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INDIANA 
MAGAZINE OF HISTORY 

Vol X MARCH, 1914 No. 1 

COUNTY SEATS AND COUNTY SEAT WARS IN 

INDIANA 

By Ernest V. Shockley, Ph.D. 

The location of county seats, or "county towns," as they were 
often called in the early history of the State, has been a fruitful 
source of trouble. Factions have arisen in these contests which not 
only disturbed counties but have even figured in State politics. 
Fortunate indeed is the county which has never had to go through 
the struggles incident to the removal of a county seat. The Legis- 
lature of 1913 witnessed such a struggle in Jennings county between 
Vernon and North Vernon. Fountain, Jackson, Spencer, Brown 
and Ripley counties are still agitating changes of their county seats. 

The first county seats were located by commissioners selected by 
the Legislature, and named in the act organizing the county. Subse- 
quent changes were made by legislative acts directly, or by a vote 
of the people of the county authorized by the Legislature. The first 
county seats were often at the home of some county official, and in 
many counties it was a year or more after the county was organ- 
ized before a town was selected for a county seat and a still longer 
time before a courthouse was erected. The county commissioners 
frequently designated the cabin of some settler as the official court- 
house until a suitable building could be erected, and in one particular 
case, Jasper county, the county seat was at the log cabin of George 
Spitler for two years. 1838-40. 

The oldest county seat in the State is Vincennes. It was an old 
town when the Declaration of Independence was signed. In fact, 
there is much dispute as to when the town actually was established. 



2 Indiana Maga.cinr of History 

When Knox county was organized on June 30, 1790 by Winthrop 
Sargent, the Secretary of the Northwest Territory, Vincennes be- 
came its county seat and it has so remained ever since. ^ When 
Indiana Territor}- was organized, May 7. 1800, it became the capital 
of the new Territory, and retained this honor until the capital was 
removed to Cory don in 1813. 

The second county organized within the i^resent limits of Indiana 
was Clark. It was organized by a proclamation of Governor \\'il- 
liam Henry Harrison on February 3, 1801, with Spring\alle as its 
county seat.2 On Jime 9. 1802, Governor Harrison issued a procla- 
mation "fixing the seat of Justice of the county of Clark at the Town 
of Jeffersonville in the said county ^'- * * after the first day of 
August next."'^ The territorial Legislature changed it to Charles- 
town by the act of December 14, 1810, and it remained there until 
September 23. 1873, when it was permanently located at Jefferson- 
ville.^ The old courthouse at Charlestown is still standing and in 
a good state of preservation. 

Dearborn county was organized by executive proclamation on 
March 7, 1803 with its seat of justice at Lawrenceburgh, the court- 
house being one half of a double log-cabin belonging to Dr. Jabez 
Percival, one of the associate judges.-^ Rising Sun was ambitious 
to be the county seat, and wanted to have a new county formed, of 
which it should be the county seat, if it could not wrest the honor 
from Lawrenceburgh. This struggle betwen the two towns was 
finally the cause of Lawrenceburgh losing the county seat for a few 
years. On September 26, 1836, AVilmington became the seat of 
justice, and it was not until April 4, 1844, that it was moved back 
to Lawrenceburgh in accordance with the act of January 3, 1844.*5 
Out of the fight,, Ohio coimty was born January 4, 1844, with Rising 
Sun for its county seat. The Lawrenceburgh courthouse was gutted 
by fire on the morning of March 6, 1826, and all the records were 
lost.'^ The second courthouse used the same foundation and walls.^ 

'Smith, W. H., St. Clair Papers, II, p. 16tt. 

- Kxecutwe Journal of Indiana Territory, p. 97. 

^Executive Journal of Indiana Territory, p. 109. 

*Capt. L. C. Baird of Jeffersonville furnished data on Clark county 

'^History of Dearborn and Ohio counties, 1885; Executive Journal of In- 
diana Territory, p. 116. 

"Laws of Indiana, 1843-44, p. 7; ITistorij of Dearborn and Ohio counties, 
188.5. p. 116. 

'Laws of Indiana, 1826-27, p. 53. 

' History of Dearborn and Ohio counties, p. 249. 



687358 

Shockley: County Seat Wars 3 

This continued in use (with the exception of the eight years that 
the county seat was at Wilmington) until 1870, when it was torn 
down to make way for the present building. 

The next three counties which were organized — Harrison ( 1808), 
Jefferson (1810). and Franklin (1811) — have never changed their 
county seats l)ut retain them at Corydon, Madison, and Brookville, 
respectively. It is interesting to note that the courthouse at Cory- 
don was used as the State House from 1813 to 1824. In one of the 
proposed bills of the 1913 Legislature it was provided that SI 00.000 
be paid for this old courthouse, and that it be made a State memo- 
rial building. 

Wayne county was organized February 1, 1811, with Salisbury 
as its county seat. By the legislative act of December 21, 1816. it 
was changed to Centerville." The act was to be effective on and 
after June 1, 1817, and the last meeting of the county commissioners 
was held at Salisbun,' in August, 1817. While the change from 
Salisbury to Centerville caused no little dissension, it is not to be 
compared to the fifty-year struggle which followed between Center- 
ville and Richmond. For more than half a century the location of 
the ^^'ayne county seat was not only a question of local politics, but 
it even played an important part in State politics as well.^^ The 
election of county ofificials, circuit judges, members of the Legis- 
lature, and even governors, was affected by their preference for one 
town or the other, llie struggle was the longest and most bitter 
county seat fight in the history of the State. The Richmond advo- 
cates succeeded in getting several acts passed by the Legislature 
which furnished them a basis on which to fight for removal. While 
there were other counties interested in some of these acts, it was 
Wayne county which led the fight for their passage. These acts, 
six in number, are dated as follows: Alarch 2, 1855: December 22. 
1858: March 7, 1861 : June 4. 1861 ; December 18, 1865 and February 
24, 1869. The last Act provided that whenever fifty-five per cent, of 
the voters of the county petitioned the county commissioners to 
relocate the county seat, provided suitable grounds, and guaranteed 
the erection of the proper buildings that the commissioners must 
relocate the county seat. On June 3. 1872, a petition was drawn up 
and signed by 4937 voters to be presented to the board of com- 

^ Laws of Indiana, 1816-17, p. 216. 

'"Young, A. W., History of Waijne county, 1872, pp. 81-83. 



4 Indiana Mac/a::inc of History 

niissiuiiers. William A. Peele filed a remonstrance on June 5, 
against such action, setting forth his reasons, and asking for a con- 
tinuance of the case. A majority of the board refused to continue 
the case, A. S. Wiggins and William Brooks opposing and O. T. 
Tones favoring the action of Mr. Peele. On June 11, by the same 
majority the board decided that, as out of 6,842 legal voters of the 
county, fifty-five per cent, had asked for the relocation of the county 
seat, it should be removed to Richmond. The board thereupon 
ordered that new county buildings should be erected at Richmond if 
the citizens favoring that site, should, within three months after 
estimates were made, pay into the county treasury a sum equal to 
the value of the real property belonging to the county of Centerville. 
The petitioners immediately accepted the offer of the board. Gov- 
ernor Baker, on October 30, appointed Asabel Stone, William 
Wallace, and Simon Stansifer to appraise the real estate and im- 
provements belonging to the county in Centerville. They fixed the 
appraisement at $80,000, and on November 6, 1872, George W. 
Barnes on behalf of the petitioners for the relocation of the county 
seat deposited with the board of commissioners the full amount of 
$80,000 in Richmond city bonds as security for the appraised value 
of the Centerville property. The board promptly accepted the de- 
posit, although Mr. Jones objected. Tht auditor was then ordered 
to advertise for bids for the building of a new courthouse and jail. 
George Hoover was the architect and Thomas W. Roberts got the 
contract for both buildings with the low bid of $22,700. By August 
4, 1873, the buildings were completed and the commissioners ordered 
that all books, papers, furniture and occupants of the county jail 
should be removed to Richmond. August 15, 1873 was the saddest 
day in the whole history of Centerville, for on that day the removal 
was made. Men, women and children wept bitter tears as the last 
wagon left the town of Centerville on that eventful evening. They 
saw their rival of more than half a century finally secure in posses- 
sion of the coveted county seat. Thus ended the most noted county 
seat fight of the State ; a fight which resulted in hitter feeling which 
has not entirely disappeared to this day. 

Gibson and Warrick counties were organized April 1, 1813, the 
same year the capital of the Territory was moved to Corydon.^^ 
The county seat of Gibson has always been at Princeton, the town 

^'^ Luus of Indiana, 1813, p. 67. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 



named in honor of Judge William Prince, who represented the First 
congressional district in Congress in 1823-25. Evansville was the 
first seat of justice of Warrick county, although it was far from the 
center of the county. At this time Warrick embraced practically all 
of the present counties of Posey, A'^anderburgh, Spencer and. Perry, 
and a part of Crawford. No doubt Colonel Hugh McGary's gift of 
one hundred acres on July 15, 1814 had considerable influence in the 
selection of Evansville as the county seat.^^ within three months 
from the time Evansville was made the county seat of \\'arrick. 
Posey county was organized with practically its present limits. This 
left Evansville in the extreme southwestern corner of Warrick, with 
the result that the Territorial Legislature, September 1. 1814, moved 
the county seat of ^^'arrick from Evansville to a site on the Ohio 
river subsequently called Darlington. Until the courthouse was 
erected, court was held at private dwellings. On December 4. 1815, 
the new courthouse at Darlington was completed at a total cost to 
the county of $290. The organization of Vanderburgh and Spencer 
counties on February 1. 1818. out of Warrick left the latter county 
with nearly its present boundaries. Darlington was in the south- 
eastern corner of Warrick after Vanderburgh and Spencer were cut 
ofT from either side of it. The Legislature was called upon to name 
commissioners to select a more central site. The locating commis- 
sioners were named in the act of January 7, 1818, and on March 19. 
1818, thev decided upon the site now occupied by Boonville. the 
present countv seat.i"^ The town was called Boonsville in honor of 
Ratlifif Boon, but the name has since been changed to Boonville. 
Warrick county has had at least one courthouse fire according to the 
best accounts. This occurred September 3. 1833. There is also an 
account of a fire in 1818 but it has not been verified. 

Washington and Switzerland counties were organized in 1814, 
and their county seats, Salem and Vevay respectively, have remained 
unchanged for a hundred years. Salem has never had its position 
assailed, but Vevay has been compelled to defend its honors twice. 
The Legislature passed acts on two different occasions, which called 
for an election on the question of relocating the county seat. The 
first act was passed on January 16, 1849^^ and the second on March 

^History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry counties, 1885. Hon. S. B. Hat- 
field of Boonville furnished data on Warrick and Vanderburgh counties. 
^' Laws of Indiana, 1817-18. p. 22. 
^* Local Laws of Indiana, 1848-49, p. 218. 



6 fiuiioiia .l/ar/ari/it'' of ffisfory 

7. 1853.' '' The result of the first election has not been ascertained 
but it is certain that Vevay did not lose the county seat. The town 
of Morcnce \va$the chief contender in 1853, but it stood little chance 
of beating Vevay. The vote was as follows : Vevay, 903 ; Florence, 
703; Center Square, 179; Log Lick, 8; Mt. Stirling, 34; Center of 
County, 3.^^ 

Posey and Perry were the other two counties organized in 1814, 
both assuming the full rank of counties on December 1 of that year.^^ 
Posey had three county seat changes within the first ten years of 
its history, and built a new courthouse at each place. The first 
location was at Blackford in the northeastern comer of .Marrs town- 
ship, the town being named after Judge Isaac Blackford, a famous 
lawyer in Indiana for more than forty years. Here was erected in 
1815 one of those log courthouses, typical of the times. The specifi- 
cations for this building have been taken from the Posey county 
records and are given here in full since this description will fit a 
large number of early Indiana courthouses. 'Tt was to be 26 feet 
long and 20 feet wide, to be built of logs of a handsome size, hewed 
down inside and outside, one story and a half high, with one door 
fronting the street and one window right opposite the door, with 
six panes of glass, 8x10 inches each. The lower floor to be well 
laid with plank of puncheon, the upper floor to be laid with plank, 
with a convenient staircase from the lower. The house to be well 
covered with clapboard roof, with ribs and weight poles well peeled. 
One chimney, to be handsomely built of sticks and mortar. The 
house to be well chinked and daubed, and, also, to be well under- 
pinned. All the timber .of the said house to be of some good lasting 
quality. Also one window, to be cut in the gable end of the ui)])er 
story finished as the window below; each one to be furnished with 
convenient shutters. All the other parts of the said building to be 
finished and done in a workmanlike manner."'" This courthouse 
cost $116. 

Blackford was too far from the center of po]:>ulation to be satis- 
factory, and within a year there was an agitation to remove it to a 
site closer to Harmonic. George Rappe and his colony settled in 
Posey county in 1814, the summer the seat of justice was located at 

^'' Laws of Indiana, 1853, p. 29; Indianapolis Indiana State Journal, June 
2r., 1853. 

^'Laws of Indiana. 1814, pp. 14 and 18. 
" Commissioners Records at Mt. Vernon. 



Shorkley: County Scat Wars 7 

Blackford. They numbered over a thousand and constituted by far 
the majority of the residents of the count}-, llie Legislature passed 
an act, January 1, 1817. providing for commissioners to relocate the 
county seat.18 When the.y met on the third Monday of February to 
consider the various sites offered, Frederick Rappe of Harmonic 
came forward with a proposition to build a courthouse at Spring- 
field if the Board of Commissioners would but accept it. Rap])e 
wanted the courthouse nearer Harmonic, and since the greater por- 
tion of the people lived at Harmonic, the commissioners decided on 
May 12 to accept his offer. But Springfield was an inland town and, 
apparently, would never become prosperous like the river towns. 
Mount Vernon was a rising village, and possessed the overwhelming 
advantage of being located on the Ohio river. In the early twenties 
it started an agitation to get the county seat, and with the assistance 
of an act of the Legislature. February 12, 1825, they succeeded in 
getting the desired change.i" Today Springfield is nearly deserted, 
while fields of waving grain cover what was once the village of 
Blackford. 

Perry was the fourth county organized in 1814. and the thirteenth 
and last county created before the Territory of Indiana ai)])lied to 
Congress for an enabling act. In November of the same year, the 
commissioners specified in the act creating the county, cho.se a site 
on the Ohio river for the new county seat and gave it the classical 
name of Troy. In July, 1817. tfie first session of court met in the 
new courthouse at Troy. But Troy, like her ancient namesake, was 
destined to fall, and her overthrow was provided for in the act of 
January 10, 1818, an act providing for the relocation of the countv 
seat of Perry. 20 Spencer county was created January 10, 1818, and 
undoubtedly this had something to do with the proposed relocation. 
The commissioners to relocate the county seat met on the first Mon- 
day of ATarch, 1818, and after inspection and deliberation .selected 
the town of Washington for the new county seat. The last .session 
of court at Troy was held in October, 1818, and it adjourned to 
meet at Washington the following February. By that time Wash- 
ington had changed its name to Franklin, but neither of the.se 
Revolutionary heroes seemed to satisfy the citizens. Classical 

'^ Laws of Indiana, 1816-17, p. 202. 
^^Laws of Indiana, 1825, p. 9. 
-"Laws of Indiana, 1S17-1S. p. 20. 



8 Indiana Magazine of History 

antiquity was again called upon, and the new seat of justice appeared 
on the court records in September, 1819, as Rome. The name was 
unfortunate. Just as in ancient times Rome outlived Troy, so did 
the modern Rome of Perry county outlive the Troy of the same 
county. The day came when the modern Rome had to fall. Several 
miles down the Ohio was the rising town of Cannelton. In the early 
fifties the citizens of the latter town began to plan to get the cotmty 
seat. The legislative act of March 2, 1855 gave the county com- 
missioners the conditional power of moving county seats : before that 
time, under the 1816 Constitution, a special enactment was necessary, 
the actual selection being left to a commission of five members 
created by the legislature.^^ A preliminary skirmish was opened 
in March, 1856, but nothing definite was accomplished. The ques- 
tion was held in abeyance until after the legislative act of December 
22. 1858, which act put more power in the way of changing county 
seats into the hands of the county commissioners.22 Backed by the 
acts of 1855 and 1858, the citizens advocating the removal of the 
county seat from Rome to Cannelton, again appeared with a petition 
before the county commissioners. A public spirited coal company 
of Cannelton offered to erect a court house if the commissioners 
would make the change. Satisfactory terms were also made with 
the citizens of Rome by the Cannelton adherents. The offer of a 
new courthouse was too good to be passed by lightly, and the com- 
missioners finally decided to make the change. The order announcing 
the removal was entered on their records, March 8, 1859. By De- 
cember 7, 1859, all the county buildings were ready and on that day 
the removal of all papers, books, and furniture was ordered under 
the general supervision of W. P. Beacon. But Cannelton was not 
always to rest in peace. About two miles down the Ohio river was 
the thriving Swiss town of Tell City, and in the nineties there oc- 
curred a very curious situation in these two rival towns. Tell City 
wanted the county seat, and wanted it so badly that the town actually 
built a fine public building and offered it to the county for a court- 
house if the county seat should be moved to Tell City. The citizens 
of Cannelton Avere not to be outdone in patriotic devotion to their 
county, so they likewise built a new courthouse and presented it to 
the county in order to forestall any action which might lead to the 

" Laws of Indiana, 1855, p. 53. 

"Laws of Indiana, Special Sessi07i, 1858, p. 32. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 9 

removal of the seat of justice from their town. Tell City now uses 
its building for the city hall, and the probability is that it will never 
be used for the purpose for which a public spirited body of citizens 
designed it. 

Two counties. Orange and Jackson, were organized in 1816. 
Paoli has been the county seat of Orange from the beginning and, 
so far as the writer know^s, no other town of the countv has ever con- 
tended for county seat honors. The first county seat of Jackson 
county was established at Vallonia in June, 1816, and the first courts 
were held in the shade by the old fort in the village. But Vallonia 
retained her newly gained glory for only a few months, for in 
November, 1816, the county commissioners decided to establish the 
seat of justice at Brownstown where it has since remained, although 
Seymour has for many years been trying to secure the honor. 

The Legislature of 1816-17 organized four counties: Jennings. 
Pike, Daviess and Sullivan. The county seats of Jennings and Pike 
were established at Vernon and Petersburgh, respectively, and have 
never been changed. However, the last few vears has witnessed a 
struggle in Jennings county between Vernon and North Vernon, a 
town a mile and a half to the north, in which the latter ha? been 
making strenuous efforts to secure the county seat. The North 
Vernon advocates succeeded in getting the last Legislature to pass 
the act of March 15, 1913, which provided for an election to de- 
termine whether the county seat should be moved from ^'ernon to 
North Vemon.23 The change was to be made if sixty per cent, of 
the votes were in favor of the proposed relocation.^-* Tlie election 
was held on September 22, 1913 and Vernon retained the county 
seat by the slender majority of sixteen, the vote standing 2.217 for 
relocation and 1,512 against it.^'' 

The first county seat of Daviess county was located in the present 
town of Washington, although it was known by the name of Liver- 
pool at the time the location was made. The name was changed to 
Washington, August 18, 1817.26 

Carlisle was the first seat of justice of Sullivan county. From 
there it was moved to Merom, a town on the Wabash river, in 1810. 

-^ Laws of Indiana, 1913, p. 906. 

-* Indianapolis News, September 23, 1913. 

"\*5upt. William Vogel of North Vornon furnished data on Jennings county. 

=« Daviess county data furnished by Co. Supt. A. O. Fulkerson. 



lo Indiana Maciadne of History 

An effort was made to secure a more central location by the act of 
January 29, 1830, but the Merom adherents prevented the change.^" 
The question of removal lay dormant for ten years, but by 1840 the 
increasing population made it necessary to seek a site nearer the 
center of the county. On February 15, 1841, the Legislature passed 
an act which provided for a board of five commissioners to select a 
new seat of justice as near the center of the county as possible.^^ 
They selected the present site of Sullivan, then an unbroken wilder- 
ness, and there laid out the present town. The formal transfer of 
county records took place in 1843. The Sullivan county courthouse 
with all the records was destroyed by fire February 6. 1850. 

The Legislature of 1817-18 organized nine counties: Spencer, 
Vanderburgh, Vigo, Dubois, Crawford, Lawrence, Monroe, Ripley 
and Randolph. The county seats of Spencer, Vanderburgh and 
Vigo were established at Rockport. Evansville and Terre Haute, 
respectively, where they still remain. Evansville enjoys the unique 
distinction of being the only town in the State which has been the 
county seat of two counties. As has been stated, it was the first 
county seat of W^arrick county. Spencer county has an incipient 
county seat struggle on at the present time. The town of Chrisney 
on the Southern railroad has the advantage of being near the center 
of the county and is being seriously considered for the county seat. 
The courthouse at Rockport is in very poor condition and when the 
erection of a new building becomes necessary, there promises to be 
a struggle between Rockport and Chrisney .^^ 

Portersville was the first county seat of Dubois county, but since 
it was on White river, the northern boundary of the county, it could 
not hope to retain the honor very long.^*^ A more central location 
was desired as the county grew in population, and the Legislature 
was called upon to solve the difficulty. The first attempt to make 
the change was based upon the act of January 19, 1829.31 This pro- 
vided for five commissioners from the surroimding counties, viz : 
Spencer, Orange, Martin, Pike and Daviess. This commission for 
some reason not found out, failed to accomplish anvthing and the 

-' Lmvs of Indicnw, 1829-30, p. 35. 

^Local Laws of Indiana, 1840-41, p. 198. 

-■^ Spencer data furnished by A. J. Payton of Rockport. 

•■"' Dubois county data secured from Wilson's History of Dubois County and 

from Chas. H. Bart, Supt. of Schools at Jasper. 
^^ Laws of Indiana, 1828-29, p. 131. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars ii 

Legislature was importuned to pass a second act providing for a 
change. The Legislature replied by passing a second act January 
21, 1830, which repealed the act of the year before and named a 
Perry county commissioner in place of the Pike county member.32 
A supplementary act was passed nine days later, Januar}- 30, 1830, 
explaining some of the provisions of the act of January 21.33 
These commissioners were ordered to meet at Portersville on the 
second Monday of August, 1830 and proceed to select a new county 
seat as near the center of the county as possible. The county was 
divided into two rival camps, the W'hite river pioneers and the 
Patoka river settlers. The site at Jasper was finally selected because 
it was near water, near the center of the county, and also because a 
mill had been erected on the Patoka river. The record of the com- 
missioners who selected the site at Jasper was lost in the fire of Aug- 
ust 17, 1839, which completely destroyed the courthouse and all 
records. It is known that the town of Jasper was laid out in 
September, 1830, by Hosea Smith, surveyor of Pike countv. An 
interesting story concerning the naming of the new town is told by 
Mr. Wilson. "The commissioners were going to name the new 
town 'Eleanor' or 'Elandnr,' in honor of Mrs. Enlow, wife of Joseph 
Enlow, one of the donors, when that good lady said, 'No, wait, let 
me select a name,' and going for her Bible, she soon returned and 
suggested the word — and the word was 'Jasper,' — and thus the town 
was named." (Revelations, Chapter 21, Verse 19). ^^ 

The county seat history- of Crawford county has not been satis- 
factorily straightened out, owing to the fact that the writer has been 
unable to get all of the records. The dates given for the various 
seats of justice are the best obtainable. L^pon the organization of 
the county in 1818, Mount Sterling became the county seat, and it 
remained so at least until 1822. The Legislature passed an act on 
December 21, 1821, providing for a change of the county seat from 
"Mountsterling."35 j^^gt where it was taken or when the change 
was made, the writer has not been able to find out. Tt was probably 
taken to Fredonia, a town on the Ohio river. Tt is certain that it 
was at Predonia in 1843, for in that year the Legislature passed an 

^^ Laics of Indiana, 1S29-30, p. 3S. 

^^ Laws of Indiana, 1829-30, p. 41. 

'* Wilson, History of Dubois Coxmty, p. 161. 

•^'' Laxos of Indiana, 1821-22, p. 9. 



12 Indiana .l/ac/flrn/c of History 

act. January 4, providing- for its removal from that place. ^** Leaven- 
worth became the next coimty seat and remained so tmtil 1894 when 
it was removed to English after a notable fight. 

'i'he story of the Leaven worth-English struggle was written up 
for this article by A. J. Goodman, of English, who was in the midst 
of the whole fray. The account here given is sul)stantially as re- 
lated by him. the writer making little change and retaining as much 
of the picturesfjue phraseology as possible. 

The final struggle between Leavenworth and English opened in 
October. 1893. At that time a general council was held at English 
by the most enterprising citizens of the northern part of the county, 
at which a committee composed of William F. Richards, William 
T. Beasley and W'illiam T. Carr was chosen to give Leavenworth 
the fight of their lives. During this year James R. Pro bought 
the Marengo Observer, moved it to English, and changed its name 
to the English Nezvs. He at once opened up the county seat ques- 
tion and, of course, advocated the immediate removal of the same 
to English. 

The wise council at their meeting retained Judge Charles Jewett 
of New Albany, Judge C. W. Cook and INfajor W. Funk of Corydon 
for their legal lights. The committee then appointed petitioners in 
all the northern townships of the county, and a corps of petitioners 
at large, consisting of active wide-awake men. This second set of 
petitioners was not limited to any one district, but its work was 
mostly in the southern part of the county. It was there that the 
hard fight was well met by the enemy. The men carrving the peti- 
tions were as follows : R. L. and G. W. Sloan. W. W. Temple. T. B. 
Cummins. M. J. Brown, Dr. C. D. Luckett. H. A. Brown. J. R. 
Crews, H. J. Brown. William and John Luckett, and others. Each 
petition held twenty-five names, and when they were filled the men 
carrying the petition, returned them in person and swore to them 
before a notary- public by the name of ;\. J. Goodman. Goodman 
handled every petition and turned them over to J. R. Pro and W. W. 
Temple, who after carefully inspecting them, returned them to 
Goodman, who then placed his signature to them and filed them in 
his ofifice. The petitions were circulated during the month of 
November. 1893. 

^0 Local Laws of Indiana, 1842-43, p. 122. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 



13 



On the first Monday of December, the citizens favoring English 
formed a skirmish line reaching across the county from east to west 
and on that day made a drive for Leavenworth to meet the county 
commissioners, Amos Adkins, James G. Thurston and A. J. Scott. 
On this memorable drive through the county they gathered the names 
of one hundred and eighty petitioners, which gave the English peo- 
ple a handsome majority. On their arrival at Leavenworth at two 
o'clock p. m., they entered a motion to file with the first petitions the 
names of those secured on their rush across the county. Immedi- 
ately the fight commenced between the lawyers. 

The remonstrators had for their lawyers, Robert J. Tracewell of 
Corydon, J. L. Suddarth, and John H. Weathers of Leavenworth. 
The English adherents were represented by Charles Jewett. C. W. 
Cook and Major W. Funk. The English crowd entered the court 
room at two o'clock in the afternoon and at half-past four the com- 
missioners granted their petition for the relocation of the county 
seat. The remonstrators took an appeal from this decision to the 
Crawford county circuit court, got a change of venue to the Har- 
rison county circuit court, and from there to the \\'ashington county 
circuit court before Judge Davis, appellate judge. Now followed 
a contest not to be excelled. The petitioners had a large map of the 
county made by the county superintendent, Charles Robertson, in 
which he had located every town, school house, church, and section 
in the county. The map was placed on the court room floor before 
the witness chair during the proceedings. This proved a wonder- 
ful help to the various witnesses in making their testimonv. since it 
seemed there were many citizens who were not quite sure as to what 
part of the county they lived in. After three weeks of hard fighting. 
a decision was rendered in favor of removing the county seat from 
Leavenworth to English. The latter place had won every fight 
from the commissioners' court up until the final decision had been 
made. 

English had now become the county seat by law, and the peti- 
tioners felt like it was all settled. A committee commenced to build 
a courthouse, but the Leavenworth crowd at once filed an injunction 
which stopped everything. They claimed that the county was so 
heavily in debt that the building of a new courthouse would com- 
pletely exhaust the county treasury. 

On Saturday, April 24, 1894, the committee of English citizens 



14 Indiana Maija.'rinc of History 

who liad the new courthouse in charge had a meeting to decide ujxDn 
some definite plan of action. At this crisis A. J. Goodman proved to 
be the man who was to solve the difficulty. He was an old soldier 
who liad served throughout the Civil War in the l^'ourteenth Army 
Corps under the command of Gen. Thomas. - He had gone through 
all the campaigns and battles from Louisville to the sea and is still 
well drilled and skilled in battle. It took such a man to face the 
threatening war in Crawford county in the spring of 1894. At this 
meeting on April 24, he asked the committee, through R. L. Sloan, 
to resign, which they did at once. Sloan then moved that the whole 
matter be entrusted to Goodman, and this being done, Goodman laid 
a part of his plans before the late committee and then dismissed 
them. He asked a few of the most active men to stay and consult 
with him. Goodman confided to the select few that he was going to 
descend on Leavenworth on the Monday following and get the 
county records even if it was necessary to resort to actual warfare. 
On the evening of Saturday. April 24. 18*^'4. the cam]:)aign was finally 
worked out in detail. 

All the saloons in English were ordered closed and no man was 
able to buy a drink or bottle of intoxicating whiskey until Monday 
evening. Goodman figured that l)v that time every county record 
would be in English where it belonged. The next move was to send 
out messengers over the county soliciting two-horse wagons, horse- 
back riders, guns, and every man who would join the ])rigade which 
was to advance upon Leavenworth. All were ordered to assemble at 
English on the following day, Sunday, April 25, 1895, at noon. The 
start was set for one o'clock Monday morning. On Sunday after- 
noon two-horse wagons, men on horseback, men on foot, and all 
armed, began to pour into English. The wagons were carefully 
numbered and parked and each driver given his number. The arms 
were loaded in the front wagons. Three men, well acquainted with 
derrick work, were assigned to wagons that had been fitted up with 
block and tackle for loading the heavy safes. Three sledge ham- 
mers were provided and three certain men chosen to handle them. 
Tliey were not to be used except in case the county officials would 
not unlock their doors. A few sticks of dynamite were provided in 
case they might be needed, as it was generally supposed that the 
Leavenworth contingent would make a fort out of their court house. 



Shocklcy: County Scat Wars 15 

Tliree men were selected to handle the dynamite and one of them 
was given a nickname on that account which he bears to this day.-'' 

At half-past twelve o'clock on this eventful Monday morning, 
Goodman ordered his cavalry to mount, and proceeded to drill them 
for half an hour. At one o'clock the command \va^ gi\en to start 
and the county seat army was ofi' for the home of the enemy four- 
teen miles away. x\t seven o'clock the inhabitants of Leavenworth 
were given their first view of the invading army — ninety-six two- 
horse wagons, eighty-two mounted horsemen, and four hundred and 
seventy-eight infantry. A committee at once waited upon the 
county officials and were told that the courthouse would be opened 
at eight o'clock. Promptly at that time the doors were opened and 
the records were soon loaded by specially delegated men, while the 
rest of the army kept guard. The loading was done rapidly and 
quietly. Leavenworth standing aghast at the proceedings, btit unable 
to make a move. The return trip was made without incident, and by 
five o'clock of this memorable Monday, every wagon and all the army 
were safe back in English. 

Thus ended th2 most picturesque count}- seat fight ever staged 
in the State. It is interesting to note that the courthouse at English 
is the onlv one in the State which was erected outside the limits of 
the countv seat town. It is about half a mile south of the center of 
the town and was placed there for two reasons. There was a law 
then in force that a courthouse could not be relocated within four 
miles of the county line and as the line between Crawford and 
Orange counties was only about four miles from the town, this 
statute kept the courthouse from the center of the town.-"^ Another 
reason for the location outside of the town limits was that the title 
to the land on which the town of English is built is faulty and it was 
evident that the new courthouse must be erected on land for which 
a clear title could be secured. The title to the present site has passed 
through onlv one person since the patent was issued by the govem- 
ment.2^ 

Lawrence county has made but one change in county seats. 
Upon the organization of the county. March 1. 1818, it was placed at 
Palestine, the site being chosen on May 21, 1818, on land donated by 

" Dynamite Jack Nelson. 

"■^Laics of Indiana, Special Session, 1S85, p. 221. 

'' Data on the Crawford county fight was furnished by Hon. John H. Weath- 
ers of New Albany. 



1 6 Indiana Ma()aainc of History 

Benjamin and Ezekiel Blackwell and Henry H. Massie. The com- 
missioners named in the legislative act of February 9, 1825 moved it 
to Bedford.-*^ It seems there were some property owners at Pales- 
tine who were not certain that the county seat would remain at Bed- 
ford. At least they did not take advantage of the provision in the 
act of removal which allowed the holders of lots in Palestine to ex- 
change them for lots in Bedford. This kind of a provision was fre- 
quently put in early legislative acts providing for county seat changes 
so that no hardships would fall upon those who had invested in prop- 
erty with the understanding that the county seat was to be maintained 
in the town. An act passed December 26, 1828, again extended to 
the property holders of Palestine the privilege of exchanging their 
lots for new lots at Bedford.^^ 

The other three counties organized in 1818 were Ripley, Monroe 
and Randolph. The Ripley county courts were held at Marion for 
the first year, the county seat not being selected until April 27, 1818. 
The place "selected was the present site of Versailles on land donated 
by John Paul of Jefiferson county. The first lots were sold on 
September 21, 1818 and temporary provisions were made for hold- 
ing the courts in the spring of 1819. A courthouse was not built 
until 1821. Within the last few years Osgood has been agitating the 
question of removing the county seat and when a new courthouse is 
proposed the change will have to be decided. Monroe and Randolph 
have always maintained their county seats at Bloomington and Win- 
chester, respectively. 

Three counties were organized in 1819. Fayette, Owen and 
Floyd. Connersville has been the county seat of Fayette county 
from its creation. Although the county seat of Flovd has always 
been New Albany, an act of the legislature, January 10, 1823, shows 
that there was an early effort to remove it from that place. 4- This 
act provided for commissioners to meet at New Albany on the first 
Monday of March, 1823, "to relocate and establish the seat of justice 
for said county." Whatever action was taken at this time, it is cer- 
tain that New Albany was not deprived of her honors. 

The first county seat of Owen was located about half a mile up 
the river from the present town of Spencer on 150 acres donated by 

*" Latvs of Indiana, 1825, p. 88. 

*^ Laws of Indiana, 1827-28, p. 129. 

*^ Laws of Indiana, 1822-23, p. 103. 



Shock ley: County Scat Wars 17 

John Dunn. This place was known as Lancaster but since a clear 
title to the site could not be secured a change was soon made. By 
the act of Dec. 19, 1819, provision was made for a commission 
to choose a new site. The commissioners selected the present site 
of Spencer, the land being donated by Richard Bee m(70j^ acres), 
Isaiah Cooper (21^ acres), Philip Hart (10 acres), and John 
Bartholomew (30) acres). The locating commissioners, John Tip- 
ton, James Ward and Patrick Callan, made their report to the 
county commissioners on February 12, 1820. 

There were only two counties organized by the 1819-20 Legis- 
lature, Scott and ^Martin. Lexington was the first county seat of 
Scott and remained so for fifty years, despite several attempts to 
remove it to a more central location. As early as January 10, 1823,^' 
the Legislature passed an act providing for commissioners to settle 
the question of relocation, but they decided in favor of retaining it at 
Lexington. It was not until February 12, 1839 that another de- 
termined effort was made to s:;cure relocation.*-* The legislative 
act of that date provided for a vote on the first Monday of August, 
1839. bv the l:gal voters of the couny on the question of removal. 
Although the vote has not been found, it is certain that Lexington 
retained the county seat. But the opponents of Lexington were de- 
termined to get a relocation and succeeded in getting the Legisla- 
ture to pass a bill the following year, February 13. 1840, providing 
for a second election. Monday, June 8. 1840.^'^ Again Lexington 
won the fight, and for more than thirty years v.-as not molested. 
However, as the county grew in population it was felt that a more 
central location should be chosen. The building of a railroad 
through the county in 1871 made it possible to locate a town on the 
same which would be more satisfactory in every way for the county 
seat. To this end a new town was laid out, March 27. 1871. on the 
railroad, and named Scottsburg in honor of Thomas Scott, the presi- 
dent of the Jeffersonville. Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. The 
town was laid out in response to a petition presented to the board of 
commissioners on March 10. 1871. asking for the removal of the 
county seat to this place. The contract for the courthouse and jail 

« Laics of Indiana, 1822-23, p. 45. 
** Laws of Indiana, 1838-39, p. 55. 
"I/Otcs of Indiana, 1839-40, p. 37. 



l8 Indiana Mayarjine of History 

at Scottsburg was let on March 6, 1873, for $13,500 and the court- 
house was ready for occupancy in the latter part of February, 1874.^^ 
Martin county holds the record for the greatest number of county 
seat changes.^'^ It seems that the citizens of the county were hard 
to satisf}-. \\'hen they failed to change the location of a county seat, 
they did the next best thing, and changed the name of the town 
where the county seat was located. No less than three times was the 
name of the county seat changed. The first town to have the honor 
was Hindostan, and here the contract for a $4,185 courthouse was 
let to Benjamin Adams on June 5, 1820. This building was not yet 
completed when the county seat was changed. Dissatisfaction with 
Hindostan led to the legislative act of January 24. 1828. which 
authorized five commissioners, named in the act, to meet at Hindo- 
stan, March 14, 1828, to select a new county seat.'^^ They met at 
the appointed time and, after due deliberation and consideration, 
chose Mount Pleasant. This town was about two miles north of 
Hindostan on the west side of the East Fork of ^^'hite river. On 
July 7, 1828, it was ordered that the county clerk and treasurer re- 
move their offices to Mount Pleasant immediately. The board of 
commissioners met for the first time at the new seat of justice on 
September 1, 1828. But Mount Pleasant was too far from the cen- 
ter of the county to give general satisfaction, especially, since the 
county gained rapidly in population in the next fifteen years. The 
friends of relocation had sufficient influence by 1844 to get the Legis- 
lature on January 13 of that year to pass an act providing for 
relocation. The locating commissioners were ordered to. meet at 
Dougherty's Shoals on the first Monday of March, 1844. They were 
restricted by the Legislature from selecting any site more than three 
and one-half miles from the center of the county.-*" On March 8, 
they reported to the Martin county board of commissioners that they 
had located the new seat of justice at Halberts Blufifs, and that land 
had been donated there for the county seat by Qement Horsey. This 
third county seat was located at the present site of Shoals on the west 
side of the river. The site was at once platted by Ma.son J. Sherman 
and the plat was recorded May 29, 1844 under the name of Memphis. 
For some reason, which has not been ascertained, there was so much 

*^ Illustrated Atlas of Indiana, 1876. 

*' Martin county data was furnished by Carlos T. . McCarty of Slioals. 

*" Laws of Indiana, 1827-28, p. 16. 

*^ LnrnJ Tjfiws of Indiana, 1843-44, p. 158. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 19 

dissatisfaction with the new site that the whole town plat was sold 
back to the donor before the summer was over and before any county 
buildings were erected. It is not certain that court was ever held 
at Memphis; it is certain that some time during the fall of 1844 the 
county seat was removed to Harrisonville, near the site of Trinity 
Springs. Four towns had in turn been the county seat up to this 
time, and yet the citizens were not satisfied. Again the Legislature 
was called upon and for the third time passed an act to relocate the 
Martin county seat. This act of January 11, 1845 provided for an 
election to be held the first Monday in March following to settle the 
question of relocation. ^^ The result of the election has not been 
ascertained but it is certain that it v/as voted to relocate. The legis- 
lative act further provided that if a majority should be in favor of 
relocation, a second election should be held on the first Monday of 
April, 1845, to select one commissioner from each of the townships 
in the county to relocate the seat of justice. This second election 
was held at the appointed time and on May 2, 1845, the commission- 
ers so elected met at Harrisonville, and reported to the county com- 
missioners that on April 30, 1845 they had located the county seat in 
section 1, township 3 north, range 4 west. The new site was located 
"within one mile and a half of the geographical center of the' county," 
pursuant to the recommendation of the legislative act. The land for 
the new seat of justice was donated and immediately platted under 
the name of Hillsborough: But although the citizens seemed satis- 
fied with the new location, they soon tired of its name, and were not 
quieted until the legislative act of February 11, 1848 changed it to 
Dover HilL^i 

According to the provision of the legislative act. the county seat 
was established at Mount Pleasant while the county buildings were 
being built at Hillsborough. The first meeting of the county board 
of commissioners was held in the new courthouse at Hillsborough on 
September 7, 1846. But the end was not yet. Harrisonville had 
been seriously considered for the county seat several times, and from 
the best evidence at hand, the seat of justice had been taken there 
from Memphis in the fall of 1844, and had remained there mitil the 
act of January 11, 1845 ordered it removed to Mount Pleasant pend- 
ing the erection of the county buildings at Hillsborough. The Har- 



''" Local Laivs of Indiana, 1844-45, p. 79. 
'•^ Local Laios of Indiana, 1847-48, p. 460. 



20 Indiana Macia.zine of History 

risoiiville advocates liad sufficient influence to t^et the fxoislature to 
pass an act on February 13, 1851 providing- for a referendum on the 
subject.^' The act was not passed without the Dover Hill adherents 
making a strenuous opposition, the act stating the "remonstrances of 
sundry other citizens of said county have been presented to the Gen- 
eral Assembly remonstrating against the removal of the said county 
seat." The act left the power of calling the election to the board of 
commissioners and the record shows that they refused to call the 
election. For fifteen years the county seat question lay dormant, but 
the fact that Dover Hill was three miles from a railroad, finally 
brought its downfall as a county seat. The Ohio and Mississippi 
Railroad was built through the county from east to west in 1856, 
and as the citizens saw the great advantage of having their county 
seat on the railroad, an agitation was started to make the sixth 
change. The legislative acts of March 2, 1855 and December 22, 
1858 had left the power of making county seat changes largely in 
the hands of the county commissioners. These acts provided for a 
change upon the petition of two-thirds of the citizens of the county. 
On September 7. 1866. a petition was presented to the commissioners 
praying for the removal of the county seat from Dover to A^emphis. 
Memphis had been selected as the county seat in 1844, only to lose 
the honor the same year. Now, however, the new railroad ran 
through the place, and this fact together with its central location on 
the East Fork of White river, made it the most desirable site in the 
county. There must have been some shrewd wire pulling about this 
time, for a year later, on September 23, 1867, the board of commis- 
sioners ordered the county seat moved — not to Memphis — but to the 
town of Loogootce, then the largest town by far in the county. It 
was on the railroad but only two and a half miles from the western 
line of the county. Evidently a vigorous protest was registered by 
the rest of the county for the order to move was rescinded before anv 
work had been done toward making the change. Now follows a 
bitter four-cornered fight, during which at one time an order was 
issued locating the county seat at Harrisonville. No action was 
taken, however, and finally, as a compromise measure, on December 
11, 1869, the county seat was located on the west side of White river 
at Memphis. Some one suggested changing the name of the town 
when it was rechartered and the eighth coimty seat of Martin countv 

"Local Laws of Indiana, 1850-51, p. 390. 



Shocklev: County Seat Wars 



21 



opened for business on July 4, 1871 at the newly christened town of 
West Shoals. On April 27, 1876 the court house was destroyed by 
fire, and pending the erection of a new building, the offices were 
moved across the river to Shoals. A few years ago the boundaries 
of X'N'est. Shoals were dissolved and the boundaries of Shoals ex- 
tended to take in that territory, thus placing the county seat at 
Shoals. 

The legislative session of 1820-21. organized four counties: 
Union, Greene,. Parke and Bartholomew. Brownsville, located in the 
northwestern part of the county, was the first county seat of Union, 
but within a year agitation was started to change it to Liberty in the 
center of the county. The legislative act of December 21, 1822, 
furnished the means to relocate the seat of justice.^-"^ The usual 
five locating commissioners were to meet on the first Monday of 
March, 1823, to consider a new site for the county seat. They finally 
selected Liberty to bear the honor, and after an exciting struggle the 
change was made in 1823. 

The five locating commissioners to select the first county seat of 
Greene, met on March 10, 1821, and reported to the county com- 
missioners that they had located the future seat of justice on sec- 
tions 9 and 10, township 7 north, range 5 west, and called the new 
town Burlington. The land for the county seat w'as donated by 
Thomas Bradford, Frederick Shepherd and Zebulon Hague. A 
courthouse was built at a cost of $250. By 1824 it became evident 
that Burlington could not be furnished with water at a reasonable 
expense, and the attention of the people was called to the question 
of moving the county seat. Various suggestions were made and 
the people were called upon to donate a suitable site. Fairplay, a 
small village on White river about three miles north of the present 
city of Bloomfield, put forth its claims very strongly. However, it 
apparently had no citizens willing to donate sufficient land to in- 
fluence the commissioners. One Peter C. Van Slyke, a wealthy land 
owner, in and around the present site of Bloomfield, made such a 
liberal donation that his offer was accepted. The ground was im- 
mediately surveyed, and the first sale of lots was set for April 22, 
1824. A log courthouse was built in the summer of 1824, ''a hewed 
log house, 26 by 20 feet, one story and a half high, with one door 
and one wdndow, with twelve lights in it (8 by 10). in the lower 

^■^Laws of Indiana, 1S21-22, p. 10. 



22 Indiana Maga.zinc of History 

story, with a good poplar plank floor. House to be covered with 
shingles." The board of justices met at Burlington for the last 
time in September 1824 and immediately adjourned to meet in the 
new courthouse in Bloomfield. Burlington gradually dwindled 
away, until at the present time there is not a vestige of this former 
seat of justice. Greene county is fortunate, however, in having two 
other towns of large population, Worthington and Linton. There 
has been considerable county seat talk at both places but the recent 
completion of a line courthouse at Bloomfield has stopped all agita- 
tion along that line. The citizens of Linton have even gone so far 
as to advocate the organization of a new county of which Linton 
should, of course be the county seat. The county would be cut oflf 
from Greene and Sullivan. It hardly seems likely that this will ever 
be brought about. At ihe time the present courthouse was built, 
Worthington put up a strenuous fight and for a time things looked 
serious, but the .storm blew over without any change of the county 
seat. 

Although the permanent county seat of Parke was located at 
Rockville in 1824, considerable difificulty was encountered before this 
was accomplished. In the act of January 9, 1821 organizing the 
county, provision was made as usual for commissioners to select the 
county seat. They were not to meet to make their choice until more 
than a year later, the third Monday of February, 1822. Before that 
time, in fact before the opening of the Legislature in December, 
1821, one of the commissioners, George Ewing of Knox, left the 
State, and this necessitated another legislative act to fill this vacancv. 
The act of December 7. 1821 named Josephus Collett, of \'igo 
•county, to take Ewings" ])lace.''-' This commission was to meet on 
the second Monday of November, 1822, to select a site for the county 
seat. Why the selection was not made until a year or more later 
has not Iseen found out. The first land sales at Rockville were held 
in June, 1824. No county buildings were erected until 1826, when 
a log courthouse was erected which served the double purpo.se of a 
temple of justice and a house of worship. The difficultv in getting 
definite data on Parke county is partly due. to the fact that the 
clerk's office with all its records was burned sometime during 1822. 
There is evidence that the seat of justice was located temporarily at 
Roseville first and at Armiesburg later between 1821 and 1824. 

'•^ Laws of l7tdiana, 1821-22, p. 13. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 23 

The fourth county organized in 1821 was I]artholome\v and the 
central location of the first county seat selected has never made it 
necessary to have any change. John Tipton, later United .'^tates 
Senator from Indiana, figures in an interesting way in the founding 
of the county seat at Columbus. Tipton donated thirty acres for the 
site and the commissioners, grateful for the generous donation, 
named the new county seat Tiptona in honor of Tipton. This was 
done on February 15, 1821, but for some reason the commissioners 
at their next meeting,' March 20, rescinded their order of the 
previous month, and called the new town Columbus. This was done, 
according to the most reliable report, on account of Tipton's political 
views. 

The Legislature of 1821-22 formed seven new counties out of 
the New Purchase: Morgan, Decatur, Shelby, Rush. IMarion, Put- 
nam, and Henry. All of these retained their county seats which 
were selected for them at the organization of the county. Martins- 
ville, the county seat of Alorgan county, was named in honor of 
James Martin, the senior member of the board of commissioners, 
selected by the State to choose the site of the seat of justice. Greens- 
burg, Decatur county, was named by Mrs. Thomas Hendricks in 
honor of her old home in Pennsylvania.''-^ When the question of 
naming the new county seat w^as brought up, Mrs. Hendricks told 
the commissioners of her desire to have it called Grecnsburg. It 
was proposed to leave the question to a vote of the seventeen young 
men who came from Pennsylvania to this locality, with Thomas 
•Hendricks. This settled the question, for Mrs. Hendricks had four 
charming daughters, — and the young men were mimarried. 

Greencastle, the county seat of Putnam county, was so named at 
the suggestion of Ephriam Dukes, one of the donors of the land on 
wiiich the new county seat was established. Greencastle, Pennsyl- 
vania, being his native town. The county seats of Shcl1)y. MaricMi, 
Rush, and Henry have always been at Shelbyvillc, Indianai>o]is, 
Rushville and New Castle, respectively. 

The first courthouse in ^Niarion county was built on the present 
site at Indianapolis with a view of utilizing it as a statehouse until a 
suitable capitol building could be erected. It continued to serve the 
double purpose of courthouse and statehouse until 183,^ when the 

'-'' Illustrated Atlas of Indiana, 1876, p. 320; History of Bartholomew County. 
1888. 



24 hidiaiia Ma(ja.zinc of History 

capitol building was. completed. It was often used as a public hall 
and for many years it was frequently used as a house of worship. 
The first courthouse, built in 1824, was used until 1870, when it was 
torn down to make way for the present building. 

. Four new counties were added by the next Legislature : Mont- 
gomery, Hamilton, Johnson and Madison. The county seats of the 
first three are retained at the places where they were first estab- 
lished, viz. : Crawfordsville, Noblesville and Franklin. Two John- 
son county courthouses have burned, the first May 18, 1849, and 
the second December 12, 1874. Fortunately most of the county 
records were saved from both fires. ^^ 

Madison county had a hard time getting its county seat located 
permanently. Pendleton, the first county seat, was selected in 1823, 
but it was too far from the center of the country to be satisfactory. 
Although the permanent county seat was located at Anderson, it 
was once located at a town called Bedford according to the act of 
January 4, 1827.-''*''' This act gave Ansel Richmond, the county re- 
corder and clerk, the right to keep his office at the house of 
Nathaniel Richmond until "lots shall have been sold in the town of 
Bedford, the seat of justice of said county." This site was evi- 
dently chosen as a result of an act of January 13, 1826, but evidence 
on this point has not been found. •'•^ It seems certain that Anderson- 
town was chosen before anything was done at Bedford. The rapid 
growth of Andersontown, a town much nearer the center of the 
county, caused the citizens of the coimty to apply to the Legislature 
for an act to relocate the county seat. The change from Pendleton 
or Bedford to Andersontown was made as the result of the act of 
January 4, 1827. The new site appears to have been chosen in 
1828. A courthouse was not built at Andersontown until the latter 
part of 1831. The name of the county seat was changed from An- 
dersontown to Anderson by the legislative act of February 16, 1848, 
as a result of a petition presented to the Legislature by Robert N. 
Williams and James Hazlett, two prominent citizens of Anderson- 
town.''^ The, courthouse with most of the records was destroyed by 

'» Banta, D. D., Historical Sketch of Johnson County, p. 80. 

" Laws of Indiana, 1826-27, p. 65. 

=>* Laws of Indiana, 1825-26, p. 80. 

^' Local Laivs of Indiana, 1847-48, p. 300. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 



25 



fire on December 10, 1880. A new building was at once ordered and 
was ready for occupancy on February 21, 1885.^^ 

Vermillion, Allen, and Hendricks counties, organized bv the 
1823-24 Legislature, have never gone through county seat troubles 
and their county seats have always been at Newport, Fort Wayne 
and Danville, respectively. The courthouse at Newport has been 
destroyed by fire on two different occasions, January 24, 1844, and 
January 5, 1866, but no records were destroyed in either fire. 

Clay county, organized the succeeding year, has had two county 
seats and one very disastrous courthouse fire. Bowling Green was 
selected in 1825 as the first seat of justice and held the honor for 
fifty years. At least four towns were laid out in Clay county for the 
purpose of making a bid for the county seat. These towns and the 
dates of their efforts along this line are as follows : Aquilla (1838), 
Jonesboro (1838), Bellaire (1852), and Ashboro (1858). Two ef- 
forts by legislative acts were made to secure a relocation of the 
county seat before the seventies. The act of Februarv 13, 1843. pro- 
vided for an election on the first Monday of August. 1843. to decide 
the question, but Bowling Green came out victorious.^^ On Novem- 
ber 30, 1851, the courthouse and all records burned at Bowling 
Green and a fight was launched at once to choose a new location 
for the county seat, Bellaire being the chief contender. By Febru- 
ary 23, 1853, the advocates of relocation got an act through the 
Legislature providing locating commissioners to select a new seat of 
justice. ^2 But for the second time Bowling Green came out ahead 
and at once put up a "fine, substantial courthouse'' which cost the 
countv $10,000. In 1872 the countv seat was ordered removed to 
Brazil as a result of a petition on the part of those favoring thai 
town. It was several years before suitable bitildings were erected 
and the formal transfer of records did not take place until January 
26, 1877. 

Tippecanoe and Fountain counties were organized in 1826. La- 
fayette has been the county seat of Tippecanoe from the day of 
organization and no town in the county has ever threatened her 
supremacy. Fountain county has not been so fortunate.*^-'' The 
locating commissioners were to meet on the first Monday in May, 

'"History of Madison County, 1897, p. 36. 

"Local Laics of Indiana. 1842-43, p. 120. 

^^ Laws of Indiana, 185.">. p. 27. 

^ F. E. Llvengood of Covington furnished the data on Fountain county. 



26 Indiana Maf/a.'^iuc of History 

1826, to choose the county seat site. They undoubtedly did not 
meet until later, since their report was not made until July 25, 1826. 
Tlie county commissioners on this day ordered "that the seat of 
justice of Fountain county be known and designated by the name 
of Covington." The first courthouse was a frame structure costing 
$335. Since Covington was on the ^^'abash river, which forms the 
boundary, there was much agitation started in the latter jiart of the 
twenties to move the seat to a more central location. This feeling 
culminated in the legislative act of January 29, 1831, which pro- 
vided for locating commissioners to investigate the question of re- 
location."'* Three men, Thomas Brown, Peter Hughes, and Peter 
Rush, were appointed to value the town lots in Covington, and make 
an estimate of how much less value said property would be by the 
removal of the coimty seat. In May. 1831, they reported to the 
county board that their estimate was $9,721. The commissioners 
appointed by the State reported to the county commissioners on 
June 8, 1831, that "they unanimously agreed that the town of Cov- 
ington be and remain the permanent seat of justice of said county.", 
A very interesting account of the incidents leading up to the act of 
January 29, 1831, is given by Mr. Livengood in his letter to the 
writer. The jietitioners favoring relocation in 1829 could not get a 
sufficient number of living signers so they took the names of the 
deceased males from the grave stones of the different cemeteries in 
the county in order to get the required number. The citizens of Cov- 
ington got news of this and tried to offset the work of the opposi- 
tion by adding to their legal list, a long list of soldiers, both living 
and dead, of the Revolutionary war, Indian wars, and the War of 
1812. Both of these padded petitions went to the Legislature of 
1830-31, where it was found that the petitions together contained 
twice as many names as there were residents of the county, men, 
women, and children. Upon this startling discovery, the Legislature 
decided to investigate the situation. Hence the act of January 31, 
1831, which has been discussed. The next concerted effort to secure 
relocation in Fountain county occurred in 1851. On February 14 
of that year the Legislature passed a bill which provided for an 
election on the first Monday of April following."^ Two towns were 
to be voted upon, Covington and Chambersburg. The vote has not 

"""^ Special Laws of Indiana, 1830-31, p. 18. 
" Local Laws of Indiana, 1850-51, p. 341. 



Shockley: County Scat Wars 27 

been found, but Covington succeeded in retaining the county seat. 
In 1870 and 1871 A'eedersburg tried to get a bill through the Legis- 
lature to secure the seat of justice. Since that time Veedersburg 
has had its eyes on the county seat, and in the 1913 Legislature it 
had a bill introduced to provide for an election on the question, but 
the bill was killed in the committee. The bill will be introduced in 
1915 again, and, so the Veedersburg people say, they are going to 
stay in the fight until they get the county seat. Therefore, it seems 
that all of Fountain county history is not vet made. A new court- 
house was completed in Jayuary, 1860, and on the evening of the 
first day of court it burned down leaving only portions of the walls. 

The year 1827 saw Warren and Delaware counties added to the 
rapidly growing State. The first seat of justice of Warren was 
located at Warrentown. two miles up the Wabash river from the 
present county seat. For some unknown reason, this site proved 
unsatisfactory, and the Legislature, January 22. 1829, passed an act 
for the relocation of the county seat.*^^ The locating commissioners 
met at Warrentown on the second Monday of the following June, 
and in consequence of a liberal donation of land by William Harri- 
son on the present site of Williamsport. selected that place for the 
new county seat. Williamsport has gone through one spirited 
county seat fight. In 1870 \\^est Lebanon made a determined eflfort 
to secure the county seat but the battle was decided against it. The 
courthouse at Williamsport burned to the ground on Sunday, Janu- 
ary 20, 1907. All the records but those of the commissioners were 
saved. The county seat of Delaware county was named after the old 
Indian chief who lived in that county. It was at first called Mun- 
seytown, Muncietown, or Muncie Town. The legislative act of 
January 13. 1845. changed the name to Muncie.*"'" 

Hancock and Carroll counties made their ap])earance in 1828. 
Greenfield has been the county seat of Hancock from the day of its 
organization. The first county seat of Carroll county was christ- 
ened Carrollton on May 15. 1828. but nine days later it was changed 
to Delphi.68 

Cass was the only county organized in 1829. The county seat 
was fixed at Logansport on August 10, 1829, by Henry Ristine of 

<"'' Laws of Indiana, 1828-29, p. 129. 

•■'■ Local Laws of Indiana, 1844-45, p. 247. 

«*Stewart, Recollections of Carroll county, p. 21. 



28 Indiana Magazine of History 

Montgomery, Erasmus Powell of Shelby, and Harris Tyner of 
Marion county, three of the five commissioners named by the legis- 
lative act of December 18, 1828. 

Four new counties started their independent careers in 1830: 
Clinton, St. Joseph, Elkhart, and Boone. The town of Jefferson, 
four miles west of the then future town of Frankfort, was the tem- 
porary county seat of Clinton from the date of its organization, 
May 3, 1830, until the proper buildings were erected at Frankfort. 
The site of Frankfort was selected by the State commissioners and 
the county agent was ordered on May 19. 1830, to have the land 
surveyed and laid off in lots. The first term of court at Frankfort 
convened in April, 1831, in the new log courthouse. St. Joseph 
county was organized August 27, 1830, with the county seat located 
on a farm owned by William Brookfield, a few miles southwest of 
South Bend in German township. However, it is known that the 
first board of justices met at the house of Alexis Coquillard in South 
Bend and the courts were also held in his house. In fact, justice for 
the county was dispensed from his house for s'everal years. Howard 
in his History of St. Joseph County gives the following account of 
the muddled county seat situation.^^ "Theoretically, however, the 
countv seat was for a time on the farm of William Brookfield. in a 
town laid out by him at the portage of the St. Joseph. This town 
was called St. Joseph. Though named as the first county seat, it was 
in fact never more than a town on paper. The location of the comity 
seat at St. Joseph on May 24, 1830, was made by the commissioners 
under section three of the act for the formation of St. Joseph and 
Elkhart counties. This action of the .commissioners never gave sat- 
isfaction to the people of the county. A petition asking for the ap- 
pointment of other commissioners to relocate the county seat was 
circulated amongst the settlers, received over one hundred and 
twenty-five signatures, and was laid before the Legislature that 
convened at Indianapolis, December 6, 1830. That body, in an act 
approved February 1, 1831, granted the prayer of the petitioners.'"^® 
The act named five commissioners to relocate the county seat. They 
made their report to the county commissioners on September 7, 
1831, their report being dated ]\Iay 12, 1831. They selected South 

"" Howard, T. A., History of St. Joseph County, I, p. 173, seq. 
•'> Special Laus of Indiana, 1S30-.3], p. 21. 



Shockley: County Scat Wars 29 

Bend, but it was two years before a courtbouse was ready for use, 
and six years before it was finally completed. 

Elkhart county also experienced some difficulty in getting its 
county seat permanently located. The; commissioners named in the 
organizing act of January 29, 1830, fixed the new county seat about 
five miles northwest of the present town of Goshen, at a town 
known as Dunlap. The ceding of a half tier of townships on the 
west side of the county to St. Joseph county made it necessary to 
choose a more central location. With the assistance of the legislative 
act of February 10, 1831, the present site of Goshen was selected. '^^ 
The site was at once surveyed and platted and the first sale of lots 
took place on June 20, 1831^ The first courts in Boone county were 
held in Jamestown at the home of John Galvin, and according to 
evidence at hand this continued to be the county seat until the 
removal to Lebanon. The site was not satisfactory and the Legisla- 
ture passed the act of January 26, 1832, providing for commission- 
ers to relocate the county seat."- This commission was ordered to 
choose a site within two miles of the center of the county. Until the 
proper buildings were erected at the future county seat the courts 
were to hold their sessions at the home of John Galvin in Jamestown 
and at "such other places in said county, as said courts may think 
proper." Since the first courthouse at Lebanon was completed in 
1833, it is presumed that the formal transfer was made that year. 
Evidently the courthouse at Lebanon was not kept in repair, for an 
act of the Legislature, January 31.-1842. says that the condition of 
the building was such that the courts were held at a private home 
from the May term, 1839, to the May term, 1841.'^-'' 

Grant county was ushered in on April 1, 1831. although the first 
meeting of the county commissoners was not held until September, 
1831. Marion was selected as the county seat during the summer of 
1831 and the first lots were sold on the second Monday of Novem- 
ber, 1831. The first courthouse was not erected until three years 
later. 

The vear 1832 saw two new counties start their careers: 
Lagrange and Laporte. The first county seat of Lagrange was lo- 
cated at the site of an old Indian village with the euphonious name 

" Special Laws of Indiana, 1830-31, p. 22. 

''-Laws of Indiana, 1831-32, p. 114. 

''^ Local Laws of Indiana, 1841-42, p. 162. 



30 Indiana Magamne of History 

of Mongoquinong. This was given the name of Lima and remained 
the county seat for more than ten years. However, the gradual 
influx of population rendered it necessary to choose a more central 
location. This was done with the help of the legislative act of 
February 13, 1840.'^'* The commissioners named by this act selected* 
the town of Lagrange, which had been platted June 18, 1836. The 
new courthouse was completed December 5, 1R43, antl the transfer 
of the records occurred early in the following year. Laporte county 
and Lagrange county started their independent' existence on the 
same day, April 1, 1832. The county seat of Laporte has always 
been Laporte, although Michigan City has tried several times to 
deprive it of its county seat honors. 

The Legislature of 1833-34 organized Huntington, Miami, and 
White counties. Huntington county has never experienced any 
county seat strife, the first choice, the town of Huntington, has never 
had a rival for its place. The first county seat of -\Tiami was at 
Miamisport, a town laid out in 1828, in the hope that it would be 
selected for the county seat. It was on the same section of land 
that is now occupied by Peru, a section originally set aside as a re- 
servation for John B. Richardville, the noted Miami Indian chief. 
Richardville sold the east half to William N. Hood and the western 
half to Joseph Holman and the two men then laid out Miamisport. 
Hood and Holman failed to agree and in consequence Hood outbid 
Holman and secured the location of the county seat east of Miamis- 
port, where Peru now stands. The growth of Peru was such that long 
since it has taken Miamisport within its limits. It was ordered 
vacated in June, 1841. The first courthouse, a brick building forty 
feet square, was burned down ^ larch 16, 1843, destroying all the 
county records but those of the county commissioners. The Legis- 
lature helped to straighten outjhe situation with the act of Decem- 
ber 26, 1843.^-^ 

White county was to be organised A']-)ril ], 1834, but the first 
county commissioners did not meet until Julv 1'', 1834. The com- 
missioners selected by the Legislature to choose the future countv 
seat made their first report September 5, 1834. Thev chose the 
present site of Monticello and left evidence of their political faith 
in the name which they gave to the new seat of justice. 

'* Laws nf Indiana. 1839-40, p. 47. 

'•^ Local Lavs of Indiana. 1S43-44, p. 3. 



Shocklcy: County Scat Wars 31 

Wabash county was the seventietli and onlv county organized in 
1835. The commissioners named in the legislative act to locate the 
county seat met May 18, 1835. The next day they selected the site 
of the present town of \A'abash and the day following thev made 
their report to the county commissioners. The first courthouse was 
a brick structure forty feet square, costing $3,000. It was finished in 
1839 and continued in use until June 17, 1871, when it was destroyed 
by fire.'''" 

The Legislature of 1835-36 organized eight counties: Porter, 
Adams. Jay, Noble, Fulton, ]Marshall, Brown, and Kosciusko. The 
county seat of Porter has always l:)een at Val])araiso, although the 
first plat, dated July 7, 1836, bears the name of Portersville. The 
locating commissioners made their selection of Portersville on June 
7, 1836, and filed a written report to that effect with the county com- 
missioners on June 9.""' They considered three others sites before 
finally settling upon Portersville. One of these was at Prattville, 
another at Flint Lake, and the third alsout a mile and a half north- 
west of the present site of A'alp'araiso. The name of the county seat 
was changed to Valparaiso within the first year and it seems to have 
been done by the local authorities, since no legislative act has l)een 
found authorizing the change. Adams county has always been 
satisfied with Decatur, its first county seat. The site was offered to 
•the locating commissioners by Samuel Johnson, who offered as an 
inducement to have the seat of justice located on his land, the sum 
of $3,100, four church lots, half an acre for a public scjuarc, one acre 
for a seminary and two acres for a cemetery. He further agreed to 
pay the expenses of the locating commissioners, and furnish a house 
to hold court in until suitable buildings could be erected. This was 
too tempting an offer to be refused and the commissioners promptly 
accepted the offer "and proceeded to the aforesaid town site, and 
marked a white oak tree with blazes on ionv sides, on each of which 
they individually inscribed their names. '""^ Jay county has never 
had anv county seat conflicts since the first year of its existence. Tn 
1835 and 1836 there was rivalry between Camden and the site of the 
present town of Portland, Camden lieing the more important place 
at that time. The locating commissioners looked with favor on 

^"Helm, T. B., History of Wabash county, ISSO, p. 122. 
'•''History of Porter and Luke counties, 1882. 
^^Illustrated Atlas of Indiana, 1876, p. 292. 



32 Indiana Magazine of History 

Caindcii hut it was too far from the center of the county to receive 
serious consideration. The commissioners met on the first Monday 
in June, 1836. and soon decided upon the site at Portland. A special 
meeting of the county board of commissioners on December 5, 1836, 
gave tiie new county seat the name of Portland. A fine \o^ court- 
house was erected in the summer of 1837 for the sum of $123.25. 
Noble county has had its full share of trouble in the matter of county 
seats. "^ This has been due to the swampy character of the county 
and the slow migration of settlers. The locating commissioners 
named in the organization act of February 6. 1836, made their report 
on May 3, 1836. They chose a site in Sparta township on the old 
Fort Wayne and Goshen trail in section 24, township 34 north, 
range 8 east. The town was given the classical name of Sparta 
(now called Kimmell), but it was not destined to retain its honors 
very long. No public buildings were ever erected there. Its loca- 
tion in the western part of the county and the desire for a more 
central location led the citizens to petition the legislature for an act 
authorizing the removal of the county seat to a more central loca- 
tion. The Legislature granted their |)etition and passed an act 
February 4, 1837, naming five commissioners to relocate the seat 
of justice.'^" They met on July 3, 1837, at the house of Patrick C. 
Miller at Wolf Lake, and proceeded to examine the different sites 
oflFered. Several new towns had been laid out and all were anxious 
to secured the coveted honor. Sparta, of course, wanted to be again 
considered ; Van Buren, in York township, was an aspirant ; Wolf 
Lake, the first town laid out in the county, was another ; and Augusta 
and Port Mitchell also had followers. Each ofifered inducements to 
secure the coveted location. After looking them all over, the com- 
missioners finally selected Augusta, two miles west of the present 
town of Albion. This location seemed to give general satisfaction 
because of its central location, and a courthouse and jail were im- 
mediately built there. Until the buildings should be erected at the 
new location, the Legislature ordered all courts to be held at Wolf 
Lake. There is but little doubt that the county seat would have re- 
mained at Augusta had not the courthouse been destroyed bv fire on 
March 25, 1843. The records of the auditor, clerk, and treasurer 
were burned and this has rendered it verv difficult to write an 

'"'History of Whitley and Noble Counties, 1882, p. 41 seq. 
'"Laics of Indiana, 1836-37, p. 113. 



Shocklcy: County Scat JVars 



33 



authentic history of the beginnings of the county. At this juncture 
Port Mitchell made a determined effort to secure a legislative act 
authorizing a relocation of the county seat. The Legislature was 
acquiescent and the bill was passed January 13, 1844, providing for 
a commission to relocate the troublesome seat of justice.*^ ^ Port 
Mitchell must have had some very influential citizens since they 
succeeded in convincing the locating commissioners that they had 
the best site. The first Monday in March, 1844, was a dav of re- 
joicing in Port Mitchell for on that day the commissioners selected 
their town as the future county seat. Visions of their coming great- 
ness floated before thei>i. Brick buildings arose, a courthouse was 
erected, and the town boomed with industry. But their joy was short 
lived. Just two years later, January 10, 1846. the Legislature was 
induced to pass a bill providing for a vote on the relocation of the 
county seat.^2 ^\^q ^^.j- provided for an election on the first Monday 
of April, 1846, at which the voters should write on their ballots the 
name of the place where they wished the county seat to be located. 
Then a second election was to be held on the first Mondav of Tune, 
at which the names of the three receiving the highest number of 
votes in the April election were to be voted on. A third and deciding 
vote was to be taken on the first Monday of August, at whicli the 
two places receiving the highest number of votes in the June election 
were to be voted on. Noble county probably never had a more 
exciting summer than that of 1846. Speeches were made, special 
songs were composed, and even parades were added to the cam- 
paign. At the April election votes were cast for Port Mitchell, 
Awgusta, Center, Rochester, Ligonier. Springfield, Lisbon. North- 
port and Wolf Lake. The three highest were Port Mitchell. Augus- 
ta and Center. At the June election Center led the field and Port 
Mitchell beat Augusta by two votes. The whole coimty now lined 
up behind one or the other of the two towns. Augusta, indignant at 
what it called unfair tactics on the part of Port Mitchell in the prev- 
ious election, threw its strength to Center, with the result that Center 
won the county seat. The name of the new county seat was changed 
from Center to Albion within the first year of its oflficial career. On 
September 16. 1847, the formal transfer of records and ofiices was 
made to Albion. ^ Here the county seat has remained, although sev- 

^^ Local Laivs of Indiana, 1845-46, p. 66. 
*' Local Laws of Indiana, 1845-46, p. 66. 



34 hniiaua Muijaciiic of History 

eral efiforts have been made to remove it ami. so some peo])le in the 
cotintv say, one courthouse lias lieen sacrificed in the struggle. The 
courthouse at All)ion was burned down January 24, 1859, and the 
circumstances surrounding the catastrophe seemed to indicate that it 
was the work of incendiaries.*^'^ A new courthouse was ordered im- 
mediately and was ready tor occupancy in 1861. The construction 
of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad through Albion in 1874 has 
probably settled the question of any further changes. 

Fulton county was organized in the s])ring of 1836. I'^ilton has 
never had any trouble over county seats. The locating commis- 
sioners met on the second Monday of June 1836, and, after exam- 
ining several places, determined to establish the county scat at 
Rochester. There was some effort to secure the location at the cross- 
ing of the Michigan road and the Tippecanoe river. Marshall and 
Brown counties both started their career on April 1, 1836. Plymouth 
has been the county seat of Marshall from the beginning. Brown 
county's seat of justice was first called Jacksonburg. but for some 
reason was changed to Nashville during the first year of its career. 
The original log jail, built in 1837, is still in use, and is the last log 
jail in the State doing service. While this article is being prepared 
the newspapers are noting an agitation to move the county seat 
from Nashville to Helmsburg. which is the only railroad town in the 
county.''"' The business men of Helmsburg have been advocating 
the change for some time, and will undoubtedly be prepared with a 
bill to present to the next session of the Legislature. 

^^'arsaw was chosen as the first county seat of Kosciusko county, 
although the courts were held at Leesburg in 1836, and the latter 
place for several years was the most jiopulous of the two. Lce.sburg 
was the only other ])lace considered when the commissioners made 
their selection in 1836. 

Four new counties were created by the Legislature of 1836-37: 
Lake, Steuben, DeKalb, and Wells. Lake had more trouble in get- 
ting its county seat established than the three other counties com- 
bined. Although the locating commissioners were named in the act 
of January Is. 1837,'*' which organized the coimty, nothing had 
been done until February 17, 1838.S6 On the latter date the 

*■'' Logansport Pharos. February 16, 1859. 
""'Indianapolis News, November 3, 1913. 
''• Laius of Indiana, 1836-37, p. 55. 
'^ r.ocal Laus of Indiana, 1837-38, p. 388. 



687358 



Shock! ey: County Scat Wars 35 

Legislature passed an act establishing a temporary courthouse at the 
residence of Milo Robinson. The act says, "Whereas, nearly all the 
lands within the limits of the county of Lake are yet the property of 
the General Government," it is "impossible at present to make a 
permanent location of a seat of justice." For this reason the resi- 
dence of Robinson was "recognized and established the courthouse 
and the seat of justice of said county." On the same dav the Legis- 
lature passed another bill selecting two new men on the locating 
board of commissioners to take the places of two named in the act 
organizing the county. One man had died and the other refused 
to serve. This reorganized board, however, did nothing toward lo- 
cating the county seat, and the next Legislature passed an act, Feb- 
ruarv 14. 1839, creating a new set of commissioners with discretion- 
ary authority to locate the seat of justice.^''' They were to meet at 
Robinson's courthouse on the first ^Monday of ]May, 1839, and pro- 
ceed to examine all proposed sites. There were three locations of- 
fered. The first site, "Lake County Court House," usually written 
as "Lake C. H.," Cedar Lake and Liverpool. Liverpool was the suc- 
cessful bidder, but the site was not satisfactory to a majority of the 
citizens. For the third time the Legislature was appealed to. and the 
third set of locating commissioners was named in the act of Febru- 
ar\- 13. 1840.S'^ The commissioners rode into the count\- in June, 
looked over the ground, canvassed the claims and offers of the 
various sites and finally settled on the site of the original courthouse 
of Robinson, "Lake County Court House." This name was ad- 
mitted to be a little too cumbersome and it was suggested that the 
countv agent, George Earle, and the two proprietors. Judge Clark 
and Solon Robinson, get together and select a new name. They 
agreed on Crown Point and tlie county seat has ever since borne 
that name.'^^ 

Steuben countv had all of its county seat trouble before the first 
site was selected. The locating commissioners named in the act of 
Januarv 18. 1837. were ordered to meet "at or near the center of 
said countv on the third iMonday of January, 1838." at the house 
of Cornelius Gilmore.'"' Two sites were offered for their considera- 
tion, the present site of Angola and Steubenville. The Steubenville 

^' Local Laws of Indiana, 1S38-39, p. 303. 

^ Laws of Indiana, 1839-40, p. 67. 

S3 Ball, T. H., Lake Coimty, Indiana, 1873, p. 86. 

»» General Laws of Indiana, 1836-37, p. 56. 



36 Indiana Magazine of History 

advocates, led by Isaac Glover and Ahner Winsor, offered to donate 
$1().200. but their site was too far from the center of the county to 
receive serious consideration. The Steuben ville of 1837 was not the 
same town as the town of that name at the present time. The first 
Steubenville was north of Pleasant Lake in range 13, township 36, 
near the line between sections 10 and 15. Angola's claims were pre- 
sented by Cornelius Gilmore and Thomas Gale, and their offer to 
give a site for the courthouse and erect the building, was accepted. 
The central location has proved entirely satisfactory and no other 
town in the county has ever been considered as the seat of justice. 

Dekalb and Wells counties were started on their independent 
career nn Alav 1. 1837, and their first county seats. Auburn and 
Rluffton, respectively, have never been changed. A disastrous fire 
in Auburn on Saturday, February 8, 1913, destroyed the W. H. Mc- 
Intyre three story brick building in which part of the county records 
were temporarily placed. Pending the erection of a new courthouse 
the various county officials had their offices scattered around the 
square and all the records of the clerk were lost in this fire. AA'ells, 
however, required the Legislature to pass a second act providing for 
a set of locating commissioners. The first board, selected by the act 
of February 2, 1837, neglected to act, and a new board was named 
in the act of January 20, 1838.^^ The new board mei in March of 
that year and selected the present site of Bluffton. There were two 
sites offered, P)luffton and a town called Murray, later known as New- 
Lancaster. Murray offered the best inducements, but the Rluffton 
adherents carried the day by adding a cash gift of $270 to the land 
offer. This, in case of the acceptance of the bid, would furnish a 
fund for the payment of the commissioners ; whereas, if no cash was 
forthcoming, they must content themselves wtih county orders, then 
below par. They prol)abh- needed the money, and this cash offer un- 
doubtedly turned the scale in favor of Bluffton. 

Jasper and Whitlev counties were added to the rapidly growing 
.State by the Legislature of 1837-38. Jasper has had its county 
seats scattered over more territory than any county in the State. It 
started as a separate county March 15, 1838, and included not only 
its present territory but the present county of Newton, and most of 
Benton as well. The first county seat was located at Parish Grove, 
thirty miles south of the present scat of justice, and five miles 

'^ Local Laws of Indiana, 1837-38, p. 430. 



Shockley: Countv Seat Wars 



37 



southwest of Fowler, the county seat of Benton county. This was 
chosen because it was near the center of the population and for the 
additional reason that it was one of the few high and dry spots in 
the county. Here the county commissioners held their first session 
in 1838. At this meeting they considered the question of changing 
the site of the temporary county seat to the cabin of George W. 
Spitler in what is now Iroquois township, Newton county, if the 
residents of Pine township fnow Parish Grove township, Benton 
county), were in favor of the change. A petition was ordered cir- 
culated in order to get the opinion of the Pine township citizens, 
and the result showed sixteen in favor and eight against the pro- 
posed removal. The change was largely brought about because 
Spitler had been elected county clerk and he refused to serve unless 
the place of business was brought nearer to his residence. The 
county commissioners held' their March, 1839, meeting at the home 
of Spitler, the new temporary county seat. This temporary ar- 
rangement was upset by the legislative act of January 29, 1839, 
which named commissioners from White, Fountain. Warren, and 
Tippecanoe counties to meet in Jasper county on the first :\londav of 
June. 1839, to examine the counties of Jasper and Newton to see 
whether they should be consolidated.^^ jf they considered it the best 
thing for the two counties they were to select a county seat for the 
enlarged county. Furthermore the new county was to be called 
Jasper and the county seat Newton. The State commissioners met 
in June, 1839. and decided that the best interests of the two counties 
demanded consolidation. They selected the present site of Rensse- 
laer for the county seat although it was called Newton in accord- 
ance with the legislative act providing for its location. The original 
plat of the newly chosen county seat was filed Jtme 12. 1839. The 
early history of the county is hard to straighten out owing to two 
destructive fires in the courthouse. The first occurred in 1843 and 
destroyed practically all the records. The second happened in 1864. 
and was generally supposed to have been the work of an incendiary 
who was interested in the destruction of the records. The whole 
interior and roof of the building was burned and all the papers and 
records of the county were destroyed except a few which could be 
saved from the outside.^^ 

^- Laws of Indiana, 1838-39, p. 83. 

" History of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, 1888, p. 452. 



^S huUana Maga.zinc of History 

Whitley county dates its independent career from April 1, 1838. 
In June of the same year the first county seat was fixed by the State 
coniniissioncrs on section V\ township 31 north, range 9 east, upon 
the land owned by L. S. Bayless at the time. As a consideration 
Bavless was to pay the county $500 in money, furnish a set of record 
books, which would cost about $100, and pay all the expenses of 
location. 'Hiis site did not give satisfaction and a petition was sent 
to the next Legislatin-e asking for a new location. The Legislature 
granted their prayer and in the act of February 18, 1839, named 
five commissioners to relocate the county seat."* Only two of them 
appeared at the appointed time in Jmie and an adjournment was 
taken until October 19, 1839. On that date they all met and after 
carefullv considering all sites ofifered, decided to locate the county 
seat on fractional section 11, township 31 north, range 9 east, on 
land owned by Elihu Chauncey of Philadelj^hia. He was to donate 
222^^2 acres and build a saw mill on the land. There was not a white 
family living within one mile and a half of the site at the time, but 
its central k:»calion had l)een the determining factor in making the 
choice. The new town was -first called CoUnnbia and later changed 
to Columbia City. 

Blackford and Pulaski counties made their appearance in the 
spring of 1839. Blackford was cut off from Jay county, the latter 
county willingly relinf|uishing the territory because, as one old settler 
of Jay county said, "Tt was nothing but a big swam]) anyhow." 
This may account for the trouble the new county experienced in 
getting its county seat located. Tn fact it took two separate acts 
of the Legislature to get the county itself on the ma]). The first act 
of Februar}' 15. 1838, intended that it sIkmiIcI be ready to open for 
business on the first Monday of April, 1838."'' Commissioners were 
named to locate the county seat, but nothing seems to have been 
done", for the next year the Legislature started the county agitation 
again with the act of January 29, 1839J"'' A new set of commis- 
sioners was named to locate the county seat, and the\- were ordered 
to do .so on the second Monday of the next month. When this sec- 
ond commission reported, and what site they selected, has not been 
found out. but it must have been unsatisfactory, for the following 

■■'* Local Laivs of Indiana, 1838-39, p. 317. 
'*' Local Laws of Indiana, 1837-38, p. 290. 
0^ Laws of Indiana, 1838-39, p. 64. 



Slwcklcv: County Scat Wars 



39 



year the Legislature, on February 24. 1840. appointed the third set 
of State commissioners to locate the county seat."" However, it 
was provided in the act that it should not take effect "unless a 
majority of the le.s:al voters of Blackford county, on the first Mon- 
day in August next, shall vote for a relocation of the said county 
seat of Blackford county." It is very evident that the friends of 
relocation lost out because the following year the Legislature was 
importuned for the fourth time to pass an act providing for the 
location of a county seat. The fourth set of commissioners was ap- 
pointed by the act of February 4. 1841, but it does not appear to 
have changed the former location.''^ It seems certain that the 
second set of locating commissioners selected the present site of 
Hartfonl City. The town was at first called Hartford, and later 
changed to Hartford City at the suggestion of F. L. Shelton.-*-' 

Pulaski county has alwaxs been satisfied with the first county 
seat selected by the State commissioners. Thev met on Mav 6. 
1839, and after considering various locations accepted the offer of 
John Pearson. William Polk, [esse Jackson. John Brown. John B. 
Niles and others, and located the county seat at Winamac. on the 
Tippecanoe river. The town was named in honor of Winamac. a 
noted chief of the Pottawattomies. who lived at this place. 

The year of 1S40 ushered in Benton county, its birthday falling 
on February 18 of that year.^'"' The act organizing the county, 
February 18. 1840. did not for some reason name commissioners to 
locate a county seat. The courts were ordered to meet at the hou.se 
of Basil Justus. His home was. a short distance south of the present 
town of Oxford, and here the courts were held for the first three 
years. The county was gradually settled up and on Januar\- .^1. 
1843. the Legislature named commissioners to locate a countv 
seat.i"^ The act ordered them to meet on the third Monday of 
May, 1843. at the house of Basil Justus. The\ chose a site on 
section 18. township 34 north, range 7 west, on land donated by 
Henr\- W. Ellsworth and David \\'atkinson. In September. 1843. 
the county commissioners ordered a courthouse erected at the new 

^^ Laws of Indiana, 1839-40, p. 42. 
•"* Local Laws of Indiana, 1840-41, p. 202. 

"' Data on Blackford was furnished by Minta Fordney, librarian of Hartford 
fcity library. 

^'^ Laws of Indiana, 1839-40, p. 62. 

^"^ Local Laws of Indiana, 1S42-43, p. 123. 



40 Indiana Magazine of History 

county seat "in the town of Milroy." The town was named Milroy 
in honor of Samuel Milroy, one of the locating commissioners, but 
it being subsequently learned that there was already another town 
of that name in the State, the board of commissioners at the October 
session of 1843 "ordered that the seat of justice in Benton county be 
called Oxford. "^^2 fiie entry in the order book shows, however, 
that in entering this order, the name had first been written Hart- 
ford, and that at a subsequent time, and with ink of a different color 
from that in which the first order was made, the name Hartford had 
been marked out, and the name Oxford inserted. Just when this 
change was made has not been ascertained. Thirty years were to 
elapse before the bitter Oxford-Fowler county seat fight formally 
opened. Fowler had been laid out in 1871 for the ostensible purpose 
of making a bid for the county seat. It was, of course, a mistake to 
put the first county seat as far south as Oxford, the town being 
three miles from the southern boundary of the county. At the time 
it was chosen nearly the whole population was in the southern part 
of the county, but by 1873 the county was well settled, and there was 
a demand for a more central location. The immediate cause of the 
opening of hostilities was the condemnation of the courthouse at 
Oxford. An expert architect reported on March 20, 1873, that the 
building was beyond repair, and at once the Fowler people planned 
a campaign to secure the county seat. They saw that if a new court- 
house should be built at Oxford that they would have to wait for 
many years before another opportunity presented itself. Accord- 
ingly, they opened a vigorous fight which was marked by injunc- 
tions, law suits, mandamuses, and petitions and counter petitions. 
The commissioners first ordered the new courthouse built at Oxford 
but when the smoke of battle cleared away, it was seen quietly rest- 
ing in the town of Fowler. The formal transfer appears to have 
been made on July 10, 1874. Thus ended a fight which left a bitter 
feeling between the two rival towns which has not yet died down.^^^ 
Ohio, Tipton, and Richardville counties were organized in 1844, 
which brought the total number of counties up to ninetv. Ohio 
county owes its existence to a county seat fight. The origin of Ohio 
county has been noticed in the discussion of the county seat fight in 
Dearborn county. There is no doubt but that Ohio county was the 

"° Commissioners' Record. 

^'^ History of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton Counties, 1888, p. 241 eeq. 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 41 

result of the three cornered struggle between Lawrenceburgh, Wil- 
mington and Rising Sun for the county seat of Dearborn county. 
Rising Sun, of course, became the county seat of the new county 
upon its organization. 

Tipton and Richardville counties, organized largelv out of the 
old Miami Reserve, were formally organized on May 1. 1844. The 
first named county conferred a double honor on John Tipton, hav- 
ing both itself and its county seat named after him. Tipton has 
been the county seat from the first and has had but one incident in 
its whole career to cause it any trouble. This occurred in January, 
1858, when the old log courthouse, the first one built, was totally 
destroyed by fire. It is supposed that the desire of the citizens for a 
new building fully accounts for the conflagration. 

Richardville county was nearly all within the old Aliami Reserve, 
and this fact, together with a deference not usually shown, led the 
Legislature to name the new county in honor of Richardville. a 
Miami chief, and successor of Little Turtle. This fine sentiment 
toward the Indian soon disappeared, and the Legislature was called 
upon to rename the county. On December 28. 1846. the Legislature 
passed its first and only act changing the name of a count\- in 
Indiana. ^^^ The county was rechristened Howard, in honor of 
Tilghman A. Howard, a noted Indiana statesman of that time. 

Starke was next to the last county organized in the State. It 
was cut off from Marshall county and started its independent career 
on January 15, 1850.^*^'^ The locating commissioners established the 
county seat on April 1. 1850. at the present site of Knox. There 
was no town there at the time, but the site was chosen because of its 
central location. 

The ninety-second and last county in Indiana made its formal 
debut December 9, 1859. It had been organized in 1839 but the 
next year it was consolidated with Jasper and continued as a part 
of that county for the next twenty years. There was a struggle of 
three years to get the county started. ^"*^ In 1857 it became known 
that there was an eflFort being made to form a new county out of 
Jasper with a county seat on the Kankakee river. The citizens of 
Jasper county living west of range 7 at once called a meeting at 

^<^ Local Laws of Indiana, 1846-47, p. 261. 

^"^ Laws of Indiana, 1849-50, p. 213, 

i»«Ade, John, Newton comity, 1912, p. 56 seq. 



42 Indiana Magazine of History 

Morocco and resolved to petition tlie commissioners of Jasper county 
to set off a new county to be known as llcaver. Afterward. l)ut at 
the same meeting, the name was chansj^ed to Newton. The i)etition 
as presented at the September meeting- of the commissioners carried 
the name of nearly every voter of the western half of Jasper. The 
citizens of the other half of Jasper protested against the division of 
the county and two days later the petition was dismissed on the 
ground that some of the names had been attached to the petition 
before the law authorizing a division had taken place. But the 
citizens of the proposed county were not to be denied. Within 
twentv-four hours horsemen were dispatched throughout the pro- 
posed county with the result that a second petition was ready to lay 
before the commissioners representing an overwhelming majority of 
the citizens. Although the board had adjourned to meet in the 
morning, the petition was ready to be handed in, the commissioners 
heard of the desperate efforts of the citizens of the western half of 
the county and failed to show up. Nothing was done now until the 
December meeting when the Kankakee people presented a counter 
petition to organize a county with a county seat on the Kankakee. 
Their petition was dismissed and the Newton county petition grant- 
ed. An appeal was taken to the circuit court, then to the supreme 
court, where the Newton county citizens were sustained. This de- 
cision was handed down in November, 1859, and on December 8, 

1859, the commissioners of Jasper county made the final order on 
their records defining the boundaries of the new county. Kent, a 
town two miles from the southern line of the county, was made the 
county seat. Morocco, Brook, Beaver City, and a point about three 
miles east of Morocco were also considered by the commissioners. 
Since 1860 there have been nine efforts to locate the county seat at 
a more central point. Taking advantage of the act of March, 1855, 
whereby a county seat may be relocated upon a petition of two- 
thirds of the legal voters of a county, the advocates of Beaver City 
presented such a -petition to the commissioners on September 6, 

1860. They had already erected a courthouse on the proposed site, 
an exact duplicate of the one at Kent. The commissioners ruled 
that the petition did not have the necessary two-thirds and dismissed 
the petition. The town of Brook made a second effort to secure the 
coveted honor and on June 3, 1861, presented a petition which they 
claimed contained two-thirds of the voters, but they were overruled 



Shocklry: County Scat Wars 43 

on the gTonnd that manv of the signers had joined the army and 
were therefore not legal voters. Beaver City tried again on May 
17, 1869, to get the county seat but two days later their petition was 
dismissed. Morocco made the fourth attempt on IMarch 10, 1870, 
but they withdrew their petition for some cause not disclosed on the 
following day. Two years later Brook again appeared in the field 
and on December 24, 1872, presented a petition bearing 902 names 
but it was set aside the day following. Morocco must have had 
some energetic citizens, for on June 19, 1876, they started a deter- 
mined fight and were not defeated until the case had been carried 
frpm the commissioners' court to the Newton countv circuit court, 
from there to the Jasper county circuit court, thence to 
the Tippecanoe circuit court, and finally, to the supreme 
court of the State. These six attempts had been made under the 
law of 1855 and no further eiforts were made to secure relocation 
until after the law of March 2, 1899.^'^' The law was backed by the 
people of Morocco and provided that an election for or against relo- 
cation shall be held upon the petition of four hundred legal voters, 
two hundred of whom must have been free holders at the last gen- 
eral election. If sixty-five per cent, of the voters favor relocation, 
the change must be made. Backed Sy the act. the citizens of 
Morocco presented on April 2. 1900, a petition in accordance with 
the act, and an election was held on June 19, 1900. The vote stood 
1,515 for relocation and 1,415 opposed to a change. Since the peti- 
tioners had failed to secure the necessary sixty-five per cent, of the 
vote cast, the county seat remained at Kentland. Brook made the 
eighth attempt with a petition presented July 3, l'X)0. The election 
was held September 25, 1900, at which time 1,337 votes were cast 
for relocation and 1,208 against it. And Kentland still remained the 
county seat. The ninth and last attempt was made bv Goodland in 
the same year. On October 1 a petition was presented in accord- 
ance with the law of 1899, and the commissioners set the election for 
January 30. 1901. The Kentland people took an appeal to the cir- 
cuit court, which sustained the commissioners. The case was car- 
ried to the supreme court and on March 19, 1902, it sustained the 
action of the circuit court, and ordered the commissioners to fix 
another date for election. They selected June 7, 1902, and at that 
time 1,834 votes were cast for relocation and 697 against the same. 

^<" Latcs of Indiana, 1899, p. 210. 



^j^ Indiana Maya.zinc of History 

Keiitlaiul had apparently been beaten at last, for the necessary sixty- 
five per cent, was in favor of removing- the county scat to Goodland. 
But the end was not yet. The case was taken from the commis- 
sioners' court to the Newton county circuit court, from there it was 
venued to White county, from White county it was carried to the 
supreme court of the State and the latter in November, 1903, in a 
leng-thy decision decided in favor of Kentland. In order to fore- 
stall such a close call again, Kentland began to agitate the (|uestion 
of a new courthouse and on April 3, 1905, a contract was let for a 
new courthouse for the sum of $26,19.S. The advocates of relocation 
now made their last desperate light and tried by every legal means 
to stop the erection of the proposed building. The case finally lancfed 
in the supreme court and a decision of that court on June 30, 1905. 
stopped evorvthing. I'y this time the building was started, the foun- 
dation laid and the side walls up to the second story. Another year 
of legal warfare ensued but the building was finally completed and 
turned over to the county on xA-Ugust 6, 1906. Kentland now bids 
fair to hold the count}- seat for several years to come without having 
to undergo any effort to retain it. 

Thus ends the story of the county seats of Indiana u)) to 1914, 
l)ut there is good reason tr) believe that succeeding years will see 
further changes. The hundred years of Indiana history have seen 
thirtv-nine counties with from two to seven county seats each, and a 
total of one hundred and thirty-five towns in the State which have 
been county seats at some time. 

.•\PPE\B1X 
The following table shows the order in which the counties were 
organized, the date of the organizing act, and the date when the organ- 
ization was actually made by the commissioners appointed for that 

ouroose- ^'^to of Dat(- -Act 

puij^usc. Legislative Act. Became Effective. 

1. Knox June 20, 1790 1790 

2. Clark Feb. 3. 1801 ' 1801 

3. Dearborn Mar. 7. 1803 1803 

4. Harrison Oct. 11, 1808 Dec. 1, 1808 

5. Jefferson Nov. 23, 1810' Feb. 1. 1811 

6. Franklin 1 Nov. 27, 1810 I'eb. 1, 1811 

7. Wayne Nov. 27, 1810 Feb. 1, 1811 

8. Warrick Mar. 9, 1813 .\pril 1, 1813 

9. Gibson Mar. 9, 1813 .Xpril 1, 1813 

10. Washington Dec. 21, 1813 Tan. 17, 1814 

11. Switzerland Sept. 7. 1814 Oct. 1, 1814 



Shockley: County Seat Wars 



45 



Date of 



Legislativ 

12. Posey Sept. 7 

13. Perry Sept. 7 

14. Jackson Dec. 18 

15. Orange Dec. 26 

16. Sullivan Dec. 30, 

17. Jennings Dec. 27 

18. Pike Dec. 21 

19. Daviess Dec. 24 

20. Dubois Dec. 20 

21. Spencer Jan. 10 

22. Vanderburgh Jan. 7 

23. Vigo Jan. 21 

24. Crawford Jan. 29 

25. Lawrence Jan. 7 

26. Monroe Jan. 14 

27. Ripley Dec. 27 

Jan. 14 

28. Randolph Jan. 10 

29. Owen Dec. 21 

30. Fayette Dec. 28 

31. Floyd Jan. 2 

32. Scott Jan. 12 

33. Martin Jan. 17 

34. Union Jan. 5 

35. Greene Jan. 5 

36. Bartholomew Jan. 8 

37. Parke Jan. 9 

38. Morgan Dec. 31 

39. Decatur Dec. 31 

40. Shelby. Jan. 3, 

41. Rush Dec. 31 

42. Marion Dec. 31 

43. Putnam Dec. 31 

44. Henry Dec. 31 

45. Montgomery Dec. 21 

46. Hamilton Jan. 8 

47. Johnson Dec. 21 

48. Madison Jan. 4 

49. Vermillion Jan. 2 

50. Allen Dec. 17 

51. Hendricks Dec. 20, 

52. Clay Feb. 12 

53. Tippecanoe Jan. 20, 

54. Fountain Dec. 31 

55. Warren Mar. 1 

56. Delaware Jan. 20, 1820 



e Act. 
1814 
1814 
1815 
1815 
1816 
1816 
1816 
1816 
1817 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1816 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1818 
1819 
1820 
1820 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1822 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1821 
1822 
1823 
1822 
1820 
1824 
1823 
1823 
1825 
1826 
1825 
1827 



Date Act 


Became 


Effective 


Nov. 


1, 


1814 


Nov. 


1, 


1814 


Jan. 


1, 


1816 


Feb. 


1, 


1816 


Jan. 


15, 


1817 


Feb. 


1, 


1817 


Feb. 


1, 


1817 


Feb. 


15, 


1817 


Feb. 


1, 


1818 


Feb. 


1, 


1818 


Feb. 


1, 


1818 


Feb. 


15, 


1818 


Mar. 


1, 


1818 


Mar. 


1, 


1818 


April 


10, 


1818 


April 


10. 


1818 


Aug. 


10, 


1818 


Jan. 


1, 


1819 


Jan. 


1, 


1819 


Feb. 


? 


1819 


Feb. 


1, 


1820 


Feb. 


1, 


1820 


Feb. 


1, 


1821 


Feb. 


5, 


1821 


Feb. 


12, 


1821 


April 


2 


1821 


Feb. 


15, 


1822 


Mar. 


4, 


1821 


April 


1, 


1822 


April 


1, 


1822 


April 


1, 


1822 


.^pril 


1, 


1822 


Tune 


1, 


1822 


Mar. 


1. 


1823 


April 


7, 


1823 


Mav 


5, 


1823 


July 


1, 


1823 


Feb. 


1, 


1824 


April 


1. 


1S24 


April 


1. 


1824 


April 


1, 


1825 


Mar. 


1, 


1826 


April 


1. 


1826 


Mar. 


1, 


1827 


April 


1, 


1827 



46 



Indiana Maga.zinc of History 



57. Hancock 



58. 
59. 
60. 
61. 
62. 
63. 
64. 
65. 
66. 
67. 

68. 

69. 
70. 



73. 
74. 
75. 
76. 
77. 
7^. 
79. 
80. 
81. 
82. 
83. 
84. 
85. 
86. 
87. 
88, 
89. 
90. 
91. 
02 



Carroll 

Cass 

Clinton 

St. Joseph 



Jan. 
Jan. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Jan. 



Date • of 
I^egislative 

26, 

26, 

24, 
7. 



Elkhart Jan. 

Boone Feb. 

Grant Jan. 

Laporte Feb. 

Lagrang-e l-'eb. 

Huntington Feb. 

Feb. 
Miami Jan. 

Fcl). 

White Feb. 

Wabash Jan. 

Jan. 

I'lirter Jan. 

Adams Fel). 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jay I'eb. 

Noble Jan. 

Fulton F~eb. 

Marshall Feb. 

Brown Fel). 

Kosciusko Jan. 

Lake Jan. 

