810,  he  had  married  Rebecca 
Ryan,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  on  October  22,  1790,  and  who  died  on  Febru- 
ary 5,  1865,  in  her  seventy-fifth  year.  They  had  seven  children,  namely: 
Polly,  :\Iatilda,  Jackson,  George,  Eliza,  Franklin  and  Alfred.  Eliza,  born 
in  1819,  died  in  her  second  year. 

Seth  and  Rebecca  Lowe,  having  come  to  Lidiana,  settled  in  Dearborn 
county  in  1819,  and  two  years  later  moved  to  Kingston,  Decatur  county,  and 
there  entered  land.  On  his  trip  to  Decatur  county,  Seth  Lowe  was  accom- 
panied by  two  of  his  children,  who.  after  he  had  done  some  "deadening," 
went  to  Dearborn  county  for  the  remainder  of  the  family,  leaving  the  chil- 
dren in  the  care  of  two  men  who  were  assisting  him  in  the  work. 

About  the  time  that  Seth  and  Rebecca  Lowe  came  to  Decatur  county, 
there  came  also  James  and  Cyrus  Hamilton,  the  Donnells,  the  McCoys  and 
Hopkinses  a  year  or  two  later.  William  Custer,  who  lived  about  a  mile  south 
of  the  old  Lowe  homestead  at  Kingston,  is  supposed  to  have  preceded  Seth 
and  Rebecca  Lowe,  the  founders  of  the  Lowe  family  in  Decatur  county,  and 
from  whom  is  sprung  Arthur  J.  Lowe,  a  prominent  banker  of  Greensburg, 
Indiana. 

Among  the  first  pioneers  in  Decatur  county  to  plant  an  orchard  was 
Seth  Lowe,  and  people  came  great  distances  to  get  apples  from  his  orchard. 
He  was  truly  a  temperance  man  and  never  used  tobacco  or  intoxicating 
beverages  and  never  used  profane  language.  A  public-spirited  citizen,  he 
was  ardently  favorable  to  public  improvements,  such  as  pikes  and  railroads, 
and  gave  land  upon  which  to  build  churches  and  schools.  He  was  among 
the  first  citizens  of  the  county  to  introduce  improved  breeds  of  stock, 
importing  choice  animals  from  other  states,  and  from  foreign  countries.  His 
worthy  wife  was  remembered  long  after  her  death.  The  Lowe  house  became 
known  far  and  near  for  the  generous  hospitality  accorded  strangers,  and 
men,  weary  after  a  long  day's  ride  in  a  wagon  or  on  horseback,  found  shelter 
from  storm  and  darkness  in  the  Lowe  home.  Although  they  were  not  mem- 
bers of  any  church,  they  believed  in  the  kind  of  Christianity  set  forth  and 
practiced  by  the  lowly  Nazarene.  and  the  Reverend  Mr.  Stegdel  is  said  to 
have  preached  in  the  Lowe  home. 

In  an  unbroken  forest,  was  performed  the  arduous  toil  upon  which 
the  family  fortune  was  builded.  Alfred  Lowe  was  a  farmer  upon  the  old 
homestead  until  his  father's  death.  He  was  crippled  when  twenty-eight 
years  old  while  assisting  in  the  construction  of  the  Kingston  church,  having 
fallen  and  broken  a  leg.     Later  he  spent  one  year  in  the  West,  after  the 


586  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

homestead  was  sold,  accompanying  Seth  and  Jackson,  who  were  pioneers  in 
the  state  of  Iowa.  He,  however,  went  to  Kansas  and,  after  a  time,  returned 
to  Indiana  and  Hved  in  the  village  of  Kingston  until  his  death.  Alfred  and 
Isabelle  (Ouigley)  Lowe  had  eight  children,  as  follow:  Terressa  Jane 
Ardery,  wife  of  David  Ardery,  of  Washington  township;  Seth  Samuel,  of 
Greensburg;  Charles,  of  Kansas;  William  Walter,  deceased;  Edward  C,  a 
manufacturer  of  Greensburg;  Catherine  Ella,  the  wife  of  Thomas  M.  Hamil- 
ton, of  Kingston;  Marsh,  of  Greensburg,  and  Arthur  J.,  the  youngest  member 
of  the  family,  the  assistant  cashier  of  the  Greensburg  National  Bank,  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Reared  on  the  old  Lowe  homestead  in  Fugit  township,  Arthur  J.  Lowe 
grew  up  on  the  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town- 
ship. After  a  time  he  attended  the  high  school  and  Greensburg  Normal 
School,  when  he  began  teaching.  Eor  four  years  he  was  engaged  in  follow- 
ing this  profession,  and  then  attended  Heeb's  Business  College  at  Indian- 
apolis. Returning  to  Greensburg  from  Indiana  in  the  fall  of  1899,  he 
engaged  in  banking.  On  August  i,  1899,  h^  became  associated  with  the 
Citizens  National  Bank,  where  he  remained  until  April  15,  1905,  'when  he 
was  elected  assistant  cashier  of  the  Greensburg  National  Bank.  Here  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  banking  business  ever  since.  His  own  personal 
integrity  and  capable  business  ability  have  been  no  small  factors  in  the  progress 
and  growth  of  this  bank. 

In  1905  Mr.  Lowe  was  married  to  Eleanor  Eich,  the  daughter  of  Hubert 
Eich,  who  married  Catherine  Brinkmeyer.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Bonn, 
Germany,  who  came  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old. 
There  he  engaged  in  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a  locksmith,  and  after 
several  years  came  to  Decatur  county  and  settled  in  Greensburg.  Here  he 
followed  his  trade  for  many  years  and  was  very  successful.  He  was  one  of 
the  solid  and  substantial  citizens  of  Decatur  county,  and  at  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  April  7,  19 15,  he  left  a  large  estate,  which  was  divided  among 
his  children.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Decatur  county,  her  parents'  ancestry 
having  been  of  German  extraction.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowe  have  one  daughter, 
Margaret  Alice,  who  was  born  on  May  20.  1909. 

The  Lowes  have  a  beautiful  home  in  Greensburg  where  they  live  in  com- 
fort and  happiness.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowe  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Lowe  is  a  memjjer  of  the  Elks  lodge,  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  as  heretofore  mentioned.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he 
IS  ardent  in  his  political  beliefs  and  can  always  be  found  on  the  firing  line 
Tvhen  campaigns  come  around.     Arthur  J.  Lowe  is  a  worthy  representative 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  587 

of  the  family  in  whose  veins  flow  the  blood  of  Seth  and  Rebecca  Lowe.  He 
is  a  representative  citizen  not  only  of  Decatur  county,  but  he  is  representative 
of  her  larger  interests  and  her  larger  connections. 


RICHARD  J.  BRADEN. 