Steuben Jan. 

DeKalb Feb. 

Wells Feb. 

Jasper I'el). 

Whitley Jan. 

P>lackford Feb. 

Pulaski T'\>lx 

Benton Jan. 

Ohio Jan. 

Tipton Jan. 

*Richardville Jan. 

Starke Jan. 

t Xewton Jan. 



18, 

21, 

29, 

29, 

10, 

9, 

2, 

2, 

2, 

1, 

2_ 

1, 

2, 

22 

28. 

26, 

2_ 

23, 
30. 

6, 
23, 

4 

4, 

4. 
18, 
18, 
14, 

2, 
17, 
17, 
29, 
18. 
IS. 

4. 
15, 
15, 
15, 
15, 
29, 



Act. 

1827 
1827 
1827 
1828 
1828 
1830 
1830 
1830 
1831 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1834 
1834 
1834 
1832 
1835 
1836 
1827 
1835 
1836 
1836 
1836 
1836 
lS36 
1836 
1836 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1838 
1838 
1839 
1S39 
1840 
1840 
1844 
1844 
1850 
1844 
1839 



Date Act 
Became Effective. 



Mar. 1, 1828 

May 1, 1828 

April 13. 1829 

Mar. 1, 1830 



April 
April 
.\pril 
April 
-April 
April 
Dec. 



1. 1830 

1, 1830 

1, 1831 

1, 1832 

1, 1832 

1, 1832 

2, 1834 



Mar. 1, 1834 

April 1. 1834 

Mar. 1. 1835 

Feb. 1, 1836 

Mar. 1, 1836 



Mar. 
Mar. 
April 
April 
.\pril 
June 
Feb. 
May 
May 
May 
Mar. 
April 
After 
May 
Feb. 
Mar. 
May 
May 
Jan. 
Dec. 



1, 1836 

1, 1836 

1, 1836 

1, 1836 

1, 1836 

1, 1837 
15. 1837 

1, 1837 

1, 1837 

1, 1837 
15, 1838 

1, 1839 
pub.. 1839 

(). 1840 
18. 1840 
1, 1844 

1, 1844 

1, 1844 
15, 1850 
9, 1859 



County was changed to Mowai-fl Count.v )>♦• the Act of De- 



of 1838. but it was later 
0, was tlie order of the 
tH .separation from Jasper. 



*Richardvill( 
cemhcr 28, lS4fi 

tNewton County was first organized by the Act 

.ioined to Jasper. The date, Decsmber U. 18." 

Jasper County Commissioners formally authorizing i 



AN EARLY INDIANA SURVEYOR— LAZARUS B. 

WILSON 

By Alma Winston Wilson (his tenth child) 

The families of Wilson, Jennings and Tomlinson crossed the 
Atlantic with the colony following William Penn about the year 
1685. All were from England, and being of the same "Meeting" 
of Quakers, were all Friends, and relatives. They settled first in 
the vicinity of Philadelphia, and from there moved to different 
parts of the adjacent country. 

Thomas \\'ilson, my grandfather, was born January 13. 1753, 
and died at S])rigs Mill, Washington County, Maryland — five miles 
north of Hagerstown — December 14, 1798. He lived in Bucks 
Countv at the time of his enlistment in the Revolutionary Army, 
as lieutenant, in Captain Joseph Tomlinson's company, and later, left 
his company for three da}s — to be married to his captain's sister. 
Miss Sarah Tomlinson, ^Tay 20, 1778. Returning to the scene of 
war, he served faithfully to the end, assisting in receiving the 
standards from Cornwallis" army when he surrendered at York- 
town. 

In a book entitled I'lic Boys of '76, the author. Charles Carleton 
Coffin, makes mention of that event; although he makes a mistake in 
stating the age of the young sergeant to 1)e eighteen instead of 
twenty-eight. 

At the close of the war Thomas Wilson, with his young family, 
moved to Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where, on March 2, 179.-i, 
his seventh child. Lazarus Brown Wilson, was born. But before 
this seventh child had reached his seventh year, he was bereft of 
both parents, and was taken to Hagerstown, Maryland, to live with 
older members of the family. It was there he grew into boyhood, 
and from boyhood to manhood; and when in 1812 the call was made 
to "beat your plowshares into swords," this tall, stalwart boy bid 
good-bye to his loved ones and marched with his comrades to Balti- 
more, where he was mustered in Captain Thomas Ouantrill's Com- 
pany of Fowler's 39th Regiment, Maryland A'lilitia, and was at the 
battles of Fort McHenrv and North Point. 



48 Indiana Magazine of History 

As a girl of fourteen years, studying United States history, it 
was my habit to commit my lesson to memory after supper, and re- 
cite it to my father before he retired. Well do I remember the 
night when, as he sat on one side of the table and I on the other, in 
the sitting-room of the old homestead, I handed him the history, 
saying, "I'm ready." As he slowly arranged his spectacles he asked, 
"Daughter, what is your lesson about tonight?" "Fort McHenry 
and North Point," I replied. And as he took the history he closed 
it. and laying it on the table, said: "Well, daughter, I can tell you 
more about those battles than your book can." "How so?" said I. 
"Because I was there," he replied. 

And then he began the story of how his regiment — and history 
tells us that there were four hundred and fifty picked men of 
Fowler's 39th Regiment who with other detachments formed the 
garrison,- — marched all day in a cold September rain, to Baltimore, 
and at nightfall he and his comrades were too exhausted to eat their 
rations, and, spreading their blankets on the wet ground, each man 
rolled himself up as a bundle and lay all night with the rain falling 
upon him. 

You know the rest — how the British regulars fired and fled ; 
how the British ships poured shot and shell into Fort McHenry from 
sunrise, September 13th, to sunrise. September 14. 1814; and while 
my father was one, who was giving shot for shot and was defending 
the flag behind the fort, Francis Scott Key, held as a prisoner on a 
British war ship in the harbor, watched through the port-hole 

The fockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air 

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there, 

* * * 

And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

For this service my father received the land warrant ordered by 
Congress, March 3, 1855, numbered 56,941. The war over, he left 
home, as many a youth has done, to carve his own name on the pages 
of history, and with one companion, went, in a canoe, down the river 
from Pittsburgh to Natchez, and there began the active pursuit of 
fortune. His retentive mind, love of nature and books, and a thirst 
for knowledge, must have enabled him to gather up the elements of 
a higher education by the way, for in 1822 he was engaged as a 
surveyor and civil engineer in Missouri, in which employment he 



Wilson: Early Indiana Surveyor 49 

became identified with the surveys and public work? all over this 
western wilderness. 

He then came to Indiana, making a temporary stop at Paoli, in 
Orange County, reaching Indianapolis for permanent residence 
about 1825. Here he was a companion and co-laborer of that class 
of first citizens upon whom rested the growth and development of 
the town which they had founded. He secured -valuable propertv, 
much of which was afterward sunk in his excessive zeal for railroad 
improvement, for the generation of restless travelers was not yet 
born, and the immigrant had not yet found "The Promised Land." 
In 1828 he was employed by the State as engineer in the system of 
Internal Improvements, the chief of which was the Wabash and 
Erie Canal. He was civil engineer on the "National Road" from 
Pittsburgh to St. Louis in 1832 to 1838. but when word reached the 
little town of Indianapolis, in June. 1832. that Rlack Hawk, chief 
of the Sac Indians, was on his way to scalp the pioneers of Indiana, 
there was a call for volunteers, and again his patriotic zeal asserted 
itself, and with a company, organized by Captain Drake, armed with 
rifles, tomahawks and knives, he marched to Fort Dearborn ( now 
Chicago) under command of Colonel Russell, where the brave 
volunteers, ready to protect their families and homes at any cost, 
found that Indiana was not invaded, and the troops she raised were 
not needed ; but there was every reason for the terror of the settlers 
and their prompt response, as Black Hawk was known to be a cun- 
ning and skillful leader. On their return home the company was 
christened and heralded as the Bloody Three Hundred, a name by 
which it is knoAvn in history to this day. 

The next important event in the life of Lazarus B. \\'ilson may 
be introduced by a letter he wrote to ]\Iary Todd Barbee. of Paris. 
Kentucky, a beautiful girl of nineteen, who was visiting her aunt. 
Mrs. John G. Brown, in the homestead which stood fronting Meri- 
dian street on ground now covered by the Federal Building. It is 
as follows : 

Fort Wayne, April 6th. 1833. 
My Dear Mary : 

You gave me permission to write one letter to you and 
that one, I will give now. As I am extremely anxious to hear 
from you; and I cannot reasonably anticipate a letter until after 
I shall have written. The time appears long — very long, my dear 
Mary, since I left you: and yet it is as nothing, compared with 



50 Indiana Magazine of History 

that which must yet elapse before I shall enjoy the pleasure of seeing 
you again. 

But the promise of Mary to make me the happiest man in 
Indiana, when I return, affords me the most pleasing anticipations 
of future bliss; and my heart assures me that there is an "eye 
will mark my coming, and look brighter when I come." Does it 
deceive me, my dear Mary? Does it flatter me, when it would per- 
suade me, that in Mary, I meet with a corresponding feeling of 
affection? I hope it does not — for it is so sweet a thing to love — 
to know that the object of our love, is worthy of all our affections: 
And to feel that we are beloved by that being whom we adore — 
nay — almost worship — constitutes so happy a state of feeling — so much 
of heaven on earth, that I would not forego it — even if it were ideal, 
only. But I must change the topic. 

I arrived here on the evening of the fourth day — I found the 
road much better than I had expected — and the weather pleasant — 
tho' cold. 

Fort Wayne is a larger place than I had expected to find. And 
it is handsomely situated, on the south bank of the St. Mary's river — 
down which it extends eastward, to the old Fort, which is at the 
junction of the last mentioned stream with the St. Joseph's — here 
they form the Maumee river. I am thus minute; as this may be- 
come your place of residence. In regard to the inhabitants I can 
say but little; as I have become acquainted with but few — and with 
none of your sex. Mr. William's Lady,' is at this time in Chilli- 
cothe at her father's;" — but she will meet him in Piqua about the 
20th of next month to return to this place (which will be about the. 
24th.) I will then immediately start to Indianapolis, to bring mj' dear 
lovely Mary; but before that day arrives, I shall expect to receive 
several letters from her. And upon the receipt of the first one, 
I promise to give her one thrice the length of this, in answer. In 
conclusion, my dear Mary, let me urge j^ou to give me an early 
answer — I hope you will be able to inform me that your dear Aunt 
has regained her health. I shall ever esteem her very highly, for 
telling me that Mary was a good girl — Give me what news you have 
from Kentucky — And all the news in Indianapolis. 

The mails are so irregular between this place and Indianapolis; 
that if you should defer writing for one week, after you receive 
this — your answer may not reach me before this time next month: 
Direct to Fort Wayne. 

We meet with the natives every day. Men, squaws and papoos. 
And I have no doubt, but that, I could have a very neat pair of 
moccasins made, if 1 only knew the length, in inches and parts of an 
inch, of a certain little foot. Perhaps you may say, that I have 

' Mr. Jesse L. Williams. 
'■' Judge Creighton. 



PVilson: Early Indiana Surveyor 51 

seen it, often enough to retain a recollection of its length: this 
may be true; but to look well, it should fit very neatly. 

This is a lovely night — the moon has risen from her watery 
bed, and seems to weep, because the dense atmosphere which hangs 
like a murky curtain along the eastern horizon, clouds or obscures 
the lusture of her borrowed beams. The clouds have disappeared, 
and the winds have crept into their caves; all is silent and calm, 
save a single voice, and that is the voice of a woman — lovely woman, 
and altho" two tenements ofi — I can distinguish the words of "home 
sweet home". Oh! this is a sweet song to a stranger. It calls him 
back to the society of friends most dear to him; to scenes most 
lovely and sacred — to acts of kindness — and words of love : It wakes 
a recollection, which is pleasing — because it is mournful, and mournful, 
because it portrays scenes of "joy departed, never to return." 

Remember me with much kindness to your Aunt and Uncle 
and, to the "'Forest Bride." and believe me to remain, ever my dear 
Mary, Yours 

L. B. Wilson. 

Their marriage was celebrated at noon, June 18, 1833, the bridal 
couple leaving- immediately in the stage coach for Fort Wayne, 
where my father was then engaged in the Government survey. 
Fifty-six descendants have loved their name and honored their 
memory. 

The old covered bridge across White river at Washington street, 
removed a few years ago was built from plans furnished by him, 
the work being completed in 1834. As civil engineer, he surveyed, 
located, and superintended the construction of the railroad from 
New Albany to Michigan City, from the time of its beginning to its 
completion, and was then offered its superintendence, which he de- 
clined. He was among the first and most zealous advocates of rail- 
roads. Indeed, it was said of him, that on that subject he was a 
quarter of a century in advance of his times, contributing largely to 
their success, though losing money in so doing. As a prophet of the 
railroad, he lived to see the fulfillment of his predictions, which 
were considered visionary when they were made. 

In 1844 and '45 he was president of the common council. In 
1848 he visited Philadelphia, New York and Boston on business con- 
nected with the Internal Improvements. During the sixties, when 
age forbade active participation in the Civil War. it was his eldest 
son, Oliver,''^ who gave expression to the patriotic zeal of his father, 

3 Major Oliver M. Wilson. 



\ 
52 Indiana Maga.3ine of History 

and marched away to southern battlefields as captain in the 54th 
Indiana Volunteers. From that time on. my father lived a life of 
retirement, and my mind recalls the time when a laro^e circle gathered 
on Sabbath evenings around the open fireplace in the old homestead, 
and at twilight, his strong voice was heard with others, in singing, 
the old familiar hymns, "^Safely through another week," "There is a 
land of pure delight," and many more of precious memory. But the 
voices of that hearth are still and the circle that gathered on Sab- 
bath evening is broken, and only a memory. 

For forty-two years he shared with his beloved Mary, the same 
joys and sorrows which fall to the lot of many of God's children, 
and on April 10, 1875, after all Life's battles had been fought, 
"Death came as the benediction, that follows after Prayer." 

"But to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." 

His body was interred in Crown Hill cemetery, Indianapolis, 
where, surrounded by those he loved in life, he rests, "Until the day- 
break and the shadows flee away." 



THE NEWSPAPERS OE RUSH COUNTY 

By John F. Moses, Former Editor of the Rushville Republican^ 
Rushville, Indiana 

Rush county's first printer, publisher and editor was William D. 
M. Wickham. By the very few now living- who knew him he is 
remembered as a tall, angular man, of eccentric manners and speech. 
According to the late Dr. John Arnold (long an authority on local 
history), Mr. Wickham issued the first number of a little paper, 
about ten by twelve inches in size, at Rushville, either late in 1822 
or early in 1823, under the whimsical title of the Dog Fennel 
Gazette. This was very soon after the organization of Rush county. 
Although it is said to have been published for several years, no 
copies are known to be in existence at this time. Dr. Arnold 
describes the printing press as the top of a sycamore stump. The 
impression was made with a lever — a sapling let into a mortise in a 
tree which stood close beside the stump. Another version of the 
stor}' is that the printer secured his "power" at the corner of a stout 
rail fence. Later, Wickham built himself a better machine of tim- 
bers, which he humorously called "Wickham's Velocity Press." The 
home and printing office were under the same roof. 

Mr. Wickham made a second venture with the True American, 
the first number of which is dated September 17, 1831. This was 
a four-column folio, with columns 12 inches long, and was printed 
on a sheet 13 by 21^4 inches in size. In his "salutatory" the editor 
admits a Jacksonian bias, but promises to "meddle with politics 
very sparingly," and to give his patrons "the best reading obtainable, 
including Foreign and Domestic Intelligence, Legislative and 
Congressional Proceedings, Miscellany, and the production of the 
Muse." A three-line notice of a meeting of the Circuit Court is the 
sole item of local news in this first issue : but the advertisements 
aflford a glimpse of the life of the village. These represent one 
merchant, a druggist, a milliner, a shoemaker, two lawyers, a 
militia muster, a local lottery and a stray horse. Subscriptions 
were invited on a sliding scale commencing with one dollar a year, 



54 huiiaiia Magacinc of History 

cash in advance. Any kind of ■■nicrchantal)le produce" was a good 
tender. 

Tlie True American docs not seem to have prospered, for under 
date of January 5. 1833. Mr. Wickham brought out the Rushville 
Gazette as "a continuation of the True American." Tlie cohmms of 
the new paper were four inches longer than those of the old one, but 
they soon shrank to the same length. The sheet was much too large 
for the printed pages, leaving great margins, which excited mirth 
among "envious contemporaries." On one occasion when Mr. 
Wickham's pages were full and he pripted the report of a local 
election on the margin of his paper, their gibes provoked an inter- 
change of heated and uncomplimentary remarks. Reference is 
made in the first number of the Gazette to "many attempts and fre- 
quent failures to establish a press in Rushville" ; but names of other 
papers, if there were others, are not mentioned. 

The next paper in order, the Indiana Herald and Rnshi'illc 
Gacette, was probably the direct successor of the Rushville Gazette. 
as its name is included in that of the new paper. This was a folio 
with six wide columns to the page. It shows good work, both edi- 
torially and mechanically, and was Whig in politics. Its founders 
were Samuel Davis of Covington, J^entucky, and Thomas Wallace 
of Chillicothe, Ohio, who met as printers in Cincinnati, and there 
formed a friendship which led to this venture. Their first inunber 
bears the date of ]\Iarch 7, 1835. The pul)lication was continued by 
them imtil Decemlier. 1839, when Corydon Donnavan became owner. 
Mr. Davis returned to Covington, his former home. Mr. Wallace 
remained in Rushville, served two terms as county treasurer, and 
afterwards returned to the newspaper business. In 1862. he laid 
aside his work one "press day," to enlist in the 16th Indiana In- 
fantry. He died in the army some six months later. 

Mr. Donnavan, the new proprietor, changed both the name of the 
paper and its politics, is.suing his first number December 13, 1839, 
as Volume 1. No. 1, of the Hoosier and RnshTille Democratic 
Archi^r. with appro])nate politics. Its bistorv will be given 
farther on. 

The Whigs being thus left without an organ. Pleasant A. 
Hackleman, a leading lawyer of Rushville. joined with his brother, 
Oliver C. Hackleman. and on the 25th of April, 1840. brought out 
the Rushville Whis^. New material was shipped from Cincinnati to 



Moses: Neivspapers of Rush County 55 

Laurel by canal and wagoned from there to Riishvilk-, which liad 
no railroad at that time. P. A. Hackleman was editor and made the 
paper a force in Indiana politics. In April, 1843, the property 
passed into the hands of R. F. Brown. P. A. Hackleman, who con- 
tinued as editor, was an orator and writer of great power. He 
served as clerk of Rush county, was one of Lincoln's Peace Com- 
missioners at the outbreak of the Civil War, afterwards Colonel of 
the 16th Indiana Regiment, and had reached the rank of Brigadier- 
General when he was killed in battle at Corinth, Mississippi. His 
brother Oliver spent most of his remaining years as a farmer. The 
Rush County Farmers' Insurance Association, which lie organized, 
is a monument to his foresight, courage and public s]Mrit. He died 
in Rushville at an advanced age. 

R. F. Brown sold the IVhig in 1846 to Granville Cowing and 
Nerval W. Cox, two young Rushville printers, who changed its 
name to the True Republican, but continued it as a strong Whig 
paper, with General Hackleman as editor. After his news])aper days 
ended, Mr. Cowing held a position in the L^nited States Treasury 
Department at Washington. For many years he has lived at ]\Tuncie. 
devoting himself to horticulture. Mr. Cox moved to Kansas, was a 
member of the Leavenworth City Council, and served with credit 
in a Kansas regiment in the Civil War. He finally settled in Little 
Rock, Arkansas, where he was for six years clerk of the Arkansas 
Supreme Court, for seventeen years clerk of the Little Rock schoof 
board and was Grand Master of the Arkansas Odd-Fellows one 
term. He died in 1896. Very little is known to the present writer 
about R. F. Brown after his leaving Rushville. At the close of 1884, 
while he was publishing the St. Paris (O.) Disf^afch, his office 
burned, and he was seeking another location. 

From this time on, frequent changes of owners mark tlie fluctu- 
ating fortunes of the early Rushville newspapers. In 1848, the 
names of T. Wallace & G. Cowing succeeded those of G. Cowing & 
N. W. Cox as publishers of the True Republican. In 1850-51. the 
firm name was T. Wallace and D. M. Bell. Three changes occurred 
in 1852. Thomas Wallace had it in May: D. M. Bell & Co. fol- 
lowed in September; and in October the editor was the late George 
C. Clark, for many years afterwards President of the Rushville 
National Bank. Before the end of the year, the paper suspended, 
having reached its 17th volume (including the IVhig.) 



56 Indiana Magazine of History 

On the 5th of January, 1853, the True Republican reappeared 
under the capable management of A. AI. Cowing and Thomas J. 
Kemper, who started off with Vol. I, No. 1. of a new series. In 
1854, these gentlemen changed the name to the Rushville Republican. 
In 1855, Nathan Shadinger bought Kemper's interest, and the style 
changed to A. M. Cowing & Co. In July of the same year, A. M. 
Cowing sold his interest to Lycurgus J. Cox and William J. Cowing 
and the name of the firm became Shadinger, Cox & Cowing. In 
1856, they changed the name to the Rushville Weekly Republican. 
In 1859. Mr. Shadinger dropped out. During the Civil War he 
entered the Union service and was an officer in a negro regiment. 
His two partners successfully continued the business under the name 
of Cox & Cowing until October 24, 1860, when .\ndrew Hall bought 
the ofifice. 

William J. Cowing removed to Washington City, to take a posi- 
tion in the Agricultural Department and becoming financially inter- 
ested in the street railways of that city, made his home there to the 
end of his life. 

Mr. Hall, who came next in order, had lived in Kansas- during 
the stirring period of the Kansas-Nebraska troubles and had activelv 
supported the Free-State movement. The management of the Re- 
publican rested on him during the trying first three years of the 
Civil War. The pinch of war-time conditions caused him to reduce 
the size of the paper for part of the time. He retired March 16, 
1864, but re-engaged in the newspaper business at Kentland. Indi- 
ana, served as clerk of Newton county and died there. 

His successor was L. J. Cox, who put ofif the editorial harness 
again June 21, 1865. Mr. Cox spent all his life in Rushville, which 
was his native town. 

Lieut. Winfield S. Conde, home from honorable service in the 
52d Indiana Infantry, succeeded him. January 3, 1866, William H. 
Shumm became a partner. He took over the whole business January 
22, 1868, with Alexander B. Campbell as editor and continued until 
September 9, 1868. The name of George \Y. Bates appeared as 
local editor at one time. All of these men are dead except Mr. 
Conde, who still lives near Rushville. During the whole of the 
Civil War the Republican ardently supported the Union cause. 

Drebert & Harrison, of Connersville. bought the Republican 
October 6, 1869. Harrison's name was dropped June 4, 1872. 



Moses: Newspapers of Rush County 57 

Frank T. Drebert was a good printer and an editorial writer of 
unusual ability. He sold the office to Charles \\'. Stivers, of Liberty, 
Indiana, August 17, 1876. For many years afterwards he published 
papers at Owatonna and Chatfield, Minnesota, and died in that 
state. 

At the end of six months Mr. Stivers sold the Republican to 
John F. Moses, of Huntington, Indiana (Feb. 1. 1877.) As al- 
ready stated. Rush county's first newspaper was printed on a home- 
made press. For nearly half a century follo>ving. its successors 
were laboriously "worked off" on the old Washington hand press, 
then in general use, at a speed of about 200 sheets an hour. In the 
summer of 1879, the Republican put in a hand cylinder press, the 
first in the county, which would hardly meet present day needs: but 
people used to crowd the press room on publication days, to see the 
new machine turn off 700 or 800 sheets an hoiu-. 

April 1, 1881, Mr. INIoses sold the Republican to Capt. Ulysses 
D. Cole, of Indiana])olis, with w'hom he had formerly been associated 
in the publication of the Huntington Herald. Flenry Holt, later of 
the Franklin Republican, and for many years past an attorney in 
Indianapolis, was Mr. Cole's local editor. He was succeeded by 
Carl R. Martin, afterwards founder of papers at Roslyn and Cle- 
EUum, Washington. In 1882, Mr. Moses resumed editorial work 
on the Republican, and bought a half interest in the property Janu- 
ary 1, 1884. At that time the firm name was changed to the Re- 
publican Company, which it still bears. Captain Cole was an ex- 
cellent newspaper man, retired in 1887, in bad health, and died 
several vears ago. Jacob Feudner acquired an interest in the prop- 
erty January 24, 1884. The Republican, which b.ad been a six-col- 
umn quarto for several years, was made a semi-weekly in 1891. Mr. 
Moses retired April 1, 1903. having been editor of the Republican 
for 26 years. Jacob Feudner, who then became owner of the jirnp- 
erty, still carries on the business. He started the daily edition in 
1904. At different times. Will G. McVev, John Rutlidge, Edward 
Hancock, Claude Simpson, Clifford Lee, Thomas J. Geraghty. B. 
O. Simpson, Allen Hiner and Roy Harrold have done reportorial 
work on the paper, the last-named being still in office. 

What goes before traces in outline the fortunes of the Rushville 
Whig and its successor, the Rushville Republican, from the begin- 
ning to the present time. The Democratic chronology' is as follows: 



58 hidiaua Macja-'jinc of History 

As alreadv indicated. Rush county's first three newspapers — the 
Dog Fennel Ga.ceftc, the True .Imcrican and the Rushville Garjette 
— all founded and ])ul)lislK'd 1)} W'ni. I). W'ickham, were Democratic 
in their sympathies. The fourth paper in the succession — the Indi- 
ana Herald and Rushville Gazette — estahlished by Davis & A\'allace 
in 1835 as a Whig paper, was sold to Corydon Donnavan in 1840. 
He changed its name to the Hoosier and Rushville Democratic 
Archive, and put it in line with Democratic policies. 

Tn 1845, the property came into the hands of Samuel S. Bratton, 
who at once dropped the inconvenient title and issued his first num- 
ber as Vol. I, No. 1, of the Jacksonian, a name which it still hears. 
The lack of complete files makes it necessary to trace ownership and 
editorship at some periods by stray copies of the paper. 

From October 16. 1850. to February 22, 1854, George W. 
Hargitt published the paper under the name of the Indiana Jack- 
sonian. April 12, 1855, it appears as the Rushville Jacksonian, 
with B. Burns as editor, and John L. Robinson as corresponding 
editor. Mr. Robinson, who was a native of Rush county, after- 
wards achieved much distinction in his party. He was county 
clerk, a member of Congress and U. S. marshal for Indiana. For 
years he was very influential in shaping his party's policies in Indi- 
ana. October 29, 1850, B. Burns and D. M. Bell controlled the 
Jacksonian. From October 22, 1858, to October 20, 1850, it car- 
ried the name of Robert J. Price, and suspended on the date last 
named. It reap]:)eared December 23, 1859, with Thomas Wallace 
as publisher and John L. Robinson and Fthelbert C. Hil>ben as 
editors. A month later Mr. Robinson was sole proprietor and pub- 
lisher. Robert J. Price and Thomas ]\larlatt succeeded him October 
5th, that year. On the 4th of .April. 1861, William .\. Cullen and 
Cyrus Crawford took charge, the former as editor. August 21st, 
following, Rodney L. Davis supplanted ]\lr. Crawford and the paper 
appeared as Vol. I, No. 1, of a new series. Mr. Cullen was ap- 
pointed lieutenant-colonel of the 123d Indiana Infantry (mustered 
into service March 9, 1864), and identified hiiuself with the Repub- 
lican party until 1896. He was probate and circuit judge, served 
in both houses of the Legislature and was for manv vears a leading 
member of the Rush county bar. 

The Jacksonian opposed the war for the Union, and the i)arty 
divided on war issues. Patronage fell off and the paper suspended 



Moses: Newspapers of Rush County 59 

publication — for how long it does not appear. But in order to 
revive it the local party leaders raised money for a new equipment 
by organizing a stock company, selling shares in all parts of the 
county. Robert S. Sproule was employed as publisher and editor. 
His first issue, dated July 7, 1862. was numbered V^ol. T, No. 1, of 
another new series. Files ar^ lacking to show how long this 
arrangement continued ; but Elsberry H. Perkins was in control 
November 18, 1863. Later, Mr. Perkins removed to Indianapolis 
and for thirty years or more held a responsible position with the 
Daily News. 

There seems to have been another suspension, for on August 31, 
1865. the paper reappeared with an announcement by Cyrus Craw- 
ford, that he had "commenced its republication." which he did by 
starting ofif with No. 1. Vol. I. of still another series, the file ex- 
tending only to the middle of the following December. 

The next file accessible shows that John S. Campbell- was in 
possession from November, 1867, to October 27, 1869. He had 
kept a bookstore in Rushville, afterwards removing to Greensburg, 
and spent his remaining years there. James ]\Ioody & Company 
succeeded him. Their editor was Finley Bigger, Sr.. a son of 
former Governor Sanuiel Bigger and a member of the bar at Rush- 
ville, who had been Register of the U. S. Treasury under President 
Buchanan. Another suspension occurred November 17. 1870. A 
month later the paper started up again under the management of 
Moody & Conde. In 1871-72. W. S. Conde was publisher. Still 
another suspension occurred in January, 1873. In May of that year, 
William E. Wallace, son of Thomas Wallace, an early local pub- 
lisher, took an interest in partnership with Mr. Conde. This arrange- 
ment was of brief duration, for a few week's later (July 24, 1873), 
the property was bought by George H. Puntenney, attornev, and W. 
E. \\'allace, who, in partnership or separately, owned and success- 
fully managed it for the following thirty-four years. Both were 
natives of Rush county, and both good newspaper men. Mr. Pun- 
tenney was editor of the paper for twenty-seven consecutive years. 
Puntennev & Wallace established the Daily Jacksonian July 25, 
1895. \\'illiam S. Meredith was local editor for seven years from 
1900, and Thomas A. Geraghty for a long period. In 1897, Mr. 
Puntenney bought out his partner and in 1900 Mr. Wallace repur- 
chased the entire property. In 1907, the Democrat Publishing Com- 



6o Indiana M aijazinc oj History 

pany was organized and bought the Jacksonian, the Graphic, the 
Daily Star, and the Independent, and merged tlieni all into one 
paper under the name of the Democrat, published daily and weekly. 
Will L. Newbold was president of the new company. Melvin Rec- 
tor, Robert M. Gibson and Thomas Geraghty were e(lit(3rial writers 
at different times. The plan did not succeed. Democrats missed 
the historic old name of the Jacksonian, and the managers found 
the organization too expensive to keep up. Finally, on the 15th of 
July, 1909, the paper and plant were sold to Will L. Newbold and 
George H. Puntenney, Jr., the latter a son of the former editor. 
These gentlemen restored the old name and the Daily and Weekly 
Jacksonion have since appeared under their management. Elgar 
Higgs has been reporter for a number of years. 

This brings the history of the local Democratic press in outline 
down to the present time. 

The Rushville Times, an independent weekly paper, was brought 
out by Lucian \V. Norris, April 12, 1870. Its publication cannot 
be traced beyond the following October. 

About March, 1877, George W. Bates and Albert Bunting 
started the Rushville Telegraph, using a plant furnished by Charles 
W. Stivers. The paper was discontinued after a few months. 

The Rushville Graphic was established Jr.ly 1. 1882, by Dr. Sam- 
uel W. McMahan and George W' . Campbell, attorney. It was a 
six-column quarto, Republican in politics, published , weekly. A 
prominent feature for some years was a department devoted to the 
interests of light-harness horse breeders, then of some importance in 
the county. In 1886, Mr. Campbell sold his interest to John K. 
Gowdy, and McMahan & Gowdy were owners until 1893 ; but Butler 
& Newby, as lessees, published the paper in 1891, and Gowdy & 
Newl)y, in 1892 and part of 1893. June 17. 1893, Harry E. Manor, 
of Alexandria, Indiana, bought the paper and took charge. Of his 
predecessors, Dr. McMahan purchased an interest in the Western 
Ilorseiuan, at Indianapolis, removed to that city, and died there. 
Mr. Gowdy, who still resides in Rushville, was twice sheriff of Rush 
county, twice county auditor, served as Republican' State Chair- 
man and was consul-general to France, a position to which he was 
appointed by President McKinley. Mr. Campbell is a practicing 
attorney at Rushville. The Graphic plant was damaged by fire, 
October 23, 1893, and sold to Samuel J. I'inncv. who resumed its 



Moses: Newspapers of Rush County 6i 

publication December 15. 1893, and later made it a semi-weekly. 
Mr. Finney associated Dr. George B. Jones with him July 10, 1895, 
and in June, 1896, retired, leaving Dr. Jones as publisher. F. C. 
and D. D. Hazelrigg. of Greensburg, had the property six months, 
and Joe M. Taylor, of Indianapolis, for one month, when Mr. Finney 
came into possession again. January 1, 1901, he sold out to Walter 
^ler and T. A. Geraghty. The former retired during the vear, 
leaving Mr. Geraghty as publisher. The latter issued from the 
same office the Daily Star, which he had previously started. From 
November, 1902. to 1907, the two editions were published bv the 
Star-Graphic Company, when they were bought by the Democrat 
Publishing Company and merged with the Rushville Democrat. 

In 1886, E. C. Charles started a four-page weekly paper at Car- 
thage, called the Carthage Clarion. Politically it was Republican. 
A few years later he sold his subscription list to the Rushville 
Graphic, and discontinued the Clarion. Later he began the publica- 
tion of another paper there under the title of the Carthagenian. 
Tliis paper was published for some years afterwards as the Carthage 
Record by William Allan, whose death caused its suspension. 
Publication was resumed by Chester G. Hill, into whose hands the 
property came next. The plant was nearly destroyed by fire, and 
the paper stopped again in consequence. After the lapse of some 
months he once more revived the paper as the Carthage Citiceii, 
with Miss Florence B. Hunt as editor, an arrangement which still 
continues. 

The pioneer paper at Milroy was the Advertiser, a four-page 
non-partisan weekly, founded by Charles H. Pollitt in 1882. He 
was succeeded by Marcus Fisher and George W. Rowe, in turn. 
During this period the name was changed to the Times and the 
.Wrc'.T. Dates are not available. It was finally suspended, atid re- 
vived as the Milroy Press by Harry O. Matthews in 1895. After 
him, Tohn P. Stech, present city treasurer of Rushville, was pub- 
lisher from August, 1896. He was succeeded by F. Curtis Green, 
who was publisher until about 1910, when it was sold to Clyde 
Archey. the present owner and editor. 

George S. Jones, a teacher, published the Manilla, Mat/ for some 
time in the '90s, but the paper was printed in Indianapolis. 

The Rushville American was established November 22. 1894, as 
a small four-page weekly by James E. Naden, who has been its only 



62 hidiaim Maija.zinc of History 

owner. In 1902 it was enlarged to eight pages and in 1909 was 
made a semi-weekly. The American supported the Republican 
partv until 1912. when it took part with the Progressives. 

In 1904, John Rutlidge began the pul)lication of the Rushville 
Independent, weekly, and continued it until 1907, when it was 
bought by the Democrat Publishing Company and discontinued. 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A NOTED PIONEER 
Written by E. W. H. Ellis, of Goshen' 

My father, William Robinson Ellis, was the son of Ezekiel FJlis 
an officer in the Revolution serving under (jeneral Washington, and 
was born in Windham county, Connecticut, April 6, 1784. His mid- 
dle name he derived from his mother, Elizabeth Robinson, of whose 
family I know nothing. He was a man of common school education 
for that period. Studied medicine. I don't know where, with Dr. 
Winter Hewett, a man of some note in his profession, who died in 
Batavia, Genesee county. New York. My father practiced his 
profession awhile in ^^'indsor, Vermont, afterwards at German 
Flats, Herkimer county and at Penfield, Ontario county. New York. 
In 1808 he was married to Hannah Brown, daughter of Capt. Isaac 
Brown, who commanded a company of drafted men in the War of 
1812. His residence was in the town of Locke, Cayuga county. 
New York. During the War of 1812. in addtion to the duties of 
his profession, mv father engaged in merchandise in Penfield, some 
10 miles from Rochester, New York, then in the county of Ontario, 
but since known as Monroe county. On the proclamation of peace 
in 1815, owing to the great downfall in prices, and the dishonesty 
of his partners, his financial prospects were ruined, and he ' was 
forced to close business and sacrifice all his means. 

At this place I was born on he 28th day of April, 181.^. An- 
other family occupied the upper story of the house, one Erastus 
Yeomans, to which also came a son on the same date. If I formed 
anv acquaintance with the chap I have long since forgotten him. but 
in his honor or his fathers, I am christened Erastus. My father's 
preceptor also had to be remembered and thus was added the two 
middle names making in all a name that but few have heard in full, 
or can remember — Erastus Winter Hewett Ellis. 

In the vear 1820, in company with my uncle. Daniel Ellis, my 
father determined to try his fortunes in the far west and accordingly 
embarked in an humble craft, skiflf or scow, I can not say what, at 

1 Mr. Ellis died at his home in Goshen October, 10, 1876. He was s.^-ving 
as postmaster of the citv at the time of his death. 



64 India}ia Magazine of History 

Ocean Point on the Alleghany river, descended to Pittsburg and 
thence floated down the Ohio to Cincinnati. I can barely remember 
this place from the hearing of an organ as we passed one of the 
churches. \\'e settled at Jacksonburg, a small town in Butler 
county, Ohio, when my school days began. My first teacher was 
Peter Muntz who died a few years since in Elkhart county, Indiana, 
in whose possession I found a school book published by my father 
entitled A Minor to Noah IVehster's Spelling Book. I learned 
rapidly in reading and orthography and at tiie age of seven was 
regarded in all that country round as a prodigy in spelling. My 
father, who was sometimes a teacher himself, took pride in showing 
me ofif, and I was the champion in all the spelling matches in the 
neighborhood. I am a tolerable speller yet, but I have had a good 
many bad spells since I was a boy. 

Owing to his disappointments in business, my father became 
discontented and restless and although always successful as a prac- 
titioner, he never remained long in any one place, but removed from 
point to point, going as far west aS Leavenworth, Indiana, and then 
step by step back through Bellefontaine, Ohio, to Maumee, thence 
down the lake in April, 1826, to Buffalo, and thence to Knowles- 
ville. New York, where my mother died on the first of November, 
1828. She left surviving her myself, nearly 14 years of age, my 
brother W. R. Ellis, five years younger, my sister Lucv Ann born in 
1822 and my brother Isaac Brown, born in 1824. The latter died in 
the I'^nion army in 1863 or 1864 near Nashville, Tennessee. 

While at Knowlesville I attended one term at Grainer's Academy 
in the study of Latin, and in the winter and spring of 1829 I taught 
school in the town of Royalton, Niagara county. New York in two 
several districts, for five months, and was just at the close of my 
term when my father who had always designed me for the medical 
profession, wrote me that he had found a situation for me ro study 
medicine at Brockport, New York. \ immediately started for home, 
walked fifteen miles to Knowlesville and having no monev to pay 
my passage on the canal, T pawned my watch for a small sum and 
proceeded homewards. About the fir.st of September, 1829. I ac- 
companied my father to Brockport, to the office of Dr. John B. 
Elliot, a regular physician of considerable repute and success, and 
was received a few weeks on probation. We afterwards entered 
into a written obligation, whereby I agreed to remain with him dur- 



Ellis: Autobiography of a Pioneer 65 

ing my minority, to attend his drugstore and do whatever else was 
necessary about the office and house. He was to be mv preceptor in 
medicine, and was to furnish me board and clothing, but I \\as to 
repay him when I should be able for the clothing advanced for the 
first two years. In other words I was to serve the first two years 
for my board and tuition. 

Thus I was duly installed a student of medicine and remained 
with him for seven years. It was a pleasant family and I remember 
wath affection Mrs. Joanna Elliot, who was to me during all this 
period of seven years more than a mother. I was regarded and 
treated more as a son than a stranger, and I owe much to them for 
my early training. Dr. Elliot and wife were earnest Presbyterians, 
very devoted and very zealous. I attended church with them almost 
constantly after the first year or two, and was for years librarian of 
the sabbath school and a member of the choir. I was an industrious 
student, always up at five in the morning, and seldom abed till 
eleven at night. During the day my time was mainly occupied in 
attendance upon the drug store, compounding medicines, posting 
books so that my morning and evening hours were necessarily de- 
voted to the books. Besides my regular studies and the care of 
the store, I found leisure for miscellaneous reading, and at the age 
of sixteen began to write extensively in prose and verse, but at first 
anonvmously, for the press. I wrote with a prolific pen for various 
literary papers of that day, but little of it I think survives in any- 
one's recollection. In the winter of 1833-4 I attended medical lec- 
tures at Jefiferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and was a portion 
of the time a roommate of Dr. Daniel Brainard. recently of Chicago. 
On my return in the spring of 1834, I underwent an examination 
at Rochester, Ncvn^ York, and received my diploma shortly before my 
19th birthday. The censors were pleased to say that I passed the 
best examination they had ever witnessed. Erom my early youth I 
had devoted much attention to politics and became an ardent Jack- 
sonian Democrat. This often annoyed my worthy preceptor, who 
boasted that he was a Federalist of the old school, and we had 
manv sharp contests on the matter, all however in good humor. In 
the year 1834 at the solicitation of many Democrats I assinncd the 
editorial control of a paper at Brockport called the I 'illaf^e Herald. 
devoted to the success of the Democratic party, and the election of 
William L. Marcv as governor of the State. This paper continued 



66 Indiana Magazine of History 

about four months. I also assisted in originating- and conducting 
for one year The Token a literary paper, of which about 1,000 copies 
were issued semi-monthly. It was not much of a paper, but better 
I think than some I have since seen. 1 received my first political 
promotion in 1835 when 1 was appointed a commissioner of deeds 
for .Monroe county, out of w'hich I accumulated a little over one 
hundred dollars, this being my entire capital for the commencement 
of business for myself. I was also elected and commissioned by 
Governor Marcy a lieutenant in the militia, and won the military 
honors for a single year. I remained with Dr. Elliot until the first 
of August, 1836, when I set my face westward in the company of a 
number of families from Brockport, and arrived at Mishawaka. St. 
Joseph county, Indiana, about the seventh of the same month intent 
upon the practice of my profession. In the spring of 1837 my father 
having removed to South Bend, upon his solicitation I went to that 
point and engaged in business with him. The next year he re- 
moved to Elkhart, Indiana, and I accompanied him arriving in that 
town on my twenty-third birthday. Our business was extensive by 
day and by night. Throughout the country every house was a hos- 
pital, scarcely a family being unvisited with disease. We were 
however, very successful in combating the prevailing sickness and 
I had made up my mind to remain there for the future, when a slight 
circumstance changed the whole current and tenor of my life. 

I had taken part in a Democratic county convention at Goshen, 
had been appointed a delegate and attended a Congressional con- 
vention at Lafayette, January 8, 1839, which nominated Gen. Tilgh- 
man A. Howard for Congress, and had thus become known as a 
Democratic politician. Soon after my return I was visited at Elk- 
hart by the Hon. E. M. Chamberlain of Goshen, who came to 
solicitate me to take the editorial control of the Goshen Democrat, 
assuring me that it would not interfere with the duties of my pro- 
fession.2 It suited my taste exactly, and I soon acquiesced in the 
proposition, and about the twentieth of January, 1839, became a 
resident of Goshen. The proprietors of the Democrat office, of 
whom I now recollect Ebenezer Brown, E. M. Chamberlain, James 
Cook, John Jack.son, Dempster Beatty and Albert Banta, agreed to 
compensate me with the munificent sum of two hundred dollars per 
annum and my board. The latter I had at James Cook's, which cost 

= The Democrat is still one of the leading papers of Indiana. 



Ellis: Autobiography of a Pioneer 67 

my employers two dollars per week. I also purchased a share of the 
office. The office of the paper was on lot 123 on Main street. I 
soon found it impossible to continue the practice of medicine while 
I remained in the editorial chair, and the latter having peculiar 
attractions for me, after the first year I abandoned my profession 
entirely, although I have never regretted the time I devoted to its 
study. On the tv^^enty-third of September, 1839, my father died at 
Elkart and is there buried. He was an honest man, an earnest de- 
voted Christian. He often added to his duties of doctor of medicine, 
those of a minister of the gospel, and was generally a Methodist, but 
some times belonged to the United Brethren. I have often heard 
him in the pulpit, and have been a listener to much worse preaching 
since his day. At his death he was as poor in purse as any of the 
apostles. As a gentleman and a scholar, he would have ornamented 
a more exalted position, but Providence doomed him to a life of 
poverty, peace to his memory! Thousands of the poor at whose 
bedsides he had ministered still remember him with afTection. 

The circulation of the Democrat was small, not exceeding 400. 
wdiile the amount of job printing and advertising was quite limited. 
I however applied myself to the work with diligence and economy, 
and finally succeeded in getting it on a paying basis, but it was by 
no means lucrative. For a long while it was the only Democratic 
paper north of the Wabash excepting the Sentinel^ at Ft. Wayne 
and the paper circulated throughout this territory. T issued also an 
extra sheet during a portion of 1840 called the St. Joseph County 
Democrat, designed for circulation in St. Joseph County and the 
same year published the Kinderhook Dutchman, a campaign paper, 
devoted to the interests of 'the Democrat party, and the re-election 
of Alartin Van Buren. Of this paper about 1.200 copies were issued. 
100 being sent to subscribers at Indianapolis. Tn August. 1841. 1 
was elected the first auditor of Elkhart county by about 150 votes 
over C. L. Murray and was re-elected in 1846. The office was a 
great help to me, although the pay at first was only six hundred 
dollars per annum. It enabled me to keep the Democrat going, and 
to accumulate a little property. I continued to discharge the duties 
of editor and auditor, doing all my own work, until. January. 1850, 

3 Founded by Thomas Tigar and Vance NoH, June, 1S33. The oldest paper 
of the region was founded at South Bend, 1S31. 

■> Files are still preserved by the Elkhart County Historical Society. 



68 Indiana Magacine of History 

when having been elected by the Legislature, Auditor of the State of 
Indiana, I resigned both positions. 

Dn the seventeenth day of May, 1842, 1 was married to Maria 
Crozier formerly of Chillicothe, Ohio, who was called away on the 
twenty-first day of April, 1846, leaving two orphan children, Sarah 
Annette and William R. 

On the twenty-seventh day of January, 1848, I was again mar- 
ried to Jeannette Minerva, daughter of Ebenezer Brown. Her death 
occurred at Indianapolis on the 16th day of June, 1856, leaving one 
child surviving her, Emma Maria, also two children deceased buried 
in Goshen and two buried in Indianapolis. 

On the seventeenth day of August, 1858, I was married to 
Rosalie Harris, widovv^ of Leonard G. Harris and daughter of the 
late Samuel of Elkhart. In these several cases my domestic rela- 
tions were of the most happy and agreeable nature, and I never 
cease to thank a kind Providence for the blessings therein vouch- 
safed me. If I had had no other joys in life this alone would com- 
pensate me for all its ills and make m.e thankful that I have had an 
existence. In January, 1850, after a tedious journey of a week we 
reached Indianapolis and I took charge of the auditor's office, in the 
building known as the Governor's House, on the Governor's Circle, 
the office I afterwards removed to a room in Masonic Hall. In the 
summer of 1850, Mr. John S. Spann and myself purchased of Jacob 
P. Chapman, the contract for the state printing, and the printing 
materials of the Indiana State Sentinel. Our duties under this con- 
tract we performed faithfully, printing among other documents. 
The Revised Statutes of 1852. Finding it desirable to have a paper 
connected with the business we commenced the publication of the 
Indiana Statesman, a weekly paper, which soon attained a circula- 
tion of over 2,000. which was continued two years, and of which I 
was editor. In the course of the pnlilication I found myself at 
variance with the leaders of the Democratic partv on the slavery 
question, adhering as I did, to the position of the party throughout 
the North, in the campaign of 1848, against the extension of slavery 
into the new territories. Owing to this position I was defeated for 
the rc-nomination for auditor in 1852 by John P. Dunn, Esq., and 
retired in January, 1853, at the expiration of my three years' service. 
I took my final leave of the party in 1855 at the Democratic State 
Convention, when it was proposed to make the Border Ruffian policy 



Ellis: Autobiography of a Pioneer 69 

of the administration a test of party fealty. Within this period I 
was elected by the Legislature a commissioner of the Institute for the 
Education of the Blind, and was chosen secretary of the board, the 
Honorable Isaac Blackford being president of the same. This 
position I held about five years. I was also chosen a director and 
president of the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad Company. The 
work was then constructed from Indianapolis to Noblesville. a dis- 
tance of twenty-two miles and ironed with a flat bar. I remained as 
president two years until the work was completed and in operation 
from Indianapolis to Peru. A consolidation was then made with the 
Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company whereby Hon. John 
Brough, afterwards Governor of Ohio, became the president of the 
entire line from Madison to Peru. In a few weeks Mr. Brough re- 
signed this position and I was elected to fill his place. The con- 
solidation was afterwards dissolved, and I remained president of 
the j\[adison & Indianapolis road for the term of two and one-half 
years, and then resigned and returned to Goshen. I was one of the 
directors of the Indiana and Illinois Central Railway and of two 
or three other lines in their incipiency. I was induced to invest 
$11,000 in a mercantile business in Goshen. The concern failed and 
I was compelled to sacrifice almost every dollar of my property, 
amounting to not less than $40,000 to pay the indebtedness of the 
firm. In 1856 I was nominated on the first Republican State ticket 
as a candidate for Auditor of State. -Oliver P. Morton was the 
candidate for Governor and Conrad Baker for lieutenant-governor. 
During the season I edited and published a campaign ]-!aper entitled 
IVc the People having a circulation of 7,000 copies weekly. The 
ticket was defeated by between 5,000 and 6,000 votes. Once more 
back in Goshen, poor and penniless, I purchased with C. \\'. 
Stephens the office of the Elkhart County Times, changing the name 
of the paper to the Goshen Times; for more than two years I was 
its editor, when for a very small consideration I parted with my 
interest to Mr. Stephens and thus closed my connections with the 
press. In 1858 I was elected again as auditor of Elkhart county 
and re-elected in 1862 making my entire service in that capacity 
the term of sixteen years. I was present at the National Conven- 
tion in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the 
Presidency and rendered my utmost aid to secure his election, an 
event which precipitated the Rebellion. .\ Peace Congress having 



yo Iftdiana Maga:;inc of History 

been proposed by Virginia, 1 was appointed by Governor O. P. 
Morton, a delegate for Indiana, in conjunction with Caleb B. Smith, 
P. A. Hackleman, Godlove S. Orth, and L. C. Slaughter. The two 
former are now deceased. My roommate at the Avenue House was 
Mr. Smith, afterwards Secretary of the Interior. Our congress met 
in a hall adjoining Willard Hotel, in Washington, was presided 
over by Ex-President John Tyler, and for a month was tlie scene 
of most earnest and angry discussion. The principal good antici- 
jiated for it on the part of the North, and all that it accomplished, 
was to postpone the commencement of hostilities until after the in- 
auguration of President Lincoln. About the first of March that 
gentleman came in disguise and at the peril of his life in T5altimnre 
to Washington. 

During this period, with others, I had several interviews with 
General Scott, then in command in the cit}-, who expressed his belief 
that the Rebellion was inevitable, and that the South would fight. 
He had but about 1,000 troops in the city, and those men dispersed 
in such a manner as to show to the best advantage, particularly on 
the twenty-secOnd of February, Washington's birthday, when they 
paraded the streets in every direction, giving to spectators the idea 
of the presence of an immense body of troops. T remained in 
Washington until after the inauguration of President Lincoln and 
with other Indianaians called upon him and upon the retiring Presi- 
dent, James Buchanan. Not the least interesting incident of this 
brief sojourn in Washington, was the great party at the residence 
of wSte])hen A. Douglas which w^as attended by most of our members. 
For this service in the Peace Congress the Legislature allowed us 
each the sum of four hundred dollars. 

The Rebellion came on apace, the President called for 75.000 
three months men, and throughout the AA\ir, and to its close. T de- 
voted time and money, without stint, to the raising of troojis, the 
care of soldiers' families, and the Sanitary Commission. My office 
was headquarters for everything connected with the \\'ar. Backed 
b}^ friends in Goshen, T repaired to Indianapolis and urged upon 
Governor Morton the propriety of raising a regiment for three 
years service with headquarters in Goshen. 

(.April 9, 1873. 1 had written to this point, when Col. R. M. 
Johnston entered my office and announced the receipt of a telegram 
from Jackson. Michigan, stating Col. P. I. Wood had committed 



Ellis: Autobiography of a Pioneer 71 

suicide in the Hibbard House with a revolver. At request of the 
Masonic Lodge, I repaired to Jackson and brought the remains to 
Goshen, to his family. Colonel Wood was a graduate of Dartmouth 
College, the second colonel of the Forty-eighth Regiment of Indiana 
Volunteers, and had been for two years judge of the Common Pleas 
court. He was en route to Saginaw, when in a fit of mental aber- 
ration, he committed this act of self-destruction.) 

Governor Morton received the appUcation with favor, and in a 
'few days after directed the organization of the Forty-eighth Regi- 
ment of Indiana X'olunteers. and telegraphed to me an appointment 
as commandant of the camp, to raise the regiment. I ])roceeded 
immediately to work, and in a fev.' days had made such progress 
that all the companies required had commenced their organization. 
The regiment was located two miles south of Goshen, on the new 
fair grounds, and subsequently by order of the regiment the place 
was designated as Camp Ellis. Declining the honor of the colonelcy 
I procured the appointment of Xorman' Eddy as colonel, ^I. B. 
Hascall as lieutenant colonel and Ruggs as major captain. My 
son. William R., entered as a private in Company 1. E. J. Wood, 
captain, was appointed as sergeant, afterwards sergeant major of 
the regiment, and when he was mustered out of service at Savannah, 
after accompanying General Sherman on his march from Atlanta 
to the sea. he held the position of first lieutenant. For my services 
in connection with this organization I was allowed the sum of $700. 

When it became necessary to order a draft for recruits for the 
service the Governor appointed me as the enrolling officer for the 
county, and superintendent of the draft. I accordingly appointed 
deputies in each township, had the enrollment made and corrected, 
superintended the draft and took to Indianapolis 128 drafted men. 
many of them with their substitutes, most of whom liecame mem- 
bers of the Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana \^olunteers. Subse- 
quently I was appointed deputy marshal of the county, and as such 
superintended further drafts at Kendallville. arrested fugitives, etc., 
filling this position for about one year, until near the close of the 
War, when the office was abolished. It is a gratification to me at 
this hour to feel that throughout the great struggle I rendered 
every aid in my power for the overthrow of the inhuman Rebellion, 
and to secure the crowning results of the victory. About the close 
of the war the Legislature elected me one of the State directors of 



72 Indiana Magazine of History 

the Bank of the State of Indiana, the duties of which I discharged 
for one year, until the winding up of the institution. I was also 
appointed by Governor Baker as one of a board of commissioners 
to examine into some of the irregular transactions of the Sinking 
l-'^und Commission. In 1866 my last term as Auditor of Elkhart 
county terminated, making 16 years of service in that capacity. A 
longer period I presume than the office will be filled again by one 
individual. The last few years I have devoted to my private affairs, 
which I confess are in rather an unprosperous condition, but I hope 
some day to see the time when I can obey the Apostle's injunction 
"to owe no man." And it will be a source of gratification and of 
gratitude deep and profound, even should it leave me, as most likely 
it will without the possession of a dollar. I have striven to be 
honest with my fellow men and hope I have succeeded. I have 
"endeavored to maintain a good reputation in the community, and 
have had many evidences of their esteem and confidence. For a few 
years I strove earnestly to secure the construction of a railroad 
from Goshen south via Warsaw to Peru, and was the president of 
an organization formed for that purpose. It however failed, and 
the line was changed to Wabash, and for the last two years I have 
been its secretary. Ever since its organization I have been a 
director and secretary of the Hydraulic Canal Company, and for 
most of the time its treasurer. I contributed also towards its con- 
struction the sum of 500 dollars. In 1872 I was the secretary of 
the Republican State convention at Indianapolis and was selected 
and elected as presidential elector for the Tenth District, and in 
the electoral college cast the vote of the district for Ulysses S. 
Grant for President and for Henry Wilson for Y\ce President. 

The only official position I hold now is that of Trustee of the 
State Normal School located at Terre Haute, to which I was nom- 
inated by Governor Baker in the winter of 1872-3 and confirmed by 
the Senate. 

These memoranda will not be complete without a statement of 
my connection with the Masonic institution. My father was a 
Mark Master Mason, and I grew up in the midst of the Anti- 
Masonic excitement of 1827-8 and the year succeeding. My sym- 
pathies were early enlisted for the order. I felt that it was perse- 
cuted unjustly, that it was slandered and maligned, and it needed 
no solicitation to induce me to apply for initiation to the lodge under 



Ellis: Autobiography of a Pioneer 73 

dispensation which met in the southwest corner of the old court- 
house in 1846. Afterwards I became one of the charter members 
of Goshen Lodge No. 12, and was for several years its master. I also 
aided in the organization of Goshen Chapter No. 45 and have been 
for several years its High Priest, and am also the Thrice Illustrious 
Grand Master of Bashor Council of Royal and Select Masters. I 
have been Grand King and Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter 
of the State. And on the introduction of the Scottish Rite in the 
State I received all the degrees up to. and including the thirty-third 
and was chosen the Grand Commander of the order in the State. 
Of Masonic songs, addresses, sketches and essays my labors have 
not been few : T hope their tendency has been to make men better 
and not worse. 

Interspersed along the course of my life have been addresses, 
orations, speeches, sketches and essays innumerable. Not many 
remember them now — how few will do sn after the lapse of a few 
brief years ! 

Looking back over the fifty-eight years of my existence, blessed 
with a temperment that enabled me always to look on the bright 
side and always hope for the best. I feel that I have enjoyed as 
much of earthly happiness as falls to the lot of man on the average. 
Manv davs of sadness and sorrow, of disappointments and loss have 
been mine, but I have striven to bear them with fortitude, and even 
with cheerfulness. 

While I feel that I have not accomplished what I should have 
done, I have not been idle. INIy life has been at least a busy one, 
and as opportunity offered I trust a useful one. Certain it is that 
I have not put myself offensively forward for any of the public 
positions I have held, nor done a dishonest or dishonorable thing to 
secure them. 

T have written this narrative for the entertainment of my chil- 
dren, and close it on my fifty-eighth birthday, this 29th day of 
April, 1873. 



THE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM. CLARK COUNTY, 

INDIANA 

By Mrs. Elinor H. Campbell, JefFersonville, Indiana 

On record in the courthouse of this county appears the follow- 
ing: 

W. C. Greenup, surveyor of town of Bethlehem, Clark county, 
Indiana Territory. William Flasket this day personally appeared be- 
fore me. James McCampbell, one of the justices assigned to keep the 
peace and made oath that this is the original plat or map of the 
Town of Bethlehem in the county and territory aforesaid. 

Given under my hand and seal this 15th day of June. 1812. 

James McCamprell. J.P.C.C. 

At that time we know the ground on which this town stands was 
owned by Jonathan Clark, Col. John Armstrong. M'illiam Flasket, 
and others. As Col. Armstrong was born in the town of Bethle- 
hem, Pennsylvania, this town was probably named in honor of his 
birthplace. 

The plat shows that the streets running parallel with the river 
were called Front, Second, and Third, while those at right angles 
with these were Poplar, Walnut, Main, Bell and Sycamore, em- 
bracing sixteen full squares and a half square beyond the two on the 
east side of Bell street, with the half square between Walnut and 
Main on Second street reserved for public ground. 

In the country round about were then living the following famil- 
ies, whose names appear in county commissioners' reports in con- 
nection with opening of roads, etc. 

The name of Abbott is seen on record in 1779. The heirs of 
John Rodgers are mentioned in 1806. Philip Boyer from near Lex- 
ington, Kentucky, William Kelly, born in Virginia, later of Ken- 
tucky, came to this county in 1806. ^^'illiam Hamilton, with his 
mother and two sisters, came in 1812. Jacob Hiltner. born in 
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, emigrated to Kentucky and 
then to Clark county, Indiana, several years before the birth of his 
son George in 1818. Near New Washington were the Adams, 
Dougan, Provine, Fonts, Montgomery and other families. 



Campbell : Toivn of Bethlehem 75 

Of William Provine it is recorded that because his mill was the 
only one on this side of* the river he was twice returned from 
service during the ^^'ar of 1812. 

One of the first purchasers of a lot in the town was Bayley 
Johnson, who for a lot centrally located paid ten dollars. Persons 
named Olmstead, Belden, Sturdivant, Maston, Stephenson, Barnes, 
Rae, Gardner, Smock, Cravens, Robinson and Goforth were owners 
of lots in the early years, while William Plasket and William G. 
Armstrong seemed to have been the leading business men of the 
town. The two latter operated the ferry, being taxed six dollars for 
the privilege in 1816. These men were also partners in general 
merchandise business, occupying the large corner room of the two- 
story building which Mr. Armstrong erected on the corner of 
Front and Bell streets. In connection with the store room was his 
dwelling, and a continuous row of two-storv buildings extended 
from the corner building to the alley below. These buildings were 
destroyed by fire early in '59. 

Mr. Plasket put up the large two-story brick house on the other 
front corner of the same block. We find record of Henrv Fix 
purchasing in the town in the year 1820, P. R. Baldwin in 1840. 
Mr. Emanuel Pernet purchased in 1848 the corner propertv from 
William G. Armstrong, while Thomas \A'allace the following year 
purchased from Mr. x^rmstrong the farm above the creek. 

Associated with every name here mentioned (save a very few 
of the first comers) are personal memories very dear and tender, 
the Flaskets and Armstrongs being relatives of my father and 
others acquaintances of my youth. When the "War" commenced 
our good people had an immense flag flung to the breeze from a 
sixty-foot pole, the ceremony made most impressive by the reading 
of the constitution, speeches, and music, and on this day in Jnne, 
1861, the greatest crowd of people ever seen in Bethlehem gath- 
ered on the public ground. Our young men went to battle for the 
"Union" — many never to return — and at home all felt the effects of 
the War in one way or another. 

Uncle Tommy Rogers could get no help in planting corn and 
was glad to accept the proffered service of two little girls, who for 
two days trudged between the furrows dropping the grains in each 
proper place. When the eighteen-inch snow covered the ground in 
the winter of '62 the physician from New Washington was sent for 



76 Indiana Mat/acinc of fIistor\ 

and llie little child born that night was soon left motherless, while 
the father was in the army. 

The excitement attending the Morgan Raid can never be for- 
gotten by all who lived here in Jnly, 1863. The fright w^as just as 
great as had the intelligence been true that Morgan's men were 
coming on the road from New Washington, but luckily it was a 
com])any of Home Guards instead. .\t that time mail was received 
but three times in the week and daily i)a]>crs were thrown from the 
passing mail boat, being picked up by some one in a skiff and then 
from the corner stone read aloud to the interested listeners who 
were eager to hear the War news. 

On a sad day in April. 1865, as the boat was landing to take 
on passengers my father asked why the flag was at half mast and 
the reply was "for the President." Stunned by the answer, we 
though not to say "good bye" to some departing relatives but sadly 
picked up the paper that was thrown down. The day was dark and 
gloomy and our hearts were filled with sorrow l)ecause of the fear- 
ful news. 

In retrospect let us try to imagine something of the days as 
they were one hundred years ago. The river flowed by this high 
bank then as now but only keelboats, barges and pirogues plied the 
waters. Forests covered most of the ground and wolves prowled 
through them still. The county was paying a liounty of $1.00 for 
each wolf head. It was not until 181.^ that any systematic method 
of opening roads was inaugurated and of course there were no 
bridges. 

The housekeejiing was such as we imagine existed in all primi- 
tive homes, but when in 1.S15 Mr. .\rmstrong brought his bride 
from Cincinnati he must have also brought many of the conven- 
iences and comforts to which she was accustomed. Tn 1810 a trip 
to Cincinnati was made- — Mrs. .Armstrong carrying her baby on her 
lap as she rode horseback. 

It is well for us to look back at our beginnings and. in so re- 
calling the days and ways of our ancestors, pay homage to their 
memory and resolve to make of our lives the best record possible. 



THE FOUNDING OF THE STATE SCHOOL FOR THE 

BLIND— A BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM H. 

CHURCHMAN 

By George S. Cottman, Irvington. Indiana 

If one interested in the notable men of Indiana should seek for 
information about William H. Churchman he would not find even 
the briefest biographical mention of him in any of the big gilt- 
edged books that pretend to save from oblivion the representative 
men of the State. Yet this man, an active citizen of the State for 
more than thirty-five years, in ability and in performance outranked 
many a one whose name is blazoned conspicuously on the pages of 
our history. William H. Churchman has never received the recog- 
nition and the honor that was due him, for the reason, perhaps, 
that his services were not of a kind to keep him in the public eye 
and he did not see fit tO' pay some publisher of commercial "history" 
for a laudatory write-up with the customary picture accompaniment. 

An educator in a special field Mr. Churchman was to the blind of 
this State what Samuel Gridley Howe, "the Cadmus of the blind," 
or the famous educator of Laura Bridgeman was to the darkened 
ones of Massachusetts. He was, virtually, the founder of the work 
that has been done for this class in Indiana. For though such work 
was one of the predestined duties of a progressive commonwealth 
regardless of any one man. yet the intrusion of this man into our 
history at the formative moment gave a distinctive character to the 
early development. How this was can best be shown by a brief 
sketch of his earlier life. Born in Baltimore. Maryland, in 1818, 
he lost his sight entirelv during youth, and this determined the 
character of hs life-work. He was one of the first pupils in the 
Pennsylvania Institute for the Blind, a pioneer school of the kind, 
and bv the time he reached his majority he had taken up teaching 
of the blind as a profession. From that time until the close of a 
long life the rendering of service to those that sit in darkness was 
with him a pursuit and a passion. Between 1839 and 1848 he 
taught in Pennsylvania. Ohio. Tennessee and Kentucky. His first 
connection with this State was a matter of chance. In the spring 



78 Indiana Magazine of History 

of 1844 James M. Ray, of Indianapolis, while altendino; the Gen- 
eral Assembly of the Presbyterian church at r>ouisville, witnessed, 
by invitation, an exhibition of blind pupils fropi the Kentucky in- 
stitution, under Air. Church. Mr. Ray. who is honored in our 
history as a leader in all good works, was at once interested in 
behalf of the blind of his own State, and through his invitation Mr. 
Churchman during the next session of the Indiana I egislautre, 
brought some of his ]nipils to Indianapolis to demonstrate what 
education had done for them. The Legislature was enough im- 
pressed to lew a tax of two mills on each h\mdrcd dollars' worth of 
taxable properly to lie applied in i)lacing the blind children of the 
State in other institutions until a school should be established here. 
It should be added that the United States census repoits did not 
show many blind children to exist in the State, and taking this as a 
basis the case did not seem to call for a very liberal provision. 

At the session of 1845-6 James M. Ray and George W. Mears, 
in connection with the secretary, auditor and treasurer of State, 
were appointed to administer the fund'?, which, in the collection, 
proved to be enough to place twenty pujjils in the nearest existing 
institutions at a cost of $100 per year each. 

A word as to the status of the blind at that jieriod. They were 
wholly dependent — "a neglected, unhappy class." without hope of 
taking any part in the world's work, and with no prosi:)ect of bein^^ 
other than the veriest paupers if thrown ui^on their own resources. 
No other defective was quite so- unfortunate. There were many 
things the deaf-mute could do. the victim of insanity, presumably, 
was at least less sensible of his misforune ; but the blind, unless 
specially trained, were pitiably helpless and were acutely sensitive to 
it. The champions of their cause saw for them: possibilities of use- 
fulness, independence and happiness, and with this incentive for 
zeal the trustees proceeded to carry out their benevolent duties, 
never doubting the eager co-operation of the beneficiaries, the only 
trouble they anticipated being in the • selection of the fortunate 
twenty from the many applicants. Their first experimental step was 
interesting and educative. Through newspapers and by circular 
they advertised broadcast the "benevolent objects of the Legisla- 
ture," and lo! as a result there were just five applicants. The trus- 
tees were "exceedingly disappointed," and on looking more closely 
into the matter learned that their experience was but a repetition 



Cottvian: William H. Churchman 79 

of what had occurred in other States, and that, as they conchided, 
"the affections of the, mothers of the helpless bhnd required stronger 
assurances than your trustees could make in publication." before 
commiting their tender charges into the hands of strangers. It is 
not the only instance on record when philanthropic zeal failed to 
reckon correctly with the human nature it had to deal with. In a 
word, not only the State Legislature and the public generally, but 
the proposed recipients of the benefaction had to be educated. In 
this dilemma the perplexed trustees turned to William Churchman 
as one who knew and could advise. He proffered his services, 
presented his plan, and with a horse, wagon and driver was put 
into the field to seek out and visit personally homes having l^lind 
inmates, and to create in such families ambition and confidence. 
Equipped with a specimen book printed in raised letters, and some 
samples of handcraft made liy blind pupils of the Ohio institution, 
he traveled about 1,.S20 miles through thirty-six Indiana counties. 
This was in the early fall of 1846. The result was that the twenty 
pupils the State could then care for were found and placed, eleven 
at the Ohio institution and nine in Kentucky. Moreover twenty- 
eight others of eligible age were found, and the canvasser estab- 
lished the gross inaccuracy of the Federal" census enumeration as 
regarded this class. 

In 1847 the Indiana school for the blind was established with 
George W. Mears, Seton W. Norris and James M. Ray as trustees ; 
W. H. Churchman as acting principal, at a salary of $800 per year ; 
L. S. Newell, teacher of music ; Caleb Scudder, steward and master 
of handicraft ; Samuel McGibben, assistant mechanic ; Mrs. Mar- 
garet Demoss. matron and mistress of handicraft, and Miss Sarah 
Marsh, assistant. ^\r. Churchman was made "acting" ])rincipal 
because, with all the confidence in him, there existed no precedent 
for fully installing a blind man in so responsible a position, and it 
was not until 1851 that the trustees so far overcame their conserva- 
tism as to appoint him superintendent in full. One of his first duties 
in his new capacity was. to visit all the leading institutions for the 
blind in the country to inform himself of the latest improvements in 
methods of instruction and of administration, and also to select in 
person books and apparatus. 

The beginning of the institution was on an humble scale in a 
rented building so scant in its accommodations that the trustees had 



8o Indiana Magazine of History 

to put up a cheap additional structure for a workshop. The full 
list of the books for the blind at that time did not exceed thirty and 
the entire equipment of books and apparatus cost but a little over 
one hundred dollars. The total expense for the year was a little in 
excess of $6,000. The term began with nine pupils only, but in- 
creased to thirty and established a record among the institutions of 
the country for the first year's attendance. Another promise for 
bigger things that year was the purchase for $5,000 of the eight 
acres between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets still used, and 
which was then described as "adjoining Indianapolis on the north." 

Mr. Churchman's first connection Avith the institution lasted until 
October of 1853, up to which period he did pioneer work in estab- 
lishing a standard of excellence second to none. He advertised the 
aims and the efficiency of the institution throughout the State by 
several educational campaigns with his more advanced pupils 
through various sections, and. what was of vast importance from 
the viewpoint of eflficiency and progress, he sought to keep before 
the public and the powers that were the peculiar problems nf the 
work, particularly the industrial problems, as onlv an expert could 
do. He pointed out the fact that after the blind have l)een educated 
they still are not in a normal relation to the world or on an equal 
footing with those who see when it comes to taking actual part in 
the struggle for existence. He also paid much attention to the 
causes of blindness and published the statistics, forerunning in that 
direction the recent work of Dr. Hurty who. through the State 
Board of Health, has been ardently endeavoring to reduce blind- 
ness by showing where it is preventable. 

Mr. Churchman may almost be spoken of as the father of the 
large building for the blind still standing. Tn its materialization 
much was left to him. After a thorough study of institutional 
buildings elsewhere he elaborated and personally sup/crvised plans 
that were drawn for him by a local draftsman, John Elder. Subse- 
quently the services of Francis Cbstigan of Madison, perhaps the 
best-known architect in the State, were secured, but Mr. Church- 
man kept track of every detail of construction, and tradition sur- 
vives of his detecting mortar, imperfectly mixed, that was going 
into the walls, and of unsatisfactory bracings in the woodwork 
which he located as he traversed the rooms and halls lapping with 
his cane, and cau.sed to be torn out and remedied. When completed 



Cottiiian: Williani H. Churchman 8i 

this building was considered one of the best and most modern 
structures of its kind in the country, and as nearly fireproof as the 
art of building had then attained to. Its cost was about $68,000. 

Just as this building was completed and the zealous superin- 
tendent with a fine equipment in hand, was ready to push and ex- 
pand his work, "politics," it seems, decided that an $800 position 
ought to be connected up with some one more valuable to the 
reigning powers. At any rate an old and vicious custom prevailed 
and for a party reasons a faithful public servant especially fitted for 
his important work, was summarily ousted and replaced by a series 
of incumbents who. no matter what their natural capacities, were so 
iinadapted to the business in hand that the confession of ignorance 
by at least two of them was positively naive. Of course the institu- 
tion continued to exist- — even to grow, but one who carefully ex- 
amines the reports of ~\Ir. Churchman and his successors will find 
a fundamental difiference which is the difiference between an expert 
at his life's work and a novice at a temporary job. At various times 
we have rumors of defection within, criticism from without, and 
even of improper liberties taken bv the superintendent with girl 
pupils. All that is scandal of the past, but it points its moral. 

Tn 1861 [Mr. Churchman was recalled to the superintendency of 
th.e blind and retained that position without interruption for eighteen 
years. The reiterated appreciation and praise voiced during that 
period by the various trustees with whom he worked was something 
more than perfunctory courtesy. One of the trustees's reports 
affirms that "to his zeal and ability and devotion to this work we 
are indebted for its superior* condition and efficiency, ranking, as it 
does, as one of the first if not the best school for the education of 
the blind in the United States," and it further states that "his pjgjis 
and ideas have been studied, copied and made the model for other 
and older States," wliile "his administration has been not only ap- 
preciated at home but recognized abroad." In 1866 the trustees of 
the New York State institution chose and elected him as the head 
of their establishment, offering him as an inducement a salary nearly 
double that which he received here, but at the earnest solicitation of 
our trustees he declined the flattering oflfer that had been thrust 
upon him and remained here. It was by his initiative that a con- 
vention of the educators of the blind, the second of its kind, perhaps, 
in the world, was held in Indianapolis in 1871. He was made chair- 



S2 Indiana Magazine of History 

man of its meetings, which were well attended from all over the 
country, and at the close a permanent association of "American In- 
structors of the Blind'' was formed, with Mr. Churchman as one of 
the vice-presidents. 

Mr. Ciuirchman illustrated within himself to a remarkable de- 
gree the possibilities of the blind. Mentally he was no ordinary 
man. As a scholar his knowledge was extraordinary. As a thinker 
he was vigorous, searching and subtle, and the ease and clearness 
with which he could expound a profound and far-reaching subject 
was a matter for wonder to those less gifted. Tn his report of 1866 
a long disquisition on the blind viewed largely from the angle of 
philosophy and psychology show's admirably the wide range of his 
mind, and from' long training in dictation he expressed himself 
verbally with the same facility, as his friends well remember. Even 
more remarkable were his powers of minute observation and his 
mastery of facts and details. A little story is apropos here. The 
present writer's father, a merchant tailor in Indianapolis during the 
fifties, first met I\Ir. Churchman when he came into his store one 
day and requested to "see" some fabric for a suit of clothes. The 
skeptical tailor, with a touch of facetiousness, threw out a number 
of bolts on his counter, the two at the opposite ends being identical. 
The customer went along the line carefully feeling each piece of 
cloth till he came to the end, when he turned up his face attentively. 
Then he went back to the first bolt and fingered it once more. 
"Why," he said, "these two are just the same." 

'Mr. Churchman left the institution in ,1879, and the last three 
years of his life were spent with his half brother, ¥. M. Churchman, 
whose home was six miles southeast of the city, and there he died 
very suddenly on May 17, 1882. His funeral services were held in 
the chapel of the institution with which he was so intimately identi- 
fied, and the chief speaker was the Rev. Oscar C. McCulloch. than 
whom no one was better fitted to pay sympathetic respect to a strong 
and useful man. 



SOME MEMOIRS OF THE POLKE, PIETY, McCOY, 
McQUAID, AND MATHES FAMILIES 

By the late James Polke, of Knox County, Indiana 

The reminiscences which follow were written about 1886 by 
Elder James Polke, who was a nephew of Judge William Polke, 
whose account of his captivity by the Miami Indians was published in 
the June number of this magazine. James Polke was born in Shelby 
county, Kentucky, 1804. Two years later he came with his father 
to Knox county and there spent almost his whole life. He was a 
prominent citizen of the Maria Creek settlement, helped organize 
the present Maria Creek Baptist church in 1833, and was well 
acquainted with the people of that historic neighborhood. He was a 
witness of and a participant in that long struggle in the Baptist 
church which hindered its progress for a quarter of a century. Tlie 
struggle arose over the origin of evil and .resulted in the formation 
of the two factions known as the "one seed" and the "two seed" 
Baptists. This struggle had hardly reached its height when another 
of greater virulence arose over the question of sending out mis- 
sionaries. The old or "one seed" school regarded missions as 
sacrilegious, as the attempt of men to interfere with the work of 
God. Another large faction of the church followed Alexander 
Campbell and formed the Christian church. Elder Isaac McCoy, 
an uncle of James Polke and a brother-in-law of Judge William 
Polke, was a leader in the missionary work among the Indians. His 
papers, which were deposited by his son in the Kansas State His- 
torical Society, and those of William Polke, if they have been pre- 
served, will throw a great deal of light on the history of the Indians 
in Indiana. These pioneers objected to the treatment the Indians 
were receiving at the hands of the traders and tried to inaugurate a 
plan whereby the Indians might be educated. Christianized and thus 
transformed into citizens. A half century after their labors ceased 
the government, under the Dawes Act, put their plan into success- 
ful operation, and has thereby saved a few of the red men from 
destruction. 

It will be noticed that the southern members of the Polk family 



84 



Indiana Magazine of History 






s-5 3 5SS 






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:Chi3 



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Polke Memoirs 85 

write their names "Polk," while most of those who came to Ken- 
tucky and Indiana add a final "e." The original name is "Pollock." 
Such variations in spelling family names were not uncommon in pio- 
neer days. 

These memoirs were written by Mr. Polk at various times, the 
last part having been written July 15, 1886, immediately before his 
death. There is some duplication in the story, but so little that it 
has been thought best to print it almost entire. The writer, how- 
ever, gives two accounts of his trip to Fort Wayne in 1821 and 
these have been combined by the editor into a single continuous 
narrative. 

The genealogy of the Polk family offers a great many difficulties, 
chiefly on account of the great number of its members and their 
wide dispersion. The founder of the family in America was Robert 
Bruce Polk and IMagdalene Tasker Polke, who came to America 
from Ireland and settled in Maryland in 1672. Thev had nine chil- 
dren, as shown in table I below. The second son, William, had a 
large family and from two of his sons, William and Charles, are 
descended the members of the family spoken of in these memoirs. 
The latter son was an Indian trader on the upper Potomac. The 
former moved west to the frontier then at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 
Here he married Margaret Taylor. He intended to go west to the 
Ohio, but the Indians were in an ugly mood and he turned south, 
going to the back country of North Carolina. This was in 1750. 
He and his sons took a prominent part in the Revolution. A son. 
Colonel Thomas Polk, married a sister of General Evan Shelby, the 
hero of King's Mountain. President James K. Polk was a grandson 
of Ezekiel Polk, a son of the pioneer named above and a signer of 
the Mecklinburg Declaration. Table I shows this branch of the 
family. The family includes a large number of prominent men 
both in State and National affairs. 

Charles Polk, the Indian trader mentioned above, was the second 
son of W^illiam, the second son of Robert Bruce Polk. Charles had 
a store at the north bend of the Potomac river in Frederick county, 
Maryland. He is mentioned in Christopher Gist's Journal and also 
in the Colonial Records of Pennsylvania. He had six children, all 
of whom came west as narrated by James Polk in the memoirs. 
Table II below shows his descendants. 

Charles Polke, 2d, was the fifth son of the Indian trader. He 



86 



Indiana Magazine of History 



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Polke Memoirs 87 

reached Kentucky about 1780. Judge William Polke. a member of 
the Indiana Constitutional convention of 1816, was his eldest son. 
Judge Polke was Indian agent at Fort Wayne for many years. His 
oldest sister married Captain Spier Spencer, of Harrison county, 
who was killed at Tippecanoe. His second sister, Sarah, married 
William Bruce, founder of Bruceville, and a personal friend of 
Lincoln. His third sister, Nancy, married Peter Ruby, and their 
descendants live in several parts of Indiana. The fourth sister, 
Christiana, married Rev. Isaac McCoy and spent most of her life 
with her husband as a missionary among the Indians. Dr. Thomas 
Polk, a younger brother, went to Texas in 1820 and took an hon- 
orable part in the Texan war of liberation. Charles, 3d. another 
brother, took part in the campaign of Tippecanoe with nearly all the 
men of the family, and later settled down in Knox county, where 
his descendants are still living. 

Table III below shows the relationships of the Perry county 
Polkes. most of whom are the descendants of the Rev. Charles 
Polke. who sat for Perrv county in the Constitutional convention of 
1816. The Guthries. Ballards and'Thrustons, of Louisville, are re- 
lated to this branch. The Polke family of Greenwood. Indiana, are 
descended from James Polk, seventh son of Edmond Polk, who 
came to Kentucky in 1780.^ 



Charles Polk, 'The Indlvn Trader" 

"There lived on the headwaters of the Potomac and the Alle- 
ghanv rivers in the fore part of the sevententh century a large fam- 
ily connection by the name 'Polk.' of Scotch and Irish descent. 
During the colonial period and the Revolutionary War they emi- 
grated to the South and Southwest, a part remaining loyal to the 
crown of England and a part joining in the revolution against Eng- 
land. But the object of these sketches is to detail more immediately 
the life of Captain Charles Polke, Sr.. and his family connections, 
four in. number, to-wit : Charles. Edmond. Thomas and Sally, 
who emigrated to Kentucky about the year 1780 with their families. "^ 

^ Po}k Family and Kinsman, by William Harrison Polk of Lexington. Ky., 
is the source of much of the above data. 

1 There were six in the family, but only four are known to have come to 
Kentucky. • 



SS Indiana Magazine of Hisforv 

CliARLKS PO'LKE, Sr.- 

"Charles Polke was born about the year 1744, and when thirty 
years old (1774), was married to Delilah Tyler, of Virginia. Ed- 
mond died at the age of eighty-seven years ; Sally Polke Piety at 
the age of ninety-eight ; Thomas died about the age of sixty. 
Charles Polke, Sr., died in Knox county, Indiana, in the year 1823, 
at the age of seventy-nine. Their numerous descendants are now 
scattered over the West and Southwest, to CaHfornia and Oregon 
and the territories. 

''Charles Polke, as related above, removed to Kentuck\- and 
settled in Nelson county. Kentucky, about seven miles from Bards- 
town. The Indian tribes were hostile, and the early settlers were 
compelled to erect and live in stockade forts for their protection 
and safety. 

"In the year 1782, in the month of August, a band of Indians 
crossed over the Ohio river near the mouth of the Kentucky, about 
fifty or sixty miles from Bardstown, and surprised or set fire to the 
fort in which Charles Polke, Sr., and family lived: and in the dark- 
ness of the night it was burned down and all the inmates were 
killed or made prisoners by the Indians. 

"The celebrated Indian fighter and hunter. Bland Ballard, while 
out hunting some twenty miles from this fort, discovered a band of 
Indian warriors on the day previous to its being burned. These 
Indians were making towards the station near Louisville or Bards- 
town. Bland Ballard hastened to the station to give them warning 
of their danger, and an effective force under Captain Charles Polke, 
Sr., sallied forth to surprise the Indians, as it was not known what 
station they intended to attack ; but they failed to discover them. It 
was afterward ascertained that the Indians were in ambu.sh near the 
fort when Bland Ballard arrived the evening before, and in the early 
morning the fort was burned down. 

"Mrs. Delilah Polke and four children were taken prisoners, to- 
wit: William, seven years of age, and three younger sisters, Eliza- 
beth (Polke) Spencer, Sally (Polke) Bruce and Nancy (Polke) 
Ruby. The Indians departed from the burnt fort in haste to get 
back to their comrades over the Ohio river, which they reached on 

- I^or a further account of Charles Polke and the capture and captivity of 
his family, see the June issue of this magazine, pp. 96-109. 



Polke Memoirs 89 

the third day after the burning of the station (known afterward as 
the 'burnt station'), with the prisoners whom they did not kill. 
They crossed over in the canoes which were concealed on the Ken- 
tucky side, being now out of danger of pursuit. Here were en- 
camped a large band of Indians with their horses and plenty of 
provisions gathered in store by their hunters on their arrival : and 
from here near the mouth of the Kentucky river they traveled 
slowly to the Maumee near Fort Wayne, and thence down the 
Auglaize to Lake Erie, and thence to Detroit, Micliigan. which at 
that day was held by a British garrison. Mrs. Polke and a part of 
the children were taken to the fort and there remained. And here 
in this British garrison my father, Charles Polke. Jr., was born on 
"the 20th of October, 1782, about two months after the capture of 
his mother and her children near Bardstown, Kentucky, distant 
some four hundred miles. 

"My grandfather spent his time in traveling and trying to find 
out the fate and fortune of his wife and children ; and I have heard 
him tell of coming out to "Old Post" Vincennes in 17S3, and here 
at this Old Trading Post he got word through Indians or Indian 
traders of the safety of his wife and children at Detroit, about 
eleven months after their capture by the Indians. 

"He immediately set out for Detroit, arriving there about one 
year after their capture. He had the good fortune and the joy of 
again meeting and greeting his wife and the captured children, and 
in addition, the little stranger Charlie about ten months old. After 
remaining at Detroit for a time, it being the close of the Revolu- 
tionary war, the British of^cer in command. General de Peyster, 
gave him every assistance for their safe return, and secured the 
services of Simon Girty to pilot them through the wilderness of 
Ohio to the Pan Handle, near Wellsburgh, Virginia. After a short 
stav in the region of country from whence he had emigrated some 
three years previous to the wilds of Kentucky, he came back to 
Kentucky down the Ohio river again, poor as a church mouse, 
everything having been destroyed by the burning of the station in 
Kentucky.'"^ 

"There were born eleven children, five sons and -ix daughters, 
to-wit: Sons, William, Charles, Edward. Thomas and Koliert : 

^This story is given in tlie June number of this magazine as written by 
Jtidge William Polke. who was one of the captives. 



90 Indiana Maqazbu^ of History 

daughters, Elizabeth, Sally, Nancy, Christiana, Eleanor and Polly. 
Mrs. Delilah Polke died in Nelson county, Kentucky, about 1798, 
about forty years of age. 

"Charles Polke, Sr., remained in Kentucky about ten years after 
the death of his wife, and then came to Indiana Territory with his 
eldest son William, in the year 1808, and settled fifteen miles north 
of the Old Post Vincennes, Knox county, Indiana, and died there 
in 1823, aged seventy-nine years. My father, Charles Polke. Jr., 
died in August, 1845, aged sixty-three years. My mother survived 
him ten years, and died June 19, 1855, aged seventy. 

"Charles Polke, Jr., was in tlie battle of Tippecanoe, November 
7, 1811, serving as an officer in the Indiana militia. He was one of 
the guard at the conference between Governor Harrison and Tecum- 
seh in 1810. He was a justice of the peace for many years, and also 
county commissioner. He was one of the associate judges for a 
time, and when he died resolutions of condolence were passed by 
the Circuit Court of Knox county." 

Thomas Piety 

"In the latter end of the eighteenth century, and during the 
time of the English and French wars in Europe and America, at the 
treaty of Paris, 1763, the French government ceded to England 
"New France" and other American possessions east of the Missis- 
sippi river. 

"Austin Piety, an English officer, was stationed at 'Fort Pitt," at 
the headwaters of the Ohio river, now 'Pittsburg,' Pennsylvania. 
He was united in marriage to Sarah Polk about the year 
1769. He. with his command, was ordered to Kaskaskia, 
on the Mississippi River in 1770 by the British authorities. He 
descended the Ohio river with his w'ife and troops under his com- 
mand, as far as the Falls of the Ohio river, and there made a short 
stay in order to lay in a supply of bulTalo and other meat ; from 
thence down the river to its nioulh (now Cairo, Illinois), and from 
thence up to their destination, 'the American Bottom,' on the east 
side of the Mississippi, opposite St. Louis. During their stay the 
subject of this sketch, to-wit Thomas Piety, Sr., was born in 1770. 
Austin Piety returned to Fort Pitt with his command, and during 
the Revolutionary War reutrned to England, and from thence never 



Polke Memoirs 91 

returned, leaving his wife,, Sarah Piety, and four children in 
America. 

'"Sarah Piety, the mother of these four children (Thomas, who 
was the oldest, and three sisters, who were younger), in company 
with her three brothers, — Edmund, Charles and Thomas Polke, — 
came down the Ohio river to Kentucky in the year 1780. They 
landed at the Falls of the Ohio where the city of Louisville now is 
situated. They settled near F)ardstown, Nelson county, Kentucky, 
in a stockade fort to protect them from the Indians, who were hostile. 

"Thomas Piety was united in marriage with Miss Mary Duncan, 
when he was about twenty years of age, and shortly afterwards 
joined General Arthur Sinclair's [St. Clair's] army against the In- 
dian tribes of the Northwest. Thomas Piety was in the battle of 
General Sinclair's Defeat, 1791, and was wounded; but he and a 
wounded soldier were mounted on a small pony horse and saved 
themselves in the retreat and returned home to Kentucky. He lived 
in Kentucky until the year 1814, and then moved to Indiana Terri- 
tory in company with Abram McClelland and family. 

"They settled where the town of Carlisle now stands in the 
winter of 1814-15. The Indians stole all their horses, which he had 
taken in payment for his land in Kentucky. In the month of Feb- 
ruary he removed into Polke's Fort in Knox county, Indiana Terri- 
tory. In August following Thomas Piety and family settled on 
Congress lands on Maria creek, and here secured a home where he 
lived and died, 1835, aged about sixty-five years. His wife survived 
him many years, and died at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 
They were buried side by side, with a monumental stone upon which 
are engraved their respective ages and dates of their deaths, with 
that of children and grandchildren, near the Maria Creek Christian 
Church, on the banks of Maria creek. 

'T cannot describe the jottings of the life of Thomas Piety, Sr.. 
who lived and died on the outskirts of civilization, without stating 
some further particulars and incidents of his eventful life. He 
claimed to be the first American-born child in the Northwest Terri- 
tory (1770). I have often made this statement, and on searching 
the pages of the early history for the nearest approach to it. find 
that it is that of Mrs. Heckewelder, born near Marietta, Ohio, in 
the year 1781, eleven years afterward. At the present writing, 
1884, there are four survivors yet living, the descendants of Thomas 



92 Indiana Magazine of flistory 

Piety, Sr.. and wife. lo-\vit : AFrs. Sally P. Risly. 86 years, who 
still resides on the old farm of her father. Mrs. Ann P. Taylor in 
the Rock River country of Illinois, ^^'illianl D. Piety, near P>ruce- 
ville, Knox county. Indiana. 76 years of age. and Mrs. Susan P. 
McOuaid of Franklin. Johnson county, Indiana, twenty miles south 
of Indianapolis. 72 years of age. 

"There were born to them thirteen children, six sons and seven 
daughters, all of whom were fully grown men and women with ex- 
ception of , who died aged four years in the year 1818. 

The descendants of Thomas Piety are now to be foiuid all over the 
Northwest and Southwest from Texas to Oregon." 

Isaac McCoy 

"But who is this Isaac McCoy? He is of Irish descent, and was 
born near LJniontown. Pennsylvania, June 13. 1784. When he was 
six }ears of age his father, William McCoy, and his mother, Eliza- 
beth McCov, removed to Slrjlby County. Kenrucky. He was con- 
verted at the age of sixteen years, and baptized by Joshua Alorris, 
Alarch 6, 1801. The best schools arotmd him could only teach him 
reading, writing, and arithmetic, but he made rapid progress in 
grace and knowledge. He was married before he was twenty years 
old to Miss Christiana Polke. a daughter of Captain Charles Polke. 
She was a lady most admirably adapted to the great work that was 
before him, though then unseen. At the age of twenty-six years 
he was ordained at the Baptist church at Maria creek. Knox county, 
Indiana Territory, about iiften miles north of the ( )ld Post Vin- 
cennes, which church he and his wife had joined by letter in the 
year 1810, only one year after its organization, which took j^ilace on 
the 20th of May, 1809, with thirteen members. 

"The Wabash Association was formed in 1809. At th.- be- 
ginning of this association it contained only two ministers, to-wit, 
Isaac McCoy and Alexander Devin, on the \\"abash and south to 
the Ohio river. A meeting of the W^abash Association was held 
C)ctober 20, in the year 1810, at the Bethlehem church. Knox county, 
Indiana Territory. It was composed of six churches and 143 mem- 
bers. Elder George W^aller. from Shelby county, Kentucky, 
])reached the introductory sermon. Alexander Devin w^as modera- 
tor, and William Polke, clerk. 



Polkc Memoirs 93 

"After the ordination of Isaac McCoy by George Waller and 
Alexander Devin as ministers, in 1810, at Maria creek (see Bene- 
dick's History, Vol. 2, pages 263 and 548j, Isaac McCoy purchased 
a small tract of land, 90 acres, on Maria creek, on which he resided 
until 1818. He was a wheelwright by trade and during all his 
leisure time he made and repaired spinning wheels, both large and 
small, also frame chairs, etc. In the summer of 1818, he. in com- 
pany with Elder Hinson Hubbs, of Kentucky, went west to St. 
Louis, Missouri. He visited Rock Springs, St. Clair county, Illi- 
nois Territory. Rev. Peck and Rev. Welch had established a mis- 
sion at Rock Springs and a theological school was afterwards estab- 
lished at this place. Isaac McCoy returned home only in time to 
witness the death of his eldest daughter, Mahala, in her fourteenth 
year, who died the loth day of August, 1818. She is buried in the 
old churchyard on the banks of Maria creek. 

"Isaac McCoy engaged in the missionary work this year ( 1818), 
and removed in the autumn of this year to an Indian reservation, 
six miles square, on a township of thirty-six sections of one mile 
square each, situated on the waters of Raccoon creek, Parke county, 
Indiana. Here he erected buildings and a schoolhouse and opened 
up a school, collecting a number of Indian boys and girls of French 
and Indian descent. But in this new country he and his family 
were greatlv afflicted by sickness, and the school was suspended for 
a time. Isaac McCoy was attacked by typhoid fever during his stay 
at this place, and sent to Vincennes, eighty-five miles distant, for 
his old doctor, Jacob Kuykendall, his old physician, in KJnox 
county. The doctor and my father, Charles Polke, set out on horse- 
back, and at the rate of five miles per hour made the trip in seven- 
teen hours. The doctor administered successfully and returned to 
his home in Vincennes. But McCoy's field of labor was too cir- 
cumscribed here at this place, and in the spring of 1820 he went to 
Fort Wayne, about 150 miles through the wilderness of Indian 
countrv. He returned and moved to Fort Wayne, and occupied the 
garrison barracks and other buildings which had been used by the 
soldiers at this place. And here at this place he gathered in seventy 
or eighty Indian children, from twelve to fifteen years of age, and 
opened up a school, and many of them were taught to read and 
write. 

"Mr. McCoy traveled far and extensively, and his devoted and 



94 Indiana Magazine of History 

self-denying wife and others attended the mission family and school 
until (\-toher. 1822. when ]\TcCoy removed to Carey Station, sit- 
uated near Niles, Michio^an. Here he labored until the year 1829, 
when McCoy's whole time and energies were spent in the removal 
of the Indian tribes west of the Mississi]:)])! river to the Indian 
Territory; and in 1830 Carey Station was abandoned. 

"In the year 1842 the American Indian Associatifjn was formed. 
Mr. McCoy was its originator and the secretary of the same. His 
headquarters were at Louisville, Kentucky, and for four years he 
pleaded the cause of the poor Indians. He died at Louisville on the 
21st day of June, 1846, aged 62 years. 

"When Isaac McCoy engaged, in the year 1818, in the mis- 
sionary work, a strong tide of opposition arose against foreign and 
domestic missions in the Wabash and other (Baptist) associations 
of Indiana and Illinois. The opposition to missions was headed 
by Daniel Parker of Newport, Illinois, and others, generally known 
as the "Two-seed Baptists." This produced a split in the Wabash 
Association about the year 1824. 

"The Two-seed Baptists retained the name of the Wabash As- 
sociation. Those churches which were the advocates of missionary 
work organized the Union Association, a large and influential body, 
and by this name it is known at present (1881). It has held its 
annual meeting for sixty years. The old 'Wabash Association' after 
five years declined and ceased to meet at its annual meeting, and 
today is one of the things of the past." 

Charlks Poi.Ki':, Jr. 

"Charles Polke, son of Captain Charles Polke, was 1)orn at De- 
troit, Michigan, in the British garrison, October 20th, 1782, his 
father's family having been taken prisoners in Kentucky and taken to 
Detroit by a band of Indian warriors. His father went to Detroit 
in 1783, and recovered his lost ones and returned to Kentucky. Few 
educational advantages were enjoyed in that early day, and Charles 
Polke never had gone to school one year, all told ; yet he learned 
to read and write, and by self application was enabled to transact 
business and become an active and useful citizen in the early settle- 
ment of Indiana Territory. 

"Charles T*olke came out to the 'Old Post Vincennes' in the 



Polke Memoirs 95 

spring of 1806. and rented some land of Judge Henry \'anderburgh 
near the Fair Grounds and cultivated a crop of corn. He returned 
to Shelby county, Kentucky, and having sold his small farm on the 
waters of Clear creek and Gulf's creek, near their junction at 
Brashear's creek or headwaters of Salt River, Kentuckv (a river 
ever made memorable by many disappointed politicians of Kentuckv 
and Indiana), he emigrated to Indiana Territory on pack horses. 
He crossed the Ohio river seven miles below Louisville at Oat- 
mans' Ferr}-, below the highlands on the west side of the Ohio river. 
He traveled along the Indian trace by way of Corydon, the Blue 
river barrens, the French Licks, down the Patoka river, past ^^'hite 
Oak Springs and the Mud Holes to ^^'hite river, crossing it below 
the junction of east and west forks at Wright's old ferry to Vin- 
cennes. This Avas the old route through the wilderness to the Falls 
on the Ohio river, and no wagon or carriage had ever passed through 
it until 1808, when a train of emigrants came through to A-'incennes. 
with their wagons and stock following this old buffalo and Indian 
traceway as above described. 

"Charles Polke made short stay in Vincennes. He bought 100 
acres of land on the waters of Maria creek. 15 miles north of \^in- 
cennes, and during the year 1807 erected a log cabin and com- 
menced improving here on these lands. The iSIiami and Delaware 
Indian hunting grounds were here, and during the fall season they 
were encamped all along IMaria creek at the springs of water, and 
were peaceable until 1809 and 1810. Then they became trouble- 
some, being set on by British agents, by Tecumseh and other war 
chiefs. This new country was grown up with high grass and on 
the prairies and barrens the fires in the fall of the year were 
terrific. There were no roads, no farms, and little or no stock to 
graze it down. The fires would run all over thp lands from the 
\Yabash river to ^^'hite river, leaving prairies black and bleak, and 
the barrens and small glades with few exceptions in the same con- 
dition. On the north, Busseron creek with its few settlers was the 
limit of the v. hite settlements, and on the east we were on the outside 
settlement to the border settlements of the Ohio State line on the 
waters of the White Water river in Wayne and Franklin counties. 
Indiana. This remained a new country for forty years and was sub- 
ject to great sufferings from sickness, fever and ague prevailing 
among the border settlers and whole families being prostrated by 



g6 hidiana Magazine of History 

sickness, not one member being able to help another. The sickness 
brought about great suffering but did not prove fatal to that extent 
that might be supposed. The War of 1812 between the United 
States and England terminated December, 1814; and the tide of 
immigration flowing in from the surrounding states, this wild con- 
dition of our country soon changed and Indiana Territory in 1816 
became the State of Indiana. 

"Charles Polke was at the battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 
1811, going with General Harrison's army up the Wabash. On 
their way they erected the 'Outpost Fort Harrison' a few miles 
above the city of Terre Haute. But these are all matters of history 
on which I need not dwell. In the year 1816 Indiana Territory be- 
came the State of Indiana and Knox county — the mother county — 
extended north to the southern end of Lake Michigan. 

"Charles Polke died in the year 1845, aged 63 years, having lived 
to see wonderful changes in his day over all the wild country of 
northern Indiana. He saw the wilderness and solitary places give 
wav U) the tide of immiqration of civilized and Christianized men 
and women ; and in place of the Indian wigwams and war-whoop he 
saw those waste places become the homes of civilized man with 
farms and villages, towns and cities, with school houses, church 
houses, railroads, etc. But on these changes I need not now dwell, 
and therefore will bring to a close these jottings of pioneer life." 

James Polke 

"James Polke. author of these memoirs.- the eldest son of 
Charles Polke and Margaret his wife, was born on the 5th day of 
September, 1804. in Shelby county, Kentucky, near the junction of 
Clear creek and Gulf's creek, forming Brashear's creek, a tributary 
of Salt river, which runs into the Ohio river below the city of 
Louisville. 

"My father. Charles Polke. was united in marriage with 
Margaret McQuaid. the eldest daughter of Rev. James McQuaid, in 
the year 1803. My father bought a small tract of land in the deep 
and dark forest of that early day of pioneer life in that (then) new 
country. The locality of his new home j^roved to be sickly, subject 
to fever and ague and in the year 1806 he sold out his new home 
and came out to 'Old Post Vincennes.' 



Polke Memoirs 97 

"My father carried me in his lap on horseback and my mother 
carried my eldest sister (Delilah), then about nine months old. 
With their pack horses they rode through the wilderness over one 
hundred miles and arrived at the 'Old Post' in September. 1806. 
The village was composed of French inhabitants and Indian traders, 
with but few American inhabitants. Major William Bruce, a 
brother-in-law of my father, had come to Indiana Territory in 1805 
and settled about 8 miles north of A^incennes, where the town of 
Bruceville is now located, lots having been sold in 1816. My father 
spent the first winter here and during his stay bought 100 acres of 
land on the waters of Maria creek. In the early spring of 1807 he 
erected a cabin house on this land and made a permanent settlement. 
He lived and died on the same (in 1845), my mother surviving him 
ten years and dying in 1855, aged 70 years. The first dawning of 
mv memory of the things of my eventful life were here in this 
humble cabin house. Here we were in Indiana Territory, the 
countrv wild and unsettled, surrounded by Indians in this (then) 
wilderness land. The Indians camped and hunted around us during 
their hunting season and the crack of the rifle could be heard almost 
any day, killing deer, wild turkeys and other game : but all was 
peaceable then. About the year 1810 things were changed by the 
influence of British traders over the war chiefs among the Indian 
tribes of the Northwest ; but this is a matter of history, as are the 
Indian war of 1811 and the British war of 1812 which followed, 
and the peace that followed in 1815. 

'Tn this new country, as indicated, my experience of life com- 
menced and for the first 5 years of my life events are deeply im- 
printed on the tablet of my heart and memory. The Indian War of 
1811 was fast looming up and my father took me on horseback 
behind him to my grandfather's in Shelby county. Kentucky. W't 
traveled the trace-way by which he had come to Indiana Territor\- in 
1806— through the Blue River Barrens by Corydon. Harrison 
County, Indiana. My uncle. Spier Spencer, the first sheriff of the 
county (1808), lived here. He had been with General Sinclair 
[St. Clair] and General Wayne in the early Indian wars. He had 
organized a volunteer company to fight the savage Indians of the 
Upper Wabash on the Tippecanoe. I saw him parade his company 
in the streets of Corydon. He joined General Harrison at Vin- 
cennes, then the headquarters. My father soon returned to Indiana 



98 Indiana Maf/a-jiur of History 

and joined in General Harrison's campaign to Tippecanoe, which 
was fought on the 7th of November, 1811. Those brave heroes 
fell — Joseph Daviess. Abram Owen, Captain Spencer and .others. 
The army returned by Fort Harrison, an outpost erected by the 
armv on their march u]) the \\''abasli river, sixty miles norh of \'in- 
cennes in the immediate neighborhood of Terre Haute. Indiana. 

"I remained in Kentucky two years and in August, 1813. re- 
turned home to Knox county. T was sent to such schools as were 
common at that day and learned to sjiell and read some. \\y mother 
and five small children, with a portion of William Polke's family, 
were sent to Kentucky in the spring of 1813, and all returned in 
August, 1813, as above stated, to the old fort on William Polke's 
farm. In the early spring of 1814, my father removed his family 
to our old cabin house on the farm and risked all danger from 
roving war parties of Indians in their raids on the frontiers of 
Indiana and Illinois Territories. 

"In the year 1821, when I was seventeen years of age, T went 
with Judge William Polke and his sister, Mrs. Christiana McCoy, 
with her four small children to Fort AA^ayne on horseback. (William 
Polk and Christiana McCoy, wife of the Rev. Isaac McCoy, and 
four small children, had just made the voyage down the A\'abash in 
a pirogue or large canoe in the month of Alpril from Fort Wayne. 
They floated down the stream by day and when the night came on 
they landed their canoe and struck up camp on the bank of the river, 
taking their tent, camping equipage, etc., from the canoe, remaining 
over night and renewing their journey next day. They were ten 
days making this voyage by the river from Ft. \\^ayne, Indiana to 
Vincennes. The mosquitoes were very thick in these forests and 
annoyed them at their landings.) We set out on the 5th of Septem- 
ber, 1821, from Knox county, Indiana, up the Wabash river by way 
of Merom and Terre Haute, which was a small town at that early 
day. We took dinner five miles above the town at Colonel Tuttle's, 
and setting Christiana McCoy, a sister of William Polke out, cross- 
ing Otter creek at Markleville, and from thence to Jacob P)eirs on 
Raccoon creek, remaining over night. We set out the next morning 
anfl made a short stop at dinner at our old friend Lemuel Morman's, 
in the 'Hart* settlement on the outside or frontier at that early day. 
And here taking the Indian trace through the wilderness of forest 
trees up Raccoon creek, we made our first encampment in the wilder- 



Polke Memoirs 99 

ness at a deserted Indian village, on Little Raccoon creek, called 
'Cornstalk village,' about two miles from Ladoga of the present 
day and about ten miles from Cravvfordsville, Indiana. The follow- 
ing day we passed old 'Thorntown,' a deserted village in Boone 
county on the head waters of Sugar creek. The third night we 
struck up camp on the waters of Deer creek and on the fourth day 
we crossed Pipe creek about five miles from the Missionary town 
and here were the Indian wigwams or camps still held by the Manu 
[Munsee] Indians, some sixty or seventy in number. We crossed 
the rocky streams at their town and traveled ten miles and crossed 
Wabash river near the mouth of Salamony or Lagro of the present 
day. We traveled, we supposed, about thirty miles a day, in Indian 
style, along these narrow traceways and often got into yellow 
jackets' nests which wild animals had torn out. 

"The northern portion of Indiana was a wilderness from Parke 
county. Indiana, on the waters of Raccoon creek, to Fort Wayne. 
150 miles distant. \\'e were five days in this wilderness countiw. 
camping out of nights. We would put bells on our horses and 
hobhle them at night, to feed on the wild pea vine and blue gra^s 
pastures along the trace-way. \\'e traveled the Indian trace up the 
W^abash bv wav of Ladoga, old Thorntown. on the head waters of 
the Sugar creek, crossing Wildcat. Deer and Pike creeks, to 
j\Iassunaway at the old town. There were about sixty Indians in 
their bark houses at this place. We crossed the Wabash river near 
the mouth of Salamon\-. near Lagro. thence up to the forks of the 
river at Huntington, thence by Raccoon village or Roanoke to the 
portage dividing the waters of the Wabash south and the waters 
of the Alaumee north. I was then 17 years of age. We arrived 
safely at the fort and found all alive, it being the time of the pay- 
ment to the Indians of some $20,000 and other goods, the Miamis 
and Pottawattamies. 

"Fort Wayne was not occupied by soldiers, but the 'Old Fort' 
and barracks and flagstaft' with flag fluttering in the breeze were 
there. A few Indian traders were in log huts in the village, the 
Ewings and Coquelards. Also a few settlers in the neighborhood 
and the Indian agent, Benjamin Kircheville [or Kercheval]. The 
fort stood at the junction of St. Mary's and St. Joseph's rivers 
which form the Maumee river, flowing to Lake Erie, and made 
memorable bv General Harmer's defeat in 1790 by the Indians. 



lOO Indiana Magasme of History 

Here I saw the last grand rally of the Indians, 700 in number, 
encamped around the old fort to receive heir money from the 
Indian agent, about $20,000, and other goods which suited their 
modes of living — blankets, guns, powder and lead, knives, cami)ing 
kettles, etc. 

"The village consisted of a few log houses outside the fort and 
some cultivated land. The Indian traders, the Ewings, Coquelards, 
etc., had goods in the log houses for the Indian trade. The barracks 
of the fort was used for the missionary's family, by Elder Isaac Mc- 
Coy and for schooling Indian children. A number of Indian chil- 
dren from ten to twenty years were collected in this missionary 
school and many were learning to read and write. 

"After a few days stay, my uncle. Judge William Polke and I 
returned. I had enjoyed a fishing party down the Maumee two 
or three miles with the Indian boys in a large canoe, with gigs. We 
took in some nice fish. Our journey through the wilderness afforded 
much to talk of for many years. 

"In 1822, the Rev. Isaac McCoy removed his missionary family 
and school to the St. Joseph river, Michigan, near the city of Niles, 
Berrien county, about fifteen furlongs from the late at the mouth of 
the St. Joseph river. This had once been the home of the Potta- 
wattamie Indians, as shown by the large section of land grown over 
with blue grass and corn hills for many miles and other traces of 
early Indian settlements and their traditions. 

"Judge William Polke had joined in the missionary work at 
Fort Wayne and followed it up in the new fields of labor. In 
order to obtain a supply of pork for their family of near eighty 
persons (including the Indian children attending school), he came 
to Indiana to purchase hogs to be driven on foot to the Carey 
Mission, Michigan. In the month of December, 1823, he left Knox 
county, Indiana. Mr. Polke got four hands to assist him in his 
undertaking of collecting and driving hogs through this wilderness 
to Michigan. Mr. John Hansbrough and George W. Linsey, sons- 
in-law of Mr. Polke, and John Cox and myself (then in my nine- 
teenth year) agreed to go to Michigan with this drove of hogs. 
We went through Clay county and bought hogs on the Walnut fork 
of Eel river, near the town of Bowlingreen, the first county seat 
laid off for Clay county, Indiana. We were successful in gathering 
together our drove of hogs off the oak and hickory and beechwoods. 



Polke Memoirs loi 

These hogs lived, grew and fattened in the woods. The hogs were 
bought and the price paid in silver money was $1.25 per hundred, 
gross weight, or about $1.50, net weight. We set out from this 
frontier neighborhood by way of Greencastlc, Putnam county and 
from thence to Crawfordsville, Montgomery county, Indiana. Here 
we were on the outskirts of all settlement. Four families had gone 
into the Wea Prairie some fifteen miles distant the spring before, 
and plowed up a hundred acres of prairie and planted it in corn be- 
fore the lands were opened for sale or settlement. We reached this 
settlement the first night after leaving Crawfordsville. Proceeding 
the next day, we reached the Wabash river below the mouth of 
Wildcat creek, at Davis's Indian trading-house on the west side 
of the river Wabash. We had two horses with us on which were 
packed our camping equipage and our provisions on this journey of 
over 115 miles distance. 

"We succeeded in getting a long perogin [pirogue] and a canoe 
from his trading-house across the river with some assistance, and 
forcing the hogs into the river between these water crafts, they 
all swam across the river safely. Then we swam our horses across 
above our canoe. It was a cold swim as there was snow on the 
ground and ice on the river. But we were fortunate in getting 
these watercrafts and in getting our drove and horses and ourselves 
all landed over the river Wabash, which was the most formidable 
obstacle to overcome on our journey. We had a hundred miles of 
wilderness to travel, mainly up the river Tippecanoe. And here 
from Davis's trading-house we took the wrong Indian trace. Pass- 
ing over the Tippecanoe Battle Ground and leaving the trace, we 
bore more to the east, camping out in the woods that night. The 
next morning, falling in company with some Indian men, they 
showed us the Indian trace in the prairie north of the Battle Ground, 
some two miles above it. 

"On the second day we came to the banks of the Tipir.'canoc 
river and crossed the Little Tippecanoe, encamping in an open bar- 
ren country where it became cold and frosty. On the third day it 
was bleak and cold and we encountered some difficulty from the 
marshes being frozen over with ice. Unacquainted, we had to 
make our way with a considerable degree of uncertainty. \\'e had 
to break through these frozen-over marshes and wade through the 
ice and water as thev came, also all the creeks before us. This was 



I02 Indiana Magas;inc of History 

severe at times in the open prairies and barrens. However, in all 
our journey we were never in ice and water over waist deep. On 
the third night we encamped near a bluff on the Tippecanoe river, 
near where the place of Monticello in W'hitc county is now situated. 
There is a great sameness in the appearance of the ct^untry up this 
river, made up of barrens and strips of low prairie with palms, etc., 
until you reach the southern bend of St. Joseph's river. Sumptuous 
Prairie is the largest prairie in this section of the country, with 
some good burr-oak barrens, etc., and good-looking lands. 

"We were six days out from our crossing the Wabash river, 
arriving at our journey's end on the 24th day of December, 1823. 
The next day was Christmas Eve and a good merry time spent at 
Carey Station on the waters of the St. Joseph, the first and last of 
it ever seen by me. After a few days, December 27, we four 
persons and one horse set out to retrace our journey homeward. 
There was some snow on the ground, but the weather clear, thawing 
some at midday, and in all our journey going and returning home 
we remained healthy. 

"We left the mission station on the 27th day of December, 1823, 
with our pony carrying our camp-tent and provisions for the 
journey. We had calculated to reach the Wabash river, 100 miles 
distant, at the end of the third day, but the morning of the fourth 
day we were ten or twelve miles above the Tippecanoe Battle 
Ground, short of provisions- — on about one-half rations. The 
weather had moderated and the snow melted and the snow water 
running into our narrow trace made it disagreeable traveling, but 
about noonday we got to Davis's trading house where we expected 
to get something to eat. Tn this we were disappointed, finding that 
Mr. and Mrs. Davis were absent from home, and after a short stop 
here, we crossed over the Wabash in a canoe, swimming our ])ony 
across the river beside the canoe. We were now on the east side of 
the river and it was the afternoon of the fourth day. We set for- 
ward to reach the settlement on Wea. Prairie some six or eight miles 
distant, arriving at this out settlement of four families, to-wit, 
Black, Babcock and Thorntons, late in the afternoon. We had 
staid here with our drove of hogs on our trip to Michigan with Mr. 
Black, or rather Mrs. Black and family, composed of eight or ten 
children, two or three of whom were large young women, fully 
grown. We were hospitably treated in our outward journey and 



Polke Memoirs 103 

here we were back again on the borders of civilization. The father 
and mother were both absent, but the girls took us in for the night. 
We were hungry and weary with our travel through melted snow 
and presented rather a hard appearance. We found the familv out 
of flour and meal and one of the girls took buckwheat and ground it 
on a hand-mill, while the others made other preparations for the 
supper. As soon as could be expected the supper was announced 
as ready and before us these good girls had served up pork and 
potatoes, buckwheat cakes, with honey and milk. etc.. and we did 
ample justice to the good things set before us. Our host had gone 
to the Ohio river for money to meet the land sale at Crawfordsville 
and had not returned, and now the land sale of the district was in 
progress. The wife had gone to the sale of lands, in order if pos- 
sible, to save their Congress improvements [a squatter's rights 
under the law] and their new home on this frontier settlement. 
About the time the supper was ended the mother came home from 
the land sale at Crawfordsville and reported her good success — and 
there was joy in the household that night. All were merry and 
cheerful. She had made a friend in the person of Mr. Ambrose 
Whitlock, the Receiver of the land office, who had assisted her in 
securing their home. December 31, 1823, on the morning of the 
last day of the year we left our hospitable friends and went to 
Crawfordsville and remained over night with Mr. Henry Restine, 
who kept a tavern. Mr. Restine had been in the ranging service 
of the War of 1812 and had boarded at Polke's Fort in Knox 
county, therefore we were agreeably entertained and every courtesy 
extended to us as desirable. 

"The Crawfordsville land district embraced a large section of 
rich land on the upper Wabash. It had attracted a large crowd of 
land speculators and the tide of immigration and settlement was flow- 
ing rapidly up the Wabash river and to the West. Indeed the Wea 
and Shawin Prairies in Tippecanoe county were a very desirable 
section of country and are now in a high state of improvement. 

"We left Crawfordsville for Greencastle, where we remained 
over night and on the next day we continued our journey. The 
weather was warm and our roads muddy. Through Curry's 
Prairie we had to wade through water from shoe-mouth deep to 
half-a-leg deep for miles. And here T will remark that in all our 
trip there never was a night on going out or returning home but 



I04 hhiiaiia Maga^jine of History 

our feet were wet. And we remained in good health. On the eighth 
day after leaving 'Carey Mission,' in Berrien county, Michigan, 
we arrived at our home in Knox county. Indiana. The estimated 
distance traveled was something over two hundred miles. 

"I now had entered my twentieth year of age. My father's 
family were now growing up to manhood and womanhood, and he 
had gone into trading down the river to New Orleans, on flat boats, 
and had made one trip and was busy with boat-building in order to 
load it with produce and make another trip in the early spring. I 
now was put in charge of the farm during his absence down the 
river, to take care of stock and other business and plow land, plant 
corn and cultivate the same. So things were passing away and 
farming and river-trading were becoming diflferent callings. The 
farm was running down, the fences and buildings were down and 
becoming dilapidated, and the wants of the large family were many. 
For the next two years a great sameness of life took place— the 
winters consuming all the summers could yield. I now had become 
of age, or full twenty years old. My father had traded down the 
river and had been imsuccessful and had become involved in debt 
and. as intimated, the farm was in a bad condition, fences and build- 
ings needing repairs. Indeed the fences had to be repaired in order 
to secure the crop. For the last six months, after becoming of 
age, before setting out in life, for my mother's and sisters' and the 
children's sake, I still remained on the farm as one of the family. 
During the winter of 1826 I cut and split four thousand rails and 
took the team and hauled them all round the farm for repairing of 
fences. 

"Tn the month of February. I left mv father's house with horse, 
saddle and bridle. Possessed of strong body and strong will, with 
spirits buoyant with an education sufficient to transact my own busi- 
ness in life, my first adventure was to assist in opening up and tend- 
ing a sugar camp on White river, near where the own of Edwards- 
port now stands. 

"In the spring of 1826 I left the home of my father and mother 
and took charge of a small farm near Edwardsport on which Wil- 
liam Keith had taken a lease of years. I took the oversight of the 
boys and cultivated a corn crop of some twenty-five acres on shares, 
which yielded me near four hundred bushels of corn. After the 
corn crop was laid by I was then employed by citizens of the neigh- 



Polke Memoirs 105 

borhood to teach school and for the first time I undertook the tasK 
of school-keeping, for three months. Some of my school children 
were on the east side of White river and had to cross over in a 
canoe mornings and evenings to attend school. By the united 
efforts of the two neighborhoods, thirty or forty scholars were 
gathered in this school, the first on the west banks of White hiver 
ever taught above 'Decker's Old Station' on the Vincennes and 
Evansville road. After the expiration of school, I assisted my 
father in getting out timbers and building a flatboat, gathering a 
crop of corn, etc., until the early spring of 1827. When the early 
rise in the river came we were ready to make the trip to New 
Orleans, ^^'e set sail and after a long tedious voyage of some five 
or six weeks, we landed at the city of New Orleans. After making 
sale of our boat-load of produce, at most ruinous prices, we boarded 
the steamboat 'Hibernia,' and at the end of nine days and nights 
were landed in Evansville. on the Ohio river. The town was 
a little dog-fennel village at that early day. ^^'e set out on foot for 
Vincennes, Knox county, Indiana, but were soon leg-weary and 
sore-footed. We then hired a hack to convey us to Vincennes. We 
were gone about two months on this voyage to the city of New 
Orleans. After my return home off the river, I labored on my 
father's farm through the summer of 1827. My eldest sister 
Delilah and I took a journey to Shelby county, Kentucky, and from 
thence to Union county, Indiana. I returned home by Indianapolis. 
It was then a new place, a stumpy little town." 

Henry McOl'aid 

"Henr\' McOuaid emigrated from Ireland to America in the 
fore part of 1700. He settled in Shelby County, Kentucky, in 1782, 
at the close of the Revolutionary War. He secured a large tract of 
land at that early day, but from disputed titles he lost a portion of 
these lands. He died in 1795 and James McOuaid. his only son, 
settled on a portion of the lands acquired by his father, and lived 
and died on the same. James McOuaid was married to Isabel 
Pearce, about the year 1784, and there were born six sons and six 
daughter':: Margaret ]\IcOuaid, the eldest, born January 10, 1785; 
Henry, Nancy, Polly, Elizabeth, John, Fanny, James, Joel: Milton 
and Malitta were twins; William was the youngest. All the chil- 
dren lived to be full s:rown men and women. 



io6 Indiana Magazine of History 

"James McQuaid was a farmer and cleared up and cultivated a 
large farm on which he lived forty-five years. He died at the age 
of 70 years. Henry McQuaid was a seceder Presbyterian in faith 
and a strict Sabbatarian. His son James united with the regular 
Baptist church and was licensed to preach and in time set apart by 
ordination. His father opposed him in his religious views, yet 
nevertheless, he labored for near fifty years in the ministry. Shortly 
after his ordination he became the pastor of the Clear Creek Baptist 
church, near Shelbyville. Kentucky, and for forty years he held the 
same without change. James McQuaid was a warm hearted devo- 
tional man. He was a good singer and exhorter and he labored 
successfully in the ministry and many souls were converted under 
his preaching and united with the Baptist churches of Shelby county 
and the surrounding counties. 

"He became popular and married more young people than any 
other minister in all the surrounding country. He was called to 
their homes to marry them ; they came to the church and to his 
house, and on the public highways to get married. James McQuaid 
organized a number of churches in Kentucky and in the year 1809 
he came to Indiana Territory to visit his eldest daughter, Margaret 
Polk and family ; and during his stay organized a church on Maria 
creek with thirteen members. This church exists at the present 
day, a large and influential body. It was organized on the 20th 
day of May, 1809. James McQuaid visited Indiana Territory in 
1813 and again in 1818. The trouble of the Indian \\'ar had passed 
by and the country become quiet and the tide of immigration had 
flown into Indiana rapidly. The Baptist church which he had organ- 
ized nine years previous was now in a prosperous and growing con- 
dition with more than one hundred members with no disturbing ele- 
ments to its growth and prosperity." 

Elder William Stancil 

"Died at his home in Sullivan, Sullivan County, Indiana, Decem- 
ber 17, 1884. aged 84 years 8 months and Z days. He was bom 
in North Carolina, April 14, 1800. Came to Indiana Territory in 
1808, was married to Celia Barber, 1818. Became a member of the 
Baptist church at Shiloh, in Perry County, Indiana, September 9, 
1821. He was baptized by Elder Charles Polke and licensed to 



Polke Memoirs 107 

preach in 1823, and ordained July 31, 1824. He was truly a pioneer 
preacher, traveling through heat and cold, mud and snow, through 
winds and storms to preach. He was instrumental in gathering in 
two thousand souls as the fruit of his labor. He enjoyed but few 
advantages in his younger days, and in truth he was a self made 
man. Elder William Stancil was a well developed man — six feet 
high and weighed about two hundred pounds. He traveled on 
horseback with his saddlebags. He preached in the log cabins, log 
school houses and log churches, over southern Indiana, and received 
but little pay for his labors. He has gone to receive his reward." 

Robert Polke 

"Robert Polke, youngest son of Captain Polke, Sr., was born in 
Kentucky in 1798. His mother, Delilah Tyler, died at his birth and 
he was nursed and brought up by his elder sisters in his father's 
house until he was ten years old and then was brought to Indiana 
territory with his eldest brother, William Polke. in 1808. \\'hen six- 
teen years old he joined Andrie company of Rangers to guard the 
frontier settlements of Indiana and Illinois territories from Indian 
depredations and served until the Indian troubles were over and 
peace was declared between the United States and England at the 
close of the War of 1812. 

"He was married to Elizabeth Widener in the year 1816 when 
he was 18 years old and bought a tract of land near New Lebanon 
in Sullivan county. After a few years he sold the land and re- 
turned to Knox county and later lived in Carlisle, Sullivan countv. 
When the Upper Wabash was opened for settlement he moved to 
Logansport, Cass county. After a stay of some years he removed 
to Indian territory and engaged in the Indian trade among the 
Putawahens and died about the year 1842. His sons, to-wit : 
Thomas. John W., Perry, Charles and Robert and Mrs. Mary Shoate 
are residents of the State of Kansas (1883)."' 

History of Vincennes Church 

"About the year 1827 the Christian Baptist edited by Alexander 
Campbell of Brook county, Virginia, was introduced to my acquaint- 
ance bv Brother Abner Davis. The articles on the Patriarchal, 



io8 Indiana Magazine of History 

Jewish and Christian dispensations, also the Kingdom of the Clergy, 
creeds, confession of faith, etc., stirred up investigation among the 
people. These were stirring times among the people of Kentucky, 
Indiana and elsewhere and a division took place and the first Chris- 
tian church was organized at Bruceville in the year 1832, and others 
following. 

"The Christian church at Maria Creek was organized 1833. 
Also the Christian church at Vincennes the same year (1833). And 
the following named preachers all of whom had labored among the 
Baptist churches became advocates of Primitive Christianity and 
stood firm to the end of life, to-wit : Abner Davis, David Warford, 
Bruce Field, John B. Haywood, Albert P. Law. All have passed 
over the Jordan to receive their reward. Morris R. Trimble 
entered the field as an evangelist. He was a tower of strength and 
an untiring worker in the cause. He also lies silent in the grave 
with a host of others with whom I have labored and fraternized." 

- James Mathes 

[The following statement, made by Mr. Mathes at an Old Settler's 
meeting at Gosport, August 9. 1883. when the author was seventy-six 
year old, was included by Mr. Polke in his memoir' because, as he 
said : "I had travelled from Union county, by way of Connersville, 
Rushville, Indianapolis, Martinsville, Lam.b's Bottom, Gosport, Spen- 
cer, Fairplay. Lattas Creek, and Black Creek to Knox county in 1827, 
and had killed a large rattlesnake in the trace almost where the 
town of Gosport now stands."] 

"When I was a lad my parents came to the 'New Purchase" and 
settled on a tract of land, afterward owned by Thomas Sandy one 
mile north of Gosport. The old boundary line crossed the country 
west of the tract where Gosport now stands. \\'e came to the place 
a year or more before land in the New Purchase was [opened]. 
All the country west to the Wabash river was then called Wabash 
Court. The country was then an unbroken w^ilderness. The noble 
red man roamed over the country and not a dav passed over that 
we did not hear the crack of his rifle as he brought down the deer 
or turkey which were abundant in these early days, and the nights 
were made hideous by the howling of the wolves, the screams of the 
panther and the hootings of the owls. But we had a more deadly 
enemy than these. The terrible rattlesnakes lurked in our paths and 



Polke Memoirs 109 

in our camps causing great terror by day and night. The snakes 
would den up in the winter in the rocky bhtfts and crawl out in the 
spring and spread through the country. In October and November 
they would return to their dens in the bluffs and sinkholes by hun- 
dreds, lying torpid until warm weather. Their bites did not always 
prove fatal but still they were a terror. 

"The first winter the settlers generally lived in camps, with open 
fronts and without floors, with bed-quilts and deer skins hung round 
with hickory or elm bark thrown on poles for floors on which they 
slept. The mother made johnny cake with sweet milk and venison 
or turkey for our fare. 

"My father came to the settlement in 1820 when there were but 
few settlers here. Uncle Ephraim Goss and family with his son- 
in-law Philip Hodges, Jerry Sandy. Benjamin Arnold, Abner and 
William Anderson, David Lukinbill, John Treat, grandfather of 
W. B. F. Treat, and Isaac James and John Buskirk lived across the 
river. Others came in shortly afterwards and settled north of us. 
They were the Brasiers, Thompsons, Ashes, Steenvalt and sons, 
John and Jacob ; Colonel Robert McWooden and others. 

"The land where Gospc\rt now stands belonged to a man in 
Ohio who wanted to sell it. My father and I wanted to buy it for 
the purpose of making a farm on it, but we were anticipated by 
other parties who got it. Colonel Wooden and others laid off the 
town of Gosport in 1828. 

"I was married March 5, 1828 and the first work done after 
marriage was to cut and split 1,000 rails for old grandfather Ditte- 
more, which I did in one week, walking from home a mile away 
and taking mv dinner with me. I made the rails in the center of 
the city of Gosport. the first work done to improve the town and 
the price received was SZy^ cents per 100 or $3.00 per 1.000. I 
invested this $3.00 in sugar kettles with Mrs. Owens of Blooming- 
ton and I and my young wife made over 300 pounds of maple sugar, 
a part of which we exchanged with Mrs. Owens of whom we had 
bought the kettles, for coffee, paying fifty cent per pound for the 
coffee with sugar at twelve and one-half cents per pound." 



MINOR NOTICES 

Major Chari-es M. Travis 

Major Charles M. Travis (1845-1913) was born in Grand- 
view, Illinois, October 30, 1845. His early life was spent in this vil- 
la.s^e. When but a lad of sixteen years of age he went to Paris, Illi- 
nois, and there enlisted in Company E of the Twelfth Regiment 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He served with this regiment until the 
close of the Civil War, having taken part in over fifteen battles. 

At the close of the Civil War he was appointed a cadet from 
General Sherman's army to W^est Point but resigned the commission 
and came to Indiana, attending school at the Waveland Academy 
at Waveland, Indiana, and graduating as the valedictorian of a class 
of thirty-five. He moved to Crawfordsville. Indiana, and became a 
student at Wabash College. He studied law under General Lew 
Wallace and the friendship between the two men was so firm that 
General Wallace received his student as his law partner. Under the 
administration of President U. S. Grant, Major Travis was ap- 
pointed as United States consul to the port of Para, Brazil, South 
America, which office he filled with distinction. At the close of his 
term of office in this foreign port he returned to Crawfordsville, 
Indiana, and resumed his practice of law. He was a frequent con- 
tributor to the press and was active in fraternal and political circles. 
He was an orator of ability. In 1889 he was elected by the Grand 
Army of the Republic as Department Commander for Indiana, and 
during his administration laid the corner stone of the Indiana 
Soldiers' and Sailors' monument at Indianapolis. 

He was appointed as one of the commissioners from Indiana 
to the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 and at the 
close of the Exposition was secured by the commissioners to pre- 
pare a complete report and embodv it in book form for the govern- 
ment. 

Alt the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Charles M. 
Travis was presented with a commission as major of the Eighth 
United States Infantry. His commission was signed by Secretary 
of War Alger, his warm personal friend. He at once joined his 
regiment and served till the close of the war and was mustered out, 



Minor Notices iii 

a veteran of two wars. The last two years of his life his health was 
much broken and he died December 22, 1913 in a hospital at Dan- 
ville, Illinois. October 7, 1872, Charles M. Travis was united in 
marriage to Mary- DeEtta Salisberry of Cazenovia, New York, who 
with their son the Rev. C. Claud Travis, a clergyman at Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, survive him. 

John V. Buskirk 

John V. Buskirk was born near Gosport, Indiana, June 16, 1828, 
and died at that place December 26, 1913, aged 85 years. He was 
the youngest son of John Buskirk. In 1848 he married Lavada 
Starks who died in 1855. 

The Buskirk family has a historic war record. The grand- 
father of John was in the Revolutionary w^ar ; his father was in the 
war of 1812 and suffered a wound in the battle of Tippecanoe. 
John was a member of Company B. Fourth Indiana Infantry in the 
Mexican war and Company F, Twenty-seventh Indiana Infantry 
during the Rebellion. During the Mexican war he fought in all the 
important battles from Pueblo to and including the capture of the 
City of Mexico. During the Rebellion he participated in the battle 
of Gettysburg and a great many more of those serious encounters. 
He has always been a very patriotic citizen. This spirit of patriotism 
w^as manifested the past summer when he went to the National Re- 
union of the Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the bat- 
tle of Gettysburg fifty years ago. In the "40s'' he was one of the 
active "flat-boaters" on \\'hite river and made numerous trips from 
here to New Orleans on flat-boats loaded with meat and grain. 

The funeral services were conducted at the home of his daughter. 
Mrs. M. E. Dunnigan. at Gosport, Sunday December 28, by Wm. 
S. Mead. Commander Gettysburg Post No. 95, G. A. R., of 
Spencer, Capt. D. E. Beem. past Department Commander, Capt. C. 
A. Hutchinson, Adjutant, Maj. W. W. Daugherty. U. S. A., retired. 
Maj. D. I. McCprmick of the Spanish-American War and a platoon 
of Company D, First Regiment I. N. G.. with Trumpeter M. E. Mc- 
Naught, under command of Captain J. C. Clark and Lieutenant 
James Allen. 

The obituary was then read by Dr. J. Wooden, one of the three 
survivors of the Mexican War, of Owen county. The other sur- 



112 Indiana Magazine of History 

viving Mexican veterans are Thomas A. McNaught, of Spencer, 
l>r. J. W^ooden, of Gosport, and Captain Wellman, of Quincy. 

The casket was draped with the old original flag of the Fourth 
Indiana Infantry, which was commanded by Colonel Willis A. 
Gorman during the war with Mexico. This is an honor seldom 
conferred at a soldier's funeral and was made possible only through 
the courtesy of Major McCormick, custodian of flags in the State 
library, who with Major Daugherty brought the flag from the State 
House for the occasion. The remains were taken in charge by the 
Guard of Honor under command of Captain Clark and Lieutenant 
Allen and escorted to their final resting place in the Buskirk ceme- 
tery, where they were interred with the honors of war, the last 
tribute of respect that can be paid by comrades in arms to a deceased 
soldier. 

Judge Cassius C. Hadley 

Cassius C. Hadley, former judge of the Appellate Court, of 
Indiana, died early Monday, November 14, 1913, at his home, 2007 
North Delaware street, Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Mr. Hadley was born August 9, 1862, at Avon, Hendricks 
county ; was educated at Butler College and graduated from the law 
school of DePauw University. He came to Indianapolis several 
years ago. Previous to that time he had been prosecutor in Scott 
county, Kansas, and had practiced law for seven years in Danville, 
where he was a member of the law firm of Cofer and Hadley. 

Prior to 1907 he was for four years assistant attorney-general of 
Indiana under William L. Taylor, and for four years under Charles 
W. Miller. He was elected a judge of the appellate court in 1906, 
and served a full term, from 1907 to 1911. 

Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Indiana 

[The following data concerning Revolutionary soldiers buried in In- 
diana was furnished by Miss Frances E. Emerson, of Plymouth, Indiana, 
State Historian of the Indiana D. A. R. Other lists are given in volumes 
I. IT, TIT nnd VIII.] 

James Brownlee was born in Tarfott, Scotland, in 1745 and 
died in Indiana in 1828. He is buried in Flat Rock cemetery, Rush 
county. He was married in 1771 to Jean Rankin who died in 1783. 
He was a private in Capt. Abner Wowell's company, from Washing- 



Minor Notices 113 

ton county, Pennsylvania, enlisting in 1782 for service on the fron- 
tier. His children were: John; Jane, who died unmarried; Eliza- 
beth, who married Piatt Bayless Dickson : James, who married Kate 
Ewing, and Hugh, who married Rebecca Vincent. 

John Lewis was born in Loudon county, Virginia, June 23, 
1748 and died in Rush county, Indiana, in 1847. He is buried in 
Flat Rock cemetery Rush county. He applied for a pension April 
10, 1833, while a resident of Rush county, and his pension was al- 
lowed. He enlisted May 1, 1777 in Captain Mason's company. Col. 
Abraham Shepherd's regiment, Virginia line and served one month. 
He re-enlisted in Capt. Isaac Pierce's company. Major Taylor's regi- 
ment, Virginia line. He afterward moved to Pennsylvania, where 
he again enlisted in 1780 and served one month as sergeant in 
Captain Bates' company. Colonel Campbell's regiment. 

Richard Arnold was born in Ireland, in 1757, resided in Dur- 
ham township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he enlisted and 
served in 1776 and 1777 four months, as private and during 1778, 
1779 and 1780, twenty-six months as artificer, in the Pennsylvania 
and New Jersey lines and was in an engagement near Seven Star 
Tavern, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He married A Far}- Black- 
more January 3, 1783. In 1832, he was seventy-five years of age; 
he died July 24 1843, in Dearborn county, Indiana, wliere his widow 
was pensioned in 1852. Children referred to are, George, Jane, 
Mary, William, Catharine, Richard, Samuel, Charles and Elizabeth. 

William Daugherty, Sr., born in Chester county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1754, and died September 1, 1841 in Delaware count}-. 
Indiana. He married Lydia Cox on September 19, 1777, in West- 
moreland county, Pennsylvania. In August, 1777, he enlisted under 
the command of Colonel Gaddis and later under Captain Swindler 
and Lieut. Michael Cat. September 1, 1778, he entered Capt. James 
Daugherty's company. Col. John Evans' regiment and served for 
six months and was discharged March 1, 1779. Tn April, 1779, 
he was called out for an enlistment of fifteen days and as soon as 
he returned home was called out for a term of fifteen days at Strad- 
ler's fort. He came to Delaware county in 1829. He is buried on 
the bank of White river below Yorktown, upon land owned by the 
late David Campbell. His grave is unmarked. His wife died May 
9, 1851, aged 89 years, in Clinton county, Ohio, both William Daug- 
erty and his wife being pensioners. Children were, Bridget Bell. 



IJ4 Indiana Magazine of History 

of Highland county, Ohio ; James Daugherty, Clinton county, Ohio ; 
Hannah Reed, Clinton county, Ohio; William Daugherty, Ji"-, Dela- 
ware county, Indiana ; Elizabeth Reed, Delaware county, Indiana ; 
Lydia Somers, Henry county, Indiana, ^^'illiam Daugherty, Jr., 
was a soldier in the War of 1812, enlisting at Lebanon, Ohio, in 
Abgust, 1812, in Capt. John Spencer's company. Colonel Shumalt's 
regiment. He was born March 3, 1790, at or near Wilmington, 
Ohio and died September 29 1876, in Delaware county and is buried 
at Yorktown. 

Joel Butler, a Baptist minister, born in Lancaster, Massa- 
chusetts, son of Asaph Butler. Settled in Windsor, Vermont, be- 
fore or during the early part of the Revolutionary War. Was of the 
Congregational church but in 1780 became a Baptist and was soon 
ordained in work of the ministry. Was pastor at Woodstock. Ver- 
mont and about 1793 migrated to the region of the Mohawk valley, 
and towards 1800 to Soloville, Madison county. New York and 
preached in the adjoining towns. He died at Geneva, Indiana, 
September 13, 1822, aged 71 years. He had a son. Ora Butler, a 
Baptist clergyman. Ezra Butler, a younger brother of Joel was for 
a long time minister at Middleboro, Vermont, and one time member 
of Congress and governor of Vermont. Joel Butler served in the 
Revolutionary War. 

Peter McDonald enlisted in Berkeley county, Virginia, in 1777 
as a private under Captain Morgan and Captain Woodrow, Colonels 
Markham and Bowman in the Eighth Virginia Infantry. He was in 
the battle of Brandywine and Germantown, in which he was taken 
prisoner and detained as such for eight months and twelve days. 
Was also in the battle of Monmouth ; served for three years exclu- 
sive of imprisonment and was discharged in 1781. He was born at 
Cape May. Lost his father when a boy and moved with his mother 
to Berkeley county, Virginia, where soon after his return from 
service, he married Catherine Wise. He had the following children: 
Mary, born January 6, 1784; John, born October 25, 1785; Sarah, 
born September 28, 1787, married Andrew Mitchel ; James, bom 
November 13, 1789; Catherine, born August 29, 1791. married John 
F. Dietz, June 10, 1810; Daniel, born September 6, 1793; Elizabeth, 
bom August 20, 1795; Rachel, born April 14, 1798; Permeley. bom 
September 15, 1800, married David Copple ; David, born April 10, 
1803; Peter, born January 18. 1806. He died March 6. 1825, in 



Minor Notices 115 

Clark county, Indiana, where his widow died January 14, 1841 and 
the pension to which she would have been entitled was allowed in 
1853 for the benefit of his surviving children : Mary, John, Sarah, 
James, Permeley, and David. McDonald's Ferry was situated near 
what is now Fern Grove or Fourteen Mile Creek. 14 miles above 
Jeffersonville. His burial place is not known, but in accordance 
with the custom of those days it is likely to be on his own farm. 

Jacob V. Wolfe 

Jacob V. Wolfe, a distinguished Indianaian, died at his winter 
home at Semmes, Alabama, December 26, 1913. He was born at 
Merom in Sullivan county, October 7, 1833. He graduated from 
Indiana University in 1857. After teaching for several vears 
he entered the law school of Indiana Universitv from which he 
graduated in 1863. He located at_ Spencer where he practiced law 
till 1871. He then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he had since 
lived. He was an active politician, having served a term in the 
Indiana Legislature. He w^as a Granger and a supporter of Bryan. 

History Teachers of Indiana 

The annual convention, of the History Teachers of Indiana was 
held at the Claypool hotel, Indianapolis, February 13 and 14. 

The discussions were all marked with commendable enthusiasm. 
There was considerable unrest manifested among the teachers in 
view of the readjustment necessary to meet the demands of the times 
expressed in vocational teaching. Harry W. Wood of the Manual 
Training High School of Indianapolis, discussed this tendency in 
its relation to Civics. His plan was to lay aside the old emphasis 
on constitutional and legislative history and acquaint the student 
with the actual machinery of government as it shows itself in the 
neighborhood. This can best be done by visiting the councils, courts 
and other governmental agencies. 

In keeping with this idea some of the teachers would rearrange 
the course of study shifting the emphasis to those periods of history 
chiefly characterized by commercial readjustment. On the other 
hand there were those who think that history is of sufficient import- 
ance and disfnitv to stand alone. These would teach the lessons of 



Ii6 Indiana Mayacinc of IIistor\ 

humanity from all periods of the world's historw They also depre- 
cated the continual meddling with the course of study necessary if 
the subject of history must be reorganized for every fad that sweeps 
over the field of education. 

A second line of discussion had to do with the L'enlennial Cele- 
bration of Indiana. The building of a Centennial Museum was dis- 
cussed and a committee consisting of Dr. W'oodburn of Indiana Uni- 
versity, Dr. Moran of Purdue, and Professor Lindley of Earlham 
appointed to cooperate with others in creating a public sentiment 
favorable to the project. It was recognized that pretty hard work 
was ahead in this direction, due largely to the failure of the old 
Centennial Commission. 

\'arious committees \vere appointed as follows : to revise the 
course of study — O. H. Williams, Bloomington, Harry W. Wood, 
Indianapolis, Dr. T. F. }^^oran, Lafayette: to prepare suitable ma- 
terial for the study of Indiana History — O. H. Williams, Bloom- 
ington, Mattie B. Lacy, Indianapolis, Prof. C .B. Coleman, Indi- 
anapolis, Dr. James A. Woodburn, Bloomington, Supt. C. V. Ha- 
worth, Kokomo, Adelaide Baylor, Indianapolis, Dr. Logan Esarey, 
Bloomington : to report on changes made necessary by the intro- 
duction of vocational education — Dr. Beverly W. Bond, Lafayette, 
Prof. Frank S. Bogardus, Terre Haute, Harry \\". Wood, Indian- 
apolis, Prof. W. H. Gipson, Crawfordsville, Beatrice Jones, Evans- 
ville ; an executive committee to consider in connection with its 
other duties the feasibility of holding the next meeting earlier in 
the year — Dr. T. F.-Moran, Lafayette, Chairman, R. D. Chadwick, 
Gary, Hope W^. Graham, secretary, Indianapolis, Minnie Weyl, 
Terre Haute, Dr. Logan Esarey, Bloomington. 

Besides these discussions excellent papers were read by Dr. 
Moran on "Should Indiana Have a-New Constitution?" and by Dr. 
Woodburn on "Recent Currency Legislation." 

Dr. Thomas F. Moran of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, 
is the new chairman, and Hope W. Graham of Shortridge High 
School, Indianapolis, is secretary. 

MiCHiG.\N Historical Commussion 

An act of the Legislature of Michigan, 19L3, provided for a 
Historical Commission to consist of seven members, six of whom 
were to be appointed by the Governor, the governor, ex officio being 



Minor Notices 117 

the seventh member of the board. These members are to serve six 
years, without pay, one retiring annually. 

This Commission has power to collect all historical material avail- 
able in or out of the State and it is made the custodian of the same. 
Its power in this respect is wide. Records of Indian tribes, French 
explorers, missionaries and traders, B'nglish and American soldiers 
and settlers are to be sought. The survey is not limited to Michigan 
alone but includes the Northwest territory. 

The act provides for a secretary at a salary of $1,800 and a 
curator at v$l,000. The law sets aside $5,000 per year for the ex- 
penses of the commission, the cost of printing and binding to be done 
by the State as other public printing is done. 

The Commission includes the best historians of the State. Its 
first work will be to reprint the collections of the Michigan Pioneer 
and Historical Society. These publications now number 38 volumes. 

A series of volumes Avill be known as the Orii^ina! Documents 
Relating to the History of Michigan and the Novilizvcst Territory. 
These will succeed the Pioneer and Historical Collections mentioned 
above. The materials for his will be gathered from Wa'shington, 
London, Paris, Quebec and elsewhere. AA'. G. Pcland is now in 
Paris gathering this material. 

The plan of distribution is especially commendable. One copy 
of each volume is to be given to each public library in the State and 
one to each State and University library as an exchange. Volumes 
will be sold for one dollar each to the public. 

The Commission is organizing an Information Bureau of State 
History. When this is in working order it is hoped a secretary will 
be able to supply free to all citizens any information in regard to 
the State History. 

The commission cooperates with all county societies, all colleges 
and libraries. It prepares directions and bibliography for local work, 
and coordinates the work being done in various parts of the State. 

The Commission is also preparing for the construction of a State 
museum as a home for its historical property. Michigan is thus 
preparing in a worthy way to take care of its history. The only 
expense entailed on the State is the cost of publication which is only 
a trifle. Yet it is that trifle which now keeps Indiana from pub- 
lishing anything in this field. A publication fund of $10,000 per 






ii8 Indiana Magazine of History 

year would enable the historians of Indiana to do for our State what 
is being done by our neighboring States. 

A Conference on Taxation 

On February 5th and 6th, there took place at the University a 
very notable event in the form of "A Conference on Taxation in 
Indiana." From all parts of the State were assembled public officials, 
both State and local, students of public finance and representatives 
of the business interests, to participate in a varied program dealing 
with the important subject of taxation and tax administration. In 
all, seventy persons were registered in attendance, exclusive of the 
members of the University. 

All arrangements for the conference were made by. President 
Bryan and Prof. Rawles. as director of the Extension Division. In 
a "foreword" to the program sent out with the invitations to attend 
the meeting, the object of the conference was clearly stated, as fol- 
lows : "The subject of taxation is important to every citizen of the 
State. Progress toward the ideals of social justice and industrial 
efficiency is impeded by an imperfect system of taxation. No 
apologies seem necessary for the calling of a conference to consider 
in a dispassionate way the present situation in Indiana with a view- 
to ascertaining just what are the imperfections in our system, and 
how they may be remedied." 

Governor Ralston, who was expected to preside at the opening 
session on Thursday morning. Febrnarv .^th. was unfortunatelv un- 
able to be present. The Hon. John B. wStoll, tlie resjiccted veteran 
editor of South Bend, was secured to act in his place. An address 
of welcome was delivered by President Bryan, who emphasized the 
great importance of the subject of taxation as exem])litie(l in the 
world's history. 

The conference was particularlv fortunate in securing as s])eak- 
ers from outside the State such men as Mr. Lawson I'lirdw I)rs. 
Thomas S. Adams, Joseph French Johnson, David Friday and Ray- 
'mond V. Phelan. What they had to say carried with it the weight 
of authority in a high degree. The tax features of important, pro- 
gressive States were presented by them in a clear and forceful wav 
while, in addition, the fundamental principles of taxation were 
driven home with convincing logic. While there was some dissent 
as to the advisability of adapting certain features from the tax sys- 



Minor Notices 1 19 

terns of other States, to that of Indiana, yet it was generally ad- 
mitted by those present that Indiana would do well to profit by the 
success of her sister commonwealths. 

In the discussion of our local tax laws, the attention of the con- 
ference was directed chiefly to two things, the taxation of intangible 
property and the control of local assessments. Generally speaking, 
it was the view of the conference that the present taxing clause of 
the State Constitution, providing for the general property tax, fails 
to meet with success or to provide equality, when applied to the 
taxation of money, credits and other forms of intangible property. 
Under the present system such property largely escapes or. if as- 
sessed, it pays more than its proper burden. Instead of the general 
property tax, a "classification" system was urged, thus allowing for 
the imposition of different rates of taxation on different classes of 
property, or even the total exemption of certain kinds of property. 
In order to adopt such a system a change in the State's Constitu- 
tion would be necessary. Accordingly there was strong sentiment 
in favor of a Constitutional Convention, preceded by the appoint- 
ment of a special tax commission to make an exhaustive studv of 
Indiana's needs. 

The second question which caused lively discussion was the de- 
fects of our present methods of assessment. The members of the 
State Board of Tax Commissioners asserted that the local, assess- 
ments were perforce most unequal and unjust, l^ecause the Board 
had neither control over the selection of the local assessors nor the 
power to order a reassessment where careless, inefficient, or dis- 
criminating work had been done. The ])lacing of assessors on a 
civil service basis was urged, so as to take them out of the trammels 
of local politics. On the other hand sharp criticism was directed 
at the State Board itself by the Hon. J. P. Dunn, who asserted that 
the body was even more deficient in the assessment of railroad 
property, which is intrusted to it. than were the local asses.sors in 
their work. 

The crowning work of the meeting was the formation of the 
"Indiana State Tax Conference" instituted to carry on the work 
of public education. In fitting recognition of his work in starting 
the movement. Prof. W. A. Rawles was chosen president of the 
permanent organization. Other officers selected were, John B. Stoll, 
John A. Lapp, Dan M. Link. Fred E. Simms and L, S. Bowman, 



. I20 Indiana Magazine of History 

vice-presidents, Fred B. Johnson, secretary and W. K. Stewart, 
treasurer. 

Altogether the conference was a most successful one. Its fruits 
seem bound to appear in a more intelligent understanding of local 
tax problems and in greater prestige for the University throughout 
the State. Indiana University showed that it possessed rare oppor- 
tunities for serving the people. Everywhere there was expression 
of opinion among the delegates at the conference that our ultimate 
goal should be, and would be, that of Wisconsin and Minnesota. 
The proceedings of the conference will be published by the Uni- 
versity. Frank Stockton 

Colonial Dames of America 

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America is tak- 
ing up in a systematic and comprehensive way the preservation of 
materials relating to its history. A committee on the Preservation 
of Existing Records has been appointed and is now actively at 
work. This committee has asked the members of the society 
resident in Indiana to assist in this work. The following informa- 
tion and records are desired : 

1. Records in family Bibles. The names and addresses of all 
persons possessing family Bibles containing such records. 

2. The condition of the town records of the oldest town in 
each county, whether the records are kept in a fireproof safe, 
whether the county or town authorities are interested in the preser- 
vation of such records. 

3. The oldest graveyards in each county, their condition, loca- 
tion and number of colonial stones contained. 

4. The oldest church organization in each county, the age of 
the present building, the oldest church records, and their condition 
and state of preservation. 

5. An exhibition of American Samplers is to be held at Indi- 
anapolis as soon as a suf^cient number of samplers can be located. 
Information concerning the location of these is desired. 

6. Old wills will be examined and any information concern- 
ing the persons of Revolutionary time or fame noted. 

This is a commendable work and the M.\g.\zinf. urges all per- 
sons, who can, to assist in the survey. Correspondence concerning 
this work may be addressed to Mrs. E. F. Hodges, 414 Claypool 
Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana. 



REVIEWS AND NOTES 

The Life of Thaddeus Stevens, By James A. Woodburn, Ph.D. 
(Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill Company.) Pp. 610. 1913. 

Books sometimes suffer, as children do, from inability to choose 
the author of their being. This biography, the best and probably 
the definitive life of Stevens, does not belong to this class. A satis- 
factory account of the great "reconstructionist" could not be written 
by a man of partisan spirit ; it would be either a fulsome eulogy or an 
untempered denunciation. Professor Woodburn's historical spirit 
and natural disposition combine to produce a biography which does 
full justice to its subject and at the same time never misrepresents 
him or his work. The author's task, moreover, has been thoroughly 
done. Practically all existing materials, public records, private let- 
ters, even oral tradition, have been drawn upon and welded together 
in a masterly historical and literary production. Nowhere can one 
find a better representation of the great movements with which 
Stevens identified himself, especially the prosecution of the war 
against the seceding states and the reconstruction after the war. 

Stevens' long career is covered with a just proportion devoted to 
his private life, his business affairs and his public services. The 
reviewer finds only one episode of importance which is not satis- 
factorily described, namely Stevens' apparent indifference or even 
opposition to the appropriation necessary to complete the Alaskan 
purchase and his later support of this appropriation. At the time, 
there was some talk of scandal in connection with the completion of 
this affair and the whole transaction has never been satisfactorily 
explained. It may well be, however, that material is not available 
for an inside explanation, or that there is after all nothing really 
there to explain. With this possible exception we have in Professor 
Woodbum's book a complete account of Stevens' career as an 
Anti-Mason Pennsylvania politician, as an iron manufacturer and as 
leader of the national House of Representatives during the war and 
reconstruction. 

Perhaps the greatest single contribution which Professor Wood- 
burn makes to our understanding of Stevens and the public questions 
of his dav is contained in the very interesting chapter upon "Ways 



122 Indiana Magazine of History 

and Means in the War, the Greenback" and the two later chapters 
upon "The Greenbacker." Here Stevens' advocacy of the Legal 
Tender act, his attempt to make greenbacks legal tender for every- 
thing, even payments of interest on government bonds, and his later 
effort to continue and extend the issue of greenbacks are presented 
so sympathetically as, not indeed to convince us that he was right, 
but to enable us to understand clearly his side of the controversy 
and to give us respect for his views. 

An authoritative statement of the facts upon which Stevens 
based his policy of reconstruction, and of the conditions which 
formed the background of this policy is very timely. With a due 
sense of the evils of Reconstruction as the Stevens faction carried 
it out, and of the growth of humanitarian and philanthropic senti- 
ments since 1868, the reviewer finds himself unable to join in the 
unmitigated condemnation with which reconstruction is now usually 
visited. Stevens and the radical Republicans faced a situation in 
which it seemed more than likely that the results of the Civil War, 
except in the bare saving of the Union, would be lost. Southern 
negroes could have been kept in virtual slavery and the anti-war 
element in the Democratic party might have gotten control of the 
government, had there been weakness or halfway measures in the 
reconstruction of the South. A policy of unreserved generositv on 
the part of the North, an unconditional recognition of local govern- 
ments in the South, and an immediate consigning of the war to 
oblivion were under the circumstances hardly to be expected. Fail- 
ing in this, it was probably fortunate that a man like Stevens came 
to the front to drive firmly and relentlessly to the bitter end the 
policy of forcing upon the South the recognition of the new order of 
things. 

The volume as a whole is worthy of its author, the dean of Indi- 
ana historians, and of the years spent in its preparation. It is a real 
pleasure to read a book, at whose close one feels that he has been 
face to face with a great historical subject treated in the best 
historical manner of our modem scientific school. 

C. B. Coleman 

George Rogers Clark Papers, 1771-1781. Edited with introduction 
and notes by James Alton James, Northwestern University. 
[Collections of the Illinois Historical Library, Vol. VIII, Vir- 




Reviezvs and Notes 123 

ginia Series, Vol. III.] (Springfield, 111.; Illinois Historical 
Library, 1912. Pp. clxvii, 715.) 

Indiana must acknowledge its great indebtedness to the Illinois 
State Historical Library and through it to Dr. James for this volume 
of collections. The documents here brought to the service of his- 
torians are as much a part of the history of Indiana as they are of 
that of Illinois. Over three hundred letters, diaries, reports and 
memoirs are included in the collection. As the text indicates, these 
documents have to do with George Rogers Clark's campaign in the 
West. The author has been liberal however in his selection and 
practically all contemporary documents dealing directly with the 
campaigns have been included. For instance there are documents 
by Abraham Hite, John Gabriel Jones, John Clark, Patrick Henry, 
Thomas Jefferson, William Harrod, Gabriel Cerre, H. Perrault, 
David Lyster, Alexander Macomb, R. B. Lemoult, Governor Hamil- 
ton, and a score of others. About seventy-five are by Clark himself. 

While the central theme of all the papers is the conquest by Clark, 
not all the papers by any means relate to battles and marches. The 
whole life in the western country is illuminated, its conventions, its 
civil organization, its social and economical conditions. 

It would not be interesting to the readers of this magazine to go 
into a discussion of the reliability of these sources. Few, if any, 
would have the means of judging the value of any criticism offered. 
In general it may be said that the reputation of Dr. James is 
sufificient to guarantee the highest accuracy in the work. He is 
famJliar with the field, the characters and the science of history, and 
has had the hearty cooperation of scholars and librarians. 

The first 167 pages are used by the author in a sketch of the 
period based on the documentary materials following. This ar- 
rangement has an advantage and also a serious disadvantage. This 
introduction is perhaps the best history in print of this particular 
period and a reading of it leaves little to be desired in the way of 
explanation of the documents following. On the other hand for one 
consulting a particular document it is rather difficult to get the bear- 
ings without going to the introduction and reading several pages. 
A good general index reduces this difficulty ver>^ materially. More- 
over a note of explanation for each document would necessitate a 



124 Indiana Magazine of History 

large amount of repetition. On the whole perhaps the author has 
selected the lesser of the difficulties. 

There is a criticism that might be suggested on the general 
fonnat of the book. It is too thick for its size of page and style of 
biiuhng. The thickness of the 882 pages equals five-ninths the width 
of the type page. Unless one breaks the binding reading its small 
pages is like reading a bill on a telephone post. One must either 
keep his head nodding or else keep the book turning. This criti- 
cism is useless as the different volumes have to conform to the style 
and format of the others of the series. 

Some of the controverted points in regard to the documents 
offered are discussed at the close of the volume. The Memoir of 
Colonel Clark has been criticised as that of a vain old man, prepared 
long after the events which it describes and after the natural keen- 
ness of his mind had been dulled by years of intemperance. In 
general the author dissents from this criticism and regards the 
Memoir as a valuable and trustworthy document. The volume 
should find a place in all Indiana libraries. 

LoG.\N Es.\REV 

■'Paul Cuffe and His Contribution to the American Colonization 
Society," is the title of a 32-page separate from Volume VI of the 
Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. The 
author is Henry Noble Sherwood, formerly professor of history in 
the University of Cincinnati. Paul Cuffe was a colored man who 
lived at Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts. He accumulated a considerable 
amount of property as a trader and sailor. This property he 
generously used in providing for the education of the American 
negro and his deportation to Africa. He took a small colony of 
negroes to Sierra Leone in 1813 and made several trips to America 
and England. In England he had an inten-icw with the directors 
of the African institution and advised with them as to the best 
means to stop the slave trade. Cuffe was intimate with the principal 
men who organized the American Colonization Society and the ex- 
ample he gave in negro deportation was an encouragement to them 
to persevere in the objects of the society. His death in 1817 was 
the occasion of many tributes by the members of the newly formed 
society. Mr. Sherwood has recently published through Mississippi 
Valley Historical Association, "The Settlement of the John Randolph 



Reviews and Notes 125 

Slaves in Ohio" and through Ohio Historical and Philosophical So- 
ciety, "The Deportation Movement in Ohio." These with other 
contributions will constitute his doctor's thesis in Indiana University. 

Tpie Attica Ledger Press, December 12, 1913, has some interest- 
ing reminiscences by two of the pioneers of the town. The article 
is headed "First School in Attica." 

History of Johnson County, Indimia. By Elba L. Branigix, A. M. 
(Indianapolis; B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc. Pp. 863.) 

Mr. Branigin, the author of the above is a well-known attorney 
of Franklin, an alumnus of Franklin College. The author pitches 
right into his work and gives us ^S7 pages of history. The familiar 
discussion of Moundbuilders is missing as are also the well-worn 
biographies of the presidents of the United States that have done 
duty to pad so many country histories and from present indications 
are going to have to work over time again in the near future. 
Johnson county is not rich in historical material. ■ It is just one of 
the plain substantial counties of Indiana. But the author has found 
plenty of valuable materials to make a good readable volume, ma- 
terials well worthy of preservation. We frequently overlook this 
,value in county histories. Not every county has been the seat of 
world-famed events but every county in Indiana has a number of 
churches, schools, lodges, cities or towns, newspapers and other 
results of social and neighborhood activities that have clustered 
around them many enduring memories and traditions. These are 
just as surely the materials of history as are marches, sieges, or 
congressional fiascoes. Mr. Branigin has done this. He has pre- 
served a history of nearly, if not all these institutions. The diary 
of Samuel \K . Van Nuys, a volunteer of Company F, Seventh Indi- 
ana, is a novelty in a county history and opens up a field not usually 
worked by local historians. Lists of county, township, city and ttnvn 
officers are a:iven. election statistics and census materials bearing 
' on the growth of the county. 

The last 300 pages are taken up with biographies. These are 
usually written by the persons themselves and are thus auto- 
biographies. While there are a great many wasted adjectives inter- 
spersed here and there the substance of each sketch is fact. A 
great deal of valuable material is thus preserved. Society is able to 



126 Indiana Magazine of History 

preserve a biography of each of its members if it chooses so to do. 
The most enlightened states of the world are doing it or have done 
it. The most expensive way to do it is by county histories but that 
way is far better than none. A set of histories covering Indiana 
in 1825 and another in 1850, and another in 1875 would look good 
to a historian of Indiana now. 

Logan Esarey 

The Year Book, Indiana Federation of Clubs for 1913-1914 is 
an excellent resume of the work done by the organization during 
the year. A glance through it shows the wide range of activities 
carried on by the Federation. The State is organized by Congres- 
sional Districts and counties, each division with its appropriate 
officers. Work is done along the general lines of Library Extension, 
Public Health, Legislation, Charities, Household Economies, Civics, 
Conservation, Art, Music, Agricultural Education, History (especial- 
ly of Indiana), Parent Teachers Clubs, Literature, Country Life, 
Education and some others. The annual convention was held at 
Indianapolis. October 21-24 inclusive, 1913. The president is Miss 
Vida Newsom, Columbus, Indiana. The Indiana Magazine of His- 
tory wishes 'to cooperate with the Federation in all ways possible, 
and especially in the work on Indiana History. 

William K. Boyd, Professor of History in Trinity College, 
North Carolina, has recently published a Syllabus of North Carolina 
History from 1584 to 1876. The author divided his subject into 
ninety-three chapters each of which he outlined and furnished with 
a suitable bibliography. The syllabus makes a pamphlet of 100 
pages. The last chapter is an outline for the study of local history. 
A similar pamphlet would be a valuable addition to the historical 
literature of Indiana. It is worth while to note in this connection 
that North Carolina has recently published thirty-one volumes of 
Colonial and State records. 

Dr. Fredrick Jackson Turner, of Harvard, has ]ire])ared a 
List of References on the History of the West for the use of his 
classes. There are 129 pages of titles divided into fifty-two chapters. 
Under each chapter are listed those books treating especially of a 
certain field. Each chapter is divided into a general field and 



I 



Re7.news and Notes 127 

special fields under which the references are appropriately listed. 
On the whole it is a well-selected and comprehensive list. Little 
attempt has been made to value the different books referred to, 
though a star has been used occasionally to designate what the 
author considers the best authority on the subject in question. 

Why Indiana Needs a New Constitution is the title of a booklet 
issued by the Woman's Franchise League of Indiana. The contents 
of the booklet is an address by Prof. James Albert Woodburn before 
the second annual convention of the league held at Indianapolis, 
May 5, 1913. Prof. Woodburn favors a new constitutional con- 
vention that will give Indiana a new system of taxation, woman 
suffrage, the short ballot, initiative and the referendum. "The 
fundamental law should deal with broad general principles. A 
constitution of a million words dealing with a multitude of prohibi- 
tions and specifics borders upon the absurd in political science," says 
the author. 

The Department of Archeology of the Missouri Historical 
Society has recently issued the first of a series of bulletins. It is 
written by Gerhard Fowke and devoted to a description of the pre- 
historic objects in the Jefferson Memorial at St. Louis. It is an 
indexed pamphlet of fifty pages fully illustrated with fourteen full 
page plates. 

Dr. Solon J. Buck has issued as a separate his article from the 
Proceedings of the Mississippi Historical Association, 1012, on "The 
New England Element in Illinois Politics before 1833." Only a half 
dozen biographies are sketched. The chief interest of the paper is 
the indication it gives of the vast amount of work that nnist be done 
along that line before any valid generalizations can be drawn con- 
cerning the work or influence of the settlers from the various sec- 
tions of the country from which the pioneers emigrated. 

Thk Indiana University .Uumni Qnartcrly made its first ap- 
pearance January, 1914. It is a quarterly of 124 pages standard 
magazine size, published by the Alumni Association of Indiana Uni- 
versity. Dr. S. B. Harding of the Department of History. Indiana 
University, is editor and Dr. M. E. Haggerty of the Department 



128 Indiana Magarjinc of History 

of Philosophy is ])usiness manager. An article by Judge David D. 
Banta, Dean of the School of Law at the time of his death in 1896, 
on the "History of Indiana University" is the leading article and 
sets a rapid pace for the contents of following numbers. Judge 
Banta had personally known man}- of the first students v^-ho attended 
the university and it is of these and their life he writes rather than 
the formal acts of Legislatures and trustees. The school life of the 
times is here pictured better than in Hall's Nezo- Purchase. A por- 
trait of Judge Banta and a map of Indiana in 1818 by Dr. Shockley 
accompany the article. The second article is entitled "Bohemian 
Literary Men in the Aige of Elizabeth" and was written by Prof. 
Frank Aydelotte of the English Department. Prof. Aydelotte takes 
us into these literary workshops and in truth one can hardly say that 
he is tempted to remain. The remainder of theQiiarterly is taken 
up with university news, reviews of books and articles written by 
alumni, and news notes of the alumni arranged by classes. We ex- 
pected a good magazine and our high expectations have been more 
than realized in the artistic appearance, the typographical excellence 
and in the subject matter of this first number. Surely no alumnus 
will fail to become a member of the Alumni Association and thus 
become a subscriber to and supporter of the Alumni Quarterly. 

The Iowa Journal of History and Politics for January contains 
as its leading article a. study of the Mormon migration across Iowa 
in 1845-6. The trails are laid down on a map and the carnps 
marked. Each Mormon party had regard to the next party follow- 
ing and either planted a crop of corn, potatoes and garden truck 
at the camp or harvested one formerly planted 'so that the oncoming 
pilgrims would find a stock of provisions on hand at each "Camp of 
Israel." The "Miller Thompson Contest" for a seat in Congress is 
the subject of an article in the same number by Louis B. Schmidt of 
Iowa State College. 

The January number of the Missouri Historical Rezicic opens 
with an article on "The Value and the Sale of the Missouri Slave," 
by Harrison A. Tresler of the University of Monatna. From tax 
books, reports of auction sales, from newspapers and from court 
records the author has collected sufficient data to show the extent 
of the trade and the range of prices paid for slaves. The study 



Reviews and Notes 129 

shows that the price of slaves gradually rose from 1820 to 1860. In 
1854 a first class man twenty-three years old sold for $1,440. Boys, 
ten to twelve, brought around $800. The ofificial "block" from which 
slaves were sold in St. Louis was the east door of the court house. 

George Pence, field examiner of the State Board of Accounts, 
has recently discovered the first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation 
ever issued in Indiana. In reality the proclamation called for a 
day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer; just the opposite of our 
Thanksgiving. The latter is a thanksgiving for the bounties of the 
season. The former is observed to propitiate the overruling power 
so that good crops may be raised. The day of humiliation and 
prayer rightfully comes in the Spring — second Friday of April — 
while the Thanksgiving day celebration is in the fall when the farm- 
ing season is over and the crops housed. The proclamation in the 
bold clear hand of our first governor is reproduced in fac simile in 
the Indianapolis Nezvs, November 21, 1913. 

The Richmond Palladium during the last part of November and 
the first part of December published the memoir of Henry Hoover. 
Mr. Hoover was one of the early pioneers of Wayne countyv His 
diary and memoir is a valuable contribution to the early history of 
Wayne county. 

B. I. Griswold is preparing a series of articles on the History 
of Fort Wayne. These will appear weekly during the year in the 
• Fort Wayne Sentinel. They will be illustrated by two hundred pen 
drawings of the famous characters and events of the three hundred 
vears covered. The first of these articles appeared Saturday, January 
3, 1914. The first article filled seven columns and contained four 
illustrations and eight maps. These are the rare maps of the early 
explorers and are taken largely from \Mnsor's Narrative and Critical 
History of, America. If the remaining articles maintain the high 
level of the first one Mr. Griswold will have done an excellent piece 
of work. 

In the January History Teachers' Magazine, \\'aldo L. Cook, of 
the Springfield Republican, discusses "The Press in Its Relation to 
History." His conclusion is that the more history an editor knows 



h,. 



130 Indiana Magazine of History 

the better for his readers. History is not only a warehouse for the 
editor but by its aid he is enabled to satisfy the demands of his 
readers that he know everything-. A wide knowled.c^e of history 
he concludes is the best guaranty of a wise policy on the part of 
the editor. In the same number Wilbur F. Gordy discusses the 
value of local history. He finds its chief value in the fact that it 
adjusts the pupils to the society in which they must later find their 
places. 

The North Carolina Booklet, for January, 1914, has an article 
by Major William A. Graham on "New Year's Shooting, an Ancient 
German Custom." It is only a few years since this custom was 
common in Indiana. The author attributes its origin to the Ger- 
mans of Pennsylvania and Carolina. The preacher usually ac- 
companied the crowd. It was not, he says, a carousal but a sober 
fraternal greeting. As it was practiced in Indiana, it was a surprise 
to the one "shot" who must then produce the good things to eat. 
In the Carolinas it seems the one visited was called out to hear the 
firing. The writer thinks the custom dates back to Feudal times 
when the tenants thus greeted the lord and enjoyed his good cheer. 

The congregation of the Second Presbyterian church of Indi- 
anapolis celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of 
their church November 20, 1913. Among the charter members who 
founded the church November 19, 1838, were Bethuel F. Morris, 
Daniel Yandes, John Ketcham and Catharine Merrill. Henry Ward 
Beecher was their first pastor, serving from 1839 to 1847. A 
bronze tablet bearing the names of the first pastor and those of the 
fifteen charter members was dedicated. An account of tbe cele- 
bration together with a brief history of the church is given in the 
Indianapolis Netvs, November 21. 1913. 

The State Historical Society of Topeka, Kansas, has the Isaac 
McCoy manuscripts in thirty-eight bound volumes. That society 
has 40,115 books, 41,903 volumes of newspapers, 136.743 pamphlets, 
137,304 archives and 44,628 manuscripts bearing on local history. 
This is quite a contrast to our own .State Historical Society, now 
seventy-five years old and without so much as a home. It seems 
about time for us to wake up. 



Reinezvs and Notes 131 

Miss Esther U. McNitt has been appointed assistant in the 
deparment of Indiana History and Archives of the State Library. 
She is a graduate of Vassar, majoring in history. After two years 
teaching in the high school she entered Wisconsin and took a 
master's degree. Her home is in Logansport. 

Professor Harlow Lindley, Archivist in the State library, and 
Professor James A. Woodburn of Indiana University.- attended the 
annual meeting of the American Historical Association at Charles- 
ton. Professors Harding and Lindley of Indiana were appointed 
on the General Committee of the Association. Professor Wood- 
burn has been a member of the Executive Committee of the same 
for several years.- 



C. J. TOURNER 

High - Class Tailoring. 
Work done here at home. 
Spring woolens are here. 
Your patronage solicited. 
Ill East Kirkwood Ave. 



INDIANA MAGAZINE OF 
HISTORY 

Vol. X JUNE, 1914 No. 2 

HOME LIFE IN EARLY INDIANA 

ijy WUiLIAM FREDERICK VOGEL, Superintendent of Schools, North 

Vernon, Indiana 

CHAPTER I. THE HOME 

One of the most difficult things for either the writer or reader of history 
Is to picture to his mind the living conditions of the age under consideration. 
In this day of ease and convenience one seldom can, and more rarely 
does recall, how the people of Indiana lived three quarters of a century 
ago. It requires some effort of imagination to visualize an ox team on a 
muddy road in the depth of an unbroken forest. To realize what a trip 
from Indianapolis to Cincinnati in an ox wagon was like ninety years 
ago requires more effort than most of us care to bestow. 

Without this realization of the actual conditions of existence one 
cannot hope to attain a sympathetic appreciation of the history of any 
people. The following article is published in the belief that it will trans- 
port the reader back to pioneer times. — Ed. 

LOCATION OF THE HOUSE 

The location of the pioneer's home was a matter of no little 
concern. Good drainage and an abundant water supply were the 
chief considerations, as upon these health and life depended. If 
there was a creek in the neighborhood the settler usually pitched 
his cabin on a bit of ground bordering the stream, for in that way 
he secured a natural drainage. If no creek was near, he selected 
the highest and driest hill or knoll on his purchase, provided of 
course that it contained a spring of running water. Springs were 
more numerous then than at present. The thick, leafy carpet of 



2 Indiana Magazine of History 

the woods acted as a kind of spouge wliich absorbed the rain as it 
fell and later gave it up gradually to feed the numerous springs 
and streams, very many of which flowed all summer long. Around 
the cabin in all directions as far as the eye could see (until clear- 
ings had been made) were great green trees, lifting their tall, 
stately columns to the sky. Their thick heavy foliage shut out 
the sunlight from the ground until frost laid bare the boughs. 
Underneath in many places was a dense thicket of spice wood, 
hazel-bushes, briars, young saplings, and other underbrush and, 
lying here and there, were fallen tree trunks rotting into soil. 

THE HALF-FACED CAMP 

Many of the early settlers lived for a few months, and some 
of the less enterprising even for a few years, in what was then 
called a half-faced camp.^ This temporary home was hastily 
constructed to afford shelter to the family while they were engaged 
in the more necessary work of preparing the ground and planting 
and tending the first crop of Indian corn. The structure was made 
by placeing two large strong forks in the ground at a proper dis- 
tance from a fallen tree to make a twelve or fourteen foot pen. 
Next a pole was placed from fork to fork, and other poles from 
that one to the log as closely as desired. Over these a thick layer 
of brush was piled to serve as a roof. The two sides were filled 
with logs which were rolled up. The fourth side, usually facing 
the south, was left open. During cold weather a great fire was 
made at this open end, and the family slept with their feet toward 
it, their heads toward the fallen tree. Skins also were hung at 
this opening to keep out the rain and the cold; often too the sides 
were covered and lined inside with skins of animals. This was 
a crude shelter but it served the settler until he had time and 
means to construct a better home. Abraham Lincoln's Spencer 
county home was one of these half-faced camps. 

CABIN OP THE EARLIER PERIOD 

The pioneer of the earlier period with his pressing needs was 
not able to construct an elaborate cabin. Later, when he had 
accumulated some wealth, when his clearing had been extended and 

» William A. Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 161. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 3 

he had a stock of domestic animals and a supply of grain and food, 
he would turn his attention to a more commodious dwelling. This 
fact produced two stages in pioneer home building. 

The cabins of the early period were rough and crude. The 
majority of the first settlers were young men just married, who had 
come boldly into the western wilderness with their wives and 
a little personal property. When they had found a suitable home- 
sight the cabin was constructed forthwith. After the logs had been 
cut, the settler and his friends dragged them together and put 
them into a clumsy, box-like, one-room structure. The roof was 
made of clap-boards rived from white oak, and the boards were 
held in place by weight poles. Cracks between the logs were 
filled with pieces of timber wedged in and the whole daubed over 
with mud. A hole the proper size of a door was cut in the side, 
and often the shutter was a bear skin. The fireplace and the 
chimney were built on the outside at the end of the cabin. Au 
opening of the proper width was cut through three or four logs, 
then a three sided crib was built up joining the building. The 
inside of this crib was lined with layer upon layer of mud to make 
it solid and prevent any danger of fire. The floor of the building 
was easily constructed — it was nothing more than mother earth. In 
this crude shelter the early settler, his wife and his children, lived 
and laid the foundation for a great estate.^ 

Baynard Hall in his New Purchase gives a terse description 
of one of those primitive cabins.^ "It was, in truth, a barbarous 
rectangle of unhewed and unbarked logs, and bound together by 
a gigantic devetailing called notching. The roof was thick, rick- 
ety shingles, called clap-boards; which, when clapped on were 
held down by longitudinal poles kept apart by shorter pieces placed 
between them perpendicularly. The interstices of the log walls 
were 'chinked,' the 'chinking' being large chips and small slabs, 
dipping like strata of rocks in geology, and then on the 'chinking' 
was 'daubing,' viz., a sufficient quantity of yellow clay ferociously 
splashed in soft by the hand of the architect, and then left to harden 
at its leisure." The chimney was outside the house and a short 
distance from it. It was built of logs reposing upon one another 
at their corners and topped off with flag stones. It was moreover 
daubed, and so admirably as to look like a mud stack. 

» Hall, The New Purchase, I, 60. 
Banta, History of Johnson County, p, 245 ff. 



4 Indiana Magazine of History 

HOUSE OF THE LATER PERIOD 

After the settler had become established, and the country had 
been more extensively settled, more commodious homes'^ were built. 
A suitable location having been obtained, the work of construction 
progressed rapidly. Various woods were used — sugartree, maple, 
beech, ash, poplar, and hickory. Trees of uniform size were selected, 
cut into logs of the desired length, usually twelve to fifteen feet, and 
hauled to the chosen spot. On a day appointed, the available 
neighbors assembled for the "house raising" when fun and pleas- 
ures were mingled with the hard labor; in fact such occasions were 
usually regarded as holidays. Each log was saddled and notched 
so that it would fit down as close as possible. The foundation logs 
were carefully placed in a level position, and upon them the punch- 
eon floor was laid. The puncheons were large slabs of hard wood, 
sometimes three or four inches thick, and five or six feet long. 
They were smoothed on the upper side with an adz, so that they 
usually made a smooth, level floor. The logs of the wall were laid 
on and fitted together as closely as possible to lessen the size of 
the cracks and strengthen the structure. The chinks, or places 
between the logs were filled with sticks split to fit the crevices as 
snugly as possible, and then were plastered over with tough clay 
or mortar. This shut out the weather effectually. The rude logs 
often put out leaves and the cabin sometimes presented the appear- 
ance of a green bower. The usual height of the building was 
seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by the shortening of 
the logs gradually at each end of the building as the top approached. 
A roof was made by laying stout poles suitable distances apart, 
generally two and a half feet, from gable to gable. On these poles 
the clap-boards were laid, and were fastened down by weight poles 
which were held in place by "knees," pieces of wood fitting between 
the poles near the ends. The fireplace was formed either by leav- 
ing a place in the wall or by cutting an opening after the walls were 
in position. From this opening a three-sided enclosure of small 
split logs was built outward. Inside this enclosure was a similar 
temporary one, built with a space of twelve to fifteen inches between 

' Hall, The New Purchase, I, 60. 
Levering, Historic Indiana, p. 64. 
Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, p. 2. 
Indiana Magazine of History, III, p. 126 ff. 
(^ockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 64. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 5 

the two sets of walls; and into this space moist clay was firmly- 
pounded and left to dry. When the false wall was removed or 
burned away, the clay formed the protecting back for the fire 
place, extending four or five feet up. Upon and above this was 
built the chimney, either of stone or sticks. Rived sticks heavily 
plastered with mud were the usual materials. The chimney was 
gradually tapered to the proper size for securing a good draft, and 
then built up until it was higher than the roof. The hearth and 
the bottom of the fire place were made by filling in the triangular 
crib with wet clay to the level of the cabin floor. This was pounded 
with a maul until hard and firm, then wet with water and scraped 
(vdth a wooden scraper. 

A few log cabins and more often, the early taverns, were built 
two stories high, but this was not usual. 

The fire places were from five to ten feet wide and occupied 
almost one entire end of the house.^ They were often large enough 
to receive firewood six or eight feet long, and sometimes the back 
log was as large as a sawlog. There was a reason for this, for 
the more quickly the pioneer could burn up the wood on his land, 
the more quickly he could have it cleared and ready for cultivation. 
While the cabin was being built openings for the windows and doors 
were sawed in the walls. Slabs fastened to the ends of these logs 
by wooden pins served as frames for the opening. At a later 
period glass was sometimes used for the windows, but the usual 
material was greased paper; even greased deerskin was sometimes 
used. The door, made of thick rived boards of the proper length 
across which heavy battens were pinned was hung on great wooden 
hinges. Sometimes it was made of clapboards pinned to two or 
three wooden bars. A heavy wooden latch was attached to the 
door. This latch could be raised from the outside by the proverbial 
latch string, which passed through a hole, and hung on the out- 
side. At night the string was drawn in for security ,but for 
neighbors and friends the latch string was always on the outside. 
No people in the world were more generous, free hearted, and 
hospitable than the early pioneers; and their hospitality and good 
cheer had with it a flavor that can not be copied. 

Most cabins contained a loft or attic story which was reached 
by a rude ladder at the corner. This cubby hole furnished a 
sleeping quarters for the boys of the family. 

' Banta, History of Johnson County, p. 246. 



6 Indiana Magazine of History 

Double log cabins were frequently built, especially in the older 
and more prosperous communities.'* It was really a combination 
of two cabins. The space between the two was known as the 
entry and was wide and roomy. The entry was roofed with clap- 
boards, and its floor formed of clay and gravel beaten down hard 
and smooth. Since it was open at both ends one could find there, 
even on the hottest day, a cool, refreshing draft of air. Such 
cabins were a long step in advance of the little one room structure 
of the early day, so far as comfort and convenience were concerned, 
and, no doubt, many a pioneer house wife has looked with pardon- 
able pride upon her splendid mansion, as a house of two rooms 
was considered particularly fine. 

The first cabins were constructed entirely without the use of 
nails or any scrap of iron.* Perhaps the axe was the only tool used. 
But after the first years glass, nails, and other imported materials 
were commonly used, and, with the establishment of saw mills, 
sawed boards took the place of hewed logs. These later cabins, in 
comparison with the earlier ones, presented a very neat appearance 
with their smooth, even walls daubed with mortar, and their floors, 
frames and finishing of yellow poplar. 

FURNITURE AND FIREPLACE EQUIPMENT 

If the house of the pioneer was rough and crude, its furni- 
ture was in keeping with it. Everything was homemade, direct 
from the forest. Beds were made by utilizing one corner of the 
room. Holes were bored into two logs of the wall at the proper 
height from the floor, and into them sticks were driven horizontally 
and at right angles, the ends of the sticks being supported by an 
upright stake driven into the floor. Sometimes cracks in the walls 
obviated the necessity of boring holes. Upon the framework was 
woven a bottom of withes, bark or deer-skin thongs to support 
the bedding, crude framework often made of brush covered with 
skins of animals.^ On this bed was generally found the proverbial 
three-figured "coverlid" of Carolina and Tennessee housewives. 
Any deficiency in bed clothing was supplied by bear and deer 
skins.^ 

* Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, pp. 9-10. 
Indiana Magazine of History, III, 127. 

* Indiana Magazine of History , in , ITS. 

* Bants, History of Johnson County, p. 247. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 7 

Guests were usually given this bed, while the family provided 
for themselves in another corner of the room, or in the loft. When 
many guests were on hand at once all slept in the center of the 
floor. When bedtime came the men were requested to step out 
of doors while the women spread out a broad bed upon the mid- 
floor and put themselves to bed. Then the men were called in. The 
sleepers were generally so crowded that they had to sleep "spoon 
fashion," and it was necessary for all to turn together. When 
anyone wished to turn over he would say "spoon" and the whole 
company would turn at once. 

Three legged stools often took the place of chairs. Some of 
the more prosperous settlers possessed hickory chairs with splint 
bottoms, but stools and benches rived out of logs ordinarily served 
for seats, especially at the table. Even the back log of the fireplace 
served as a seat. Tables were often made in the same way as the 
beds — in a corner of the room. For tops they had thick boards made 
smooth with an axe. Over the cabin door was the gun rack, made 
usually by fastening prongs of deer antlers into augur holes, or 
simply of forked cleats. On this the trusty rifle and powder horn 
rested. Hooks on which to hang clothes and other articles were 
fashioned from the forked or crooked branches of treets. 

Above the fireplace was a shelf called the mantel which was 
often colored deep blue with dye of indigo. On this stood a candle- 
stick or lamp, some table ware, possibly an old clock, and perhaps 
a few books. Often in the summer two or three crocks planted with 
morning glories were placed on the shelf, and when the vines 
fell downward, their leaves and bloosoms hid the old fireplace as 
effectually as a curtain would have concealed it. 

In the fire place was an old fashioned crane, sometimes of wood, 
sometimes of iron, and on this pots were hung for cooking- Forked 
sticks with pins stuck into the longer arms made pot hooks, which 
were caught over a pole or "cross tree" that was fixed in the 
fireplace a safe distance above the fire, the pots being hung on the 
pins. An improvement on this was the "trammel hook" formed of 
flat bar iron hooked at the end, while at the other, an adjustable 
hook could be raised or lowered as desired and secured by means 
of an iron pin inserted in holes that were drilled along the bar. 
With the advent of the brick chimneys, of course came the swinging 



8 Indiana Magazine of History 

iron cranes. These, set in iron eyes embedded in the masonry, could 
be turned freely, the long arms carrying the pots out over the 
hearth when desired. 

Each of the four corners of the one-room houses was usually 
occupied by some essential article of furniture. In one corner 
stood the large bed for the old folks, with a trundle bed under it for 
the children; in another, the heavy table, generally the only one 
in the house ; in another the rough cupboard which contained the 
tableware, consisting of a few cups, saucers and plates standing on 
edge against the back to make the best display poossible ; in the 
fourthj the old fashioned spinning wheel, whose continual hum 
made music for the busy family. 

It was good to live in one of these simple homes. If the house 
itself was limited in its capacity, the hearts of the occupants were 
large and kindly. The following quotation fitly describes them. 
"These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true hearted 
people. They were strangers to mock modesty, and the traveller, 
seeking lodging for the night, or desirous of spending a few days in 
the community, if willing to accept the rude offering was always 
welcome. As to how they Avere disposed of at night the reader can- 
not easily imagine ; for, as described a single room was made to 
answer for kitchen, dining-room, bedroom, sitting-room and parlor, 
and many families consisted of six or eight members. ' '^ 

The earljr pioneer could not have remained very long if it 
had not been for the abundance of game of all kinds in the forest. 
Often, for weeks at a time, they had no other food than deer, bear 
and wild turkey meat. With this they frequently used a substitute 
for bread of roasted acorns, pounding the mixture into a meal, of 
which they made ash cakes. This was very coarse fare, but the 
pioneer families subsisted very well on such diet until they could 
raise a patch of corn- Hard labor furnished ravenous appetites, 
and dyspepsia and other stomach troubles were unknown. 

METHOD OF COOKING 

One is almost surprised at the various methods of cooking that 
were used.^ Cooking stoves did not come into use until 1820, and 
even as late as 1835 a large majority of the families prepared their 

* Banta, Hietary of Johnson County, p. 246, 

* Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 323. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 9 

foods in the old fashioued way. In the early days cooking utensils 
were not plentiful. The settlers came a long way over mountains 
from the seaboard States, in rough wagons and carts, on horseback, 
or even on foot. Consequently it was difficult to bring many dishes 
or utensils. Many of the poorer immigrants had but a single skillet 
in their cabins. An old lady relates that when she was a grown 
woman there was not more than one vessel for cooking in any home 
in the neighborhood and that one was nearly always a skillet with 
a lid. Some made with their own hands rough pots of clay, which 
served until they could get iron ones. These crude pots were not 
glazed, so that when meat was cooked the grease came through the 
pores, and the outside of the pot was continually afire. In the more 
comfortable homes the cooking was done in large kettles hung with 
pothooks from an iron crane over the great fire in the fireplace. Meat 
was cooked in a long handled frying pan, which was held over the 
blaze by hand or set down upon coals drawn out upon the hearth. 

This pan was also used for baking pancakes, sometimes called 
"flap-jacks," and bread, too, was frequently made on it. Johnny 
cake was baked on a board made for this purpose, about ten inches 
wide and fifteen inches long and rounding at the top. The thick 
com dough was placed on the board which was set against a chunk 
of wood near the fire. After one side had been baked to a nice 
brown, the other side was treated in the same way. The resulting 
cake was often delicious. If a johnny-cake board was not at hand 
a hoe, without a handle; was cleaned and greased with bear's oil- 
The dough was baked on this metal surface and was called a hoe- 
cake. If neither a johnny-cake board nor a hoe was to be had, 
the dough was wrapped in cabbage leaves or fresh cornshucks, laid 
in a clean place on the hearth, and covered with live embers, which 
thoroughly baked it. This was called an ash cake. A better article 
for baking was a covered skillet called a " spider. "^ This utensil 
stood upon feet and was heated over the hearth with hickory coals 
piled over and under it ; no flame was suffered to blaze around the 
skillet. ^The more prosperous families used the Dutch oven for 
baking, especially in the summer time. This was made of bricks 
and mortar, or small boulders, or even tough clay, wrought and 
beaten into shape and burned by slow fires built inside. It was 
usually set upon a wooden platform away from the house because 

• Levering, Historic Indiana, p. 68. 



10 Indiana Magazine of History 

of the danger of fires, and was protected by a shed. In shape it 
appeared much like a round dome, resembling considerably the old- 
time bee-hive. After the oven was thoroughly heated the fire was 
raked out and the bread and pies set in upon the floor, the body of 
the oven restaining enough heat to do the cooking. 



ARTICLES OF FOOD 

The chief articles of diet in the early days were cornbread and 
hominy ; venison, wild turkey, squirrel, and other wild game ; duck 
and chicken; honey, beans, pumpkin, (dried for more than half the 
year,) potatoes, and other vegetables. In the early times, sweets, 
pastries, and biscuits were luxuries, which were served out only 
on Sundays. A travelling circuit judge described a limited fare: 
"Three articles of diet, only, appeared on the plain walnut table, 
corn dodgers, boiled squirrel, and sassafras tea.''^^ But the later 
pioneer had many delicacies. Potpie, jellies, pies, custards, pound 
cakes, and preserves were not strange to his palate, in addition to the 
more subtantial foods. On Sundays and feast-days his table fairly 
groaned with good things. 

Cornmeal was the staple article of sustenance. When the 
corn was still green they grated the pulp for hoecakes. A grater 
was made from a piece of tin, often taken from an old worn out 
tin bucket- After many holes had been punched through, it was 
nailed on boards by the edges. The soft corn was rubbed on the 
rough side of this grater, the meal passing through the perforations 
and falling into a pan. Hominy corn was pounded in a hominy 
block, formed by cutting or burning a hole in a stump. A pole 
twenty or thirty feet long was fixed in an upright fork so that it 
could be worked like a well sweep. To one end, a large heavy maul 
was attached by means of which the corn was pounded. A little 
later a small hand-mill made of two small round stones came into 
use. Four bushels of corn could be ground in one day by the use of 
this mill, and at that time this was considered a great advance in 
the milling industry. ^^ But when the country became more settled 
men embarked in the milling business. The little water mills along 

•• O. H. Smith, Early Indiana Trials and Sketches, p. 169. 
" Cockrum, A Pioneer Hi»tory 0/ Indiana, p. 196 ff. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 11 

the stream did a good business. Mills being so great a public 
necessity, they were permitted to be located upon any person's land 
where the miller thought the site desirable. ^^ 

Ordinarily there was no trouble in getting the grist and bring- 
ing it home. But twice a year, during the spring floods or fall 
droughts, the streams were either too low or too high for grinding. 
At such times the neighbors borrowed meal from each other until the 
last sack was gone. Finally the old block was brought from its 
cover to furnish hominy. In the late summer the people also resort- 
ed to succotash. With the temporary supplies the settler lived 
until the mill wheels turned again. 

The pioneer was a thrifty soul. His larder was always stocked 
for the winter. Pumpkin was dried in large quantities, besides fruits 
of all kinds. He excelled in curing meats. The ashes of hickory 
bark (shellbark) were carefully gathered up and stored away in a 
dry place- At the hog killing season the choicest hams were 
selected, and, having been salted, smoked, and dried, they were 
laid aside in these white, feathery hickory ashes where they remain- 
ed until March or April, or sometimes later, when they were brought 
out for table use. Such choice hams were known as "hickory" hams 
and had a pleasant odor and flavor when served at the table. 
Genuine hickory hams were seldom seen in the market however; 
they were reserved for home consumption. ^^ Great pits of luscious 
apples furnished delightful food for the long, cold winter evenings, 
and barrels of cider were at hand to add good cheer. 

HOMEMADE UTENSILS 

With his axe the early settler found little difficulty in manu- 
facturing the rude utensils which he needed about the home. Trays, 
large and small, were made from soft poplar, buckeye and bass- 
wood. Trenchers and bowls for the kitchen use were hewn from 
sections of maple logs, and then burned or scraped smooth. 
Gourds of every shape and size were raised. Being of many shapes 
and sizes, they were used when scraped out and cleaned, for a 
variety of purposes.^* The gourd hung as a dipper beside the 
spring or well and was a companion to the cider barrel and whiskey 

" Banta, History of Johnson County, p. 257. 

Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, pp. 194-195. ^ 

>' Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, p. 17. 
** Indiana Magaeine of History, III, 130. 



12 Indiana Magazine of History 

jug. It was used at the table, at the lye kettle, at the sugar camp — 
for soup, soap or sap. A large one split in half made a wash pan 
or milk pan. A small one was often used by the grandmother as a 
form over which to darn socks. The small boy carried his bait in 
one when he went fishing, and the baby used another for a rattle. 
The churn was sometimes a mere trough and paddle. A curious, 
clumsy wooden machine for kneading bread was called a dough 
break. Water was frequently carried by a yoke that fitted across 
the shoulders with a thong hanging from each end by which two 
buckets of water could be carried, leaving the hands free to carry 
two more if necessary. 

LIGHTING OF THE HOUSE 

The home was lighted by the blaze of the great fireplace, and by 
tallow candles. Candle making, indeed, became an art, and candle 
moulds with balls of cotton wicking could be seen in every house- 
A good lamp was modeled from clay in the form of a cup which was 
burned hard. When this was filled with bear's oil and fitted with 
a cotton wick, it gave a very good light. The cotton too, was grown 
in the dooryard. 

Matches in the early days were unknown, so the matter of 
starting fires was a serious one. Often, when a settler was unfor- 
tunate enough to let his fire die out in the fireplace, he sent to his 
nearest neighbor to borrow coals to rekindle it. Usually a blaze 
was kindled by means of punk.^^ It was a peculiar, dry, spongy 
wood found in the knots on the trunks of the trees and also in 
larger branches. Hickory trees especially furnished excellent punk. 
But the substance was not plentiful, and was rather valuable. It 
was absolutely necessary to keep it dry ; the least dampness rendered 
it useless. To start a fire a small bit of punk was held close to a 
flint which, when struck with a piece of steel, let fall a shower 
of sparks upon it. One of these sparks beginning to burn, the punk 
was surrounded with dry tow or leaves and the mass fanned into 
a blaze. Then with dry kindling-wood a good fire was built. 

THE PROBLEM OF CLOTHING 

The dress of the early settlers was entirely homemade, but it 
was suitable for the life which he led. They paid little attention 

> • Maurice Thompion. Storia of Indiaiia, p. 86. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 13 

to style but service and durability were considerations of prime 
importance. The men always wore a substantial hunting shirt 
made of blue linsey or course buckskin. It was a loose frock coat 
reaching below the middle of the thighs. The sleeves were large 
and the front part of the garment was made very full so that it 
lapped over more than a foot when it was belted. To it was 
attached a large, full cape, much like those worn by the Union 
Cavalry of the Civil War. In the spacious bosom of this garment 
the hunter could very conveniently carry articles he needed- The 
belt was frequently sewed to the shirt which was usually ornamented 
by a heavy fringe, sometimes of red or gray colors, around the 
bottom and down the shoulder seams. This disposition to adorn the 
garment was borrowed from the Indians. A well-tanned and well- 
made suit of buckskin gave the wearer a rather neat and jaunty 
appearance with a touch of aboriginal elegance. Occasionally a 
lover of primitive finery had his shirt and moccasins ornamented 
with beads and brightly colored porcupine quills, but those intended 
for the chase or for scouting were of a dull color to attract as little 
attention as possible. An undershirt or vest was usually made of 
striped linsey. Trousers of buckskin, linsey, or course blue cloth 
were made very close fitting, and over them the pioneer wore a pair 
of buckskin leggings fringed down the outside seams like those of 
the Indians. Moccasins of deerskin or shoepacks of tanned leather 
provided a comfortable footwear. Some wore shoes, but this was not 
common in the earlier period. In fact in the summer everybody, 
male and female, old and young, went barefooted. For headdress the 
men usually wore a coonskin cap. In summer they made hats from 
wild oat straw or from flags that grew in the ponds. Even the 
inside bark of the mulberry roots was cleaned and worked into 
light durable hats for summer wear. Gloves with the fur on one 
side were made from the skins of small animals. Buffalo over- 
coats were worn in extremely cold weather. 

Deerskin was used widely for clothing, not only because it was 
available, but because it resisted nettles, briars, bites of snakes, and 
was an excellent protection from the cold. But it had its draw- 
backs.^*' "When wet, as it often was, the garment would shrink to 
a third of its usual size and become stiff and unwieldy. So, as soon 
as the pioneer could protect a flock of sheep from the wolves he 

»« Levering, Historic Indiana, p. 69. 



14 Indiana Magazine of History 

had woolen clothing, lu dry weather deerskin moccasins were 
fxeellent footwear, but in soft snow or rain they were not at all 
comfortable. 

"Women did not have as elaborate costumes as men but they 
dressed to suit their work.^' The frock and habit were the chief 
outer garments, the shirt and body in both being attached to each 
other, making one garment. Often a shirt or petticoat was worn 
over some sort of dress made mucli like a modern lady's night- 
gown. In cold weather a waist or jacket was added to the skirt. 
The fastenings were hooks and eyes or ordinary brass pins for the 
habit, and buttons for the frocks which fastened at the back. Like 
the men the women went barefooted in summer and wore moccasins 
or shoepacks in winter. They had flannel shawls of various colors 
and often with a fringe sewed all around. In summer they wore on 
their heads a simple sun bonnet, in winter a thick quilted hood. 
Elderly women always wore caps, night and day.^^ For handker- 
chiefs they had small, homemade squares of white cotton cloth of 
their own spinning and weaving. Their gloves were made from 
the best squirrels' skins which were as soft as the best kid and 
lasted a long time. 