Richard  J.  Braden,  a  retired  farmer  of  Decatur  county,  who  owns  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  two  miles  northeast  of  Burney  in  Clay  town- 
ship and  who  is  now  li\-ing  retired  in  Greensburg,  is  one  of  the  well-known 
and  interesting  citizens  of  this  county. 

Born  in  Clay  township  in  1S40,  he  has  lived  here  practically  all  of  his 
life  and,  until  quite  recently,  in  Clay  township.  He  is  the  son  of  Walter  and* 
Elizabeth  (Mowry)  Braden,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
who  came  to  Decatur  county  during  the  early  period  of  its  settlement,  and 
entered  land  here.  The  Mowrys  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  an  old  and 
prominent  family  in  that  state.  \\'alter  Braden  was  identified  with  the 
Whig  party  until  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  became 
an  ardent  supporter  of  the  party  of  Lincoln  and  remained  throughout  his 
life.     He  had  nine  children,  of  whom  Richard  was  the  fourth. 

Richard  J.  Braden  was  twenty-one  years  old  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out.  He  responded  to  the  first  call  for  volunteers  and  enlisted  in  the  Seventh 
Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  for  three  years.  He  partici- 
pated in  some  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the  war  and,  at  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  was  wounded.  Later,  at  Fort  Republic,  he  was  captured  by  the 
Confederates  and  held  a  prisoner  for  three  months  in  Libby  prison.  There 
he  suffered  the  most  indescribable  horrors  of  prison  life.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  service  as  a  corporal  of  Company  D,  Seventh  Regiment,  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry.  Colonel  \Velsh  was  in  command  of  the  regiment. 
After  the  war  Mr.  Braden  came  home  and  resumed  farming,  in  which  he 
proved  to  be  very  successful. 

In  1865  Mr.  Braden  was  married  to  Ermina  Dickinson,  the  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Indiana  (Palmerton)  Dickinson,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  who  came  to  Dearborn  county  in  pioneer  times  and  eventually  settled 
in  Decatur  county.  Mrs.  Braden  was  born  shortly  after  the  arrival  of  her 
parents  in  this  state  in  1844.  The  Dickinsons  became  very  prosperous  in 
this  section  of  the  state,  where  they  were  people  of  power  and  influence 
in  agricultural  circles. 


588  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braden  have  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
Charles  A.,  born  on  August  2,  1866,  who  is  now  farming  in  Clay  township; 
Mrs.  Anna  Butler,  May  19,  1870,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ozro  Butler,  of  Clay 
township,  and  Harry,  September  3,  1880,  of  Greensburg,  who  married  Carrie 
Erhart. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  J.  Braden  are  a  happy  couple  and  are  spending 
their  declining  years  in  peace  and  plenty  at  their  comfortable  home  in  Greens- 
burg, to  which  they  moved  in  1910.  He  has  always  been  an  enthusiastic  and 
loyal  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Braden  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Braden  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Milford.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Greensburg.  Since  the  war, 
his  health  has  not  been  good  and  he  has  had  more  or  less  sickness  as  a  conse- 
quence of  the  wound  he  received  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Neverthe- 
less, he  is  a  man  of  happy  and  philosophical  temperament  and  gladly  says 
that  if  he  could  live  to  be  one  hundred  years  old,  he  would  make  the  best 
of  life  and  would  expect  to  enjoy  the  very  last  minute.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braden. 
are  charming  citizens  of  this  city  and  are  highly  respected  here. 


ELMER  E.  WOODEN. 


Since  the  very  beginning  of  a  social  order  of  things  in  Decatur  county, 
the  Woodens  have  been  prominent  factors  in  the  development  of  this  com- 
munity and  no  volume  purporting  to  carry  to  posterity  the  invaluable  mes- 
sage of  the  past,  as  related  to  this  region,  would  be  complete  without  special 
reference  to  the  lives  and  the  achievements  of  those  of  the  family  who,  for 
several  generations,  have  performed  well  their  parts  in  the  upbuilding  of 
this  favored  region.  In  1821,  five  years  after  Indiana  had  been  admitted  to 
statehood,  Levi  Wooden  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  this  county,  settling 
two  miles  west  of  the  struggling  village  of  Greensburg.  His  son.  Dr.  John 
L.  Wooden,  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  successful  practicing  physicians 
in  this  county,  a  surgeon-major  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
one  of  the  best-loved  men  that  ever  lived  in  this  county,  was  the  father  of 
Elmer  E.  Wooden,  whose  name  stands  as  a  caption  for  this  biographical 
sketch,  a  retired  merchant  of  the  city  of  Greensburg,  who,  following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  honored   father  and  grandfather,  performed  well  his  part 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  589 

during  the  days  of  his  larger  activity  in  the  commercial  walks  of  his  home 
town. 

Elmer  E.  Wooden  was  born  in  the  city  of  jMilford,  Decatur  county, 
Indiana,  December  28,  i860,  the  son  of  Dr.  John  L.  and  Sarah  (Guest) 
Wooden,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  on 
May  17,  1826,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Greensburg,  this  county,  November 
28,  1886,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  on  August  24, 
1835,  and  is  still  living  at  her  home  in  Greensburg. 

Dr.  John  L.  Wooden,  a  native  of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  was  the 
son  of  Levi  and  Frances  (Wyman)  Wooden,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  that  county,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  at  Bingen-on-the- 
Rhine,  Germany.  Levi  \\'ooden's  parents  were  among  the  early  settlers  in 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  The  ^Vymans  emigrated  to  America  from  Ger- 
many in  the  year  1818,  at  a  time  the  daughter,  Frances,  was  fifteen  years 
of  age,  locating  first  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  later  emigrating  to  Shelby 
county,  Kentucky,  where  Levi  Wooden  and  Frances  Wyman  were  married. 
In  182 1  Levi  Wooden  came  to  Indiana,  entering  land  in  Decatur  county,  in 
Clark  county  and  in  Floyd  county,  making  his  home  in  this  county,  on  the 
homestead  four  miles  west  of  Greensburg,  in  Clay  township.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  extensive  landowners  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  was  a 
man  of  large  influence  in  the  formative  period  of  the  now  well-established 
farming  region.  He  died  in  1840,  leaving  a  large  estate  and  his  wife,  being 
a  resourceful  and  energetic  woman,  carried  on  the  large  farming  operations 
with  much  success.  To  Levi  and  Frances  (Wyman)  Wooden  were  born 
four  children,  John  L.,  father  of  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Mary  Barger,  who  died  in  Iowa,  and  ]\Iartha,  who  died  in  Illinois,  and 
W^illiam,  who  died  in  Kansas,  was  a  farmer. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  John  L.  Wooden  entered  a  dry  goods 
store  at  Milford  and  for  two  years  followed  commercial  pursuits,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  determined  to  devote  his  Hfe  to  the  practice  of  medicine. 
He  studied  in  the  office  of  Dr.  L.  McAllister,  at  Milford,  and  in  ^Nlay,  1853, 
began  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at  Andersonville,  in  Franklin 
county,  this  state.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio,  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  on  March  i, 
i860,  thereafter  entering  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Milford,  this  county. 
In  the  fall  of  1861,  Doctor  Wooden  volunteered  his  ser\ices  as  an  assistant 
field  surgeon  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  \\^ar.  He  was 
.attached  to  the  Seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Field 
.Surgeon  Dr.  J.  Y.  Hitt,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  later  being  promoted  to 