The small child was provided with a tow shirt that hung 
straight from the shoulders to the heels. This was thought to be 
sufficient for summer weather. Both boys and girls dressed as little 
men and women and were made to appear old and sedate before 
their time. When the boys were ready for pantaloons they had 
them full length like their fathers, and they were made several 
sizes too large, for the youngster was expected to grow to fit them 
or even outgrow them before they were worn out. 

When larger the boy wore a "Sunday-go-to-meeting" suit 
made of brown and blue jeans, better woven and more carefully 
made than his earlier clothes. The trousers which folded over 
his cowhide boots and bagged at the knees and seat, were big 
enough in girth for two boys. The coat hung loose at the shoulders 
and elbows and the sleeves were turned up at the wrists. A round- 
cornered stiff-brimmed hat completed the picture of discomfort. 
He was never at ease except in his well worn togs. 

In 1820 a change in dress began to take place and by 1830 the 
pioneer costumes were disappearing.^^ The hunting shirt had 

" Indiana Magazine of Ilistwu II., 185. 
>' Cockrum, A Pioneer History, p. 193. 
»• Banta, Hiitory 0/ Johnson County, p. 251. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 15 

given way to the cloth coat ; the coonskin cap with tail dangling 
down behind had been cast aside for the wool or fur hats; boots 
and shoes had supplanted deerskin moccasins. The change in 
u^omen's dress was equally marked. The old linsey-woolsey frocks 
had given place to gowns of calico or silk ; their feet were encased 
with shoes instead of moccasins ; and in place of the sun-bonnet and 
quilted hood they wore hats of straw or cloth, and even leghorns 
were seen occasionally. 

Men of the better class wore a swallow-tailed coat of broad- 
cloth with trousers and vest to match. The coat was double-breast- 
ed and glittered with a row of brass buttons which imparted a 
certain dignity and grandeur to the gentleman of the old school. 
The whole suit was topped off with a great bell crowned beaver 
hat. A black silk stock over stiff buckram encircled his neck and 
held up his chin in painful stateliness. In cold weather they also 
wore a stylish cloak or topcoat with, or without a cape. 

The dress of the women of the later period was a reflection of 
the rule of fashion which had begun. "They wore stiff brocades, 
ghining taffetas, and peau de sole of quaint designs. "^^ Beautiful 
furs were extensively worn because pelts were plentiful and cheap. 
Skirts were flounced and worn over a large hoop which made the 
wearer resemble a miniature balloon. Enormous muffs, measuring 
from eighteen to twenty -two inches in length, and bonnets support- 
ing a garden of flowers decked the belles of the towns. In the 
evening the girls wore flowers in their hair and around the low neck 
and skirts of ther gowns, and curls were as effective at that time 
as they are today, upon the opposite sex. Men and women travelled 
everywhere in their showy costumes, on the stage coach, the steam- 
boat, and in town. 

The clothing of the pioneers was made from various materials. 
Of course, at first they used the skins of animals from necessity. 
Buckskin was the usual material. But as the country became more 
thickly settled and sheep could be raised, wool was largely used- 
They grew flax, and even tried to raise cotton, but it could not be 
successfully cultivated. When the flax crop failed they went to the 
rich creek bottoms where nettles grew in abundance and gathered 
loads of the stalks from which they made a coarse cloth. Shirts, 
trousers, towels, bed ticks, were all made of the cloth manufac- 

•• Levering, Historic Indiana, p. 276. 



16 Indiana Magazine of History 

tured from these nettles.^i Flax was an important product for, 
until cotton came into general use, it formed the chain of most 
fabrics woven. The women wore linsey-woolsey (the warp of flax 
and the woof of wool) for winter and tow linen for summer. They 
worked continually preparing clothing for the family. Spinning, 
weaving, knitting for the household were eternal tasks. As the 
children grew older they relieved the mother of a great deal of the 
hard toil, but even then she had much to do. Spinning was one of 
the most arduous duties. There was a big wheel for spinning 
yarn and a little wheel for spinning flax. The hum of the busy 
wheels furnished music for the family. A loom was just as necessary 
as a spinning wheel, but as they were large and cumbersome several 
families owned and used one in common. A single machine had 
a capacity for the needs of several families. It occupied so much 
space in the cabin that it was a serious incumbrance ; hence a period 
was set aside for the family weaving, after which the loom was taken 
apart and stowed away. Some families had separate loom rooms. 
These rude machines did excellent work producing blankets, jeans, 
coverlets, and curtains of excellent material and workmanship. A 
great degree of artistic art and skill was exhibited in dyeing the 
yarns and weaving the complicated figures. Wool was carded by 
hand-cards and made into rolls which were spun on the big wheel. 
Even at this day we still find in the houses of the old settlers some 
of these once used machines, especially spinning wheels. 

Mothers and daughters usually made and designed their own 
clothing as well as prepared and designed the cloth- But a sewing 
•woman who went from house to house in the neighborhood soon 
made her appearance. -^ Having had many years experience in cut- 
ing, fitting, and handling the same materials, she could readily do 
neat work and was always in demand. 

The dye stuffs used most were the hulls of walnuts and the 
inner bark of certain trees.^^ In some parts the dark brown of the 
black walnut prevailed, in others the tawney tints of the white 
walnut were liked best. The most aristocratic color was indigo with 
which many Sunday suits and garments for special occasions were 
dyed. Prepared indigo could be purchased at the village stores, 
but many settlers grew their own plants and manufactured the 

" Indiana Magazine oj History, VI., 78., also Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 193. 
" Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, p 28. 
" Indiana Magazine of History, III., p. 183. 



Home Life In Early Indiana 17 

dye. Other dyes were made from madder and copperas or maple 
bark and copperas. These colors were made to alternate with the 
blues and broAvns in striping and checking linseys. Stockings were 
often dyed after the weaving, but the usual way was to dye them 
in the yarn. 

Early settlers tanned their own leather.^^ Skins that had been 
preserved and dried were put into a vat of strong lye which loosened 
the hair so that it could be easily removed. Then they were placed 
In another vat containing a liquid made from black-oak bark, where 
they were allowed to remain for several months. When taken out 
and scraped and softened with bear's oil, they became very soft 
and pliable. From this homemade leather the settler made his 
buckskin suit and later his boots, shoes, and harness. Usually each 
man was his own shoemaker, but sometimes, especially in the later 
period, a travelling shoemaker went from house to house to make 
or to mend shoes. 

CHAPTER II. OCCUPATIONS. 

WILD GAME AND HUNTING 

The pioneers who first came to Indiana could not have sub- 
sisted except for the abundance of wild game. Many came almost 
empty-handed and others had food and supply only for a limited 
period ; not enough to last until the maturing of the first crop. For 
weeks at a time they had no other food than bear, deer, or wild 
turkey meat, on which they lived until they could raise a patch of 
corn. 

So the pioneers went a-hunting. The woods and prairies were 
full of bear, deer, buffaloes, pheasants, and wild turkeys, and the 
streams and watercourses abounded with wild ducks and geese- 
Wild pigeons were so numerous that often the sky was darkened 
by their passage. A man could stand on his door step and shoot 
deer without difficulty. They resorted to the "licks" in great 
numbers all through the warm seasons of the year and the veriest 
tenderfoot could not fail to bring home a supply of venison. At 
Collier's Lick in Brown county a man shot thirteen in one morning. 
Another knocked one in the head with an axe as it attempted to 
run past him while he was splitting rails.^^ In early spring droves 

=* Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 194. 
" History of Johnson County, p. 344. 



18 Indiana Magazine of Histoid 

of them wandered into the wheat fields, but, as they were too 
poor for food the farmers drove them away with hickory rattles. 
Fire hunting was a favorite method of killing deer. In his light 
canoe, with a pine knot or torch flaming from the bow, the hunter 
would float down the stream. When a deer came down to the 
waters edge to drink, the torch would "shine his eyes," and, 
dazzled by the brightness he would stand motionless, gazing at the 
light, while the rifle of the boatman laid him low. White men 
learned from the Indians how to jerk venison. A hunk of venison 
]ning from the rafters of almost every cabin and it was the custom 
of visitors to slice ofi: a piece to chew during the conversation. 
Hunting was a trying labor. When the streams were overflown the 
hunter had to wade all day through the wet; and in winter when 
heavy snows covered the ground it was difficult to follow the 
game. An idea of the abundance of game in the early day may 
be gained from a list of the fur bearing animals that were hunted 
for their pelts. Bears, wolves, deer, buffaloes, lynxes, wildcats, 
opposums, beavers, otters, martens, minks, raccoons, and muskrats 
abounted. W^olves were so numerous that the State encouraged 
their extermination by offering a bounty for their scalps. In many 
localities they had to be exterminated before sheep and pigs could 
be raised. They often attacked larger animals and even men. A 
Warrick county farmer who turned his horse out to graze one 
night found only the bones the next morning.^^ Wolf hunts in 
which hundreds of men and dogs engaged, were organized and in 
this way, with the stimulation of bounty, they were driven from 
the settled communities- Squirrels were so numerous that they 
threatened to destroy the ripening corn altogether. In the summer 
of 1834 they were especially troublesome. The woods and prairies 
swarmed with them. Men and boys destroyed hundreds with clubs, 
but in spite of all their efforts they threatened to destroy the corn 
crop. 2'^ Wolves killed the sheep; foxes killed the lambs and pigs; 
squirrels and raccoons ate the green corn ; and even the turtles in the 
pond were expert at catching the young geese and ducks. With 
so many enemies the pioneer had his hands full indeed. 

All guns in early days were single barreled, muzzle-loading, 
clumsy weapons with flint locks. To load a rifle, one had first to 
measure a charge of powder by pouring it out of the horn into the 

'* Cockrum, A. Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 499. 

" Saoford C. Cox, Early SelOement ofUie Wabash Valley, p. 153. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 19 

charger; after this was emptied into the barrel, a patching of cloth 
or thin deerskin was placed over the muzzle; upon this a bullet 
was placed and pressed in as hard as possible. Next the cloth or 
deerskin was clipped off as close as possible to the bullet; then the 
whole was rammed down to the bottom of the barrel upon the 
powder ; after priming the pan and setting the trigger the gun was 
ready to fire. Sometimes the flint failed and the lock had to be 
fired several times before the gun was discharged. If the powder 
got damp no discharge was possible. In later years percussion caps 
were introduced to the great relief of the hunter. 

BEE HUNTING 

In addition to hunting animals the pioneer was fond of bee 
hunting. He located a bee tree by watching a bee, which he had 
sprinkled with flour and kept prisoner for some time, find its way 
home again. Or he prepared a sweet-bait which he placed in a 
trough on a stump. When the insect had gathered its load of sweets 
it flew in a "bee line" for its home. By carefully watching the 
direction taken, the backwoodsman could locate the tree, which 
he then marked- A bee hunter's mark was as sacredly respected 
as the mark of an owner of horses and cattle. In September the 
party cut down the tree and gathered the shining honey. As several 
gallons were often found in a single tree the settlers kept themselves 
supplied the year around. In some places there were not enough 
hollow trees for the bee colonies, so they occupied crevices in the 
rocks and holes in the ground. ^^ 

CLEARING THE FOREST 

The new settler found a primeval wilderness. In every direction 
a great forest of oak, poplar, walnut, beech, gum, ash, and a 
hundred other varieties of trees stretched over the hills and valleys, 
and in its shade in most places grew a thicket of spicewood, hazel, 
greenbriars, young saplings, and other underbrush. In these 

thick woods the pioneer had to chop and grub a little field where 
he might locate a home and raise a little crop. In some sections 
all trees up to eighteen inches in diameter were felled; all over 
that size were deadened, either by girdling with the axe or burning 

" Banta, Hittory of Johnson County, p. 263. 



20 Indiana Magazine of Hostory 

them about the roots. The deadened trees fell year after year, so 
that several clearings were necessary to rid the field of the forest. 
The trees which he chopped down were cut in convenient lengths 
for rolling. On an appointed day the neighbors met for a log- 
rolling at which time they heaped up the scattered logs for burning. 
Timber which today would be worth twice as much as the value of 
the land was consigned to the fire to secure a little clearing of five 
or six acres. On one nine acre tract the logs laid so thick that 
a man could have walked all over the field without touching the 
ground. Farmers rolled logs a large number of days every year, 
sometimes as many as twenty or thirty. "John Carson, as late 
as 1840, rolled logs twenty-two days in one year, and Samuel 
Harriot, thirty-six days, but he was a politician." But the pioneer 
farmer was not always able to roll his logs in time for planting 
and tilling. Not infrequently he cultivated a crop among the fallen 
logs, tilling the soil altogether with the hoe. Some felled the trees 
in windrows and planted the crop in the open spaces. 



DOMESTIC ANIMALS 

The pioneer farm was a very independent institution, a little 
world of its own. Everything of daily use was made or substi- 
tuted from its products, except salt- Food, clothing, agricultural 
implements, almost everything that came into daily life were the 
products of the community. 

All the modern domestic animals, horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, 
and domesticated fowls were raised. The cows and horses, however, 
were of very inferior size due to the want of proper care in winter. 
Cattle were not housed in cold weather, and, as hay was very 
scarce, cornfodder was used as a substitute. In summer they were 
belled and turned out to range in the woods. Horses were belled 
and hobbled. Each farmer could identify the tinkle of his bells 
among twenty others. Hogs roamed freely in the forests, where they 
fattened in the fall on the mast. By winter time they were in fine 
condition for killing. Some pioneers paid for their lands by raising 
hogs in the woods. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 21 

FARM IMPLEMENTS 

There were no factory-made implements. There were, in the 
early period, no wagon or blacksmith shops. The pioneers had to 
depend upon their own resources for such tools and implements 
as they needed. They made a very good plow with a wooden mold- 
board. When iron was used, the plowshare, point and bar were all 
of one piece. There were several kinds of plows. The bar-share 
was a cumbersome, unsatisfactory implement with a long six-foot 
beam, a three-foot bar, and handles that extended far backward. 
Plowing with such an implement was laborious work, and even 
dangerous in newly cleared ground abounding in roots and stumps. 
It was a standing joke among the pioneers that a bar-share would 
kick a man over the fence and kick him after he was over. In 
a few years the bar-share was superseded by the Gary plow, which 
approached the pattern of the modern implement, and this, about 
1840, gave way in turn to the cast-iron plow- The shovel plow, 
however, was a favorite with the farmer. A harrow, both timber 
and teeth, was made from slippery elm or iron wood, usually in the 
form of an "A." Singletrees and double trees were made much as 
they are today except that clips, devices, and lap rings were made 
of hickory withes. They made horse collars of corn shucks or raw- 
hide. Raw-hide, too, was the materials of which bridles were manu- 
factured. Properly crooked roots of forest trees furnished hames 
which were also fastened with leather thongs. The truck wagon 
with its rude wooden wheels was a familiar sight. The wheels were 
made from sections of a tree of the proper diameter. Tough hickory 
or white oak poles "fitted into four inch holes in the middle of the 
wheels formed the axles. Each pair of wheels was conected by a 
hickory or oak pole, fitting into four-inch holes in the wheels. A 
rough coupling-pole completed the wagon. These crude, but service- 
able, wagons wei'e drawn by plodding oxen joined by a heavy 
wooden yoke, and were widely used for hauling wood, gathering 
corn, and other services incident to farming. Paradoxical as it may 
seem, the more grease one put on the axle the louder was the squeak- 
which could sometimes be heard for a mile.^^ Pitchforks were made 
entirely of wood from the forked boughs of a dogwood sapling or 
the antlers of an elk. Wooden rakes of strong seasoned wood and 
fitted with deer horns made very useful tools. Even spades were 

'» Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 321. 



3 



22 Indiana 3fagazine of History 

fashioned from good hickory which had been seasoned and when 
kept well oiled lasted for several years. Rude wooden sleds were in 
universal use by all that possesed horses or cattle. All farm imple- 
ments were pinned together with hickory pins inserted into holes 
that were burned out, for the pioneer had no auger. Even settlers of 
later years had very few tools, the entire list usually comprising only 
a handsaw, crosscut saw, broadaxe, auger, chisel and drawing knife. 
To these the whole neighborhood had access- 

CROPS 

With these rude tools the pioneer tilled his crops. He plowed 
the ground as best he could but that is about all. During the first 
few years there was little harrowing of the soil, the rough condition 
of the field forbidding it. Grain sown ' ' broadcast ' ' was ' ' brushed 
in." Farmers, too, confined themselves chiefly to the raising of 
Indian corn. But after mills suitable for grinding and bolting 
flour became accessible, they began to raise wheat. Corn ripened 
in about one hundred days after planting, so it was the most service- 
able crop and perhaps the most widely cultivated. A field of this 
crop when in full tassel presented a pleasing appearance. An old 
French missionary writing back to his superior in the old world has 
this to say of a full-tasseled cornfield tilled by his Indian catechu- 
mens; "There are no fields so beautiful as these outside of para- 
dise.^'^ Flax for making linen was extensively cultivated. Oats 
potatoes, hemp, pumpkins, and orchard crops yielded rich returns. 
Apples, peaches, and grapes grew in abundance. Speaking of orchard 
conditions in 1843, Henry Ward Beecher said, "An orchard is to 
be found on almost every farm, and lately the pear tree has been 
more than ever sought after. At our October fair (county fair) 
was exhibited the greatest variety of fruits and flowers ever exhib- 
ited in this State, perhaps I may say in the West. From forty-five 
to sixty varieties of apples competed for a premium. . . . The 
number of seedling apples in this State is very great 
and in the neighborhood in which they grow, are esteemed 
more highly by the settlers than the old standard fruits. "^^ From 
these orchards, barrels of the finest cider were made and the vine- 
yards furnished delicious wines. At Vevay, where a large number 

'" Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, p. 42. 
" Indiana Magazine of Hittory, III., 189. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 23 

of Swiss settled, wine made from a round black grape was a staple 
product. The old fashioned garden was a thing of beauty. All 
kinds of vegetables were grown, but a portion of the ground was 
alloted to flowers. For a long time the tomato, introduced from the 
south, was grown merely as an ornament, and curiosity.^^ Nobody 
ever thought of eating it, and it was not until later years that this 
delicious food was used on the table or grown for the market. 

THE HARVEST SEASON 

Despite the sultry weather the harvest season was a joyous 
time, a kind of a summer festival. Farmers of the neighborhood 
usually five or six, combined and went from field to field reaping 
and shocking as they went. At first the work was done with a 
sickle and rake, but these implements were soon superseded by 
the cradle. A half dozen cradles mowing with military precision 
was an impressive sight. Although the labor was hard, the men 
still had courage to jest and laugh. There were contests of skill 
and endurance — the ambition of most farmer boys was to be expert 
cradlers. The harvest on a single farm lasted on the average two or 
three days. When the last shock was capped the tools were stacked 
around it, the men and boys formed a circle, and, at a signal from 
the captain, the reapers gave three cheers. If the echo replied 
three times it was accounted a good omen for the next crop. A blast 
from a horn at the cabin was heard in answer and the harvest was 
ended. This little ceremony was known as the stubble eall.^^ The 
surplus of the crop was bartered away at the country town for 
salt and other necessities. Sometimes it was sold for money, but 
such sales were few, for little coin was in circulation at that time- 
Men did not work for wages but for help in return. 

The harvest season was characterized by good living. The 
best cooks in the neighborhood vied with each other in the prepar- 
ation of food, and the workers lived on the fat of the land. In 
some communities whiskey was considered indispensable to the reap- 
ers ; in others only water and buttermilk were drunk. In the middle 
of the afternoon, about 4 o 'clock, it was the custom to send the men 
a light lunch with coffee. At the close of the day an elaborate supper 
awaited the workers, who ate heartily with no thought of dyspepsia. 

" Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, p.33. 
" Turpie, Sketcties of My Gum Times, p. 25. 



24 Indiana Magazine of History 

Meals were usually served out of doors in a long booth covered with 
green boughs, the table being bountifully supplied with substantial 
food and a dessert of homemade pastries. 

HUNTING GINSENG 

The sale of ginseng furnished not a little revenue to the early 
settler, for, being extremely valuable it was often paid for in cash. 
Men and boys spent days in the wild woods hunting and digging 
for the roots. It really required a skilled woodsman to locate the 
plant. In later years, Turpie says, it was a custom among the 
farmers to grant the boys three days each season to dig "sang." 
In this way the youngsters earned a little pocket money which they 
were free to use as they pleased. It frequently was used to purchase 
circus tickets. 

SUGAR MAKING 

An important industry of the early spring season was the man- 
ufacture of maple sugar. Immense groves of sugar maples were 
preserved after the surrounding forests were cleared away. In 
1822 Governor's Circle in Indianapolis was a sugar camp.^* The 
trees were tapped five or six feet above the ground. Rude troughs, 
hollowed out from short logs, split in halves, were placed at the 
trees to catch the flowing sap. Often these were scaffolded up by the 
poles to keep the hogs from drinking the water. Each morning the 
water Avas collected in a barrel, drawn on a sled from tree to tree 
by an ox team- In the sugar camp the sap was boiled into syrup 
or sugar. The Indians were as fond of maple sugar as the white 
and more than one old chief, sent west by the government, has 
wandered back to his former Indiana haunts in search of maple 
sweets. 

DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING SALT 

From 1800 to 1820 the settlers experienced great difficulty in 
Jieeking a sufficient supply of salt for culinary purposes and for 
the preservation of their game. It was very expensive, costing al) 
the way from twelve to twenty cents per pound. So great was the 
demand for it and so limited the supply that it became a kind of 
standard of value. A bear skin was worth fifty cents in salt, a deer 

^* The Indiana Magazine of History, II., p. 129. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 25 

skin twenty cents, and a raccoon skin about fifteen cents. Pilgri- 
mages to the licks and salt springs were made in large companies 
to guard against the surprises of Indians. At the springs the men 
camped out until they had evaporated enough salt for a year's 
supply. One of the perquisites insisted on by the Indians in their 
treaties with the United States was their annuity of salt.^-^ 

FLATBOATS 

In the early times the creeks and rivers of the State echoed with 
the songs of the flatboatmen who carried farm produce from the 
river landings down the Mississippi to the southern market, New 
Orleans. The construction of one of these boats required great 
labor. 3^ First, two immense gun whales from sixty to eighty feet 
in length were hewed from a large poplar tree. They were hauled to 
the river bank and placed on rollers. Strong girders were framed 
into them every eight or ten feet and securely fastened by heavj^ 
wooden pins. Small sleepers which were to receive the bottom of the 
boat were pinned into the girders every eighteen inches and flush 
with the bottom of the gunwhales. Upon this foundation a double 
bottom, securely calked with hemp was constructed. When the 
bottom was finished the craft was ready for launching. With a 
little effort the structure was rolled down the slope on the rollers 
into the water. Having been built bottom upward the boat had 
to be turned. This was accomplished by hitching two or three 
yoke of oxen to a line attached to the farther edge of the boat and 
carried over a limb or fork of a tree. The upper frame work for 
the body of the boat was then made secure with braces, and the 
siding nailed on- Strong joints were placed upon the frame work 
from side to side holding up the decking. At each end a strong post 
extended about three feet above the decking. By means of these 
posts the craft could be brought to shore and fastened to a tree or 
some other object. When the posts were revolved by spikes thrust 
through the holes bored into them the rope was gradually wound 
up and the boat pulled to shore. There were three oars, a steering 
oar at the back and two others used as sweeps to propel the craft and 
keep it out of the eddies. Such a crude boat was staunch and could 

'' United States Statutes at Large, VJI., 191. 

Cockrum, A PianeeT History of Indiana, p. 474. 
3B Levering, Historic Indiana, p. 74. 

Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiaiia, pp. 508-510. 



26 Indiana Magazine of History 

carry a very large amount of beef, pork, flour, meal, wheat, and 
corn to market. The vessels which usually travelled in fleets of 
eight or ten, started on their voyages in the early spring. The trip 
required six weeks. When the destination was reached and the 
cargo sold, the crew returned home by steamer. Some old rivermen, 
however, returned afoot. 

STORES AND TRADE 

Money was very scarce. As a result the barter system, devel- 
oped to a rather complex stage, was in full sway. At the stores 
it was supplemented by the credit system for the convenience of the 
citizens. Powder, lead, salt, iron, leather, and whiskey were staples 
at every little store and were exchanged for such products as bees- 
wax, tallow, feathers, ginseng, furs, deerskins, and wild hops. A 
few stores with a little more complete stock carried, in addition, 
knives, shears, sickles, augurs, trace chains, and other hardware; 
calico, fine cambric, pins, needles, and maybe a little broadcloth. 
At such a place the young girl got her wedding garments and the 
young dandy his "coat of blue cloth with yellow metal buttons, 
high rolling collar, and forked tail." Coffee, tea, sugar, and tobacco 
were luxuries commanding almost fabulous prices. On the other 
hand farm products were ridiculously cheap. It took eighty bushels 
of corn to buy a yard of silk, eight bushels to buy a yard of calico, 
and one hundred bushels to buy a yard of broad cloth- 
After the settlers had paid for their quarter section of land at 
the government price of $1.25 per acre they had little money with 
which to support a family or improve the purchase. Credit was 
necessary. The country was literally cleared and improved on 
credit.^" Merchants and business men gave credit freely, and they 
in turn received long credit from the great eastern houses. In 
this way the pioneers were tided over until they could get a foot- 
hold. About the only articles that could not be bought on credit 
were powder, shot, whiskey and salt. An editor once promised that 
he would receive pay for subscriptions in corn, ginseng, honey, flour, 
pork, or almost anything but promises. 

Trading was a feature of every assemblage of the public. They 
even "dickered" at church about the articles they needed. And 
the public square on court day was a veritable market. 

»' Indiana Magazine oj History, in., 125. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 27 

PIONEER MILLS 

Horse mills were first used to grind grain and Indian corn. 
But as soon as possible some settler, in every neighborhood where 
water power was available, would build a dam and set up a water 
mill. It involved the expenditure of not a little capital, for those 
days, to purchase a site, dig a race, and build a house to enclose 
the machinery. People came from twenty to thirty miles and of- 
ten had to wait three or four days and nights for the grist. The 
grain was brought in sacks on horseback and the men and boys 
camped about the mill until their turns. At the water mills the toll 
was usually one sixth, but at horse mills and later steam mills it 
was one fourth, but every man had to bolt his o^vn flour from the 
chaff. Patrons declared of course that the miller took too much 
toll. In fact most millers were suspected more or less of dishonesty, 
an imputation altogether unfounded. An amusing story is told 
which illustrates this distrust. A farmer sent his boy with a sack 
of corn to the mill and told him to watch the miller for if he did not 
the fellow would steal all the corn. When the lad's turn came he 
never lost sight of the sack. Finally the miller poured the corn 
into the hopper and dropped the sack at his feet. The boy watch- 
ed his chance, snatched the sack away, and rode his horse home as 
fast as the animal could go- The father who came out into the 
yard said, "Johnny, where is your meal, and why are you riding so 
fast?" The boy answered, "The old rascal stole every grain of 
the corn and aimed to keep the sack ; but I watched him, and as soon 
as he laid it down I got it and ran home. ' '^^ 

ROADS AND TRAVEL 

Our pioneer fathers did not travel very extensively. Some of 
them never passed beyond the confines of their immediate settle- 
ments. The lack of roads was of course responsible for this isola- 
tion and provinciality. The earliest roads were narrow, winding, 
Indian trails where travel was single file. When immigration in- 
creased, rough roads were "blazed" and cleared away sufficient to 
permit the passage of lumbering wagons. They were strips sixty 
feet wide, from which the trees had been cut and removed. In the 
center of the roadway the stumps were cut low to permit the pas- 

" Coclcrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 326. 



28 Indi(ma Mcu/azine of History 

sage of the axles of the wagon. In the rest the stumps stood two 
or three feet high all along the route. There was no attempt at 
drainage or embankments. When the rains fell in summer or when 
the frozen ground thawed in winter, they became almost impassable. 
Streams had to be crossed by fording or by rude ferries. The worst 
places were made passable by corduroy, constructed of rough logs 
laid side by side and kept in place by their weight. About 1820 a 
definite system of roads was projected to connect important points. 
In that year not less than twenty-six roads, connecting the older 
towns and even extending into the interior, were projected and com- 
missioners appointed to view the land and mark out the routes. A 
strong impulse toward road improvement was given by the opening 
of the Wabash and Erie canal. Plank roads which made very ad- 
mirable highways were built by corporations, who operated them 
for toll. But they were not satisfactory ,continual repairs being 
necessary on account of exposure to the weather. Later gravel and 
pike roads came into use after the subsidence of the craze for rail- 
way construction. 

A distant journey was an undertaking of no little moment. A 
traveler in winter carefully protected his legs by sufficient wrap- 
pings. In his bulging saddlebags he carried his clothes, shaving 
apparatus, and other articles, indispensable to a traveler. Settlers 
often carried fire with them, so that they might not be detained in 
making a fire by the slow process of flint and steel. 

OLD TIME TAVERNS 

As travel along a particular road became more general some 
families undertook to offer rude hospitality to the wayfarers. The 
best cook and housekeeper soon became known and her cabin was 
selected as the goal for the day's journey. In this way some people 
began to "keep tavern". From this humble beginning it was not 
very long until regular hostelries were established for the entertain- 
ment of guest.^^ Liquor soon came to be sold, but a liquor seller 
must have a tavern license certifying that he was a freeholder, and 
that he had two spare beds and two horse stalls, that were not nec- 
essary for his own use. This was the only form of liquor license 
issued in the early days. Way -houses that did not sell liquor need- 

=» Indiana Magazine of History, I., 79-80 ; III., 187. 
TwaitCB, Early Westesn Travels, IX., 161. 



Home Life in Early Indiana 29 

ed no license and advertised their hospitality as "private entertain- 
ment." There were many taverns on the different roads radiating 
from Indianapolis. They were log, frame, and sometimes brick 
structures with a wooden piazza in front. At the side from the top 
of a tall post hung a sign board portraying a rude representation of 
Washington, Wayne, Jackson, or some other noted man. These 
signs were odd and catchy. One displayed its welcome in poetry : 

"This gate hangs high and hinders none, 
Refresh and pay, then travel on." 

At the top of the house was a small bell which was rung at meal 
time, when the boarders gathered around the table and ate without 
any preface. All classes dined together, high and low, rich and 
poor.First class entertainment could be had for man and beast all for 
seventy-five cents. For man there was corn-bread, chicken, eggs, 
venison, bacon, preserved fruits, buckwheat cakes and honey; for 
beast, a good feed of corn, oats and hay. There were usually sev- 
eral beds in the same room, an arangement which afforded little or 
no privacy. The guests washed at a wooden trough behind the 
house or at the pump- Most lawyers, doctors, business men, and 
the more prosperous farmers stopped at these old-time taverns on 
their way to and from the capital or larger cities. After a hard 
day of travel through mud and rain these inns were doubly at- 
tractive. The traveler was welcomed to a seat near the big open 
fire. A boy stripped off his leggings, took his great coat and hat 
and bore them away to be dried ; his shoes were replaced by a pair 
of light, comfortable "pumps." Every progressive tavern had a 
large supply of this cheap but convenient footwear. With all this 
there was a glass of something warm to take off the chill. In the 
morning the shoes were returned neatly brushed and blackened, or 
tallowed perhaps; the damp clothing dried and cleaned once more. 
Wagoners driving mules or oxen on their way to the river towTis 
with loads of produce, were frequently guests at the inns. Yards 
had to be provided for the wagons and for hogs that were driven 
overland to the market. Accomodations were few and poor, but 
the genuineness of the hospitality and the humor and good nature 
of the landlord were sufficient to satisfy the pioneer traveler. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF 1888 IN INDIANA 

By R. C. BULEY, Graduate Student, Indiana University 

In few national campaigns has Indiana played a more important 
and interesting part than in that of 1888. Not only did she fur- 
nish one of her sons as a candidate, but she was particularly agita- 
ted over both the national and local issues. Then she was a 
doubtful State whose vote would greatly influence, perhaps decide, 
the results of the election. Some even went so far as to say that 
the party which carried Indiana would secure the presidency and- 
looked upon the State not only as a pivotal but a determining State. 
On June 9 Senator Voorhees said, "Indiana will cast 550,000 votes 
at the approaching election, and with that enormous vote there is 
simply a plurality between the great parties of 6,000 or 7,000, no 
majority, a bare plurality. You can imagine, then, what the shock 
of battle is there. The key to the situation is Indiana. "^ 

The great national issue of 1888 was the tariff. It was made 
the great staple of party arguments in Indiana, but there were a 
number of local isues and scandals which gave added life to the 
contest within the State- There was the question of the Democratic 
gerrymandering, of the mismanagement of the State charitable in- 
stitutions, the Sim Coy tally-sheet forgeries, and others. 

The campaign in the State started early in the year. Indeed, 
on January 2, a prominent Democratic editor of Indianapolis put 
forth a plea for close organization within the State and emphasized 
his belief that without it there could be no victory. January 11, 
a conference was held at Indianapolis, made up of two delegates 
from each county, appointed by the chairman of the county com- 
mittee. Its chief purpose was to adopt plans for the uniform or- 
ganization of Hendricks clubs throughout the State. During the 
latter part of the month Maurice Thompson w^ho was travelling 
in the south published an interview in a New Orleans paper con- 
cerning the prospects in Indiana. He said that the Democratic 
party was thoroughly alive and harmonious all over the State and 
eager to atone for the carelessness which came so near losing the 
whole field for it the year l>efore. Tfie Republican party in Indiana 

' Indianapolis Journal, June 9, 1888. 



Baley: Campaign of 1888 31 

was well organized and led by strong men. Senator Benjamin 
Harrison was a very able man and within the last few years had 
sho"v\Ti himself a better politician than formerly. Harrison and 
his party were preparing to make a tremendous effort to carry the 
State in the coming campaign ; but success seemed doubtful if the 
Democrats continued to hold together. "With Daniel W. Voorhees, 
Joseph E. McDonald and Isaac P. Gray in the field, a united party 
organized as the young Democracy will organize it, and a cam- 
paign like that of 1884, the State will give us 10,000 majority at the 
least. ' ' 

January 29, the United States District Court convicted Sim 
Coy and W. F, A. Bernhamer of trying to get unlawful possession 
of the tally sheets in the Indianapolis elections the autumn previous. 
This was not the end but, in a way, only the beginning of trouble 
for the Democrats. Soon afterward the New York Tribune con- 
tained the following: "Two Democratic managers were sent to 
prison at Indianapolis Friday, for forging returns in order to se- 
cure a Democratic Legislature and thereby the election of a United 
States senator from that State- Mr. David Turpie votes in the 
Senate today, a bogus Senator in a stolen seat, because these crimes 
were perpetrated."^ 

This brought forth a burst of anger from the Indianapolis Sen- 
tinel, Democratic. It called the above statements lies and said that 
they disclosed the purpose and intent of the Republican scheme. 

Blaine's Florence letter of January 25th was published on Feb- 
ruary 13th. It was received in Indiana with pretty much the same 
sentiment as elsewhere. Some few Democrats looked upon it as a 
shrewd move upon Blaine's part to keep his name before the public, 
but the Republicans generally accepted it as sincere. On the whole 
Indiana took Blaine at his word. The letter seemed to have no 
effect on the Harrison boom. Hon. William H. English said the 
letter would not affect the Democrats and added that either Judge 
Walter Q. Gresham or Senator Harrison would be stronger in In- 
diana than Blaine. Congressman Will Cumback held Blaine's let- 
ter to mean what is said and was for Harrison for the nominee. Af 
ter Harrison he placed Indiana's choice on John Sherman. In- 
cidentally he remarked that he, himself, was not seeking the nomi- 
nation for governor but that he would like to be the governor of a 
great State like Indiana. 

' New York Tribune, February T, 1888. 



32 Indiana 3Ia(jazine of History 

' By the middle of February Indiana politics were warming up in 
fine style. This was an unusual thing and all saw the intensity of 
the coming struggle. The Republicans began to see that by making 
secure Indiana, Conneticut, and New Jersey, they could do without 
New York. 

The Indianapolis Journal was steadily putting forth Harrison as 
the Republican candidate for president. It was attacked on var- 
ious sides for this favoritism. The Cincinnati Enquirer wanted to 
know why Harrison and not Gresham was the choice. The Sen- 
tinel gave the Journal a sharp raking for booming Harrison. "Mr. 
Harrison may have his supporters for the presidency but to say 
that he is 'the choice of Indiana', 'the only presidential candidate in 
the State', and all that sort of nonsense is an insult to the intelli- 
gence of the readers. The truth is there are more Gresham men m 
Indiana today than Harrison men." 

February 16 the Republican editors of Indiana held their semi- 
annual meeting at Indianapolis. Here Ex-Governor Albert G. Por- 
ter was called on for a speech. He declared that the only living 
issue of the campaign was free trade or protection. "Deacon" 
Smith of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette was for an intelligent 
Avaving of the bloody shirt and declared that a Republican cam- 
paign on the tariff would lead to defeat, Langsdale of Greencastle 
and other prominent leaders considered the "bloody shirt" the 
supreme issue. Senator Harrison called attention to one question, 
now the most absorbing and prominent of the campaign, — that of 
the free ballot. He considered it not only the State but the national 
question. The editors were, on the whole, favorable to Harrison, 
but the sentiment was by no means unanimous. The majority was 
for an uninstructed delegation to the Chicago Convention and 
thought that a vote ought to be given Harrison at the start. This 
could be transferred to Gresham in case he developed strength. 

The Republican State Central Committee was organized on the 
16th with Mr. F. H. Huston as chairman. An effort was made to 
pledge the unanimous support of the committee to Senator Ben- 
jamin Harrison. But there were on the committee two pronounced 
Gresham men. E. D. Crumpacker and the Tenth District stood 
boldly for the Judge. Around Fort Wayne much Gresham senti- 
ment was developed. The soldiers there seemed opposed to Har- 
rison. 



Baley: Campaign of 1888 33 

Many Democrats attacked Harrison as the machine man. They 
considered him, and his political existence, as the product, root and 
branch, of the worst element of Indiana machine politics. He was 
"by the machine, of the machine, and for the machine," and if the 
Gresham men wanted anything in the State they must first smash 
the machine. 

On February 20 there was a conference in Indianapolis of a 
number of prominent party leaders favorable to Gresham 's candi- 
dacy. Two days later the Chicago Tribune contained an editorial 
addressed to Indiana politicians. It asked those who were promot- 
ing Harrison if they had thoroughly considered his availibility for 
the presidency , his strength among the people, his Chinese record, 
his prohibition record, etc. "Are they not making a mistake in 
pushing him instead of Judge Gresham, a far stronger and more 
popular man? On every point where Harrison is weak, Gresham 
is strong. He is a man on whom all factions could heartily unite." 
Truly it was as the Hendricks County Gazette said : Indiana was 
blest not with a favorite son, but with twins, while there were swad- 
dling clothes prepared for only one. 

March 8 the Democratic State Central Committee met. The 
date for the State Convention was fixed for April 26. The basis 
of representation therein was to be one delegate for each 200 votes 
cast for Isaac P. Gray in 1884 and one additional for each fraction 
of 100 or over. 

The Prohibition State Convention was held at Indianapolis 
March 15-16. Jasper S. Hughes of Marion county was nominated 
for Governor. The platform contained planks for the annihilation 
of the liquor traffic and a free ballot unrestricted by sex. It de- 
clared against the levying of greater taxes than necessary for an 
honest and economical administration of the government. The 
Prohibitionists claimed from twelve to twenty thousand votes in the 
State. 

The Democratic State Convention assembled on April 26, 
Courtland C. Matson and William R. Myers were nominated with 
little effort for governor and lieutenant-governor. The Hon. W. H. 
English then read the party platform calling for a reform of the 
unjust tariff, such civil service reform as would insure an honest 
administration, legislation for the greatest protection of the inter- 
ests and welfare of the industrial masses, etc. 



34 Indiana Magazine of History 

. •> 

Congressman Courtland C. Matson, the nominee for governor, 
was at the time chairman of the House Committee on Pensions- He 
was born in Brookville, Indiana, April 25, 1841. After finishing 
the common school he went to Indiana Asbury (now DePauw) Uni- 
versity. At his graduation he enlisted for the Civil War in the 
Sixth Indiana Infantry ; after serving here a year he was transferred 
to the Sixth Cavalry and finally became its colonel. At the close 
of the War he studied law in Greencastle, was elected prosecutor 
and became a party leader. He was elected to the Forty-fifth, 
Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses. 

Capt. W. R. Myers was bom in Ohio in 1836. He studied law 
but had hardly begun practice before the War began. He enlisted 
and served four years in the Fourth Indiana Cavalry; at the close 
of the War he returned to Anderson and took up his profession. In 
1878 he was elected to Congress from the Sixth District, and four 
years later was elected Secretary of State. 

Speaking of the Democratic Convention the Indianapolis Jour- 
nal said, "Yet, this thoroughly Democratic and Bourbon Conven- 
tion was controlled by and for renegade Republicans. The princi- 
pal object of the Convention, and the feature of its work that ex- 
cited the most interest was to endorse one of these for vice-presi- 
dent, and the point of next greatest interest was the race between 
the two others for the gubernatorial nomination, resulting in the 
nomination of one for governor and the other for lieutenant-gover- 
nor. Gray, Matson, and Myers were all Republicans during the por- 
tion of their careers most worthy of honorable mention, and only 
began to serve the Democracy after they had ceased to serve the 
country."^ 

The Republican Convention met May 3 for the election of the 
four delegates at large. Ex-Governor A. G. Porter, Ex-Secretary 
R. W- Thompson, J. H. Huston and Hon, Clem. Studebaker were 
chosen. Indiana's delegation to Chicago was now complete. The 
Harrison men had iised every device to make the delegation solid 
for Harrison, but had not entirely succeeded. Indiana's claim for 
Harrison was that her fifteen electoral votes were essential to Re- 
publican success and that her candidate was the only one who could 
make them sure beyond the shadow of a doubt. The Democrats had 
tried to make a great deal of the Harrison-Gresham struggle and to 

' Indianapolis Journal, April 27, 1888. 



Buley: Campaign of 1888 35 

~7 
show how the Republican party was already split into factions 
Many Democrats said that the chief obstacle to the nomination of 
Gresham was Jay Gould and that the Republican party would not 
dare nominate a man to whom Jay Gould was opposed. There was 
nothing objectionable, though, about Harrison, He had been a 
part of the machine ever since he had entered politics and had nev- 
er expressed an independent political thought in his life. The Re- 
publicans denied this in a most unequivocal manner and maintain- 
ed that the party was solid, harmonious and united. 

The Prohibition National Convention was held at Indianapolis 
May 30-31.- Clinton B. Fisk of New Jersey was nominated for pres- 
ident and John A. Brooks of Missouri for vice-president. The 
platform declared the manufacture, importation, and sale of alco- 
holic beverages a crime and that prohibition be secured through the 
amendment of State and national constitutions. It declared against 
any form of liquor license and against the internal revenue system. 
It advocated equal suffrage, and arbitration as the Christian, wise, 
and economic way of settling national differences. 

Early in June the Gray men in Indiana started a Gray boom for 
the vice-presidency. His candidacy was not successful, however, 
and Grover Cleveland of New York and Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio 
were nominated by acclamation at the St. Louis convention, June 
6. As soon as the news of the nominations reached Indiana enthu- 
siastic ratification meetings M'ere held at Shelbyville, Terre Haute, 
Delphi, Muncie, Columbus, Greenfield, and many other places. 

The Harrison campaign began in Indiana with the tearing down 
by hoodlums of Cleveland banners on a prominent thoroughfare in 
Indianapolis, about June 28. No one party, however, had a monoply 
of the rough tricks. After a Harrison-Morton ratification meet- 
ing at New Albany, June 30, the Democrats got a Chinaman drunk 
and persuaded him to hang up Chinese lanterns, fire fire-works, and 
shout for Harrison for some time. The Republicans called this 
the "dirtiest, most contemptible, and dishonorable trick of the cam- 
paign. ' ' 

There was an effort on the part of the Democrats to show that 
Harrison was unfriendly to organized labor. ''His public career 
has been that of an advocate, supporter and apologist of corpora- 
tions and monopolies. ' ' He had been a railroad attorney for many 



36 Indiana Magazine of History 

//. / 

years, aud iu the Senate was known as one of the railroad Senators. 
His votes against anti-Chinese legislation also showed his stand 
against labor. 

Along toward tfie end of June an absurd incident took place 
which caused quite a bit of trouble. A certain company was ex- 
hibiting a large cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta. In some man- 
ner or other the figure of General Harrison was inserted in it. In 
reality the General was several miles away at the time of the battle. 
The Democratic stockholders especially became exceedingly indig- 
nant and raised quite a disturbance. It turned out that the stunt 
was the work of the manager of the picture, Mr. Perry. He 
thought that it would be a good place for a boost for the General. 

The Republican papers of Indianapolis tried the 'State pride' 
plea to obtain votes. The Sentinel at once came back with the ques- 
tion as to whether honest Greenbackers were going wild with de- 
light at being able to vote for one who in 1878 wanted them all com- 
mitted to asylums for the insane. 

By July 6 it was understood that Albert G. Porter had consented 
to run for Governor. The Democrats said that he was to deliver 
the Republican and Independent labor vote to Harrison in considera- 
tion for which he was to receive a seat in the cabinet when the latter 
was elected. They did not think either party would be able to 
carry out his side of the bargain. Porter was not a willing candi- 
date. He would rather have been president, vice-president, Sena- 
tor, or a foreign ambassador. In reality the Harrison machine hat- 
ed Porter and only wanted him to pull Harrison's chestnuts out of 
the fire. Willing candidates were Will Cumback, J, M. Butler, 
General A. P. Hovey, and General Shackleford. 

The Louisville Post of July 20 said that the campaign in Indiana 
would be interesting because there would be lots of boodle for dis- 
tribution. The Republicans had W. W. Dudley at the head of the 
campaign and Dudley was a veritable synonym for boodle. 

The Republican plan of campaign on the tariff seemed to be to 
take the manufacturing industries of the State, one by one, and tell 
the employees thereof that they would be ruined if the Mill's Bill 
(reducing the tariff) became a law. The attack started on the saw 
makers, then hit the tile workers, coal miners and starch makers. 

When Colonel Robert S. Robertson of Fort Wayne heard of the 
Porter candidacy he became rather angry. He had been favorably 



Baley : Campaign of 1888 37 

' f 
considered by the machine ail the time, but now he felt his hold 

slipping. But July 29 Porter made public his declination of the . 

gubernatorial candidacy. He said that he had served in every 

Republican campaign since the organization of the party, and that 

he felt sure that his friends would not press upon him a candidacy 

to which he would be averse and feel obliged to decline. It was 

thought that Colonel Robertson's attitude was largely responsible 

for this refusal. 

The Republicans considered the Prohibition vote the last re- 
liance of the "free-whiskey, liquor-league Democracy,'' Where- 
ever possible Democratic money would be used to aid the Fisk- 
Brooks, third party ticket. A vote for the third party was a vote al- 
most directly against temperance reform and for the freest possible 
free whiskey. The Democratic party in Indiana had been a consistent 
friend of the Liquor League and the saloon. The contest was to 
be one between the free-whiskey, saloon Democracy and the Repub- 
lican party, a party which had taken every step that had been taken 
in restricting liquor legislation. The Democrats came back by at- 
tacking the "Free Whiskey" plank of the Republican platform. 
With the tax removed whiskey would come down to twenty-five 
cents per gallon. 

August 4 the Democracy of Vigo county held its convention. 
After an imposing night demonstration Senator Voorhees, the "Tall 
Sycamore of the Wabash", sounded the key note of the campaign. 
He delivered the regular party arguments against the Republican 
party. He tried to show that the history of the Republican party 
on taxation was the history of premeditated, organized crime 
against the laboring people of the United States- "The campaign 
on the part of the Democratic party is a war against the unjust tax- 
ation of American labor for the benefit of enriched idlers and 
pampered monopolists."* 

At the beginning of August the Republicans were still in a 
muddle. General Hovey had made it known that he was not a can- 
didate and did not intend to be. Many were still howling for Por- 
ter. Robertson was in the fight to stay. He had established head- 
quarters at the Denison Hotel and started an active canvass. The 
Rev. Ira J. Chase of Danville was a rather seriously talked-of candi- 
date. He was counted on for the support of the temperance dele- 

* Indianapolis Sentinel, August 5, 1888. 



^ 38 Indiana Magazine of History 

c f 

gates and church people. George W. Steele of Marion had not de- 
clared his intentions as yet but would loom up strongly if Porter 
stayed out of the race. Porter's letter of declination had compli- 
cated instead of simplifying matters. In a speech to the railroad 
men August 4, he said, "Gentlemen, I feel that I must stand by my 
integrity. ' ' 

Although the State candidates were attracting quite a bit of 
the attention of the voters of Indiana, the national candidates were 
not slighted. The Democrats, headed by the Sentinel were giving 
Harrison the time of his life. First, there was his Chinese record 
which was reviewed for the benefit of the laboring class. In an edi- 
torial of June 28 the Sentinel said, ' ' The truth is that Senator Har- 
rison voted against the restriction of Chinese immigration because 
he didn 't want it restricted ; because he thought the gates should be 
opened wide to Chinese as to all other nationalities; and because 
he was not in sympathy with the demand of American working-men 
for protection against competition with the Asiatic hordes which 
have reduced the standard of wages on the Pacific slope to the 
pauper level." 

There were even graver charges than this for the General to 
face- He was accused of securing the naturalization of Chinamen 
in Indianapolis in 1880 in order that they might vote the Republican 
ticket and help Harrison secure the senatorship. At any rate six of 
only twenty Chinese naturalized in the United States were natural- 
ized just previous to the election of 1880. Certain of the Chinese, 
still residing in Indianapolis, admitted the fact that they had voted 
the Republican ticket in 1880. Then came the attack upon Harri- 
son's labor record in general. His position during the strike 
of 1877 seemed to be an especially vulnerable point. Senator Joseph 
Bailey made a speech at Mozart Hall, Indianapolis, August 30 which 
dealt almost entirely with Harrison and the strike. "He had an op- 
portunity to expand to the full proportion of a friend and champion 
of labor. Did he do it ? Let the answer come from as despicable a rec- 
ord as was ever made. Let it come from insulting harangues. Let it 
come from the pleadings of a paid attorney of railroads. Let it 
come from the tramp, tramp, tramp, of soldiers led by Harrison and 
equipped to shoot down railroad men at the word of command." 
When the Ohio and Mississippi railroad company went into the 



Buley : Campaigyi of 1888 39 

hands of the receiver, Harrison had become the attorney of that offi- 
cial. In the final settlement, besides sums allowed the attorneys 
from time to time, Harrison had received $21,000. 

Early after Harrison's nomination it was rumored on the 
streets that he had said "That a dollar a day was enough for a 
workingman, " "That if he were governor or sheriff he would force 
the men to time at the point of the bayonet," "That if necessary 
•he would shoot them down," etc. Senator Bailey quoted letters 
from strikers residing in Indianapolis vouching for the truth of 
each of these statements. 

Long before this, however, the Journal had given the lie to all 
such statements. Beginning with the issue of July 6 it ran an ad- 
vertisement in the editorial column offering one thousand dollars 
to any man, woman, or child in Marion county, Indiana, or the 
United States and territories, producing the proof that General Har- 
rison ever said "That a dollar a day was enough for any work- 
ingman." The Sentinel called this the "Thousand-Dollar Bluff," 
and added incidentally that it had never asserted that Harrison had 
made the remark in question. 

The Republican State caucus met August 6. As a result it was 
made certain that Porter would not be a candidate. It appeared as 
though Porter had been misrepresented by his too-anxious friends. 
In an interview with Steele he had made it clear that he would 
not accept the nomination. Steele had profited by the withdrawal 
and Hovey was only mentioned now and then. The Sentinel repre- 
sented the Republicans as being in quite a predicament. ' ' Cumback 
is a fanatic on the liquor question, Robertson made a fiasco in the 
legislative contest of 1887, Steele is a smiling nonenity with a deal 
of assurance and a very small equipment of brains, and Chase is a 
bloviating humbug. Huston, Hovey and Lew Wallace have decided 
the game isn't worth the price." ^ 

On the 7th of August Porter's ghost still hung around the Re- 
publican camp. He was kept busy all day refusing and made a 
final refusal to a committee which called on him. 

The Republican State platform indorsed and ratified the ac- 
tion of the National Convention of Chicago. It then declared that 
"crimes against equal ballot and equal representation are destruc- 
tive of free government. The iniquitous and unfair apportion- 

' Indianapolis Sentinel, August 7, 1888. ' 



40 Indiana 3fagazine of Histoi-y 

ment for Congress and the General Assembly, made at the behest 
of the liquor league of Indiana, followed by conspiracy and forgery 
upon the election returns of 1886, in Marion county, for which a 
number of prominent Democratic leaders were indicted and tried, 
two of whom are now serving the deserved penalty of their acts 
demands the rebuke of every patriotic citizen." The Gerrymander 
was tlien condemned and the actions of the Democrats in the 
last Legislature attacked. These were characterized as "revolution- 
ary and criminal." "The will of the people, expressed in a peace- 
able and lawful election, advised and participated in by the Demo- 
cratic party, was set at defiance, and the constitution and laws as 
expounded by the Supreme Court of the United States, disregard- 
ed and nullified. — The alleged election of a United States senator 
was accomplished by fraud and forced by high-handed usurpation 
of power, the overthrow of constitutional and legal forms, the set- 
ting aside of the results of popular election and the theft of the 
prerogatives of duly elected and qualified members of the legislature. 
The stolen senatorship is a part of the Democratic administration 
at Washington, now in power by virtue of public crimes and the 
nullification of the constitution and laws." 

The Republicans favored the passage and enforcement of laws 
which would prevent the competition of imported, servile, convict 
or contract labor of all kinds with free labor ; the prohibition of the 
employment of young children in factories and mines ; the guaran- 
tee to workingmen of the most favorable conditions of service, es- 
pecially proper safeguards for life and comfort in mines and fac- 
tories, on railroads and in all hazardous occupations. They also 
desired the reduction of hours wherever practicable and the sub- 
mission to just and impartial arbitration, under regulations that 
would make the arbitration effective, all controversies between work- 
ingmen and their employers. "Railway and other corporations 
should be subject to control through the legislative power that 
created them ; their undue influence in legislation and in the courts, 
and the imposition of unnecessary burdens upon the people, through 
illegitimate increase of stock or capital, should be summarily pre- 
vented. ' ' 

Another plank demanded that politics and legislation be kept 
from the influence of the saloon and it advocated local option, by 



Buley: Campaign of 1888 41 

which the various communities throughout the State might do as 
they demed best, — either control or suppress the traffic in intoxi- 
cating liquors- 

At 10 :00 a. m. on the 8th, when the convention assembled the Por- 
ter feeling was intense. A night of caucusing had done no good. 
The account of Porter's final refusal fell like a wet blanket. For 
a w^hile things looked favorable to Robertson, but during a recess 
the machine element united wdth the Porter forces and by giving the 
impression that Robertson was responsible for the ex-governor's 
withdrawal, helped in bringing about the defeat of the Allen county 
man. According to the Sentiners account, Chairman Calkins was 
with the machine program and recognized all who wanted to second 
Hovey's nomination. In this way enough votes were secured to 
nominate Hovey. The machine didn't particularly want Hovey but 
w^as determined to defeat Robertson. Ira J. Chase was nominated 
for lieutenant governor. 

The Republican candidate for governor, Alvin P. Hovey, was 
born in Posey county in 1821. He studied law with a distinguished 
law^yer, J. Pitcher of Mt. Vernon. He was a delegate to the In- 
diana Constitutional Convention of 1850-51 and took a prominent 
part in the debates. From 1851- to 1854 Hovey was judge of the 
circuit court, and from 1854 to 1855 of the State Supreme Court. 
He w^as United States District Attorney for the State under Pierce 
and Buchanan. During the War he was colonel of the Twenty- 
fourth Regiment of volunteers and became a major general in 1864- 
From 1865 to 1870 he was minister to Peru. Before the War he 
was a Democrat. 

In brief, the Republicans stated the issues as follows: — 

1. The gerrymander of the State for legislative purposes in 
1885. 

2. The infamous management of the insane hospital and its 
notorious prostitution for political purposes. 

3. The usurpation of Green Smith, his bold theft of the office 
of lieutenant governor and the revolutionary proceedings accom- 
panying it. 

4. The wholesale corruption in the Southern Prison. 

5. The Sim Coy tally-sheet forgeries. 

In the Legislature of 1884-5 the Democrats had a majority on 
joint ballot of 46. Not content with this they redistricted the 



42 Indiana Magazine of History 

State so as to give them a still larger majority, making a gerry- 
mander of which Senator Voorhees said that he should feel person- 
ally disgraced if it did not give the Democrats a majority of fully 
two-thirds. 

There had been corruption in the Democratic management of 
the State charitable institutions but the Republican account was 
undoubtedly exaggerated. "Nothing in the history of the State 
has excited more popular indignation than the prostitution of the 
Insane Hospital by a corrupt ring of Democratic politicians, in- 
cluding the abuse of the inmates and feeding them on maggoty but- 
ter and diseased hogs supplied by favored contractors of the ring." 
As for Mr. Smith, his usurpation of the office of lieutenant governor 
was the most high-handed outrage ever attempted in the State. 
The Sim Coy tally-sheet forgeries were a part of the Democratic 
scheme to carry Marion county and to obtain a majority in the Leg- 
islature. The two imprisoned ring-leaders were regarded and 
treated as Democratic martyrs- Coy still drew pay as councilman 
from the Eighteenth Ward of Indianapolis. In this manner the 
Republicans stated the State issues. 

Throughout the month of August great tariff arguments were 
put forth by both parties in their respective organs. There were 
long comparisons of the conditions of foreign and American labor 
and manufactures. The Republicans made a strong plea to the 
common sense of the workingman and said "He can't be fooled." 

By August 30 the State campaign had begun in real earnest. 
On that date Matson made an address at Logansport. There was 
a big reception and parade. Enthusiasm was intense. And it was 
this way all over the State. Both parties were warming up for the 
final stretch. Pole raisings took place at every town and cross- 
roads. Bandanna clubs were organized. Very often considerable 
of the rough element made itself evident. In Monroe county the 
Republicans bulldozed the colored Democrats. There was much 
rowdyism in Indianapolis. Speakers were interrupted, insulted 
etc. There was no lack of speakers to interest the voters of the 
State. Besides the State candidates there were Gray, Thurman, 
Blaine, Gen. Sheridan, Anna Dickinson and many others. Gover- 
nor Gray took the stump for the Democrats and argued against 
the tariff with all his might. The speeches that Thurman, "The 
Old Roman," made on his trip through Ohio and Michigan were 



Buley : Camjjaign of 18S8 43 ., ^ 

'3 

followed as closely by Indiana readers as those he made in their own 
State. Anna Dickinson worked all over the State for the Republi- 
cans. She attracted quite a bit of attention. The Republicans 
also had Mr. A. C. Rankin, a Pittsburgh Knight of Labor, at work 
in Indiana. He delivered strong tariff speeches and tried espec- 
ially to convince the workingmen that they wanted a high protec- 
tive tariff. 

An incident showing the keen rivalry between the parties and 
speakers occured at Fort Waj^ne. General George A. Sheridan was 
scheduled to speak. The Democrats hired all the bands in town 
and, being in with the officials, got possession of the court house 
steps where the Republican speaker was scheduled to speak. There 
was a counter parade also. At last, however, the Republicans 
scared up another band and had a parade in spite of the Democrats. 

In the course of the canipaign General Hovey did not escape 
unattacked. His weak point was found to be his homestead rec- 
ord. Section 22, Article 1, of the Indiana Constitution reads : The 
privilege of the debtor to enjoy the necessary comforts of life shall 
be recognized by wholesome laws, exempting a reasonable amount 
of property from seizure or sale for the payment of any debt or 
liability hereafter contracted: and there shall be no imprisonment 
for debt except in case of fraud. 

With the exception of the last clause the above was reported 
to the Constitutional Convention of 1850 and adopted by 108 to A. 
P. Hovey and seventeen others. Then Hovey was accused of being 
exclusive, aristocratic, and unpopular. He had no personal 
friends. It was said that he claimed the soul of Napoleon Bona- 
parte. He believed in the transmigration of souls, and as he was 
born at the hour of Napoleon's death he claimed to be the great 
Napoleon reincarnated. 

Besides this Hovey had to explain his action against the ne- 
groes and Jews. In the Constitutional Convention he had voted 
for a provision making it a crime for any negro to come into the 
State of Indiana. During the War he issued a proscriptive order 
as a miltary commander, against the Jews as a class. He excluded 
them from his lines and denounced them as mercenary spies, trait- 
ors, and bloodhounds of commerce. All this made good campaign 
material for the Democrats. 



44 Indiana Magazine of History 

Towards the end of September certain Democrats began to 
take up the Jaurnal's offer of $1000 for the proof of any of the 
eight calumnies in circulation. The Journal said if these proofs 
were pushed oflficially, — by Thomas Taggart, Charles L. Jewett, etc., 
it would put up the money. 

For some weeks the Republicans had been attacking Matson 
through his attitude on pensions. Matson had distributed through- 
out the State quite a number of copies of a pension speech made 
July 28 in the House of Representatives. The Journal said that 
this speech, though printed in the Congressional Record, and cir- 
culated as a public document under Matson 's frank, was never de- 
livered in the House. In this respect the speech was no more 
fraudulent than some other speeches, but what hurt was the fact 
that the speech attempted to prove that the Democrats in Congress 
and the Cleveland administration had been pre-eminently the sol- 
dier's friend. The letter, according to the Republican view was 
entirely in keeping with Matson 's established character as a tricky 
politician and demagogue. "It is simply a campaign document, 
cunningly formed to deceive the old soldiers and whitewash the 
record of the Democratic party on the pension question. Colonel 
Matson himself, as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pen- 
sions, has prevented pension legislation as effectually as if he had 
been put there for that purpose, and probably he was."*^ Contin- 
ing, the Journal explained that for years past the Democratic op- 
position to pension legislation had been "stealthy and insidious," 
but none the less determined and effective. The entire pension 
system was the Avork of the Republican party and not a pension law 
on the statue books had been passed but over Democratic opposition, 
secret or open. The committee on invalid pensions, of which Mat- 
son was chairman, was the graveyard of pension bills. Here 
they were smothered, strangled and done to death. Such, accord- 
ing to the Republicans, was the true record of a man who claimed 
to be the soldier's friend. 

An example of the Republican method of arguing for the tar- 
iff was given in Indianai)olis early in October. Millionaire E. C. 
Atkins was caught bulldozing his employees. He discharged Dem- 
ocrats from his saw works because they Avere not in sympathy, 
politically, with the members of the firm. 

• Indianapolis Journal, September 28, 1888. 



Baley: Campaign of 188S 45 

The tariff was still the paramount issue and came to occupy 
more and more attention. Long arguments appeared in both the 
Sentinel and Journal. These were widely circulated by the whole 
Indiana press. In the Sentinel of October 2nd there appeared a 

long article entitled, "Indiana and the Tariff, — the Experience of a 
Hundred Years." In this it was shown how the State had gained 
under a low tariff' and lost under a high one. A lesson w^as taken 
from Ireland . Besides the religious wars, what had been most in- 
jurious to Ireland was the persistent taxation of that country for 
the benefit of English manufacturers. 

For several weeks vague rumors had been circulating to the 
effect that the Republicans were going to colonize Indiana. The 
Chicago Herald of October 2 gave forth the startling news that two 
hundred Chicago negroes had left the Polk street depot on Friday 
evening and three hundred on Saturday. They were bound for var- 
ious points in Northern Indiana. The idea was to colonize them 
throughout the State so that they might vote for Harrison in the 
election. 

Throughout October there were big speech-makings, celebra- 
tions, and rallies of all kinds. The loyal supporters marched in uni- 
form and at night there were long parades in which torches, trans- 
parent banners and colored fire figured prominently. Both parties 
were now working in all earnestness for votes. On the fifth, W. H. 
Smith, Secretary of the Lincoln League of Indiana sent the follow- 
ing letter to the clubs all over the State : "Is there not some Dem- 
ocratic voter you can win over ? I would suggest that your 

executive committee, or a committe of wise and discreet men appoint 
ed for the purpose, choose from among the Democrats in your sec- 
tion some two or more of them and systematically work to win them 
over. Much depends -upon your discretion, but work w^ith a pur- 
pose."" The Democrats had quite a bit to say about this letter 
but if the truth were known it would have disclosed similar methods 
on their part. 

James G. Blaine spoke in Indianapolis October 11. A great 
crowd turned out to hear the noted Republican, and he and not Har- 
rison was the center of attraction. On the following day Governor 
Hill, Democratic candidate for re-election as governor of New York 
spoke amid real enthusiasm. 

' Indianapolis Sentinel, October 5, 1888. 



46 Indiana Magazine of History 

It is very amusing, to sa}' the least, to notice the accounts the 
respective party organs give of the meetings of their parties. Meet- 
ings of liundreds, of course, were always reported as so many thous- 
ands. For instance according to the Sciithtcl, 50,000 people heard 
Thurman speak at Shelbj^ville, October 15, a rainy day.** Another 
crowd of 50,000 was reported as greeting the Old Roman at Fort 
Wayne. This seemed to be a favorite number with the Democrats. 

Concerning the Marion county campaign a member of the Ke- 
publican committee said, "We have evidence to warrant us to be- 
lieve that our work so far has brought about such good results that 
the Democrats can do nothing to give them any chance except to re- 
sort to those methods for which some of their party leaders in the 
past have been infamous." Each party thoroughly distrusted the 
other and tried to make it appear that it was the sole obstacle in the 
way of a fair election scheme. For instance, we learn from the 
Democratic papers that Chairman Jewett of the Democratic State 
Committee, unable to secure the cooperation of the Republican man- 
agers in any fair and practical scheme to secure an honest election 
in Marion county and the State, took, by direction of the committee, 
measures to effect that object, A committee of one hundred lead- 
ing Democrats was selected to devise means of protecting the ballot 
box from fraud on November 6. The following letter, written by 
J. W, Huston, Republican State chairman, and labeled "In Strictest 
Confidence ' ' appeared in the Democratic papers on the eightheenth : 

Republican State Committee, Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 9, 1888. 
My Dear Sir: — I am reliably informed that the Democracy intend at 
the close of the campaign to inaugurate the plan of circulating the most in- 
famous lies and indulge in forgeries and other frauds that will eclipse the 
Morey letter of '80. We must anticipate their movements and should 
through our own newspapers advise our party friends of their base inten- 
tions, by so doing we will rob them of their thunder. _ I wish you would 
refer to the above as often as you think necessary. I think the reports 
that the Democracy are well and liberally supplied with funds, should be rig- 
orously circulated, if the impression prevails that the Democracy have a 
very large amount of money, it will be found necessary that they divide gen- 
erously to hold their own people. I am satisfied, too, that it is now proposed 
to colonize voters in various parts of the State and this should be given to our 
friends that they may be on their guard. We cannot be too vigilant; the 
enemy will fight desperately and resort to any means to win. What I have 
written is in the strictest confidence and for your own use. 

Yours truly, 

J. W. HOUSTON, Chairman. 
• Sentinel, October 15, 1888. 



Buley: Campaign of 1888 47 

Early in the campaign the Republicans had said that a vote for 
the Prohibitionists was a vote for the Democrats. Now the Demo- 
ocrats said the same thing of the Union Labor party. The presi- 
dential ticket of this party was headed b}^ Alson J. Streeter. The 
Republicans, according to their political opponents, made strenuous 
efforts to capture the organization of the Union Labor party and 
from all appearances succeeded. Large amounts of money were be- 
lieved to have been used in manipulating the Union Labor move- 
ment. The Streeter campaign was pushed vigorously in Democratic 
counties and not in Republican. In this manner it was hoped to 
catch the Republicans who would vote for Harrison. Many agents 
were really in Republican pay as each one won over from the 
Democrats counted one half a vote for Harrison. 

From the Sentinel October 30 came the following warning : ' ' Men 
like Dorsey will come to Indiana again as they came in 1880 and dis- 
burse $400,000 in the Denison house parlors to be used in buying 
votes, hiring repeaters, bribing election officers to stuff ballot-boxes 
and falsify election returns. You know that there are men in high 
office because they connive at such crimes and it is no secret that men 
honored by party are honored mainly because they aided the escape 
of arrested felons who were hired to come from other States to vio- 
late the election laws of Indiana." This warning to the voters 
was run in large print on the first page. The article then told of 
the coming of Mr. Dudley. "Dudley is coming" became almost as 
common a refrain as the same news about the Campbells. "A re- 
cast of the plotters of 1880 is on the bill-board of the Slick Six, with 
Dudley as the star in Dorsey 's original soap act, at the New Den- 
nison for one week only. This company of trained ballot-box de- 
filers has been reinforced by Rathbone, the Cincinnati election bully, 
and John Jarett, the juggler of workingmen's votes, of great ex- 
perience. ' ' 

Many copies of the National Tribune had been circulated in In- 
diana. It was professed to be published in the interest of the old 
soldiers but the Democrats said it "really was the organ of the 
ring that robs the government with one hand and applicants for 
pensions with the other." 

The Sentinel of Octo})er 31 threw the Republican camp into a 
panic. In large scare-head capitals ran — "The Plot to Buy 
Indiana. — Dudley's Scheme of the Wholesale Bribery Re- 



48 Indiana Magazine of History 

vealed lu a Circular Letter Over His Own Signature.— The 'Floaters' 
To Be Divided Into 'Blocks of Five'.— Every 'Block' to be Put in 
Charge of a 'Trusted Man' with 'Necessary Funds'. — He to See that 
'None Get Away', and that 'All Vote Our Ticket'— The 'Best Busi- 
ness Men' to be Used as Stalking Horses. — Threats that 'Some One 
Will Get Hurt' if New York goes Democratic. — A Case for the 
'Fair Election League' and the 'Committees of One Hundred," 
Then came Dudley's letter. It was set in the form of a circular 
typewritten letter, bearing the autograph signature of William W. 
Dudley, National Republican treasurer, to the chairman of a Re- 
publican county central committee in Indiana, and doubtless to 
other county chairmen and to the trusted agents of the Republican 
managers throughout the State. The following letter was pro- 
duced in fac-simile. 

HEADQUARTERS REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, 91 Fifth 
Avenue, New York, Oct. 29, 1888. 

Dear Sir: — I hope you have kept copies of the lists sent me. Such 
information is very valuable and can be used to great advantage. It has 
enabled me to demonstrate to friends here that with proper assistance In- 
diana is surely Republican for Governor and President, and has resulted, as 
I hoped it would, in securing for Indiana the aid necessary. Your com- 
mittee will certainly receive from Chairman Huston the assistance neces- 
sary to hold our floaters and doubtful voters, and gain enough of the other 
kind to give Harrison and Morton 10,000 plurality. New York is now safe 
beyond per-adventure for the Republican presidential ticket; Connecticut 
likewlse.In short every Northern State, except possibly New Jersey.though 
we still hope to carry that State. Harrison's majority in the Electoral Col- 
lege will not be less than 100. Make our friends in each precinct wake 
up to the fact that only boodle and fraudulent votes and false counting 
of returns can beat us in the State. Write each of your precinct corres- 
pondents, 1st, to find who has Democratic boodle, and steer the Democratic 
workers to them.and make them pay big prices for their own men. Second 
scan the election officers closely, and make sure to have no man on the 
Board whose integrity is even questionable, and insist on Republicans watch- 
ing every moment of the election officers. Third, see that our workers 
know every voter entitled to a vote, and let no one else offer to vote. 
Fourth.divide the floaters into blocks of five and put a trusted man with nec- 
essary funds in charge of these five and make him responsible that none 
get away and that all vote our ticket. Fifth, make a personal appeal to your 
best business men to pledge themselves to devote the entire day, Nov. 6, 
to work at the polls, i. e. to be present at the polls with tickets. They 
will be astonished to see how utterly dumbfounded the ordinary Democratic 
election bummer will be and how quickly he will disappear. The results 



Bidey: Campaign of 188S 49 

will fully justify the sacrifice of time and comfort, and will be a source of 
satisfaction afterwards to those who help in this way. Lay great stress 
on this last matter. It will pay. 

There will be no doubt of your receiving the necessary assistance 
through the National, State and County Committees, — only see that it is 
husbanded and made to produce results. 1 rely on you to advise your 
precinct correspondents, and urge them to unremitting and constant efforts 
from now till the polls close, and the result is announced officially. We will 
fight for a fair election here if necessary. The Rebel crew can't steal this 
election from us as they did in 1884, without someone getting hurt. Let 
every Republican do his whole duty and the country will pass into Repub- 
lican hands, never to leave it, I trust. Thanking you again for your efforts 
to assist me in my work, I remain 

Yours sincerely, W. W. DUDLEY. 
Please wire me results in principal precincts and county. 



The consternation created by this letter can well be imagined. 
That Dudley would sign his name to such a document was almost 
unbelievable, but Dudley was a bold man. The lists referred to in 
the letter were lists of floaters or purchaseable voters. The traffic 
in votes was open and frank just as if they were legitimate merchan- 
dise. The Republicans especially were excited by the letter. Some 
were for denying it and calling it forgery. The wiser ones argued 
that it would be better to repudiate Dudley. J. W. Huston, the 
Republican State chairman, wrote to the papers saying that Dudley 
had nothing to do with the management of the Indiana campaign 
and that he knew nothing of any intention on Dudley's part to ad- 
dress a letter to anyone in Indiana. Dudley himself denied the 
letter as a base forgery. 

At the same time that this letter appeared a statement of Hon. 
John C. New to the Omaha Republican was made public. New 
said that a complete poll of the voters of Indiana had been taken and 
that the Republican managers knew just how big the float was. 
Also that they could be depended upon not to loose any of that ele- 
ment.^ 

Indianapolis Democrats claimed that after they had spotted the 
imported negroes the Republicans opened up a new scheme; Cin- 
cinnati repeaters were being brought in for Marion county. 

The Sentinel of October 2 made known its offer of $1000 to Mr. 
Dudley if he would come to Indianapolis and swear that he did not 

• Omaha Republican, September 27, 1888. 



50 Indiana Magazine of History 

write the letter. Dudley made no defense beyond the details as 
copied by the New York Sun and Times. 

November 4, warrant was issued by the United States authorities 
for the arrest of Mr. Dudley. On the same day Chairman Jewett 
received a telegram from Senator Calvin S. Brice of New York. It 
stated that a number of New York citizens, moved by the Dudley 
letter, had resolved to place $20,000 at the disposal of the committee 
for the vigorous prosecution of every man in Indiana who would 
practice Dudley's methods. 

Through the Sentinel Mr. Jewett offered $5000 for the con- 
viction of Dudley on a bribery charge or for inducing others to 
bribe the voters of Indiana. In addition $1000 each for five others 
conspiring or confederating to bribe according to the plan set forth 
in Dudley's letter, was offered, and $100 each for not to exceed one 
hundred persons who should bribe or attempt to bribe as per plan. 

The Republicans attempted to draw attention from the Dudley 
affair by spreading the story that the Democrats intended to work 
the double ticket plan all over the State on election day. 

November 3,three days before the election Chairman Jewett pre- 
dicted the State safe for Cleveland and Hendricks by a larger plural- 
ity than in 1884. But Mr. Jewett was badly mistaken as the fol- 
lowing table of the Indiana returns will show.^^ 

Counties President Governor 

Harrison Cleveland Hovey Matson 

Adams 1277 2936 1284 2929 

Allen 5455 , 9692 5443 9685 

Bartholomew 2742 3109 2730 3113 

Benton 1626 1425 1629 1424 

Blackford 1141 1232 1138 1233 

Boone 3441 3324 3441 3320 

Brown 661 1538 662 1534 

Carrol 2607 2560 2608 2560 

Cass 3822 4221 3818 4206 

Clark 3206 3788 3202 3794 

Clay 3711 3773 3743 3771 

Clinton 3519 3278 3518 3276 

Crawford ! 1445 1628 1447 1628 

Daviess 2691 2689 2692 2698 

Dearborn 2648 3531 2645 3534 

Decatur 2663 2400 2660 2398 

DeKalb 2879 3160 2875 3148 

" Indiana State Journal, November 21 and December 5. 1888. 



Buley: Campaign of 1888 



51 



Counties President 

Harrison Cleveland 

Delaware 4227 2368 

Dubois 1220 2986 

Elkhart 4955 4464 

Fayette 1953 1471 

Floyd 2947 3824 

Fountain 2608 2525 

Franklin 1712 2872 

Fulton 2053 2163 

Gibson 2953 2721 

Grant 3929 2990 

Greene 2934 2659 

Hamilton 3599 2412 

Hancock 1986 2376 

Harrison 2133 2529 

Hendricks 3297 2083 

Henry 3849 2277 

Howard 3604 2002 

Huntington 3559 3481 

Jackson 2263 3235 

Jasper 1604 1003 

Jay 2811 2741 

Jefferson 3321 2700 

Jennings 2057 1598 

Johnson 2168 2594 

Knox 2922 3621 

Kosciusko 4147 3081 

Lagrange 2262 1516 

Lake 2543 2068 

Laporte 3722 4607 

Lawrence 2356 1814 

Madison . 3436 3928 

Marion 17139 . 17515 

Marshall 2582 3188 

Martin 1391 1558 

Miami 3042 3492 

Monroe 2054 1815 

Montgomery 4011 3763 

Morgan 2500 2077 

Newton 1283 860 

Noble 3026 2979 

Ohio 726 585 

Orange 1779 1654 

Owen 1632 1918 

Parke 2764 2159 

Perry 1974 2007 



Governor 


Hovey 


Matson 


4220 


2371 


1221 


2984 


4962 


4449 


1948 


1476 


2938 


3834 


2610 


2526 


1713 


2874 


2048 


2162 


2946 


2723 


3918 


2982 


2930 


2665 


3595 


2404 


1985 


2380 


2134 


2526 


3286 


2079 


3844 


2284 


3599 


2197 


3567 


3474 


2264 


3235 


1602 


1002 


2810 


2741 


3313 


2708 


2051 


1603 


2159 


2602 


2913 


3627 


4139 


3080 


2256 


1506 


2544 


2072 


3746 


4587 


2225 


1813 


3436 


3928 


17021 


17619 


2587 


3190 


1394 


1555 


3032 


3495 


2050 


1819 


4006 


3773 


2488 


2080 


1282 


861 


3011 


2993 


725 


588 


1778 


1656 


1625 


1926 


2772 


2151 


1976 


2007 



52 Indiana Magazine of History 

Counties President Governor 

Harrison Cleveland Hovey Matson 

Pike 2197 2098 2209 2091 

Porter 2427 2018 2427 2011 

Posey 2369 2684 2411 2641 

Pulaski 1223 1446 1220 1446 

Putnam 2570 3016 2555 3024 

Randolph 4629 2256 4628 2249 

Ripley 2404 2381 2404 2381 

Rush 2713 2292 2700 2299 

Scott 743 1030 742 1030 

Shelby 2877 3409 . 2879 3412 

Spencer 2733 2685 2736 2684 

Starke 834 904 833 904 

Steuben 2352 1348 2351 1347 

St. Joseph 4929 5257 4921 5256 

Sullivan 1902 3382 1905 3377 

Switzerland 1560 1637 1562 1629 

Tippecanoe 5072 4281 5058 4287 

Tipton 2042 2370 2038 2373 

Union 1108 868 1104 864 

Vanderburg 6027 5889 6109 5846 

Vermillion 1730 1438 1733 1435 

Vigo 6273 6102 6265 6106 

Wabash 3986 2555 3985 2558 

Warren 1847 1017 1845 1019 

Warrick 2361 2557 2375 2551 

Wayne 6138 3653 6132 3651 

Washington 1847 2389 1847 2397 

Wells 1926 2942 1915 2939 

White 1942 2017 1943 2021 

Whitley 2133 2325 2129 2320 

Total 263,361 261.013 263,194 261,003 



Of the ninety-two counties of Indiana, forty-two went for 
Cleveland and fifty for Harrison. Hovey carried forty-nine coun- 
ties and Matson forty-three. Hovey 's vote was 263,194 and Mat- 
son's 261,003, making a Republican plurality of 2191. It will be 
noticed that the Democrats carried Marion county. Cleveland's 
plurality there was 376 and Matson 's 598. The Democrats carried 
both houses of the Legislature by large majorities. By excellent 
gerrymandering they also elected ten of the thirteen Congressmen 
as follows : 



JBuley: Campaign of 1888 



53 



5- 





Rep. 


Dem. 






Rep. 


Dem. 


District 


Candidate 


Candidate 


Rep. 


Dem. 


Plurality 


Plurality 


1 


Posey 


Barrett 


20627 


20647 




20 


2 


Braxton 


O'Neall 


16653 


18537 


.... 


1884 


3 


Sayles 


Brown 


15198 


18272 




3074 


4 


Wilson 


Holman 


16167 


16905 




738 


5 


Duncan 


Cooper 


17506 


18210 




704 


6 


Browne 


Morris 


23424 


14302 


9122 




7 


Ctiandler 


Bynum 


25500 


27227 




1727 


8 


Johnston 


Brooksliire 


23084 


23153 




69 


9 


Cheadle 


McCabe 


24717 


20267 


4450 




10 


Owen 


Zimmerman 


19546 


18390 


1156 




11 


Steele 


Martin 


21900 


22375 




475 


12 


White 


McCellan 


19028 


20139 




1111 


13 


Hoynes 


Shively 


21206 


21561 




355 



264,556 259,986 14,728 10.157 

After the election the Democrats had little to say. They ad- 
mitted defeat but were not discouraged and said that the fact that 
the Republican candidate was from Indiana was a tower of strength 
to the opposition. Not that any voted for him from "state pride" 
feeling but many expected favors in the way of offices, etc. 

Harrison ran little if any ahead of the Republican State ticket. 
His own county went Democratic and his own precinct ran behind 
the Republican State ticket. 



HINDOSTAN— A PIONEER TOWN OF MARTIN COUNTY 

BY CARLOS T. McCARTY, Attorney-at-Law, Shoals, Indiana. 

[This was an address delivered at an Old Settlers' Meeting held at Hindo- 
stan, Martin County, Indiana, August 22, 1913.] 

When President Madison took his oath of office on March 4, 
1809, he was confronted with danger of a war with England and 
also with the fact that Tecumseh and his brother, The Prophet, were 
organizing the Indians of this portion of the United States for war 
with the whites. November seventh, 1811, the battle of Tippecanoe 
was fought and the Indians were defeated. Within a few months 
the first guns of the War of 1812 sounded and the Indians, allied 
with the British, assumed a hostile attitude. On March 27, 1814, at 
Tallapoosa, Alabama, Andrew Jackson defeated the red men so 
signally that they were not troublesome thereafter, and this was 
followed in December, 1814, by the signing of the treaty of Ghent, 
which declared the war at an end. 

In the meantime several small settlements had been made in 
the southwestern part of Indiana. At Vallonia, in Jackson county, 
there had been a French trading post for many years and in 1813 an 
iron furnace was operated there. At Vincennes was an old settle- 
ment and also at Clarksville, near the Falls of the Ohio. A trail 
from Clarksville to Vincennes crossed the river here at Hindostan. 
The close of the War of 1812 and the cessation of hostilities with 
the Indians caused a decided movement from the East to the fertile 
regions of southern Indiana. There had been some land entered in 
this county [Martin] prior to that and a ferry had been established 
at the point where Houghton's bridge now crosses White river. 
The land there, the tract just north of the present highway and on 
the west side of the river, was the first land entered from the United 
States in this country. It was selected by General Washington 
Johnson, a soldier of the revolution, and postmaster at Vincennes, 
and he took out his certificate of entry for it June 2, 1807. It was 
at this place that William McGowan was treacherously shot by 
Shawnee Indians in the spring of 1812. With the general advance- 



McCarty: Hindostan, a Pioneer Town 55 

ment from the East there came several parties to the region now 
embraced in the boundaries of Martin county. Frederick Sholts 
located here at Hindostan and October 20, 1814, entered from the 
Government the land on which we are now standing. 

At that time there were two other settlements made in this 
county. Like the one at Hindostan they were both made on the 
river. At Mt. Pleasant, Phillip Davis, Cager Peek, the Summers 
and Hunt families, Barney and John Riley, and James and William 
Lamar had found homes. 

At the present site of Shoals the same year, Clement Horsey 
located and the following year James Stephens and William 
Daugherty opened farms on the west side of the river where the 
town of West Shoals now stands. In 1816 Joel Halbert, Daniel Piles, 
John Cox, L. Trover, Stephen P. Stringham, Harvey Manning, James 
Lewis, and Moses Norman located near Clement Horsey. It was 
thus the conditions were in that early day. Settlements of several 
families then were at the present site of Shoals and Mt. Pleasant, 
and Frederick Sholts at Hindostan. This was then a portion of 
Knox county. In 1816 Daviess county was formed and it embraced 
what is now known as Martin county. By the year 1818 a com- 
munity of several families was located here at Hindostan. Among 
them being Joseph Clements, John Prentiss, Henry Prentiss, 
Thomas Prentiss, George Harris, the Shelmire family and Thomas 
Brooks. These people seem to have constituted the real bone and 
sinew of Martin county. For we find that in March 1819 they evi- 
dently had in contemplation the building of a town here at the 
falls. On the third day of that month Frederick Sholts sold a 
three fourths interest in the land on which Hindostan was after- 
ward laid out and two lots, being lots 12 and 24 in Greenwich, to 
John Meriam. Greenwich was the first town laid out at the falls and 
was on the opposite side of the river. The date of its plat, like 
that of Hindostan, is unknown. However, it is certain that Hindo- 
stan was platted between March 13, 1819, and May 29, 1819, for on 
the latter date a deed was executed conveying lots in Hindostan and 
designating them as such. ' 

' The following notice concerning Hindostan is taken from the diary of W. Faux, who 
passed over the Trace in 1819 on his way to visit the Birkbeck Settlement in southern Illinois. 

"October 29, 1819. Breakfasted at an infant ville, Hindostan, on the falls of White river, a 
broad, crystal stream, running navigable to the Ohio, over a bed of sand and stone, smooth 
and white as a floor of marble. The baby ville is flourishing, much building is in progress, 
and promises to become a pleasant healthy town before I see it again. The land, too, is rich and 
inviting. I now crossed White river in my ch&Tiot."— Editor. 



56 Indiana Magazine of History 

The town flourished. The country was developing rapidly. 
Danger from Indians was about over. The w^oods were still the 
lurking place of wolves and panthers but the hardy pioneer paid 
little attention to these animals. In speaking of this ever present 
peril it may interesting to note one event which tradition has handed 
down concerning the wolves in this vicinity. It is said that near 
Hindostan, on one of the farms that was being hewed out of the 
wilderness, lived a man, his wife, and their infant child. The man 
was a true pioneer, jovial, entertaining, and a good fiddler. His 
services were ever in demand at the dances which were given by the 
early settlers. One night he was called to go to Hindostan to furnish 
music for a dance. Taking with him his violin he left home in the 
early evening and w^ended his way through the forest to the then 
flourishing towai. Here all was brightness and joy. The tallow- 
dips furnished light, the maidens Avere dressed in their best, their 
backwood beaux came clad in their holiday attire. The music 
rang through the trees. The whole town was present and a night 
of revelry and fun lay before them. Back in the forest, miles from 
the nearest neighbor, the wife and child awaited the coming of the 
night. Sitting in the door of the cabin, for it was early autumn and 
the days were yet warm, the mother crooned a lullaby to her babe 
and as it sank into sleep laid it in the crude cradle. Still singing she 
took up her evening tasks. The cow^ was milked. The backlog was 
placed on the fireplace and covered with ashes. It was too warm 
to need the blaze for its cheer, but matches were unknown, the flint 
and steel uncertain, and the pioneer wife kept fire in the fireplace 
ready for use. Seeing that the house was safe she went to the 
poultry house to close it that a few chickens might not be devoured 
by the roaming foxes and other predacious animals. Just as she 
closed the poultry house door a wolf darted into the clearing. It 
was followed by another, and another. They discovered the defence- 
less woman and bounded toward her their cruel fangs showing white 
in the twilight. Fearing to seek shelter in the cabin lest the wolves 
should thus be attracted to the open door of her home she hastily 
entered the chicken house and closed the door behind her. The 
wolves, as is the custom with such brutes, feeling that their prey 
was surrounded sat down and began howling. The night came on 
apace. Yet the babe slept calmly on while the terror stricken 
mother, safe herself, was powerless to fly to her child. Suddenly 



McCarty : Hindostan, a Pioneer Town 57 

clear and shrill, on the quivering air came the cry of the child. The 
wolves listened a moment and broke for the cabin. The helpless 
mother sank to the ground in an agony of fear, it seemed that her 
cup of tribulation was filled to the brim. Without weapons she 
could not attack the wolves. Indeed the interval was too short for 
her to more than breathe a prayer to the throne above. Almost 
as the words casting upon the Father the care for her child left her 
lips was her petition, uttered in extremest agony, answered. As 
the foremost wolf bounded into the cabin door the backlog of the fire- 
place rolled over and the cabin was filled with a burst of light from 
the newly kindled fire. Halting, the wolves slunk back and turned 
again to the forest. The mother rushed to the cabin and closing 
the door behind her seized her child and again a petition went up on 
the night air to the all-hearing ear. This time it was a prayer of 
thankfulness. The mother and her child were safe. When the 
father returned he endeavored to explain the miracle by saying 
that the vibrations caused by the feet of the wolves as they struck 
the pucheon floor caused the backlog to turn. But the mother lived, 
and when full of years passed into eternity, confident that it was 
in answer to her prayer that her child was saved. 

But to come back from tradition to history which is written. 
Shortly after the Hindostan company, as the organization was 
officially known, was formed, the men composing it became inter- 
ested in the formation of a new county. They felt that Daviess Co. 
was too large and consequently they secured an act of the Legis- 
lature creating Martin county. The county was organized January 
17, 1820. Even the organization of a new county did not appease 
these pioneers. They next wanted the county seat located at their 
new town of Hindostan. That they were entitled to it was their 
boast. The only store within the boundary of the county had been 
opened at Hindostan by John, Henry and Thomas Prentiss and 
the Shelmires. Mills were being builded for grinding wheat and 
corn and carding wool. There was a ferry established connecting 
the town of Hindostan with the town of Greenwich. People were 
coming in and settling. Everything was booming, to use a modern 
phrase. So, within two months after the formation of the county 
these business men of a century ago proposed to give for the 
location of the county seat the square known as courthouse square ; 
the Seminary square; one half the square south of Seminary square; 



58 Indiana Magazine of History 

160 acres of land adjoining the town plat on the north and five thous- 
and dollars in cash. In addition they were to purchase for use on 
the courthouse a three hundred dollar bell. There were but two 
provisions or conditions attached to their offer. The first was that 
the courthouse square should be used for nothing but courthouse 
purposes. The second that of the money donated and that received 
from the sale of the donated real estate ten per centum should be 
set aside to establish a public library. This instrument, which is 
of record in the courthouse at Shoals,shows that the founders of Hin- 
dostan were not only business men who proposed doing things when 
they started, but that they were equally interested in educational 
matters as one full square was designated to be used for school pur- 
poses and ten per cent of all funds to go to establish a public library. 
Their offer was accepted and it was decided that the courthouse 
should be located at Hindostan. June 5 of that year the contract for 
the courthouse was let to Benj. Adams for $4,185 and the following 
day Matthias Sholts received the contract to erect a jail for the sum 
of $1,368.79. The meeting of the board of commissioners which 
accepted the offer of the proprietors of Hindostan was held March 
27, 1820 at the house of Joseph D. Clements in Hindostan. The 
county commissioners were Matthias Sholts, John Meriam, and 
George Mitcheltree. 

It is interesting in this connection to note the method of doing 
county business in those days. One of the matters determined at 
that meeting of the county board was tavern keepers' rates. On 
the twenty-ninth of March the board determined that the rate should 
be as follows : Keeping horse one night 62i/^c ; one horse feed 12i/2C ; 
one lodging I2V2C ; one meal 37^c ; each half pint of whiskey I2V2C ; 
each half pint of French brandy or other foreign distilled spirits 
62%c ; for distilled spirits of domestic manufacture 371/^Ci Think 
what an uproar would be the result if the commissioners of Martin 
county at their next session should endeavor to regulate prices in 
this method. But our forefathers were of sturdy stock. They 
did not have so much law to confront them as we now have. 

They were, as a usual matter, honest, trustworthy, brave, dili- 
gent. The housewife shared with the husband the burdens of the 
day. She, too, must be brave and resourceful. She must be quick to 
think and equally quick to act. Take the tagedy over on the west 
bank of the river in the spring of 1812. The ferryman, McGowan, 



McCarty: Hindostan, a Pioneer Town 59 

and his wife lived alone in their little cabin. They were peaceable 
and industrious. The traveler passing from New Albany to Vin- 
cennes or returning home again was always met by them with 
ready help. They would assist him across the river and bid him 
God speed in his journey through the wilderness. One evening in 
the springtime McGowan was sitting in the shade on the east side 
of his cabin. There were no travellers needing assistance: As he 
sat there, in peace with his surroundings, an Indian, one of a small 
marauding party, fired from this side of the river and the bullet 
pierced his body. Then did the true heroism of that pioneer woman 
whom he had taken to be his wife assert itself. No aid was nearer 
than the small settlement at Maysville, twenty miles away, on the 
West fork of the river. She assisted the stricken man, partially 
carrying and partially dragging him, into the cabin. She barred 
the door and closed the window. Then she sat beside her loved 
one and watched his lifeblood ebb away. As night came on he be- 
came weaker and before midnight passed into that realm from which 
no traveller ever returns. Closing the eyes and gently arranging the 
body of her slain helpmate for its last long repose, Mrs. McGowan 
left her home, now desolate, and going to the field caught the 
horse. She mounted and rode away through the darkness for help 
that her dead might have christian burial. On through the night 
she rode. Ever and anon the shrill shriek of a panther would quaver 
through the air. But on and on she rode until at break of day she 
had reached the Maysville settlement. Then she returned, accom- 
panied by several sorrowing friends, and erelong the last sad rites 
were over. Of such firm material were our pioneer mothers made. 
They have passed on into the land of shadows. But their example 
remains. 

This session of the county commissioners also fixed the tax 
rate for the year. A gold watch was to be taxed 50c ; a silver 
one 371/2C ; oxen 25c ; horses STYoc ; first class land 50c per hundred 
acres, second class land 43%c per hundred acres; third class land 
31^e per hundred acres ; poll tax was fixed at 50c. 

On March 17, 1820 the first circuit court for Martin county was 
opened at the house of Joseph D. Clements in Hindostan. Johathan 
Doty was presiding judge and Ezekiel Porter and Frederick Sholts 
were associate justices. The first business was the issuing of a writ 
to ascertain what damages would occur by the erection of a mill on 



V 



60 Indiana Magazine of History 

Beaver creek near the present site of the town of Huron.^ The 
petitioner was Charles R. Brown. The county officjers then, other 
than those who have been heretofore named, were Thomas G. 
Prentiss, clerk and recorder ; Julius Johnson, sheriff ; John P. Porter, 
prosecuting attorney. 

Now that a town had been established, the county seat located 
there, stores opened, mills erected, and all the necessary ground- 
work for a thriving municipality prepared the men who had pushed 
into existence this city of the wilderness felt that it was time for 
them to seek reward for their labors. 

Consequently the Hindostan company disbanded. The promoters 
divided, by what is termed in the record a partner's deed, the town 
lots and lands among themselves. This deed is dated May 15, 1820, 
and shows that those who had brought into being a town here on the 
banks of the river were: Frederick Sholts, Caleb Fellows, John 
Meriam, John M. Prentiss, Gordon Newell, Thomas G. Prentiss, Wm. 
Gardiner and Jesse Shelmire. Upon the division of lots being made 
between the partners each proceeded to sell to those who had been 
attracted to the new town. The records in the recorder's office 
indicate that there was a vast amount of dealing in town lots and 
that people came from all parts of the East to cast their future 
lot with the Proprietors of the Town of Hindostan. 

Hindostan was at this time in the full vigor and growth of a 
lusty young frontier town. The mills and business houses were far 
in advance of anything in Southern Indiana outside Vincennes and 
New Albany. There were other towns in existence. Vallonia was 
a trading post; Brownstown had been laid out in the spring of 
1815; Orleans and Paoli had been established as towns in 1816; 
Palestine was the county seat of Lawrence county, having been laid 
out in 1817. Hindostan was in touch with them all but it was out- 
growing them all. No internal improvements, such as canals or 
railroads were yet in existence and the choice of Frederick Sholts 
and his associates in selecting the falls of the river here as the loca- 
tion for their future city seemed to be a most wise one. 

But about 1826 or 1827, the exact date is unknown, the hand 
of fate closed down on the thriving city. The street echoed to the 
wail of Rachel weeping for her children. The death angel stalked 
abroad. The cemetery, on yonder hillside, grew faster than the 

* Located on the B. and O. railroad east of Shoals.— Editor. 



McCarty: Hindostan, a Pioneer Town 61 

town, here in the valley. The time was a terrible one. There was 
no resident physician, hence we have no positive account as to the 
character of the malady which swept from the face of the earth 
the town of Hindostan. We do know, from tradition, and from 
fragmentary records which can be pieced and interwoven together, 
that the toll of death was heavy. It is said that here were more 
dead than living within the bounds of the town at times. And 
the forefathers of the town were gathered to their fathers and all 
slept together in the bosom of Mother Earth. 

The situation became so extreme that relief was sought at the 
hands of the Legislature and in 1828 an act was passed authorizing 
the removal of the seat of Justice of Martin county from Hindostan. 
This act was rushed through the session in its early days and was 
approved January 24, 1828 (it being one of the very first laws 
enacted. 

At that time Mt. Pleasant was showing some improvement. As 
its name indicates it was situated on the summit of one of the river 
hills, Hindostan was in the valley. The fell disease which was 
decimating Hindostan was passing Mt. Pleasant by unscathed. The 
general awakening which was occuring over the entire frontier 
had reached Mt. Pleasant. There was a carding machine there, 
operated by Whitfield Force and there was also a cotton gin. For 
in that early day the citizens of this country wore not only home- 
grown and home-made woolen and flax garments but were also clad 
in cotton clothing the cotton for which was raised on these hillsides. 
On March 14, 1828, came the beginning of the final scene for Hindo- 
stan. On that day at a called session of the board of commissioners 
William Hoggat, Simon Morgan, John Murphy, and Friend Spears, 
commissioners chosen by the Legislature to relocate the county 
seat of Martin county, reported that they had determined to locate 
it at Mt. Pleasant. On the 7th of July 1828, the commissioners, 
still meeting at Hindostan, ordered the clerk and treasurer to remove 
their offices at once to Mt. Pleasant. On September 1, 1828, the 
commissioners met for their first session at Mt. Pleasant and the 
sun had set for Hindostan. 

Thus was the town builded, thus did it flourish, and thus did 
an unkind fate cut it off in the full strength and prime of its youth. 
But it was not stricken from the memory of man. There yet lingers 
round its ancient bounds the story of its existence. Its builders 



62 Indiana Magazine of Histovy 

have all, loug siuce, left this mundane sphere and taken their places 
in that city eternal, that celestial community which can never, 
never be effaced by death or pestilence. There, with the mothers 
who left home and comfort in the East to penetrate the wilderness 
and help found a State, they are resting. Their battle is over, their 
victory is won. It remains for us to do them honor and ourselves 
good by seeking to live up to all that was best in them and in our 
day and age to show equal energy and courage in perpetuating the 
government and country for our descendants on as noble a plane 
as they who founded Hindostan left it on for those who followed 
them.2 

' Hindostan was not the only town in Indiana visited by these epidemics. A similar 
story comes down concerning Rising Sun, Madison, New Albany, Vincennes, Salem, Indian- 
apolis and many others. Palestine the county seat of Lawrence county suffered the same fate 
as Hindostan.— £di^or. 



'ir- 



SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THE INDIANA HIGH 

SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS IN 

HISTORY 

By Oscar H. Williams, A.M., School of Education, Indiana University. 

The receut Indiana textbook law imposed a serious task upon 
the State Board of Education, in requiring that body to adopt 
uniform text books for secondary schools. Experience with uniform 
textbooks in the elementary schools of the State had demonstrated 
the grave difficulty in fitting a single textbook to the widely vary- 
ing needs of different types of school communities. It was with some 
misgivings that educational leaders faced the problem of adapting 
single texts to the high schools. The State Board did credit to its 
own judgement by calling into its counsel for the eight principal sub- 
jects, a series of advisory committees composed of experienced 
high school and college teachers. To the teachers on these com- 
mittees, individually and collectively, fell the task of examining in 
detail the books submitted by the publishers. Their recommenda- 
tions, made jointly and severally, formed the basis of selection and 
adoption by the Board. To the credit of the State Board be it said 
that the reports of the committees and teachers were followed con- 
sistently throughout. 

In the case of the advisory committee on History and Civics, it 
went a step beyond its instructions and indicated first preference 
in every field. This was done because the committee felt there was 
an appreciable difference among even the "first three" books which 
it had been requested to name. With a single exception these books 
were accepted by the Board. Thus the real responsibility for 
selecting these books rests chiefly with the committee of seven 
teachers of history. 

It is the purpose of the writer to characterize, in a concise 
and helpful way, the books in History now in use in all of the high 
schools of the State, and to point out ways of using them to best 
advantage. 



64 Indiana Macjazine of History 

I THE ANCIENT WORLD 

Hutton Webster's Ancient History came to the committee 
fresh from the press. It had strong and attractive competitors, 
some of them tried and tested by use in many Indiana high schools. 
But this book presented features so striking and original as to find 
favor at once. Its selection foUov^ed as a matter of course, though 
some criticism was heard of the choice of an untried book. Use 
and experience have, we think, fully demonstrated the wisdom of 
the choice. 

Among the distinctive and original qualities of this book is 
its mode of treating the Ancient World as an essential unity.. Its 
method of handling the Oriental background is a case in point. In 
a conscise political outline, a well-arranged chapter marshals in 
review the successive empires of the East. Then comes a full rich 
chapter giving an admirable survey of the common characteristics 
of the civilization of the East. Where important, distinguishing 
features peculiar to each people of the Oriental World are touched 
upon, but the traits and characteristics common to them all are 
given greatest stress. Thus the traditional plan of treating separ- 
ately the civilization of each nation is here departed from and a far 
less confused understanding of Oriental life is the result. A clear 
and unified impression of Oriental beginnings of civilized life is 
the net return to the student. 

In similar fashion, the classical peoples of antiquity are dealt 
with, not as wholly separate and distinct nations, but as two aspects 
of one civilization. In the first place, the geography of Europe and 
of the Mediterranean World is treated as a unit. The lands of Italy 
and Greece find proper setting in the larger whole. Then the politi- 
cal narrative of the Greeks and the Romans, though carried separ- 
ately until 146 B. C, is properly merged after that date. But most 
striking is the treatment of the private antiquities and the art of 
both Greeks and Romans in the last two chapters. Side by side are 
set forth the essential features of the life and culture of the two 
peoples. This mode of dealing with the subject makes possible 
those fruitful comparisons and parallels which render history signifi- 
cant and illuminating. It also avoids useless repetition of common 
characteristics and qualities, leaves a clear understanding of what 
the Ancient World essentially was, and gives a substantial founda- 
tion for a study of the life today. 



Williams : Hl^h School Texts in History 65 

An interesting introductory chapter, on "The Ages Before 
History," sets out the primitive beginnings of human culture. Here 
the children get a first glimpse of their original forbears and dis- 
cover the first human gropings for light and progress. The study 
of this subject gives something of a sense of the long road which 
the race has travelled. Interest in the history of the race is here 
first kindled in the children. The subject should be made as vivid 
and pictorial as possible. Pictures, objects, reading selected passag- 
es from scientific works are valuable stimulants. A chapter read 
from Jack London's Before Adam will lend dramatic effect and 
heighten interest. 

In presenting the peoples of the East, only the outstanding 
features of their life and civilization should receive attention. To 
dwell long upon shadowy characters is unprofitable. The succession 
of empires, the approximate time of each, a brief view of their 
interrelations, is sufficient. But the cultural elements should be 
studied in some detail. 

In like manner, a clear outline of the political narrative of 
Greece and Rome is essential, but the features of their life and cul- 
ture, their contributions to civilization, what each achieved for 
humanity, are more important. Greece in her best days, Athens in 
the time of Pericles, has much to teach later ages in art and philo- 
sophy, in an efficient democracy, and in her failure at Empire. Rome 
in her might and majesty, the imperial regime in the first two 
centuries, also have much to tell later ages of administration of 
empire, of problems of defense, of assimilation of alien peoples. It 
is the pages which dwell upon these aspects that deserve intensive 
study. Others may be passed by lightly. 

A word as to the character and use of the teaching "aids." 
Classified reference lists, at the head of each chapter, point the way 
to standard supplementary works and illustrative literature. Teach- 
ers will find reliable and generally serviceable books cited. They 
will do well to build up the departmental or school library in 
accordance with these lists. Where but one copy of a reference book 
can be supplied, such book will serve for individual reading and 
special report. The "Studies" following each chapter provide stim- 
ulating exercises carrying the pupils further into the subject than 
the matter of the text. They may serve as a stimulus to the supple- 
mentary reading. The index and pronouncing vocabulary is a 



66 Indiana Magazine of History 

valuable adjunct. Its constant use in a field where difficult names 
and "alien terms" abound will be abvious. Pupils should be hab- 
ituated in its use by practice and exercise. The numerous pictures 
are real sources and should in many cases receive detailed study. 
Colored maps for reference, maps in black and white for portraying 
simple ideas, deserve careful study in connection with the text. 
Chapter divisions will serve to determine lesson units. 

On the whole teachers of history in the high schools are 
fortunate to have so serviceable a book for beginners. 

II EUROPEAN HISTORY 

Professor Harding's New Medieval and Modern History 
appeared just in time to be considered by the advisory committee 
and the State Board. The earlier Essentials was already in quite 
common use in high schools of the State. In a twofold sense the title 
of the book is appropriate. In the first place, the author tells us 
the book is something more than a revision of the Essentials; "it 
is practically a new work." Secondly, in its treatment of subject 
matter it is an exemplification of the "new history." Emphasis is 
given, not to military and political details, but to social, economic, 
and cultural phases. 

In conformity with the established tendency, stress has been 
placed on the factors which have gone into the making of the 
Europe of to-day. One-half the text is devoted to Europe since 
1648, one-fourth since 1789, one-fourth since 1815. Perhaps the 
distinctive feature is the elaboration of recent and contemporary 
movements in the Old World. It is brought down to the hour. The 
chapter dealing Avith the Eastern Question reviews the preliminary 
articles signed by tlie powers at the London Conference, May 30, 
1913, and describes the fighting in the Balkans in July following. 
The chapter on the world in revolution gives a survey of the world- 
wide movement for democracy in the opening years of the twentieth 
century. Recent advances in Science and in Social Organization are 
treated lucidly in the closing chapter. 

Medieval history is treated institutionally. Feudalism in theory 
and practice, is analyzed with marked clearness. Even its complex- 
ities are made clear by diagram and map. The Medieval Churcn 
has an admirable chapter. Two rich chapters are devoted to the 



Williams: High School Texts in History 67 

Life and Culture of the Middle Ages. The political narrative, 
though appearing in the contest of Empire and Papacy, is ever sub- 
ordinate to institutional growth. 

The Modern period is dealt with after the usual manner of great 
international epochs. The Reformation and resulting religious wars, 
the age of Louis XIV, the era of European rivalries, the French 
Revolution and Napoleonic regime, all find their true perspective 
in the pages of this book. The "wonderful nineteenth century" 
comes in for its share of attention. The Industrial Revolution, with 
its transforming achievements in agriculture, transportation, and 
manufacturing, and its spread throughout the civilized world, is 
handled in a most illuminating way. The story of the growth of 
national spirit and organization in Germany and Italy of social and 
political reformation in Great Britain, is interestingly told. 

The treatment throughout is pictorial and concrete. Where 
possible, types are employed to embody general ideas and institu- 
tions. The medieval castle is exemplified by Arques and Chateau 
Gaillaird, an earlier and later type. St. Gall illustrates graphically 
a medieval monastery. Paris stands for the Universities of the 
Middle Ages. The style is usually interesting and often full of 
color. Witness the account of the battle of Hastings : ' ' Three horses 
were killed under William, but he received no injury. Once the cry 
went forth, ' The Duke is down ! ' and the Normans began to give 
way. But William tore off his helmet, that they might better see his 
face, and cried, 'I live, and by God's grace shall have the victory!," 
Passages like this lighten the weary pages of history for youthful 
minds. 

The aids and apparatus for teaching purposes are helpful and 
suggestive. Date lists appended to chapters are valuable for refer- 
ence. "Suggestive topics" on each chapter are really stimulating 
problems. Search topics serve as a guide to the best reading. Direc- 
tions for general reading point out for teacher as well as pupils the 
standard works on each subject. A table of the principal rulers 
and popes, arranged on the synchronistic plan, is of value for refer 
ence. A carefully prepared index, with pronouncing vocabulary, 
adds to the usefulness of the book. Of much help for teaching pur- 
poses is the division of chapters, by means of large headings, into 
convenient lesson units. For some schools, certain of these topics 
may be eliminated, others elaborated by collateral work. 



68 Indiana Magazine of History 

No feature of the book is more instructive than the pictures. 
Selected with diligent care, they usually portray typical events 
and scenes, and represent characteristic sources. The frontispiece, 
for example, showing Isabella of England entering Paris to visit her 
brother Charles IV, of France, is at once full of life and color and 
represents the art of the medieval miniaturist. The pictures should 
come in for their share of detailed study. Notes on the pictures, 
explaining the subject and origin, facilitate their study as sources. 

This is a textbook of marked excellences. Its serviceability 
depends much upon the power of the teacher to adapt the material 
to the students. Some of the topics should be touched lightly or 
eliminated entirely, others may be extended and more fully elabor 
ated. Above all, time should be alloted for the rich and stimulating 
chapters at the close of the book. 

Ill AMERICAN HISTORY 

In considering the various books submitted in American History, 
the committee's choice fell upon a textbook which for some years 
had found favor among teachers of history. The authors of James 
and Sanford's American History belong to the Turner school of 
writers and students of the history of the West. Perhaps the fea- 
ture which found greatest favor and commended the book to the 
committee was its marked emphasis upon the place of the West in 
the nation's development. The trend and significance of the west- 
ward movement are first touched upon in the account of the prelim- 
inaries to the struggle between France and England for the interior 
valleys. It is again brought out in the chapter devoted to the 
American Revolution, in the story of the founding of the mountain 
communities and their part in that struggle. The Old Northwest 
is given adequate space and surely for Indiana schools no subject 
is of greater importance. Again, the rise of the new West in the 
period immediately subsequent to the "Second war for Independ 
ence" is amply treated. 

The European background is handled well at every point. Yet 
one wishes more justice had been done to the English side of the 
Revolution. The imperial trade policy of the mother country during 
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries will have to be supple- 
mented by considerable search beyond the text. French coloniza- 
tion might well have been given at least equal notice with Spanish. 



Williams: High School Texts in History 69 

Nearly two-thirds of the book is given to the national period. 
More than a fifth is devoted to the national growth and expansion 
since the Civil War. Social and economic questions fill a large 
place in these latter pages. Thus it fulfills the demand for greater 
attention to the origin of the great problems of to-day. As in the 
European textbook the best portion of the book is found in these 
later chapters and they should not be neglected. 

The helps for teachers are fairly good. More maps are needed, 
fewer fac-simile documents and prints of contemporaneous maps 
might well have been employed. Topical references are good as 
far as they go. The teacher looks in vain for copies of the Declara- 
tion of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Ordin- 
ance of 1787. The greatest lack is attention to the physical setting. 
Geographical factors are almost entirely ignored. This important 
aspect must be introduced by the teacher. 

On the whole, the Board has made wise choice in the selection 
of high school textbooks for the five year period. With such books 
the work should not only be of more uniform quality, but of dis- 
tinctly higher standard than ever before. 



CONSCRIPTION AND DRAFT IN INDIANA DURING 
THE CIVIL WAR 

By Charles E. Canup, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana. 

To fill the depleted ranks of the northern armies, in the face 
of discouraging defeats and shaken confidence in their leaders, 
seemed to be not only a problem, but a herculean task as well, with 
which the administration was confronted during the period of the 
Civil war. It is the purpose in this short article to deal with this 
problem, which briefly stated was the draft situation. However, 
we will concern ourselves very little ^bout conditions in the entire 
North, but will devote the time and space to a consideration of the 
draft in Indiana and the influence it had upon the other loyal States. 
But a brief survey of the various Conscription Acts of the National 
Government is necessary for a clear and full understanding of the 
condition of affairs in our native State. 

Roughly speaking the work of conscription and draft may be 
divided into two parts. The first period began with the Conscript- 
ion Act of July 17, 1862 and extended from that time until the pas- 
sage of the Conscription Act of March 3, 1863. This may be desig- 
nated as the period of the "State Draft" regulated by the National 
Government. The second period began with the passage of this 
latter act and covered the remainder of the time occupied by active 
operations in the field. This may be called the period of the "Na- 
tional Draft." 

The Act of July 17, 1862 authorized the President to specify the 
period for which the service of drafted men was to be required. 
This service was not to exceed nine months. Moreover it provided 
that if there were any defects in the existing laws or in the execu- 
tion of them which hampered the work of enrolling and otherAvise 
putting this act into execution, the president was authorized to 
make all necessary rules and regulations regarding such. The en- 
rolment of the militia was, in all cases, to include all able-bodied 
male citizens of the Union between the ages of eighteen and forty- 
five and was to be apportioned among the states according to their 
representative population.^ 

' Official War Records; Series III, Vol. II, p. 280. 



Canup: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 71 

It may be observed that the above act specified that only ' ' able- 
bodied male citizens" were to be included in the enrolment. Nat- 
urally we may infer that there were a number of legitimate excuses 
by which a man might be exempted. Such was the case. The rules 
and regulations for the exemption of those physically unfit were as 
follows : — 

1. ''Loss or imperfect vision of the right eye. 2. Loss 

of all the front teeth and enough of the molars to render mastication 
imperfect. 3. Large or frequent attacks of hemorrhoids; or 
chronic diarrhea. 4. Deformities which impair free motion of 
the limbs. 5. Loss of more than one finger of the right or more 
than two fingers of the left hand. 6. Large varicose veins above 
the knee. 7. Large or irreducible hernia. 8. All organic 
or functional diseases causing marked debility — heart disease, or 
organic diseases of the lungs. "^ 

Besides the above legally adopted excuses there were of course 
others which, although not provided for by law, grew out of the 
arising complications and the necessities of the hour. These were 
provided for by the direct orders of Secretary of War, Stanton. 
The Governor, the judges of the various courts, such men as 
were absolutely necessary to carry on the governmental af- 
fairs within the State, drafting officers, telegraph operators, skilled 
workmen in gun factories, engineers and firemen on the railroads, 
and ministers of the Gospel in active charge of parishes w^ere all 
exempt from military duty.^ This of coure does not mean that 
none of the above exempted persons ever went to the front. No 
statistics are available on this point but it is very probable that 
quite a number from sheer force of patriotism responded to the call 
of their native State. 

The first step requisite to drafting was the enrolment of all of 
the men in the State between the specified ages. This was pro- 
vided for by the July Act and a plan of procedure was prepared by 
the secretary of war. Upon the approval of the war department 
this plan- was modified by Governor Morton to meet the existing 
conditions within the State and the enrolment was subsequently 
made under the adopted plan which was as follows. 

In the first place it provided for the appointment of a com- 
missioner in each county, who was in turn required to appoint a 

^ Western Christian Advocate, Sept. 3, 1862; p. 281. 
" Official War Records; Series III, Vol. II, p. 512. 



72 Indiana Magazine of History 

deputy in each township. The deputies were to take up the work 
of enrolment while the commissioners were to supervise. Secondly, 
two lists of names were to be made in each township ; one for such 
persons as were actually engaged in the United State's service and 
the other for all resident male citizens between the prescribed ages. 
Third when completed these lists were to be returned on a fixed day 
to the commissioner of the county who then appointed a time when 
he and his deputies were to sit as a board and hear and determine all 
excuses. Notice of this day was then to be given and all persons 
desiring to be exempted were asked to present their names and 
excuses before the board convened. When all the exemptions had 
been marked oft the lists were ready for the draft. Upon the 

completion of these lists, the commissioners of the several counties 
were required to send copies of them to the general commissioner at 
Indianapolis. These copies enabled him to determine the quota of 
men required from each township preparatory to ordering the 
draft. 4 

Soon after the passage of the July Act the work of enrolment 
began. It passed off for .the most part satisfactorily and without 
any great trouble. There were, however, some difficulties encoun- 
tered which gave rise to unavoidable imperfections, but these de- 
fects could not at the time be easily remedied and it gave reason- 
able satisfaction. After the enrolment had been completed it was 
found that the total militia force of the State was two hundred and 
nine thousand two hundred sixteen.^ This did not, however, in- 
clude ninety-three thousand forty-one volunteers already in the 
service. Of the two hundred nine thousand two hundred sixteen 
enrolled, thirty-six thousand thirty-eight were exempted from mili- 
tary duty by the various causes mentioned above. This left in all 
a total of one hundred seventy-three thousand one hundred sev- 
enty-eight men subject to the draft and upon which the quotas of 
the State were based during this period.^ 

The manner and method of drafting is of unusual interest and it 
is perhaps advisable that something of this should be given here in 
order that the reader may get an idea of the magnitude of the un- 
dertaking which at this time was being conducted in almost every 

* Report of the Adjutant General of Indiana— W. H. H. Terrell, Vol. I, pp. 41-42. This 
will hereafter be referred to as TerreWs Reports. 

• TerreWs Reports; Vol. I, Document 28, p. 188. 
« TerreWi Reports : Vol. I, Document 28, p. 188. 



Canup: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 73 

State of the Union. Nevertheless it must not be inferred from the 
previous statement that all of the loyal States were subject to the 
draft of 1862, since only these States in arrears on their quotas ex- 
ercised the use of the draft. Those which had filled them or had 
a surplus were exempt. 

The commissioner for the county supervised the work of draft- 
ing in each of the several towmships under his jurisdiction. The 
names of all persons who were liable to the draft in each to^vnship, 
respectively, were written on separate ballots. These ballots were 
carefully folded and placed in a wheel or box, from which a blind- 
folded person drew a number of ballots equal to the quota due from 
the township where the draft was being held. A notice was then 
served by the marshall upon the men whose names had been drawn, 
requiring them to report at the county seat within the next five 
days. From here transportation was furnished them to the general 
rendezvous, Camp Sullivan, at Indianapolis. Upon their arrival 
at the rendezvous any of them who wished to furnish a substitute 
were permitted to do so. The authorities were finally prevailed 
upon to extend the time for presenting substitutes to October 31. 
These substitutes were in all respects placed on the same footing 
with the drafted men.'^ 

Probably by this time the reader is wondering whether it was 
absolutely necessary to draft soldiers in Indiana as early as 1862. 
We now know that it was not necessary, but owing to the inaccurate 
accounts of the troops furnished up to that time, it was then thought 
that the State was behind on her quotas. Since, however, it has 
been clearly demonstrated that the State had more than filled all of 
her quotas. Let us see then why Indiana was subject to this draft. 

Under the call of July 18, 1862 for three hundred thousand 
men the quota for Indiana was twenty-one thousand two hundred 
fifty, and again under the call of August 4 for three hundred thous- 
and militia, Indiana's quota was twenty-one thousand two hundred 
fifty, making in all a total of forty-two thousand five hundred men 
due from the State under these two calls. By Sept. 20 both of 
these quotas had been filled by volunteers except for six thousand 
sixty. At this time volunteering seemed to lag somewhat, but by 
Oct., 6, the day set for drafting, this number had been further re- 
duced to three thousand three. On the other hand subsequent ad- 

' Terrell's Reports: Vol. I, p. 43. 



74 Indiana Magazine of History 

justments showed tliat the total number of troops actually due 
from Indiana prior to August 4 was sixty-four thousand seven 
hundred sixty-five, and that the number of troops furnished up to 
that time amounted to ninety-four thousand twenty-three. Thus it 
may be seen that the State had more than filled her quota at that 
time, having to her credit a surplus of twenty-nine thousand two 
hundred fifty-eight. As previously stated the quota under the call 
of August 4 was twenty-one thousand two hundred fifty. Hence 
deducting the quota of twenty-one thousand two hundred nfty 
from the surplus twenty-nine thousand two hundred fifty-eight, we 
have a remainder of eight thousand eight, the amount which In- 
diana was really ahead on her quota. Yet at that time, the en- 
rollment of the militia and an examination of the best available data 
of troops previously furnished showed that out of the nine hun- 
dred sixty-nine townships in the State, three hundred thirty-four 
were actually in arrears on their quotas, while six hundred thirty- 
five were in excess of theirs or at least had filled them. And al- 
though the State was not indebted to the government for so much 
as a single man, yet three hundred and thirty-four of the town- 
ships were, and in order to equalize the burden it was thought that it 
was altogether fitting and proper that a draft should be held.^ 

Accordingly on October 6, 1862, the draft was held. Three thous- 
and three men were actually drafted. Two thousand one hun- 
dred eighty-three reported at the general rendezvous, Camp Sulli- 
van, at Indianapolis.^ Upon their arrival, one thousand four 
hundred forty-one of this number enlisted voluntarily into old 
three year regiments or companies for twelve months service. Seven 
hundred forty-two were assigned as drafted men as follows: one 
company to the Fifty-seventh regiment of infantry; one company 
to the Eighty-third regiment of infantry; two companies to the 
First regiment of cavalry and about thirty men to the Ninety-ninth 
regiment of infantry.' "^ Three hundred ninety-six men were dis- 
charged for general disability and for the various causes enumerated 
above, while four hundred twenty-four failed to report at the ren- 
dezvous and were classed as deserters.' ' 

The second period, or the period of the National Draft, begins 

« TerrelVs Reports; Vol. I, p. 40-41. 

• Terrell' i JieporU; Vol. I, Document 2«, p. 190. 

"> Terrdls Report; Vol. I, p. 44. 

" TerrelVt Reports; Vol. I, HocxxmenlQi^, p. 100. 



Canup: Conscription and Draft in Indiana lb 

with the passage of the Conscription Act of March 3, 1863. In this 
some changes were made causing it to differ somewhat from the 
Act of July 17, 1862, the most notable of which was that it was made 
more thorough and more far reaching than the previous act had 
been. It also differed from the first in that it was nation-wide 
while the other was conducted by the different States. In order 
to show to a better advantage how it differed from the old, the 
main provisions of the new law will be given here. 

The latter conscription act was made to include all able-bodied 
men of the Union as well as persons of foreign birth who had signi- 
fied their intentions of becoming citizens of the United States. It 
also included all persons discharged from the service who had not 
served at least two years during the existing war.12 By the same 
provision of this law all men between the ages of twenty-one and 
forty-five were included except such as were later exempted. This 
act also divided the reserve forces into two classes. The first class 
included all of the enrolled men between the ages of twenty-one and 
thirty-five, and thirty-five and forty-five. The second class included 
all others liable to military duty.^^ This shows a very slight change 
from the first law. But besides this the former act made no pro\'ision 
for exemptions except as to the physical disability, while under the 
new law those who might be exempted were designated in section two 
and were as follows: 

Any persons physically or mentally unfit for service were to be 
exempted on a statement given by an examining surgeon- These 
exemptions were for much the same defects as in 1862 with the 
exception that the list of exempting complaints was cut to about one- 
half. It was now thought that with honest surgeons an exemption 
for physical disability would be about twice as difficult to obtain. 1* 
Moreover those exempted under the draft of 1862 were again liable 
to a re-examination, so that many persons were drafted under the 
new law who would otherwise have escaped under the old. The 
list of exemptions under section two also provided for the exempt- 
ion of the Vice-president of the United States, the judges of the 
various courts of the United States, the heads of the executive de- 
partments of the government, and the governors of the several 
States. Another part of this section called for the exemption of 

»' Western Christian Advocate, July 13, 1864. 

'3 M'Pherson, History of the Rebellion, pp. 115-116. 

'* Greencastle Banner, Dec. 3, 1863. 



76 Indiana Magazine of History 

the only sou, liable to military duty, of a widow dependent 
upon his labor for support. The third provision stated 
that the only son of an aged or infirm parent or parents, dependent 
upon his labor for support, was also to be exempted. Again where 
there were two or more sons in such a case as mentioned above, the 
father, or if he was dead, the mother might elect which son should 
be exempted. The fifth clause provided that the brother of chil- 
dren who were not twelve years of age, having neither father nor 
mother living, was to be exempted. In the sixth place the father 
of motherless children under twelve years of age and dependent 
upon his labor for support need not go to the war. The seventh 
and last clause of this section is a follows; "where there are a 
father and sons in the same family and household and two of them 
are in the military service of the United States as non-commissioned 
officers, musicians, or privates, the residue of such families and 
household not exceeding two shall be exempt. "^^ 

The exemption of the skilled workmen in gun factories, firemen 
and engineers, telegraph operators and such like, w^as contiued 
much the same as in 1862. 

Another class of exemptions may also be included in the list, 
namely the drafted men who sent substitutes in their places. Dur- 
ing the first year after the passage of this act a drafted man was 
allowed to furnish an acceptable substitute or pay three hundred 
dollars instead of going to the front. This discharged him from 
further liability under that draft. The three hundred dollars was 
known as "commutation" money and was used for the maintenance 
of the armies as well as for "bounty" money to aid in volunteering 
But in a very short time this commutation clause had raised a 
storm of protest from a great many people of nearly all loyal 
States. They argued that a rich man who might happen to be 
drafted would be able to discharge his obligation to the government 
by the payment of three hundred dollars while a poor man who 
was drafted would have to go to war because he did not have 
the three hundred dollars with which to exempt himself. This was 
virtually class legislation, and put a premium on a man's wealth. 
However, after much controversy between the governors of the dif- 
ferent States and the executive, and storms of disapproval from 
the loyal people this clause was finally repealed, except for con- 

" Qreencaetle Banner, March 6, 1863. 



Camip: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 77 

scientious exempts, on July 4, 1864. Previous to this time no draft 
under this Conscription Act had been held in Indiana and conse- 
quently Indiana had not been as much concerned with this clause as 
a few of the other States. Yet Governor Morton Avas one of the 
men who strongly and justly opposed it.^^ 

But before this time on February 24, 1864, Congress had passed 
an amendment to the Act of March 3, 1863, which provided for the 
equalization of the draft by calculating the quota for each district 
or precinct and then counting the number of men previously fur- 
nished by that locality. Under this amendment any person enrolled 
on the lists might furnish an acceptable substitute, w^ho was not 
liable to the draft, and was not at the time in the military or naval 
service of the United States. Such a person so furnishing a sub- 
stitute was exempted from the draft during the allotted time for 
which his substitute was not held accountable to the draft. This 
time was not to exceed the period for which the substitute had 
been accepted. In case the substitute was found to be liable to 
the draft, the name of the person furnishing him M^as again placed 
on the roll and he was subject to the draft in future calls, but not 
until the present enrollment had been exhausted. i" 

Another clause of this amendment provided that members of 
religious denominations who had made oath or affirmation that they 
were conscientiously opposed to the bearing of arms, and who were 
prohibited from doing so by the practices and articles of faith 
of their religious denomination, when drafted, were to be considered 
as non-combatants, and assigned to duty in hospitals, or to the 
care of freedmen, or were to pay three hundred dollars for the 
benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers. Yet it was necessary that 
they give proof that their deportment had been consistent with 
their faith.^^ 

The new system of enrollment differed somewhat from the old. 
Section five of the new enrolment law provided that the secretary 
of war was to dismiss from the service all minors under the age of 
eighteen. From this time any officer of the United States who 
enlisted or mustered into service any person under the age of six- 
teen with or without consent of his parents or guardians was to be 
dismissed from the service, with the forfeiture of all pay and allow- 

'" Terrell's Reports : Vol. I, pp. 50-53. 

" M'Pherson, History of the Rebellion, p. 116. 

'" M'Pherson, History of the Rebellion, p. 116. 



78 Indiana Magazine of History 

ances and was subject to such further punishmeut as the court 
martial might decide. Moreover such persons so enlisted were to be 
unconditionally released upon the repayment of the "bounty" 
received. 

Furthermore this law authorized the provost-marshalls, under 
the direction of the provost-marshall-general to make a draft in each 
district for one hundred per cent above the number required to fill 
the quota of such district. That is, if the quota for one township 
happened to be fifty then the supervising commissioner was author- 
ized and expected to draft for one hundred. 

Whereas before, transportation expenses had been paid drafted 
men only from their county seat to the general rendezvous, it was 
now provided that the traveling expenses of the drafted men should 
be allowed from their home to the general rendezvous.!^ Besides 
this a new bureau was established under the charge of provost- 
marshall-general. Provost-marshalls were appointed in each con- 
gressional district of the State to assist him. An acting assistant 
provost-marshall-general was also appointed to supervise the work 
in each State. 

To facilitate the enrollment, a "Board of Enrollment" was 
established in each district. This board consisted of the district 
provost-marshall as the presiding officer, a commissioner, and a 
surgeon who had been appointed by the President of the United 
States. After the board had been established it received directions 
to divide the districts into sub-districts and appoint every two years 
an enrolling officer for each. 

These Boards of Enrollment had been fully organized by May 
1863 and the districts as once sub-divided for the purpose of enroll- 
ment. Towns, townships and wards were generally adopted as the 
most convenient sub-divisions. An enrolling officer was then ap- 
pointed and sworn in to perform his duty. Great care was taken 
to appoint competent and honest men- Here some difficulty was 
experienced on account of the great number of disloyal men in the 
State, but the list was soon complete and the work of enrollment 
began in earnest about May 25, 1863.20 

The work of enrollment was finished in ample time to begin 
the draft which was not held until about a year later. These 
enrollment lists were continually being revised by the enrolling 

>» Western Christian Advocate, July 13, 1864. 
«» Terrell's Reports ; Vol. I, p. 46. 



Canup: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 79 

officers in each sub-district. This was done because they were the 
basis for determining the proportion of troops to be supplied by- 
each sub-district and it was desired that the greatest accuracy 
should be maintained in order that no injustice should be practiced 
on any locality. At first, these enrollment lists were more or less 
defective but by the continual corrections made in accordance with 
the directions from the provost-marshal-general, they soon became 
as nearly perfect as was possible under the system. 

The revised lists for December 19, 1864, showed a reserve 
strength for the State of one hundred fifty-eight thousand three 
hundred forty-eight men.-' This of course is much less than under 
the enrollments of 1862 due to the great numbers who had volun- 
teered and gone to the front during that period. 

After the draft of 1862 it was not again necessary to draft 
from this State until after the call of July 18, 1864, for five hundred 
thousand men. All of the calls during that time had been filled with 
volunteers. Under the latter call Indiana's quota was thirty-five 
thousand seven hundred thirty-two, being somewhat larger than 
usual.-- Volunteers were slow in coming in and it seemed that the 
available men were all holding back, either from lack of interest, 
or weariness of the war which had now dragged into years. Hence 
it was found necessary- to again make use of the draft. Accordingly 
this was done during the months of September and October and 
passed off tolerably quiet. A total of thirty-three thousand nine 
hundred sixty-eight men were drawn in this draft, all of whom 
were exempted for various reasons, but twelve thousand four hun- 
dred seventy-four. Of these four thousand four hundred sixty-six 
sent substitutes, ninety-seven deserted before joining the ranks and 
seven thousand two hundred eighty-eight responded to the sum- 
mons of their State as drafted men and were sent to the front. Be- 
sides this six hundred twenty-three who were conscientiously op- 
posed to war paid commutation and were released from duty.^^ 

Again on the nineteenth of December 1864 another call was 
made for three hundred thousand men. This time the quota for 
the State was twenty-two thousand five hundred eighty-two. It 
was principally filled by volunteers, yet a few were lacking and it 
was found necessary to make use of the draft a third time. This was 

" Terrell's Reports; Vol. I, Document 40, p. 245. 
»■' Terrell's Reports: Vol. I, Document 33, p. 215. 
-^ TerrdVs Reports; Vol. I, Document 33, p. 215. 



80 Indiana Magazine of History 

done during the month of March 1865. The total number of men 
drawn at this time was seven thousand one hundred ninety. Two 
thousand four hundred twenty-four of this number were retained. 
One thousand three hundred fifty-one were sent as drafted men; 
seven hundred thirty-one sent substitutes, and three hundred forty- 
two paid commutation. The remainder were exempted partly be- 
cause the end of the war was so near, and partly because of dis- 
ability and other reasons.^* 

Glancing over the entire situation we find that the total num- 
ben of men drawn under these three drafts was forty-four thousand 
one hundred sixty-one. Twenty thousand four hundred twenty-two 
came under the exemption clauses and consequently remained at 
home. Six thousand six hundred fifty-eight failed to report at the 
rendezvous and were afterwards classed as deserters; Ave thousand 
one hundred ninety-seven sent substitutes; ninety-seven deserted 
at the time of the draft, and out of the entire number ten thousand 
eight hundred twenty-tM^o were sent to the front as drafted men. 
Out of this large number of persons drawn only nine hundred 
sixty-five made use of the commutation clause during the entire war. 
This was the smallest number who sought to avoid their obligation 
to the government by this method of any State in the Union, 
save one. 

It may be of interest to know something of the relative number 
of Indiana's troops which were drafted as compared with the num- 
ber of volunteers. In all Indiana furnished two hundred eight 
thousand three hundred forty-eight men.^-^ This gives us then a 
total of about eight and one-half per cent of all of Indiana's troops 
being sent as drafted men. Moreover during the war there was a 
total of ten thousand eight hundred forty-six deserters from the 
Indiana ranks.^^ Of this number only two thousand four hundred 
forty-nine were from the ranks of the drafted men. On close in- 
spection it will be seen that but a little more than five per cent of 
all of Indiana's volunteers deserted, while about thirteen and one- 
half per cent of the drafted men deserted. On the other hand slightly 
more than seventy-nine per cent of Indiana's deserters came from 
the ranks of the volunteers and only about twenty-one per cent 
came from the drafted men. This seems to be exactly opposite in 

*♦ Terrell's Report* ; Vol. I, Docnment 36, p. 238. 
'• Terrell's Reports : Vol. I, Document 1, p. 5. 
" Terrell's Reports; Vol. I, Document 1, p. 6. 



Canup: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 81 

nature, but owing to the much greater number of volunteers in the 
army, naturally more deserters would come from that source. 

Perhaps the most serious resistance was encountered during the 
process of the draft of 1862. This took place in Blackford county.^"^ 
In that county a few lawless men destroyed the draft box and by 
threats and violence prevented the officers from proceeding with 
the draft on the day appointed. It was, however, contiued on the 
third day after.^^ There were also threats and other misdemeanors 
in Fountain county. 

During 1863 there was considerable opposition to the enroll- 
ment. In some sections of the country where the Knights of the 
Golden Circle (Sons of Liberty, etc.,) Butternuts and Copperheads 
were numerous considerable opposition was experienced. Out- 
rages were committed in many parts of the State with impunity. 
Deserters banded together with other disloyal citizens and plun- 
dered and stole whenever and wherever the opportunity presented 
itself. In a few counties the enrolling officers were actually shot 
and killed. These instances, however, were rare. But for the most 
part the opposition was in the nature of threats and little violence 
was committed. In some places bands of disloyal men rode about 
the country capturing or stealing the enrolling books and threat- 
ening the lives of the enrolling officers. Following is a copy of a 
letter received by Mr. Craig, enrolling officer in Monroe township, 
Putnam county : 

We the undersigned will give you our advice for your own good and 
if you don't lay aside the enrolling, your life will be taken tomorrow night, 
and you had better take our advice as friends; we don't expect to interrupt 
you; but we have heard men with vengeance against you say that you had 
better stay at home, and you had better take our advice and stay at home. 

From YOUR FRIEND.29 

He, however, was not intimidated by the threat and continued 
the enrolling on the next day. This is judged to be a fair example 
of the most of the disturbances which occured all over the State 
and especially in the southern portion where the Knights of the 
Golden Circle seemed strongest. 

»' Terrell's Reports; Vol. I, p. 282. 
^« TerreWs Reports; Vol. 1, p. 44. 
»» Greencastle Banner, June 18, 1863. 



82 Indiana Magazine of History 

Later in 1864 there was quite an uprising in Orange and Craw- 
ford counties. A band of five hundred men assembled to resist the 
draft. They armed themselves and took horses, arms and money 
from the citizens and home guards ."In parts of these counties dis 
loyal people assembled by the hundreds, defied the laws, fired 
upon and killed some enrolling officers, wounded law-abiding citi 
zens, and robbed them of their property with the avowed determina 
tion of aiding the rebellion."^*' This, however, did not prove to be 
quite as serious as at first reported- 
Taken as a whole the matter of Indiana's conduct during the 
war in reference to the draft can hardly be praised too highly. From 
the above article it can be seen that she filled nearly all of her calls 
promptly and cheerfully. One very noticeable feature is that there 
were no deficiencies left over to be filled by subsequent calls. In 
nearly all cases up to near the end of the war her excess of troops 
had amounted to from two thousand to thirty thousand men.^^ Tliia 
fact alone clearly pictures the splendid patriotism and public spirit 
of Indiana's citizens, the vigor and energy of her authorities, and 
the promptness with which each demand upon the State was met 
Many times the quotas were deemed unjust, yet there was no lag- 
ging, no hesitancy and scarcely any trouble. The State was always 
readj' to send her share of men and it is a gratification to be able to 
say that she relied solely upon her own citizens to fill her obligations 
to the national government. The following tribute was merited : 

Often when it seemed that the government, by hesitation, inaction, ana 
delay, was on the point of sacrificing, or allowing to be sacrificed, the objects 
of the war by permitting great advantages to be seized by the rebels, th«» 
Governor took grave and weighty responsibilities upon himself, determinea 
that no fault of his, or of his State should add to the chance of disaster 
and defeat. Believing in the correctness of his own views with regard to tho 
perils of the situaton, despite the hampering and objections that continually 
trammeled him, he often raised troops in advance of any call, and on many 
occasions made offers, when none were demanded, and though his efforts' 
and his offers were sometimes severely criticized, in no single instance did 
he take a backward step. The troops were always needed and were always 
acceptable, but the foresight that provided them, and the pressure that 
attempted to secure heir acceptance, did not always receive the apprecia- 
tion they deserved until the contingencies or misfortunes they were intended 
to anticipate, or prevent, had actually transpired. 32 

»» Tendl'i Reports: Vol. I, p. 287. 
•- " Terrell's Reports; Vol. I, p. 49. 
=>' Terrell's Reports: Vol. T, p. 19. 



Canap: Conscription and Draft in Indiana 



83 



Yet bearing in mind all of the harsh words and the unkind 
criticisms of thoughtless and unfeeling people, Governor Morton was 
to be congratulated on his heroic efforts and patriotic motives which 
caused him to be one of the foremost officials in the service of the 
North during this trying period. 



5^ 



Appendix — Tablb Showing the Results of the Drafts in Indiana 



* Not completely reyised. 

t Provided for deficit only, to be drawn. 





Draft of 
October 
6, 1862t 


Draft of 
Septem- 
ber and 
October, 
1864 


Draft of 

March, 
1865 


Total 


Number enrolled 


173,178 


* 


158,348 








Quota duo from the State 


21,250 


35,732 


22,582 


79 564 






Volunteers under these calls 


18,248 


23,258 


20,058 


51,564 




Number due from the State by the draft- 


3,003 


12,474 


2,424 


17,901 


Number drawn 


3,003 


33,968 


7,190 


44 161 








396 


16,107 


3,919 


20,422 






Number who failed to report 


424 


5,387 


847 


6,658 






Number who went as drafted men 


2,183 


7,288 


1,351 


10,822 










4,466 


731 


6,197 












623 


342 


965 












97 




97 










Number who deserted after joining ranks 


373 


1,858 


218 


2,449 



MINOR NOTICES 

THE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL FILES 

The files of the Indianapolis Journal running from 1825 to 1904, 
bound in 251 volumes, were recently loaned by the Indianapolis Star 
Publishing Company to the Indiana Historical Survey. They consti 
tuted one of the best single sources on Indiana history to be had. 
The Journal was founded in 1824 by John Douglass and Douglass 
Maguire. It had the longest continuous run under the same name 
of any paper in the State. From about 1840 to its close in 1904 it 
was a daily. During the greater part of that time it also published 
a weekly edition called the Indiana State Journal. For a few years 
in the seventies it ran an evening edition, but this was at a financial 
loss. 

Among its noted editors were John Douglass, John Defrees, 
Berry Sulgrove, William R. Holloway, William P. Fishback, John 
C. New, and Elijah Halford. It helped organize the Whig party 
and ofiieiated at its funeral ; it was sponsor for the new Republican 
party and served it faithfully for exactly a half century- It helped 
elect the elder Harrison and also his grandson to the presidency. It 
saw Indianapolis grow from a squatter's camp into a modern capital. 
It was a well established paper when the first stage coach came to 
town, was an old institution when the first railroad reached it. 

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN DECATUR COUNTY 

The Greensburg Daily News, February 3, to February 17 inclu- 
sive, printed a series of articles on the above topic. It is not gener- 
ally known that citizens of Decatur County were so active in the 
Abolition cause. The author of the articles, Mr. N. T. Rogers, has 
made a commendable search for this material and has woven it 
into a dramatic story. The number of the fugitives evidently would 
run into the hundreds if all cases were recorded. The illustrations 
by Smiley Fowler add a realistic touch to the story. 

One of the rescues described by Mr. Rogers resulted in a law 
suit in which George Ray of Kentucky recovered damages to the 



Minor Notices 85 

amount of $1200 from Luther A. Donnell in the United States Cir- 
cuit Court at Indianapolis. The friends of the abolition cause joined 
in the payment of the fine. 

As usual the most aggravating element in the whole affair was 
the professional slave catcher who lived in the neighborhood. He 
would keep an eye out for the poor refugees and often in the guise 
of a friend would conduct them into the hands of their pursuers. 
These brutes became kidnappers of free negroes whenever occasion 
offered. The real prliminaries of the Civil war are to be found in 
these unfortunate affairs. James E- Caskey is editor and publisher 
of the paper. 

CHARLES S. HERNLY 

Charles S. Hernly of Newcastle, Indiana, died at his home in 
that city April 18. He was born September 23, 1856, in New Castle 
and there spent his entire life. He was first a school teacher, then 
a lawyer. Politics was amost a profession with him. He rose by 
regular steps through the precinct, city, and county positions until 
in 1898 he became state chairman of the Republican party. In that 
year and again in 1900 he led the party to victory. He was also 
well known as a financier, having organized and promoted the 
Indianapolis, New Castle and Toledo traction line. 

JOANNA M. LANE 

The death of Mrs. Joanna M. Lane occurred at her home in 
Crawfordsville April 6. She was the eldest child of Isaac C. Elston, 
a pioneer of the city of Crawfordsville. She was born September 
28, 1826. Februaryll, 1845 she married Henry S. Lane. When her 
husband started with his regiment, the First Indiana, to the Mexican 
war the following year, Mrs. Lane presented the regimental flag 
to the troops- Mr. Lane was Colonel of the regiment. 

Mrs. Lane accompanied her husband to the first Republican 
convention, over which he was called to preside. She has attended 
every Republican convention since that time. At the National 
Republican Convention at Chicago in 1912 she was very much dis- 
couraged at the fierce factional fight and the final disruption that 
took place. 



86 Indiana Magazine of History 

At the beginning of the Civil war she accompanied her husband, 
then a Senator, to Wasliington, where she remained during the 
eventful period. The terrible scenes following the Battle of Bull 
Run when the wounded were brought by wagon loads and dis- 
tributed to the homes in that city were never forgotten by her. 

Mrs. Lane was well acquainted with President Lincoln who 
often visited their home to talk over political and military affairs. 
She was a sister to Mrs. Lew Wallace and accompanied the 
Wallaces to Constantinople and from there visited the Holy Land 
as the special guest of the Sultan. An excellent sketch of her life 
by Mary Hannah Krout was given in the Crawfordsville Journal 
April 10, 1914. 

BISHOP THOMAS BOWMAN 

On March 3rd. 1914 at Orange New Jersey occured the death of 
Bishop Thomas Bowman an ex-president of DePauw University, and 
at the time of his death the senior Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. He was born near Berwick, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1817, 
of well to do and educated parents, both of whom were staunch 
Methodists, and active in spreading Methodism throughout the Sus- 
quehana valley. The great grandmother and grandfather of Bishop 
Bowman were two of Bishop Asbury's converts, and from this di- 
rect line there have come more than thirty ministers or ministers' 
wives. When Thomas Bowman was fourteen years of age he was 
sent to Wilberham Academy in Massachusetts, and later to Cazenovia 
Seminary in New York State. In 1835 he entered the junior class 
of Dickenson College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he graduated 
in 1837 at the head of his class, being chosen valedictorian. At 
first he considered seriously going into the law, but through the ad- 
vice of his teachers at Dickenson College he finally decided to choose 
the ministry instead, and in 1839 he joined the Baltimore Conference 
of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1840 he became a tutor in 
the grammar school of Dickenson College, remaining there three 
years, when, because of his father's ill health and because of a tem- 
porary break in his own, he was compelled to give uj) the work of 
teaching for several years. In 1848 he became the principal of 
Dickenson Seminary at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he car- 
ried on a very successful work, erecting buildings, gathering stu- 
dents and shaping courses of instruction. For ten years he labored 



Minor Notices 87 

at this important post, when in 1859 he was invited to become the 
president of Indiana, Asbury University, now DePauw, at Green- 
castle, Indiana. 

While president of old Asbury he became a most influential and 
popular preacher in the central west and was in constant demand 
for camp meetings, educational meetings, dedications and anniver- 
saries of various kinds. During these critical j-ears he was a mighty 
moral and religious agent in the western country, and when the 
Civil War came he did service for his country in many and various 
forms. In 1864 he served as chaplain of the United States Senate, 
being on leave of absence from the college for that purpose. While 
in Washington, he became a friend of Lincoln and did what he 
could to aid the President of the United States to bear his heavy 
burden. He remained president of Asbury until 1872, and it was 
during his administration that East college was erected, at the time 
of its erection one of the most artistic and costly college buildings 
in this part of the country. In the year 1872 he was elected a Bishop 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with his residence at St. Louis, 
where he lived until his retirement in 1896. 

After Dr. Bowman's election to the episcopacy he did not lose 
his interest in the college he had served so long and so well. It 
was largely through his influence that Mr. W. C. DePauw was per- 
suaded to give so largely to old Asbury, and the latest catalogue 
of DePauw University has at the head of its facutly the name of 
Bishop Thomas Bowman D.D., LL.D., President Emeritus. 

WM. W. SWEET. 

JOHN ADE 

While attending the Tenth District Republican Congressional 
Convention at Valparaiso , April 28, John Ade was stricken with 
paralysis and died immediately. He was born near Cincinnati 85 
years ago. In March 1853 he came to what is now Newton county 
with his wife and oldest child in a lumber wagon. He soon help- 
ed to organize the new county and later served as auditor. His 
later life was spent as a banker in company with G. W. McCray. 
He was a working Republican having helped in the organization 
of the party in 1854. He was a public-spirited citizen, well ac- 
quainted with all the public affairs of his county. This wide range 
of knowledge of local affairs enabled him to write an excellent 
county history which he published recentl3^ 



88 Indiayia Magazine of History 

EDWARD MOLLOY 

Edward Molloy, editor of The Laporte Herald and its pre- 
decessors siuce 1878, passed away at 8:10 o'clock Mar. 18 at 
the Holy Family hospital, after an illness of a little over five weeks. 
Edward Molloy was born in New York City, March 20, 1843, 
so that had he lived two more days he would have been 71 years of 
age. When a lad he was brought to LaPorte county and until he 
left for the war he made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Borden, in 
Hudson township. He worked on the farm and also attended the 
township school, and also attended the New Carlisle Seminary, from 
which he graduated. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted and 
immediately went to the front, being a member of Company K, 87th 
Indiana infantry. Enlisting as a private he soon demonstrated his 
worth and was quickly promoted, so that before the war ended he 
had become first lieutenant in his company and adjutant of the 
regiment. He participated in all the important engagements in which 
his regiment took part, being twice wounded. He was with Sherman 
on his famous march to the sea, and he was honorably mustered out 
of the service on June 11, 1865. 

Upon leaving the army Mr. Molloy returned to LaPorte county 
and then went to South Bend, where he started the South Bend 
Union. While there he became acquainted with Emma Barrett, a 
wellknown platform lecturer and temperance speaker, and their 
marriage soon followed. Mrs. Molloy assisted her husband in the 
editing and publishing of the paper. Prom South Bend, Mr. and 
Mrs. Molloy went to Elkhart, where Mr. Molloy was editor of the 
Elkhart Observer. In the early 70 's Mr. Molloy went to New York, 
where he was connected with one of the newspapers, but May 1st, 
1878, he returned to LaPorte and became editor of the LaPorte 
Chronicle then owned by Captain Silas T. Taylor. On February 
1, 1880, The Chronicle was consolidated with The Herald, which had 
been purchased by Archibald Beal of C. G. Powell, the paper from 
that time until 1888 being known as the Herald-Chronicle, the La- 
Porte Printing Co. being the publisher. In 1880 the Chronicle was 
dropped and since that date it has been published as The Herald. 
During all of this time Edward Molloy had been the editor. He 
was an ardent and zealous Republican and a member of Patton 
post, No. 147, Grand Army of the Republic, and for several terms 
he served as the commander. He belonged to Excelsior lodge. No. 



Minor Notices 89 

41, F. aud A. M., and LaPorte chapter, No. 280, Order of Eastern 
Star. He was also a member of Halcyon council, Royal Arcanum, 
Michigan City, and Maple City court. Tribe of Ben Hur. His re- 
ligious affiliation was with the Swedenborgian church. 

PATRICK' H. Mccormick 

The death of Patrick H. McCormick, occured at Danville, In- 
diana, March 20, 1914. He was superintending the erection of the 
new Hendricks county courthouse at the time. Mr. McCormick was a 
native of Ireland, born near Limerick, county Clare, March 27, 1842. 
At the age of six he came to America, settling at Nashville where his 
parents lived the remainder of their lives. He became a mason by 
trade, working for the Federal government on the Nashville and 
Chattanooga railroad during the war. 

In 1867 he came to Indiana and made Columbus his home. He 
became a general contractor and as such erected many public build- 
ings in Indiana and surrounding states. Among these are the Rose 
Polytechnic building, at least ten county courthouses, the insane 
asylum buildings at Logansport and Evansville, the Indiana Univer- 
sity Library building at Bloomington, the Pennsylvania bridge over 
the Ohio river at Louisville, the government locks at Nashville. 

In 1880 he represented his county in the State General Assembly, 
and was reelected. In 1884 he was a delegate to the Democratic 
National Convention. In 1888 he was a candidate for State Treas- 
urer but was defeated in the convention. He served his city as 
mayor, a number of terms. A good biography appears in the Col- 
umbus Republican of March 20. 

JOHN CRUDEN ROBINSON 

John Cruden Robinson was born in Rush county, Indiana, Febru- 
ary 29, 1840. He came of sturdy stock. He was a son of Osmyn 
and Nancy Robinson, His father was a man of force and influence in 
Rush county, was noted for his natural ability and served as a mem- 
ber of the General Assembly in 1839. His uncle, John L. Robinson, 
was an influential politician in Indiana, filled the position of United 
States Marshal for the district of Indiana under the administration 
of President Buchanan. His father died in 1847, leaving his wife 



90 Indiana Maf/azine of History 

with the care of seven children. She was a woman of natural ability 
and energy, however, and although in moderate circumstances she 
succeeded in training, preparing and educating her children for 
careers of usefulness. She died in 1876. John C. spent his early 
years on the farm,assisting his mother in conducting the same. Dur- 
ing that time he was developing mind as well as muscle, cultivating 
a taste for literary pursuits and reading many useful books. After 
attending the common schools the usual length of time, he was pre- 
pared for college at Fairview academy under the instruction of 
Professor William M. Thrasher, who at a later period was connected 
with Butler University. 

He entered the State University at Bloomington in 1857, from 
which institution he graduated with honor in 1861. His proficiency 
in scholarship was of a high order and his college days were days 
of joy and pleasure. In college he became a member of the Greek 
fraternity Phi Delta Theta. It may be said to the credit of Judge 
Robinson that in later years especially, it has been one of the de- 
lights of his life to honor the memory of his college instructors, es- 
pecially that of Professors Wylie, Ballentine and Kirkwood. 

When Judge Robinson graduated in 1861, the war of the re- 
bellion was in full progress. While he was never mustered into mil- 
itary service, he served in the capacity of clerk in the quartermas- 
ter's department under quartermaster W. C. Tarkington for a period 
of about 18 months in the field. 

At the conclusion of his services with quartermaster Tarkington 
he returned home, taught school for a time and began the study of 
law. In the year of 1865 he located at Spencer for the practice of 
his profession, arriving on the eighth of May. He soon established 
a reputation as a lawyer of no mean ability. In 1866 he was ap- 
pointed prosecuting attorney to fill the vacancy caused by the death 
of Jacob S. Broadwell and was subsequently elected twice to the 
same office. In 1872 he was a candidate for reporter of the supreme 
court on the Democratic State ticket, but was defeated with the rest 
of the ticket. In 1871 he formed a partnership with Inman H. Fow- 
ler for the practice of law which continued until 1876, when he was 
elected judge of the circuit court. He occupied the bench the full 
term of six years. 

In March 1883, he was appointed by Governor Albert G. Porter, 
as a member of the committee to locate and erect the State hospi- 



Minor Notices 91 

tals for the insane at Logansport, Kichmond, and Evansville and 
was re-appointed to the same position by Governor Gray. He was 
elected journal clerk of the national House of Representatives in 
1887, serving in that capacity until 1890. 

In politics Judge Robinson was a Democrat of the old school and 
for many years was active in party affairs. Although greatly at- 
tached to his party, he could not approve the 16 to 1 silver proposi- 
tion of Mr. Bryan in 1896 and served as a candidate for presidential 
elector for the State at large on the Democratic gold ticket. In 
the spring of 1890 he moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where he en- 
gaged in the practice of law, but returned to Spencer four years 
later. 

Judge Robinson was a member of the Christian church. For 
many years he was president of the Indiana State Christian Sunday 
School Association and active in its affairs. He was a member of 
the Odd Fellows and a Mason. 

In April, 1869, he was married to Martha J., daughter of the 
late John J. Cooper. Three children were born to them — Guy, who 
died at the age of two years, Ralph now in the Philippine islands, 
where he has been engaged ten years in educational work, and Jesse, 
now residing at Spencer. 

HORACE P. OWEN 

Horace P. Owen, the oldest surviving member of the disting- 
uished Owen family, died at his home at New Harmony, March 9. 
He was a son of Richard Owen, and a grandson of the great Robert 
Owen. He was president of the New Harmony Centennial com- 
mission and president of the New^ Harmony Banking company. He 
was 71 years of age. Death was due to hardening of the arteries. 
He served with honor during the civil war. He is survived by his 
wife, who is a daughter of the late Dr. ]\Iann of New Harmony, two 
daughters, Mrs. Arthur Armstrong of IMemphis, Tenn., and Mrs. 
Aline Neal of New Harmony, and one son, Richard Dale Owen of 
Los Angeles. The genealogical table on the following page shows the 
relationship of this famous family. 



92 



Indiana Maijazi7ie of History 




O O O t. •cm 

o o3 a— " " 



1. ^ ^ 

REVIEWS AND NOTES 

The story of the American West is being told. That energy 
of the West which has entered the current of national development 
is becoming known. The recognition of the part played by the 
Misissippi valley in the development of the United States is the 
most distinctive characteristic of present-day research in the field 
of American history. This recognition has been won almost solely 
by the efforts of western historians. The Mississippi Valley His- 
torical Association was organized in 1907 in order that the study 
of the West might he more systematically promoted and correlated. 
The success of that organization has justified the development that 
is announced in a circular, the publication of a quarterly devoted 
to the study of the history of the valley, the first number of which 
will appear on June 1, 1914. 

Tfie Methodist Episcopal Church and. the Civil War. By William 
Warren Sweet, Ph.D., Professor of History, DePauw University. 
(Methodist Book Concern, Cincinnati.) pp. 228, 1913. 

The Methodist church was extremely active during the period 
immediately preceding the Civil War. It was among the first to 
grapple with the slavery question. The question would not yield to 
any attempt at solution, so the church divided into a Methodist 
Church South and a Methodist Church North. The Northern church 
numbered about 1,000,000 members, one tenth of whom were in In- 
diana, this State ranking fourth in the list. 

The Methodists of the North were aggressive anti-slavery ad- 
vocates, pressing the fight from Baltimore to Kansas. Editors of 
Methodist papers who did not keep well out on the firing line were 
invariably replaced by more outspoken men. 

As a consequence of this they also found themselves close to the 
danger line when the crash of war came. A large number of the 
members enlisted and likewise a large number of Methodist preach- 
ers found appointments as chaplains in the regiments where their 
passionate appeal had great influence in keeping up the courage of 
the troops. In like manner the Methodist bishops could always be 



94 Indiana Magazine of History 

relied upon as rally-day orators. Their eloquent appeals for the 
Union were heard not only throughout the Union but in Paris and 
London. 

Besides these more important phases of the church work, Dr. 
Sweet has added chapters on the less well-known work of the church. 
The trials and persecutions of the ministeri; in the Border States 
during the period between the separation of the church and the 
opening of the war make a thrilling chapter. Another chapter deals 
with the church periodicals, another with the work and personali- 
ties of the war bishops, some of whom stood close to the Lincoln ad- 
ministration. Some valuable source material is included in an ap- 
pendix of 37 pages. A bibliography of twelve pages is given in addi- 
tion to the foot-notes. 

The necessity of crowding a large volume into the compass of a 
doctor's thesis has in many places left its painful evidence. On 
the M'hole it is an excellent little volume, the material in which would 
be hard to find in so convenient a form. 

Our Old School. By Theodore Stein. (Indianapolis.) pp. 211. 1914. 

This is an historical sketch of the German-English Independent 
school of Indianapolis. This school opened January 21, 1854 and 
continued to July 14, 1882. The author has sought in this small 
book merely to treasure up a few of the memories of a congenial 
band of immigrants and refugees, who, in most cases, fleeing from 
the tyranny of the reactionary government of the Fatherland built 
up a small community in what to them no doubt seemed a frontier 
town. This volume is a mere sketch, a fragment from the history 
of that large number of radical Germans who came to America at 
this opportune time. 

One of the significant things in connection with the coming of 
these Germans was the suspicion and distrust with which they were 
regarded by the Americans. Although they usually exceeded the 
community in which they lived in education, industry and energy 
they were called anarchists by many newspapers. Others pointed 
out that they were irreligious, clannish, given to meeting in secret 
conclaves where no doubt sedition, and treason, to say nothing 



Reviews and Nofcs 95 

of lesser crimes, would be hatched. The fact that they 
did not enter with the usual western spirit into the political cam- 
paigns made them suspicious to the politicians. 

When these men petitioned the school authorities of Indiana- 
polis to have their children taught German the city fathers refused 
their request for the reason that nothing would do more toward 
making good citizens of these same Germans than to deprive them 
of their native language. 

It was this narrow policy that drove them to the old Independ- 
ent school. 

One is surprised at the long list of well-known names con- 
nected with this school — Seidensticker, Vonnegut, Koehne, Meyer, 
Lieber, Metzger, Strauss, Haueisen, Sclmull, Mayer, Hielscher and 
scores of others, the substantial citizens of the city for the last half 
century. One can scarcely believe that much the same cry was 
raised at their coming as we hear now against the '* ignorant foreign- 
ers." 

Mr. Stein does not confine himself strictly to the recitation room 
but gives us a pretty full picture of the life of the times. The 
"Helvetia Bund" the " Weinachtsf est, " the "Volksfest," the "Turn- 
verein" the "Maennerchor", the "Freier Maenner Verein", their 
newspapers, their songs, their picnics, are all remembered by the 
author. Doubtless the most valuable part of the book to those for 
whom it was prepared is the album of pictures including most of the 
teachers, trustees and others closely connected with the school. Lists 
of teachers with dates, trustees, subscribers, and friends are given. 

The book is not a history and makes no pretense to be but when 
the history of the Germans in Indiana is undertaken much valuable 
material will be found in this little volume. 

Virginia Under the Stuarts. By Thomas J. Wertenbaker, (Princeton 
University Press. 1914.) 

As the author states in the preface, the work is a political his- 
tory of Virginia M^ritten from the documents.Hence, the author does 
not attempt to describe how the early settlers lived or made a liveli- 
hood. He does not describe affairs and institutions in England that 
tlirow light upon or had indirect influence in bringing about events 
in America. He limits himself very closely to his documents, mak- 



■V7 



96 Indiana 31agazinc of History 

ing theiu very nearly tell the story, and injecting very little explana- 
tion and interpretation of his own. B^'^ the copious references the 
reader knows at every turn upon Avhose authority he accepts the 
statements, leaving the reader rather free to make his own interpre- 
tations. A little more explanation from the author's own under- 
standing might at times help the average reader along. For in- 
stance, in describing the ' ' starving time, ' ' the author shows from the 
records how sickness, Indian attacks, and the uncertainty of pro- 
vision-ships produced hardships, but fails to point out that the real 
trouble was that the English yeoman had difficulty in transforming 
himself into the pioneer who could plunge into the forest with his 
rifle and live without English food and clothes. This is a case 
wherein the author had stuck rather too closely to his documents. 

The book is well planned. The chapter divisions make the 
different phases of Virginia history stand out clearly. The narra- 
tive runs along smoothly and is rather easily followed. However, 
a few omissions impair the sequence. To take some illustrations 
from the first two chapters, it is not always clear when one deputy 
governor left and another came. Dale and Argoll are introduced 
on page 23, and Dale's work is again discussed on page 25, but one 
needs to read several pages further before one finds when Dale suc- 
ceeded Gates, and one looks in vain to find just when Argoll Avas 
deputy governor. The reader finds Yeardly coming as Deputy 
governor in 1616 and reappearing as governor in 1619 without any 
intimation as to who was in control of the colony in the meantime. 

For an example of another kind of omission, we might take the 
author's discussion of the charters. In dealing with the charter of 
1606, the autlior states that two councils were concerned with the 
government of the London Company's grant. This is not the whole 
truth. As a matter of fact, the Charter of 1606 provided for 5 coun- 
cils, one council for all "Virginia," two councils for that 
part of Virginia assigned to the London Company, and two for the 
Plymouth grant. So that there were really three councils con- 
cerned with the tract of land which was later known as Virginia. 

Again, in discussing how each successive charter was a move in 
the direction of preparing for the establishment of representative 
government in America, the author has omitted mention of the 



Berieins and Notes 97 

specific way in which the charter of 1609 made it possible for the 
Puritan element, led by Sandys and favoring representative govern- 
ment in America, to secure control of the company. 

The index to the book is excellent. There is no bibliography but 
a list of books referred to is given. 

The Quakers of Iowa. By Ijouis Thomas Jones, Ph.D., (Iowa City, 
Iowa) pp. 360. 1914. 

This volume is a thesis submitted to the history faculty of the 
State University of Iowa in partial fulfillment of the requirements 
of the doctorate degree. After a brief discussion of Quakers in 
England and in the American colonies the writer drops suddenly 
into the heart of his story. 

The Quakers were among the earliest settlers in Iowa, locating 
soon after the Black Hawk war and the consequent Black Hawk 
purchase had freed the country around Burlington of the natives. 
Isaac Pigeon of South Carolina and Aaron Street of Salem, Indiana, 
were the pioneers. They named their new city in remembrance of 
Streets old home, at Salem, Indiana. The greater number of the 
settlers seem to have migrated from Indiana. In 1837 a company 
of nine families from Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting, near Williams- 
burg, Wayne county, Indiana arrived. A catalogue of two scores 
cf names of these Iowa pioneers shows that they were really a Hoos- 
ier colony. They were a part of the Indiana Quaker community till 
the Western Quarterly Meeting at Bloomfield gave them permission 
to establish their own Monthly Meeting in 1838. But one would 
have to retell the whole story to show how closely the history of the 
Iowa Quakers is related to those of Indiana. 

The author discusses the pioneer struggles of the early Quaker 
communities of Iowa, their form of worsliip, their dissenting church- 
es, their benevolent and educational enterprises, their social life and 
customs. Copious notes indicate the thoroughness of the investiga- 
tion. It is an inexcusable mistake to put the notes at the close of 
the volume, however. It is bad enough to have to stop reading and 
go to the foot of the page to read a note but to be compelled to go 
to the back of the book is too much. 

The Ohio Archaeological ar,d ITislorical Qiiarfrrli/ for 
April contains a forty-five page article by Calvin 
Young on the "Birthplace of Little Turtle." According to Mr, 



98 Indiana Ma</<izii>e nf History 

Young, Little Turtle was born near Blue River lake, two miles north- 
west of Cherubuseo in Whitley county, Indiana. He was the son 
of a Miami chief and a Mohican squaw. He was with Burgoyne on 
the march down to Saratoga ; in 1780 he led the Miami warriors -at 
the massacre of La Balme and his party eight miles southwest of 
Fort Wayne; he defeated Colonel Hardin north of Fort Wayne in 
1790 ; the next year he inflicted the disastrous massacre on the reg- 
ular army under St. Clair at Fort Recovery ; in 1794 and 1795 he was 
outgeneraled by Wayne and his power broken at the Battle of Fallen 
Timbers. After that he became a firm friend to the white people. 
He died at Fort Wayne at the beginning of the war of 1812. The 
article contains a great deal of information not easily accessible 
elsewhere. 

One Hundred Topics in Iowa History in the title of 
a 44 page pamphlet by Dan Elbert Clark. The author has arranged 
100 important topics covering the field of Iowa History, giving un- 
der each topic from four to ten references. The pamphlet is intend- 
ed for the use of clubs studying State history. 

New Harmony is preparing for an elaborate centennial cele- 
bration June 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13. The program provides for 
Rapp day. Devotional day, Owen day. Woman day, In- 
diana day. Fraternal day and Posey County day. Among the ora- 
tors are George B. Lockwood, author of the Nezv Harmony Movement, 
Benjamin Bosse, Mayor of Evansville , Ex-President Taft, Charles 
W. Fairbanks, Governor Samuel Ralston, Senator John Kern, Sena- 
tor B. F. Shiveley, Judge John M. Lewis, James E. Watson, Major 
G. V. Menzies. The feature that appeals most to the historian is 
the Historical Pageant by the school children. The pageant w^ill 
represent Pre-Rappite, Rappite, and Owenite-periods. This work 
has been arranged and prepared by Miss Charity Dye, of Indiana- 
polis. 

Henry County Historical Society held its twenty-eighth annual 
meeting at its home, formerly the residence of General Williajn 
Grose, at Newcastle April 30, 1914. 

The invocation was given by Rev. D. H. Lewis of the Friend's 
Church, followed by a piano solo by Miss Mabel Neff. After the 
appointing of committees the real program of the day was given. 
Clarence H. Smith read a paper on tlu^ Henry County Seminary in 



ReV'ieivs and Notes 99 

the early fifties. Tliis was prepared from material coutaiiied in a 
diary, which his mother, the late Katherine Taylor Smith had kept 
in her sixteenth year. The paper dealt largely with the frivolities 
of boys and girls sixty years ago and was conclusive proof that 
they were of much the same stuff as the boys and girls in school 
today. At that time the instructors were Russel B. Abbott, a gradu- 
ate of Indiana University in 1847, and James A. Ferris, and so pop- 
ular was the school that students came from all parts of Henry, 
Delaware and Randolph counties. They also had a school paper 
and it dealt in personalities very much after the manner of school 
papers today. Here is a sample of the verse from its pages: 

"The Mouse that trusts to one poor hole 
Can never be a mouse of any soul." 

Bear's grease and cinnamon oil seem to have been used to such 
an extent on the heads of the boys that an indignation meeting was 
held and very drastic resolutions drawn up and unanimously ap- 
proved. If the "odor" was not abated voluntarily it was resolved 
to place a mustard plaster on the heads of the offenders in order 
"to draw the judgment out of their feet." 

The historical sketch of Mr. Seth Stafford who died last October 
at the age of 83 was a most interesting production. One statement 
in the sketch was, that of the many schools taught by Mr. Stafford, in 
at least one of them his compensation was only $10 per month and 
he paid his own board. There were two or three in the audience 
who had been pupils of this fine old pioneer and they testified as to 
his worth as a teacher. 

A similar sketch of the late Christian Swain, of Prairie town- 
ship, the man who lived to be more than 100 years old, was read 
by J. J. Hoover of Springport, 

After an original reading by John Marts every one was invited 
to the large dining rooms where the usual bountiful and excellent 
dinner was served and enjoyed. 

The report of the nominating committee was read immediately 
after dinner, and was approved. The officers for the ensuing year 
are: President, William H. Keesling, ]\lechanicsburg; Secretary, 
Lillian E. Chambers, Newcastle; Treasurer. A. W. Saint, Newcastle; 
Trustee, J. H. Hewitt. 



100 Iinliaiia Magazinr of llislonj 

The presideut then called for donations and loans to the society 
of relics and rare articles of historic value. Mr. Edward Smith made 
the society the tender of pictures of his father and mother, the late 
Lewis and Barbara Smith. Mrs. Watson of Dunreith tendered copies 
of Vicksburg and Memphis papers of the Civil War days. 

One of the best prepared and most interesting papers read by any 
one on the early history of Indiana, was that by Dr. James A. Wood- 
burn. His subject was "Early Life and Local Color in Indiana" and 
dealt mainly with the portion of the State that was called the 
New Purchase, a tract from which 37 counties of the State were 
afterwards organized. 

At the close of his paper Dr. Woodburn was given a vote of 
thanks for his fine entertainment of the afternoon. He certainly 
made a warm spot for himself in the hearts of the members of 
the Henry County Historical Society, M-ho hope to have him with 
them again at some future time. 

A paper contributed by Daniel W. Newby of Kansas on Rich- 
Square and Pleasant Hill as he knew them sixty years ago was read 
by Mrs. Benjamin S. Parker. A memorial sketch of Elias and Clark- 
son Phelps, prepared by Professor Reece a grandson of the former, 
told the story of two of the notable and noble men of the county. 

The meeting adjourned to meet in semi-annual session the last 
Thursday in October 1914. 

Lillian E. Chambers, Secretary. 

William M. Sweet, Professor of History, DePauw University, ad- 
dressed the History Club of Indiana University on "Bishop Simpson 
and the Funeral of President Lincoln." Among the many sugges- 
tive things i)ointed out he emphasized the close relation between 
Lincoln's Administration and the churches. The preachers exerted 
a great influence on the ])eople during that period and that influence 
was always on the side of law and order. Tiio close personal friend- 
ship of the President for Bishop Simpson was also evidenced. The 
address and the visit were appreciated. 

Laura Hostetter, a special writer on the Evansville Courier has 
published in the Sunday Courier a series of articles on New Har- 
mony. The charm of this quaint old community still remains. Miss 
Hostetter has found a large circle of interested readers. The ar- 
ticles have been copied in several local papers, especially by the New 



Reviews and Notes 101 ^, 

Harmony Times. Although New Harmony is the subject of an 
extensive literature Miss Hostetter has found a great deal of new 
matter of interest that had hitherto escaped the historian. 

Salem, the county seat of Washington county, is one of the cen- 
tennial towns of 1914. It is preparing for a celebration and ' ' Home- 
Coming Week" in October. Some fine people with good blood in 
their veins and ideas in their heads came into that community a 
hundred years ago. Salem was laid out in the spring of 1814, Jona- 
than Liudley being one of the founders of the town. A worthy cele- 
bration of the event was held in Salem on Saturday April 4. Peo- 
ple came from different parts of the county and the town put on a 
gala appearance. At a public meeting in the opera house there 
were suitable exercises. Mr. C. N. Lindley, President of the State 
Horticultural Society, read a brief history of the settlement of Sa- 
lem. Professor J. A. Woodburn, of Indiana University, gave an ad- 
dress on "Early Life in Indiana," and Professor U. G. Weatherly, 
of the University, spoke briefly of the significances of the celebra- 
tion, and the sterling characteristics of the early settlers. Salem 
and Washington county have a history that is well worth celebrat- 
ing. The county deserves a good local history society. 

Samuel B. Wells, editor of the Scott County Journal, published in 
that paper, April 1, an interesting story of the Underground Rail- 
road operation before the AVar. The article includes a graphic de- 
scription of the St. Louis Slave Market as witnessed by P. T. Lam- 
bert in 1856. 

The Western Sun, April 3, has iin account of the old Fort which 
has stood at White Oak Springs near Petersburg since the war of 
]812, It is said to have been erected by Woolsey Pride and was 
formerly surrounded by a stockade. It was a two story log build- 
ing with port holes from the second story. It is not known definitely 
that it was ever beseiged by Indians. A good account of the fort is 
given by Col. William M. Cockrum in his Pioneer History of Indiana 
page 169. 

Dr. W. W. Sweet of DePauw University addressed the Illinois 
State Historical Society at Springfield, May 7, on ''The Methodist 
Church and Reconstruction." 



102 Indiana Magazine of History 

Rockville and Parke county are joining the procession of local 
communities that arc looking forward to the Centennial Celebration. 
The town has a few years to go yet before it reaches the hundred 
mark, but under the leadership of the "Hoosier Club" and other 
literary clubs of the county preparation is to be made by a study 
of local history and local topics. A beginning was made by a meet- 
ing in Rockville on Friday evening April 17, at which Professor 
James A. Woodburn read his paper on "Early Life and Local 
Color in the New Purchase." There was good attendance and the 
interest indicates that the associated clubs and the people of the 
community will respond to the spirit of the movement. Mrs. Rufus 
Dobley, President of the Hoosier Club, and Mr, Walter Furguson, 
one of the executive officers are actively interested in the Centennial 
movment. 

TJie Washingtaii Historical Quarterly for April contains the jour- 
nal of John Works, June, October, 1825. Works was an officer in the 
Hudson's Bay Company. The Washington Quarterly has already 
published a great many of the documents of this early life in the 
northwest. These have the advantage over most historical source 
materials in that they are entertaining reading. 

The Danville Republican, April 2, has an account of the last ser- 
vice by the Christian church of that town in their old building. The 
occasion was celebrated by reviews of the different church activi- 
ties during its career since 1844. Such celebrations have permanent 
value in arousing attachment to local institutions. 

The Corydon Democrat celebrated its 58th birthday April 15. It 
was founded by Simeon K. Wolfe who represented the Second Dis- 
trict in Congress 1873-1875. Among its later editors were S. M. 
Stockslager, who sat in the 47th Congress for the Third District,Amzi 
Brewster who served sixteen years as county auditor, Smith Askren 
who sat fourtcpii years in the State Legislature, George K. Gwartney 
who was prosecuting attorney, and Charles W. Thomas who was 
school superintendent for thirteen years and once candidate for 
State Superintendent. Lew M. O'Bannon is editor at present. 

The March nuinber of the Bullclin of the Indiana State Librarn 
was devoted largely to the forthcoming Lidiana Centennial celebra- 
tion. The leading article is an argument by Miss McNitt for a cen- 



Reciews and Notes 103 

tennial memorial building. Attention is called to the fact that the 
State Library is overcrowded, that much valuable material is being 
lost every year for want of a building in which to store it, and lastly 
pictures of some of the beautiful State Museum buildings recently 
erected by our neighbor States are given. 

The Salem Democrat, April 22, has a page of interesting reminis" 
cences by Joseph Cartwright a pioneer of Washington county now 
living in Garden City, Mo. His descriptions of life and customs pre- 
ceding and during the War are well done. 

The Attiea Ledger-Press has just completed an excellent work 
in local history in the form of a county land owner's map 29x43 
inches. 

The founding of three new party organs in the past year is a 
significant fact in politics as well as in newspaper history. Feb- 
ruary 1, 1914, the Elkhart Progrcsskr Democrat, a daily, appeared. 
James A. Bell is general manager. About one year ago George B. 
Lockwood began the publication of the Indiana State Journal at Mun- 
cie with an office at Indianapolis. This paper bears the file number 
of the old Indiana State Journal which for almost a century pleaded 
the cause of Whig and Republican politics. It is the organ of the 
Republican party, freely and frankly Republican. March 6, 1914 
appeared the first number of The Citizen, the organ of the Progressive 
party. Its editor is George W. Stout of Indianapolis, at which 
place it is published. 

These papers are all distinctly partisan, though not in the old 
sense of promoting party success at any price. Each represents dis- 
tinct principles of government, and each stands for clean party per- 
formance. 



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INDIANA MAGAZINE OF 
HISTORY 

Vol. X SEPTEMBER, 1914 No. 3 

CONSTITUTION MAKING IN EARLY INDIANA: 
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY 

By James Albbrt Woodburn, Professor of History, Indiana University. 
(Read at the recent conference on the need of a Constitutional Conven- 
tion, held at Indiana University, June 8, 9, 10.) 

On the first Monday in December, 1815, tlie General Assembly 
ot the Indiana territory met at Corydon. Governor Posey was ill 
at Jeffersonville and he could not come to the seat of government. He 
sent a brief message by his private secretary, calling attention to the 
tide of immigration that was flowing into the territory and the Gov- 
ernor urged upon the legislators, as of first importance, 'the promo- 
tion of education and the betterment of roads and highways. ' This 
Assembly passed thirty-one laws and seven joint resolutions, but its 
chief interest centered in the efforts to change their territorial insti- 
tutions for those of a State government. On December 14, 1815, a 
memorial was adopted by the Assembly and laid befote Congress on 
the 28th of the same month by Jonathan Jennings, Indiana's terri- 
torial delegate, praying Congress to order an election to be held in 
the several counties of the territory for representatives to meet in 
convention on a day to be appointed. The memorial called attention 
to the fact that the Ordinance of 1787 for the government of the ter- 
ritory, had provided that 'whenever there shall be 60,000 free in- 
habitants therein, this territory shall be admitted into the Union on an 
equal footing with the original States. ' 

T^e memorial also set forth that from a recent territorial census, 
the number of free white inhabitants was above 60,000. It was re- 
quested that if a convention were authorized the majority of the del- 
egates elected thereto should determine whether it were expedient 



238 linUann Magazine of Histonj 

to go into a State government, and if it were deemed expedient the 
convention so assembled slionld liave tlie power to form a constitu- 
tion and frame of government, or to provide for the election of a 
jater convention for that purpose. In this memorial the Assembly 
expressed its attachment to the principles concerning 'personal free- 
dom and involuntary servitude' which had been laid down in the Or- 
dinance of 1787 for the government of the Northwest territory. 

This memorial was referred to a committee of which Mr. Jen- 
jiin<>s was chairman. On the 5th of January, 1816, Jennings report- 
ed to the House a bill to enable the people of Indiana territory to form 
a constitution and State government, antl for the admission of the 
State to the Union on an equal footing with the other States. The 
bill, after a few amendments, was passed by Congress, and became 
a law by the approval of President Madison on the 19th of April, 
.1816. This was the Enabling Act for Indiana. 

In harmony with the provisions of this act an election was held in 
the several counties of the territory on May 13, 1816, for members 
of a convention to form a State constitution. There were thirteen 
counties in the State and they elected forty members to the conven- 
tion. From Wayne, there was Joseph Holman ; from Franklin. 
William H. Eads and James Noble ; from Jefferson, David H. Max- 
well ; from Clark, Jonathan Jennings and Thomas Carr ; from Wash- 
ington, John DePauAv and William Lowe ; from Knox, John Badollet, 
Wm. Polke and Benjamin Parke ; from Gibson, Alexander Devin and 
Frederick Rappe. There were other men, but these are a few of the 
best known names. 

The convention began its sessions at Corydon, June 10, 1816, 
and continued to meet from day to day until the 29th of June. In 
nineteen days it completed its work and adjourned. 

Jonathan Jennings was president and Wm. Hendricks was sec- 
retary. Badollet, of Knox was chairman of a committee to pre- 
pare a preamble and a bill of rights. John Johnson, of Knox, was 
chairman of the committee on the distribution of governmental 
powers. Noble, of Franklin, was chairman of the committee on the 
legislative department. Graham, of Clark was chairman of the 
committee on the executive department. Scott, of Clark, was 
chairman of the committee on the judicial department. Dill, of 
Dearborn, was chairman of the committee on impeachment. Max- 
well, of Jefferson, was chairman of the committee to consider other 
provisions of the constitution not included in the foregoing topics. 

There were also committees on the mode of revising the consti- 
nition, on education, the militia, the franchise, and prisons. 



Woodbur7i: Constitution Making in Indiana 239 

John B. Dillon in his well knoAAOi History of Indiana (page 
559) says: 

The convention that formed the first constitution of the State of Indiana 
v.as composed, mainly, of clear-minded, unpretending men of common sense, 
whose patriotism was unquestionable, and whose morals were fair. Their 
familiarity with the \' American Independence — 

their territorial experience under the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787— 
and their knowledge of the principles of the Constitution of the United States, 
were sufficient, when combined, to lighten materially their labors in the 
great work of forming a constitution for a new State. With such landmarks 
in view, the labors of similar conventions in other States and territories have 
teen rendered comparatively light. 

In the clearness and conciseness of its syle, in the comprehensive and 
just provisions which it made for the maintenance of civil and religious lib- 
erty, in its mandates, which were designed to protect the rights of the people, 
collectively and individually, and to provide for the public welfare — the 
constitution that was formed for Indiana, in 1816, was not inferior to any of 
the State constitutions which were in existence at that time. 

The constitution of 1816 was not submitted to the voters of the 
State for ratification. That step in popular government was not 
deemed necessary. By the provisions of the constitution the officers 
of the territorial government were required to continue in the exer- 
cise of their duties till they should be superseded by the officers elected 
under the authority of the State government. The president of 
the constitutional convention, Mr. Jennings, was required to issue 
writs of election directed to the sheriffs of the several counties requir- 
ing them to cause an election to be held for governor, lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, representative in Congress, members of the General Assembly 
and sheriffs and coroners of the counties, which election was to be 
held on the first Monday in August, 1816. Here was a comparatively 
short ballot — a governor, lieutenant-governor, congressman, and two 
county officers. All other officers were appointive. Jennings Avas 
elected governor, receiving 5,211 votes to 3,934 votes cast for his 
competitor, Thomas Posey, who was at the time governor of the ter- 
ritory. Christopher Harrison, of Washington county, was elected 
lieutenant-governor, and William Hendricks was elected to represent 
Indiana in Congress. 

The General Assembly elected in August, commenced its session 
at Corydon on November 4, 1816. On November 7th the oath of 
office was administered to Governor Jennings and Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor Harrison, and the Governor delivered his inaugural address. 



240 Indiana Magazine of Hi!<tory 

Thus, ou the 7th of November, 1816, tlie territorial government 
of Indiana was superseded by a State government, and on December 
11, the State by a joint resolution of the two houses of Congress was 
formally admitted to the Union of States. 

A comparison of this first constitution of Indiana with that of 
Kentucky adopted in 1792 and that of Ohio adopted in 1803, will 
show how largely Indiana's fundamental law was fashioned after 
these two instruments of her sister States. Many parts are appro- 
priated bodily, and it is easily seen that the new State came otter- 
ing a constitution that had been largely modeled after some approved 
democratic pattern. All that the convention could reasonably be 
expected to do was to fit some ready-made pattern to our local needs. 
That is what they did, as a reading of the Kentucky and Ohio consti- 
tutions will show. They evolved little that was new. Their prin- 
ciples of government -were well known principles ; they were old and 
established. There were good, hard-headed, common-sense men in 
the convention, but there were no great creative political geniuses. 
The}- could not, or did not, take time to create a constitution de 
novo. They seemed to be in a hurry, though they worked for an age 
much slower-moving than ours. It may be recalled as an evidence 
of the haste, not to say the snap judgment, that was exercised in the 
process of making our first constitution and putting our State gov- 
ernment into operation, that the Enabling Act Avas passed on April 
19. the election of delegates was held on May 13 in less than four 
weeks; the delegates came together on June 10, four weeks later; 
they deliberated less than three weeks ;and the constitution which they 
devised was not passed upon by the people at all. Naturally, the 
men of the convention appropriated to their use constitutional p^v 
visions already made and provided, and in so doing they acted the 
part usual to Anglo-Saxon constitution makers. 

It lias been said that the parties in political control were hurry- 
ing to bring the State into the Union before snow flew, or before the 
fall elections. 0. H. Smith in his Early Indiana Trials and Sketches 
says that the affairs of the State were in the hands of three parties, or 
rather one party with three divisions, the Noble, Jennings, and 
Hendricks divisions. All were represented in the convention of 
1816. Noble and Jennings were delegates, Jennings being the pres- 
ident, and William Hendricks was the convention's secretary. This 
was a time of 'personal politics' and an arrangement was made among 
these leaders and their friends to make Noble senator, Jennings gov 
iTnor, and Hendricks congressman. In their readiness to divide 



Woodbuni : Constitution Making in Indiana 241 

these political plums among themselves, these leaders were naturally 
inclined toward dispatch, that the State might be ready for accept- 
ance for the fall session of congress. 

This was a period of the complete dominance of Jeffersonian 
Democracy,and constitutions were becoming more popular and flexible 
Jefferson was on record as favoring a State's changing its constitu- 
tion at least once within every generation. He thought a change 
once in twenty years might not be too often. 

Somewhat in harmony with this, and it would seem in even a 
more liberal spirit, the constitution of 1816 provided that 'every 
12tli year after the constitution went into effect, at the general el«ae- 
tion held for governor, there shall be a poll opened in which the 
qualified electors of the State shall express by vote whether they are 
in favor of calling a convention or not ; if there should be a majority 
of all the votes given at such election in favor of a convention, the 
governor shall inform the next General Asembly thereof, whose duty 
it shall be to provide by law for the election of members to the con- 
\'ention, the number thereof, and the time and place of meeting ; which 
law shall not be passed unless agreed to by a majority of all the mem- 
bers elected to both branches of the General Assembly.' When the 
convention met it should have the power to revise, amend, or change 
the constitution — except that the constitution should 'never be al- 
tered in such a way as to authorize slavery, as that relation can ori- 
ginate only in usurpation and tyranny. ' 

So it appears that our fathers were starting off' with the ex- 
pectation of frequently meeting in convention to revise their State 
constitution. It was thirty-four years before a constitutional con- 
vention assembled again in Indiana — probably a longer period than 
•^vas anticipated by the framers of the first instrument. We have 
been sixty-four years — almost twice as long — on the second run, in a 
period of much greater change. 

The constitution of 1816 had not been long in operation until 
dissatisfaction began to arise under it. From 1830 to 1848 repeated 
quarrels arose betAveen the State senate and the chief executive over 
the appointment of the supreme court judges, and after some abuses 
in appointments had occured, it was felt that it would be better if the 
choice of the judges were left to election by the people. But the 
chief ground of difficulty seemed to lie in the lack of general laws 
under Avhich local needs could be met and administered. The Gen- 
eral Asembly had constantly to be passing laws in response to some 
local or personal demand until the local laws became six or seven times 



242 Indiana Mafjazine of Hisfovy 

more voluminous than the general laws. Divorce was then 
entirely a matter for lepfislative action. There were numerous local 
and special acts. To illustrate I sliall name two instances among 
many — one for the relief of James Hardin, of Warrick county, author- 
izing 'said Hardin to peddle and sell goods of any kind whatever 
without paying license thereof in any county in the State,; and one 
for the relief of Silas Overman, of Grant county, against whom a 
court had given a judgment of $238.00 on a surety bond. This 
judgment of the court was, in effect, to be submitted to a referendum 
in Overman's township to see M^hether the voters would recall the 
judicial decision and remit the judgment — an application of the 
recall which no one in recent times has ever ventured to suggest or 
defend. Many of the special acts were to incorporate towns and im- 
prove roads, there being no general provision for such purposes, and 
the constitution not requiring that the laAVS should be uniform for 
the whole State. 

The General Assembly at every session was constantly being be- 
set to pass hundreds of such personal and local acts. The evil was 
found to be unbearable, and there began to be a pressing demand for 
a new constitution to remedy the situation. There were other needs 
but this acted most effectively. 

A referendum similar to the one we are now confronting was 
provided in 1849. In his annual message delivered to the houses 
of the General Assembly on December 6, 1848, Governor James AVhit- 
comb recommended the passage of an act providing for submitting 
to the people of the State the question of calling a constitutional con- 
vention to amend the constitution of 1816. The governor gave a 
number of reasons for urging this step: (1) The growing burden of 
local and private legislation. (2) The increasing demand for 
biennial instead of annual sessions of tlie General Assenddy. (3) 
The necessity of prescribing restrictions on the ci'eation of public 
debt. (4) The desirability of requiring a two-thirds vote in each 
house in appropriating public funds to private individuals. (5) The 
universal desire for amendment. 

The time was thought to be propitious, as the question would not 
be complicated by the excitement of a national election. Governor 
Whitcomb especially emphasized the importance of calling a halt 
upon the increasing amount of local and private legislation. For five 
years the amount of general legislation had remained stationary 
while in the same period legislation of a local and private character 
had grown by 350 per cent. In the last session of the Assembly 



Woodbimi : Constitution Making in Indiana 243 

over 600 bills had passed, being more than four for each member and 
more than thirteen for each working day of the session. To examine 
thirteen bills every day for six or seven consecutive weeks seemed 
like an unreasonable task for the mind of the average legislator, not 
to speak of the governor, who was expected to examine personally all 
of them before signing. The task became a physical impossibility, 
since many of these bills piled up within the few days before the 
close of the session. 

An act approved on January 15, 1849 provided that at the veg- 
ular State election in that year, then held in August, the people might 
decide for or against the calling of a convention, to alter, revise, or 
amend the constitution of the State. Every qualified voter might 
vote for or against the proposition. The act provided that when a 
voter presented his ballot for State and local officers, at his proper 
voting place, the inspector of election was required to propose to him 
the question, 'Are you in favor of a convention to amend the constitu- 
tion?' Those favoring such convention should answer in the affir- 
mative, those against in the negative, and the answers were to be 
duly recorded by the clerks of election in a poll book furnished for 
that purpose. The inspectors and judges were to certify the number 
of votes for and against the convention to the clerks of the circuit 
courts under the same restrictions and penalties that votes for State 
and county offices were given and certified. These clerks were to 
certify to the secretary of State, subject to penalties for neglect, and 
the secretary of State was to lay the returns before the General As- 
sembly. The county sheriffs were required to give six weeks" no- 
tice of this election in every county.^ 

It thus appears that this law provided that the responsibh; elec- 
tion officer should put it up directly to every voter who presented 
a ballot to say whether or not he favored a convention. This pro- 
vision led to a large vote upon the subject, almost as large m, that 
cast for State officers.' Yet in spite of this laudable effort to induce 
the voters to express themselves, more than 10,000 Avho voted tor 
governor failed to express themselves upon the issue of the cc'..en- 
tion. It turned out fortunately that a majority of all the votes '- 1 -t 
in the election were for the convention, though the law did not re- 
quire that it should be so before a convention might be called. The 
total vote cast on the question of the convention was 138,91S. with 
81,500 votes for and 57,418 votes against, giving a majority in favor, 
on the convention vote, of 24,082. In the State campaign botl- of 
the leading candidates for governor, Joseph A. Wright, Democrat, 

» state Laws, 18)8-9, p. 30. 



244 Indiana Magazine of History 

and John A .Matson, Whig, declared themselves in favor of tlio con- 
vention. There seemed to be a positive desire among the peo| le f(r 
a change in tlie organic law, while there was no organized or active 
opposition. In the August election, 1849, Joseph Wright, of Rock- 
vilie, Democrat, received 76,996 votes. Mr. John A .Matson, of 
Brookville, Whig, received 67,218 votes, and Mr. James H. Cravens, 
the Free Soil candidate, received 3,018 votes, making a total vote for 
governor of 147,232, with one county (Fayette) unreported on the 
governorship vote. A majority of the governorship vote was 73,617. 
The convention vote w^as about 8,000 above this majority. The diff- 
erence between the vote on the governorship and that on the conven- 
tion w^as a little over 10,000. That is, about 71/2 per cent of the 
voters did not express themslves on the convention, though they were 
specifically asked by the election officers to do so. The surmise is 
thatsome voters obstinatelyrefused to express themselves. If we have 
650,000 voters in Indiana this year on the United States senatorship 
which is a fairly conservative estimate, as there are over 750,000 
voters enumerated, and the proportion not voting on the convention 
should merely equal that of 1849 (though it is likely to exceed it), 
we shall find that about 50,000 voters w411 fail to express themselves. 
If these voters vote for a United States senator but not on the con- 
vention one way or the other, they Avill be counted in the negative, 
since the act referring the question to the voters requires an absolute 
majority of all voting before the convention is authorized. Of course 
the General Assembly might still call a convention regardless of the 
v^ote, but is is not likely to do so. 

It does not appear that in the referendum of 1849 there Avas much 
public discussion of tlie subject before the people. The people were 
not stirred up over the question. There were no universit.y confer- 
ences, or popular mass meetings on the subject, no franchise leagues 
or other organizations to press the matter on the attention of the 
voters, nor did the newspapers seem at all interested in the matter. 
I have gone through the files of the Indiana Jonrnal for several weeks 
preceding the election without succeeding in finding a single refer- 
ence to the pending proi)osal. INIarion county voted against the 
convention by 347 majority, and the Democratic Sentinel, of Indiana- 
polis, charged that the reason for this was tliat the Whig leaders were 
notoriously hostile to the measure and openly threw the weight of 
their influence as well as most of their votes against it. Mr. Defrees, 
the Whig editor of the Journal, denied tliis. He himself voted for the 
convention, and the truth was, he asserted, that very little interest 
was manifested on the question by any one, and many of those wlio 



Woodbuni : Constitution Makiru/ in Indiana 245 

M'ere asked by tlie inspectors, 'Conventiou or No Convention,' then 
heard of the proposition for the first time.^ Defrees claimed that as 
many Whigs voted for the convention as did Democrats and returns 
by counties seem to bear him out. The fact Avas that many Whig coun- 
ties voted for the convention and many Democratic counties against it, 
and vice versa. The strong Whig county of Wayne voted almost 3 to 1 
for the convention, and Randolph 2 to 1, and Henry gave a decisive 
conventiou majority. Clarke, Sullivan and Washington equally 
strong Democratic counties, gave almost equally heavy convention 
majorities. Sullivan, which went for Wright for governor by a vote 
of 3 to ], voted for the convention by 2 to 1. On the other hand, the 
Whig county of Jefferson which went for INIatson by 500 majority 
gave also 500 majority against the convention. The voting seems to 
have been governed by local interest and local sentiment, not by pol- 
itics nor party favor. 

But since the proposal for a convention in 1849 had carried a ma- 
jority of all the votes cast, the duty of the General Assembly was 
plain. Within the year, 1849, Governor Whitcomb had been elected 
to the United States Senate and the lieutenant-governor, Paris C. 
Dunning, had succeeded to the governorship. In his message of 
December 4, 1849, Governor Dunning called the attention of the 
General Assembly to the duty before it. This duty was to provide 
by law for districting the State for the election of convention dele- 
gates. Governor Dunning advised (at least publicly) that the mem- 
bers of the General Assembly should divest themselves of all party 
predilections and make a fair apportionment as a means of assuring 
a fair representation in the convention whose. duty it would be to 
draw up a new constitution, and this, the governor thought, Avould be 
an initiatory step which would tend to predispose the people to adopt 
a new constitution when offered for their ratification. In this Gen- 
eral Assembly the Democrats had a safe working majority Avith 29 
senators and 59 members of the House. A bill to provide for the 
election of delegates to a constitutional convention was introduced 
in the Senate on December 4, 1849, by Mr. Randall. It passed the 
Senate on January 3, 1850, and the House on January 11, and was 
approved bj^ the governor on January 18, 1850. 

The act provided that an election for delegates to the conven- 
tion should be. held on the first Monday in August. The conven- 
non was to be competent to consider the constitution of the State, to 
make such changes or amendments as it might think proper, Avhich 
amendments should afterwards be submitted to a vote of the people 

^ Weekly Indiana state Journal, August 27, 1849. 



246 Iiidiand Muyazine of Hhtoru 

of the State, to be ratified or rejected. The delegates were to be 
elected as the menil)er.s of the General Assembly were elected and in 
corresponding- districts, the usual election officers, laws, processes, 
and penalties to apply. The county sheriffs were to attest elections 
to the secretary of State. The delegates numbered the same as the 
members of the Assembly. The delegates were to assemble on the 
first Monday in October, 1850, in Indianapolis, for organization by 
electing a president aiul other officers. The secretary of State was 
to attend and open the convention, call the lists of districts and coun- 
ties, receive the credentials and perform such duties in organization as 
are performed by the proper officers when the General Assembly is 
. organized. 

The delegates to this convention were elected at the regulai' 
State election on August 6, 1850. The two parties put out their candi- 
dates and their names appeared on the party tickets with the other 
party candidates. One hundred and fifty delegates were elected, 
fifty senatorial delegates and one hundred representative delegates. 
Of the fifty senatorial delegates, thirty-three were Democrats, and 
seventeen were Whigs; of the one hundred representative delegates 
sixty-two were Democrats and thirty-eight were Whigs. In the 
ocnve.'tion as a whole there were ninentyfive Democrats and fifty- 
five AA^higs. 

By the provisions of the act creating the convention its mem- 
bers when they asembled were required to take an oath to support 
the constitution of the United States and to perform faithfully the 
duties of their office. The powers and privileges of a legislative body 
were conferred upon this convention. A majority constituted a 
quorum to do business. The members were to receive $3.00 per day 
while actually attending, and an allowance for legislative mileage. 

The convention assembled on October 7, 1850. It completed 
its labors on February 10, 1851, making one hundred and twenty-six 
days in all, counting Sunday and holidays.'^ 

The State Joiinial of October 7, 1850, spoke highly of the per- 
sonnel of the convention, commending the character and spirit of the 
delegates, and predicting that they would perform their duties in such 
a way as to protect the rights and promote the prosperity and hap- 
piness of the people of the State. Of the men of the convention, we 
may recall a few: Horace P. Biddle, Cass and Howard; J. G. Reed, 
of Clark, W. S. Holman, of Dearborn; P. M. Kent, of Floyd; John 

' The late Michigan convention of 1906-7 consumed 122 days in all, from October 22 to 
February 21. At different times after the convention of 1851 had adjourned the local Whig meet- 
ings and organs repeatedly condemned the "Democratic constitutional convention," as ttey 
called it, for "protracting its sittings and expending huge quantities of public money." Indiaim 
State Journal, July 7, 1851, and March 6, 1852. 



Woodbiiri} : Constitution Makuig In Indiana 247 

Zenor, of Harrison; Milton Gregg, of Jefferson; Geo. W. Carr, of 
Lawrence; J. F. Carr, of Jackson, his brother (the father of these 
Carrs was in the convention of 1816) ; T.D. Walpole, of Madison; A.F. 
Morrison, of Marion; Daniel Read, of Monroe and Brown (a pro- 
fessor of the University, and one of the ablest and most useful men 
of the convention) ; O. P. Davis, of Parke and Vermillion; Thos. A. 
Hendricks, of Shelby ; John I. Morrison, of Washington ; Joseph Ris- 
rine, of Fountain ; William M, Dunn, of Jefferson ; D. Maguire and 
D. AYallace and R. D. Owen, of Marion ; A. P. Hovey, of Posey ; 
Schuyler Colfax, of St. Joseph. 