590  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  position  of  field  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  major,  being  attached  to  the 
Sixty-eighth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  on  August  i8,  1862.  On 
September  17,  1862,  at  Munfordsville,  Kentucky,  Doctor  Wooden  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Confederate  forces,  ])ut  was  exchanged  in  the  November  fol- 
lowing when  he  rejoined  his  regiment.  At  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  on 
September  20,  1863,  he  again  was  captured  by  the  Confederates  and  this 
time  was  sent  to  Libby  prison,  at  which  time  he  weighed  one  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds ;  when  exchanged  he  weighed  but  about  ninety  pounds.  After 
an  incarceration  of  three  months  in  that  historic  prison,  he  again  was 
exchanged,  when  he  again  rejoined  his  regiment,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  becoming  brigade  surgeon  on  the  staff  of  General  Willich.  At 
the  close  of  the  war,  Doctor  Wooden  located  in  Greensburg,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  becoming  a  very  successful  practitioner  and  was 
loved  throughout  the  entire  county,  where  he  was  devoted  to  his  profession 
and  his  practice  to  him  ever  was  a  labor  of  love,  his  devotion  to  humanity 
being  paramount  to  any  cjuestion  of  fees  for  his  services;  much  of  his  practice 
being  conducted  without  regard  to  money  consideration.  He  was  president 
of  the  Decatur  County  Medical  Society  and  for  many  years  served  as  examin- 
ing surgeon  for  the  United  States  pension  board  in  this  district. 

In  1847,  Dr.  John  L.  Wooden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jane  Braden, 
who  died  in  1850.  On  October  13,  1853,  Doctor  Wooden  married,  secondly, 
Sarah  Guest,  of  Milford,  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Branson)  Guest,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  located  in  Hamilton,  Ohio, 
later  coming  to  this  county,  becoming  prominent  residents  of  the  Milford 
neighborhood.  Elizabeth  Branson  was  a  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah 
(Antrim)  Branson,  pioneers  of  this  county.  Elsewhere  in  this  volume  the 
reader  will  find  set  out  a  genealogy  of  the  Antrim  family. 

To  Dr.  John  L.  and  Sarah  (Guest)  Wooden  were  born  four  children, 
namely:  Ida  May,  who  married  T.  Edgar  Hamilton,  a  well-known  resident 
of  this  county;  Dr.  William  H.,  who  died  in  1900,  was  graduated  from  the 
Ohio  Medical  College  and  for  many  years  practiced  his  profession  in  Greens- 
burg; Elmer  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  of  the  firm  of  Bird,  Deem  & 
Wooden,  hardware  merchants,  now  retired,  and  Fannie  E.,  who  married 
J.  S.  Moss,  a  well-known  druggist  of  Greensburg. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  Wooden  were  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist 
church,  in  the  faith  of  which  they  reared  their  children.  Doctor  Wooden 
was  a  member  and  first  commander  of  Pap  Thomas  Post  No.  5,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  had  served  as  commander  of  that  post  and  also  had  served 
as  senior  vice-commander  of  the  Department  of  Indiana,  Grand  Army  of 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  59P 

the  Republic,  being  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  comrades  in  all  parts 
of  the  state.  He  was  a  Mason,  and  for  years  had  served  as  master  uf  Con- 
cordia lodge  of  that  order  at  Greensburg.  He  was  a  Republican  and  ever 
took  a  good  citizen's  part  in  local  politics,  his  views  on  political  questions 
having  much  weight  with  the  party  managers  of  this  county.  Doctor 
Wooden's  widow  is  still  living  and  continues  to  take  a  warm  interest  in  social 
and  church  affairs  in  Greensburg.  She  was  reared  a  Quakeress,  being  a 
birthright  member  of  that  church,  but  for  many  years  has  been  devoted  to 
the  work  of  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  she  is  an  active  meml^er.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Department  Club  at  Greensburg  and  retains  a  hearty 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  useful  organization.  She  has  hosts  of  admir- 
ing friends  and  no  woman  in  the  county  is  held  in  higher  respect  than  she. 

Elmer  E.  Wooden  was  educated  in  the  Greensburg  schools  and  at 
eighteen  years  of  age  left  the  high  school  and  graduated  to  take  a  place 
as  a  clerk  in  the  hardware  store  of  O.  P.  Shriver  &  Company,  at  Greens- 
burg, continuing  in  that  position  for  se\en  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
Mr.  Schriver  moved  to  Cincinnati  to  engage  in  the  same  form  of  business 
and  Mr.  Wooden  accompanied  him,  remaining  in  Cincinnati  for  seven  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Greensburg  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  with 
O.  P.  Schrixer.  under  the  firm  name  of  O.  P.  Schriver  &  Company,  which 
firm  was  maintained  for  four  years,  at  the  end  nf  which  time  Air.  Schriver 
withdrew,  and  the  firm  was  continued  under  the  name  of  Bird,  Deem  & 
Wooden,  this  arrangement  continuing  from  1894  to  1900.  In  the  latter 
year  the  firm  became  Bird,  i\Ieek  &  Wooden.  In  1901  Mr.  Bird  withdrew 
from  the  firm,  which  was  continued  under  the  name  (if  Meek  &  Wooden 
imtil  July  9,  191 3,  at  which  time  the  company  was  dissolved,  Air.  Wooden 
retiring  from  actix-e  business. 

On  Alay  7.  1905,  Elmer  E.  \A"ooden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Delia 
Mount,  of  Shelby  county,  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  Mount,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Shelby  county,  a  general  history  of  which  family 
is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  the  biographical  sketch  relating  to 
H.  H.  Mount.  T(j  Air.  and  Airs.  Wooden  have  been  born,  Herschel,  on 
December  31,  1907;  Alary  Elizal^eth,  October  to,  1909,  and  James  Edgar, 
December  24,  19 10. 

Mrs.  Wooden  owns  a  fine  arm  west  of  Alilford,  the  old  Butler  place, 
and  Mr.  Wooden  gives  much  of  his  time  to  the  active  supervision  of  this  farm. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wooden  are  acti\-e  members  of  the  Eirst  Alethodist  church 
of  Greensburg,  and  their  children  are  being  reared  in  that  faith.  Air. 
Wooden  is  a  Repul)lican  and  is  a  member  of  Greensljurg  Lodge   No.   36,. 