When the convention had completed its work it recommended, 
and the General Assembly then sitting provided, that it should be 
submitted to the people for ratification or rejection at the usual 
election time, the first Monday in August, 1851. The voters were 
called upon to express themselves on two propositions: (1) The rat- 
ification or rejection of the instrument as a whole. (2) The adopt- 
ion or rejection of a separate article relative to negro exclusion and 
colonization — a question submitted to the voters as a distinct pro- 
])Osition in the following form : Exclusion and colonization of negroes 
and mulattoes, 'Yes' or 'No.' 

The proposed constitution was printed in full in the leading pa- 
pers of the State and discussed with considerable interest during the 
five months preceding the vote. The State Journal, of Indianapolis, 
one of the leading Whig organs of the State, said that while the new 
constitution contained much that was objectionable, it would still 
pledge support to all its provisions except the negro exclusion clause. 
The Madison Conner, a strong Democratic organ, regarded the new 
constitution as 'immeasurably above the one now in force.' 

At the regular election, August 4, 1851, the constitution was 
adopted by a vote of 113,230 to 27,638. There were 113,828 votes 
cast in favor of negro exclusion to 21,873 against. 

By its own provision the constitution went into operation on 
November 1, 1851. 

The vote for the constitution was decisive, not to say over- 
whelming. In his message to the General Assembly on December 
2, 1851, Governor Joseph A. Wright expressed the conviction that 
'as Indianians we may well challenge a parallel in the unanimity 
with which our people adopted the new constitution — a majority of 
86,000 at the ballot box.' He urged the General Assemoly to give 
the constitution 'a steady and energetic support' and carry out its 
various provisions, 'that they may be fairly tested.'^ 

■* House Journal, 1851, p. 15. 



U48 Indiana Magazine <>/ History 

The scope of tliis paper and the time allotted for it will not i)er- 
mit me to go iuto detailed account of the efforts made to amend 
the Indiana constitution since 1851. But a few of the leading ef- 
forts in this direction should not be entirely omitted. 

The new constitution had hardly gone into effect before pro- 
posals were made in the General Assembly to amend it — to restore 
annual legislative sessions, to require full naturalized citizenship 
of all foreign-born voters, to lift the sixtyday limit on legislative 
sessions, to allow special and local laws for the support of common 
schools. Such proposals were frequently made between 1853 and 
1857. As early as 1859 efforts were made in the General Assembly 
to bring about a new convention, or, failing in this, to secure a series 
of amendments on the ground that provisions of the constitution made 
legislation under it 'difficult, tedious, and in some respects impos- 
sible, or at least inadequate to the emergencies of the case or to the 
wants of the citizens of the State, restricting remedies that would 
rend to the public good.' The vote in the General Assembly in 1859 
showed that there was a popular demand for a revision, and those who 
opposed the new convention as the best method of bringing about 
the desired changes admitted that changes were desirable. One 
of the members, Mr. Davis, of Floyd county, spoke of the 'rickety 
constitution under which we now live,' and he thought that the 
numerous requests for amendments that had come up at every ses- 
sion of the General Assembly were convincing proof that the people 
were dissatisfied. It was charged by some of the opponents of a 
new convention that it was only the 'Maine law faction as voiced 
m the late State temperance convention' and the 'unlamented re- 
j/:ains of the Know-nothing party which desired to exclude for- 
eign-born citizens from the polls' who were urging changes in the 
constitution. The opponents of a convention thought then, as they 
think now, that the plan of amendment provided in the constitu- 
tion — the passage by two successive legislatures and submission to 
the people for ratification — was 'satisfactory, ample, safer, and 
more economical.' It was urged with force that before resorting 
to a new convention the amending method should be tested. By 
presenting propositions singly there would be less confusion and 
each reform could be more forcibly presented to the people. It 
was urged in reply that the amending process was 'utterly imprac- 
ticable;' that 'competition for priority' had defeated every propo- 
sition so far presented, since no new amendment could be proposed 
while any amendment was pending. 



Woodburn: Constitution. Making in Indiana 249 

The changes that were being urged at that time related to sev- 
eral matters : 

1. The common school system was being retarded by the 'uni- 
form law' provision of the constitution as interpreted by the State 
Supreme Court. The constitution imposes a duty upon the Gen- 
eral Assembly 'to provide by law for a general and uniform sys- 
tem of common schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge 
rnd equally open to all.' This was interpreted to require a pro- 
})ortionate uniform expenditure of revenue in all parts of the State. 
'Nothing could be done anywhere in the State in advance of the 
progress of the darker portions.' The more enterprising and en- 
lightened communities could not of their own accord provide more 
money for their schools than was provided elsewhere, but had to 
Avait upon the more backward communities 'who were willing to 
close the files of progress.' This was a constant subject of irritation. 

2. There was dissatisfaction over the election laws. A change 
was necessary to enable the General Assembly to pass a suitable 
registration law to prevent the colonization of voters and other frauds 
at the ballot box. The present system admitted 'whole shoals of 
mimigrant voters' for want of power to fix a suitable residence re- 
quirement. Governor Ashbel P. Willard in his message of Janu- 
ary 6, 1859, urged the passage of a law adequate 'to protect the 
suffrages of honest men against fraud. . . . Men have left the 
County of their residence; said Governor Willard, 'gone to others 
where they had no permanent homes, where they did not intend 
to remain longer than the day of election, have there cast their 
votes and thus determined who should be the officers and repre- 
sentatives of the counties they visited.' He called for severe pen- 
alties for such abuses. 

3. Members objected to the technical and detailed legislative 
processes required by the constitution such as treating of but one 
subject in a bill, reading a bill three times, and especially objection- 
able was the provision for the amendment of laws. Many acts had 
been declared unconstitutional because they had not been set out 
in full in the amending process, as the constitution requires. 

■4. Others wished a restoration of annual sessions and a modi- 
fied form of legislation for special and local purposes, and a con- 
stitutional change was especially desired to promote a betterment 
of conditions on behalf of temperance. 

On March 5, 1859, the Governor signed a bill again submitting 
to the voters the question of calling a constitutional convention. 



250 I II (Ha nil jlldi/iiziiie of Jlisforj/ 

The question ^vas to be voted on at the regular election in October, 
1859. If a majority of tlie voters voted in the allfirmative, then 
one hundred delegates were to be elected (one for each of the rep- 
resentative districts) on the first Monday in April, I860. The con- 
vention was to assemble on the second Tuesday in May, 1860. Its pro- 
posed amendments were to be submitted to the people separately or 
together as the convention should determine. This proposal, coming 
so soon after the convention of 1851, Avas voted down by the people 
in tlie ensuing election. 

Other proposals for a nev/ convention were made in the General 
Asembly in 1871 and in the Special Session of 1872, and again in 
1875, but they were not acted upon. 

In 1879 a series of amendments were submitted to the voters: 

1. To strike out the word 'white' from the suffrage require- 
ments in order to bring the State constitution into conformity Avith 
the recently amended constitution of the United States; and to pre- 
scribe a residence of sixty days in the township and thirty days in 
the ward or precinct before voting; and to require that all voters 
be registered according to law. 

2. To strike out the provision prohibiting negroes and mu- 
lattoes from voting. 

3. To abandon the October election and to provide for holding 
all general elections in November ; for holding township elections at 
.such time as legislative acts may provide; to provide si)ecial elec- 
tions for judicial officers; and to provide for the registration of 
all voters. 

4. To strike out the word 'white' where it occurs as to enum- 
eration of male inhabitants of the State for apportionment of sena- 
tors and representatives. 

5. To prohibit local laws as to fees and salaries, but providing 
graded compensation in proportion to population aiid services re- 
quired. 

6. To provide that the judicial power shall be vested in a su- 
preme court, circuit courts and such other courts as the General As- 
sembly may establish. 

7. To strike out the negro exclusion and colonization clause 
and insert a provision to prohibit political and municipal corpora- 
tions from becoming indebted to an amount in excess of two per 
cent of the taxable value of their property, except in case of war, 
foreign invasion, or other public calamity, and on petition of a major- 
ity of the property owners affected and in the discretion of the 
])\dilic authorities. 



Woodbuni: Constitution llaking in Indiana 251 

These amendments M'ere approved by the governor on March 10, 
1879, and vrere submitted to the voters on the first Monday in April 
(5th), 1880. They were all approved at the polls by majorities 
ranging from 17,000 to 50,000. But the highest vote received for 
any one of the amendments was 181,000, while the wliole number 
of votes cast in the election was 380,000, the majority of Avhich is 
one above 190,000. The last official enumeration of voters, taken 
in 1877 showed that there were 451,000 voters in the State and in 
the election of 1876, 434,000 votes had been cast. It Avill certainly 
be held reasonble to infer that there were as many in 1880, but the 
supreme court subsequently did not so infer. The constitution pro- 
vides that in order to carry an amendment it shall be submitted 
to the electors of the State, 'and if a majority of said electors shall 
latify the same, such amendment or amendments shall become a part 
of this constitution.' Obviously none of these amendments had car- 
ried by a majority of the voters of the State, although each of them 
had a good majority of those interested enough to vote on the pro- 
posals. The governor had no power to declare whether the amend- 
ments had been rejected or adopted. The matter was submitted to the 
supreme court for decision, and the court held that the amendments 
were neither ratified nor rejected, the vote being ineffectual for Avant 
of a constitutional majority. Therefore, the amendments were still 
pending. But the court suggested that there would be no irregularity 
in submitting them, or any one of them, to the voters of the State at 
a special election, where only the amendments themselves could be 
voted on ; and while it requires a majority of the electors of the State 
to ratify an amendment to the constitution, the whole number of 
■«^otes cast at the election at which the amendment is submitted may 
be taken as the number of the electors of the State. (State vs. Swift, 
May term, 1880.) 

This decision, or the indift'erent vote on which it was based, gave 
rise to a demand for a constitutional convention, which repeatedly 
found voice in the ensuing General Assemblies, but without action. 
Instead, a special election for the amendments was resorted to. Fol- 
lowing the suggestion thrown out by the supreme court, the General 
Assembly passed an act in 1881 providing for the submission of the 
foregoing amendments at a special election to be held on March 14, 
1881. In this election none of the amendments received as many as 
130.000 votes— but little more than one-fourth of the voters of the 
State — but they were declared adopted and were made part of the 
constitution of the State.^ This Avas done by a judicial construc- 

• The highest vote any amendment received was 128,731. 



I 



252 Indiana Magazine of Hlston/ 

tioii of tlie amending clause, by means of an assumption and a 
legal fiction ■vvliich every member of the court knew to be untrue 
as a matter of fact. The majority of the electors of the State liad 
not voted for the amendments — far from it ; but the political power 
of the courts was equal to the emergency and the amendments by a 
forced construction were incorporated into the fundamental laAV. 
It may have been a desirable consummation, but it must be admitted 
that it was done in flagrant disregard of the plain provisions of the 
constitution. I admit that the amending provision of the constitu- 
tion is absurd in the difficulties of its working, and we may be pleased 
to see a court disregard or circumvent it; but there is a more orderly 
and law-abiding Avay to abrogate the constitution among a law-loving 
people. The constitution is as plain as the English language can 
mako it upon this point, but the court 'construed the constitution 
away' by assuming that there were no more voters in the State at the 
time of this election than had voted upon these propositions. By 
which it appears that the courts may amend the constitution easily 
enough, though the people may not. What the courts may do in the 
future in declaring amendments carried is uncertain and problem- 
atical. 

Two amendments, one permitting an enlargement of the supreme 
court and another relating to the qualifications of lawyers, were sub- 
mitted to the voters at the general election of November 6, 1900. The 
vote on the first was 314,610 for, and 178,960 against ; on the second, 
240,031 for, and 144,072 against, a majority of 135,000 in one instance 
and 96,000 in the other. But as the total vote cast for secretary of 
State was 655,000 and as the amendments required a majority of this 
vote (327,000) the court has ruled that they were not adopted, but 
are still pending. The State constitution says that while an amend- 
ment is pending, 'awaiting the action of the electors, no additional 
amendment shall be proposed.' This bars further action toward 
amending the constitution until these amendments are out of the way. 
An amended act again submitting them (at a special election) would 
require three years. Any new amendment would require three more 
years, since it must be agreed to by two successive General Assemblies, 
So if the pending amendments can be gotten out of the way and new 
amendments be gotten by two successive General Assemblies, and if 
the judgment and temper of the court should again be favorable, we 
might, with the best of expedition, hope to get a new amendment to 
the constitution by 1920. 

The 'lawyer amendment' was again voted on by the people at the 
general November election of 1910. It received 60,357 votes for 



Woodbuni: Constitution Makivc/ in Indiana 253 

adoption, to 18,494 against. Since there were 627,133 votes east for 
secretary of State, it was clearly not adopted. There was no interest 
in it. but it is still held to be pending- and is thereby blocking- other 
amendments. 

It is now contended that these amendments are not pending; 
that, failing to get a majority of the votes cast, they were rejected 
f nd are out of the way. Ex-president Harrison, I am informed, ex- 
pressed an opinion to this effect. In re Denny,^ decided in 1900, 
the court virtually reversed the ruling in the SAvift case on this point. 
The Marion county Bar Association contended that the 'lawyer's 
amendment' had been passed in 1900, and it accordingly established 
rules and regulations requiring an examination for admission to the 
bar. One Denny contested the right of the bar to impose such a test 
and, while the Bar Association was sustained in the lower court, 
Denny was sustained by the Supreme court, which decided that the 
lawyer's amendment was not adopted but Avas rejected in 1900, 
Four successive General Assemblies since 1900 (1903, 1905, 1907, 1909) ^, 
have approved the amendment for submission to the voters. The 
popular vote on the amendment in 1910 was about one-tifth of that 
in 1900, and, falling far short of a majority of the vote cast, it was 
not carried. Following the court's ruling in the Denny case one 
would suppose that the amendment was rejected but we are evidently 
left in doubt on that point (and as to what a future court will do 
with the amending provision) since in the case of Ellingham vs Dye 
in 1911 the court, in obiter dicta said: "Once again the General 
Assembly at its session in 1909 referred this amendment to the will 
of the voters at the general election in 1910, and once more it re- 
ceived the majority of the votes cast thereon but not a majority of the 
yotes cast, at the election. And so it stands obstructive of further 
proposals for amendment, by reason of the provision of section 2 
Article 16, while waiting definite action of the people." In their 
comments on the EUingham-Dye case both the supreme court of 
Indiana and that of the United States recognized that in 1911 an 
"amendment was still awaiting the action of the electors" in this 
State. From these facts and conflicting rulings it appears obvious 
to the plain citizen that our constitution needs an overhauling in its 
amending process. Can the unworkable amending process be gotten 
rid of without a convention 1 

I can refer but briefly to the recent effort to give us what has 
been called the 'Marshall Constitution.' Instead of calling a con- 
stitutional convention, the usual process and agency for making n 

• 156 Indiana, 104. 



I 



I 



254 Indiana Bltujazine of History 

new constitution, the General Assembly under the control of the Dem- 
ocratic party legislative caucus, agreed upon a series of amendments 
proposed by Governor Thomas R. Marshall, for submission to the 
voters of the State for ratification or rejection. This act of the 67th 
General Assembly of March 4, 1911, purported to be a new constitu- 
tion for the State. A citizen of Marion County, John T. Dye, brought 
suit in the Marion Circuit Court against Lew G. Ellingham, sec- 
retary of State, and the State election commissioners, enjoining said 
Ellingham from certifying for the election board this legislative act 
to the clerks of the counties, to prevent the election commissioners 
from placing a statement of the proposed constitution on the ballot 
to be voted at the next general election. Mr. Dye in his complaint 
contended that the act of submission Avas in direct violation of the 
existing constitution, which prescribes a definite way in which an 
amendment, or a series of amendments, shall be added to the consti- 
tution. When the mode of exercising the amending power is pre- 
scribed, then the power can be exercised in no other way. The 
people may form an original constitution, abrogate an old one and 
form a new one, without restriction except as restrained by the con- 
stitution of the United States, but if they undertake to add an amend- 
ment they must do it in the way laid down in the State constitution 
for its own amendment. 

By the defendants it was contended that the act provided not a 
series of amendments but a new constitution: that the people were 
not limited as to the method of making a new constitution; that the 
General Assembly, since there were no specific limitation on this 
power, might prescribe the mode by which the people should exer- 
cise it. And even though the act in question should be considered 
as a series of amendments, since the constitution does not prohibit 
this method of submission, it would be a valid process. 

Judge Remster, of the Marion County Circuit Court, in an able 
decision and after a full view of the case, decided that the legis- 
lative act of 1911 proposing the Marshall constitution Avas void, as 
being beyond the legislative power to draft a new constitution. 
(Dye vs. Ellingham.) Judge Remster held that this broad ])ower 
of constitution-making is inherent in the people. It is not conferred 
upon the General Assembly, nor can the people divest themsel/es 
of it. The power to propose amendments is not a i)ai-t of the gen- 
eral legislative power to be exercised Avhere there is no specific lim- 
itation, at the discretion of the General Assembly; but it was so 
clearly and specifically stated, that it must be exercised in the way 
laid down in the constitution and only in that way. The conclusion 



Woodbarn: Coastitation Making In Indiana 2bb 

reached by Judge Remster was that the proposed constitutiou 
or amendments are void and nugatory, consequently the same in law 
{IS an act entirely unauthorized by law.' 

This decision from an able and upright judge has quite gen- 
erally been regarded as sound in law. This decision upon appeal 
was virtually sustained by the Supreme Court of the United States 
which held that it had no jurisdiction in the case. 

This left the people of the State facing the two alternatives, 
whether they would seek reforms and amendments in their consti- 
tutional law by the slow and uncertain process of the present amend- 
ing power, or resort to the more democratic, thorough, and speedier 
process of a constitutional convention. It is this question which the 
people are asked to decide in the referendum vote next November. 
The convention has long been regarded as one of the greatest of our 
jjolitical inventions, the greatest agency by which democracy finds 
expression. It is designed for the express purpose of 'formulating 
the public law, to secure the popular rights, and to subordinate poAV- 
erful interests to the public welfare.'* 

*I wish to acknowledge the invaluable help I have received from Mr. Charles B. Kettle 
borough, of the Legislative Reference Bureau, in preparing this paper.— Jamks A. Woodbubn. 



JACKSON COUNTY PRIOR TO 1850 

Bv John C. Lazenby, A. B., Superintendent of Schools, Andrews, Indiana. 

INTRODUCTION 

In undertaking: an article of this sort, there must naturally be 
some limitations and the writer has limited himself to the four sub- 
jects indicated by the titles of the four chapters. This limits us to 
the consideration of the history of only two towns. Prior to 1815, 
Vallonia was the only settlement, and the history prior to that time, 
of course, centers around that settlement. 

After the location of the county seat at Brownstown, in 1816, 
that town became the center of activities and Vallonia made little 
j)rogress. Seymour, by far the largest town in the county, was not 
established till 1852 and hence is not included in the scope of 
this account. 

In the history, prior to 1815, there are many traditions to be 
dealt Avith, and little means of verifying them exist. The writer 
has compared the various accounts and has given what seems to be 
the most satisfactory version. Authorities are quoted in nearly 
every instance and where there seems to be doubt as to the authentic- 
ity of a statement, it is indicated. 

In the last three chapters, the establishment of the county, its 
organization, and the construction of county buildings are considered 
in more or less detail, in order to give an idea of the early county 
business and the methods by which it was carried on. Most of this 
information is taken directly from the county records, especially the 
commissioners' records, and hence it is well substantiated. 

; CHAPTER I. JACKSON COUNTY PRIOR TO 1815 

When one travels over the Driftwood and the Muscatatuck bot- 
toms of Jackson county today, it is difficult to realize the changes 
that the land has witnessed during the last hundred years. On 
every hand are beautiful and comfortable homes. Near them are 
well filled barns and surrounding both are well tilled fields, where 
one may see at the proper time of the year, bountiful crops of corn, 
M'heat, oats, watermelons, nutmegs, and cow peas together with gar- 
dens and orchards, while here and there still remain small tracts 
of virgin forests, whose stately oaks, ashes and beeches remind one 
of the time when only the Indian hunters broke the silence of the 



Lazenby : Jackson County Prior to 1S50 257 

forests, as they hunted bear, deer and wild turkey for their daily meat 
supply. According to early accounts, a week's supply of game 
could be killed in a half day.^ Single flocks of wild turkeys num- 
bered five hundred. Deer in winter ranged in herds of ten to 
twenty. There were shoals of fish in the river covering half an 
acre. Despite this abundance of game we of today find it difficult 
to realize the hard conditions that confronted the early settlers. We 
can picture them as they made their way up, or down the river or 
laboriously toiled through the trackless forests on foot, or horse- 
back, or in ox-wagons ; one can imagine them hewing out the logs 
for their new cabin home, or clearing the forest for the first crops, 
but we can never realize the hardships that such labor entailed. 

We can see thriving towns and villages now and do not stop 
to think that at one time none of these existed, or that the little village 
of Vallonia was once the only business center in the community or 
county. On August 15, and 16, of this year, this little village, the 
oldest in the county, celebrated its one hundredth anniversary. 
The earliest settlers came several years earlier than this but business 
activities really began in 1813. 

Tradition holds that there w^as a French settlement made at 
Vallonia in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and some per- 
sist in claiming the honor of its being the second oldest town in the 
State, although this last statement is the merest conjecture. How- 
ever, the descendants of the earliest settlers, such as the Durhams, 
Schewmakers and Ewings, assert on the authority of their fathers, 
that log cabins stood in the field once owned by Jackson Miller near 
Vallonia, when the first settlers came.^ Men sucn as Harrison, 
Durham, and Josiah Shewmaker, who died only a few years ago, and 
Columbus Ewing, still living, mention seeing these old log cabins 
in their early days. It is certain that there was a piece of cleared 
land here at the coming of the earliest settlers, but this may have 
been the work of Indians as Vallonia was on the direct line of travel 
between the settlements at Vincennes and Detroit, and as there was 
an abundance of fur-bearing animals in these regions, such a settle- 
ment is not at all unlikely.^ 

» Josiah Schewmaker, Brownstown Banner, August 26, 1874. 

» Brandt and Fuller, History of Jackson County, 1886, 380 ff. 

=> There is little doubt but that this neighborhood was a much frequented rendezvous for 
Indians. The fact that it was a hunting ground of the Indians makes it probable that at one 
time an outlying post from Vincennes was established here. The sluggish Driftwood was easily 
navigated, much more so than the swift Wabash or Ohio. 



268 Indiana Mnxjazine of Histoni 

Accordiug to Benton's Rcmviiscenccs'^ there Avas a French and In- 
dian trading; post located, for facility in transportation, at the con- 
liiience of the Mnscatatuck and White rivers and there was a smaller 
post over at the site of Vallonia bearing the French name of 
"Vallon" meaning- "a little valley." This may have had some 
connection Avith the name Yalloniai. However he attributes the 
real origin of the name to Thomas E^ving, Avho being a great reader 
came across the word in Worcester's Dictionary, meaning or signi- 
fying "Valley of Valleys" and thought it an appropriate name for 
the settlement, because of its situation in the beautiful White 
.River Valley."' 

The territory embraced in Jackson county was acquired from the 
Indians by three different treaties. The treaty of 1805, made Aug. 
21, 1805 at Grouseland near Vincennes, ceded all the land lying 
•south of a line running from near Brookville in Franklin county to 
the northeast corner of the Vincennes tract in Orange county and 
included the southeast corner of Jackson county. The second treaty 
was known as the Harrison Purchase and was made at Fort Wayne, 
September 30, 1809. It included the northwest corner of Jackson 
county by a line running from a point on the Wabash in Parke 
county to its intersection with the line of 1805, in Hamilton township, 
two and a half miles west of Seymour. The final treat}- of 1818, 
the "New Purchase," carried with it the remaining northeast corner 
of the county. The treaty of 1805 was ratified by the Senate in 
1806 and in 1807 the boundary line above described was located.'' 

There is a mass of traditions as to the first settlers, and there 
are no means of substantiating them. In the County History of 
1886 mention is made of Peter Audrian who settled Avith his family 
near Vallonia in 1805.^ This is the earliest settlement of which any 

* John H. Benton in his " Early History and Indian Reminiscences of Vallonia and Jack- 
Bon County." (This sketch was written by John H. Benton, now past his eightieth year and 
residing in Washington, D. C, to be read at the Vallonia Centennial held this year. Mr. Benton 
is a member of the well known Benton family of Brownstown, and is always referred to by cit- 
izens of Jackson County as the best local authority on its history. His work will be frequently 
referred to in this work as "Benton's Reminiscences." They are published in the Brownstown 
Banner of August 20, 27 and September 3, 1913.) 

= Mr. Benton quotes as his authority for this statement an article published more than 
fifty years ago by the Honorable Wm. H. Graham, but he does not state where the article may be 
found. Possibly he has it as a clipping. Mr. Graham was quite a scholar and a member of the 
Territorial Legislature and of the First Constitutional Convention, which facts would tend to 
confirm his authority. The word "Vallonia" can be found in the dictionary to-day, derived from 
a Greek word "balania," "balanidia," which relates to a certain kind of an oak tree. 

« Benton's Reminiscences. 

' Ref.; Brandt and Fuller's History of Jackson County, S81, ff. The history quotes as its 
authority a published article of nearly fifty years ago, previous to 1880, when the history was 
published, but it does not name its authority. 



Lazmbij: Jackson County Prior to JSoO 259 

mention has been found. Not long- after 1805 Silas MeCullick set- 
tled here, married a squaw of the Ox tribe of Indians and raised 
several children by her.^ 

It is a generally accepted fact that Aquilla and Henry Rogers 
settled near Vallonia in the fall of 1807 or in the spring of 1808.^ 
The Rogerses were said to have been associates of Aaron Burr, who 
sought refuge in the wilds of JacKson county. They are said to have 
come down the Ohio in canoes and landed at Charlestown landing. 
From there they made their way to Jackson county. Aquilla Rogers 
settled about two miles south of Vallonia on what is now the Peter 
Meahl place. ^^ The cabin, which he is said to have built, is still 
standing and its pitcure appeared not long ago in the Indiana- 
polis Star. Later, Aquilla Rogers went away and returned 
with a wife. They continued to live here till 1819 when they went 
farther to the northwest where it is said their descendants live to 
this day.^^ 

An article in the Jackson County Democrat of 1852 mentions a 
man by the name of Huffman who is believed to have settled in Jack- 
son county but the exact spot is not known. ^^ His son was cap- 
tured at the Pigeon Roost Massacre, carried oft' to Canada, and was 
afterward restored through efforts of the United States government. 
According to a statement by Columbus Ewing, James Hutchinson 
and others settled here as early as 1807. ^^ 

The first land entries were made in June, 1808, by Thomas 
Ewing and William Pravens, both of Clark county.^* They entered 
the northwest and southwest quarters of section 31 town 5, range 4, 
lying along the river at or below the present railroad bridge beloAv 
Vallonia. In 1809, Samuel Ewing of Perryville, Ky., and father 
of Thomas entered fractional sections 29 and 30 containing 1006 
acres, the entire tract lying along the Indian bundary line east of 
the town. However, it is not known that Ewing ever visited the 
town at any time. In 1809, entries were also made by James 
Hutchinson, Isaac Holeman and Thomas Smith. In 1810 there were 

' This is also mentioned by Jas. Burcham, in his reminiscences, published in the Browns- 
town Banner, January 3, 1874, but the name is spelled slightly differently. 

9 This fact is mentioned in nearly all the articles and authorities investigated, but there is 
a difference of opinion as to whether Aquilla was accompanied by his brother Henry or not. 

»» Seymour Daily Republican, August 6, 1913. 

'» The date 1819 is evidently wrong, for there is mention of Aquilla Rogers in the Commis- 
sioners' Record of Jackson County for August 22, 1822. 

»2 This article is quoted in Brandt and Fuller's History of Jackson County, p. 382, but there 
are no files of the Brownstown papers earlier than that of the Banner, beginning in 1869. 

■^ This is a statement quoted by Mr. Benton. Columbus K. Ewing, son of Thomas Ewing 
and grandson of James Hutchinson, who were among the early settlers, is still living near Val- 
lonia. He was born in 1833, but is still remarkably active for a man of eighty. 

'* Benton's Reminiscence*. 



260 I)}(liava Ma(i<izine of lUstonj 

five entries, ineliuliiig the names of James McGee, Samuel Bureham. 
Abraham Hart, and Robert Sturgeon who was later killed by the 
Indians. His entry, section 8, tOM'n 4, rangfe 4, was completed in 
1815 by William Graham, member of the Convention of 1816, who 
lived on it till his death in 1853. In 1811, William Davenport, Jacob 
Persinger, and Thomas Ewing Avere the only patentees. Ewing en- 
tered the southwest quarter of section 20, town 4, range 4, situated 
along the Muscatatuck at Millport, and it w^as assigned to John 
DePauw for mill and ferry purposes. There was no entry in 1812 
and only one, by James Dowden, in 1813. The lands entered prior to 
1811 were generally occupied by their owners. 

James Bureham in his reminiscences tells lio\v his father and 
family came in 1810, and settled a little northwest of the M. B. Singer 
place. He relates how- they came up the river, landed in the evening, 
made preparations to camp for the night, and hoAv they prepared to 
build a home. The building was small, but eight families, all there 
were in the county, were called in to help. However, more people 
came in that year and the next. He gives the names and the locations 
of the farms of several of the neighboring settlers. There Avere no 
civil officers, except the justice and constable, till after the war, and 
Mr. Bureham claims that persons desiring to marry had only to 
post three notices ten days ahead and call in a justice. 

According to the Indiana Ga:zcttecr, Vallonia was laid out in 
1810 by John McAfee, Thomas EAving, and J. B. Durham. This Avas 
l,he frontier settlement during the War of 1812 and Avas much ex- 
posed. The houses w^ere AA^ell fortified and the citizens were always 
ready Avhen called upon for ranger service. i'"' Other early settlers 
besides those mentioned, AA^ere Judge McGee, McKinney Carter, 
William CrenshaAV, William Graham, Vincent Lockman, Major Beem, 
George Isminger, Leonard C. SchcAvmaker, Thomas Carr, Daniel 
McCoy, William DoAvden, Robert Holmes, John Sage, and many oth- 
ers who have been prominent in Jackson county history. 

Ewing, McAfee and Durham together with Thomas Carr all had 
been residents of Mercer county, Kentucky, but had lately moved 
over to Clark county, Indiana Territory, and had come from there 
to form the settlement at Vallonia. William Graham, already mention- 
ed as a scholar and a man of political influence, came directly from 
Kentucky. Josiah ScheAvinaker estimates that betAveen thirty and 
forty families Avere in the county in 1814. Of these, three-fourths 
Avere from Kentucky, and the other fourth from Tennessee, A'irginia. 
and a feAv from the eastern States. Most of the families Avere above 

" Chamberlaiu's Iwliana Gazetlerr, 1849, 40(>. 



Lazenby : Jackson County Prior to 1850 261 

the average iu intelligence. ^^ Food was scarce for the early set- 
tlers. The first of them had to bring their corn with them. Sassa- 
fras tea was used. Hominy could always he had when there was 
a good corn crop, and generally some kind of meal, though it had to 
be ground in a hand mortar at first.^" Burcham says that Aquila 
Kogers had a mill on the branch at Vallonia in 1810, but other state- 
ments differ as to who owned it and as to the time of starting it. 
Other mills were built later, but they could not supply the demand, 
and usually standing grists were kept at the mill. Saw mills aiid 
distilleries were often found in connection with the grist mills. One 
of the best patronized mills was that run by the DePauws at Millport 
on the Muscatatuck. 

The Indians were peaceable until the early part of 1812,^^ when 
the War of 1812 broke out there were signs of Indian hostility. Cap- 
tain John Berry, Thomas Ewing, James Rogers, Michael Beem, Alex- 
ander Craig, and William Graham, constituted a party of six, who, in 
1811 went in search of a horse stolen from a man named Lindsey 
in Washington county. They pursued the Indians ten miles north 
of the site of Indianapolis and had many thrilling experiences. 
Thomas Ewing came near shooting a friendly Delaware Indian. 
When one of the party woke up in the morning after a heavy rain, 
lie found himself sleeping in a puddle of water. Hewever, they 
finally met some friendly Delaware Indians who guided them back 
to Fort Vallonia which they reached in January 1812. ^^ 

Ketcham. in his autobiography, as quoted by Benton (Benton's 
Reminiscences) also gives an account of the killing of Hint on in 
the Cherry Bottoms near the Shield's bridge on April 7, 1812. Hin- 
ton with his family lived with the families of Cox and Ruddick about 
two and one half miles above where Brownstown now stands. Hin- 
ton's killing, while in search of his horse, was the first act of Indian 
hostility. He was scalped and his body thrown into the shallow 
water at the river's edge. Most of the horses were stolen. As a 
result two companies of rangers were sent to Vallonia to guard the 
settlers. Two other men were killed about the same time, who, ac- 
cording to James F. Burcham, were Daniel and Jacob Solida who 
were killed the same day, one a few miles, the other several miles 
southeast of Sparks, then McGoAvan's ferry. 

'« Josiah Schewmaker, Brownstown Banner, August 26, 1874. 

" Brownstown Banner, September 2, 1S74. 

18 Mr. Benton quotes from an autobiography of John Ketcham, which he possesses, as fol- 
lows: "In April, ISll. he settled on fractional section 4, town 5, range 4 (at Brownstown.) 
The Indians were numerous and friendly in that portion of the territon- until after the Tippe- 
canoe battle, November 7, 1811. at which the Delaware tribes expressed dissatisfaction and many 
Indians, but not all, left our part of the county for the North." 

1' Brandt and Fuller's History nf Jackson County, 316. 



262 Indiana Mar/azine of History 

Ketcham also says that tliere were upAvards of seventy families 
liere at the beo:innin<]r of the War.-*^ Those remaining built block 
houses and forts for their safety, John Sage built a fort on his 
place near the site of the White Church; Abraham Huff and others 
built one near the mouth of what is now Huff creek; John Ketcham 
and other built one where Brownstown now stands, although this 
is disputed by some; and James Burcham one on what is now the 
M, B. Singer farm. James Burcham, in his reminiscences, gives 
a good description of the fort and states that it was occupied by 
nine families during the War. There were two skirmishes and fre- 
quent alarms there during the war but no bloodshed. 

However, the principal fort Avas at Vallonia. This fort consist- 
ed of a stockade enclosing about one and one half acres, and was 
formed of puncheons ten feet in height, planted three feet in the 
ground. Blockhouses were built at each corner to guard against ap- 
proach to its sides, and the Vallonia branch runnning through it 
lurnished a bountiful supply of fresh water. It was not completed 
■.mtil January, 1813. There were no attacks, but frequent alarms 
and constant efforts at horse stealing by the Indians, ^i 

Mr. Benton mentions the fact that there was published in the 
Brownstown Banner in the fall of 1864 a letter from Captain John 
Zenor, dated at Corydon in 1812. The letter relates that he came on 
the invitation of the settlers from that place to Vallonia in that year 
to help eat a Fourth of July dinner. In the same letter he relates 
that he helped draw a seine in White River that afternoon, that the 
"rumors of Indian disturbances were without foundation" and that 
on their return some of the men drank too much whiskey of which 
there was always a bountiful supply. One of the men lost his 
blanket over on Walnut Ridge and failed to find it on a return trip 
of several miles. Captain John Tipton, who left Corydon July 5, 
was at Vallonia about the same time, and the two companions re- 
turned together according to the Captain's account. 

The Pigeon Roost Massacre occurred September 8, 1812, at which 
twenty-three men, women and children were killed. This caused 
great alarm on the part of the settlers and increased Avatchfulness 

•'" other authorities say were there ninety. Brandt and YwWer's History oj Jaelcson Covnty, 
315, says there were ninety-three, of whom seventy moved away and the names of the twenty- 
three remaining are given. 

^' This description of the fort was given Mr. Benton by Josiah Sehewmaker before his 
death in 1893. Mr. Sehewmaker saw the fort while it was still occupied, when he came with his 
parents from Knox County, Kentucky, in 1814. 



Lazenbij: Jachon Count;/ Prior to ISoO 263 

ill the various forts.-- In the same mouth occurred the murder of 
Buskirk and Sturgeon. Ketcham's account says that Absalom 
Buskirk and his brother-in-law, said to be either Ketcham or Reddick, 
took a two-horse team to the fields to get corn and pumpkins.^^ 
Either in the fields or on the return home Buskirk was killed, and 
his tAvo horses were taken by the Indians. The body Avas brought 
to Ketcham's fort that evening. The next day John Johnson, Rob- 
ert Sturgeon, and others, came and took it to Huff's fort for burial. 
As they returned home Sturgeon was killed. Mr. Benton relates 
the details of the killing- as they were given to him, in 1855, by 
Frederick Miller, who was a nine-year-old boy in the fort at the 
time. He says that Sturgeon, in the face of warning from the rest, 
proposed to be the first to reach the fort. The rest of the party had 
hardly reached the top of the hill by the Half-mile Branch, above 
Vallonia, when they heard shots, and rushing forward, they saw Stur- 
geon down on the ground and surrounded by savages. A shot had 
broken the wrist of his bridle hand which caused him to be throAATi 
from his horse and placed at the mercy of the savages. That night 
a party of six composed of Abraham Miller, Thomas Ewing, Richard 
and Neely Beem, Joseph Breton and a sixth whose name could not 
be recalled,-* went to the scene of the murder, tied up the body in 
a blanket, and brought it to the fort. They were accompanied on 
this errand by fierce dogs. 

In 1812, Captain Duvall of Salem, according to Ketcham's ac- 
count, while scouting up White river with a squad of men, came 
across the Indians laden with the spoils of the Pigeon Roost Massa- 
cre. Those that were mounted cast off their packs and escaped, 
but two that were on foot shot John Zink who pursued them. He 
was taken to Ketcham's fort, was attended by Dr. Lamb, of Salem, 
but died before reaching Vallonia, on his Avay to Salem.^-" 

=2 Columbus Ewing says his mother related to him that some of the settlers of Vallonia 
visited the scene of the Massacre and brought home some of the bloody clothing, which was 
washed and used. He accounts for the settlers being there because of the scarcity of mills in the 
vicinity of Vallonia, which caused the settlers to visit mills in that locality. 

-3 There are various conflicting accounts of these murders. The one given, is that by John 
H. Benton, based on Ketcham's "Autobiography." Columbus Ewing asserts that Buskirk was 
hunting when shot, and not hauling corn and pumpkins ; and that Sturgeon's foolhardiness was 
caused by intoxication. Mr. Benton states, on the authority of his mother, that Buskirk was 
murdered near the crossing of Brownstown and Ewing streets in the town of Brownstown. 
Ketcham's account is the one most frequently given. 

" This is the authority of Columbus Ewing, whose father, Thomas Ewing, was in the com- 
panv. 

■'■ Ketcham mentions in this connection the killing of old Mr. HuflTman, the wounding of 
his wife and daughter, and the capture of his son, which is referred to earlier as happening at the 
Pigeon Roost Massacre. Ketcham says it occurred later in the year at or near the scene of the 
Massacre. He says the boy went away with the Indians again after he was ransomed. 



264 Indiana Magazine of History 

111 1813, trouble began by the killing of George Doom, (in some 
eases spelled Dome) a militiaman, and the severe wounding of Ket- 
cham himself, according to Keteham's account, while they Avere re- 
turning from an errand at the home of Joshua Lindsey, a couple 
of miles above the site of Brownstown, on what is now the Roekport 
road. A lieutenant, with twenty men, came from Vallouia and car- 
ried the dead body back to Lindsey 's where they stayed all night. 
Next day they left William Ruddick and two others to bury him, and 
went on a fruitless search after the Indians. On the same day Rud- 
dick and his companions were ambushed. In the affray Ruddick 
Avas slightly injured and one of the Indians was severely injured. 

Captain John Tipton mentions the killing of Doom in his offi- 
cial report of "Aprille" 24, 1813, as occurring on March 18. In the 
same spring Tipton was promoted to the rank of major, and placed 
in command of the fort at Vallonia. When he arrived at the fort. ev- 
idently, after the killing of Doom, he took twenty-nine men- went 
up Driftwood river twenty-five miles, and met a party of Indians on 
an island in the river. Here a fight ensued, which Tipton character- 
ized as a "smart skirmish" lasting only twenty minutes. He dis- 
lodged the Indians from the island, and forced them to swim to 
safety, leaving their boats behind. According to the Captain's ac- 
count, one Indian was killed on the ground and several were seen 
to sink in the river.26 The battle must have been fought shortly 
before or after April 1, 1813. 

The Captain's report, as given by Benton, further states that 
on April 16, 1813, two men were killed, one wounded and eight 
horses stolen by the Indians eight miles northAvest of Vallonia. 
Ketcham in his autobiography says that this happened in the Fliiin 
settlement near Leesville. One of the men killed was a Mr. Guthrie, 
the other, reported killed, was a Mr. Flinn, who was captured, but 
escaped and made his way back in the fall of 1814.^' Burcham 
tells of the great alarm caused by the news and how" all the neigh- 
bors sought refuge in his father's fort. Captain John Tipton, .ac- 
cording to his journal, followed the Indians for three daj's Avith 
thirty-one men. But a surprise Avas prevented by the premature 
firing by one of the advance guards. Ketcham relates that Tipton 
Avas so angry over this that he Avept like a child and Avas tempted 
to tomahawk the offending person. 

'* The hundredth anniversary of the battle ol Tipton's Island was celebrated by a sham bat- 
tle and the erection of a monument on the site of the battle about two miles north of Seymour. 
The thousand-dollar monument was contributed by Tipton S. Blist, of Seymour, a descendant of 
General Tipton. For a fuller account, see the Indianapolis News, June 14, 1913. See also Indiana 
Magazine of History, December, 1913. 

*' Brownstown Banner, July 15, 1874. 



Lazenhy : Jackson County Prior to 1860 265 

Ketcham also relates that iii the spring of 1813, four companies 
of mounted rangers were authorized by the general government to be 
organized at Lawreneeburg, Madison, Charleston, and Vincennes. 
The Charleston company, commanded by Captain James Bigger, was 
made up mainly at that place but was recruited at Vallonia by ten 
or twelve men who had been shut up in blockhouses and forts in the 
fork of White river for more than a year. Ketcham was the or- 
derly sergeant of the company. The companies of Captain Bigger, 
and of Captain Williamson Dunn from Madison, which had collect- 
ed at Vallonia about the middle of June, went, under General Joseph 
Bartholomew, to the upper Indian towns on the West Fork of White 
river. During the two years service that followed, the only en- 
counter was at Strawtown in Hamilton county. Ketcham described 
the battle and told of the wounding of David Hayes. He was carried 
on a horse litter to the mouth of Flatrock above Columbus where 
two canoes were made to carry him to Vallonia, where his wife and 
family were ; but he died soon after reaching there. 

According to Benton, the son of Hayes, George W., contest^ 
with Ewiug Durham the distinction of being the first white child 
born in the county. Both were born in the fort in January ISTJ. 
Ewing Durham was born January -3, 1812, but Hayes could not tell. 
the exact date of his birth which leaves the matter in doubt. -^ An- 
other authority claims that Catharine Miller, daughter of Abraham 
Miller, was the first, being born in 1811. 

A considerable number of peaceful Indians remained in Jackson 
county after 1813, the stockades at Vallonia and the neighboring 
places continued to be kept up until 1814, and the settlers were care- 
ful to avoid surprises.-^ Burcham says that the settlers kept sol- 
diers in the field during the summer and fall of 1814. Captain 
Bigger was still in command at Vallonia and different families kept 
from one to five soldiers as they were able. 

In 1813, when the territorial General Assembly met at Vincennes, 
the capital was changed to Corydon. William Graham from Val- 
lonia, representative from Washington county, Samuel Milroy and 
an unnamed third person were appointed as a committee to select the 
new capital. Mr. Graham cast the minority vote for Vallonia 
•xhich made it lack one vote of becoming the capital of the territory 
and for a Avhile the capital of the State.^o While it is a little past 

^8 Brandt and Fuller's History of Jacksan County, 391. 

=5 Brownstown Banner, July 15, 1874. 

'» This is Mr. Benton's account. He designates it as a story. The citizens of Vallonia are 
fond of repeating it, but the writer is rather skeptical, as he has never seen it verified from the 
official records. 



266 In(h'((}}a Maffazine of History 

the period -with which Ave are dealing, Tipton's account of his jour- 
ney to Indianapolis in 1820 to select a site for the new State capital 
is also worth noticing at this point. His daily account of the jour- 
ney sheds some interesting light on his sojourn here in earlier years.^^ 
Tipton started from Corydon May 17, 1820, stopped at Salem on the 
18th, and left there at eleven a.m. He crossed the Muscatatuck at 
a cost of 25 cts. and stopped at Colonel Durham's in Vallonia who 
was also a commissioner. Here they found Gen. Joseph Bartholo- 
jnew, also one of the commissioners. Gen. John Carr, and Captain 
Dueson (spelling doubtful) of Charleston, who were going out to look 
at tlie country. From here the account is given in his own words 
as follows : 

Friday 19: — We set out early. Stopped at Brownstown, had 
breakfast, paid 50c. Set out at Yz p. 9. At I stopt at Captain J. Sliields. 
After dinner we set out. Captain Sliields went with us. This evening 
crossed the river at the lower rapids. After traveling about seven miles 
thru good land, encamped and stretched our tents near a pond. This is 
the first time I have stretched or slept in a tent since 1814. Sat. 20th, Capt. 
C Shields left us and returned home. We set out before sunrise. At 45 p. 6, 
came to John Ruddick's who lives on section 9, Township 8, north of range 
6 west. Fine land. Paid 62% cts-. At 15 p. 12 came to upper rapids of 
Driftwood at the place where we made a bark canoe to carry a wounded 
man down to Vallonia, on the 20th of June 1813.^51 Stopt. Let our horses 
graze. Set out at one and at 15 p. came to John Berry's who lives on 
S. 5, T. 10 N., R. 5, E. Good land, good water and timber. 

Following this is the account of his trip to the present site of 
Indianapolis, and the picking of the site. In this account, he men- 
tions camping on Sunday, May 21, 1820, at a place where he camped 
with General Bartholomew in June 1813. On the same day he found 
a tree on which he had carved his initials when lie was there seven 
years before. On his return trip he stopped over night with Cap- 
tain J. Shields, breakfasted at Brownstown, called on Colonel Dur- 
ham and William Graham at Vallonia, and on General DePaiiAv at 
Millport. From there he went to Salem for the night and tlien on 
to Corydon. He was gone, in all, twenty-seven days for which 
he received $58. 

^' This portion of the diary is copied from the Indianapolis News, April 17 and 10, 1879. 
^> This must have been David Hayes, previously referred to iii connection with the battle 
at Strawtown, Hamilton County. 



Lazeiibij: Jackson Coiintt/ Prior to 1850 267 

CHAPTER II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNTY AND ITS 

DIVISIONS 

Jackson couuty was created by the act of the territorial General 
vkssembly, approved December 18, 1815. By that act, the boundar- 
ies were laid down as follows: Beginning at a point on the East 
Fork of the White river, where the line dividing sections 4 and 5, 
in range 2, east, town 3, north, crosses the same, thence due north 
to the Indian Boundary line, thence with said boundary line east- 
ward to the point where the said line intersects the northern bound- 
ary line of the Grouseland purchase, thence with the last mentioned 
]ine eastwardly to the point where the line dividing ranges 7 and 8, 
east, crosses the same, thence with the last mentioned line west to the 
east fork of Muscatatuck river, thence down said river, with the 
meanders thereof, to the junction of Driftwood Fork of White river 
thence down the same, with the meanders thereof, to the place 
of beginning. 

The county was called Jackson after the hero of New Orleans, 
and was granted all the rights, privileges and jurisdiction which be- 
long to a separate county, with the provision that all legal proceed- 
ings already begun in the then counties of Washington and Jefferson, 
from which the ncAv county was formed, should be completed in those 
counties and that all territorial and county taxes already due in the 
bounds of the new county should be collected and paid in the same 
manner as if the new county had not been formed. 

Alexander A. Meek, a well known lawyer of Jefferson county, 
Josepli Bartholomew of Clark county, Peter Mcintosh of Harrison 
county, Ralph Cotton of Switzerland county, and William Lindley 
of Washington county Avere appointed to select a permanent seat of 
justice for the count}^, and were directed to meet at the house of John 
Ketcham on Driftwood river on the second Monday of February next, 
1816. The associate judges of the circuit court, were, within twelve 
months after establishing the seat of justice, to erect the necessary 
buildings thereon. Until the county seat was selected and suitable 
accommodations made, all county business was to be transacted 
at Vallonia. 

As soon as the Indian title to the lands north of and adjoining the 
lands already purchased, and sold by the United State was secured, 
all that tract of country north of the said county of Jackson, and 
south of the line dividing to^^Tiships 7 and 8, north, and lying be- 
tween ranges 3 and 8, east, was to be attached to and become a part 
of the said county of Jackson, and the said line dividing townships 



268 Indiana Magazine of History 

7 and 8, north, should be the pennaneut northern boundary ol: tlu^ 
county. The permanent northern boundary of Jefferson county was 
•established in the same act and provision was made for the organiza- 
tion of a new county to the east of Jackson as soon as the inhabitants 
amounted to two hundred rank and file on the muster roll. This 
became Jennings county in 1816, and a small strip off the eastern 
part of Jackson county was added to it. 

At the session of the special court for county purposes, heUl at 
Vallonia on May 7, 1816, by Associate Judges Kitchell and Ketcham, 
the county Avas divided into Jackson, Brownstown, Driftwood, and 
Flinn towuships.^^ Jackson township began on the Muscatatuck 
river,^^ two miles east of range 4, thence running due north to the 
Indian boundary. All east of said boundary or line was to form the 
one township liamed as above. 

Brownstown township was bounded by the western line of Jack- 
son township. Beginning at the mouth of Griffey's creek, it ex- 
tended up the said creek, thence with the knobs to opposite the Half- 
Mile Branch above Vallonia, thence to the mouth of the Branch and 
finally in a north course to the Indian boundary. 

Driftwood township was bounded on the east side by Brown- 
stown township to the Driftwood river, thence down said river to a 
point Avhere the line east would leave Samuel Burcham on the south 
side of the said line and a line south from that point would divide 
the farms of the said Burcham and McKinney Carter and to continue 
till it strikes the Muscatatuck, thence with the boundary of the county 
to the beginning. 

All the rest of the county was to be called Flinn township, as the 
Flinn 's were prominent settlers there. On May 8, 1816, slight 
changes were made in the boundaries of Brownsto^vn and Jackson 
townships and of Brownstown and Flinn townships. On December 
6th, 1816, and February 10th, 1817 the boundaries of Driftwood and 
Flinn townships were rearranged. 

On May 11, 1818, Jesse Evans, John Arthur, and others petitioned 
the commissioners for a new township southeast of Brownstown town- 
ship. The commissioners ordered that the township be called Grassy 
Fork and that it be laid out beginning at the Muscatatuck where 
line crosses that river in range 4, town 4, thence between sections 

3» Most of the following account is gathered from the County Commissioners' Records in 
the auditor's oflBce at Brownstown. Separate references are not given, as they can be found by 
the date, which will be given in most instances. 

'' It is interesting to note the various ways of spelling this name. In the early records, it 
is spelled in every conceivable way. The most usual way now is Muscatatuck. See the article 
on "Indiana Geographical Nomenclature" in the Indiana Magazine of History, September, 1912. 



Lazenby : Jackson County Prior to 1850 269 

21 and 22, thence nortli to the line dividing towns 4 and 5 to Grassy 
Fork creek, thence up that creek to an east line dividing section 17 
and 18 to the river. 

On May 8, 1820, in response to a petition from sundry inhabi- 
tants of Brownstown township, the new township of Hamilton was 
established on the north side of Driftwood river so as to include all 
that part of Brownstown tow^nship which lay on the north side of 
said river above White creek, including all that part of the New 
Purchase on the north side of the river as far as the county line. 

At the May session, 1821, a petition from sundry inhabitants of 
Jackson county from the Salt creek settlement asked for a new 
township running eastward with the line between townships 5 and 
6, from the county line to the White river Knobs, thence running with 
the Knobs to the county line adjoining the late purchase, thence with 
the county line to the place of beginning. In response to the peti- 
tion, the board ordered the township, or election district, to be es- 
tablished, agreeable to the above petition, with the boundaries named 
and bearing the name of Salt creek township. 

On August 13, 1821, Redding township was established. As laid 
out, the boundaries began on the Brookville road above Crane's 
where the said road crossed the section line dividing the sections 23 
and 24 in to\\Ti 6, range 5, thence on the Brookville road to the county 
line, thence north to Sand creek, down that creek to Driftwood river, 
thence down the river to the section line dividing sections 13 and 14, 
and along that line south to the beginning. Arrangements were 
also made for the time and place of holding elections. On Febru- 
ary 11, 1822, a small part of Jackson toAvnship was added to Red- 
ding township. 

Since the General Assembly had taken off the west part of the 
county which was then a part of Flinn township, and attached it to 
Lawrence county,^^ on February 10, 1823 Flinn to-\\Tiship was abol- 
ished. All of Driftwood township west of Driftwood river was at- 
tached to the township formerly' named Flinn and the whole was to 
be called Carr toAATiship after a prominent family of the district. 
The only other change in the county boundary was in 1828. when 
the northern boundary of the county was extended. Slight changes 
w^ere also made in the boundary betw^een Brownstown and Jackson 
townships on February 13, 1831. On January 3, 1832, the com- 
missioners ordered all land on the east side of Vernon Fork of the 
Museatatuck to be separated from Grassy Fork township and to be 
called Vernon township. May 6, 1833, upon the petition of citizens 

" Laws of Indiana, 182'2-23, 27. 



270 Indiana Maf/azine of History 

of Carr aud Salt creek townships, the Board of Commissioners took 
into consideration the propriety of laying off the new township of 
Owen and making three out of the two named above. This was 
ordered to be done, but the boundaries as laid down by the commis- 
sioners are ill defined. 

Finally in the early part of 1841, the boundaries of each town- 
ship were rearranged and clearly defined, and Washington township 
was created. Since then, slight changes have been made among 
them, changes in the boundaries of Carr and Owen townships, on 
June 7, 1842, and March 7, 1843. Other changes were made but 
the general outline of the townships has remained practically the 
same to the present day. 

CHAPTER III. COUNTY ORGANIZATION 

Agreeable to the action of the General Assembly of the Indiana 
Territory authorizing the associate judges of the circuit courts to 
hold special courts for county purposes etc., the associate judges of 
Jackson county met in the town of Vallonia January 3, 1816.^*^ The 
commission of Joseph Kitchell as first associate judge was produced : 
and being sworn according to law to support the constitution of the 
United States, and having taken the oath more effectually to prevent 
duelling, passed by the General Assembly in 1814, Kitchell took his 
seat, as soon as the said oaths were certified on the back of tlie com- 
mission and the commission publicly read. The same procedure 
was followed in the case of John Ketcham, the second associate 
judge, and the two were seated together. John Milro.y took the oath 
as clerk and recorder, and Wickliff Kitchell as sheriff. 

At the same session, it was ordered, on motion, that the petition 
of sundry inhabitants for a review of a road from John Ketcham 's 
to the corner of section 24 on the Indian boundary be read, and that 
viewers be appointed to view and lay out a road by the nearest and 
best way from said Ketcham 's to the corner of said section. The 
same petition further prayed that viewers be appointed to vicAv and 
lay out a road from Joseph Kitchell's where the Quaker road now 
turns oft' from the road above mentioned, then to get the "neardesf 
and best way to intersect the county road leading from Madison to 
Deputy's settlement. Said petition being read the first time it was 
ordered to be filed. On motion, ordered that the court adjourn till 
nine o'clock the next day. Such were the proceedings of the 
j'lrst day. 

^* Most of the material for this chapter has been drawn from Commissioners' Kecords, Ijut 
some other sources are used. Reference to the records may be made by the date given. 



Lazenhy : Jacksot County Prior to IS/jO 211 

On the second day, William Graham, Henry Rogers, and John 
Sage were appointed trustees to lease School section 16, town 4, range 
4. Isaac Scott was recommended for coroner, and Richard Wells and 
Charles Cole for justices of the peace. On motion it was ordered 
that James Hutchinson be appointed supervisor of roads, to have 
all the hands above the creek running through Vallonia to the creek 
on which Crabb's mill is built, and to work the road from Vallonia 
to the creek between John Ketcham's and Robert Rogers'. John 
McCormick and Isaac Holman were also appointed road supervisors, 
and the limits of their jurisdiction laid down including New Nat- 
chez.3'^ Isaac Scott, James Salmon, and John Lindsey were appoint- 
ed viewers of the road from Ketcham 's to the Indian boundary. 
Solomon Reddick, William Reddick, and Enoch Cox were appointed 
viewers to view the road from the house of Joseph Kitchell to inter- 
sect the road from Madison to Deputy's settlement. Samuel Bur- 
cham and Zephaniah Dowden were appointed supervisors from the 
creek in Vallonia to the "Mishachatack." Jesse Durham, John 
Reddick, and William Reddick w«re appointed overseers of the 
poor, McKinney Carter was appointed constable. The court then 
adjourned sine die. 

At a special session, February 15, 1816, the report of the com- 
missioners, appointed at the last session of the General Assembly, to 
fix the county seat was heard, but this will be treated in an- 
other chapter. 

On May 6, 1816, William Flinn and James Trotter Avere ap- 
pointed justices of the peace for Guthrie's or Flinn 's settlement. On 
May 8, tavernkeeper's were ordered to pay $1.00 to the clerk and 
.$2.00 to the local authorities at the place of business. The list of 
charges for victuals and drink is left vacant. 

On July 10, 1816, the salary of the judges was rated at two 
dollars per day and the sheriff was allowed $8.75 for keeping William 
Shields as prisoner for eight days. His bill included charges for 
the board of the prisoner and for the board and hire of the guard. 

On September 16, 1816, Cyrus Douglass succeeded Joseph Kitchell 
as first associate judge. On January 7, 1817 associate judges, Cyrus 
Douglas, and John Ketcham, were each allowed twenty dollars for 
their year's services, and sheriff Wicklift' Kitchell Avas allowed fifty 
dollars as his salary for the year 1816. On June 30, 1817, there was 
a special session of court under Leonard C. Schewmacher and James 
McGee, but here the commissioners supplant the judges and the 

" This was a town laid off on paper, North-east of Brownstowu, by Joseph Kitchell. as a 
rival claimant for county seat honors. No town was ever built there. 



272 Indiana Magazine of HIsfori/ 

court records change to the commissioners' record. On February 
10, 1817, Abraham Huff, John Reddick, and Thomas Carr qualified 
as commissioners according to the law passed by the General Assem- 
bly, December 17, 1816. They ordered that the qualified electors 
ttlect three justices of the peace in Driftwood township, three in 
Brownstown township, two in Jackson, and two in Flinn township, 
the election to be held on February 22, 1817. May 13, 1817, Alex- 
ander C. Craig was appointed county treasurer. On August 11, 
1817 Leonard C. Schewmaker and James McGee were allowed $18.00 
each for services as associate judges, and Cyrus Douglas was alloAved 
$4.00 for the same. Wickliff Kitchell, former sheriff, was allowed 
$19.01 for former services. On November 11, 1817, William Cren- 
shaw is mentioned as clerk and was ordered to procure a county 
seal in the shape of a piece of ordnance. On May 11, 1818, Charles 
Crabb was appointed lister with about the same duties as the present 
assessor. On February 18, 1819 the same Mr. Crabb was appointed 
commissioner by the associate judges in place of John Reddick who 
resigned. Crabb was succeeded on August 9, 1819 by Mordecai Red- 
dick. May 11, of that year, Jonas Crane was appointed inspector of 
flour, beef, and pork in the county. Mordecai Reddick was suc- 
ceeded by James Hamilton, as commissioner, on August 12, 1822. 
August 13, of that year, John Elliot was appointed county treasurer 
in place of Alexander C. Craig, deceased, and he was succeeded Feb- 
ruary 10, 1823, by David Benton who was reappointed in 1824. May 
12, 1823, Obadiah M. Crane was appointed by the associate judges 
as commissioner to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Abraham 
Huff'. August 11, 1823, General Iseminger qualified as commissioner. 
In August 1824, Abel Finley and Jesse Roland appeared with McGee 
and Schewmaker as associate judges. On January 3, 1825, Charles 
Crabb was appointed treasurer and Jonathan Tullis, pound-keej)er. 

On September 13, 1824, Avas the first meeting of the board of 
justices agreeable to an act of the General Assembly to regulate the 
method of doing county business, approved January 31, 1824. "Wil- 
liam "Williams was elected president of the board. May 5, 1829, Al- 
len Shepherd was recommended to the governor for the office of sur- 
veyor as the office had been vacant heretofore. Such is the record 
of the early office holders. The board of justices held sway until 
1831 when at a general election, held in the county on the first Mon- 
day in August 1831, Jacob Wells Avas elected county commissioner 
for three years, Matthew Tanner for two years and Mordecai Red- 
dick for one year. They and their successors have continued to con- 
stitute the commissioners' court. 



Lazenlni: Jackson County Prior to 1860 273 

In this connection it should be mentioned that on May 14, 1822, 
Ben, a man of color, was allowed $3.00 for services for four days 
attending "fiers" for the board of county commissioners. The same 
allowance was made on August 13, 1822. Another of the several 
accounts is on September 8, 1829, when Anthony Goodwin, a man of 
color, was allowed $1.50 for janitor M'ork in the court house. On 
March 5, 1824, mention is made of help rendered to Richard, a man 
of color, under the Poor Act. Mention is made of these instances 
because of the prevalence of negroes, especially mulattoes, in the 
county in its earlier days. Columbus Ewing says they were the best 
laborers to be had. He also describes the practice of roping negroes 
as carried on at his father's store in Vallonia. They usually came 
for something to eat and were immediately roped and handcuffed, 
if any reward Avas offered for them at the post office, they Avere held 
for it. 

Turning now to the county finances, on Thursday, September 19, 
1816, the first rate of taxation Avas laid doAvn as foUoAvs: 

First rate land 37i/4 cts. per 100 acres 

Second rate land 25 cts. per 100 acres 

Third rate land 12 V^ cts. per 100 acres 

For each horse "^"Vz cts 

For each store $20.00 

For each tavern $2.00 

It is interesting to note that each horse Avas rated as high as 100 
acres of first rate land. On January 17, 1817, Sheriff Kitchell 
reported that all the taxes, after deducting delinquents and the per 
centum for collecting, Avere $228,931/2- County orders Avere taken 
up, and Avolf scalps paid for amounting to $158.21, leaving a balance 
of $70,721/2. 

A ncAv tax rate Avas levied on May 12, 1817, Avliich is Avorthy of 
comparison Avith that of September 19, 1816. It is as foUoAvs : 

First rate land, 100 acres $ -50 

Second rate land, per 100 acres 43% 

Third rate land, per 100 acres 25 

For each horse 37% 

For every retail store 20.00 

For e\'ery tavern license 10.00 

Wolf scalps Avere paid for at the rate of $1.00 each. The report of 
A. C. Craig, county treasurer Avas made November 10, 1817. The 
amount received Avas $445.09%. The amount paid out Avas $431,503^, 
leaving a balance of $13.59. A comparison Avith the report of Jan- 



274 Indiana Magazine of History 

nary 7, 1817, shoAvs tluit tlie receipts and expenditures during tho 
year had nearly doubled. In the tax levy of May 11, 1818 some 
changes are worth jioting. Third rate land liad risen to 3114 cts. 
per 100 acres. Town lots were assessed 50 cts. on the .$100.00. In 
1821 were further changes. The collector was ordered to collect 
a poll tax of 50 cts. on all male persons over twenty-one years of 
age, 3714 cts. on all horses, mules, or asses; 50 cts. on gold watches; 
25 cts. on silver watches; what the law directs on pleasure carriages; 
25 cts. on each head of work oxen ; $5.00 on all ferriages except that 
of Stephen Sparks' and $7.50 on that. On March 14, 1822, the tax 
subject to collection for county purposes on all lands Avas ordered 
to be the amount of one third the State tax, and on other articles the 
same as before. 

On May 3, 1825, the board of justices laid down the following 
rates of taxation Avliich show some radical increases : 

Horses, mules, etc., over three years old $ .37 

Work oxen 25 

Four-wheel pleasure carriages 2.00 

Two-wheel pleasure carriages 1.00 

Gold watches 1.00 

Silver and pinch-back watches 25 

Each poll 25 

First rate land, per 100 acres 1.00 

Second rate land, per 100 acres 75 

Third rate land, per 100 acres 50 

Town lots, on each $100 value 50 

Retailing merchandise, over $1000. in value $15.00 per yr. 

Retailing merchandise under $1000. in value $10.00 per yr. 

On May 2, 1837, taxation began to be levied on the hundred dollars 
v)f value and by poll tax, a method which still continues in force. 

In this connection, also, we may note the rate of ferriage laid 
down by the commissioners for the various ferries in this county. 
On May 11, 1818, "William Cockerham Was granted the right to es- 
tablish a ferry across Dirftwood in section 16, town 5 north, range 
4 east, and rates were laid down as follows : 

Wagon and horses $ .75 

Man and horse 12V^ 

Footman 06^4 

Single norse .06^/4 

Cattle per head 04 

Cart and team 37^^ 

Sheep and hogs 02 



Lazenhy : Jackson County Prior to ISoO 275 

These rates do not vary much from time to time but gradually be- 
come lower. The following rates established June 4, 1844, will 
show how far they were reduced by that time : 

One horse or oxen, wagon, driver and load $ .121^ 

Two horses or oxen, wagon, driver and load 15 

Three horses or oxen, wagon, driver and load 20 

Four horses or oxen, wagon, driver and load 25 

Five horses or oxen, wagon, driver and load 30 

Six horses or oxen, wagon, driver and load 35 

Man and horse 10 

Footman .05 

Each loose horse 05 

Each head of No. 1 cattle .04 

Each sheep or hog 01 

In addition to rates of taxtation and rates for ferriage, tavern rates 
were laid down also. Tlio first rates were fixed on May 11, 1818 
as follows: 

Breakfast and supper, each $ .25 

Dinner 25 

Lodging per night 12V^ 

Whiskey per pint 12V^ 

Rum, French brandy, and wine, per pint 12% 

Pasturage per night , 12% 

Corn and oats, per gallon 12% 

Horse to hay, per night 25 

These rates varied from time to time. On May 13, 1819, dinner 
cost 371/2 cts; rum, French brandy and wine 50 cts. per half pint; 
peach brandy, 18% cts; and wliiskey and apple brandy 121/2 cts. 
:)er half pint ; corn and oats 12i/o cts. per gallon ; and horse in pas- 
ture for 24 hours, 12 cts. 

The commissioners' records are of course, largely taken up with 
the establishment of roads over the country. In the account of the 
first two days' session of the judges' court is given the usual plan of 
petitioning and laying out roads. The Indiana Statutes are also 
full of references to the establishment of State roads and to the in- 
corporation of toll road companies.^s Mr. Burchara, in his "Rem- 
iniscences," says the first road Avas built according to law in 1815 or 
1816 from the Muscatatuck river to Vallonia. The workmen were 
divided into four gangs and the road Avas divided into sections. 
Each gang was allotted its section, and the gang reaching Vallonia 

''Brownstown Banner, July 22, 1874. 



276 Indiana Magazine of History 

first was to get all the whiskey they could drink. Needless to say, 
they were not long in reaching- Yallonia. Whiskey was cheap then 
as it cost only 25 cts. i)er g-allon. 

One of the most frequently mentioned roads in the Indiana State 
LaAvs is the Indianapolis-]\Iauck's Ferry State road which passed 
through Jackson county by way of Millport, Vallonia, Brownstown, 
and Rockford. At the Seventh Session of the General Assembly 
Robert Weathers, Plenry Boas, and Thomas Kindall of Jackson 
county were appointed to relocate part of this road.'"'* They were 
to meet in Brownstown the first Monday in February next, or on 
some subsequent date, qualify, and employ a force to mark a road 
i)eginning at the south end of Main street in Brownstown, and then 
by Avay of Vallonia to where the State road leading from Mauck's 
Ferry to Indianapolis crosses the Muscatatuck, by the best possible 
route. Contractors Charles Crabb of Jackson county and Jesse 
Stanley of Washington county agreed to transfer their contracts to 
the new route. At the Ninth Session additional funds were granted 
contractor William Rodman who was forced to enlarge the bridge 
over the Muscatatuck. ^o j^^ ^^ ^^^ approved February 11, 1825, 
provision is made to pay Charles Crabb for cutting and clearing three 
fourths of a mile between the fifty-fifth mile post and Brownstown, 
such fraction having been created by a change in the road and not 
being included in the original contract. Laws for the relocation of 
parts of this road are found in the State laws of 1830, page 116, 1830- 
31 page 144 and 1848 page 270. 

Mention has been made of the building of the bridge over the 
Muscatatuck in 1825. In 1832, a law passed authorizing the sale 
of the remaining material of the Muscatatuck bridge to the highest 
bidder, the proceeds to be applied to the improvement of the ford and 
river hill.^^ The fact that the purchaser was, within sixty days, to 
remove all parts of the bridge that obstructed navigation, indicates 
that it must have been destroyed in some Avay.'*^ At the Eighteenth 
Session of the General Assembly was passed an act to incorporate 
a toll bridge over the Muscatatuck here.^" Directors were named 
to act till a regular election could be held, and rates of toll Avere 
fixed. The bridge was to be completed in four years. 

^» Laws of Indiana, 1822 3, 31. 
*" Laxus of Indiana, 1824-5, 51. 
* ' Laws of Indiana, 18SI-2, 20. 

*^ Article entitled "More Jackson County History," Brownstown Banntr, September 3, 1913. 
This article states that the bridge fell in 1824. 
*^ Laws of Indiana, 18o.'>-4, 46. 



Lazenby: Jaokson County Prior to 1850 277 

Among: the other State roads established runuiug through the 
county were the McDonald's Ferry-BroMnistown road,^^ the Colum- 
bus-Brownstown State road established February 1, 1834,'*^ the Mad- 
ison-Bloomington State road from Madison via Paris and Browns- 
tOA^Ti to Bloomington^'' and the Madison-BroAvnstown State road.^^ 

Among the toll road companies incorporated by State law were 
the Bro"wnstown Turnpike Company^ '^ two Madison and Brownstown 
Turnpike Companies incorporated in 1848, ^^ and the Brownsto-vvn- 
Charleston Plank Road Company, to run betAveen the two places 
named via Mt. Sidney.^^ The organization of these companies was 
very similar and that of the Brownstown Turnpike Company will be 
given as illustrative. According to the act, Jonas Berkey, Jesse 
B. Durham, Samuel P. Mooney, Abel Finley, Sr., Obadiah M. Crane, 
and Hiram Kress of Jackson county together with four citizens of 
AN'ashington county and six from Bartholomew county incorporated 
the BroAvnstown Turnpike Company . The capital stock was $150,000 
in shares of $50.00 each, with the power to increase the capital stock. 
The corporation was to have power to carry on the work, keep 
records, make payments, and sell stock. The directors were to be 
elected as soon as two thousand shares were sold and three dollars 
paid on each share. Twenty-five per cent of the stock was to be 
demanded every six months on sixty days notice, and the stock was 
to be forfeited if demands were not met. The road was to run from 
Columbus by way of Rockford and Brownsto-uai to Salem. The 
land was to be taken by sale or legal means and the road was to be 
laid on county or State roads with the commissioner's consent, to 
be started in three years and completed in ten years. It was to 
be not exceeding 100 feet wide with at least twenty feet of stone, 
gravel or sand and was to be kept in repair. Rates of toll were set 
varying from 1834 cts. for one horse and each four-wheeled vehicle, 
and 61/4 cts. for each horse in addition, down to a half cent for hogs 
• and sheep. People going to or coming from public worship, militia 
muster, or funeral were to travel free, but the rates applied to all 
conveyances carrying United States mail. Provisions were made for 
keeping it up, and for punishing offenders. The charter was to last 
fifty years. 

" Laws of Indiana. 1821-2, 157. 

'^ Laws of Indiana, 1833-4, 278. 

■'' iai/;«o//ndiana, 1833-4, 271. 

*' Laws of Indiana, 1831-2, 75. 

■** Laws of Indiana, 18Z5-6,25'i. 

'" Laws of Indiana, 1817-8, 40 and 448. 

«'' Laivs of Indiana, 1850-1, approved February 8, 1851. 



278 Indiana Ma</azine of History 

Last!}' ,is the account of the first circuit court, as distinguished 
from the court for transacting county business, which was held by 
David Raynian, presiding judge of the Jackson circuit and Joseph 
Kitchell and John Ketcham, his associates, at the home of AVilliam 
Crenshaw, in the town of Vallonia, at the April term, 1816.'' The 
first case recorded is that of Joseph Kitchell vs. J^ames Hutchinson 
for slander. Hutchinson was put under $4,000 l)ond, and tlie case 
Avas submitted to John Ketcham, Cyrus Douglas, John Reddicks and 
William Reddicks as arbitrators who gave judgment for $150 
and costs. 

•' Clerk's Record, Book A, p. 1. 



INDIANA HISTORY IN THE SCHOOLS 

By Oscar H. Williams, Critic Teacher, Bloomiugton. 

Tlianks to the energy and foresight of a small but enthusiastic 
group of workers in Indiana History, the documentary material for 
this field is fast becoming accessible to students and writers. For 
two years, the Indiana Historical Survey, under the direction of the 
State University, has diligently collected and catalogued files of 
early Indiana newspapers, together with pamphlets and other docu- 
ments (some in manuscript form) bearing upon the history of the 
State. In similar fashion, the State Archives Commission, with 
headquarters in the Indiana State Library, has gathered from all 
parts of the State newspaper collections and other documentary ma- 
terial of inestimable value to the historian. 

Fortunate, indeed, for the project of that comprehensive history 
of the State Avhich is yet to be written, that these enterprises were 
put under way. For much of this material, from neglect and misuse, 
was speedily passing beyond the reach of human hands. Anyone who 
has delved into the uncatalogued records of a community's history 
knows how relentlessly they are destroyed by the ravages of time. 
As a people we of the State of Indiana, are notoriously prone to 
neglect the preservation of such records. Indeed, we have not 
hitherto learned to cherish our traditions or to place high store upon 
the past. Almost until the present generation, the Hoosier stock 
have been too deeply engrossed with their material tasks to have 
either the leisure or the inclination to dwell upon the achievements 
of previous generations of Indiana people. In the early days, the 
titanic labor involved in draining the swamps, transforming the for- 
ests into arable fields, constructing bridges and highways, quite 
a,bsorbed the restless energies of our people. Later the work of 
building the gigantic forges and factories of industry has kept ovir 
minds in tense concentration upon present problems. But as we 
near the century mark, we are rapidly passing from a purely agri- 
cultural order to one that is largely industrial. Wealth is accum- 
ulating and with it have come that leisure and scholarly activity 
which are essential to a full appreciation of the record of achievement 
of former days. 

And it is a record of which the native stock may well be proud. 
Admirers have long been accustomed to sing the praises of Indiana "s 
tine of literarv workers. No less a source of pride and satisfaction 



280 Iiidiami Mxjiazhic of Jlisfon/ 

to the native lioosier is tlie long and illustrious array of ^varriors, 
statesmen, jurists, artists, and builders in education, Avho liave 
brought renown to the State since its foundation. The results at- 
tained from early days in programs of social regeneration, iu con- 
structive statesmanship, in educational experiment and pioneering, 
have been such as to induce older States to study and copy. 

We are at last awakening to a sense of values in the study of the 
history of the State. Although but three generations removed from 
the original pioneer stock, we derive our knowledge of its chai-ac- 
reristics almost wholly from family tradition. Anything like a con- 
nected and philosophical view of the development" of the common- 
wealth, a survey such as M'ill reveal the stages of an evolving social 
order, is wholly Avanting. As for our children, their experiences, 
their instruction, and their daily tasks are remote from the struggles 
and contests of the early days of the fathers. Year in and year 
(mt, the youth of the State are diligently instructed in the history 
of the nation, and properly so, but they are left in almost total ig- 
norance of the rich current of State history which is sweeping past 
them. All the phases of social and industrial transformation, of 
political and religious change, which appear in the nation's history, 
may iu the history of the State be seen in nearer perspective, in 
clearer outline, and with more vivid reality. Indiana, as the nation, 
lias passed through the principal stages of social and industrial dev- 
elopment. Here are seen the successive frontiers of the Indian trad- 
er, the ranchman, the farmer, and at last the manufacturer comes 
to add the capstone of material comfort. On the political side, In- 
diana has had her colonial period; her epoch of constitution-making^ 
her time of internal growth, wherein questions of public improve- 
ments, of banking, public lands, and Indian aft'airs, were uppermost; 
she has had her struggle for and against slavery ; her part in the 
Civil War was most noteworthy. In stately pageantry, all the great 
movements of the nation's life pass across the page of the State's 
history. 

To bring youthful miiuls into lasting touch with the historical 
drama of the past of their State, there has wisely been planiu'd a 
systematic course in Indiana History for the schools. This has been 
incorporated in the State course of study, iiot as a iiew aiul separate 
study, but one to be closely linked with American History. The 
course is designed to continue through the grades and the high school. 

For the teacher the problem is one of supply. ''Where can 1 
jind material for teaching Indiana Histoid?" is the query which in- 



Williams: Indiana History in the Schools 281 

voluntarily arises. A well-constructed textbooks in State history, 
adapted to children of the g'ramniar grades, is lacking. An authen- 
tic and scientific history of Indiana, covering the period of statehood, 
i.s yet to be written. Two or three books of children's stories, such 
as the charmingly written Stories of Indiana, by Maurice Thompson, 
and the literary product of Mrs. Levering, entitled Historic Indiana, 
constitute the sum total of available material for teaching purposes. 
It wa« with a view of placing in the hands of teachers and pupils 
a book of readable and first hand selections which may serve to bring 
out strongly the salient facts in the history of the State, that a com- 
mittee recently chosen by the State History Teachers' Section, has 
undertaken to compile such a book. 

The title of the book, which bears the imprint of Indiana Uni- 
"versity, is Readings in Indiana History. Four well-marked periods 
of State history appear in the grouping of the selections. First 
comes the period, extending from 1765 to 1816, in which Indiana was 
still an Indian country. The readings here chosen bring out the 
facts of Indian occupation, of French trading posts, of the conquest 
for Virginia by Captain Clark, of the increased tension in the rela- 
tions of Indians and white settlers, and of the final outburst of war 
Avhich culminated in the destruction of the Indian power. Next, the 
period from 1816 to about 1836 is called "Pioneer Indiana." In 
it the selections are such as to bring out the aspects of pioneer life 
and the conquest of the wilderness. Then a third period, covering 
the years from 1836 to 1844, is sho-WTi to be one of internal growth. 
Questions of internal improvement, of banking, and of political or- 
ganization hold sway and are illustrated by a series of carefully sel- 
ected readings. Finally the fourth period, from about 1844 to the 
years following the Civil War is known as "Overshadowing Na- 
tional Questions." Here the readings shoAv the slavery struggle 
in the State, its part in the great Civil War, and the treatment of 
the negro in Indiana before and after freedom was -attained. 

Something near one hundred and fifty selections, extracts from 
letters, journals' narratives, newspaper accounts, written by parti- 
cipants and eye-witnesses, compose the matter of the book. The 
>^:elections were chosen primarily for their inherent interest for 
children as well as for their type characteristics. The style is in 
every case attractive and vigorous. The language of the selections 
is that rare combination of literary English and practical colloquial- 
ism for which the Hoosier is justly famed. The selections are 
grouped and woven into a connected whole by means of introductory 
notes and comments written by the editorial committee. A well- 



282 Indiana Magazine of History 

written historical introduction to the book, and other introductions 
to the periods, serve well to give the historic setting and background. 
A detailed outline for lesson assignments aids in making the book 
serviceable. 

Innumerable ways to use the book will suggest themselves to the 
skillful teacher. Here is fresh material for daily reading and for 
composition lessons. The travel and hunting tales, new and inter- 
esting, full of local life and color, suggest a practicable basis for oral 
composition. And the geography lesson, in so far as it may touch 
upon the State, finds abundant illustrative matter in the accounts of 
earlj' travellers. But it is as a source for the history lesson that 
we are chiefly concerned. Occasionally the selections, such as those 
bearing upon the slavery controversy, will furnish valuable sidelights 
upon the lessons in American History. However, in the grammar 
grades, a definite period, on designated days, should be allotted to 
the study of Indiana historJ^ Time may be found for this work 
by giving relatively less emphasis to certain less valuable portions 
of American History. The problems which confronted the early set- 
tlers in Indiana, the surmounting of physical obstacles in the con- 
.j^uest of the forest, the dangers encountered in dealing with a savage 
foe, all furnish stimulating exercises for the constructive abilities 
of children. Let the boys and girls settle the question, in given 
situations, of how and why a certain course should be pursued. 
Have them discover the advantages of canals over turnpikes and of 
railroads over canals. Let the children find out why the people 
in certain parts of the State were strongly pro-slavery and why 
those in other parts were equally opposed to slavery. 

In Indiana histor^y we have a subject close to the interests of 
children. They will enter with enthusiasm into the stories of set- 
tlement and of Indian captures. Often they will enrich the material 
at hand by bringing in their own family tradiJ;ions of similar ad- 
ventures. The subjects should always be made concrete and tan- 
n:ible. Encourage the making of models by the children. Most 
boys can readily be interested in the work of constructing a Cones- 
toga wagon or a "river ark." For small children, pictures and 
sketches are essential. Crude drawings often serve the purpose of 
elaborating the construction of an Indian canoe or a settler's cabin. 
A. map should often be made to show a wilderness trail, the State 
system of canals, the first railway, or the three Tndisiaa capitals. A 
story should never be left until its exact locality is fixed and describ- 
ed. In this way the boys and girls will come to know their State 
quite as intimately as they know their local community. 



WiUiams : Indiana History in the Schools 283 

It is believed that a substantial contribution to the better un- 
derstanding of the State's history and her part in the national dev- 
elopment has been made by the preparation of this book. A some- 
Avhat pretentious volume it is, of about 500 pages of matter. 
But through the generosity of the State University, in keeping with 
its ideal of public service, the book has been placed upon the mar- 
ket at a nominal price, intended merely to cover the cost of publica- 
tion. The book may be ordered direct from the University Book- 
store. 



HOME LIFE IN EARLY INDIANA* 

By Wii,i,iam F. Vogel,, A. B., Superintendent of Schools, North Vernon, 

Indiana. 

CHAPTER III. SICKNESS AND PHYSICIANS 

PREVALENCE OF SICKNESS 
In novels and stories the western pioneer is pictured as a big 
rough . liard^"- man with unbounded energy and intoxicating health. 
Tiiis picture is largely a romantic one. The woods of Indiana were 
not settled without much sickness, many deaths, and great suffering. 
The pioneers had to contend against invisible, as well as visible foes, 
and, of the two, the former were the most deadly. No part of 
America, outside of the tropics, was more subject to malarial visita- 
tion than the rich flat lands in Indiana. The very fertility of the 
soil made it miasmatic. Vast, dense forests, in whose shade immense 
t: 'tumulation of leaves, fallen timber, and other vegetable matter lay 
rotting from year to year, and the innumerable streams and ponds 
of stagnant water, exhaled poisonous gases which contributed toward 
disease. Exposure to the weather, also, was another factor that 
made for sickness. For many years in the autumn season there were 
more sick people than well ones. Occasionally whole towns were 
depopulated. In the southern border counties during the years 
1820-1822 sickness was especially prevalent. So alarming was the 
mortality that the General Assembly of the State set apart a day for 
public prayer and supplication to the Almighty God, that he might 
I less the country with fruitful seasons and bring health and peace 
to the unhappy citizens. In 1821 an epidemic of fevers broke out 
and continued from July to October during which time nearly every 
person was sick in some degree, and about one eight of the popula- 
tion died. One third of the people of Vincennes at one time were 
confined to their beds with sickness. The whole Wabash country 
was especially afiflicted, and the southern counties were never free 
from fevers. 

HARD LOT OF THE SICK 
Medical aid was hard to secure. In the beginning there were 
few doctors, and the settlers lived so far apart that it was almost im- 
possible for a physician to get around in times of heavy sickness. More 

* The first two chapters of this paper were published in the preceding issue of this Maga- 
zine.— Ed. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 285 

than oue mother has vainly watched over her child through the 
night, hoping for a visit from the doctor who never came, or, if he 
oid finally come, arrived too late to be of any use- Several deaths 
occurred at Jeffersonville in the early years which were due to a 
lack of medical assistance. On the whole the distress of the families 
during epidemics of fever was pitiable. Often there were not enough 
well people to care for the sick. Provisions gave out and it was 
difficult for the sick people to obtain food. A poor settler of Ham- 
ilton county describes conditions thus: In September sickness 
pet in in earnest; nearly everyone would be down at the same time, 
not one to help the other when the ague was on. Our provisions 
gave out and it was sixty or seventy miles to the settlement. Con- 
ner had a little corn which he sold at a dollar a bushel. This they 
had to pound in a mortar, sift out the finest of it for bread, and boil 
The coarser of it and eat it with milk. They called it samp. 
}iow tired I got of such fare : but no help for it. They would pound 
the corn after the ague went off and the fever subsided a little. ^ 

AGUE AND FEVER 

One of the greatest obstacles to the early settlement of Indiana 
was chills and fever. The story of suffering from ague forms a 
pathetic part of the history of pioneer life. To newcomers, it was 
a veritable terror, and, in the fall, everybody looked pale and sallow, 
the disease being no respecter of persons. It developed, as we 
l.ave stated, from the impurities of stagnant pools and streams. 
From the first of August to the first of October in each year no ser- 
ious labor was undertaken. Sickness reigned supreme. At any 
gathering half the members wore yellow faces, and moved about with 
heavy lassitude. The sickness began with a chill of rather indefi- 
nite duration, followed by a burning fever, which lasted for hours. 
Sometimes the attack came every day, but generally on alternate 
days. Frequently the paroxysms of shaking were so violent that 
the bed upon which the sick person lay would creak and rattle. But 
the exigencies of pioneer life would not permit the ague-stricken 
man or women to give up work altogether. Sometimes a plowman 
Trudged after his plow with a burning fever, while his poor Avife, 
equally afflicted, drugded at the household Avork, or ministered to her 
i-ickly children. The following story illustrates the effect of the 
ague: A man was passing through a forest hunting for a stray 
cow and calf when he came upon a neighbor sitting on a log with a 
rifle across his knees. "Hello, what are you doing there, John?'" he 

' Indiana Magazine of History, VI , 77 78. 



286 Indiana Magazine of History 

cillfd out. John looked up dolefully, his teeth rattling together 
and his whole frame quivering. "I'm waiting for my ague to go off, 
so I can hold vay gun steady enough to shoot that squirrel up there, ' ' 
he replied, pointing Avitli a shaking finger at the little animal croueh- 
jiig amid the top-most twigs of a tall oak. The coAV-hunter kindly 
took the gun and shot the squirrel for his neighbor.^ 

DOCTORS AND METHODS OF TREATMENT 
With so much sickness the life of the old-time doctor was not 
an easy one. Poorly trained and poorly equipped, it is wonderful 
that they accomplished anything. No course of preparation was 
necessary, and no license was required before they began to prac- 
tice. Some of them were men of little character, and could be 
classified only as quacks. Most practitioners received a little train- 
ing in the oifice of another physician ; some relied on natural wit 
cind experience alone, and hung out a flaming clapboard sign at 
the first opportunity. Quinine, calomel, tartar-emetic, castor oil, 
salts, and jalap were standard remedies, and a large lancet for bleed- 
ing was found in every medical ease. With his saddle-bags full of 
these, and a good hardy horse, the pioneer physician counted him- 
self the equal of the mightiest disease. Whiskey was a universal 
remedy for malaria and did not need a doctor's prescription. It 
■vxas considered the best possible remedy for the bite of a poisonous 
snake. A person, when bitten, was made to drink as quickly as 
possible large amounts of the fiery intoxicant. Our early grand- 
mothers were experts at gathering herbs, from which teas and bit- 
ters were concocted. Not a few of these simple home made rem- 
edies possessed curative virtues, too. 

Fever and eliills l)rought the largest number of patients to the 
doctors. When this disease was deepset the experienced ones knew 
t'lat it was necessary to secure a reaction. When the doctor came 
he labored to bring this about. Stimulants, such as brandy, capsi- 
Cii.m. and quinine, were given in large doses, and heavy applications 
of mustard were made. There are instances where, within a period 
of fourteen hours, one hundred grains of quinine and a quart of 
I randy were administered before a reaction could be brought about. 
In other cases they bled the unfortunate patient and then dosed 
him with large amounts of calomel. This method killed quickly 
and cured slowl.y. But, after all, the doctors are not to be despised 
tor they did the best they knew, and their patients frequently got 
veil in spite of them. Doctors traveled long distances, watched 

■ Thompson, Sfoiies of Indiana, 177. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 287 

many long nights at the bedside of the sick, and suffered much real 
hardship. Not infrequently they themselves succumbed to pre- 
\ alent diseases. At one time, in the Xo^\n of Franklin, only two out 
of the five physicians were able to answer calls. Their services were 
so much needed that they rode from place to place on a gallop. Of- 
ten they traveled not less than fifty miles a day. 

It was a time of quackery and quack medicines. Often in the 
sickly season all the quinine in the shops was consumed. Then the 
settlers had no remedy except boneset and gentian. The sick were 
leady to try anything that promised relief, and pills Avith big high- 
sounding names, and guaranteed to cure a whole category of dis- 
eases, found a ready sale. Empty medicine bottles could be seen 
lianging from the walls of almost every cabin. There were quack 
doctors too. A certain Dr. Burr came to Connersville from Ohio 
and advertised himself as a "Root-Doctor." He nailed up to the 
u'eatherboarding of his hotel an enormous swamp lily root, almost as 
large as a man, with head, eyes, ears, and nose nicely carved. Arms 
and legs were attached, and above it appeared the glaring sign, 
■'Joseph S. Burr, Root Doctor: No Calomel." People came from 
all parts of the country to see the doctor and the big root, and he 
quickly established a lucrative practice. He granted diplomas to 
^itudents upon the completion of a three week's course of study. As 
a result the county was soon filled with root doctors. One of his 
graduates was a constable who was barely able to write his name. 
With his quack diploma he went to the ' ' New Purchase ' ' and put out 
his shingle. Upon being asked one day how his patients were, he 
replied, ' ' Only tolerable ; I lost nine fine patients last week, one of 
them an old lady that I wanted to cure badly, but she died in spite 
of all I could do. I tried every root I could find, but still she grew 
worse, and there being nobody here to detect my practice, like the 
other regular doctors. I concluded to try calamus, and dug up a root 
about nine inches long and made tea out of it. She drank it with 
some difficulty, turned over in bed and died. Still I don't think 
it was the calamus that killed her, as all the calamus doctors are giv- 
nig it in heavier doses than I did."-' Such was his ignorance that 
he did not know the difference between calomel and calamus, and yet 
he got patients. Another kind of quack was the "steam doctor."* 
He was not a man of much learning, and often not reasonably in- 
telligent. His pills were made of walnut bark, and he carried around 
■\vith him a rude apparatus for steaming his ague stricken patients. 

' Smith, Early Indiana Trials and Sketches, 12-13. 
* Thompson, Stories of Indiana, 169. 



288 Indiana 3Ia(/aziiie of Ilislori/ 

MILK-SICKNESS AND CHOLERA 

One of the worst diseases with which the settlers had to eoiiteud 
was the milk-sickness. It was pecnliar to the new country, and to 
this day remains very largely a mystery. Both i)eople and cattle 
were subject to it. Whole families were prostrated from using the 
milk of a single coav. Death usually came within ten days after 
the attack began, or the victim gradually convalesced. Although 
(ioctors disagree as to its cause, there can be no denial of its preval- 
ence in early times. With the increased cultivation of the fields and 
the substitution of cultivated grains and pasturage for the wild 
herbage upon which cattle fed for a large part of the year, it grad- 
ually disappeared. It destroyed the value of lands in neighborhoods 
that were known to be afflicted with it. Indeed some of the finest 
tracts of land in Indiana were unoccupied on account of springs 
Avhich were said to cause milk-sickness. 

The State suffered to some extent also from the Asiatic cholera." 
In 1833 it first appeared on the Wabash, especially on boats that 
passed up and down the river. During the summers of 18-19 and 
1854 it swept over the country. Almost every town and village 
along the Wabash suffered from the attack. During this period 
Lafayette lost over six hundred of her citizens, chiefly adults. 

SPELLS AND CHARMS 
In connection with various diseases, the early settlers practiced 
many spells and charms.'' They sold their warts, and they carried 
buckeyes or potatoes in their pockets to keep off the rheumatism. If 
a teamster cut himself, he smeared the axe or knife with tar from 
the spindle of the wagon. Asafoetida, catnip, soutlu'rnwood, chamo- 
mile, and certain other herbs were supposed to Avard oft' disease if 
Avorn about the jx'rson. To cure epilepsy, they si)lit the body of a 
standing shellbark liickory, wedged it far ai)art and passed the body 
of the patient three times through the opening, after which perfor- 
mance, the wedges Avere knocked out. If the parts grcAV together, 
a cure Avas assured. To a large extent those old superstitions survive 
today among the negroes, and ])ackAvard Avhites of the southern 
mountain regions. 

CHAPTER IV. CHURCHES AND PREACHERS 

Our forefathers were serious men. They possessed a firm reli- 
gious faith that enabled them to face the dangers ami privations of 
The frontier Avith courage and fortitutde. As soon as they luid built 

* Cox, Early SeUlrment of the Wabash Valley, 153. 
'■ Indiana Magazine of History, 11, 188. 



Vofjd: Home Life in Early Indiana 289 

iheir rude cabins they gathered for simple service and praise. And, 
within a very short while, they built rough log houses for worship and 
called ministers of the gospel. 

EARLY CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES 

In 1769 La Salle came to explore the great Avest. From his 
alleged voyage down the Wabash and his exploration in the northern 
part of the State he may, in truth, be called the discoverer of In- 
diana. The routes which he marked out were followed by suc- 
ceeding voyagers, traders and hunters. With these men, some- 
times preceding them, came the Catholic missionaries to spread the 
Christian gospel to the benighted redmen. With a crucitix as their 
Aveapon, the Jesuit fathers penetrated the forests, bringing some de- 
gree of civilization and religion to the savages, and preserving the 
spark of religion in the hearts of their countrymen. With 
the advent of permanent occupation, and the establishment of 
railitary posts, the priests played a prominent role. In the midst 
of each settlement stood the little log chapel with its rude cross 
pointing heavenward, the only reminder of civilization in the great 
Avild forests. 

These early missionaries did a great work. Out of pure zeal 
for the faith they left comfort and ease in the old world to labor 
cimong heathens in the new, where they suffered hardships of every 
tlescriptions and often met death itself. A beautiful legend has 
grown up about the A\'ork of the early priests, but at heart of it all 
there was a heroism, courage, and faith such as is seldom displayed 
in the history of Christian missions. Their work among the Indians 
will always be remembered. Gently and kindly they led these 
simple people to some degree of knowledge of the true God. It was 
Tiie policy of the French, for the purpose of trade, to encourage the 
natives to settle around the militarj^ posts. Here they came under 
tlie influence of the church. They learned a little agriculture and 
other simple arts ; they were led to give up barbarous customs and 
habits ; and they were taught to dress and to live in some degree like 
a white man. This task was hard enough indeed but it was ren- 
dered all the more difficult by the French traders wlio debauched 
ihe artless Indian with fiery liquors for the sake of paltry profits. 

EARLY PROTESTANT PREACHERS 

The Anglo-Saxon soon folloAved the Frenchman, and the Protes- 
tant ministers were not far behind the Catholic missionary. 

In their cabins, or, in the summer, under the great forest trees, 
the early settlers gathered for worship, clad in their buckskin or 



290 Lidiana Ma(/azlne of History 

coarse homespun clothes. At first there were no resident pastors, 
but itinerant preachers came long distances on horseback to minister 
-,o the scattered settlements.' These traveling preachers represented 
all denominations, and visited in rotation within their individual cir- 
cuits every settlement and village. In an early community the "ap- 
pointment" for preaching was regarded as a gala day. It is need- 
less to say that all the pews were full. It was not necessary to ad- 
vertise for a congregation as some churches are compelled to do to- 
day. The Methodists were especially active. Their system car- 
ried their churches into nearly ever^^ settlement, and wherever two 
or three were gathered together, there one would find a IMethodist 
preacher or exhorter in their midst. 

The early itinerant preacher was an earnest man. His faith 
and zeal was no less extraordinary than that of the Catholic fathers, 
and the hardships and dangers he suffered were no less extraordinary. 
He Avent armed, perpared to defend himself against man and beast. 
.\s vehicles of any kind were out of order, he traveled on horseback. 
On his saddle he had a pair of saddle bags, in one side of which was 
his clothing, in the other his food. Crosswise on the pommel he 
oore his long rifle, while strapped to the rear of the saddle was a 
comfortable blanket. Often when night overtook him, he wrapped 
limself in this blanket and slept on the bare ground, his trusty horse 
grazing nearby till morning. At his side hung a coonskin pouch 
L-ontaining ammunition, a good supply of punk, flints, and a piece of 
steel Avith which to strike a fire. Thus equipped, he rode from set- 
tlement to settlement, visiting the lowly cabins to which he brought 
the gospel and good cheer. It is said that Reverent Francis Asbury 
in his ministry rode a distance that would have taken him twelve 
times around the world. The following quotation gives us a picture 
of an early itinerant : Lest you might tliink there Avas danger of us 
becoming semi-barbarous in this wild region, I will here state that we 
have circuit preaching every four weeks, by old father Emmett, a 
veteran minister of the Methodist denomination, Avho has been a 
faithful watchman on the walls of Zion for more than forty years. 
He is beloved by all who know him — old and young, saint and sinner. 
His preaching is of the plain, practical, but effective kind that reach- 
es the hearts of his hearers. He has three preaching places 
within reach of us, viz: at John Simpson's, Kepner's Schoolhouse 
above the forks of Coal creek, and in White's neighborhood in the 
direction of Covington.^ 

' Smith, Early Iiidiana Tiidls and Sketches, 97 ; also 

Thompson, Stories of Indiana, 85 86. 
» Cox, Early Settlement of the Wabash Valley, 50. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 291 

The trials and privations of the early pioneer preachers were 
almost beyond belief. Most of them cleared their own farms and 
raised crops for the support of their families. Along with this they 
ministered to the scattered congregations. In early pioneer times 
a man who did not labor with his hands was held in scorn. While 
they were off on a long itinerary, their families were left alone to 
face dangers from sickness, wild beasts, and savages. 

Sermons w^ere long and tedious, discourses two or three hours 
'ong being the rule.^ Written sermons were not tolerated on the 
frontier. The minister must speak extemporaneously and show his 
fire and zeal chiefly on doctrinal and controversial points. These 
earnest men often j^reached until they were exhausted and fell back 
into the arms of a brother. Frequently religious debates M'ere held 
Avhere such questions as elections vs free grace, immersion vs sprink- 
ling, and many others were hotly disputed. The Bible was inter- 
preted liberally, and the people were very emotional. 

In many neighborhoods the settlers were not able to build a 
cj'urch for each denomination, so union churches were built, in which 
the various sects held service on alternate Sundays. In such com- 
]iiunities services were held invariably once a month. The minister 
always had a large congregation. The pioneers longed naturally 
for companionship and turned out in large numbers. It was a fine 
sight to see people flocking into the meeting house from every direc- 
tion for eight or ten miles around. Some families came in ox carts, 
some came in wagons drawn by horse, and others on foot. Young 
ladies frequently walked a mile or two to church carrying their shoes 
and stockings in their hands until within a hundred yards of the 
place of worship.^" There were no musical instruments, and usually 
tJiere was no choir, the singing being entirely congregational. More 
tnan one charch was divided later by the introduction of an organ. 
As there were few hymn-books, the preacher "lined off" the hymn 
which all sang with loud enthusiasm. ^^ The sexes were seated on 
opposite sides of the house. Services began by reading a chapter 
from the Bible, followed by a prayer. The hymn was then '"lined 
off"' by the minister, and a person, somewhat acquainted with music 
led the singing, in which all the congregation joined. In later days 
the parts, bass and treble, w^ere carried in the song, for by that time 
the singing school had become an established institution and the 
singing master was a well-knoA^Ti character. Then came 

• Levering, Higtoric Indiana, 172. 
>" History of Johnson County, 251. 
^' Levering, Historic Indiana, 174. 



292 Indiana Maciazine of History 

the reading of the text and the discourse which lasted an liour and 
sometimes longer. During the whole service there was utmost de- 
corum.^2 There Avas no chatting aloud or in an undertone, and whis- 
pering was considered such a breach of church manners tliat it sel- 
dom occurred. The audience listened to the service with special in- 
terest. The services were characterized by extreme simplicity, 
''•'here were no flowers on the preacher's stand, none on his person, 
and they were seldom Avorii by any of the congregation. This was 
not due to any lack of respect or regard, but rather to an excessive 
reverence for the sacredness of the time and place. At the close 
of the sermon another liymn was sung, folloAved by a brief prayer or 
benediction. As soon as the meeting was over the people crowded 
around the minister to exchange greetings. They talked of the 
discourse continually on their way home. In fact the sermon be- 
came the theme of conversation in the neighl)orhood for many days. 
The minister's salary was very low. For sixteen years the 
average salary of a typical Presbyterian preacher was only eighty 
dollars, including money and gifts.^^ To support his family he 
farmed on a small scale, taught singing classes, wrote deeds, wills, 
and advertisements, taught school, and then mended his neighbor's 
shoes. Most jjreachers relied largely on their oym little farms, and 
l)reached out of pure love of the Avork. With all his limitations the 
}joneer preacher had a remarkable influence. Being in many cases 
a man of decided learning, for that day, he Avas the "most consider- 
ed ble'' man in the community, and was sure of a Avarm Avelcome and 
a good chicken dinner. To him the people appealed as arbiter of 
their disputes; to him the conscience-stricken Avent for relief and 
guidance. To a much greater degree, than at present, ministers 
tlien shaped the destiny of the State, 

FAMILY WORSHIP 

Family Avorshii) Avas the rule in early times. ^^ Once or twice 
;i day, in the morning before breakfast, or in the evening before bed- 
time, the father gathered his family around him, read a chapter in the 
Bible and announced a hymn, in the singing of Avhich all joined. 
Then he closed the simple service Avith a fervent prayer. When a 
pious guest Avas present he Avas asked to lead in the exercises. The 
])rayers especially Avere A'ery Avild and fervent. Indeed a man 
Avho did not pray in this manner at home, and in public, Avas consid- 

" Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, 11. 
'" Indiana Magazine of History, V., 59. 
'* History of Johnson County, 252. 



Vogel : Home Life ui Early Indiana 293 

ered defective in piety. When there was no church in the neigh- 
borhood, the monthly services were held at a settler's home. A 
double log cabin, inhabited by one of the more prosperous members 
of the community was usually selected. The congregation assembled 
at the appointed time. The preacher, before whom was placed a 
small stand on which lay his Bible and prayer book, took a place in 
the middle of the entry. The women sat in the rooms on the one 
side of this entry, the windows and doors being open, and the men 
in the same way on the other side. The children sat together just in 
front of the minister, but one or two older persons sat with them as 
monitors. In simple improvised chapels of this kind, sermons have 
been preached and prayers prayed that have lingered in the memory 
of the congregation for a lifetime. In those days, religious subjects 
predominated in ordinary social intercourse. With the pioneer, re- 
ligion Avas a real, vital thing to be applied to the daily walks of life 
to govern the conduct of men. They gave a literal interpretation 
to the commandments. Sunday was strictly observed. No work, 
except the most necessary, no hunting, sport, or play took place in 
the more Puritanic neighborhoods. Occasionally wheat or hay was 
harvested on the Sabbath, but only when the crop was in peril. AVhen 
the last day of the year fell upon Sunday, it was called "Long Sun- 
day'" and worship and prayer lasted until midnight. 

CHURCH BUILDI. .GS 

Chvir«iii archXecture was as simple as the worship. Most of the 
meeting-houses were constructed of logs with a heavy clapboard roof. 
No belfry was built, as a bell would have been out of the question. 
Tr later days frame churches with belfry and bell were built. There 
were also stone and brick structures. An early church, built in 
1812, near Brookville, is described thus: It is built of hard bricks 
of large size. It has a commodious gallery, supported by massive 
hewn pillar!} ; and in the center of the church was a stone hearth upon 
which charcoal was burned in cold weather — for stoves were not com- 
mon in the west in that early day.^^ 

THE CAMP MEETING 

The deep longing of the pioneers for social intercourse is re- 
flected in their religious gatherings. The various conferences, assoc- 
iations, synodical meetings, were largely social in nature.i'^ The 

>» Indiana Magazine of History, VI., 82. 

'6 Thwaites' Early Western Travels, IX.,y57-264 ; Turpie, SkctchesoJ My (hm Times, 104-107 ; Hall 
Thf Sew Purchase, II, 130 ff. 



294 Indiana Mafjazinc of History 

camp meetiug was especially characterized by its social features. In 
summer, after the harvest season, families of the same faith gathered 
from far aud near, traveling on horseback or in covered wagons, 
sometimes from a distance of forty or fifty miles. The camp-ground 
was usually located near a creek or river in the shade of a deep woods. 
The people lived in rough cabins or tents. Some lodged and slept in 
their Avagons. The horses and wagons were arranged rouglily in 
the shape of a horseshoe, at the open end of which stood the preach- 
er's stand. Before this, was the mourner's bench, which was sur- 
rounded by a vacant enclosure about thirty feet square. The space 
beyond this, to the line of the wagons, was filled with seats made of 
logs and rough planks. Sometimes a rail fence separated the male 
from the female portion of the congregation. At night the camp 
was lighted by lanterns or by blazing logs. In a letter, Flint de- 
scribes the scene thus: "Large fires of timber were kindled, Avhich 
cast a ncAv luster on every object. The white tents gleamed in the 
glare. Over them the dusky woods formed a most romantic gloom, 
only the tall trunks of the front rank w^ere distinctly visible, and 
these seemed so many members of a lofty colonnade.^" 

The leading event of the day was the sermon at eleven o 'clock, a 
more or less formal discourse. In the afternoon a less formal ser- 
vice was held, and in the evening a short discourse was preached fol- 
lowed by pfayers and exhortation. The mourners or "seekers" 
gathered around the preacher's stand in the vacant enclosure. The 
stillness of the night and the powerful, vivid, exhortations to prayer 
and repentance produced memorable sensations. Great numbers 
"fell under the power of the word," becoming unconscious, and re- 
maining in that condition for hours. To prevent others from tread- 
'iig on them they Avere collected in one place and laid out in order, 
where they were cared for and prayed over by anxious friends. 
Sometimes as many as three thousand fell into these ecstatic trances 
at one meeting. There was much handshaking and giving of testi- 
mony. At large meetings the number of worshippers was so great 
that it became necessary to divide them into groups, to each of which 
an exhorter was assigned. Prayers, exhortations, hymns, and the 
cries of the penitent arose from all parts of the ground. Flint gives 
the folloAving picture : "About dusk I retired several hundred yards 
jjito the woods to enjoy the distant effect of the meeting. Female 
voices were mournfully predominant, and my imagination figured 

" Thwaites' Early Wislern Traveh, IX, 261. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 295 

to me a multitude of mothers, "widows, and sisters giving vent to their 
grief, in bewailing the loss of a male population by war, shipwreck, 
or some great catastrophe. ^^ 

Sinners led a hard life of it. Sometimes they were even forcibly 
converted. In a camp meeting in 1820 a woman who had just been 
converted, was dragged away from the altar by her unregenerate 
husband, who threatened vengeance on anyone who would interfere. 
The minister took the man in hand, but seeing that persuasion and 
arguments were of no avail, he seized the fellow, forced him to his 
1-nees, and then flat on his face. Seating himself on the back of the 
victim, the minister refused to let him up until the man would pray. 
The only response was a chorus of oaths. But the wife and others 
prayed fervently, and finally the minister joined in. As he prayed 
lie felt the man's muscles relax. Soon the poor fellow began to 
'veep and cry out, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" and at last 
the shout of victory came.^^ 

Tliese meetings, which always lasted a week or more, usually 
closed at midnight. The woods rang Avith old familar hymns, and 
when the echoes resounded among the distant trees one almost 
thought he was listening to a choir invisible. In the morning the 
wagons were packed again, goodbyes said, and the worshippers 
slowly departed for their homes. 



DENOMINATIONS 

^Methodists and Baptists are predominantly identified with the 
early religious life. Their ministers were largely of the itinerant 
class. The Disciples of Christ founded by Alexander Campbell gain- 
ed a strong foothold at a later period. Quakers were especially 
numerous in the southeastern part of the State. Through the large 
number of teachers which this sect furnished, its influence has been 
widely extended. The Presbyterians, from the first, maintained an 
educated ministry and located their churches in the towns instead 
of in the country. With a large number of educated members they 
had little sensationalism in their services and held to a rigorous 
theology. They founded numerous schools, some of which still exist 
and Avhose influence was very potent in shaping the destinies of 
the new State. 

''^ Thwaites' Early M'esteni Trair'g. IX, 261. 
>' Indiana Magazine of Histoi-y, V. 64-65. 



296 Indiana Magazine of Histortj 

CHAPTER V. TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS 

EDUCATION UNDER THE FRENCH 

The early French settlers cared little for education. The only 
instruction they received "was given by the missionary priests who 
labored diligently to prevent the happy-go-lucky soldiers, traders, 
and trappers, who were naturally indolent and careless, from forget- 
ting the principles of their religioji. In later years, resident priests 
attempted to teach the children to read and write, but the frontier 
Frenchman was as much averse to mental effort as to physical toil. 
They had no education as we understand the term. All that they 
knew was handed down from father to son. What was perhaps the 
first regular school in Indiana Avas established at Vincennes in 1793 
by a priest named Bivet. So there was no school in the territory 
until it came into American possession. 

INTEREST OF INDIANA IN EDUCATION 

Americans have always believed in education. The Ordinance 
of 1787 made provision for the training of future citizens in the 
NortliAvest, and, from the very first organization of Indiana, the 
people have had a de'^p interest in the education of the coming gen- 
erations. In one form or another the educational question has been 
before every General Assembly from territorial days to the present 
time. Succeeding Assemblies have been asked to aid in the estab- 
lishment of schools, or to grant special privileges for the building 
of academies and seminaries in the various parts of the State. The 
General Assembly of 1821 appointed a committee for the purpose 
of drafting a bill providing for a general system of education. The 
conception of education as a public duty is evidenced by the fact 
that the committee was instructed to guard well against any distinct- 
ion betM'een rich and poor. The report of the committee was incor- 
porated in the first general school law of Indiana. 

HOME SCHOOLS 

Schools between 1805 and 1815 were very primitive. The coun- 
try was sparsely settled; in fact half a dozen pioneers, located two 
or three miles apart, at that time, formed a large settlement. Con- 
sequently the children were taught the rudiments of learning at 
nome,^^ There was usually someone in the family capable of teach- 

="" Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, 20. 



Vogel: Honw Life in Early Indiana 297 

ing the children reading-, writing and the simple elements of arithme- 
tic. Even in later times, on account of the great distance from the 
schoolhouse and danger from wild animals, children were frequently 
taught at home. This home instruction was not altogether ineffic- 
ient. Twice a week in the afternoon the mother, usually, gathered 
the children around her and taught them to read, write, and cipher 
as far as division. They worked with goosequill pens and ink made 
from walnut hulls. Those who were old enough, read in turn from 
some book taken from the family collection. On Sunday they read 
in the same manner from the Bible, the stories of which were simply 
explained by the mother. Sometimes children from a neighbor's 
home would join the family Bible class. 

In these times of danger it was also the custom to employ an 
instructor to go from house to house in the settlement. This cir- 
culating teacher spent one-third of a day with each family giving 
instructions in the rudiments of education ; in this way with six 
families he could give three lessons a week to all the children. When 
it became less dangerous for the children to pass through the forest, 
they assembled at the home of the family most centrally located, 
where they were taught in a lean-to built at the side or end of the 
cabin, A mother or elder sister gave a little simple training, in 
reading, writing, and ciphering. 

A PIONEER SCHOOLHOUSE 

As soon as conditions were favorable the pioneers of the neigh- 
borhood costructed a rude cabin schoolhouse, a structure, which at 
this date, would be a curiosity indeed. ^^ There was no school rev- 
enue to be distributed, so each voter himself had to play the part of 
the builder. The neighbors divided themselves into choppers, heAv- 
ers, carpenters, and masons. Those who found it impossible to re- 
port for duty might pay an equivalent in nails, boards, or other ma- 
terials. The man who neither Avorked nor paid was fined thirty- 
seven and one-half cents a day. A site most convenient to all the 
settlers was selected, near a living spring if possible. Old settlers 
still joyfully remember the cool sparkling waters and the long- 
handled gourd. Logs were cut and hauled to the site and a rough 
rectangular pen, usually sixteen feet Avide by eighteen feet long, Avas 
erected. A roof made of four-foot boards, held in place by weight 
poles, tied Avith strong hickory withes to the ridge poles, covered the 
structure. The only openings were a door and AvindoAV about tAvo- 

" Cox, Early Settlement of the Wabash Valley, 61; History of Johnson County, 266-266; Indiana 
Magazine of History, II, 46-48 : IV, 193 ; Thompson, Storiei of Indiana, 232-233. 



298 Indiana Magazine of History 

thirds of the length of a log, cut in one end of the building. Greased 
paper pasted upon slats covered the opening, Avhich gave liglit to the 
room. If the school lasted into the fall and winter months, the open- 
ings between the logs were chinked and daubed with clay mortar. In 
lli(' oilier end of the room a large fireplace was constructed. In 
later days, however, stoves were used. The room was filled with 
dirt, to a depth equal to half the thickness of the first side logs. Af- 
ter being well packed, the surface was covered with a thick clay 
mortar, which was evenly smoothed down to make an acceptable 
floor. Other school buildings had puncheon floors. 

Under the one window a thinly hewed puncheon, resting on wood- 
en pins driven into the log below, served as a writing desk. Seats 
were constructed of rough slabs which were hewn to remove the 
splinters. When this w^as imperfectly done, the bad workmanship 
■was unmistakably reflected on the seats of the boy's pantaloons. 
Sanford Cox briefly describes a pioneer schoolhouse : "The school- 
house was generally a log cabin with a puncheon floor, stick-and- 
elay-chimney, and a part of two logs chopped away on each side 
of the house for windows, over which greased newspaper or fools- 
cap Avas pasted to admit the light and keep out the cold. The 
house was generally furnished with one split-bottom chair for the 
teacher, and rude benches made out of slabs for the pupils to sit on, 
so arranged as to get the benefit of the huge log fire in the winter time, 
and the light from the windows. To these add a broom, water bucket, 
and tincups or gourd, and the furniture list will be complete. ''-- 
While the early schoolhouses were usually rectangular in shape, this 
was not always true. A five-cornered building was erected in Han- 
cock county in 1830, and there is evidence of two built in 
Orange county. 

Not all early schoolhouses measured up to the description just 
given. In parts of the State it is said schoolhouses were constructed 
with portholes for shooting at the Indians. Schoolmasters may 
have even gone armed to their work. The first school in ]\Iartins- 
ville was a summer school held on a pioneer's porch. In temperate 
weather barns were frequently used. Indeed, the first school in 
Newburg, Warrick county, was held in John Sprinkle's barn. John 
Wilson, a Baptist minister, taught the first school in Yevay in a 
Jiorse mill. In Waynesville, Bartholomew county, a blacksmith 
f:hop served as a schoolhouse. After the close of the Indian wars 
old forts in various counties were converted into schoolhouses. In 
some towns the log courthouses were used between terms, and in 

^' Cox, Early Settlement of the Wabath Valley, C>1. 



Vo(/ef: Home Life in Earhj Indiana 299 

Dubois county, Siniou Morgan, the county recorder, kept school for 
uany years in the recorder's office. One man in Delaware county 
even used his o\A'n kitchen as a class room. Abandoned cabins 
frequently served for school purposes, and it is said that Hanover 
college originated in a private cabin. In Jackson county, a pole 
cabin with no window, floor, or chimney was used for educational 
purposes. The fire was built on a raised clay platform in the mid- 
tile, the smoke escaping through an opening in the roof. This same 
opening furnished light for study. Another school in the same 
county had no windows at all, light entering through the open door 
and the throat of the large chimney. So far as light is concerned, 
greased paper marks a later stage of Avindow construction. 

EARLY TEACHERS 

In many cases the pioneer teachers were men of families and 
had been educated in eastern schools. Being instructors of real 
merit, they left a lasting impression upon the communities in which 
they labored. Another class, hailing also from the east, or from 
England, Scotland, or Ireland, were adventurers, who sought tem- 
porary employment in the winter, while awaiting an opening for bus- 
iness.--^ The Southern States and Pennsylvania also furnished their 
quota of pedagogues. The chief drawback of the pioneer school 
Avas the want of competent teachers. In his message to the State 
General Assembly in 1833, Governor Noble said: ''The want of com- 
petent teachers to instruct in the township school is a cause of com- 
plaint in many sections of the State, and it is to be regretted that in 
emploAnng transient persons from other States, containing but little 
qualification, or moral character, the profession is not held in that 
repute it should be." In the early times there was a certain lack 
of respect for the vocation of teaching, due to the fact that the teacli- 
tr did not work with his hands. Lawyers, ministers, and even doc- 
tors suffered in this respect. Frequently they volunteered to show 
their mettle by acts of manual labor in order to receive favor .-.t the 
hands of the people. 

According to the law of 1S24, every school district had three 
trustees, who were empowered to examine teachers in reading, writ- 
ing, and arithmetic. This feature of local certification was contin- 
ued up to the adoption of tiie new constitution in 1852. Scarcely 
one in a hundred A\as fit to conduct a school, some of them could 
neither read nor Avrite, and yet they examined the candidates for 

^^ Indiana Magazine of History, II, 83-85. 



300 Indiana Magazine of History 

the profession. A.s a result oi' tlie illiteracy of the examiners, the 
••andidate's haiuhx riting, Avliich conld be seen by the uneducated 
and judged without comiU(;nt, came to be the chief accomplishment. 
A man who could write a full, round, smooth hand was considered 
fully qualified to instruct in the district schools. Ex-Senator Turpie 
gives the following interesting account of his experience in secur- 
ing a certificate : "I applied to the trustees of the district for a 
license to teach. Under tlie statute then in force, there was 
a board of trustees who had charge of the educational affairs, within 
their jurisdiction, and tlio chairman of the board, upon application, 
called a meeting of the members and appointed a day for the exami- 
nation. When we met, the trustees asked me questions for an hour. 
These were answered promptly and plainly ; they were well pleased 
with the answers and at last asked me for a specimen of my hand- 
writing. Taking a sheet of paper I wrote one of the oldest legends 
in the copy-books of that time, 'At Dover dwell George Brown, es- 
quire, Good Carlos Finch and David Prj^or!' They were delighted 
with the copy, especially v/ith the capital letters. The chairman 
then asked me how mcny branches I intended to teach. I told 
liim I should not go much into the branches but should try and keep 
along the main streams Turning towards his colleagues, he said 
the young man would do very Avell. They made out, signed, and 
gave me my certificate."-^ In 1837 the law was modified so that 
the circuit judge appointed three county examiners, in place of the 
district trustees, to examine all applicants. 

After securing a certificate, the teacher yet had no school. The 
State furnished a building and some furniture, but the teacher was 
naintained by private payment and subscription. The subscript- 
ion school was the only kind taught. So, after securing a cer- 
tificate, the prospective teacher had to collect pupils. He can- 
vassed from house to house with his subscription articles under 
his arm. 2'^ At every home there was free conversation about the 
children, the lessons and their needs. He informed the parents 
where he would hold the school, and what his curriculum would in- 
clude — usually spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic as far as the 
rule of three. In addition he announced his charges, and frequently 
specified the penalties he would inflict for breaches of discipline. 
For being idle there was a penalty of two lashes with a beech switch, 
for whispering, three lashes, and for fighting, six lashes. Each fam- 
ily subscribed for the three months session as many pupils as it 

«* Turpie, Sketches of My Own Times, 74-75. 
" Turpie, Sketches of My Oim Timef, 75. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 301 

could seud. The attendance was carefully kept for each pupil, and 
if any attended longer than the time named in their subscriptions, the 
extra time was charged for in addition. The prevailing price until 
1825, or even later, was 75 cts. per quarter for one pupil. It varied 
however, in some sections $1 was the ruling price, in others $1.50 
and in some instances $2.00 were paid. Salaries were ridiculously 
Jow.2*5 John Titus taught in Johnson county for $6.00 per month, 
but his board cost only $1.00 per month. John Martin received 
•■8.00 per month in Cass county. Rev. Baynard R, Hall, the first 
principal of the State Seminary, at Bloomington, received the mun- 
ificent salary of $250 per year. Some of the teachers eked out their 
salaries by chopping wood on Saturdays, and in the evening after 
school. Probably a majority was obliged to take their pay in kind. 
Wheat, corn, bacon, venison, hams, dried pumpkin, flour, leather, 
(oonskins, labor, and whiskey Avere given in exchange for teaching. 
One teacher took his entire pay in corn, which, when delivered, he 
sent in a flat-boat to New Orleans. In 1842 a teacher in Orange 
county contracted to teach a quarter for $36.50, to be paid as follows : 
$25 in State (Indiana) script, $2.00 in Illinois money, and $9.50 in 
currency. And he had an enrollment of seventy pupils. In 1844 
Anderson B. Hunter taught a school in a smokehouse, which had been 
repaired for the occasion, for $8 per month, and boarded himself. 
When paid in kind, the teacher, at the end of the quarter, Avould 
collect his tuition of wheat, corn, pork, or furs and take a load to 
the nearest market where he exchanged it for such articles as he 
I'eeded. 

The unmarried teachers ''boarded round" and thus took part 
of their pay in board. The teacher computed the time he was en- 
titled to board for each pupil, and usually selected his own time 
for quartering himself upon the family. But in most instances he 
was highly acceptable. Since newspapers and books were scarce, 
and the wilderness was extremely isloated from the outside world 
the conversation of an intelligent teacher was always welcome. In- 
deed in most cases it was counted a privilege, if not an honor, to 
entertain the teacher. Patrons frequently refused to charge a cent 
for his board and paid their subscriptions in full. The married 
teacher did not board around. In later days a schoolmaster's house 
for his own use was quite commonly built adjacent to the school- 
house. School terms Avere called quarters. There was a long 
quarter of thirteen weeks and a short quarter of twelve weeks. 

=« Indiana Magazine of Hittory, II, 85 86. 



302 Indiana 3Iaf/azltir of History 

Many shiftless, lazy fellows were found in the teaching i)rofes- 
sion at that time.-" All kinds were represented, the one-ej-'ed teach- 
er, the one-legged teacher, the lame teacher, the teacher who had 
Jits, the teacher who had been educated for the ministry but, on 
account of his habits of hard drinking, had turned pedagogue, and 
the teaclier who got drunk on Saturday and whipped the entire 
school on Monda}'. The first teacher in Vanderburg county was 
an eccentric hermit, who lived by hunting, trapping and trading. 
Once an ex-liquor dealer, who had grown too fat to conduct that 
business longer, became a schoolmaster. Another pedagogue was 
so fond of drink that he carried his spirits to school with him and 
drank at interinissious. Two pupils who found his bottle one day 
and became drunk were Avhipped for setting such a bad example to 
the other students. Wesley Hopkins, a "Warrick county teacher, 
1 'gularly carried his whiskey to school in a jug. An old veteran 
it the Revolution, who taught in Switzerland county, always took 
a nap in the afternoon during school hours. The pupils were su[)- 
posed to study their lessons during this time, but when the master's 
watchful eyes were closed, they amused themselves by catching flics 
and tossing them into his open mouth. An old sailor who had Avan- 
dered out into the Indiana woods and become a pedagogue allowed 
his pupils to spend most of their time roasting potatoes. Another 
Teacher in the southwestern part of the State employed his time 
}>etween recitations hy cracking hickory nuts on one of the punch- 
eon benches. 

Pioneer schools were controlled by the rule of the rod.-^ Its 
use in those days was universal at home as well as at school. In 
fact the teacher who did not use a birch was regarded as a failure. 
One pedagogue, who had an agreeable school, taught six weeks with- 
out Avhipping anyone. Parents began to suspect that something was 
Avrong, and one fond father politely informed him that he was making 
a mistake, and must mend his methods if he expected to continue in 
the profession. Schoolmasters punished freely, and often savage- 
ly, usually with the full approval of the parents. An Evansville 
teacher like many others, opened his school with prayer, but he 
always stood with a rod in his hands and prayed Avith his eyes open. 
If he caught a youngster in mischief he stopped short in his supplica- 
tions, called out, "Woe be to you John," and struck him over the 
shoulders with his rod, after which he resumed his prayer. An- 
other teacher came early to school in the morning to write a love- 

■J ■ Indiana Magazine of History, II, 87-88. 
-" Indiana Magaziniof History, II, 188. 



Vogel: Home Life in E>rrh/ Indiana 303 

letter. Once he left it carelessly on the desk while he proceeded 
to open school with prayer, kneeling with his rod in his right hand 
and his right eye open. During his prayer one mischievous boy 
stole up to the desk to purloin the letter. The teacher, dis- 
'^overing the youngster, broke off in the middle of a sentence and 
soundly thrashed the culprit, after which diversion he resumed his 
devotions with equanimity. Girls and boys of all ages expected to 
be whipped if they should break the rules. The rod was used on the 
slightest provocation, sometimes on no provocation at all. The boy 
who was unfortunate enough to get a blot upon his spelling book 
had to face a corporal reckoning with the master, and a girl caught 
in the act of tickling the ear of another had to stand up and receive 
a merrv^ switching. The rod was not the only means of punish- 
ment. The "Dunce Block", "Foolscap", and "Leather Spectacles" 
were employed, besides such exercises as standing in the cornei; 
and standing on one foot. Boys and girls were always seated on 
different sides of the house. As a punishment, a boy might be re- 
quired to sit on the girls' side of the house or vice versa. On one 
occasion a teacher removed a large puncheon from the floor and 
imprisoned a big girl in the hole beneath. 

The pictures of the pioneer schoolmaster given above are not 
altogether characteristic. They merely show conditions as they 
were in some instances. On the whole the oldtime country teacher 
Vi^as a man of worth in the community. He usually possessed a cer- 
tain simplicity of character and singleness of heart that would do 
honor to any man in the profession today. Although he was, 
frequently from necessity, a jack-of-all-trades, he was zealously de- 
voted to the duties of his calling, and certainly he worked for the 
love of the task, because the salary offered no attractions. In the 
elementary branches he was often exceptionally well versed, espec- 
ially in geography, spelling, and parsing, as these subjects were 
understood in that day. Many were expert penmen, some even 
being able to write short sentences using a pen in each hand at the 
same time. 

BOOKS AND METHODS OF INSTRUCTION 

Books were very scarce in pioneer neighborhoods.^^ This ham- 
pered school work. The more intelligent families brought with them 
from the east a few favorite volumes, but there- was probably not a 
collection of books in Indiana before 1816 worthy of being called 

=» Indiana Magazine of History, II, 131-137. 



304 Imdiava Magaziiu of Hiiitory 

a library. Even ministers and other professional men were very 
scantily supplied. Persons hearing of new books went long dis- 
tances to borrow them. One boy became so hungry for reading 
matter that he read over and over again two exposed pages of the 
"Western Luminary" which were pasted upon the inside of the lid 
of his mother's linen box. A fe\v family books found in most 
neighborhoods were "Weem's Life of Washington, the Bible, Pilgrim's 
Progress, Life of Marion, Carey's Olive Branch, and hymn books and 
spelling books. It thus became a difficult matter for parents to pro- 
vide their children with text books. They even went so far as to 
cut up a volume and paste the parts on boards for the different child- 
ren of the family. Children were usually taught their letters at 
home. When the child went to school he first learned to spell out 
of Dillworth's or Webster's spelling book. About 1850 McGuffey's 
Eclectic Speller came into use. As old time schoolmasters placed 
great emphasis on spelling, it was the custom to give half a day of 
each week to a spelling match. Pupils knew the book so well that 
they could spell the words in the exact order in which they came. 
After the pupil learned to spell sufficiently well he was set to read- 
ing. The elementary spelling book served both as a speller and a 
reader. But the pupil had to be able to pronounce all the words 
in the book before he was permitted to do formal reading. In the 
early period there w^ere few readers of any kind. Any book from 
home might be used, the Bible often serving the purpose. Even 
newspapers were elevated to the dignity of readers when nothins: 
dlse could be obtained. About 1835 Emerson's readers came into 
nse, but they were displaced later bj^ McGuffey's Eclectic Scries. 
The latter books ranked high for the time. They introduced the 
children to higher American literature and gave them a taste for 
reading that was worth while : so that the name of Longfellow, 
Irving, Bryant, Hawthorne, and others became familiar to pupils 
01 that day. 

The next step on the educational ladder was learning to write. 
Mothers made copybooks by sewing together a few sheets of foolscap 
paper. Pens were cut from goose quills. Ink was manufactured 
from oakballs saturated with vinegar. Even pokeberry juice was 
employed, but its use was not general because it sovired too easily. 
A favorite inkstand was a section of a cow's born sawed off and 
fitted with a wooden, water-tight bottom. The copies set by the 
teachers were generally moral or patriotic precepts such as, "Com- 
mandments ten God gave to men," "Evil communications cor- 
rupt good manners," "Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty." 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 305 

The next thing in order for the boys was arithmetic, for this 
was considered peculiarly a boy's subject. Few girls gave much 
attention to it. Students in arithmetic did not recite, they merely 
"ciphered" the sums in the book, the teacher giving little attention 
unless called on for help. Ray's Arithmetic was generally used 
about 1850. In every case the abstract rule was first given, and, 
with this as a basis, the pupils solved the problems according to rule. 
Such a system did not foster much thinking. When an applicant 
for a teacher's license was asked how much 2.5 times 25 cents are, he 
was unable to give the answer, stating that he had never met such 
a problem in any arithmetic. Girls studied geography and gram- 
mar, especially, since they Avere not considered to have "heads for 
ligures." Of all the pioneer text books, geographies were almost 
the only ones which were illustrated. Yet these two subjects were 
not much studied by anybody in the early days. The former was 
considered proper if there was time for it, but the study of grammar 
vras considered an absolute waste of time. As late as 1845, a 
teacher at Vevay in his written contract was required not to teach 
grammar. Most school work was done with quill pens, and the 
making and mending of quill pens was a part of the regular duty 
and employment of the teacher. Steel pens were not used until 
later. The blackboard, in some form, came into use earlier, however. 
Each pupil owned his individual eraser made of raw wool. 

In addition to the rudiments of learning some of the masters 
taught a little correct deportment. They instructed pupils how 
to stand erect, to walk and bow in good form, to remove the 
J at on entering the room, and how to replace it on departing. They 
were especially admonished to respect old age and to reverence the 
'ministers of the Word." 

LOUD SCHOOLS 

"Loud" schools were the rule in the early days in Indiana.^*' In 
fact that kind was considered more efficient than the "silent" school. 
Boys and girls spelled and read at the top of their voices, and some- 
times the roar of lesson-getting could be heard as far as three-quar- 
ters of a mile. One teacher regularly took his fiddle to school and 
solaced himself with music while his pupils were shouting over their 
lessons. It was difficult to keep pupils at work in such an uproar, 
there being too great an opportunity for the idler, who, while shout- 
ing as loudly as the others, really did no work at all. The lazy boy 

'" Indiana Magazine of History, II, 136. 



306 Indiana Magazine of History 

iiiiglit eoiitiiuiously roar at one word, or over a line of poetry, or 
trumpet through his nose, and the teacher be none the wiser. In lat- 
er times the loud school gradually went out of fashion, supplanted 
by the more orderly form of the present da3\ 

Friday was often observed as a speech day. In the afternoon 
the older boA^s recited selections which they had committed to mem- 
ory, and the girls read compositions. Both were publicly criticised 
by the master. Many people who became eminent in later years at- 
tributed their success to the old-time speech day. 

BARRING THE TEACHER OUT 

A common practice in early school days was that of barring 
out the master. This usually accompanied the Christmas celebra- 
tion, in case the master did not treat the school. The big boys usu- 
ally barred the door and kept him out until he agreed to furnish a 
treat, usually apples. Of course he resisted, otherwise there would 
have been no fun. If he was obstinate and held out too long he 
might be ducked in a neighboring creek. One stubborn teacher 
was ducked in an icy pond, and, when this did not bring a 
treat, his tormenters placed chunks of ice on his bare bosom. If 
outsiders had not interferred serious consequences would doubtless 
have followed. Another pedagogue, who had just had a tooth ex- 
tracted, despite his warning as to the risk, was plunged into the 
cold waters of a creek. Lockjaw followed, from which he died. 
But most teachers yielded after a show of resistance, getting as mucli 
merriment out of the affair as the pupils. However, the treat did 
not always consist of apples. The following quotation describes a 
treat offered \iy a certain pioneer teacher : ' ' One Christmas morning 
our teacher brought a jug of whiskey to which he added some eggs 
and sugar; he shook it up and called it 'egg-nog.' When noon came 
he made a little speech and said that the egg-nog was his treat to us ; 
that we must not drink too much of it, and must be good cliildren 
while he went home to take dinner with his wife and some. ^invited 
friends. We were good, but Ave did not leave any of the egg-nog 
for the teacher and his friends Avho came to school Avith him in the 
afternoon. "^1 A Morgan county teacher found himself barred out 
and gained admittance AAdth a jug of AA'hiskey. He dealt out the 
whiskey liberally and it Avas not long before some of the boys Avere 
too full for utterance and had to be sent home. One youngster Avent 
home as happy as a lark but his father met him Avith a big rod that 

" Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, 463. 



Vo</<i: Ho)ii(: Life in Earlij Iiuliaiia 307 

completely brought liini to his senses. These, however, are ex- 
ceptional cases for in most instances public sentiment would not 
have sanctioned the use of liquors. 

HARDSHIPS OF PIONEER SCHOOL CHILDREN 

Pioneer children endured manj^ hardships in their efforts to se- 
cure the rudiments of knowledge. It was not unusual for pupils 
to attend from a distance of three or four miles. Many times they 
encountered wild beasts, or even sulking savages. In the autumn 
they found it delightful to travel along the winding paths as they 
trudged over the hills and hollows, to view the many-hued leaves 
and inhale the fragrance of the flowers, to hear the merry chatter of 
the squirrels and the glad notes of the birds as they flitted from tree 
to tree, to w^alk on the light carpet of velvety leaves, cool and soft to 
the bare young feet. But in winter there was a different picture. 
Boots were not in fashion, so boys and girls came to school with their 
feet encased in old socks or stockings which kept the snow out fairly 
well. Some children went barefoot winter and summer.^- It 
seems that their feet and legs, like our hands, became enured to 
cold. Sanford Cox in his Early Settlement draws a graphic picture 
of the youngsters of Lafayette about 1825, who w^ere skating on the 
ice, some with skates, some with shoes, and some barefoot. In some 
cases a barefoot pupil would carry a hot board or stone, by which 
lie made his way through the cold. When his feet became too chilled 
he stood upon the board or stone until the numbness wore oft', after 
Avhicli he would make another dash for the schoolhouse. As the 
schoolhouse fireplace consumed immense quantities of wood the 
teacher detailed a number of pupils each day to cut and carry wood 
for the fire. Indeed our fathers and mothers did not travel an easy 
path in their quest for knowledge. 

REAL EDUCATION OF THE EARLY HOOSIERS 

After all, the pioneer children received their real education in 
the great out-of-doors, in the forests and by the streams. There was 
plenty of arithmetic, manual training, and physical culture for boys, 
in the work they did witli their fathers, building and plastering 
cabins, clearing and fencing the farms, and in doing hundreds of 
other things which had to be done on a pioneer farm. The girls 
learned likewise through the assistance they rendered their moth- 
ers, in spinning and weaving, in making butter and cheese, and in 

^"^ Indiana Magazine of History, 1\,?>1. ' ''■•'' 



308 Indiana Magazine of History 

doiug all the little thing's that a pioneer housewife found to do. And 
best of all the training the girls and boys received in those days fitted 
them for their life's work, which is more than can be said of much of 
our modern education. 

CHAPTER YI. SOCIAL LIFE 

The life of the Hoosier pioneers was not all hardship and de- 
privation. They had many pleasures and amusements to relieve 
their hard toil. Of course there were no theatres, Sunday excur 
sions or league baseball games, or other more genteel amusements 
to which we are accustomed today, but there was no lack of whole- 
some fun and frolic. Above all there Avas about it a hearty 
and jovial spirit that is altogether absent in our modern commercial 
merrymaking. Our fathers lived an isolated life in sparsely settled 
v'.ommunities ; so, SiUj neighborhood social event was anticipated with 
delight and glee that was almost childish in its nature. Social 
pleasures, too, were largely connected with the neighborhood tasks 
(.f the settlers. If logs were to be rolled, the neighbors assembled to 
roll them; if a cabin was to be built, the pioneers came for miles 
around to assist. There were corn huskings, sheep-shearings, apple- 
parings, sugar-boilings, quilting bees, and hog-killing. 

LOG ROLLING 

The pioneer himself could fell the trees of his farm, cut them 
into proper lengths, clear away the brush and limbs, but in order 
to roll the logs into a heap for burning he was compelled to call 
in his neighbors.'^ On the appointed day, they all came, they and 
their wives and children, the men to pile the logs and the women to 
eook for the feast that always followed the work. Log-rollings, at 
frst sight, do not suggest fun and pleasure, yet they were eagerly 
looked forward to, especially by the young people. Such under- 
takings meant much hard, even excessive work, nevertheless the toil 
itself was turned into sport and play. When the last log was in 
position feasting and enjoyment began. 

Usually the men were separated into two divisions, and the 
clearing was api)ortioned so as to give each division relatively 
fhe same amount of work. Each chose an experienced man as 
leader and, when begun, the contest never flagged. The section 
which first disposed of the last log was declared the winner. This 
Vv-as no little honor, for the victory would be discussed in other setle- 

" Indana Magazine of History, II, 4-5; HaU, Tlie New Purchase, 238-245. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 309 

meiits and praises of the heroes sung far and wide. As great in- 
dividual rivalry occurred among the younger men, some amazing 
feats of strength were performed. A favorite test was to determine 
wliich of two men could outlift the other, each lifting at one end of a 
log with a handspike. After the work was done the log heaps were 
fired,aud a hundred bonfires reddened the sky. A more beautiful 
sight can scarcely be imagined. 

Log rollings were especially frequented by candidates and poli- 
ticians. Here they had an opportunity to present their claims and 
defend themselves against trivial or unfounded charges. But such 
seekers were required to show their mettle. Sometimes rival can- 
didates were assigned as leaders of opposiug sections of workers. 
Then work proceeded under the highest stress. In fact some enter- 
prising farmers, it is said, made a practice of deferring their log roll- 
ings until campaign time (some kind of an election was held every 
year), about a month preceding the election, in order to reap the 
benefit of the labor and enthusiasm of the various candidates. 

After the hard day's work, the boys and young men were still 
equal to foot races, wrestling matches, pole-vaulting, tug-of-war, lap- 
jacket, and other feats of skill on which the young fellows prided 
Themselves. Pitching quoits was also a favorite pastime on such 
occasions. 

HUSKINGS 

The husking of corn was an important work and was a neigh- 
borhood affair. Both sexes participated. They usually assembled 
in a large barn which was arranged for the occasion, where they sat 
in a circle and played "brogue it about" while they worked. Each 
gentleman selecting a lady partner when the husking began, and un- 
der the zest of the frolic, the Avork progressed with surprising rapid- 
ity. When a lady found a red ear she was entitled to a kiss from 
every gentleman present; when a gentleman found one he was en- 
titled to kiss every lady present. After the corn was all husked a 
good supper was served. Then, after the old folks had left, the 
remainder of the evening was spent in dancing and in games. 

QUILTING BEE 

Of equal importance was the quilting bee, where the women had 
their gossip. In the afternoon, ladies for miles around gathered at 
the appointed home to manufacture warm quilts, often of curious 
patterns and design. Such meetings were busy news exchanges for 



310 IndiatKi Magazine of Hision/ 

the women could talk as they worked. As soon as the quilt could 
be "got ofif", the entertainment began. In the evening the nun 
came and the time was spent by the young jjeople in games 
and dancing. 

Bounteous feasting always accompanied the hard labor of neigh- 
borhood gatherings. A meal, consisting of venison, roast turkey, 
fried chicken, hominy, ham and eggs, potatoes, wild hog, steaming 
cornbread, hot biscuits, gingerbread, preserves, jellies, tarts, pies, 
and good milk and butter, all set on a large table, about which the 
workers gathered, could not fail to satisfy the appetite of an e])icure. 
Good cider was always at hand to moisten thirsty tongues. Total 
abstinence was not in fashion in those days, and the farmer who did 
not supply his hands with liquor was considered stingy indeed. A 
jug of whiskey was considered necessary for any undertaking of im- 
portance.^* The beveridge was homemade and often of such little 
strength that it was likelj^ to freeze or sour. 

THE SHOOTING MATCH 

To pioneer people and early settlers the rifle Avas perhaps the 
most indispensable weapon. With it they procured their meat 
from the forest, defended their homes from wild men and wild 
animals, preserved their live stock from prowling enemies, 
and saved their cornfields from the depredations of squirrels and 
bears. To be a sure shot was a matter of no little importance 
Nothing did more to promote good marksmanship than the shooting 
match. ^•'' But it served also a larger purpose. It was a day of 
recreation and amusement, when friends gathered for social inter- 
course, to crack jokes, spin yarns, and talk of former experiences. 
Often these matches virtually became political meetings, where can- 
didates read their certificates and made stump speeches. They 
were usually held on Saturday, and every fellow in the community 
who could "split a bullet on his knife blade" or "take the rag off the 
bush" came to display his skill and try his luck. The prizes were 
beeves, hogs, turkeys, venison, and on some occasions a quanity of 
meal or a half-barrel of whiskey was the reward of skill. Often a 
live turkey or goose furnished the target. Each participant was 
charged his proportionate share of the value of the things offered, 
the charge depending, of course, on tlie number of participants. Or, 
if the number of participants was not equal to the number of chances 

'* Levering, Historic Indiana, 74. 

=>» CockTum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, i93-4<ib; Hall, The New Purchase, 1,126-1Z6: Indiana 
Magazine of History, II, 1-2. 



Vo(/el: Home Life in Early Iiidlaria 311 

at au arbitrary price, the OAvner of the prize took the remaining 
chances and sliot for himself. A level place in the woods was 
selected for a rang-e, and a roughly outlined rectangle cleared 
of bushes and twigs. Along the sides the spectators formed, stand- 
ing, stooping, or lying in characteristic attitudes. A large tree 
at one end often served as a target. From its trunk were measured 
off in a straight line towards the other end of the rectangle two dis- 
tances for shooting, eighty-five and one hundred yard lines. On 
the former the marksman who fired off-hand stood; at the one- 
hundred yard line rests were placed by those who preferred to shoot 
in tliat fashion. Each man prepared for himself a separate target 
which was a poplar shingle having near the center a spot black- 
ened" Avith powder or charcoal as a ground. On this ground a piece 
'^f white paper, about an inch square, with a diamond shaped hole 
in the center, was tacked. The point of intersection of the diagonals 
of the diamond was the true centers of the target and from this as 
a center was described a circle with a four inch radius. Each parti- 
cipant was allowed three shots. If any one of them struck beyond 
the circumference, even by a hair's breath, all the other shots, even 
if in the center, did not count. The unhappy marksman lost. But 
if all three struck within the circle they were measured by a line from 
the center of the diamond to the nearest edge of the bullet hole ; how- 
ever, if a ball grazed the center, the line was drawn from the center 
of the diamond to the middle of the bullet hole. Then the thr«^e 
lengths were added and estimated as one. The man showing the 
shortest length won the prize. This was called line shooting. The 
most scrupulous exactness was always observed in determining dis- 
tances so that there might be no appearance of cheating. Each man 
placed his own target against the tree and fired his three shots in suc- 
cession. On an average it required about fifteen minutes for the 
firing. One or two fellows stood behind the target trees to announce 
the results. This seems dangerous, yet accidents rarely happened. 
On one occasion, however, one man peeped out to learn the cause of 
delay in the shooting and M^as unluckily killed. On another occasion 
an old man was standing behind tlie tree awaiting the report. At 
the flash of the gun he fell dead from behind the tree. The trunk 
was hollow — a mere shell at the place where he stood — and the bul- 
let had passed through it into his body. Practical jokers Avere al- 
Avays present making fun for the company. They ''hoodooed" the 
crack shot and beAvitched the rifle of a prospective prize-AA'inner. 



312 • Indiana Magazine of History 

GOOSE PULLING 

One of the rudest of eoxXy sports was goosepulling.^^ A goose 
with its neck well greased or soaped was fastened to a post at the 
proper height from the ground, or suspended from the limb of a tree. 
Men, on horseback, racing at full speed endeavored to grasp the neck 
of the fowl and tear its head from the live and struggling body. It 
often took hours for the winner to accomplish his purpose. Tliis 
cruel practice died out in later years. 

DANCING 

Neighborliood tasks like house raising or corn huskings as we 
have stated, were usually followed at night by a dance or play party. 
The country fiddler came in with his battered old violin, and the 
dance was held on the puncheon floor by the light of the fire. Oc- 
casionally Avhen no fiddler was to be had the party had to depend 
on vocal music to Avhich they danced. But this was unusual. From 
his instrument the musician drew such tunes as "Old Zip Coon," 
"Jay Bird," "Old Dan Tucker," and "Possum up a Gum Stump," 
all the while violently flourishing his bow and patting his foot in ac- 
cent. A "caller" called out the different formations of the square 
c'ances. Each neighborhood had its own "caller," many of whom 
attained not a little notoriety, and were even in demand outside the 
community. The following is an example of a common call : 

Balance one and balance eight. 

Swing 'em on the corner lilie you swing 'em on the gate; 
Bow to your lady and then promenade, 

First couple out, to the couple on the right; 
Lady round the lady and the gent solo, 

And the lady round the gent and the gent don't go; 
Ladies do-ce-do and the gents, you know. 

Chicken in a bread pan, pickin' up the dough. 
Turn 'em roun and roun, as pretty as you can; 

An' why in the world don't you left alaman, 
Right hand to pardner and grand right and left, 

And a big, big swing, an' a little hug too, 
Swing your honey and she'll swing you, 

Promenade eight, when you get all straight. 
First couple out to the right; 

Cage the bird, three hands round; 
Birdie hop out, and crow hop in, 

'• Indiana Magazine of History, 11,4. 



Vogel: Home Life in Early Indiana 313 

Three hands round, and go it again; 
Alaman left, back to the pardner and grand right and left. 

Come to your pardner, an' a half, 
Yellar canary right, and jay-bird left; 

Next to your pardner and all chaw hay. 
You know where and I don't care, 

Seat your pardner in the old arm chair.37 
The dancing was vigorous. They knew little of glides, and high 
steps with flourishing swings were altogether good form. A jig 
cr a "hoe-down" was often thrown in, and some of the gay young 
fellows could "cut the pigeon's wing" or throw in an extra "double 
shuffle" to fill out the measure. In later years round dances such 
as the waltz, polka, and schottische were introduced, much to the dis- 
satisfaction of the old time dancers who had difficulty in acquiring 
the new setps. Some even refused to learn, claiming that they were 
]iew f angled, "citified" notions after all, and quite beneath the no- 
tice of a true dancer. 

A special form of dancing was the dancing picnic, a reminder 
of which we still have at the country fourth of July celebrations. 
People came to a new barn or a- green lawn, but more often to some 
beautiful grove, with baskets of dinner to spend the day in social 
converse and enjoyment, heightened by a dance in the afternoon. 
A circular piece of ground was cleared off and covered with green, 
jiew saw-dust. Seats were provided around this. A platform on 
cne side was provided for the musicians. Those who danced ""paid 
the fiddler" but all were welcqme. This form of dancing was in- 
iroduced from the South. 

SOCIAL GAMES 

In some sections of the State dancing was not approved. Drink- 
ing and disorder had become so prevalent at such gatherings that 
ministers and church people made war upon the entertainment and 
drove it from the better neighborhoods altogether. In such com- 
munities the chief amusements were forfeit games and marching 
games. "Keeping Post Office," "Picking Cherries," and "Build- 
ing the Bridge," were forfeit games. The forfeits were always 
kisses. Marching plays had in them all the elements of a dance. 
In fact "Sociability," "Weev'ly wheat," and "Four Hands Around" 
were often called compromise dances. Because kissing always form- 
ed the chief feature of marching plays, they came to be known fami- 
liarly as "gum sucks." "We're Marching Down to Old Quebec," 

" Levering, Historic Indiana, index. 



314 Indiana 31a(/(ulnc of History 

"Sailing on the Boat When the Tide Runs High," "King William 
was King James' Son", "Old Dusty Miller", and many others, 
< qually interesting, were in high favor with the pioneer belles and 
beaux. They were sung as the players marched, often with little 
regard for time or rhythm, but with unbounded energy ; and many of 
them were so similar in air and measure that one selection readily 
glided into another. A common marching song ran : 

Just from Shiloh, skiptumaloo. 

Just from Shiloh, skiptumaloo, 

Just from Shiloh, skiptumaloo, 

Skiptumaloo my darling. 

Another which was sung with much gusto was: 
Keep one window, tidy oh. 
Keep two windows, tidy oh. 
Keep three windows, tidy oh. 

Jingle at the window, tidy oh, 

Jingle at the window, tidy oh. 

Another which in luovenient was practically a Virginia Reel ran : 
Do-ce-do, to your best liking, 
Do-ce-do, to your best liking, 
Do-ce-do, to your best liking. 

And swing your love so handy. 

The parties always closed with kissing songs. One Avas : 
Down on this carpet you must kneel. 
And kiss your true love in the field; 
Kiss the one that you confess 
To be the one that you love best; 
Kiss her now and kiss her then, 
And kiss her when you meet again. 

SLEIGH RIDES 

In winter young people had real unalloyed fun. The bob-sled 
was an important factor in winter enjoyment. It consisted of tw^o 
short pairs of runners set tandem fashion, the front pair responding 
freely to the tongue like the front wheels of a wagon. Thus it af- 
forded extra length for a sleigh. At the same time it allowed 
turns to be safely made. When surmounted by a big box-bed par- 
tially filled with clean straw it made a snug warm nest for a dozen 
or more boys and girls. Probably no social crowd was so hilarious 
as a jolly bob-sled party on a bright moonlight night. The big 
runners sang a song to the crisp white snow, and the night resounded 
with flying hoofs and jangling bells and the gay songs of boys and 



Vogel: Home Lije in Early Indiana 315 

girls. Doubtless the old bob-sled was a strong factor in promoting 
early marriages, for a half-score of buxom girls and husky young 
men crowded within the compas of the bed of a sleigh was a power- 
ful stimulus to love's young dream. Sleigh-riding to the spelling 
match or to the singing school was the great joy of the 
Avinter months.-^ ^ 

THE SPELLING SCHOOL 

One of the chief public entertainments of the early settlers was 
the spelling school."^ It was looked forward to with much anti- 
cipation and anxiety. When the time came the whole neighborhood, 
or even several neighborhoods, came together for an intellectual con- 
test. Two young people chose sides, and the teacher who was 
master of ceremonies pronounced the words. They spelled 'in var- 
ious ways, each section having its favorite method. Sometimes 
they spelled across, sometimes "word-catchers" were employed, 
again the "spelldown" process was the means of determining the 
contest. After the match the country swains took the girls home, 
often by very round-a-bout ways. 

SINGING SCHOOLS 

Singing schools were scarcely less popular than the spelling 
liiatches.'*^ They served the double purpose of social gatherings 
and schools of vocal instruction. The meetings were usually held 
on Sunday afternoon in a district schoolhouse or church. Here the 
local singing master, with his tuning fork in his hand and without 
any accompaniment taught the whole neighborhood to read buck- 
wheat notes and sing sacred songs from the old song books. In 
the early books, like the Sacred Melodcon, Christian Psalmist and 
Missouri Harmony, the tunes were represented by four buckwheat 
notes; the round one called "sol," the square on "la," the triangu- 
lar one " fa" and the diamond shaped on "mi." They Avere re- 
peated to make the full octave. About 1850 the round note system 
was introduced by Yankee singing masters. The pioneer book of 
the new system was the Carmina Sacra in which the tunes were of Ger 
man or Puritan character, and, naturally, not so well accepted by the 
old folks as the early songs which they had learned in their youth. A 
charge of fifty to seventy-five cents per pupil for a term of twelve les- 
sons was made. Not infrequently several masters were conducting 

•"'* Indiana Magazine of History, II, 56. 

'» History of Johnson County, 267-269. 

■*» Indiana Magazine of History, II, 51-52; History of Johnson County, 269-270. 



316 Indiana 31</(/(izine of History 

schools in the same neighborhood. Joint meetings were often held 
at which there was great rivalry between the classes. Singers were 
chosen very much as in spelling matches. At the price charged 
classes frequently became too large for the room. So attractive 
was the work that young Quakers (the Quaker church then opposed 
.singing) were often enrolled, and it is due to this that the second 
geiieration of Quakers has changed its attitude toward music. 

DEBATING SOCIETIES 

Debating clubs, moot courts, and mock legislatures were com- 
mon, especially in the smaller villages of Indiana. They furnished 
an opportunity for social fellowship and afforded practice in im- 
promptu speaking and parliamentary usage. Many of the State's 
great statesmen, orators, and thinkers received their first inspiration 
at these meetings. A literary society was found in almost every 
neighborhood in the early fifties. Joint meetings were often held 
with neighboring societies. The modern literary club originated 
in the old Hoosier "Literaries. " 

WEDDINGS 

A wedding was always an event of the greatest importance be- 
cause it meant a season of feasting and frolic for young and old, 
lasting several days.^^ Young people in the early days were mar- 
ried much earlier than they are today. A boy of sixteen or seven- 
teen was counted on to do a man's part in the farm work, in hunt- 
ing, or in scouting against the Indians. There was no inequality 
of social position or wealth to blight the hopes of cupid, for all oc- 
cupied practically the same position in life. Money was not nec- 
essary. Intoxicating health balanced the lack of a bank account. 
Money of any kind was very scarce in those days, so scarce that 
fathers often found it difficult to make financial provision for the 
legal part of the ceremony. The country swain, in his cowhide boots, 
and suit of blue jeans, was awkward and self-conscious, but he had 
a kind heart ; and his lady love in her dress of linsey-woolsey was 
as shy and bashful as he. The following story told by a descendant 
of a pioneer characterizes the timid lover.^^ Qjjp evening a young 
pioneer dressed in his Sunday-best went to call upon a comely girl 
who lived in the neighborhood. When he entered the home he 

*• Hall, The New Purchase, I, 153-1S4 ; Cockrum, A Pioneer History of Indiana, 158. 
*' Indiana Magazine of History, II, 87. 



Vogel: Home Life in Eaiiy ludiava 317 

found that all the chairs and stools in the cabin were occupied by 
visiting neighbors. The embarassed young man slipped back into 
the corner of the room where there was a large kettle filled with 
blue dye, covered with a cloth. The poor fellow, thinking he had 
discovered a resting place for his awkward form, sat down in it, 
falling in head and heels in his new tow linen suit. When last seen 
he Avas fleeing from the place like a blue streak in the moonlight. 
The expression, "went like a blue streak" may have originated in 
that incident. But courtships in those days were as successful as 
in these, and a marriageable girl that found no husband was con- 
sidered unfortunate indeed. 

Everybody in the entire neighborhood knew he would be invited 
to the marriage celebration. In fact in most communities no invita- 
tion was needed ; the latch string was out to all who wished to come, 
especially to neighbors. In some cases, however, those who wnshed 
to do something beyond the ordinary sent a written invitation to 
the intended guests. A single invitation was sent to all of them, 
the groomsman riding from house to house with the "invite"' as 
it was called. This important document was composed by the local 
schoolmaster. Almost every neighborhood had a local preacher who 
was empowered to perform the ceremony, and there were squires 
also who could tie a knot for very reasonable fee. The following 
interesting note was sent to a local minister asking him to perform 

a marriage ceremony :^' 

REV. MR. HILSBURY ESQ.,— you are perticulurly invited to attend 
the house of mr. Abrim Ashford esq. to injine upon i the yoke of konjigal 
raattrimunny with his doter miss Susan Ashford as was — Thersday mornia 
next 10 oklok before dinner a.m. 

MR. JOSEPH REDDEN your humbell sarv't, 

MR. WM. WELDON, groomsman. 
On the nuptial day the bridegroom and his best fellows usually 
ten, gathered at his father's home, and all went to the home of the 
bride, timing their progress so as to arrive about noon. In con- 
nection with this journey, a diversion called ' ' running for the bottle 
was often indulged in. Two of the best mounted were selected to 
compete. When within a half mile of the bride's home the word 
was given and the two started out at breakneck speed. The one 
who first reached a designated spot became the winner of the prize, 
a bottle of corn whiskey, with wliich he treated the remainder of 
the party when they came up. 

*^ Hall, The New Purchase, 1, 155. 



318 Indiana Ma(/azine of History 

The guests usually came ou horseback. The men folks weut 
ahead to direct the way through the woods, clear away the brush, and 
let down the fences. 

Wedding garments in those days were entirely homemade like 
everything else ; but the bride in her dress of linseywoolsey and the 
groom in his shining new cowhide boots were as well married as any 
Jiiodern bride and groom, even if they did not carry themselves 
xvith the same ease and grace. 

The ceremony was usually performed about twelve o'clock in the 
day, although it sometimes took place as late as three o'clock. After 
the words were pronounced the important part of the celebration — 
po far as the guests were concerned — began. Great preparations 
were made for the wedding meal. Tribute was levied upon the 
whole neighborhood; so in a literal way 'the whole neighborhood was 
interested in the event. Dishes of china, pewter, and silver; spoons 
of pewter, wood and horn ; table linen ; all things necessary for the 
occasion, were collected from various parts of the settlement. So 
few china dishes were possessed that scarce a whole neighborhood 
could set a wedding table. The menu consisted of the best that the 
land could afford. Often a monster potpie, holding from ten to 
twelve chickens, occupied the center of the table.** Potpie was a 
favorite dish with the early woodsman. Meats of all kinds, (wild 
meat was plentiful) steaming cornbread, potatoes, onions, pumpkin, 
butter, pies, preserves of all kinds, wild honey, and delicious pound 
cakes, weighted down the long rough table which was covered with 
a piece of white linen that had lain in the garden for weeks to bleach. 
Around this board the hungry people were* seated, the bride and 
groom at one end, and the bridesmaid and groomsman at the other. 
After the dinner the old folks returned to their homes, but the young 
folks always remained for a dance that lasted frequently until the 
next morning. The happy party played games and tripped away 
to the merry tunes of the sleepy old fiddler. 

THE INFARE 

The infare, the wedding reception at the home of the groom's 
father the next day, was a repetition of the entertainment of the 
previous day.*-^ The same people gathered, the young men again 
raced for the bottle, and all had a feast of good things, followed by 
another dance at night. 

^* HaU, The Neiv Purchase, I, 181-1S4. 

*' Cockrum,^ Pioneer History of Indiana, 1S6. 



Voijel: Home Life in Earl;/ Indiana 319 

Little capital was needed to start a new home. The young 
people were content to begin life as their fathers and mothers before 
them had done, with nothing more than what they could manufacture 
with their own hands. Money was not to be had. The following 
story illustrates the lack of coin and the scant capital with which 
some marriages were consummated.'*'^ A certain "squire" Jones saw 
a young man ride up with a young lady behind him. They dis- 
mounted; he hitched his horse and they went toward the house and 
were invited to be seated". After waiting a few minutes the young 
juan asked if he were the ''squire.'' He informed him that he was. 
He then asked the squire what he charged for tying the knot. "You 
mean for marry you?" — "Yes sir." — "One dollar," said the 
squire — "Will you take it in trade?" — "What kind of trade,"' — 
"Beeswax." — "Bring it in." The young man returned to where 
the horse was tied, and brought in the beeswax, biit it lacked forty 
cents of being enough to pay the bill. After sitting pensive for 
some minutes the young man went to the door and said, "Well Sal, 
let's be going." Sal followed slowly to the door, when, turning 
■♦:o the justice, with an entreating look, she said : ' ' Well, Squire, can 't 
yow tie the knot as far as the beeswax goes anyhow?" And he did 
and they were married. 

TRAINING DAY 

In the county town was held the general muster which was a 
meeting of the militia of the county for the purpose of instruction 
and drill. It was held late in the summer after the crops had been 
"laid by." All persons subject to military duty were notified to 
attend and take their places in the company and regiment to which 
they were assigned. The militiamen were not uniformed but came 
in ordinary clothing. Their weapons were of no particular pattern 
— rifles, shotguns, carbines, and muskets — and with them they awk- 
wardly went through the manual of arms. This military force was 
often called the "corn stalk" militia, because it is said they carried 
corn-stalks in place of guns.*'^ This doubtless is untrue, but some 
times they wore corn tassels in their hats or caps, which fact may 
have given rise to the sobrioquet. 

CIRCUS DAY 

In many of the communities a circus came once a year in the 
summer. In the rough vernacular of the people it Avas called the 

16 Levering, Historic Indiana, 90. 

*' Turpie, Sketches of My Omi Times, 31-32. 



320 Indiand 31agazine of HIstonj 

"show" even if it was advertised under sucli high sounding names 
as the "hippodrome" or the amphitheater." It traveled by the 
ordinary country roads, and the people turned out en masse to see 
the elephant cross the river. At high noon the grand entry into the 
village was made with gorgeous chariots, horseback processions, and 
martial music. The whole country attended, and the big tent was 
filled with simple people, gazing in open-mouthed wonder at the as- 
tonishing feats performed in the ring. 

On Saturday afternoon the early Hoosiers went to town. It 
was a holiday and no man was expected to work. A load of produce 
might be taken for sale or barter, but no serious labor was tolerated. 
Here the farmers transacted a little business, "swapped" horses, and 
exchanged gossip with their neighbors. 



MINOR NOTICES 

FORT KNOX 

The location of Fort Knox has long been a subject of controversy 
among the citizens of Vincennes. There are two traditions current, 
one that it was situated about three miles north of the town on the im- 
mediate bank of the Wabash ; the other that it was down in the town 
near where old Fort Sackville stood. 

The following evidence has lately come to light. Among the 
papers of the late Professor Wylie is a map of Illinois drawn by John 
Mellish in 1818.. This was drawn from the svirveys of the General 
Land Office. On this map fortunately is located Vincennes and 
about three miles up the Wabash is also located Fort Knox, The 
map shows every evidence of being reliable. 

In J. B. Finley's Life Among the Indians, page 188, there is 
quoted a letter by Captain G. R. Floyd then commanding at Fort 
Knox, dated August 14, 1810 which says, 'The Shawnee Indians have 
come ; they passed this garrison, Avhich is three miles above Vincennes, 
on Sunday last in eighty canoes, etc' Reverent Finley who was w^ell 
acquainted with the facts repeats the statement in his own language. 
These two evidences leave little doubt as to the location of the 
old Fort. '■ 

This fort Avas built in 1787 by Major John F. Hamtramck under 
orders of General Josiah Harmar who then commanded the United 
States army in the West. During the Indian wars from 1790 to 
1815 it was occupied by strong garrisons, sometimes numbering 1,000 
men. Armies of much larger size under Hamtramck, Russell, and 
Hopkins rendezvous^ed there at different times. No description of 
the fort has been found. 

CHURCH HISTORY 

The Methodist Church in Indiana is devoting considerable at- 
tention to historical matters connected with the early church of In- 
diana. Dr. Sweet, professor of history at DePauw University, is 
aiding in the work. Dr. Herrick was recently appointed historian 
by the North Indiana Conference. Dr. John Poucher is doing a sim- 
ilar work for Southern Indiana. Professor Sweet is hopeful that the 
other two Indiana Conferences will undertake systematic and 



322 Indiana Mayazlne of History 

thorough surveys. Every church in ludiana aud every church or- 
ganizatiou should be investigated and its record preserved. Nothing 
can be more interesting or in the end more valuable to the churches 
themselves tlian such a study. It was no easy task to found the 
churches of Indiana and fight their early battles. The men and 
women who did that work are entitled to have their records preserved. 
If the present generation is so much engrossed in other ways that 
it has no interest in such things it should at least rest assured that 
future generations will appreciate the work of the pioneer preachers 
and place a proper value on their history. 

THE INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

This is one of the oldest organizations in the State, dating from 
December 11, 1830. Its first president Avas the distinguished federal 
judge, Benjamin Parke, who died of cholera, at his home in Salem, 
July 12, 1835. His death perhaps had much to do in preventing a 
complete organization of the work the Society had undertaken. At 
that time the first settlers of the State, and the founders of the 
government were alive. Had the society succeeded in getting well- 
organized and providing a substantial home it doubtless would have 
received all the valuable documents of our early history. 

Unfortunately no master hand took hold of the organization and 
its :Work has not been accomplished. This does not mean that many 
able men have not devoted a great deal of time and money to the 
work. The historian, John B. Dillon, did some valuable work in 
connection with the society. But the man who did most for it and 
who took deepest interest in preserving the State's history was the 
late William H. English. The Society has numbered among its mem- 
bers many of the most distinguished men of the State. It has now a 
membership of about seventy -five. It has never had funds adequate 
to its work. 

It seems that now Avould be an opportune time to revive interest 
in the organization and its work. Many leading men have expressed 
an interest in it lately. There are men and women in Indiana able 
to do this work as well as it is being done in any other State. Why 
not have a mass meeting of all persons in the State interested in the 
work of the Society as soon as the political campaign of the year is 
over? This is merely a suggestion. It is believed there are 1,000 
persons in Indiana sufficiently interested in the work to join the 
society. 



Minor Notices 323 

PRIDE'S FORT 

About 1800 a pioneer named Woolsey Pride settled at White 
Oak Springs in Pike county near the present city of Petersburg. 
He soon found that he had located near one of the favorite hunting 
trails of the redmen. They came down White River or down the 
Wabash and up White River to a point near Pride's fort from which 
place they crossed over to hunt in Kentucky. As soon as a few white 
settlers came up they built a fort at the springs. This fort was used 
as a meeting place for the rangers who patrolled the Vincennes 
trace from about 1806 to the close of the War of 1812. Parties of 
rangers also patrolled the road to Yellow Banks down near Rock- 
port on the Ohio, as well as the trace from where Evansville now 
stands. Pride's fort has stood, or a part of it, up until the present 
used for all manner of purposes from a church and school house to 
a barn. Recently its owner has decided to destroy it and it seems 
that one of the last, if not indeed the last ,of the old frontier stockades 
will soon be gone. 

"FIRSTS" 

Just at present there are being discovered in this State a large 
number of "firsts." We read in the papers of "first" roads, "first" 
mills, "first" cotton fields, "first" associations of various kinds, 
' ' oldest ' ' churches and schools. A humorous illustration of this ajg; 
peared recently in the Indianapolis News. A Richmond correspp: 
dent of the Nezvs discovered that the honor of the "first" brew* ^ 
in the State belonged to Richmond, having been established there u. 
1827. Mrs. Nora C. Fretagest, libarian of New Harmony raises an ob- 
jection to this claim in behalf of New Harmony. She is right. Among 
my notes from the Western Sun I find an advertisement as follows : 

F. Rapp will always have on hand and for sale the first quality of STRONG 
BEER by the barrel, at Harmonie, Indiana. April 30, 1819. 

Another advertisement from the Western Sun, March 21, 1818, 

reads as follows : 

J. and W. L. Coleman announce that they have erected a large brewery 
and are in the market for 2,000 bushels of bariey and wheat, fifty cents per 
pound will be paid for hops. Draft, Porter, and strong beer furnished by 
the barrel or half barrel for home use, or in large quantities for export. 

The Colemans lived at Vincennes. As a matter of fact inhabi- 
tants of Vincennes were not only making but consuming quantitier, of 
beer before the settlers of either Richmond or New Harmonie were 
born. 




REVIEWS AND NOTES. 

History of the AlctJiodisf Episcopal Church at OrUwis, Indiana, by John 

PoucHER, D. D., Orleans, Ind.,pp. 18, 1914. 

This is an attempt to perpetuate a bit of local history. There is 
a gener?d movement throughout the West to perpetuate the history 
of individual churches and schools. At least one Western State 
has undertaken a religious historical survey in which it is planned to 
compile a complete history of every church in the State. Dr. Pouchei 
has divided his subject into three parts. In the first he gives a brief 
history of the town of Orleans from its founding in 1815 by William 
McFarland and Samuel Lewis down to the present. The main por- 
tion of the pamphlet is devoted to the History of the Church. Dr. 
Poucher here encounters a trouble that will often be met by the ser- 
ious historian in our State. The earliest records are lost. Who the 
first preacher was, or Avhat denomination he represented will perhaps 
never be known again. Orleans was on an early line of travel and 
doubtless was visited before Indiana was a State. The celebrated 
Presbyterian preacher W, W. Martin preached in the neighborhood 
in 1816. Lorenzo Dow the eccentric Methodist preacher of that 
early day, often visited Orleans. Dr. Poucher has been able to find 
Ti record of the Methodist preachers beginning about 1822. There is 
an unbroken succession from that time on to the present. In 1826 
tTie little Methodist congregation built a 30x40 log church. The long 
list of preachers contains many names well-knoAvn in Indiana History. 
The third part of the pamphlet is devoted to the members whom the 
auditor calls the "Personals workers." 

Drainage and Reclamation of the Swamps and Overflowing La7ids, by 
Charles Kettleborough, Indiana Bureau of Legislative Infor- 
mation Bulletin, No. 2, Indianapolis, pp. 68, 19 14. 
This is a historical discussion of the drainage question in In- 
diana. The purpose of the Bulletin is to awaken the people of the 
State and especially the General Assembly to the fact that the State 
IS losing millions of dollars every year through lack of proper drain- 
age. The State has already reclaimed 2,500,000 acres valued at 
$68,000,000 but it is believed that a scientific drainage system would 
do much more. The sanitary side of the question is also emphasized. 
A revival of interest in drainage sprang up ten or fifteen years 



Reviews and Notes 325 

ago simultaneously with the great rise in land values. A part of 
this drainage impulse came also from the fact that the arable free 
public lands in the west had all been occvipied. 

A table showing the undrained lands in the various States gives 
Indiana 625,000 acres of such land. The total for the United States 
h given as 79,000,000, acres, one fourth of which is in Florida. The 
main reasons for drainage are given as follows : to improve the roads, 
to reclaim the land, and to improve health. 

Systematic drainage did not begin till about 1880 when the rising 
price of land began to justify the use of costly machinery. The 
writer estimates that 3,500,000 acres of laud in Indiana were original- 
ly swampy. Of this amount about 1,500,000 acres have been fairly 
well drained, while at least one million acres can hardly be said to 
be drained at all. 

It is an interesting little pamphlet and suggests a line of work 
which the State government can do with great profit to the citizens. 
In closing, the author sums up the work now being done in other 
States. 

Seven suggestions are made to the General Assembly, should it 
undertake legislation along this line. (1) A new systematic draiii- 
age law. (2) A State engineer. (3) Flood control and river 
improvement. (4) The public health. (5) Co-operation with 
experts. (6) Public ownership of dredging machinery. (7) 
Preservation of Avater power. , 

The Unknoii'u God and Other Orthodox Essays is the title of a small 
volume of miscellaneous essays by Jacob Piatt Dunn. The first essay 
is a discussion of the meaning of the dedication, Paul found on the 
Athenian altar "To the Unknown God." Mr. Dunn comes to the 
conclusion that the expression refers to the Greek "Supreme First 
Cause." 

The second essay is entitled "The First Heresies." The author 
is not disposed to let his religion draw him into any of the conflicts 
of science and philosophy. These latter he says are making the 
same bluffs to day as in the time of the apostles; but "The Simple 
faith is greater than the wisdom of men." 

Perhaps the most interesting of these short essays is one entitled 
"The Passing of Darwinism" Here, as in all the rest, the author's 
mind takes the path of least resistance. He rejects Darwinism in to- 
to. But he leaves some consolation, for he admits that "There are 
thousands of fairly intelligent people who still accept the Darwinian 
theories as established facts." 



326 Indiana Magazine of History 

In his essay on the "The Debt of English Literature to the Bible" 
he is on easier ground. There is only one side to this question and 
of course Mr. Dunn is "orthodox." It is a neatly executed little 
volume of 178 pages, and is interesting in the fact that it reveals a 
type of mind not uncommon in the world's history. 

Development of Banking in Illinois, 1817- 1863, is the title of Bulletin 
No. 12, vol. XI of the University of Illinois. It is a pamphlet of 
180 pages by Dr. George William Dowrie assistant professor of Econ- 
omics in the University of Michigan. The experience of Illinois in 
banking has been very similar to that of Indiana. A territorial bank 
was chartered and later broken by supporting doubtful commercial 
ventures. A State Bank was organized about the same time as that 
of Indiana. The State Bank failed partly by reason of trying to 
carry the State debt and partly by reason of falling into 
the hands of dishonest politicians. After the failure of the State 
Bank the State tried a system of free banking with customary dis- 
astrous results. Dr. Dowrie has held close to his subject and has 
given us a good biography of Illinois banks. The reader often wishes 
for a little more explanation or a little of the author's OAvn opinion. 
An investigator usually has decided opinions born of the atmosphere 
of his researches. These opinions are valuable to the general reader. 
They are in the nature of expert knowledge and one has a right to 
expect them. 

The Kentucky Register for May has a beautiful portrait of George 
Rogers Clark made from the painting by Jouett owned by Colonel 
Durrett of Louisville. It also contains an article by Mrs. Ella H. 
Ellwanger on the early history of Louisville. 

The Missouri Historical Reviezv for April has a "History of Fort 
Orleans, the first French post on the Mississippi," by M. F. Stipes. 
The other leading article is "Recollections of Thomas H. Benton," by 
L. T. Collier. 

The Annals of lo'-cca for April has for its opening number a mem- 
oir of ex-senator William B. Allison, by Henry Cabot Lodge. Anoth- 
er interesting article in the same immber is "Early Commercial Trav- 
eling in Iowa," by Frank M. Mills. Mr. Mills was a niive of In- 
diana, emigrating to Des Moines with his wife and children in 1857. 
An account of Spirit Lake Massacre is the leading article in the July 
Annals, written by 0. C. Howe. 



Reviews and Notes 327 

The Magasiiie of History for January has au aceouut of "'Frontier 
tier Life in Iowa in the Forties'', by Johnson Brigham which will be 
interesting reading to many Hoosiers. 

The first number of the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, ap- 
peared in June on schedule time. An excellent review of the 
''Historical Activities in the Old Northwest and Eastern Canada," 
by Dr. Solon J. Buck of Illinois University is worth the price of the 
book. There are three other articles on more or less threadbare 
subjects. One-third of the magazine is taken up with elaborate book 
reviews, only a few of wliich have any connection with Mississippi 
Valley History. 

The North Carolina Booklet for April has an aceouut of Sherman's 
raid which would open the eyes of many of the old veterans of In- 
diana. It is written from memory by Professor J. T. Alderman. 
The Avriter evidently will never be reconciled to the glories of war. Of 
course Sherman's men had no business to go on a tramp of such 
length without taking their dinners with them, but it seems a little 
late now to be indulging in such criticism. I have not heard a sur- 
vivor of Libby or Andersouville complain so bitterly as does Profes- 
sor Alderman over the loss of a few chickens and ducks and possibly 
an old sow and pigs. 

The Story of Nezv Harmony for Children is the title of a charming 
little story of the settlement of this famous old town one hundred 
years ago by the Rappites. The story is told in simple concrete 
words by Caroline Cruse Pelham. In the sixteen small pages of this 
little pamphlet is a better picture of the old times than is found in the 
larger books on the subject. It would make an excellent reading 
lesson for second or third grade pupils. 

Decisive Episodes in Western History is the title of an address 
delivered by Laenas G. Weld before the Iowa State Historical Soc- 
iety, Feb. 21, at Iowa City, and published by the society in pamphlet 
form. The speaker points out as the "Decisive Episodes" first the 
fight between Champlain and the Iroquois, July 30, 1609 ; the second 
the murder of LaSalle ; third the building of Fort Chartres at Kask- 
askia ; fourth the battle of Great Meadows in which Washington at- 
tacked the French ; fifth the conquest by George Rogers Clark ; and 
last the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 



328 Indiana Magazine of History 

TJu- Indiana Catholic of July 3, 1914 has a lengtliy account of the 
settlement of Vineennes which it calls the "Cradle of the Faith." 
The substance of the article is taken from Cauthorne's History of 
Vineennes. There is no reference made by the writer to any author- 
ity hence one cannot tell how much history and how much fiction the 
article contains. Many of his statements have at least never b(^eii 
proven. 

The Salcni Democrat of July 1, 1914, has a short sketch of the 
scouts who patrolled the Indiana border during the War of 1812. 
These rangers had their headquarters at old Fort Vallonia and ranee J 
the woods from the Whitewater to the Wabash and as far north as the 
Wabash at Logausport. Chief of these scouis were John Tipton 
and Joseph Bartholomew. Many thrilling border stories have como 
do '. n from these ;:i. »s. 

"he Indianape''s Nczvs July 25, has an i'neount of an election 
held in Terre Haute in the summer of 1851. The article by Chester 
De Brular is based on an account written by an English traveler 
named Beste who was in Terre Haute at the time. The principal 
contest at the time was on the ratification of the present State con- 
stitution. Mr. Beste thought the elections in America conducted 
better than in England. 

The Indianapolis Suiniay Star June 26, 1914 has an account of the 
R. C. Buley of Vineennes on the "Origin of the Republican Party." 
Mr. Buley points out the discouragement, misrepresentation, and 
prejudice which all new parties meet. The}^ are usually denomi- 
nated revolutionary. This is correct. A new political party is a 
modern revolution. 

The Indianapolis Sunday Star June 26, 1914 has an article by 
"Battle of Monocacy" in which General Lew Wallace with a small 
force of veterans and raw recruits checked the advance of General 
Jubal Early with 20,000 men and perhaps saved Washington from 
capture. The account is by W. H. Smith, author of a two volume 
history of Indiana, and a great admirer of the author-general 

The Goshen Democrat July 17, 1914, has a list of tlie postmasrera 
who have officiated at Benton since the office was established. It was 
first called Elkhart Plain when opened January 19, 1830. John 
Jackson grandfather of the present postmaster. Dr. Haltzinger, being 



Reviews and Notes 329 

the first appointee. Benton was on the old stage route from Fort 
Wayne to Michigan City. There have been twenty-one postmasters 
in the 84 years. 

In the above paper for July 25, 1914, is a list of the New Paris 
postmasters during its seventy-four years of existence. This post- 
office was called Jackson from April 22, 1840 to September 16, 1852. 
It has had twenty-four postmasters. 

The Indiana Catholic, July 17, 1914, has a biography of Reverent 
Lewis Guegen, the rector of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral of Vincen 
nes. The venerable priest was past eighty, having been born at 
Fregoman Cotes du Nord Brittany. He came to Vincennes Decem- 
ber 8, 1859. He served at Madison and Washington, Indiana, till 
1860 when he was transferred to a charge in Floyd county. From 
1864 to 1885 he was stationed at Loogootee. From 1885 to 1890 
he served at Madison, since when he has been at Vincennes. 

The Crawfordsville Journal July 17, 1914, has some reminiscench 
by Judge J. M. Cowan an early pioneer of Crawfordsville, now liv- 
ing in Springfield, Mo. He Avas born in Crawfordsville in 1821, 
and hence is now past ninety-three. He graduated from Wabash in 
1 842 and from Indiana in 1845. Indians were common in Crawfords- 
ville in his boyhood days. He saw Lincoln often, and was a com- 
panion of Henry S. Lane. He was a grown man when the first rail- 
road was built in the State. He is older than Indianapolis but it had 
about 1,500 inhabitants when he first saw it. His first ride was on a 
train to Indianapolis to hear Clay speak in 1844. 

The New Harmony Times is printing as a serial, Mr. Taft's 
speech at the centennial celebration. It certainly roused some cur- 
ious reflections in the spirit of the kind hearted socialistic Owen to 
hear his eulogy pronounced by men who have no sympathy whatever 
for socialism, who in fact one and all are champions of exactly what 
Owen spent his life fighting. One can imagine such a man as 
Jacob Riis, or Victor Berger getting enthusiastic in praise of Owen, 
but it is difficult to see how such speakers as were on the New Har- 
mony list could kindle their souls to a glow at the shrine of Owen. One 
IS tempted to remark that such ludicrous incompatibility is sacri- 
legious. Howere, it seems the principal purpose in these centennial 
celebrations is to attract a crowd, mere numbers. 

The Bloomington Journal is running The Xeiv Purchase as a serial 
story. This is a novel written by Baynard R. Hall, first principal 



330 Indiana Magazine of History 

of Indiana Seminary, sometime about 1836. Mr. Hall came to Bloom- 
ington in 1823. The scenes and characters in the novel are local to 
Bloomington and vicinity, though the author Avent as far afield as 
Vincennes, or Crawfordsville, and once to the Battleground. It is 
the best characterization of early Hoosier life in print. 

The Salem Democrat has published a number of biographies of 
citizens of the place who have passed their eightieth birthday. One 
of the most interesting of these is in the issue of July 8. It is the 
biography of Mrs. William Standish, born January 19, 1828. Her 
memory is clear and her reminiscences make an interesting story of 
the growth of the community from a wilderness outpost frequented 
hy Indians down to the present. 

A New Constitution for Indiana is the subject of an address by 
Theo. F. Thieme of Fort Wayne. This has been published — Fort 
Wayne, June 1914 — as a forty page pamphlet. The author gathers 
m small compass the arguments in favor of a new Constitution. 

The Iowa Journal of History and Politics for July contains among 
others, two articles by Jacob Vander Zee on "French Discovery 
and Exploration of the Eastern Iowa country before 1763" and "Fur 
Trade Operations in the Eastern Iowa Country under the Spanish 
Regime." Another article that has some direct interest for Indiana 
is "the Private Land Claims of the Old Northwest Territory" by 
Louis Pelzer. 

The Ohio Archaelogical and Historical Quarterly for July has 
a copy of an old "Prospectus for Ohio for 1775"; an article on 
Clement L. Vallandigham, by W. H. Van Fossan ; a " History of Bank- 
ing in Ohio" by P. W. Huntington; and "Beginnings of Lutheranism 
in Ohio" by Dr. B. F. Prince. 

The Princeton Clarion-News, July 31, 1914, has an article by Col. 
Gil. R. Stormont on the "Political Campaigns in Gibson County Since 
the War." He discusses especially the elections of 1860, 1864 and 
1866. Col. Stormont speaks from personal experience. One is 
especially struck with the change that has come about in the conduct 
of such campaigns. The personalities and bitternesses of politics 
as well as the corruption are disappearing. 



INDIANA MAGAZINE OF 
HISTORY 

Vol. X DECEMBER, 1914 No. 4 

THE ACADEMIES OF INDIANA 

By John Hardin Thomas, A. M., 
Superintendent of Schools, Medora, Indiana 

This is only a tentative study of the academies of the State. Su- 
perintendent Thomas has used all the materials available. The subject 
offers great difficulties on account of the nature of the source ma- 
terial. Every historian knows how dangerous it is to found a state- 
ment on traditional evidence. The subject, however, is one of wide and 
vital interest. The study is published not so much for its final 
value as for the purpose of arousing attention to the necessity of 
collecting the materials for the history of the Academies before it 
is too late. The editor will appreciate any material such as catalogues, 
advertisements, announcements, or reports concerning any Academy 
of the State. This study shows what a powerful influence they have 
been in the State's history. They cannot be neglected, especially 
in the history of our schools. — ED. 

CHAPTER I. THE NON-SECTARIAN ACADEMIES 

Princeton Academy 

In 1818, the General Assembly of Indiana passed an act, ap- 
proved December 31, 1818, entitled, "An Act for the Encourage- 
ment of Religion and Learning." By it the Board of County Com- 
misisoners of Gibson C9imty were given the power to appoint three 
fit persons of the county as trustees, under the name and style of 
'The Board of Trustees of the Princeton Academy." The county 
agent was given the power to convey to the board of trustees and 
to their successors, lot number one in the town of Princeton, to be 
used for "the building of houses of religious worship and semi- 



332 Indiana Magazine of History 

naries of learning." Pursuant to this act, the county commis- 
sioners at their next meeting in May, 1819, appointed Alexander 
Devin, William Prince, and Robert Evans trustees "of the Prince- 
ton Academy." 

In 1822, a new board of trustees was appointed, consisting of 
Alexander Devin, Robert Milburn, and Samuel Hall. The county 
agent, Robert Stockwell, was authorized by the commissioners to 
convey to the board of trustees, lot number one, as provided for in 
the Act of December 31, 1818. 

The Princeton Academy never materialized. Lot number one 
had been deeded to Gibson county in 1818, by Robert Evans. The 
next board of trustees that met on May 5, 1826, acted under the 
law of the General Assembly providing for the establishment of 
Public Seminaries. The board consisted of five men instead of 
three, as provided under the Act of December 31, 1818, and out 
of this movement came the Princeton Seminary which was com- 
pleted in 1829.1 

Madison Academy 

Madison Academy was founded at Madison, January 11, 1820. 
Little can be ascertained now concerning its early history. The 
building was a three story brick and is now used by the high school. 
Professor Barnes taught in the academy from about 1858 to 1864. 

The course of study was about the equivalent of our present high 
school course. The Academy was open to males only. 

It was discontinued about 1864 or 1865.- 

Cambridge Academy 

January 13, 1826, the General Assembly of Indiana passed an 
act authorizing the trustees, John Dawson, Andrew Ray and Samuel 
Goucher of Dearborn county, "to have, purchase, receive, possess, 

lands, tenements, rents, monies, and effect of any 

kind for the promotion of education and for the establishment 
of said Academy, with the style of the trustees of Cambridge 
Academy." 

Nothing more could be found concerning this Academy and I 
conclude that it never materialized.^ 

^Laws of Indiana, 1818, 93, 355; 1819, 67; 1822, 113; 1824, 116; 1825, 96; 
Annual Report of the Princeton Public Schools, 1910, by Harold Barnes. 
=* Letter : Donald Du Shane, Superintendent of Schools, Madison, Ind. 
'Indiana State Laws, 1839, 94. 



Thomas: Academies of Indiana 333 

Hanover Academy 

Hanover Academy was organized at Hanover, Jefferson county, 
January 1, 1827, by Rev. John Finley Crowe, D. D., grandfather of 
Dr. John ]\I. Coulter, ex-president of Indiana University. It was 
incorporated January 6, 1829, by John Finley Crowe, James H. John- 
son, Williamson Dunn, George Logan, John M. Dickey, Samuel 
Smock, William Reed, Samuel Gregg, and Jeremiah Sullivan. 

The founding of the Academy was but a preliminary step to 
the founding of Hanover College. On January 1, 1833, the articles 
of incorporation of the Academy were surrendered and the College 
was incorporated. In 1843 the charter for Hanover College was 
surrendered to the Legislature in return for a charter for the Uni- 
versity of Madison, and the Academy was again chartered as a sepa- 
rate institution. Within a year, however, the charters for the Madi- 
son University and Hanover Academy were both surrendered and 
Hanover College was rechartered. 

From 1843, legally speaking, there has been no Hanover Aca- 
demy, but the College has maintained a preparatory department, 
accredited by the State Board of Education as the equivalent of 
a commissioned high school. 

The Academy never owned any property, nor occupied a building 
exclusively, nor has it ever had the exclusive use of any library 
or laboratory. 

The board of trustees of the College, at their last meeting in 
June 1913, ordered that the preparatory department be abandoned 
at the end of the academic year.^ 

Jennings Academy 

The Jennings Academy was located at Vernon, Jennings county, 
Indiana. It was organized about 1828 by Dr. E. F. Peabody, Dr. 
Burt, Rev. Daniel Lattimore, W. A. Bullock, Alanson Andrews, and 
Rev. J. B. New. The first building erected was a two story brick 
with two rooms and an outside stairway. This was known as the 
Old Seminary. It was abandoned in 1859 and has since been used 
as a residence. 

In 1859 the present two story four room brick was built, and 
the name was changed to the Jennings Academy. 

Some of the teachers of the Old Seminary were Miss Eliza- 
beth Leiper, 1828; Prof. Beck, Prof. William Butler, and Prof. 

* Letter: Pres. W. A. Millis, Hanover College; Edson, Preshyteriamsm in 
Indiana. 



334 Indiana Magacine of History 

A. G. Dunning and wife, during the period from 1845 to 1852 ; and 
Prof. Frank Martin and Rev. Farris. The attendance was about 
ninety. Two of the students of this period still living and worthy 
of note are Capt. Wallace Foster, "The Flag Man," of Indian- 
apolis, and Mrs. Mary A. Leavitt, of Indianapolis, daughter of 
Dr. E. F. Peabody. 

Due to the teachings of Prof. Dunning and wife, Vernon be- 
came noted as a literary center and was poetically called "The 
Classic Shades." The Seminary was co-educational. The course 
of study included reading, grammar, geography, arithmetic, algebra, 
philosophy, chemistry, rhetoric, astronomy, Latin, and German. Some 
of the old text-books were Butler's Grammar, Davis's Arithmetic, 
and Blair's Rhetoric. 

Mr. O. Phelps was the first principal of the Academy in 1859. 
He was followed in 1869 by C. W. Inyersts and W. H. Venable, 
in 1861, of the Southwestern Normal School of Lebanon, Ohio. 
He was assisted by Miss E. J. Collins. The attendance was about 
one hundred and thirty. The course of study included algebra, 
geometry, chemistry, Latin, French, elocution, spelling, and daily les- 
sons in Spencerian penmanship. Vocal music was taught twice 
per week. The school was governed by the "self reporting system." 

M. V. Van Arsdale was principal in 1863-64, with Miss E. J. 
Collins and Miss Vawter assistants. The Academy was organized 
into three departments. The Higher Department included courses 
in Latin and Greek ; Greek, Roman, and modern history ; classical 
and sacred geography ; logic, rhetoric, composition, and elocution ; 
chemistry and botany ; surveying and navigation ; higher arithmetic 
and algebra ; and the constitution of the United States. The tuition 
was $7.00 for twelve weeks. The Intermediate Department in- 
cluded courses in English grammar, intellectual and written arith- 
metic, geography, writing, reading, composition, elocution, and the 
constitution of the United States. The tuition was $3.00 for twelve 
weeks. The Lower Department included courses in primary gram- 
mar, arithmetic (Ray's first and second books), first principles of 
penmanship, reading, to the fourth reader, and orthography. Tu- 
ition, $2.50 for twelve weeks. Each i)upil was also taxed to pay 
fuel expenses. 

The Academy was co-educational. It continued until the com- 
mon schools were organized about 1870, and from that time the 
building has been used by the Vernon Public Schools.^ 

" Letters : Wallace Foster, Indianapolis, and Supt. L. A. Jackson, Vernon. 
Indiana School Journal, 1859, p. 59, and 1861, p. 373. 



Thomas: Acadonics of Indiana 335 

Eugene Academy 

The Eugene Academy was incorporated December 23, 1829. by 
Samuel Baldridge, John Al. Coleman, James Groenendyke, Wilham 
Clark, Josephus Collett, Stephen S. Collett, John R. Porter, Rich- 
ard Taylor, and Asaph Hill. It was styled the Eugene Academy and 
was given the usual powers of corporations of its kind. 

No other information could be ascertained concerning this 
Academy so I do not know whether it ever materialized or not. I 
presume that it was located, if at all, at Eugene, Vermillion county.^ 

The Red Brick Academy 

In the early 20's the Friends of Richmond built a brick meet- 
inghouse on the grounds called the Public Square. The lot con- 
tained about one acre and was situated between Fourth and Fifth 
streets on south B street, where the Finley school now stands. This 
ground had been previously given to the city by John Smith. 
In 1823 or 1824, after the building had been completed, the city 
desiring the use of the building, bought it of the Friends for what 
it had cost them to build it. This was known as the "Red Brick 
School House." Since it was later used for an Academy I have 
chosen here to call it The Red Brick Academy to distinguish it 
from the other schools and academies of Richmond. 

The first school was taught in the building about 1834, by Mr. 
E. H. Buckley. In 1835, William M. Gorkin, A. B., of Jefferson 
College, opened an Academy in it for both sexes. In 1839, J. Ar- 
nold taught in this building. In 1848, William W. Austin opened 
school in it. In 1850-51, Milton Hollingsworth, assisted by Phoebe 
Crawford and Daniel Clark, taught a term. Since that time the 
building has been used by the public schools." 

Vincennes Academy 

The Vincennes Academy was incorporated January 23. 1836. 
The act of incorporation provided for a board of commissioners con- 
sisting of John Scott, Joseph Somes, Samuel Wise, William Burtch, 
John C. Clark, and Abner T. Ellis, with power to open the books and 
receive subscriptions. The Academy was to be styled the Vincennes 
Academy, and had the power to hold personal and real property to 

''Laws of Indiana, 1829. 

■Elsie Marshall: History of the Richmond Schools, Report of Public 
Schools of Richmond, 1912. Letter, do. 



336 Indiana Magazine of History 

the extent of $10,000 in value. The capital stock was to consist 
of $10,000, divided into shares of $10.00 each. It also provided 
for instruction in any of the languages, sciences, line arts, general 
literature, and any other branches or departments that the trustees 
might authorize. Also for the establishment of a female depart- 
ment at the discretion of the trustees. 

No further trace of the Vincennes Academy could be found. It 
probably gave way to the Knox County Seminary and never ma- 
teralized.^ 

The Poe Academy 

The Poe Academy was located at Richmond. It existed only 
for a short time and was perhaps never widely known by this 
name. I have here designated it by this name to distinguish it 
from the other Academies of Richmond. 

In 1838 or 1839 James M. Poe, afterwards an influential citi- 
zen of Richmond, opened an Academy in the basement of the 
Pearl Street Methodist church. He was assisted by E. A. Bishop, A. 
B., of Oxford, Ohio, and by Elizabeth Rogers. The Academy was 
conducted for about ten years, when it probably died for lack of 
support.^ 

Dublin Academy 

The Dublin Academy was incorporated February 18, 1839. The 
trustees named in the act of incorporation are Jehosephat Morris, 
Jonathan Huddelston, Pleasant Johnson, Anselm Butler, and Caleb 
W. Hill, of Wayne county. 

The corporation was styled the Dublin Academy. It was given 
powers to hold real and personal property. The capital stock was 
not to exceed $25,000, and was to be divided into shares of $25.00 
each. It also had power to provide instructors in any of the 
languages, sciences, fine arts, general literature, etc. 

Nothing more could be ascertained of this Academy and that 
is as far, probably, as it ever materialized.^*^ 

^ Laws of Indiana, 1836; also letter: Pres. Horace Ellis, Vincennes 
University. 

" Elsie Marshall : History of the Richmond Schools, Report of the Public 
Schools of Richmond, 1912. 

^0 Laws of Indiana, 1839, p. 96. 



Thomas: Academics of Indiana 337 

Martinsville Female Academy 

For several years the Morgan County Seminary, which opened 
in 1839, was the center of learning not only for the county seat of 
Martinsville, but for the whole county. ]\!any of the higher branches 
of learning w^ere taught, and for those days it gave a thorough 
preparation for College. During the 40's, however, the Seminary 
began to decline and was attended by students only from Martins- 
ville and the surrounding district. 

In 1853 the Seminary was sold, in pursuance of the law of 
1852, and after that numerous private subscription schools sprang 
up to meet the demand for higher education. Among these private 
schools was the Martinsville Female Academy, which was founded 
by M. L. Johnson in 1855, in the rooms over Mr. Creary's store. 

The Academy prospered for a number of years, but for lack of 
proper support the ideals of the founder were never realized and 
it died out probably about 1860.^^ 

Crawfordsville Female Academy 

The Crawfordsville Female Academy was incorporated Febru- 
ary 24, 1840, by Israel T. Canby, John Hawkins, James Thompson, 
James Hannah, Moses Humphreys, John Beard, and Francis H. 
Fry. 

It was given the usual powers granted to such corporations, in- 
cluding the right to hold real and personal property. 

I do not know whether this Academy ever materialized or not, 
but I am of the opinion that it did not as there was a Female 
Seminary at Crawfordsville in 1855, and in all probability it took 
the place of the Academy.^^ 

The Warner Academy 

The Warner Academy was located at Richmond. I have here 
given it this name because it was opened in the "Warner Building," 
which stood where the City building now stands on North Fifth 
street. 

On the death of Dr. Ithmar Warner, in March 1835, this property 
was willed by him to the city, the income from which was to be 
devoted to the education of poor children. The will was contested 

^^ History of Morgan, Monroe and Brown Counties, p. 97. 
^Laws of Indiana, 1839; also letter of Otis E. Hall, County Superintendent 
Montgomery County, Crawfordsville. 



338 Indiana Magacine of History 

by his relatives and the city compromised the case by paying them 
$800 for the property. The building was used for many years for 
city offices and for school purposes. On account of the provision 
of the will the city still pays $250 per year rent to the school board 
for the ground on which the City building stands. 

Aliss Mary Thorpe, a well educated woman of Washington, D. 
C, taught here in about 1836. She was a successful teacher. In 
1839, George S. Rea and Edward W. Kennedy taught in this build- 
ing. In 1840, Rawson Vaile and his wife opened, in the Warner 
Building, a high school or Academy, which ran for two years. 
Professor Vaile was a graduate of Amherst College and was a very 
successful teacher. J. Arnold taught there after 1839, and after 
1850 the building was used for public school purposes.^ ^ 

Spring Creek Academy 

The Spring Creek Academy was located about three miles south- 
west of Springville, Lawrence county. It was incorporated Febru- 
ary 9, 1843, by John L. Short, Ari Armstrong, and C. W. Short. 

The Academy was a one room building which stood within about 
a half-mile of the mouth of Spring Creek, in the valley of Indian 
Creek, on what is now the Armstrong Brothers farm. It had no 
windows on the side next to the road. 

The names of the only teachers that could be found were Robert 
Armstrong and Doddridge Short. The attendance was about fifty 
pupils. 

The course of study included the common branches, and at one 
time some of the higher branches were taught. The school was co- 
educational. It began at 8 a. m. and closed at 5 p. m. 

This Academy continued for about fifteen years. The build- 
ing has long ago been destroyed.^'* 

Tippecanoe Academy 

The Tippecanoe Academy was incorporated February 9, 1843. 
The trustees named in the act of incorporation are George W. 
Stacey, Pleasant Grubb, William G. Tevault, James Hall, and Al- 
bert Bass. The Academy was to be styled the Tippecanoe Academy, 
The trustees were given the usual powers given to such corpora- 

'■' Elsie Marshall, History of Richmond Schools, Report of Public Schools 
of Richmond, 1912. 