592  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Lodge  No.  346,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Deca- 
tur Lodge  No.  103,  Lidependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  many  years' 
connection  with  the  commercial  interests  of  Greensburg  gives  to  his  opinions 
regarding  the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  the  city  and  county  much 
value  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  citizens  in  that 
city.  Mrs.  Wooden  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  social  affairs  of  the  city 
and  is  a  valued  member  of  the  well-known  Department  Club  of  Greensburg, 
being  a  leader  in  the  musical  section  of  that  important  organization.  She 
and  her  husband  are  ver}-  popular  with  their .  friends  and  are  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  all. 


SUTHERLAND  McCOY. 

As  stated  in  many  other  places  in  this  volume,  the  McCoy  family  was 
among  the  first  to  settle  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  Andra  McCoy,  who 
lived  first  in  Virginia  and  then  in  Kentucky,  having  come  to  Decatur  county 
in  1823.  As  one  of  the  pioneers  in  Decatur  county,  he  attained  considerable 
prominence  in  the  political  and  civic  life  of  this  county,  having  served  a 
period  of  several  years  before  the  Civil  War  as  county  commissioner,  and  his 
name  is  to  be  found  today  on  the  west  front  of  the  Decatur  county  court 
house.  Sutherland  McCoy,  one  of  the  second  generation  of  McCoys  in 
Decatur  county,  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  later  filled  the  same  office, 
and  the  latter  having  in  the  decade  before  the  Civil  War  served  as  an  Indiana 
fighter  in  the  West,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  enlisted  as  a  soldier* 
and  made  for  himself  a  brilliant  record  as  a  private  soldier. 

The  late  Sutherland  McCoy,  public-spirited  citizen  and  farmer,  who 
owned  at  the  time  of  his  death  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  in  Decatur  county,  was  born,  November  8,  1829,  on  the  farm 
where  the  McCoy  children  are  now  living,  and  died,  April  5,  1906.  He  was 
the  son  of  Andra,  who,  the  son  of  Daniel,  the  son  of  William,  was  born, 
December  20,  1789,  at  Wheeling  Creek,  Virginia,  and  who  moved  to  Nicholas 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1791,  and  to  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  in  1823.  A 
splendid  farmer  and  a  good  mechanic,  as  well  as  a  pioneer  horse  breeder, 
he  settled  on  the  farm  where  his  grandson  and  granddaughter  now  live.  On 
January  15,  181 8,  Andra  McCoy  was  married  in  Kentuck}^  to  Margaret  Hop- 
kins, who  was  born,  September  29,  1793,  and  who  died,  August  27,  185 1. 
Andra,  himself,  died,  July  14,  1871.  His  wife  taught  the  first  Sabbath 
.school  in  Fugit  township  at  Mt.  Carmel.     This  school  probably  was  the  first 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  593 

ever  conducted  in  Decatur  county.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
Cohimbus,  George  W.,  John  H.,  Kate,  Parthena  E.,  the  wife  of  David  L. 
Miller,  Sutherland,  Benjamin  M.,  Amanda  and  Justus  Barton. 

The  present  residence  of  the  McCoys  on  the  old  McCoy  homestead, 
which  is  a  substantial  and  attractive  dwelling,  was  built  by  Sutherland 
McCoy,  Andra  having  built  and  lived  in  a  log  house.  The  latter,  who  was 
a  strong  man,  an  industrious  worker  and  an  enterprising  citizen,  was  emin- 
ently respected  during  his  day  and  generation  by  the  people  of  Decatur  county, 
and  being  elected  as  a  county  commissioner  of  this  county  in  1853,  served 
thereafter  a  term  of  six  years. 

The  late  Sutherland  McCoy,  who  was  the  seventh  child  born  to  his 
parents,  Andra  and  Margaret  (Hopkins)  McCoy,  pioneers  of  this  county, 
crossed  the  plains  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1852,  shortly  after  reaching  his 
majority,  proceeding  with  a  company  of  sixty-three  men  from  Shasta  Valley, 
to  which  place  they  had  gone  to  drive  back  the  Indians.  After  being  actively 
engaged  for  a  period  of  thirty-three  days,  during  which  the  party  participated 
in  many  thrilling  exploits,  they  returned  with  only  twenty-seven  of  the 
original  party  of  sixty-three  men,  thirty-six  having  been  killed  and  wounded. 
Sutherland  McCoy  himself  was  wounded  in  the  neck  by  an  Indian  arrow. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Sutherland  McCoy  responded  to  one 
of  the  early  calls  for  volunteers  and  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Seventh  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry.  During  the  war  he  was  engaged  in  many  severe  battles, 
afnong  which  were  those  of  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 
Rappahannock,  Gettysburg,  Thorough  Gay,  Mine  Run,  etc. 

Returning  from  the  war,  Sutherland  McCoy  settled  down  to  the  peace- 
ful pursuit  of  agriculture,  and  about  ten  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War  was  married.  May  25,  1875,  to  Priscilla  Kincaid,  who  was  born,  Octo- 
ber I,  1847,  ii^  Decatur  county,  Indiana.  Four  children  were  born  to  bless 
this  marriage,  one  of  whom,  the  third  child,  Mary  J.,  who  was  born,  June  5, 
1883,  died,  September  5,  1899.  Of  the  three  living  children,  Ella  was  bom. 
May  5,  1877.  Amanda,  who  was  born,  January  2-j,  i88'o,  was  married, 
March  13,  1901,  to  Clyde  William  Kitchin,  who  was  born  in  January,  1879, 
in  Decatur  county,  Indiana.  They  now  reside  on  a  farm  in  Rush  county, 
Indiana,  and  have  five  children,  May  Florence,  born  December  10,  1901 ; 
Martha  Amanda,  born  November  5,  1903 ;  Ruth  and  Ruby,  twins,  born  June 
4.  1907,  and  Clara  Margaret,  November  4,  1913.  John  Andra,  the  youngest 
child  of  Sutherland  and  Priscilla  McCoy,  was  born,  April  14,  1887,  and  after 
graduating  from  the  Clarksburg  high  school,  April  13,  1904,  took  up  farming 
(38) 


594  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

on  the  old  homestead,  and  so  far  as  a  son  is  able  to  follow  in  the  footsteps 
of  a  worthy  father,  John  Andra  is  doing  this. 

For  almost  a  half  century  the  late  Sutherland  McCoy  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  of  Decatur  county.  His  judgment  as  an 
organization  man  was  admitted  to  be  of  a  superior  order,  and,  possessed  as 
he  was  of  a  genial  and  cordial  manner,  he  was  able  to  rely  for  his  strength 
upon  his  own  personality.  Between  1882  and  1886  he  served  as  county  com- 
missioner of  Decatur  county,  filling  the  same  office  his  father  had  so  well 
filled  before  him.  Religiously,  the  McCoys  are  devout  members  of  the 
Springhill  Presbyterian  church.  The  late  Sutherland  McCoy,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Clarksburg  Masonic  lodge,  took  a  great  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  this  order. 


CHARLES  WILLIAM  WOODWARD. 

The  Citizen's  National  Bank,  of  Greensburg,  Indiana,  which  was  organ- 
ized as  a  private  bank  in  1866,  is  the  oldest  financial  institution  in  the  city  of 
Greensburg.  The  bank  having  been  organized  by  David  Lovett,  Levi  P. 
Lathrop  and  Samuel  Christy,  on  October  9,  1871,  it  was  created  a  national 
bank  with  David  Lovett  as  its  first  president,  and  Samuel  Christy  as  its  first 
cashier.  These  positions  were  later  held  by  the  Hon.  Will  Cumback  and 
Louis  E.  Lathrop,  now  of  Indianapolis,  who  filled  all  the  offices  in  the  insti- 
tution, which  at  present  are  filled  by  James  B.  Lathrop,  as  president;  S.  P. 
Minear,  of  the  Minear  Dry  Goods  Company,  vice-president,  and  Charles 
W.  Woodward  as  cashier.  The  directors  include  Messrs.  James  B.  Lathrop, 
S.  P.  Minear,  John  W.  Lovett,  Louis  E.  Lathrop,  John  H.  Christian,  C.  W. 
Woodward  and  F.  D.  Bird. 

Charles  W.  Woodward,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  Citizens 
National  Bank  since  1879,  a  period  of  thirty-six  years,  was  appointed  assist- 
ant cashier  on  January  14,  1890,  and  cashier  on  January  8,  1901,  and  since 
then  the  career  of  Mr.  Woodward  has  been  identified  with  this  bank,  a  period 
including  practically  his  entire  active  Hfe.  This  bank  has  a  capital  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  average  deposits  of  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars and  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Wood- 
ward not  only  has  been  connected  with  the  Citizens  National  Bank  for 
thirty-six  years,  but  he  has  lived  in  Greensburg  all  his  life,  with  the  exception 
of  his  youth,  which  was  spent  at  Adams,  Decatur  county,  Indiana. 

Charles  W.  Woodward  was  born   on  July   18,    1854,   at  Greensburg,, 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  595 

Indiana,  the  son  of  Isaac  L.  and  Christe  Ann  (Jackson)  Woodward,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  on  June  3,  1830,  and  who  died  on 
November  i,  1914,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
the  daughter  of  WiUiam  Jackson,  a  pioneer  citizen  of  Decatur  county,  and 
a  native  of  Virginia.  Isaac  L.  was  a  son  of  Charles  Woodward,  who  settled 
on  a  farm  west  of  Greensburg  in  1832,  eventually  became  a  druggist  and 
merchant  at  Adams,  in  this  county,  afterwards  becoming  a  gardener  before 
he  retired  from  active  life,  when  he  removed  to  Greensburg,  Indiana.  He 
was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  having  served  in  Company  G,  Seventy-sixth 
Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  thirty  days.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  was  identified  with  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife,  who 
is  now  deceased,  was  a  daughter  of  a  pioneer  farmer,  who  came  from  his 
native  state  of  Virginia  to  Cincinnati  in  an  early  day,  later  coming  to  Deca- 
tur county,  where  he  was  a  farmer  in  the  pioneer  days.  He  died  in  Greens- 
burg after  a  long  and  useful  life. 

Charles  William  Woodward  was  reared  at  Adams,  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  ten  children,  three  who  died  in  infancy,  the  others,  who  live  at  Greensburg, 
Indiana,  being  Frank,  a  drayman;  Mrs.  George  W.  Magee,  the  wife  of  a 
dry  goods  merchant;  Mrs.  F.  R.  Christman,  whose  husband  is  a  merchant; 
Ion  L.,  a  merchant;  Mrs.  James  Porter,  who  lives  on  a  farm  three  miles 
from  that  place,  and  Mrs.  D.  A.  West,  the  wife  of  a  merchant. 

Charles  W.  Woodward  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Adams, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  bookeepers  for  the  Greensburg  Woolen  Mills,  hav- 
ing worked  for  Arthur  Hutchinson  for  two  years.  Later  he  became  a  clerk 
for  John  Emmert,  and  a  bookkeeper  in  a  grain  elevator  for  two  and  one-half 
years,  after  which  he  also  spent  six  months  working  in  a  grocery  store. 
Entering  the  Citizens  National  Bank  as  a  bookkeeper  on  May  26,  1879,  his 
rise  to  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  1890,  and  to  that  of  cashier  in 
1 90 1,  has  already  been  related. 

Mr.  Woodward  was  married  on  May  12,  1880,  to  Candas  Coy,  who  was 
a  native  of  Greensburg.  and  a  daughter  of  Matthew  Coy,  a  pioneer  resident 
of  Greensburg,  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodward  are  the  parents  of 
one  son,  Arthur  Coy,  born  on  August  18,  1890,  is  now  a  student  at  Cornell 
University,  of  Ithaca,  New  York.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Greensburg 
high  school,  and  also  of  DePauw  University.  At  Cornell  he  is  taking  an 
engineer  course.  Arthur  C.  Woodward  was  married  to  Hazel  Ayres,  of 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  they  are  now  living  in  Ithaca. 

Identified  as  he  is  with  one  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of 
Greensburg  and  Decatur  county,  Mr.  Woodward  is.  of  course,  well  known 


596  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  the  people  of  this  county.  As  a  banker  he  has  had  no  small  part  in  its 
growth  and  prosperity,  and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  as  cashier  of  this 
institution  he  enjoys  the  confidence  not  only  of  the  board  of  directors  and 
officers,  but  also  of  the  patrons  of  the  bank,  with  whom  he  is  exceedingly 
popular. 


SHERMAN  B.  HITT,  M.  D. 

Devoted  to  the  noble  work  which  his  profession  implies,  the  late  Sherman 
B.  Hitt,  M.  D.,  of  Greensburg,  by  faithful  and  indefatigable  service  not  only 
earned  the  due  reward  of  his  efforts  in  a  material  way,  but  proved  himself 
eminently  worthy  to  practice  his  great  profession.  He  was  a  man  of  abiding 
sympathy,  and.  his  earnest  zeal  in  behalf  of  his  fellow  men  made  him  a 
popular  resident  of  Decatur  county.  His  understanding  of  the  science  of 
medicine  was  regarded  by  his  patients,  by  his  fellows  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession as  broad  and  comprehensive,  and  he  earned  for  himself  a  distin- 
guished place  among  the  physicians  of  Decatur  county. 

The  late  Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt,  who  was  born  on  January  15,  1854,  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  who  died,  September  25,  191 1,  in  Greensburg,  was 
the  son  of  Dr.  John  Y.  Hitt,  himself  a  well-known  physician  in  two  states. 
Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt's  mother  was,  before  her  marriage,  Martha  Ann  Logan 
and  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Logan,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  pioneers 
of  Decatur  county,  who  came  here  with  Thomas  Ireland,  whose  life  work 
is  referred  to  repeatedly  in  this  volume. 

John  Y.  Hitt  was  born  in  Sullivan,  Illinois,  and  was  the  son  of  Joel 
and  Sarah  Hitt,  the  former  of  whom,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  on 
November  7,  1798,  and  who  lived  and  died  in  the  state  of  Kentucky,  where 
he  was  a  large  landowner  and  slaveholder.  His  family  is  of  English  origin. 
Joel  Hitt  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  there  being  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  He  was  married  in  18 17.  After  practicing  his  profession 
for  a  number  of  years  at  Sullivan,  Illinois,  the  late  Dr.  John  Y.  Hitt  came 
to  Greensburg  to  live  about  1901,  and  died  there  on  April  14,  1914.  He  and 
his  wife,  Martha  Anne  (Logan)  Hitt  had  two  children,  Joel  and  Dr. 
Sherman  B. 

Sherman  B.  Hitt  was  educated  for  his  profession  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  four  years  at  one  of  the  post-graduate  institu- 
tions of  Berlin,  Germany.  After  practicing  his  profession  for  five  years  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  he  came  to  Greensburg,  Indiana,  and  here  he  built  up  a  large 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  597 

and  profitable  practice  and  was  highly  esteemed  and  widely  honored  not  only 
by  his  fellows  in  the  medical  profession,  but  by  the  public  generally. 

Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt  was  married,  May  9,  1895,  to  Mary  S.  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  John  H.  and  Mary  Jane  (Parant)  Smith,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  and  one  of  a  large  family. 
Beginning  life  on  a  farm  he  became  a  successful  farmer  and  owned  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  Decatur  county.  During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  lived 
in  Columbus,  Indiana,  and  died  in  that  city.  Mrs.  Mary  (Smith)  Hitt  was 
educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Decatur  county  and  at  Notre 
Dame  University,  located  near  South  Bend,  Indiana.  She  is  a  woman  not 
only  of  wide  information  and  of  rare  native  intelligence,  but  a  woman  of 
refined  and  cultured  habit,  one  who  is  popular  in  the  social  life  of  this  city. 
As  the  result  of  her  marriage  to  the  late  Sherman  B.  Hitt,  one  daughter, 
Gladys,  was  born  on  May  9,  1896,  in  Greensburg.  Miss  Hitt  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Decatur  county,  and  later  pursued  her  academic 
work  at  Moores  Hill  College.  Finally  she  entered  the  conservatory  of  music 
at  Cincinnati  and  was  a  student  there  for  three  years,  during  which  she  com- 
pleted the  regular  four  years'  course  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  Miss 
Hitt  is  a  young  woman  of  prominence  in  musical  and  social  circles  in  the  city 
of  Greensburg. 

Although  the  work  of  the  late  Dr.  Sherman  B.  Hitt  is  finished,  his 
influence  goes  on  not  only  in  the  life  of  the  members  of  his  family,  but  also 
in  the  larger  community  where  his  work  was  done,  since  he  was  a  man  in 
whom  the  public  placed  implicit  trust  and  confidence. 


LAFAYETTE  FORD. 


Lafayette  Ford,  a  retired  railroad  man  and  well-known  citizen  of 
Greensburg,  was  born  on  February  i,  1841,  on  a  farm  in  Washington  town- 
ship, the  son  of  Johnson  and  Eliza  (Waters)  Ford,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  18 18,  and  died  1906,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  1819,  and  died  in  185 1.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William 
Waters,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  an  early  settler  who  became  wealthy, 
owning  a  large  tract  of  land  in  this  section  and  large  herds  of  live  stock. 
Johnson  Ford  was  a  son  of  Bailey  Ford,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  North 
Carolina,  and  who  became  a  follower  of  Daniel  Boone,  a  pioneer  in  the  state 
of   Kentucky.     He  moved  to  Decatur  county  from  Kentucky  in   the  early 


59^  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

thirties,  purchasing  a  farm  in  Washington  township,  two  miles  east  of 
Greensburg.  Johnson  Ford  settled  on  a  farm,  immediately  after  his  mar- 
riage, known  as  the  Waters  farm,  and  after  the  Waters  estate  was  settled 
up,  he  removed  to  Hendricks  county.  He  died  suddenly  on  the  streets  of 
Indianapolis.  Of  his  eight  children,  four  are  now  deceased,  Alfred  died  in 
the  service  of  his  country  during  the  Civil  War;  James  died  in  Nebraska; 
the  third  born,  was  Mrs.  Mary  Smith;  Mrs.  Malinda  McKee  died  near 
Brownsburg;  Arnold  lives  at  Miami,  Indiana;  WiUiam  lives  in  Detroit, 
Michigan;  Mrs.  Ida  Smith  lives  in  Brownsburg,  Indiana,  and  Lafayette  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Ford  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  having  enlisted  on  President 
Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers  on  April  14,  1861.  He  served  in  Company 
F,  Seventh  Regiment.  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three  months  and  was 
engaged  in  the  first  battle  on  Cheat  river,  where  the  first  rebel  general  was 
killed.  Upon  his  second  enlistment,  September  9,  1861,  he  became  a  soldier 
in  Company  E,  Thirty-seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  for  three  years.  During  this  period  he  served  under  Capt.  M.  C. 
Conett,  and  Col.  George  W.  Hazard,  a  brutal  officer  who  was  cashiered,  and 
thereafter  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Gazely,  who  was  also  cashiered.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Colonel  Hull,  who  was  wounded,  and  who  was  succeeded  by 
Colonel  Ward,  now  an  attorney  at  Versailles.  The  principal  engagements  in 
which  Mr.  Ford  served  were  the  battles  of  Stone's  River.  Chickamauga,  siege 
of  Atlanta,  and  many  skirmishes  and  minor  battles.  He  was  mustered  out 
of  service,  October  4,  1864. 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Ford  returned  home  to  Decatur  county,  and  farmed 
in  Washington  township  for  one  year,  and  then  farmed  near  Peru,  Indiana, 
for  about  seven  years.  Subsequently,  he  engaged  in  railroading  as  express 
messenger  and  baggage  man  on  the  Wabash  railroad  for  thirty-five  years. 
In  1912,  he  retired,  and  in  October  of  that  j'car  removed  to  Greensburg, 
where  he  has  since  been  living. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Ford  was  first  married  to  Louisiana  Isabelle  Johnson, 
of  Decatur  county,  the  daughter  of  William  P.  Johnson,  an  early  settler  of 
the  county,  who  bore  him  one  child.  Dr.  Walter  D.  Ford,  a  well-known 
physician  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  who  married  Clara  M.  Dean.  Mr.  Ford 
lived  in  Detroit  during  his  long  service  on  the  railroad. 

On  October  17,  1912,  Mr.  Ford  was  again  married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Ann  (Guest)  Perry,  of  Decatur  county,  who  was  born  on  November  14,  1843, 
in  Clay  township,   and  is  the  daughter  of   John  and  Elizabeth    (Branson) 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  599 

Guest,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  respectively,  who  first  set- 
tled in  Ohio,  and  from  Ohio  came  to  Indiana  in  the  late  thirties. 

John  and  Elizabeth  (Branson)  Guest  have  nine  children:  Thomas,  born 
on  March  i8,  1827;  Hannah,  January  5,  1829,  and  died  on  June  14,  1869; 
David,  March  28,  1831,  and  died  on  October  23,  1855;  Stephen,  June  6, 
1833,  died  on  July  26,  1847;  Sarah,  August  24,  1835,  married  Dr.  Wooden; 
Mary,  May  17,  1838,  died  on  October  12,  1852;  Moses,  November  16,  1840, 
died  on  August  24,  1853;  Elizabeth  A.,  November  14,  1843,  is  the  present 
wife  of  Mr.  Ford;  Louisa  J.,  October  27,  1846. 

Elizabeth  (Branson)  Guest,  the  wife  of  John  Guest  and  the  mother 
of  the  above  named  children,  was  a  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  (Antrim) 
Branson.  The  Antrim  family  was  a  very  famous  family,  not  only  in  this 
country,  but  abroad.  The  first  of  the  Antrims  to  settle  in  this  country  was 
John  Antrim,  who  receixed  a  large  grant  of  land  from  the  English  king. 
James,  the  direct  ancestor  of  Mrs.  Ford,  and  a  brother  of  John,  purchased 
land  from  him.  The  family  was  originally  of  Irish  extraction,  and  prob- 
ably belonged  to  the  landed  gentry  class  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland.  They, 
as  well  as  the  Bransons,  were  Quakers.  A  genealogical  history^  of  the  family 
has  been  issued  by  people  at  Burlington,  New  Jersey.  An  old  Friends  church 
built  in  the  blockhouse  at  High  street,  Burlington,  was  the  house  of  wor- 
ship of  the  Antrims  of  that  city.  James  Antrim,  a  brother  of  John  Antrim, 
heretofore  referred  to,  came  to  America  from  England,  and  settled  in  Mans- 
field township,  New  Jersey,  some  time  between  1678  and  1680.  His  son, 
James,  had  a  son,  James,  whose  daughter,  Sarah,  was  born  on  October  7, 
1764,  and  who  died,  July  23,  1821.  She  married  David  Branson,  hereto- 
fore referred  to. 

Mrs.  Lafayette  Ford  was  first  married  to  Walliam  S.  Perry,  who  was 
born  in  Decatur  county,  1834,  and  who  died,  April  10,  191 1. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  the  venerable  Lafayette  Ford  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  a  member  of  Zion  Lodge  No.  i,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  His  career  has  been  long  and 
honorable,  and  he  is  glad  to  spend  his  last  days  in  the  county  of  his  birth, 
where  his  early. friendships  were  formed,  and  where  lived  many  people  whom 
he  dearly  loved.  In  some  respects  Mr.  Ford's  life  has  appeared  to  be  a 
charmed  one.  During  his  valiant  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  he 
received  seven  bullet  holes  in  his  clothing,  but  was  never  wounded.  In  fact, 
these  entire  seven  narrow  escapes  were  all  incidents  of  the  battle  of  Stone's 
River.     Moreover,  he  took  part  in  the  one  hundred  and  four  days  of  con- 


60O  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tinuous  fighting  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  here  he  also  escaped. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  'Ford  are  splendid  people,  intelligent,  well  infonned,  sociable 
and  hospitable.     Both  are  well  preserved  and  enjoy  the  best  of  health. 


ROLLIN  A.  TURNER. 


Rollin  A.  Turner,  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Treemain  &  Turner,  and 
a  graduate  of  the  Harvard  law  school  in  1907,  is  the  son  of  a  pioneer  Meth- 
odist minister  of  this  section  of  Indiana,  and  himself  one  of  the  brilliant 
young  men  of  the  fourth  congressional  district. 

Mr.  Turner  has  been  well  prepared  for  the  practice  of  law.  Aside  from 
graduating  from  the  public  schools  of  Greensburg  and  from  the  Greensburg 
high  school  in  1900,  he  pursued  for  four  years  an  academic  course  at 
DePauw  University,  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  received  the  degree  of 
Bachekir  of  Arts  from  this  institution.  After  graduating  from  DePauw  in 
1904  he  entered  Harvard  University  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and  for  three 
years  was  a  student  oi  the  law  department,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws  in  1907.  Hundreds  of  young  men  enter  the  Harvard  law  school 
every  year,  but  comparatively  few  of  them  remain  to  graduate,  on  account  of 
the  very  high  standard  of  the  institution.  It  is  impossible  for  the  derelict  or 
the  stupid,  or  for  the  brilliant  young  man  who  refuses  or  declines  to  study, 
to  get  a  diploma  from  this  institution,  and  it  is  a  mark  of  distinction  to  any 
young  man  that  he  holds  a  diploma  from  the  Harvard  law  school,  for  prac- 
tically half  of  the  freshman  class  is  dropped  at  the  end  of  the  first  semester, 
because  of  failure  to  maintain  the  standard  of  studentship  required  by  this 
institution. 

The  firm  of  Treemain  &  Turner  within  a  comparatively  brief  period 
has  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  not  only  in  Decatur  county,  but  in  the  courts 
of  other  counties  adjoining  Decatur,  and  in  the  state  and  federal  courts  as 
well.  Rollin  A.  Turner  is  not  only  a  profound  student  of  the  law,  well 
learned  in  legal  principles  and  well  informed  in  present  day  jurisprudence, 
but  he  is  what  is  commonly  called  a  successful  practitioner  in  court,  and  his 
success  has  been  builded  upon  careful  and  painstaking  study  of  the  minutest 
details  involved  in  every  case  presented  to  him.  He  never  goes  into  the  court 
room  unprepared,  and  his  habits  in  this  particular  are  not  difiicult  to  explain. 
Careful  and  methodical  work  was  required  of  him  during  the  time  he  was  a 
student  of  the  law. 

Rollin  A.  Turner  was  born,  July  26,  1881,  at  Laurel  in  Franklin  county. 


DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  Goi 

Indiana,  the  son  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  and  Lizzie  (Woodfill)  Turner,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of 
Wilham  S.  Woodfill,  one  of  the  pioneer  citizens  and  business  men  of  Decatur 
county.  Of  RoUin  Turner's  ancestry  it  may  be  said,  that  the  Rev.  J.  \V. 
Turner  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Isaac  Turner,  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist 
minister's  of  southeastern  Indiana,  and  himself  a  native  of  England,  whose 
wife  was  Alice  Turner,  and  who  came  to  America  in  1854.  The  Rev.  J.  \V. 
Turner,  who  now  resides  on  a  farm  in  Decatur  county,  spent  thirty  years 
in  the  ministry  of  the  ^lethodist  church,  retiring  in  1905,  and  locating  on  his 
present  farm.  He  was  born,  .\ugust  11,  1857,  in  Dearborn  county,  Indiana, 
and  was  graduated  from  Moores  Hill  College  with  the  class  of  1878,  receiv- 
ing, later,  the  degree  of  Master  of  zA.rts  and  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  was 
married  in  i88'o  to  Lizzie  Woodfill.  During  his  career  as  a  minister,  he 
was  located  at  the  Trinity  church,  of  Madison,  Indiana,  the  Irvington  church, 
at  Indianapolis,  the  Trinity  church  at  Louisville,  the  Trinity  church  at  Evans- 
ville,  and,  finally,  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Evansville  district,  and  pastor 
of  St.  Paul's  chiireh  at  Rushville  when  he  retired. 

Of  the  mother  of  Rollin  Turner,  who,  before  lier  marriage  to  Rev.  J.  \V. 
Turner,  wa^  Lizzie  Woodfill,  it  may  be  said  that  she  is  the  daughter  of  Will- 
iam S.  and  Sarah  A.  (Talbot)  \\'oodfill,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  daughter 
of  H.  H.  Talbot,  the  first  clerk  of  Decatur  county.  William  S.  and  Sarah 
(Talbot)  Woodfill  had  four  children,  Elizabeth,  who  married  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Turner,  was  the  eldest.  The  others  are,  William  Wirt,  of  Greensburg; 
Harry  Talbot,  who  is  superintendent  of  the  Greensburg  gas  and  electric  plant, 
and  Web  Woodfill,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Greensburg  Gas  and  Elec- 
tric Company.  William  S.  Woodfill  passed  away,  July  2^,  1899,  and  his 
wife,  the  mother  of  ]\Irs.  J.  W.  Turner,  died,  October  31,  1898.  The  former 
was  born  in  Owen  county,  Kentucky.  November  16,  1825,  and  was  the  son 
of  Gabriel  and  Eleanor  (Pullam)  Woodfill.  of  Welsh  and  English  e.xtraction, 
the  Woodfill  family  having  been  established  in  Pennsyh-ania  in  early  colonial 
days.  The  Rev.  Gabriel  Woodfill,  the  great-grandfather  of  William  S. 
Woodfill,  emigrated  from  Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky,  and  moved  from  Shelby 
countv.  Kentucky,  to  Jefferson  county.  Indiana,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  was  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  church  in  Kentucky  and 
Indiana,  and  a  man  of  large  influence  in  the  pioneer  communities.  Andrew 
Woodfill,  the  son  of  Rev.  Gabriel  Woodfill,  and  the  grandfather  of  William 
S.  Woodfill.  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  spent  most  of  his  life  at  Aladison, 
Indiana,  where  he  entered  government  land,  and  where  he  was  married  to  a 
Miss  Mitchell.  He  and  his  wife  had  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  lived 
to  maturity.     Gabriel  Woodfill,  one  of  the  sons  of  Andrew  Woodfill,  and  the 


602  DECATUR    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

father  of  William  S.  ^Voodfill,  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  in  1800, 
and  though  he  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Indiana  with  his  parents,  he  later 
returned  to  Kentucky  and  there  was  a  farmer  and  tavern  keeper.  He  came 
to  Greensburg,  Indiana,  NoA-ember  16,  1830,  and  here  during  his  life  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  financial  and  commercial  life  of  Decatur  county,  subse- 
quently establishing  a  general  mercantile  store,  which  has  been  under  the 
management  of  the  W'oodfiU  family  for  almost  a  century.  Gabriel  Wood- 
fill's  first  wife  was  Eleanor  Pullam,  who  bore  him  three  children,  Andrew, 
William  S.,  the  father  of  ]\Irs.  J.  \\".  Turner,  and  Mary,  who  married  Henry 
Christian.  Upon  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Gabriel  Woodfill  married  Eliza- 
beth Van  Pelt,  daughter  of  Joseph  Van  Pelt,  and  there  were  three  children 
by  this  second  union,  James  M.,  John,  deceased,  and  Catherine,  the  wife  of 
Rev.  James  Crawford.  The  store  with  which  William  S.  Woodfill  became 
associated  in  1825,  after  his  death  was  operated  under  the  name  of  W.  S. 
Woodfill's  son,  and  is  now  under  the  individual  management  of  W.  W. 
Woodfill. 

The  Rev.  J.  W.  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Woodfill)  Turner  have  had  seven 
children:  Rollin  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  eldest;  Sarah  married 
Lduis  C.  Uhl,  of  Huntingburg;  Lieut.  William  W.  Turner,  of  the  United 
States  navy,  is  stationed  at  Annapolis,  Maryland:  Harry  D.,  James  W.,  Jr., 
Rachel  and  Welwirt  live  on  the  home  farm. 

Rollin  A.  Turner  was  married,  June  i,  1910,  to  Lillian  Hill,  of  Greens- 
burg, the  daughter  of  W.  J.  and  Lillian  Hill,  old  residents  of  Greensburg. 
The  former,  a  native  of  Ireland,  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  Young,  Smythe, 
Field  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  and  has  resided  in  Greensburg  fot  the 
past  thirty-five  years.  He  is  a  well-to-do  and  substantial  citizen,  who  has 
extensive  property  interests  in  real  estate  and  business  blocks  in  this  city. 

In  1914,  Rollin  A.  Turner  was  nominated  by  the  fourth  district  con- 
vention as  the  Republican  candidate  for  congress  in  this  district.  Although 
he  made  a  most  vigorous  fight,  the  fourth  district  is  strongly  Democratic,  and 
Mr.  Turner  was  defeated,  but  he  is.  today,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  the  fourth  district,  and  is  one  of  the  counsellors  of  the  party 
in  state  politics.  Mr.  Turner  is  a  member  of  the  Centenary  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  Greensburg,  while  Mrs.  Turner  is  a  member  of  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  church.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  P}ithias  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 
At  college.  Mr.  Turner  was  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Greek 
letter  fraternity,  as  well  as  other  Greek  letter  societies,  local  in  their  mem- 
bership. 


338^