^* Laics of Indiana, 1843, p. 35; also Letter of Supt. L. B. Sanders, Mitchell, 
Ind., with data by Qulncy Short, Springville. 



Thomas: Academics of Indiana 339 

lions, including the power to hold property. The first meeting of the 
trustees was to be held in the town of Monoquet, Kosciusko county. 
It could not be ascertained whether this Academy ever mater- 
ialized or not. Superintendent Edson B. Sarber, of Warsaw, and 
Charles Thomas, trustee of the township in which Monoquet is 
located, both made diligent inquiry concerning it but could find no 
trace of it. They did find, however, parties there who remembered 
the trustees of the Academy. ^^ 

Associate Academy Of Crown Point 

In July, 1847, Rev. William Townley, A. M., opened a high 
school in a room of his dwelling and advertised the following aca- 
demic course of study: First Grade, orthography, reading, writing, 
and arithmetic, $2.50; Second Grade, geography, English, grammar, 
natural philosophy and chemistry, $3.00 ; Third Grade, algebra, 
geometry, surveying, and Latin, $3.50. 

This school continued until September, 1855, when an education- 
al association was formed for the purpose of raising not less than 
$500 for building a school-house. The stock was divided into shares 
of $25 each, one-half to be paid in cash and the balance in sixty 
days after October 1, 1855. The following subscriptions were 
made: E. M. Cramer, $50; W. A. Clark, $100; Frederick Foster, 
$50; Harvey Pettibone, $100; Thomas Clark, $100; R. A. Eddy, 
$25; C. M. Mason, $50; R. M. Pratt, $25; William Townley, $100; 
Henry Wells, $100, and David Turner, $100; total $800. 

A good substantial frame building was erected and was called 
the "Associate Academy of Crown Point." Rev. Townley con- 
tinued for a time as principal and the Academy was a success, but 
soon the entire enterprise collapsed and the building was sold to 
Luther & Plolton who transformed it into a store room.^^ 

Fairview Academy 

The Fairview Academy was located near Fairview, Rush county. 
It was incorporated February 16, 1848, by John W. Shawhan, G. 
B. Rush, William H. Beck, John V. Lindsey, George Campbell, 
Garrett Wykoff, David H. Drummond, Ephraim Jefifrey, and James 
Hannah. By the articles of incorporation the trustees were given 
the authority to hold real property, not to exceed $5,000 in value, 

■^Lawa of Indiana, 1S43, p. 55; also Letter of Supt. Edson B. Sarber, War- 
saw, Ind. 

^^ History of Porter and Lake Counties, 492-3. 



340 Indiana Magazine of History 

to appoint teachers, to found an institution of learning, and to 
confer degrees upon its graduates. 

Pursuant to the act of 1848, W. W. Thrasher and Henry R. 
Prichard canvassed the community and enlisted the support of the 
most influential citizens. William Shawhan donated four acres of 
ground for the site, and the necessar)' funds for building were 
soon raised. The building was finished in the fall of 1849. 

By chance, in the spring of 1849, Mr. A. R. Benton, who had 
just received his Master of Arts Degree from Bethany College, 
West Virginia, was visiting relatives in the neighborhood of Fair- 
A'iew, and was employed as the first principal of the Academy. It 
was first opened in the of^ce of Dr. Ephriam Clifford before the 
Academy building was completed. 

The course of study was similar to that of the best Academies 
of the State, and was perhaps the equal of any school in the West. 
Students from several States came to it and its fame spread far 
and wide. 

Professor Benton severed his connections with the Academy in 
1854, to accept a position as teacher of Foreign Languages in North- 
western Christian University, at Indianapolis, and the history of 
the Academy closes with this date. Nothing could be ascertained 
concerning the number of teachers, the number of pupils or the 
equipment.^" 

Princeton Female Academy 

The Princeton Female Academy was incorporated February 16, 
1848, by Samuel Hall, Alexander Devin, and James Boswell, trus- 
tees. It appears that the movement originated in 1838, when the 
Methodist church was built and the basement was fitted up for 
a female Academy. By the act of 1848, all deeds, grants, con- 
veyances, etc., made to the board of trustees prior to that time, 
were by that act to be as good and effectual in law as if the trus- 
tees had been an incorporated body, and "all acts of Samuel Hall, 
Robert Stockwell, and William Daniel as trustees of the Academy 
since November 1, 1839, were to be as good and effectual in law 
as if the Academy had been incorporated, and they had been duly 
appointed as trustees thereof." 

The first school in the M. E. church basement was taught by 
Mrs. Fanny Eagar in 1838-39. A complete list of the teachers 

"Laws of Indiana, 1848, p. 562; also Rushville Republican, Jan. 2, 1914,. 
"The Obituary of A. R. Benton." 



Thomas : Academics of Indiana 341 

could not be found but the Misses Walling probably taught there 
in the early and middle 40's, and Mr. Julius Jury and wife, of 
Evansville, in 1847-48. 

On December 4, 1849, Miss T. H. Smith began a session of 
eleven weeks, which was called the "Female College." 

On January 15, 1850, the Princeton Female College was in- 
corporated by the Indiana Conference of the M. E. church, with the 
following trustees : John Kiger, Samuel Rell, Elisha Embree, Robert 
Stockwell, Andrew Lewis, Alfred Poland, James Boswell, T. A. 
Goodwin, F. A. Hester, J. R. Jones, C. C. Graham, John ]\lcln- 
tire, William J. Lonery, John Shrader, and John R. Hugo. xA. pecu- 
liar provision in the charter provided for a public examination 
to be held annually just before commencement, to which the pa- 
trons and trustees should be invited, "to show the fidelity of the 
teachers and the diligence of the scholars." The College ran about 
three years. 

Oil the first Monday in March, 1853, John Orr., A.M., and his 
wife organized the Princeton Female Institute, which was held in 
the ^T. E. church basement. There were three departments: 
Primary, Academic, and Collegiate. The Collegiate Department 
was virtually a miniature College. Its courses included algebra, 
geometry, trigonometry, mensuration, botany, chemistry, geology, 
astronomy, natural philosophy, ancient and modern history, politi- 
cal economy, moral and intellectual philosophy, natural history, evi- 
dences of Christianity, and weekly exercises in composition. This 
lasted until 1854. On July 5, 1854, Miss R. P. Burr opened a 
"Female School" in the basement of the church which ran one year. 
In 1854 the Seminary was opened to females again and the church 
basement was abandoned for school purposes. 

In April, 1835, a female high school was organized by Henry T. 
Morton, and in the spring of 1856 the Academy was completed. It 
was located on the east side of West street, between Emerson and 
Chestnut streets, a little north of the middle of the block. It was a 
two-story frame building with five rooms. An outside stairway 
with two landings led to the second floor at the end of the building. 
The Academy was seated with Boston school chairs and desks. 
The chairs were made of maple and white-wood and were varnish- 
ed. The desks were made of walnut and cherry. It was heated by 
means of a Resor's Globe Furnace, and was ventilated by Emerson's 
Ventilating Apparatus. In school equipment it was provided with 
maps, globes, chemicals and physical apparatus, a geological cabi- 
net, containing several thousand specimens belonging to the princi- 



342 



Indiana Magazine of History 



pal, and a library. The building and equipment were the best 
that could be found in Indiana. The original plan included a 
gymnasium, to be located near the Academy, but it was never built. 

At first the building was called the "New Seminary," and next 
the "Girls High School Seminary." On September 1, 1856, it was 
opened to both males and females, and after that the school was 
called the "Male and Female Academy" and the building was 
knowi. as the "Academy." 

The school year was divided into two sessions of twenty-one 
weeks each. The first session began about September 1st, the sec- 
ond about February 1st. There were three departments : the Pri- 
mary, the Academic, and the Normal. An old catalogue of 1857 
gives the following courses of study: 

PRIMARY DEPARTMENT 

First Class 
Spelling, Reading, Writing, Primary Geography, slate exercises in 
Arithmetic, and Mental Arithmetic. 

Second Class 
Spelling, Reading, Writing, Intermediate Geography, Written Arith- 
metic, History, Grammer, Mental Arithmetic, Watts on the mind, slate 
exercise in Composition, Drawing, Singing, First Lessons in Natural 
History, Natural Philosopy, and Physiology. 



ACADEMICAL DEPARTMENT 



Winter Session — 
Grammar (English) 
Arithmetic 
Biblical Antiquities 
Rhetoric (Elementary) 



Winter Session — 
Algebra 

Ancient History 
Meteorology 
Natural History 



Winter Session — 
Algebra (completed) 
Geometry 

Chemistry (completed) 
Geology 



First Year 

Summer Session — 
Arithmetic (completed) 
Rhetoric (completed) 
Church History 
Physiology 

Second Year 

Summer Session — 
Algebra (continued) 
Modern History 
Chemistry 
Physical Geography 

Third Year 

Summer Session — 
Geometry (completed) 
Mental Philosophy 
Natural Philosophy 
Science of Government 



Thomas : Academics of Indiana 343 

Fourth Year 
Winter Session — Summer Session — 

Natural Philosophy (completed) Logic 

Rhetoric Evidences of Christianity 

Astronomy Biblical Literature 

Moral Philosophy Botany 

Exercises in Reading, Writing, Composition, Geography, Grammer, 
Mental Arithmetic, and the study of the Bible were continued through 
the whole course. French, German, Latin, and Greek were offered as 
electives. 

The tuition per session of twenty-one weeks was as follows : 
Primary Department: first class, $7.50; second class, $10.00. 
Academical Department: first and second classes, $16.00; third and 
fourth classes, $20.00. Extra : music on piano, $20.00 ; use of 
instrument, $20.00; painting and drawing, $10.00; embroidery, 
$6.00. Board, light, and fuel per term, average, $50.00. 

The Normal Department was for the training of teachers, and 
a model school was conducted for the primary teachers. 

In 1857 H. F. Morton was principal of the Academy and had six 
assistants : Mrs. Mary M. Morton, Miss Matilda E. Ellingwood, 
Miss Hattie W. French, Miss Martha S. Paxton, Miss EHza M. 
Paxton, and Mrs. M. W. Paxton, who was the special teacher of 
music. The total attendance for 1856-57 was one hundred and forty- 
three. 

On October 15, 1858, Mr. Morton sold the Academy to Messrs. 
Henderson & Brown. The school year was then divided into three 
sessions of fourteen weeks each, beginning in September. Book- 
keeping was added to the course of study. 

On November 12, 1859, the Academy was sold to Brown and 
Sturges and continued under this management until the end of the 
spring session in 1860, when it was forced to close for lack of at- 
tendance and support. 

On February 24, 1862, a three months term was begun. Dur- 
ing this term it was called the "Morton School House." 

On August 31, 1863, the Academy was sold to Wm. Kurtz, 
acting for the school trustees, and it became a part of the public 
school property. It was used for a part of the intermediate and 
primary departments until the Irving School Building was complet- 
ed in January, 1871. In 1870 the Academy was sold to Seth Ward, 
of Princeton, who remodelled it and fitted it up for a residence. 
It is still standing on the same site where it was erected in 1856.^^ 

^^ Laws of Indiana, 1848, p. 194; also Annual Report of Princeton Public 
Schools by Harold Barnes. 



344 Indiana Magazine of History 

Vermillion Acadkmv 

The X'ermillion Academy was incorporated February 16, 1848. 
The trustees named in the act of incorporation are William B. 
Hall, Charles S. Little, and Thomas C. Sale. It was styled the 
Vermillion Academy and was given the usual powers of corpora- 
tions of its kind. 

Nothing more could be ascertained concerning this Academy. 
Not even the location could be found, yet I presume that it was 
somewhere in Vermillion county.^" 

Knightstown Academy 

The Knightstown Academy was located at Knightstown, Henry 
county. It was organized in 1848 by Dr. Terrell, M. F. Edwards, 
and Rev. J. Dale. 

The old building was a frame structure, 30x50 feet, had one 
door, six windows, a small lobby at the entrance, and a cupola. 
A Mr. McClure, who died in 1853, willed the Academy a library of 
about eight hundred volumes. 

The first teachers of the Academy were Miss Peas and Miss 
Bobbitt, both from New England. They were succeeded by Mr. 
McClure and Fannie Langdon. 

The Academy was for females only. The course of study was 
rather irregular. There was no prescribed course other than the 
English branches, but philosophy, history, botany, Latin, and French 
were offered as electives. Some of the text-books used were 
McGuffey's Readers, Ray's Arithmetic , Kirkham's Grammar, Web- 
ster's Speller, and Mitchell's Geography. 

The Academy continued only five years. It was supplanted by 
the common schools in 1853 or '54. Since then the building has 
been used as a residence.-^ 

Hadley Academy 

The Hadley Academy was located at Richmond. It was or- 
ganized by Hiram Hadley in 1865, and opened in the "Hicksite 
School House," which he had purchased of the Friends. It was 
opened at the solicitation of the Friends who had known of the 
success of Professor Hadley in the Whitewater Academy from 

" Laws of Indiana, 1848, p. 390. 

^ Letter of Supt. Roy C. Keever, Knightstown, with data from an old citi- 
zen of Knightstown. 



Thomas: Academies of Indiana 345 

1856-1863. He was assisted by Miss Eliza B. Fulghum and Miss 
Abbie S. Fuller, graduates of the Westfield Normal School of Mass- 
achusetts, and Miss Helen Davis, a graduate of the Oswego Train- 
ing School. 

Professor Hadley was succeeded by Professor Cyrus W. Hod- 
gin, who taught one year then resigned to take a position as principal 
of the high school. Miss Fulghum acted as principal for one year, 
then the Academy closed.-^ 

Farmers Academy 

The Farmers Academy was located about five miles south of 
Frankfort, Clinton county. It was founded by Newton S. Harriman 
and Milton B. Hopkins in 1858. A building 30x40 feet was built out 
of hewed logs on a beautiful wooded lot with blue grass lawn and 
a pretty stream of water. It was furnished with community desks 
and seats made especially for the Academy. The lot and building 
were donated by Mr. Harriman. The library was the private proper- 
ty of Mr. Hopkins. 

Mr. Hopkins was principal from 1858 to 1862. His two sons, 
Alex C. Hopkins and John O. Hopkins assisted in conducting the 
school on Mondays, until Mr. Hopkins returned from his Sunday's 
preaching tour. Mr. Hopkins was both the educational and spiritual 
leader of the community. He was succeeded by U. B. McKinney 
as principal from 1862-64, and by J. O. Cutte from 1864-65. Mr. 
Harriman died about this time and the school was closed for 
lack of support, and was used for several years by the public 
schools. 

The course of study embraced the common branches, some Latin, 
algebra, and jurisprudence. There were usually about one hundred 
pupils in attendance, ranging from the beginners in the primary 
grades to full-grown men. The Academy was co-educational.^- 

RoME Academy 

The Rome Academy was located at Rome, Perry county. In 
1859 the county seat was removed from Rome to Cannelton and the 
legislature, by act approved December 22, 1858, transferred the old 

=^ Elsie Marshall, History of Richmond Schools, in Report of Public Schools 
of Richmond, 1912. 

'^Documentary Journal, 1875, p. 153; also letter and data, Mrs. Elizabeth 
Harriman, Palo Alto, Cal., widow of Newton S. Harriman; letter and data, 
J. J. Hopkins, Parsons, Kans., youngest son of Milton B. Hopkins; letter of 
Mrs. Jennie Toungblood, Evanston, 111., daughter of Milton B. Hopkins. 



346 Indiana Magazine of History 

courthouse, a two-storv brick building, to the town of Rome, to be 
used for school purposes. A board of trustees was appointed, con- 
sisting of John C. Shoemaker, Job Hatfield, and Elijah Huckaby, and 
^2,000 was subscribed by the citizens, the interest on which should 
be expended for repairs and equipment for the Academy. 

The first term was opened October, 1860, with N. V. Evans, 
A. M., principal, and C. W. DeEruler assistant. The course of 
study was as follows : Primary grade, orthography, reading, writ- 
ing, mental arithmetic, and primary geography ; tuition, $6.00 per 
term. Second grade, arithmetic, grammar, ancient and modern 
history, geography, analysis, and elocution; tuition, $8.00 per term. 
Third grade, natural and mental philosophy, hygiene, bookkeep- 
ing, algebra, and geology, tuition, $12.00 per term. Fourth grade, 
higher mathematics, chemistry, rhetoric, composition, and languages, 
tuition, $18.00 per term. Music and use of piano, $20.00; use of 
piano, $4.00; vocal music, $2.00; drawing and painting, $3.00. The 
school term was forty weeks. The first term opened with about 
forty students, which was increased to about sixty. 

Professor Evans was succeeded in 1861 by Rev. Wm. M. Daily, 
A. Al., formerly president of Indiana University. He was suc- 
ceeded in 1862 by Rev. Will S. Hooper, assisted by his sister. Miss 
Susan Plooper. The attendance increased to ninety students. 

In 1863 Professor James Snow and Miss Flint took charge of 
the Academy and taught one year. The work was not a success 
financially and at the close of the year the rent on the building and 
the interest on the endowment fund had to be added to the tuition 
to make up the teachers' salaries. 

In 1864 the trustees leased the property to the Episcopal church. 
A Mr. Rafter was appointed principal, and the name of the Academy 
was changed to St. Albans Academy. This management failed the 
first year. The Baptists next tried it by putting Rev. I. W. Brun- 
ner in charge as principal. They failed after two years and turned 
the Academy over again to the trustees. After this the building 
was used as a public hall, as a town.ship school, and as a private 
school by various teachers. So much of the $2,000 had been used 
for repairs and mismanagement that in about 1901, when the walls 
of the building needed extensive repairs, the trustees ofifered to 
deed the property and the remainder of the endowment fund to 
the township. The offer was accepted by J. H. Lee, trustee of 
Tobin township, and in 1902, after a special act of the legislature, 
the property was transferred to Tol)in township. For a time 



Thomas: Academies of Indiana 347 

afterward it was used as a district school. Since 1910 it has been 
a certified high school.-'^ 

Oxford Academy 

The Oxford x\cademy was located at Oxford, Benton county. 
The funds for the Academy were raised by private subscriptions. 
The first board of directors elected March 15, 1866, consisted of 
Leroy Templeton, Theophilus Stembel, Isaac Lewis, Robert M. At- 
kinson, Jasper N. AlcConnell, and Samuel Phares. Leroy Temple- 
ton was elected president, D. R. Lucas, secretary, and J. J. Rawl- 
ings, treasurer. The capital stock was fixed at 500 shares of $20 
each. 

W. J. Templeton furnished the site for the building, and on May 
17, 1866, the contract was let to Isaac Lewis for its construction 
for $6,480. A two-story brick building was erected and the 
Academy was opened September 13, 1867. Dr. Lynn, pastor of 
the Oxford Presbyterian church, was the first principal. The 
attendance was about seventy. Dr. Lynn was a rigid disciplinarian, 
became very unpopular, and after about five months he was succeed- 
ed by Dr. A. W. Wells, who remained until 1870, when he was 
succeeded by Rev. H. C. Neil, pastor of the Oxford M. E. 
church. Rev. Neil was succeeded by Miss Hannah M. Wright, 
but authorities difl:'er as to the time. The History of Benton, War- 
ren, Jasper and Newton Counties, p. 287, gives Rev. Neil's term 
1870-73, while IMcKnight, Progress of Education in Benton County, 
p. 134, makes Miss Wright's term 1871-75. There are other dis- 
crepncies betwen the two accounts as to the term of Miss Wright. 

Hannah M. Wright was a native of New Jersey, and a graduate 
of the Collegiate Institute of Highlands, New Jersey. For three 
years prior to 1871 she had taught in the district schools of Benton 
county and was therefore acquainted with a number of people 
there. She rented the Academy Building for one year at $100, 
and opened her first term, April 3, 1871, with sixty students. Miss 
Hattie Morgan and Miss Eliza Anderson were assistants. The 
course of study included the common branches, algebra, geometry, 
geology, chemistry, surveying, rhetoric, literature, and Latin. The fall 
term of 1871 opened with one hundred and eighty-eight students 
and soon increased to two hundred and twenty-five. The tuition 
was from $3.00 to $10.00 per term of three months. The public 

23 History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, p. 716 ; also letter and 
data, S. S. Connor, Rome, Ind. 



348 Indiana Magazine of History 

schools opened at this time and many withdrew from the Academy. 
This lessened the income but the expenses remained the same, and 
at the close of the term Miss Wright found that she had lost 
$225.00. This did not discourage her for she opened the term of 
1872 with an increase in the teaching force. Miss Sarah J. Bugbee 
was employed as a regular teacher and Mrs. A. R. Owens as a 
teacher of music. On account of the superior advantages afforded 
by the Academy, Mr. John Crosson, township trustee, transferred 
all the pupils of that neighborhood to the Academy. He paid Miss 
Wright $75.00 a month, and the other teachers, except the music 
teacher, $40.00 a month, for the three months, and also paid the 
other running expenses. 

The entrance of the public school pupils of all ages, sizes, and 
stages of advancement, precipitated at once a problem of classifi- 
cation and gradation. Many of the older boys objected to pursuing 
the course of study as prescribed, especially English grammar, but 
Miss Wright's will prevailed and the Academy became a model 
school for the county. 

In 1873 Oxford was organized as a separate school corporation, 
and the school board contracted with Miss Wright for the year 
1873-74. Under this contract she furnished the building and teach- 
ers and received $710.00 for her year's work. 

The public schools were organized in 1874, and Miss Hannah M. 
Wright, Sarah J. Bugbee, E. H. Hazlett, and Thomas A. Baldwin 
were employed as teachers. The Academy building was rented by 
the board for $250.00. The stockholders desired to donate the 
building for the use of the town school but the institution was in 
debt. The association was incorporated with Robert M. Atkinson, 
president, and Jasper N. McConnell. secretary. On January 22, 
1880, the board of trustees of the Academy borrowed $2,000 of 
the Oxford school board and gave a note pa3'able in one year from 
date. The note was not paid when due and action was brought 
against the trustees of the Academy, and a? 2 'fsult it was sold 
in May, 1882, to the Oxford school board. 

The Academy building is still standing. Hie town of Oxford 
has built two additions to it and it is now called the Oxford 
School.-'* 

^History of Benton, Warren, Jasper and Newton Counties, p. 2S7 ; Mc- 
Knight, Progress of Education in Benton County, p. 134. 



Thomas: Academies of Indiana 349 

Marengo Academy 

The Alarengo Academy was located at Marengo, Crawford 
county. It was organized in Alarch, 1869, by Rev. J. M. John- 
son, A.M., of the class of 1851, Indiana University. 

The Academy was a two-story frame building 40x50 feet. On 
the nrst floor there were an ante-room and a chapel, 40x40 feet. 
On the second floor there were an ante-room, two recitation rooms 
on the east side, and one on the west. It contained a library of 
a few hundred volumes and a number of globes for teaching 
geography. 

Professor Johnson, assisted by various teachers, had charge of 
the Academy from 1869 to 1902, a period of thirty-three years. 
During this period more than a thousand young men and women 
went out from the Academy and are today scattered from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, and are 
engaged in about all of the walks of life. The moral and spiritual 
uplift to those students whose lives were moulded by this pioneer 
preacher-teacher can not be estimated. 

The course of study included the common branches, algebra, 
geometry, trigonometry, surveying, German, Latin, and Greek. In 
Latin and Greek, Harkness was used as a text. 

The school term was thirteen weeks in length. School began at 
8 :30 a. m. and closed at 4 :00 p. m. 

After Rev. Johnson quit the Academy J. R. Weathers taught 
for a few years, and he was followed by a number of other teach- 
ers who taught for a few each, then the Academy was torn down.-^ 

Culver Military Academy 

The Culver Alilitary Academy is located on the northern shore 
of Lake Alaxinkuckee, in Marshall county. It was founded in 1894 
by Mr. Henry Harrison Culver, a wealthy philanthropist of St. 
Louis, whose ambition was to build the greatest preparatory school 
in America. Mr. Culver died in 1897, before he had completed 
his work, but the members of his family have given the school 
most liberal support in order that it might stand as a monument to 
its fovuider. 

The Academy is beautifully situated in a park containing forty 
acres, thickly covered with maples, oaks, and beeches and free from 
undergrowth. The campus and grounds contain over three hun- 

^ Letter and data by Rev. J. M. Johnson, Marengo, Ind. ; also letter and 
data by Supt. C. R. Maxam, Marengo, Ind. 



350 Indiana Magazine of History 

dred acres, including parade grounds, athletic lield, tennis courts, 
and cinder track. There is also a half-mile track for cavalry drill. 
Ten flowing wells, strong in medicinal properties, furnish an 
abundance of good water. 

The building in which the cadets are quartered consists of 
five large tire-proof barracks, with accommodations for four hun- 
dred and fifty boys. There are twenty-six large, well-ventilated, 
well-lighted class rooms and lecture rooms, fully equipped chemical, 
physical, and biological laboratories, drafting rooms, and a library 
and reading room containing over 5,000 volumes. 

The main hall of the g}^mnasium is 70x140 feet. The roof is 
supp6rted by steel trusses which makes possible a large floor space 
unbroken by pillars or posts. It is provided with the most modern 
equipment. 

The riding hall is a handsome building of brick and steel with a 
clear floor space of over a quarter of an acre. 

The mess hall is the most complete and beautiful of its kind 
in the country. In connection with it is a model kitchen, which is 
said to be one of the most completely equipped in the world. 

The Academy hospital is a fire-proof structure fully equipped 
with the latest sanitary appliances. An administration building is 
being erected which will add greatly to the Academy. 

The Academy provides a one-year preparatory course, a four- 
year classical course, a four-year scientific course, a four-year 
EngHsh and business course, and courses in vocal and instrumen- 
tal music. In addition to these courses a thorough course in 
physical and military science is made an especial feature. 

The Academy is annually inspected by an officer of the general 
staf¥ sent from the War Department at Washington. ^^ 



CHAPTER II— THE PRESBYTERIAN ACADEMIES 
Delaney Academy 

The Delaney Academy was located at Newburgh, Warrick 
county. It was organized in 1842 by the Indiana Presbytery, 
through the influence of Rev. Benjamin Hall and others. 

On February 2, 1843, it was incorporated by Joseph Neely, A. 
M. Phelps, T. B. McCormick, James C. Ritchey, David Newby, 
Benjamin Hall, and John Sawyer. By its charter it had the right 

^Illustrated Catalog of the Culver Military Academy, 1913. 



I 



Thomas'. Academies of Indiana 351 

to hold lands, not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres, ex- 
clusive of building sites, and personal property, not to exceed 
$25,000, exclusive 'of library and necessary apparatus. The Academy 
was to be conducted upon Christian principles, but no student was 
to be compelled to study theology or to adhere to any particular 
denomination. 

The buildings, grounds, and library and apparatus were the gilt 
of A. M. Phelps. Prior to its incorporation the school had been 
known as the Newburgh Cumberland Presbyterian Academy, but 
was incorporated under the name of the Delaney Academy in honor 
of Rev. Henry F. Delaney, an eminent minister of Morganfield, who 
preached in various places in southern Indiana. 

At first, the academy was conducted in a frame building with 
two rooms and a basement. The building was also used for a church 
by the different denominations, and was furnished with seats, desks, 
a pulpit, and a bell. Two teachers were employed. The basement 
served as a recitation room, a library, and as a laboratory for the 
philosophical apparatus. 

In 1853, the academy was moved to the basement of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian Church, where it remained for four years. 
In 1857, a two-story brick building was erected and furnished by 
Mr. Phelps and others, upon a beautiful site overlooking the Ohio 
River. A number of valuable lots were also donated by Mr. Phelps 
for the support of the academy. 

Rev. R. Ewing was the first principal. The following year he 
was succeeded by Rev. Calvin Butler, a Congregational preacher 
from Boonville, and a native of New England. Rev. Azel Free- 
man, D. D., served as principal at difterent times and was con- 
nected with the academy longer than any other teacher. 

The order and dates at which these men taught could not be 
definitely determined. Rev. William B. Lambert, who was after- 
wards pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Evans- 
ville, probably followed Rev. Freeman. He was followed by Rev. 
John D. Cowan, who later became a pastor in Illinois ; by Prof. 
Groves S. Howard, later professor of mathematics in McGee Col- 
lege ; by Prof. O. H. Baker, and by Rev. C. A. Hampton, who was 
the last principal. 

The course of study consisted of the common branches, the 
natural sciences, rhetoric, mental and moral philosophy, logic, Latin, 
Greek, mathematics, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry and 
astronomy, and a normal course for the training of teachers. 



2S^ Indiana Magazine of History 

The academy was never endowed and had therefore to depend 
upon tuition fees for its support. After the common schools were 
organized in 1867, the academy was forced to close. -^ 

Waveland Academy 

The Waveland Academy was located at Waveland, Montgomery 
county. It was incorporated January 16, 1849, by William G. 
Allen, John Milligan, David Wills, James McCampbell, Harvey A. 
Adams, J. C. Eastman, R. N. Allen, Charles K. Thompson, Samuel 
N. Evans, Abraham Geltner, D. Fullenwider, Samuel D. Vance, 
Samuel D. Maxwell and Isaac Rice, Jr. 

It was styled the Waveland Academy and the trustees were 
empowered to hold property for educational purposes up to 
$50,000.00. 

It was organized and controlled by the Crawfordsville Presby- 
tery. It was not designed to run in competition with Wabash 
College at Crawfordsville, but its purpose was to give "better intel- 
lectual and religious training to the pious youth for the gospel 
ministry," and to prepare students for college. 

The committee chosen to select a site for the academy at first 
selected in Crawfordsville, a site near Wabash College, but later 
reconsidered the matter and chose Waveland as a location and 
raised $1,200 for the erection of a building. 

In 1859, a new charter was obtained which changed the name 
of the academy to the "Waveland Collegiate Institute." The new 
charter also changed the course of study. Students who had not 
the time nor means to take a full college course might, under the 
new charter, pursue a shorter course which comprised most of the 
branches taught in the scientific courses of the colleges, and obtain 
a degree. 

The following were among the members of the faculty : Rev. 
Samuel Taylor, Joseph G. Wells, Rev. L. F. Leake, John W. Tay- 
lor, John W. Coyner, Henry S. Kritz, Mrs. B. B. Gennett, Rev. 
D. R. Colnery, Rev. J. M. Stone, Mrs. C. E. Coulter, Miss Max- 
well, Miss Lowes, J. M. Naylor, A. M., 1873, Mrs. Irwin, Rev. 
John Creath, Mrs. Virginia C. Cooper, Rice V. Hunter, J. C. Car- 
son, C. M. Travis, Mr. G. Rhodes, J. C. Steel, Mary A. Brush, 
Henry W. Fish, Elizabeth Bennett, Miles Brown, James Logan, 
Anna E. Osborne and Miss Digby. 

" Laws of Indiana, 1843, p. 46 ; also History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry 
Counties, p. 116. 



Thomas : Academies of Indiana 353 

The institute grew rapidly, and when the Civil War broke out 
it was in a prosperous condition. A large per cent, of the male 
students enlisted in the army, x^bout this time the public high 
schools were organized and the attendance began to drop off, and 
in 1879 it was abandoned.^^ 

Ft. Wayne Academy 

The Ft. Wayne Academy, commonly called the Presbyterian 
Academy, was founded by the Presbyterian Church of Ft. Wayne 
in 1852 or 1853. It was owned and controlled by a board of trus- 
tees of the Presbyterian Church, but distinct from the church 
board of trustees. Rev. Jonathan Edwards, D. D., LL. D., was 
pastor of the church at that time and was the leader of the move- 
ment. 

The academy was located on the north side of Ft. Wayne street 
between Calhoun and Clinton, on the site now occupied by the old 
high school building. It was a one-story frame building with a 
hall, cloak room, and two school rooms, separated by folding doors 
so that both could be made into one large room. The rooms were 
supplied with very good desks and seats, and were well lighted 
and ventilated. 

The first teachers of the academy were Henry McCormick, of 
Springfield, Ohio, and Jacob W. Lanins, both college graduates. 
They were succeeded by George A. Irvin, a graduate of Hanover 
College, who had been in charge of the Ladies' Seminary in Paris, 
Kentucky. 

The academy drew students from the Presbyterian families in 
the country as well as in the city. Among the students were Dr. 
Gorrell, David Kirkpatrick and Piatt Squires. Mr. Irvin con- 
ducted the academy successfully until 1857, when the present school 
system was established, then it was merged into the city schools. 
On July 10, 1867, the real property was transferred to the city 
school board. -^ 

White Water Presbyterian Academy 

The White Water Presbyterian Academy was located at Dun- 
lapsville, Union county. It was founded by the Whitewater Pres- 

'^ Laws of Indiana, 1849, p. 465; also letter of Otis E:. Hall, County Superin- 
tendent of Montgomery County, Crawfordsville. 

-'■' Letter of Dr. David M. Moffat, with data from John H. Jacobs, Pt^ 
"Wayne, Ind. 



354 Indiana Magazine of History 

bytery in 1853. The building is a two-story brick with live rooms, 
and is surrounded by a beautiful playground of about two acres. 

The first principal of the academy was Rev. L. D. Potter. He 
was succeeded by Rev. Russell B. Abbott, 1856-57. The academy 
was equipped with a fair library and some apparatus. The course 
of study included the common branches, Greek, Latin and some 
theology. 

The academy was co-cducational, and was supported by tuition 
fees. It prospered until the common school system was organized, 
then it ceased to be remunerative and was sold to the school corpo- 
ration of Liberty township. The building is still standing, is in 
good repair, and is used for a township high school. ^*^ 

Blythe-Wood Academy 

The Blythe-Wood Academy was located at Petersburg, Pike 
county. It was founded by Rev. A. T. Hendricks in 1853, who 
was at that time pastor of the Presbyterian church at Petersburg. 

The public school systeni had not yet been introduced into the 
smaller villages and rural districts, and they were still dependent 
upon the three or six months schools run in the summer or winter 
by transient teachers. Mr. Hendricks saw the need for better 
schools and in 1854, he erected rooms in connection with his resi- 
dence and fitted them up for school purposes. This school was 
styled the Blythe-Wood Academy, and continued about fifteen 
years until the common schools were introduced and made it no 
longer necessary. 

The course of instruction extended from the A, B, C's to the 
higher branches of a liberal English education, including higher 
mathematics, Latin, Greek and the Bible. Each pupil was re- 
quired to provide a Bible for his own desk. The government of 
the school was entirely paternal. The pupils were given to under- 
stand that corporal punishment had no place in the school. The 
only method of punishment was dismissal from school and that 
was a very rare occurrence. ^^ 

PIoPEWELL Academy 

The Hopewell Academy was located three miles west of Frank- 
lin, Johnson county. Early in 1854, the enterprising citizens raised 

»» Letter of Supt. Paul F. Showalter, Liberty, Ind. 

^^ History of Pike and Dubois Counties, 367; letters from J. B. Hendricks, 
son of Rev. A. T. Hendricks. 



Thomas: Academics of Indiana 355 

by popular subscription funds sufficient to start the work, and 
in 1855 the academy was opened in the unfinished building. 

The academy building was a two-story brick built in the shape 
of a T. It had three rooms above and three below. In front there 
was a large porch above and below, supported by two large pillars. 
On top of the main part of the building was a bell tower. The 
west room below was used for an assembly room, and the east 
room for music. Above the assembly room was a large hall that 
was used by the literary societies. The rooms were heated by 
long, open stoves. The wraps, baskets and buckets were left in the 
hallways and in winter the lunches often froze. 

The course of study consisted of reading, writing, philosophy, 
physiology, English grammar, American history, algebra, geom- 
etry, Latin, arithmetic, higher arithmetic, botany, science and 
literature. 

The school year was divided into three terms. The first began 
in September, the second in December, and the third in March, 
ending the last of May or the first of June. 

The academy was the only school in the county offering ad- 
vanced courses of study, and it was attended by students coming 
from different parts of the State. What is now the Orphans' Home 
was once used as a boarding school. 

The first principal was Prof. T. P. Kelley, of Waveland, a 
college graduate, who conducted a successful school for four years. 
He was succeeded by Prof. Samuel D. Voris, of Vevay, who 
taught two years, then came Rev. Quirtcy McKeihan, and after him 
Prof. Joseph Shaw, a college trained man from Bellefountaine, 
Ohio, who was principal from 1861 to 1865. Professor Johnson, 
a graduate of Hanover College, was probably principal during 
the 60's. 

A prospectus of the academy for 1862 shows the tuition fees 
as follows : Primary Course, $3.00 per term ; Common Schools, 
$4.00; Scientific Course, $6.00; Classical Course, $8.00; extras- 
piano, guitar, etc., $6.00; use of instruments, $2.00. The term 
was twelve weeks. 

Samuel G. Blythe was principal in 1865-66; Robert Shaw, 1866- 
68; David Moore. 1868-73; Robert Sturgis. 1873-75; E. P. Cole, 
1875-81; Mons Coulter, 1881-82; and Minard Sturgis, 1882-83. 

A certificate of graduation from Hopewell Academy admitted 
the students to the sophomore year in Hanover College. Both of 
these institutions were controlled by the Presbyterian church and 



356 Indiana Magazine of History 

the graduates of Hopewell went to Hanover College rather than 
to Franklin College. 

The academy was supported by benevolences and tuition fees. 
In March, 1870, the friends of the academy subscribed for capital 
stock in the academy to the amount of $4,000.00, and it was incor- 
porated. It was continued until 1884 w^hen the high school was 
organized and the academy was abandoned. "- 

Barnett Academy 

The Barnett Academy was located at Charlestown, Clark county. 
It was founded by Mr. Allen Barnett and other leading men of the 
Presbyterian church, in 1860. It had its origin in the union of the 
"Charlestown Boys' School," and the "Charlestown Female Insti- 
tute." Only the most meager accounts of these schools could be 
found. 

Early in the 30's or before, the Masonic fraternity erected a 
two-story brick building, the large upper room of which was 
used as a Masonic lodge hall. 

In 1831, a Mr. Baker conducted a school for boys in the base- 
ment of this building. Nothing is known of the school except that 
he taught the boys to swim in a large box that was built in the 
basement. 

In 1848, Prof. Z. B. Sturges opened the Charlestown Boys' 
School in a large frame house in the eastern part of the city. At 
about the same time Prof. George Reed was principal of the 
Charlestown Female Institute, which was conducted in the brick 
building built by the Masonic fraternity. 

Professor Reed was succeeded by John W. Lindley in 1856, 
who continued as principal until 1860, when the two schools were 
combined in the brick building under Prof. Z. B. Sturges, A.M., 
and it was afterwards known as the Barnett Academy. It was 
probably about this time that the "L" Avas added to the building 
for school purposes. At this time there were three teachers in 
the faculty and the attendance was about 150. The graduating 
class of 1861 consisted of seven members. 

The academy was controlled throughout its history by the Pres- 
byterian church. A clause in the charter of the academy provided 
that all principals and assistants should belong to that church. 

Professor Sturges was succeeded by H. C. Donnell from 1864- 

^^ History of Johnson Count-y, 249. 



Thomas: Academics of Indiana 357 

66; by J. S. McKee, in 1866-67; by James Lindley, from 1867-1870, 
and by Robert Sturges, from 1870-80, when the academy was 
closed. 

The course of study incktded Greek, Latin, natural philosophy, 
higher and practical arithmetic, algebra, geometry and surveying. 
Since 1880 the building has been used for a residence and hotel.^^ 

Lebanon Presbyterian Academy 

The Lebanon Presbyterian Academy was located at Lebanon, 
Boone county. It was organized April 15, 1861, with William 
Zion, president ; D. H. Hamilton, secretary, and a board of trustees, 
consisting of John Bell, David Caldwell, D. H. Hamilton and John 
Williams. 

The building was a three-story brick structure, about 50 x 60 
feet, with four class rooms each on the first and second floors. 
The third f^oor was used for a chapel and dormitory. The build- 
ing had gables over the shorter dimension on the north and south, 
a belfry on the north end, halls running through the long way, and 
entrances on the north and south. 

Th.'.- academy was equipped with a library of fifty volumes, 
including Shakespeare's complete works. There was also consid- 
erable apparatus for use in physics and chemistry. 

The faculty in 1861 consisted of J. M. Coyner, A. M., principal, 
and teacher of higher mathematics, history, natural, mental and 
moral science ; Rev. C. K. Thompson, A. M., languages ; Miss 
Maggie F. Garrett, L. L., English branches and natural science ; 
Miss Estelle Morrow, M. L., instrumental music and drawing, and 
two other members not known. 

Li 1862, there were 180 pupils, of whom 100 were males and 
80 fenales. Among the most distinguished of these are James A. 
Momit, ex-governor of Indiana; Mrs. James A. Mount, whose 
acquaintance Mr. Mount made while a student there ; Rev. A.. K. 
Dooley, a v/ell-known Baptist minister; A. A. Zion, superintendent 
of the Belt Railroad, Indianapolis ; Senator E. T. Lane, Lebanon, 
and Rev. Samuel Wilson, one time Presbyterian minister of one of 
the leading churches of New York City. 

In 1863, the enrollment reached 216, and there were six members 
in the faculty. Tuition, board, fuel, washing and light were quoted 

^Documentary Journal; Superintendent's Report; School Journal, Locals, 
1861; letter of Supt. Lloyd B. Mann, Charlestown; letter and data of Mr. John 
Owen, Charlestown. 



358 Indiana Mai/a-cinc of History 

at $160 per annum. The academy was controlled by the Presby- 
terian church, and the use of tobacco was forbidden upon the 
premises. 

Two courses of study were olTered : the classic, a four years' 
course which prepared students for the sophomore class in college, 
and the scientific, a three years' course. 

Some of the text -books were: Robinson's Algebra, Geometry, 
Trigonometry and Surveying ; Quackenbos' Rhetoric and Compo- 
sition; IVillson's U. S. History; Crittenden's Bookkeeping; fitch's 
Physical Geography; Clark's History of England; Smith's Ele- 
ments of Astronomy ; Mitchell's Ancient Geography; Hitchcock's 
Physiology; Well's Natural Philosophy ; Gray's Botany; Haven's 
Mental Philosophy ; Wayland's Political Economy; Yonman's 
Chemistry, and Coppec's Logic. 

The school year was divided into three parts of thirteen weeks 
each. School began at 8 a. m. and closed at 4 p. m. 

The academy continued for about ten years and after that the 
building was used by the Lebanon public schools. In 1866, the 
old building was torn down to make place for the central building 
for the grades. ^^ 

^* Letter and data by Mr. S. N. Cragun, Lebanon, Ind. 



EARLY AIETHODIST CIRCUITS IN INDIANA 
William W. Sweet, Professor of History, DePauw University 

A study of the beginning of Methodism in Indiana must neces- 
sarily start with the coming of the first settlers. The settlement of 
Indiana did not in any real sense begin until after the close of the 
Wayne campaign, in 1794, but with the termination of the Indian 
wars, settlers began to enter in considerable number, and by the year 
1800 the estimated civilized population of the new territory was 
4,875.^ A majority of the early settlers in Indiana came from across 
the Ohio river from Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North Car- 
olina, and a considerable proportion of them had been members of 
Methodist societies in the older states. By no means, however, were 
the Methodists the only denomination represented among the early 
settlers, but Baptists, Presbyterians and Quakers also were numer- 
ous, though the Methodists and the Baptists were the most numer- 
ous.- Speaking of the migration of settlers after the Wayne cam- 
paign, into Ohio and Indiana, and its effect upon Methodist socie- 
ties in Kentucky and other places within the western country, one 
of the pioneer preachers said : "The Indian wars having termin- 
ated, the people began to scatter in every direction. New settle- 
ments were formed, and Ohio and Indiana began to settle rapidly, 
and the societies, many of them were broken up, and we had not 
preachers sufficient to follow the tide of emigration to their new 
settlements ;"2 and as a result of this situation there was a decrease 
of members in the Western Conference from 1795 to 1801. ■* 

Previous to 1801 the Methodist conference in the western coun- 
try was known as the Kentucky conference, but in the year above 
mentioned the name was changed to the Western conference, which 
lasted until 1813 when it was divided into the Ohio and Tennessee 

^Indiana Methodism, F. C. Holllday, 18. 

^Indiana Miscellany, W. C. Smith, 43. 

5 Autobiography of Rev. William Burke, contained in Finley's Sketches of 
Western Methodism, 22-92. Rev. W^illiam Burke was a Virginian by birth and 
began to preach in that State in 1791. He came over the mountains into the 
western country in 1792, and became a powerful factor in planting Methodism 
in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. 

* In 1797 there were 1,740 white members and 57 colored reported for the 
Kentucky District. In 17 99 the membership had decreased to 1,672 white and 65 
colored, a loss of 68 white and a gain of 8 colored. Minutes of Conferences 
1773-1828, 74, 86. 



360 Indiana Magazine of History 

conferences. In the year 1801 Kentucky District of the Western 
conference contained nine circuits, taking in the settlements of Ken- 
tucky and the present State of Ohio. These circuits were manned 
by fourteen preachers and one Presiding Elder, the redouljtable 
William McKendree. The names of the circuits were the Scioto 
and Miami, in the Ohio country, and Hinkstone and Lexington, 
Danville, Salt River and Shelby, Cumberland, Green River, Holston 
and Russell, and New River in Kentucky and Tennessee.^ None of 
these circuits took in Indiana territory, and there were no official 
Methodist societies in Indiana at that early date, but there were 
undoubtedly Methodist services conducted and Methodist preaching 
by local preachers who came into the Indiana country among the 
first settlers. 

In the year 1800 a great revival began, which spread all over the 
western country, resulting in more than doubling the membership 
of the Methodist societies, in the Western conference, and also 
greatly increasing the number of both local and traveling preachers. 
This remarkable revival made its appearance in Kentucky in the 
spring of 1801, at a Quarterly meeting held on the Hinkston 
circuit. This meeting lasted from Friday until Monday morning, 
and preaching and exhortations were almost continuous during that 
time. One of the preachers at that meeting has told us that there 
"was a great trembling among the dry bones. Great numbers fell 
to the ground and cried for mercy, old and young." The next 
week another meeting was conducted on the Lexington circuit, in 
which "every local preacher and exhorter was employed," holding 
small meetings at various places on the circuit, and on Sunday 
morning all the people came together for a great meeting, and as 
they came they could be heard "singing and shouting on the road." 
With this beginning the work and enthusiasm spread into all the 
circuits of the Western conference, and Methodist work was ex- 
tended into many of the new settlements.^ The first reliable record 
of Methodist preaching in Indiana was in 1801, at a village called 
Springville, located in what was then known as Clark's Grant, or 
the Grant. Two local preachers, Samuel Parker and Edward Tal- 
bott crossed the Ohio river and conducted a two days' meeting at 
the place mentioned above. '^ This was evidently a part of the 
great revival movement then under way in the w^estern country. 

■'■ Mhnites of Conference. 
'^ Burke's Autohiography, 75-79. 

' From a letter of Rev. George K. Hester, found in Holliday's Indiana 
Methodism, 37. 



Siveet: Early Methodist Circitifs in Indiana 361 

To William McKendree, the Presiding Elder of the Kentucky 
District covering what has since become three great States, belongs 
the honor of establishing the first official Methodist class ever 
formed in Indiana. In the summer of 1802 Andrew Mitchell took 
William McKendree across the Ohio river in a canoe, and on this 
trip two classes were formed in what is now Clark county, one 
at Charlestown and the other at a place then called New Chappie.^ 
In the spring of 1803 Benjamin Lakin, then traveling the Salt River 
circuit in Kentucky, crossed the Ohio river and preached in the 
woods, near the present town of Charlestown, as soon as the 
weather permitted, and made arrangements to include that neigh- 
borhood, and also the Robertson's neighborhood, which was five 
mites north of Charlestown,^ among his regular preaching places, 
and thus Indiana, through the zeal of this pioneer circuit rider, 
came to have a permanent place upon the Methodist map. 

At the session of the Western conference in 1805 Peter Cart- 
wright was appointed as junior preacher with Benjamin Lakin on 
the Salt River and Shelby circuit and he states in his autobiography 
that "Brother Benjamin Lakin and himself crossed the Ohio river 
and preached at Brothers" Robinson's and Prather's. In this Grant 
we had two classes and splendid revivals of religion. "^*^ 

While Methodist preaching was being introduced in Clark's 
Grant, in the manner above described, others were introducing 
Methodist preaching in other sections of the new territory. In 
1805 a local preacher, Hugh Cull by name, settled in the Whitewater 
country in the southeastern section of the Territory and established 
regular preaching and, soon after, this section was included in a 
circuit known as the Whitewater circuit, though most of the circuit 
lay in Ohio.^^ This circuit appears on the minutes in 1808 for 
the first time, with Joseph Williams as the preacher, and at the end 
of the first year 165 white members were reported and one colored. ^^ 

* Prom a letter of I. N. Britton, a life-long friend of Andrew Mitchell. The 
letter among the records of the Methodist Church at Charlestown, Ind. 

» From the letter of Rev. George K. Hester, as above. The Hester family- 
was among the first to settle in Clarl?'s Grant, and from the first they became 
identified with Indiana Methodism. The family has furnished many Methodist 
preachers and preachers' wives. With possibly one or two short gaps, there 
has been a Hester on the roll of the Indiana Conference for almost a century. 

^0 Peter Carttvright's Autobiography, 167. Peter Cartwright was probably 
the most famous circuit rider in the middle west. His autobiography reads like 
a romance. 

"Indiana MisceUany, W. C. Smith, 49. 

^Minutes of Conferences 1773-1828, vol. I., 159. 



362 Indiana Mafiazine of History 

Methodist Circuits in Indiana in 1811 

The first entire circuit in the Territory of Indiana was known 
as the Silver Creek circuit and was organized in 1807 with Moses 
Ashworth as the circuit rider. This region had, as stated above, 
been included within the Salt River and Shelby circuit, most of 
that circuit lying in Kentucky. With the organization of this cir- 
cuit, the Silver Creek, Indiana Methodism starts on its separate 
career. The preacher, Moses Ashworth, closed his first year with a 
camp meeting, held in the neighborhood of "Father Robertson's," a 
few miles from the present site of Charlestown. This was prob- 
ably the first camp meeting held in Indiana. ^^ In the year 1808 a 
new district was added to the Western conference, and it received 
the name Indiana District, which is the first time the name Indiana 
appears in Methodist history.^ ^ This new district had six circuits, 
namely, Illinois, which included all the settlements at that time in 
that great territory ; Missouri, another state-wide circuit ; Mara- 
mack, Cold Water, Whitewater and Silver Creek, the last two 
being the only circuits in Indiana. Both Silver Creek and White- 
water circuits appear in the minutes for_the first time in 1808. 

In the year 1810 another Indiana circuit made its appearance 
for the first time in the minutes for that year. This circuit was 
none other than Vincennes, and the preacher regularly appointed 
to this new circuit was William Winas.^^ The story is told that one 
of the first Methodist services held in the town of X/'incennes was 
conducted on a Sunday night at the fort. The congregation was 
made up of some government officials, a few English settlers, two or 
three Indians and the governor of the Territory, William Henry 
Harrison. There were only a few tallow candles to furnish light 
for the service, and one of these was kindly held by the governor 
to enable the young circuit rider to read his text and line out the 
hymn.^^ Belonging to the Vincennes circuit was a neighborhood 
known as the Busroe settlement, which was visited by Peter Cart- 
wright in 1808, and was by him organized into a Methodist society, 
in the following manner, which we will allow him to relate in his 
own way : 

"I will here state a case which occurred at an early date in the 

" From letter of Rev. George K. Hester, as above. 

^*' Minutes, 171. 

^ Ibid, 184; also Holliday's Indiana Methodism, 28. 

'" HoUiday, 28-29. Peter Cartwright says the second full circuit in the 
State of Indiana was the Vincennes circuit, which he himself founded in the 
manner described on the following page. Autobiography, 167. 



I 



Sweet: Early Methodist Circuits in Indiana 363 

State of Indiana, in a settlement called Busroe. Many of the early 
emigrants to that settlement were Methodists, Baptists and Cum- 
berland Presbyterians. The Shaker priests, all apostates from the 
Baptist and Cumberland Presbyterians, went over among them. 
Many of them I was personally acquainted with and had given them 
letters when they removed from Kentucky to that new country. 

"There was then no Methodist circuit-preachers in that region. 
There was an old brother, Collins, a local preacher, who withstood 
the Shakers, and in private combat was a full match for any of 
them ; but he was not eloquent in debate, and hence the Shaker 
priests overcame my old brother, and by scores swept members 
of difiterent churches away from their steadfastness into the muddy 
pools of Shakerism. The few who remained steadfast, sent to Ken- 
tucky for me, praying me to come over and help them. I sent an 
appointment with an invitation to meet any or all of the Shaker 
priests in public debate ; but instead of meeting me they appointed 
a meeting in opposition, and warned the believers, as they called 
them, to keep away from my meeting ; but from our former ac- 
quaintance and intimate friendship, many of them came to hear me. 
I preached to vast crowds for about three hours, and I verily be- 
lieve God helped me. The very foundation of every Shaker present 
was shaken from under him. They then besought me to go to 
the Shaker meeting that night. I went, and when I got there, 
we had a great crowd. I proposed to them to have a debate and 
they dared not refuse. The terms were these : A local preacher 
I had with me was to open the debate, then one or all of their 
preachers, if they chose, were to follow, and 1 was to bring up the 
rear. To this agreement the Shakers, however, failed to comply, 
after the debate was under way, and one 'of them, a Mr. Gill, called 
all the Shakers present to disperse, but the sturdy circuit rider, 
Peter Cartwright, then arose and called upon them to remain and 
succeeded in holding a considerable number of them. He says : 
'When I arose to reply I felt a sense of the approbation of God, 
and that he would give me success. I addressed the multitude about 
three hours and, when I closed the argument, I opened the doors of 
the church and invited all that would renounce Shakerism to come 
and give me their hand. Forty-seven came forward, and then and 
there openly renounced the dreadful delusion. The next day I fol- 
lowed those that fled ; and the next day I went from cabin to cabin, 
taking the names of those that returned to the solid foundation 
of truth, and my number rose to eighty-seven. I then organized 
ihem into a regular society and then next fall had a preacher sent 



364 Indiana Maga::inc of History 

them; and perhaps this victory may be considered among the hrst 
fruits of Methodism in that part of the new country.' "''■' 

By 1812 two more new circuits had been added, the Lawrence- 
burg circuit in the southeastern corner of the Territory, between 
the Whitewater and the Silver Creek circuits, and the Patoka cir- 
cuit in the southwestern corner, south of the Vincennes circuit and 
to the west of the Silver Creek. In 1816 another new circuit ap- 
pears in the minutes for the first time, which was known as the 
Blue River. The total membership of these six earliest Indiana 
circuits, in the year 1816, the year of Indiana's admission to the 
Union, was 1,877.^^ I have attempted to draw a map of these early 
Indiana circuits, though I have found it extremely difficult to fix 
any definite boundaries. The early circuit rider was not confined 
to any definite limits, but went where there was a call or need of 
his services. Besides regular preaching places he had many irreg- 
ular ones, the cabins of the scattered settlers, and no company was 
too small for him to preach to. 

The men who manned these early Indiana circuits from the 
founding of the first one in 1807 to 1816, were as follows (and I 
give their names because I feel that from the standpoint of Indiana 
history they are worthy to be recorded) : The first regularly as- 
signed preachers to Indiana circuits were Moses Ashworth to the 
Silver Creek circuit and Joseph Williams to the Whitewater, as has 
already been stated. From 1808 to 1816 the following men served 
these two circuits : 

Silver Creek— 1809, Josiah Crawford; 1810, Sela Paine; 1811, 
Isaac Lindsey; 1812, Wiliam McAlehan ; 1813, Thomas Nelson; 
1814, Charles Harrison; 1815, Shadrach Ruark and in 1816, Joseph 
Kinkaid. The men who manned the Whitewater circuit after Jo- 
seph Williams to 1816 were: 1809, Hector Sanford and Moses 
Crume; 1810, Thomas Nelson and Samuel H. Thompson; 1811, 
Moses Crume; 1812. Robert W. Finley; 1813, John Strange; 1814, 
David Sharp; 1815, William Hunt; 1816, Daniel Fraley. The Vin- 
cennes circuit from 1810 to 1816 was manned by William Winans 
in 1810; in 1811 Thomas Stilwell was the circuit preacher; Jacob 

"Peter Cartwi-ir/ht's Autobiography, SS-.'iS. The Shakers were a com- 
munistic sect officially known as "The United Society of Believers in Christ's 
Second Coming." The Shakers did not recognize marriage as a Christian insti- 
tution and considered it less perfect than the celibate state. The Shakers were 
very active in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana for a number of years after ISOO. 
Shaker communities were founded in southern Indiana, among them this com- 
munity at Busroe on the Wabash. The circuit riders were deadly foes to th's 
delusion. 

^Minutes, vol. I., 211, 212, 279-280, 282-283. 



Sweet : Early Methodist Circuits in Indiana 365 




Oh > 



I 




366 Indiana Magazine of History 

Turman succeeded in 1812; Richard Richards, 1813; 1814, Zach- 
ariah Witten; 1815, John Schrader, and in 1816, Thomas Davis. 
The Patoka circuit, founded in 1811, was served in 1812 by Benja- 
min Edge; in 1813 and 1814 Patoka circuit does not appear in the 
minutes; in 1815 John Scripps served the circuit, and in 1816, 
Thomas King. The LaAvrenceburg circuit, founded the same year 
as the Patoka, was served its first year, which was 1812, by Walter 
Griffith ; in 1813, by WilHam Dixon ; in 1814, by Moses Crume ; in 
1815, by John Strange, and in 1816, by David Sharp. In 1816, the 
first year of the Blue River circuit, it was served by John Shrader. 
Among the Presiding Elders who oversaw Indiana circuits during 
these early years were William Burke, from whose autobiography 
we have quoted, John Sale, Samuel Parker, Soloman Langdon, 
Learner Blaclcman, James Axley, James Ward, Peter Cartwright, 
Charles Holliday and Jesse Walker.^^ 

Among these names are some which will live as long as the 
Methodist church lives, and some which are worthy to have "a per- 
manent place in Indiana history. The Jesuit Fathers, in the days of 
exploration on this continent, undertook no greater task than the 
task which was undertaken by these rude, but earnest and upright 
frontier preachers, who had a vision of what the western country 
might become, and helped as few others helped to work out that 
vision. 

At the beginning of Indiana Methodism there were, of course, 
no meeting-houses, but in the winter time the cabins of the settlers 
were the temples, and in the spring, just as soon as it became warm 
enough, the people worshipped out under the trees. It was not 
long, however, before log meeting-houses began to be erected, for 
there was plenty of material, and a Methodist revival always re- 
sulted in providing willing hands to build the desired house of 
worship. During Moses Ashworth's first year on the Silver Creek 
circuit three meeting-houses were erected, and each succeeding year 
saw other rude log structures rise in the wilderness. In these log 
meeting-houses there were none of the comforts known to present- 
day churches. The roofs were made of clapboards held on by 
weight poles, the floors were made of puncheons, the chimneys of 
sticks and clay, and the seats were split logs, hewn smoothly with 
an ax, while the pulpits were made of clapboards smoothed nicely 
with a drawing knife. ^o 

^''Minutes, vol. I. (1773-1828), 152-287. 
^Indiana Miscellany, W. C. Smith, 62-70. 



SK'ccf : Early McfJiodisf Circuits in Indiana 367 

Practically all of the early circuit riders, traveling in the new 
country, were single men, for Bishop Asbury discouraged marriage 
among his preachers, knowing the increased hardships marriage 
would bring to the preachers themselves and especially to their 
wives. For this reason many of the pioneer preachers ceased to 
travel, as it was called, while they were still comparatively young 
men, simply because they married, and were advised to "locate," 
that is, they settled down in a certain locality and ceased to travel 
a circuit, though they did not cease to be preachers. At this early 
time sixty-four to eighty dollars was the amount allowed a traveling 
preacher, and he must provide his own horse and equipment, such 
as saddle and saddle-bags. William Burke, w^ho was Presiding 
Elder of the Green River district in 1810, which included the Silver 
Creek circuit, was the first married preacher in the west who con- 
tinued to travel after his marriage. And, he says, "I met with every 
discouragement that could be thrown in my way. People and 
preachers said, 'you had better locate.' I shared equally with the 
single men when they were on the circuit with me, in order to 
keep peace. * * * One winter I had to use a borrow^ed blanket 
instead of a cloak or overcoat."^ ^ 

It is interesting to note that all of the Indiana circuits were 
named after streams, either rivers or creeks, except the Vincennes 
and Lawrenceburg circuits. The reason for this is, of course, 
obvious. The early settlements were along the rivers and creeks, 
and these were the natural highways of the country, and so, very 
naturally, the early circuits derived their names from some river 
or creek along which the settlements were located. There were in 
those days few towais or postoffices after which circuits might be 
named, and w'hen there w-ere such towns the circuits soon came to 
bear their names, rather than that of rivers or creeks, as, for in- 
stance, the Vincennes and Lawrenceburg circuits. This naming of 
circuits after streams was not peculiar to Indiana, but the same was 
true in all the western country. 

How were these great circuits manned, by many times one, and 
seldom more than two, circuit riders ? When we look at those three 
earliest Indiana circuits, it would seem almost humanly impossible 
for one man to spread himself over so much territory and be at all 
effective in his work. And yet that seemingly impossible task was 
accomplished and many times whole communities stirred in a re- 
markable manner. The early circuits in Indiana were six or eight 

-^Burke's Autobiography, 91. 



368 Indiana Maga-zine of History 

week circuits, that is, it took the circuit rider from six to eight 
weeks to make the round of his various preaching places once. 
That meant that there was preaching at the regular preaching 
places not more than once in six or eight weeks. At least four 
times yearly came the quarterly meetings on every circuit, and on 
these occasions the presiding elder would work a week or more, 
and sometimes make the whole round with the circuit preacher. 
And these were the great meetings to which both preacher and 
people looked forward for weeks and months ahead. These were 
the times when the two and three day meetings were held, the usual 
way being, the meeting beginning on Saturday afternoon and last- 
ing through, with little intermission until Monday morning. Many 
of the early circuit riders had no homes, but lived in the cabins of 
the settlers or in the saddle. It is no wonder that the Methodist 
preacher got a reputation as a horse trader, and as a judge of good 
horse flesh, for the ease and comfort in which he traveled his 
circuit depended upon the kind of horse he rode, and the preacher 
and his faithful horse were necessarily constant companions. 



INDIANA'S GROWTH 1812-1820 

By Waldo F. AIitchell, Instructor in History and Economics, 
Iowa State Teachers' College 

War on the Frontier 

June 19, 1812, Congress declared war against Great Britain. 
August 16, William Hull surrendered Detroit. The preceding day, 
the Pottawattomies, who had been in the neighborhood of Fort 
Dearborn, Chicago, treacherously slew the garrison, together with 
the women and children inmates of that post, as the garrison was 
vacating the fort to retreat to Fort Wayne. The Pottawattomies, 
Kickapoos, Ottawas, Shawnees and other less powerful tribes, 
aided by the British, planned a general attack upon the frontier set- 
tlements in Indiana. The hostile savages began to concentrate 
about Fort Wayne in August, 1812, attacking isolated settlements.^ 
A scalping party of Shawnees destroyed the "Pigeon Roost" settle- 
ment, about twenty-five miles north of Jefifersonville.^ Other In- 
dians at the same time made a savage attack upon Fort Harrison 
(Terre Haute).-'' 

The isolated settlements were abandoned and the retreating set- 
tlers joined with others in the more thickly settled regions in erect- 
ing block houses. Back from the frontier line, immigration and 
settlement continued. The southern part of the Twelve Mile Tract 
(purchase of 1809, just west of the Greenville Treaty line) filled up 
rapidly with settlers.^ Just west of the Second Principal Meridian 
squatters and new settlers began to take out land titles. Other 
settlers, instead of moving into the interior, as had been the case 
before the war, broke into the wilderness along Little Pigeon creek 
(boundary between Warrick and Spencer counties) where there were 
only scattered settlem.ents.^ This same year, 1812, Hugh McGary 
made the first permanent settlement at the site of Evansville. The 
reaction which began along the dangerous frontier together with 
immigration into the west, began to concentrate settlements more 

* Slocum, C. E., Maumee River Basin, 274. 
== Dunn, J. P., True Indian Stories. 

^ Fort Harrison 1812-1912, p. 17. 

* Nile's Register, July 4, 1818, p. 318. 

" Warrick, Spencer, and Perry Counties, (1885) pp. 21, 587. 



370 Indiana Magazine of History 

in the older and poorer regions — regions which had been Httle 
settled.*' 

Since 1807 the lands on sale in Indiana had been offered at three 
land offices, namely : Cincinnati, established in 1800 ; it offered the 
lands between the Miami river and the Greenville Treaty Line; 
Vincennes, established in 1804; it offered lands west of the Second 
Principal Meridian and included a small part of Illinois; and Jef- 
fersonville, established in 1807, and it offered lands between the 
other two. The lands were sold in minimum tracts of 160 acres 
each, at a minimum price of $2.00 an acre.''' Supposing that for 
each 160-acre tract sold at Vincennes in 1812, one family settled 
in the Vincennes district, then about twenty-live families would 
have settled in the district; and about one hundred eighty-four 
would have settled in the Jeffersonville district. In 1811 the num- 
ber would have been somewhat greater. 

January 22, 1813, occurred the massacre of the greater part of 
Harrison's force at the River Raisin, which force was under the 
command of Gen. James Winchester. Although this news seems not 
to have reached the capital at Vincennes by February 2, when act- 
ing Governor John Gibson addressed the legislature, yet he fully 
understood the dangers on the frontier. He referred to the dangers 
as follows : 

"At 3'our last assemblage (November 11, 1811), our political horizon 
seemed clear, our infant territory bid fair for rapid and rising grandeur; 
our population was highly flattering; our citizens were becoming pros- 
perous and happy and security dwelt everywhere, even on our frontiers. 
But, alas! the scene has changed. . . . The aborigines, our former 
neighbors and friends, have become our inveterate foes. They have 
drawn the scalping knife and raised the tomahawk, and shouts of savage 
fury are heard at our thresholds. Our frontiers are now wiles, and our 
inner settlements have become frontiers." 

Capital Moved to Corydon 

The danger had become so threatening by February 11, 1813^ 
that on this date the House of Representatives of Indiana Territory 
voted the following preamble and resolution : 

"Whereas, the hostile disposition of the Indians, and the danger ta 
which the village of Vincennes is thereby subjected, and for the preserva- 
tion of the public acts, and the records of the territory in this, our peril- 
ous situation, make it necessary that the seat of government of the 

« Vanderburg County (1889) p. 94. 
' Treat, P. J., National Land System. 



Mitchell: Indiana's GroivtJi 1812-1820 371 

Territory should be removed to a place where the archives of the State 
and the claims of individuals should not be endangered." 8 

The massacre on the River Raisin may have been the deciding 
factor in the removal of the capital, for the news of it was published 
in the Vincennes Western Sun, February 13. There was real dan- 
ger at Vincennes, for a few days after the House voted to remove 
the government away from that place, occurred this item in the 
Western Sun : 

"It again becomes our duty to record the melancholy news of the 
murder of three more of our fellow citizens by the Indians. ... In 
the course of the present week there has not been less than 15 or 20 
horses stolen from the neighborhood." 

Immigration in 1813 

In spite of the continued Indian hostility and the unfortunate 
military failures on the northern frontier, the settlements in 1813 
increased. Although in Ohio during this year the land sales very 
materially decreased, in Indiana they iiicreased — about 57 per cent, 
at Jeffersonville over the preceding year, and'^at Vincennes about 
35 per cent. At Jeffersonville the sales were the greatest they had 
ever been, and at Vincennes greater than in any pi-evious year 
except in 1807, when the period of extensive sales in Indiana had 
begun. Purchases continued to be made where there was little 
danger from Indian attacks. The new town of Rising Sun, in 
Dearborn county (in Ohio county since 1844), was laid out by 
a planter who had come from Maryland a few years previously.^ 
On March 2, 1813, the first tree was cleared away for the building 
of the town of New Albany. ^^ Farther west great changes were 
taking place. Knox county was the largest county in the Territory, 
and until 1807 had been the most populous part of the Territory. 
Ever since Indiana had been erected into a Territory (1800) and 
even before, immigrants had been settling occasionally in the Wa- 
bash basin, above and below White river. Others had made clear- 
ings in the basins of the two White rivers. Still others had set- 
tled along the old "Buffalo Trace," which the buffalo had followed 
from the Illinois prairies to the Blue Grass region of Kentucky, 
crossing the Ohio at the Falls, and the Wabash near Vincennes. 
Settlers now followed this path and settled farther and farther 

8 Vincennes, Western Sun, March 20, 1813. 

'Dearborn, Ohio, & Switzerland Counties (1885) p. 356. 

w Z«d. Hist. Disc. 1, No. 4, p. 6. (Wis. Hist. Lib.) 



Mitchell: Indiana's Grozvth 1 812-1820 373 

west. After the passage of the Indenture Act of 1805, for the 
''introduction of Negroes and Mulattoes into this Territory,"^ ^ and 
the opening up in the same year of more lands for settlement, the 
number of settlers along the "Buffalo Trace," and along the lower 
White rivers, increased. By 1813 these settlements had increased 
enough back from the border, largely because Indian hostilities pre- 
vented settlements on the border, that the legislature felt justified 
in erecting two new counties, out of the southern part of Knox 
county (see map). Warrick county was to contain all west of the 
Principal Meridian and south of the line between townships three 
and four south (this line is the northern boundary of Spencer 
county). Gibson county was just north of Warrick county. (See 
map.)^- 

COMMERECE AND NAVIGATION 

Commerce and navigation began to assume greater importance. 
Steam had just begua to be used on the Ohio, the first steamboat 
descending from Pittsburgh in 1811. But for many years the 
farmers used fiatboats mostly in marketing their flour, corn, whisky, 
and meats at Nevv^ Orleans. They would return either overland 
or would pole keel boats up the rivers.^-"' 

In order to facilitate navigation on Whitewater river, the legis- 
lature declared, in 1813, that that river should be navigable from 
the Ohio state line up the river and up its west branch to the three 
forks. The county courts in the various counties through which 
the river ran were instructed to lay the river off into divisions and 
to appoint an overseer over each division. These overseers were 
to call out the men to clear the river for navigation, just as they 
were called out to work the roads. ^'^ 

This legislature also passed an act regulating exportation of 
meat products and flour. It provided for the inspection of flour, 
beef and pork, that were packed for shipment. A barrel of beef 
or pork should contain 200 pounds, and should be branded, "Indiana 
Territory, Mess Beef," "Prime Beef," "Mess Pork," or "Prime 
Pork," according as it was first or second grade. A barrel of flour 
should contain 196 pounds, and should be branded, "superfine," 
"fine," or "middlings," according as it was first, second, or third 
quality.^^ 

11 Dunn, J. p., Indiana, p. 329. 
1^ Territorial Laws, 1813, p. 67. 
" Smith, W. H., Indiana, II, 644. 
^i Territorial Laws, 1813, p. 4. 
^ Territorial Laws, 1813, p. 58. 



374 Indiana Magazine of History 

Later in the year 1813 the legislature cut off the northern part 
of Harrison county and erected a new county — Washington. (See 
map.) Thus in one year of frontier hostilities three new counties 
were erected in Indiana, making the total number ten. 

Hostilities Lessen in 1814 

September 12, 1813, Commodore O. H. Perry won his famous 
victory on Lake Erie, and a little later Harrison defeated the British 
at the River Thames in Canada. In this battle Tecumtha was 
killed. The war was now transferred to the Niagara frontier. On 
the eastern border in Indiana, along the upper branches of the 
Whitewater and East White rivers, the settlers began to feel secure 
about the middle of the year 1814. The war had not abated, so 
this cessation of Indian hostihties on the eastern frontier may have 
been due to the treaty of peace and alliance which Lewis Cass, 
General Harrison and Governor Shelby negotiated with the Wyan- 
dot, Delaware, Shawnee, Pottawattomie and Kickapoo tribes, July 
22, 1814.^^ This treaty was made in pursuance of a letter from 
the War Department, instructing those officers to ally the Indians 
to the United States against Great Britain. It was signed by 112 
Indians, including the three chiefs of the Wyandot, Delaware and 
Shawnee tribes — all three chiefs having previously signed the treaty 
negotiated by Wayne at Greenville in 1795. The United States 
later granted to about all of these chiefs grants of land in Ohio.^'^ 
One of the commissioners negotiating this treaty said to the chiefs : 
"You have now come forward to take us by the hand; we are 
equally anxious and willing to take you by the hand, but you must 
take up the tomahawk and with us strike our enemies. Then your 
great father, the President, will forgive the past."^'^ The Indians 
were furnished by the commissioners with sufficient whisky to whet 
their hatchets against the British. 

Although hostilities lessened in 1814 on the eastern border, yet 
on the western frontier, along the Wabash hostilities continued till 
the end of 1815. Occasional murders were reported and stock was 
frequently run off. The Western Sun, August 14, 1814, stated that 
a number of horses had recently been stolen from Busseron creek, 
north of Vincennes, and that near Fort Harrison thirty-two horses 
and a large number of cattle had been stolen by the Indians. 

^^ state Pioneer Convention, Indianapolis, Oct. 2, 1878. 

" United States Statutes VII, also Dillon, J. B., Indiana Hist. Soc. Pub. I, 
p. 136. 

" Ibid, p. 137. 



Mitclicll: Indiana's Grozvtli 1812-1820 375 

Land Speculation Increases 1814 

As hostilities on the eastern border ceased in 1814, settlers came 
in in great number. On the seaboard times were dull, the coast 
was blockaded, taxes were high, and the currency was in disorder. 
Agriculture was not flourishing, so there began a flow of emigration 
westward that threatened to depopulate some of the eastern States. 
The legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina lamented this great 
exodus of their people. ^^ Dearborn county received a goodly share 
of the emigrants, including some New Englanders.-" The addi- 
tions of population to this county were such as to warrant the for- 
mation of a new county, Switzerland, out of Jeflrerson and Dear- 
born counties, with about the same boundaries as at present.-^ The 
main settlements of Switzerland county were those of the Swiss 
colonists who had settled there in 1802, to start the culture of 
grapes. Vevay, which had been laid out in 1813, was made the 
county seat. It was only a collection of huts in 1814, but it began 
a period of rapid growth. -- 

Farther down the Ohio, the town of Evansville was laid out, and 
the lots were put on sale. The site for this future city was de- 
scribed as having "an excellent harbor for boats, and as to situation, 
it is perhaps surpassed by none in the western country." The 
proprietor thought he could see its advantages for inland trade. 
He predicted that the time was "not distant when merchants and 
traders will, from economy, transport their goods across from 
Evansville to Princeton and Vincennes, in preference to the circuit- 
ous route of the Ohio and Wabash rivers." However, the town 
did not grow much during the next two decades. -^ 

Other proprietors of towns were as enthusiastic as the proprietor 
of Evansville. Other towns were advertised in the vicinity of 
Evansville as being possible centers for the inland trade. -^ By the 
middle of 1814 the settlements along this part of Ohio had been so 
augmented by new settlers that the General Assembly which met 
in August erected two new counties out of Warrick. Posey county 
was between the Wabash and Ohio rivers and Perry was just west 
of the Principal Meridian. Warrick was cut down, to include the 
remainder between the other two new counties.-^ 

"McMaster, J. B., Hist, of the People, IV. p. 3S3. 

2° Matthew, L. K., Expansion of New England, p. 201. 

21 Territorial Laws, 1814, p. 30. 

-McMaster, J. B., History of People of the U. S., IV., p. 385. 

'■'^ Western Sun, July 2, 1814. 

=■* Western Sun, Sept. 24, 1814. 

25 Territorial Laws 1S14, p .18. 



376 Indiana Maijazinc of History 

With the increasing immigration, the land sales increased great- 
ly. At V'incennes the increase was 245 per cent, over the preceding 
year, and at Jeffersonville the increase was 130 per cent. Although 
the increase at Jeffersonville still remained about three and one-half 
times those at Vincennes, thus showing that still in 1814 the immi- 
grants were mostly stopping in the eastern part of the territory. 
Farther east the sales at the Cincinnati office were also great.-" 

Currency and Banking 1814 

With the increase in the sales of land arose also the demand 
for more money. There were no banks in the territory in which 
the government could deposit the money received at the land offices, 
so this money was taken east for depositing, thus draining coin 
from the West. The people of the West bought more goods of the 
East than the East bought from the West, so the balance must 
be paid the East in money. These two drains upon the supply of 
money in the West were so great that the people of the West were 
badly in need of some form of money. They saw that the easiest 
way to get this form of money was to create banks, which could 
make "money" as fast as printers could print the bills. So, the 
General Assembly, which met for the first time at the new capital, 
Corydon, in the summer of 1814, chartered two banks, the Vin- 
cennes Bank, and the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Madison, 
the seat of Jefferson county. This last bank was to prove a boon 
to the farmers of the community, and it aided the merchants in 
their transactions with New Orleans and with the East.-" 

There were at the time three main ways in which money was 
secured for investments : the military campaigns in the West had 
brought a good deal of money to this region, as the contractors and 
merchants were paid for furnishing supplies for the army ; the 
continual stream of immigration brought in money to invest ; the 
banks could issue paper "money" almost without limit. Conse- 
quently, a period of active speculation in town lots began. During 
the year 1815, proprietors of various towns along White river and 
the Wabash advertised their towns for sale. Although the Indians 
were still hostile along the Wabash, the town of Carlyle on the 
Busseron, north of Vincennes, was advertised for sale, as being in 
the midst of a flourishing settlement.^^ 

^'^ Senate Doc. 30, Cong. Sens. 1 Doc. 41, p. G7, ff. The figures for the land 
sales are taken from this document. 

=" Esarey, L., State Banking in Indiana, p. 221, ff, 
" Western Sun. June 30, 1815. 



I 
I 



Mitchell: Indiana s Growth i8i 2-1820 377 

Peace Restored, Speculation Increases 

Early in 1815 it became known throughout the country that 
peace was restored between the United States and Great Britain. 
With the return of peace, great quantities of EngHsh goods were 
put upon the American market. In 1815 the importations from 
Great Britain alone amounted to $83,000,000, and in 1816 to 
$155,000,000. While the merchants were sinking their circulating 
capital in these goods, American woolen, cotton, paper and iron 
manufacturing was being ruined. -'^ These investments were felt 
along the frontier. The New England goods, too, found again a 
ready market in the West, before the rush of English goods crowded 
them out. Before the middle of the year 1815 the Vincennes mer- 
chants had laid in a supply — a "handsome assortment of New Eng- 
land cotton cloths.^*' 

With the return of peace, migration to Indiana Territory in- 
creased. In his message, December 1, 1815, Governor Thomas 
Posey said : 

"Our emigration which is rapidly populating our fertile lands in a 
little time will enable us to be admitted into the political family of the 
Union, as an independent State. Permit me to recommend to the 
legislature the propriety as well as the justice of imposing as moderate 
taxes on the emigrants to this territory as may be compatible with 
the public interest. Most of them have moved from a great distance, at 
a considerable expense. They have to encovmter money difficulties in 
opening their farms for cultivation, before they can derive a support, 
much more a profit from them; and consequently their ability will be 
lessened from contributing largely for a short time to the public exigen- 
cies." 31 

This document expresses the essence of settlers' troubles — get- 
ting on a paying basis after expending so much of their limited 
capital to get to the new country and to pay for their farms. It 
took the greater part of the first year for a settler to get a small 
clearing made. Even on prairie land, it was a great task to get 
the sod broken and the soil subdued for planting. Labor was scarce, 
and there was little money to pay what labor was available. All 
of these factors, together with many others, made the task of form- 
ing a new settlement a difficult one. The capital of the West was 
thus used up in getting started, and in investments, so that there 
was little left in getting crops to market at a distance. In 1819 the 

-" Coman, K., Industrial History of U. S.j p. 189. 
3» Western Sun, April 8, 1815. 
^^ Nile's Register, X, p. 361. 



r^yS Indiana Ma(/a::iuc of History 

president of the Vincennes Bank wrote: "Our banking capital, 
here in the West, is all tied up in city impro\cments, and there is 
none to move our produce."^- 

In the meantime the ferries across the Ohio, and the roads lead- 
ing north from them, had not been idle. Kentuckians had been 
crossing the Ohio at Henderson, and settling in Posey and War- 
rick counties, and the western part of Gibson county. Another 
road led toward the interior from the crossing at Rockport. Farther 
up the Ohio still another road led north from the crossing at Blue 
river, into Washington and Harrison counties. ^^ By 1815 enough 
settlers had followed this and other routes to justify the formation 
of two new counties. Orange county was to consist of the territory 
from twelve miles w^est of the Principal Meridian to eight miles 
east, and north of Perry and Harrison counties to the Indian boun- 
dary line of 1809. Jackson county was to lie east of Orange, west 
of range eight east, and north of the Muscatatuck, to the Indian 
country. Both of these counties were in the basin of East White 
river. •■'■* 

Statehood 

The General Assembly in 1815 followed the suggestion of the 
governor, and petitioned Congress to be allowed to pass to state- 
hood. This petition stated that the inhabitants were principally 
composed of emigrants from every part of the union, and as 
various in their customs and sentiments as in their persons. How- 
ever, Southerners predominated in numbers, except possibl}- in the 
southeast counties. 

The petition asked for an enumeration, which was taken. This 
census showed a total population of 63,897 — a little more than the 
60,000 necessary to pass to statehood. This census also revealed 
the fact that the population was moving toward the interior, and. 
settling there more than along the Ohio. In the Whitewater basin, 
Wayne and Franklin counties (see map; Randolph had not yet 
been erected), neither of which counties touched the Ohio, con- 
tained a larger population than Dearborn, Switzerland and Jeffer- 
son counties, by 30 per cent. The three counties, Posey, Warrick 
and Perry, all on the Ohio, practically the same territory as com- 
prised Warrick in 1813, did not have a combined population equal 
to any one of the interior counties. Of all the eight counties on the: 

^American State Papers, Finance, III, p. 734. 

^'' Cockrum, W. M., Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 136. 

■■'* Territorial Laws, 1815, pp. 3, .57. 



Mitchell: Indiana's Gruzvth 1812-1820 379 

Ohio, only Clark and Harrison had a population equal to the in- 
terior counties. More than 71 per cent, of the population was east 
of the Second Principal Meridian. The line between ranges five 
and six east (the line passes through Columbus) would have divided 
the population into two almost equal groups. About one-third of 
the population was in the three counties, Clark, Harrison and Wash- 
ington, the first two of which were on the Ohio, and in the second 
was the new capital, Corydon. In this census the newly erected 
counties, Orange and Jackson, were counted as part of the original 
counties from which they were formed. The census showed two 
regions more thickly populated than any others — the upper White- 
water and the region west and northwest of Jefl:'ersonville, about 
the new capital, Corydon. ^^ 

The petition asking for statehood also asked that 7 per cent, of 
the moneys received for the sales of public lands in the State be 
granted the new State to be used as it saw fit. When Ohio became 
a State in 1803 it was provided that 2 per cent, of the sales of lands 
in the State should be devoted to the building of roads to Ohio, by 
Congress, and 3 per cent, should be used by the State legislature 
of Ohio for roads within the State. ^^ But Congress granted to 
Indiana only what had been granted to Ohio — that 5 per cent, of 
the sales should be reserved for the construction of public roads 
and canals, of which 2 per cent, should be used by Congress in 
making a road or roads leading to the State, and 3 per cent, to be 
used for roads or canals within the State, under the direction of the 
legislature.^''' 

The petition also asked that section 16 in each township be 
granted the State for school purposes ; that in counties where sec- 
tion 16 had already been disposed of, other lands be given instead; 
that township 2 south of range 11 west be granted for an academy, 
and that a township be given for a college. All of these grants of 
land were made by Congress, on condition that purchasers of United 
States lands within the State should be free from taxation on the 
lands purchased after December 1, 1816, for five years from date of 
purchase. Saline lands (lands about salt wells) not to exceed thirty- 
six sections, were granted the State for a site for a capital. The 
State boundary was extended north ten miles beyond the southern 
point of Lake Michigan, and the western boundary was to be the 

8= Cockrum, W. M., Pioneer History of Indiana, p. 390; census of 1815. 
38 Treat, P. J., National Land System, p. 109. 

=' Poore, B. P., Charters and Constitutions, I, 498. See also Anier. State 
Papers, Public Lands. 



380 Indiana Macja-ziuc of History 

Wabash from it smouth to the point where the meridian of V'in- 
cennes last touched the river, and then north on this meridian. The 
eastern boundary was left as it had been — the meridian of the mouth 
of the Miami river. ^^ 

Settlers' Rights 

One of the reasons given by the petitioners for asking as much 
as 7 per cent, of the proceeds of the land sales was that the settlers 
had endured many dangers and hardships to found settlements in 
this wilderness, as a consequence of which the government lands 
were to be enhanced in value. It was thought that this fact would 
justify the settlers in asking for a large per cent, of the sales. 
These settlers had political theories almost as acute as those of the 
French philosophers, although they seldom made display of their 
theories unless they thought their rights were being interfered with. 
In the latter part of 1815, some of the settlers thought the general 
government was interfering with their rights. For about seven 
years the boundary between whites and the Indian country had been 
stationary, but the frontier line of settlement had moved onward, 
and many squatters could be found on Indian soil, where they had 
no legal right to be. So, December 12, 1815, President Madison 
ordered all such "unlawful occupants" or "uninformed or evil- 
disposed persons" to remove from such Indian lands by March 10, 
1816, under penalty of the law. In case they had not removed by 
the time set, the United States marshal was to remove them.^'* 

A storm of protest ensued, but it seems that perhaps a majority 
of the squatters never took the proclamation seriously. However, 
one editorial writer under the name of "Farmers' and Patriots' 
Rights," in a continued series of articles, vigorously asserted the 
rights of the squatters, and magnified what he thought was the 
high patriotism shown by the settlers as they "kept in awe for the 
last three years, a savage foe, whose tomahawks and scalping knives 
would otherwise have glittered in our houses. . . . Are they," 
said he, "when danger has ceased to threaten, to be called unin- 
formed or evil-disposed and ordered off the land their presence 
alone has hithertofore secured?" This writer maintained that the 
pre-emption laws passed by Congress at various times, benefitting 
those who had settled illegally on government land, were as surely 
violations of the law for preventing squatters from settling on 

"■" Poore, B. P., Charters and Constitutions, I. 498; also Western Smi. Jan. 
' '816; see also Hinsdale, B. A., Old Northwest, p. 326. 
■Richardson, J. D., Messages d Papers, I, p. 572. 



Mitchell: Indiana's Grozvtii 1812-1820 381 

Indian lands, as was settling there itself. He then continued : "Can 
it be contended that when Congress and the United States execu- 
tive set an act at defiance, that the people should not ?" 

His final argument was that such a policy of removal would in- 
jure the Territory by weakening the frontier, by taking away those 
daring men who had been keeping back the Indians."**^ Additional 
force is given these squatter arguments when it is remembered that 
because of recent hostilities, many of the settlers could not pay the 
final or fourth annual installments on the farms which they had 
purchased from the government. Upon this failure to make the 
final payment, the settlers were obliged to forfeit their farms back 
to the government, thus losing what they had paid down, and their 
improvements. Such losses during the hostilities were compara- 
tively great, running up to several thousands of dollars. In 1813 
more than half as much land reverted to the government as was 
bought. ^^ The same persons who were obliged to lose money be- 
cause of the hostilities, were the daring men who had been engaged 
in protecting the frontier — which protection enabled the government 
to sell the lands at better advantage. The losses helped to unify 
the settlers in their expression of what they called their rights. 

Ru.SH TO THE Wabash 1816 

By the summer of 1816 the lands along the Wabash (as far 
north as Clinton), and inland for many miles east of the Wabash,, 
were surveyed, and put on sale at Vincennes.'*- Troops and travel- 
ers had passed over these lands for several years, and had sent far 
and wide glowing accounts of the rich lands along the Wabash. All 
the west had heard of the prairies about Fort Harrison. Indian 
hostilities had ceased the preceding year, so that immigrants could 
safely take up land there. The fact that the State had grown to an 
equality with the other States of the Union advertised the lands 
in Indiana all the more. So a great flood of emigration set in 
toward Indiana, and a large part of it turned into the Wabash basin. 
In one day fifty wagons crossed the Muskingum at Zanesville, Ohio, 
all bound westward. ^^ Indiana afforded cheaper lands than Ohio, 
so the tide of settlers flowed over and around Ohio to settle on the 
Wabash, and the lower White river. It is said that 42,000 came 
to Indiana in 1816.^^ The land sales at Vincennes increased enor- 

^0 Western Sun, Jan. 27, Feb. 23, 1816. 

" American State Papers, Public Lands. 

^ See map in Indiana Auditor's Report, 1842, 276. 

*^ Nile's Register, November 23, 1S16, p. 208. 

"McMaster, J. B., History, Y, p. 159. 



38j Indiana Ma(/a.':ine of Hisforv 

mously. In 1815 the sales there had been only 30 per cent, as great 
as at Jeffersonville, but in 1816, although at Jeft'ersonville the sales 
mcreased 30 per cent., the sales at Vincennes were greater than at 
the other office — in fact, they had increased 425 per cent.^^ Many 
people came down the Ohio, others crossed over from Kentucky, 
but the majority came overland. They came in all manners of 
ways. Joseph Liston came from Ohio to Vigo county, bringing his 
family with him. He put his household goods on one horse, and 
placed his two boys on top of the goods. His wife rode the other 
horse and carried the youngest child, while another was tied 
on behind her. Mr. Liston walked behind.^*'' This was the type 
of the immigrant family ariving daily on the Wabash. A study 
of the immigration to Vigo county, as disclosed in the biographies 
of Beckwith's Vigo County, shows that the majority of the perma- 
nent settlers were from New York, Ohio and Kentucky. The 
nativity of the settlers of neighboring counties was similar, except 
that the Quakers from North Carolina comprised a more prominent 
element in the settlement of Parke county. 

The following table is compiled from a study of the biographies 
of permanent settlers in Vigo county. It does not take into account 
the many pioneers who stayed for a time and then moved on to 
other counties or states. In nearly all cases this table has taken 
into account the State where born, and not the State from which 
the settler came directly to Indiana. In some cases, if the settler 
had moved into another State at any early age, and had spent a 
good many years in that State, the table takes the latter State as 
the place of nativity. Although this table could not be absolutely 
indicative of the nativity, it is valuable in indicating the nativity 
of the people of Vigo county. 

Year. N. Y. O. Ky. N. C. Pa. Tenn. Va. Ind. Other. Ttls. 

1816 5 1 2 2 1 1 5 17 

1817 5 10 1 1 3 11 

1818 4 4 1 1 1 5 16 

1819 010200010 4 

1820 2232 1002 12 

1821 110000000 2 

1822 103100000 5 

1823 1110 10 4 

1824 13 10 10 6 

1825 001000000 1 

Totals 20 14 12 7 4 3 2 1 15 78 

*" Senate Documents, 30 Cong. Sess. 1, Doc. 41, p. 67 ff. 
*«Beckwith, Vigo County, p. 464. 



Mitchell: Indiana's Growth 1812-1820 383 

Growth of Towns 1817-1818 

The growth of towns, that had been begun in 1814, increased, 
and much capital was invested in town improvements. Many paper 
towns were advertised during the year 1817, but a large part of 
these could not be found by the "tender-foot"' purchasers and many 
of the towns have not been heard of since. Others, however, re- 
ceived a substantial growth. \'evay, which three years before was 
merely a collection of huts, had grown to be a flourishing county 
seat, with seventy-five dwellings, in which lived a prosperous people. 
In this town were thirty-one mechanics of various trades. It re- 
ceived mail three times a week, and supported a weekly newspaper."*'^ 
In this year about 5,000 gallons of wine were pressed from the 
grapes at Vevay, averaging about 350 gallons per acre.^® 

The German colony of communists at Harmony on the Wabash, 
had grown in the two years to consist of three hundred families, 
with extensive farms, large barns and busy shops. All sorts of 
trades were carried on, such as shoemaking, saddlery, weaving, etc. 
These communists in 1817 reaped a harvest from many acres of 
vines, 200 acres of wheat, 40 acres rye, 20 of barley, 30 of oats, and 
they had a meadow of 50 acres. They had a large stock of cattle, 
hogs and merino sheep, the wool of which they manufactured into 
broadcloth. A large ornamental garden, well-tended, caught the eye 
and fancy of travelers.-*^ In the fall this colony was largely aug- 
mented in numbers by a fresh immigration, about 1,000 being ex- 
pected. '"* This town became for a few years, one of the most 
noted in America, and scientists from all parts of the world visited 
it.51 

Another agricultural town further up the Wabash was as noted 
as the colony at Harmony, but for a diiterent reason. The peculiar 
religious sect called Shakers had a small town of about two hun- 
dred people, who lived in eight or ten houses.^2 

The mail routes give a good indication of the settled regions of 
the State in 1817. There were the following weekly routes which 
touched it: (1) Cincinnati, North Bend, Mouth of Miami River, 
Lawrenceburg, Laughery Creek, Vevay, Madison, Bethlehem, 
Pro\'ince, Lexington (Ind.), Charlestown, JefTersonville and Louis- 

« McMaster, J. B., History, lY, p. 385. 
*^ Nile's Register, Nov. 29, 1817, p. 224. 
*^ Nile's Register; Sept. 6, 1817. 
^"Nile's Register, Dec. 20, 1817, p. 272. 
" Lockwood, New Harmony Movement. 
52 Thomas, David, Travels, p. 149. 



384 Indiana Magazine of History 

ville: (a) Lexington to Salem and Paoli ; (b) Charlestown to 
Salem, Beck's Mills, Lindley's Mills, Perry's Ferry and Hawkins' 
Ferry to Vincennes; (c) Vincennes, Hazelton's Ferry, Columbia, 
Princeton, Harmony, Warrick Court House, Rebus's Ferry and 
Shawneetown; (d) Shawneetown (111.). Carmi, Palmyra to Vin- 
cennes; (e) Princeton to Henderson (Ky.) ; (2) Newcastle (Ky.) 
to Madison and Vernon ; (3) Louisville to Corydon, Fredericksburg, 
Salem, Moser, Vallonia to Brownstown.^^ 

During the year the speculation in town lots in the Wabash 
basin continued. Lots were put on sale at Clinton, on the Wabash, 
near the Indian country ; at Bloomington, at places on the road from 
Vincennes to Louisville, on the Ohio and at other places in the 
State. ^* One town thus advertised will serve as a type of town 
that tried to spring up in the new State : 

"Sprinklesburg is laid out on the banks of the Ohio 2 miles below the 
mouth of Cypress — so much has been said of the new towns laid of? 
in this State that it is believed by the proprietors needless to point out 
its various advantages. It is presumed that none will become purchasers 
without viewing them; there is, however, no new town in point of eligi- 
bility will bear a comparison with his. 

"Terms of payments — in 4, 8, 12, and 18 months, in equal installments. 
'' "JOHN SPRINKLE, 

"Proprietor."55 

Surplus capital at this time was invested in town property rather 
than in farms. In fact, there was a very rapid and steady decrease 
in the sales of lands at JefTersonville from 1816 till 1819, and at 
Vincennes till 1820. However, the sale at both places yet remained 
considerable. The sales in Indiana at the Cincinnati office were of 
lands between Brookville and Vevay, on the head branches of Tan- 
ner's, Hogan, Laughrey and Indian creeks, west of Lawrenceburg 
and Rising Sun and farther north in the extreme end of the Twelve 
Mile Tract, on the branches of the White and Mississinewa rivers.'"''' 
In this latter region a new county, Randolph, was erected along with 
two other border counties, Vigo and Monroe, with Terre Haute and 
Bloomington as the chief towns of these two. South of Monroe 
county, Lawrence county was erected in the East White river basin. 
Ripley county, which had been laid out two years before, was now 
organized. On the lower Ohio, Vanderburg, Spencer and Crawford 

" Western Sun, Aug. 30, 1817. 

" Western Sun, Aug. 30, 1817. 

" Western Sun, Aug. 1, 1818. (Cypress creek Is in Warrick County.) 

^0 Nile's Register, July 4, 1818, p. 318. 



I 



Mitchell: Indiana's Grozvth 1 812-1820 



joo 



counties were organized, with Evansville, Rockport and Fredonia 
as the chief towns — all being ports on the Ohio.'^''' This seemingly 
healthful growth, however, was accompanied with economic distress, 
which was felt quite generally in 1818. 

Economic Distress 1818 

The lands purchased from 1800-1820 could be bought of the 
government on credit, so the greater part of them were bought on 
credit. Nearly all the purchasers were in debt to the government, 
to the banks, or to their neighbors. There was a great scarcity of 
money in the west, and this was the main cause of the economic 
distress. The president of the State Bank at Vincennes stated the 
situation in a letter dated January 9, 1819 : 

"The present situation of the western people is distressing; they 
cannot get for their produce one dollar of the kind of money that will 
be received in payment of their debts to the United States. It is not 
for want of a sufficient quantity of produce that the western people 
do not pay their debts, but for want of system in bringing the products 
of their labor to its market. The banks of the United States west of 
the mountains issue but few notes, and these few are immediately col- 
lected by the merchants and sent east. The State banks of the western 
country have generally perverted the system of banking and instead of 
encouraging and fostering those who were employed in collecting and 
exporting the produce from which their country derives its wealth, they 
have built up their capital in cities and towns, from which they may, 
perhaps, derive the interest of their money, but cannot again withdraw 
their funds, at least for a long time. . . ." ^^ 

An English farmer living near Princeton stated the economic 
and social condition as seen through the eyes of an Englishman. 
He said : 

"Money cannot be gained by cultivation, produce may, perhaps, be 
sold at some price, but you cannot get your money of the cheats and 
scum of society who live here." ^^ 

Following the expiration of the First United States Bank in 
1811 was a period of reckless banking. A great many State and 
private banks sprang up. James Flint, a judicious Scotch traveler, 
who spent part of the year 1819 at Jeffersonville, described the sit- 
uation of the banks as follows : 

"The total number of these establishments in the United States 

''''Special Laws 1817, p. 12; 1818, p. 34. 
'-^American State Papers, Finance, III, p. 735. 
o'W. Faux, Journal, Nov. 3, 1819, p. 222. 



386 hidiana Maga.zinc of History 

could not, perhaps, be accurately stated on any given day. The enumera- 
tion, like the census of population, might be affected by the births and 
deaths. The creation of this vast host of fabricators, and venders in 
base money, must form a memorable epoch in the history of the 
country." co 

It is but just to the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Madison, 
however, to observe that it fared better than the State Bank of 
Indiana and most private banks, for it continued to pay specie until 
all State bank paper was refused at the land offices, and even then 
it continued to favor the farmers of the Jefiersonville land district 
by redeeming its bills when presented by persons indebted to the 
Jeftersonville land office. ^^ 

Yet the Second United States Bank, which was instituted at the 
beginning of 1817, acted as a great restriction on the State banks. 
Although their number in the United States increased from 208 in 

1815 to 307 in 1820, their note issues were reduced from $100,000,- 
000 in 1817 to $45,000,000 in 1819, and to $40,000,000 in 1820. 
This greatly reduced the amount of money in circulation.^- As has 
already been pointed out, the branches of the United States Bank 
never issued money notes in the West. By order of October, 1819, 
the western branches were prohibited from issuing any more notes 
at all.*^^ This lessened the available supply of circulating medium, 
and compelled the government to receive more and more of the 
State bank issues in the West and South. The State banks were 
anxious to loan as much of this paper money as possible to the 
investors. Bad banking stimulated greater investments, and desire 
to invest stimulated bad banking. 

In the early part of 1818 the Indiana State legislature passed an 
act for the execution of the estates of insolvent debtors — a law that 
seemed fair to debtors and creditors, but which was oppressive to 
the debtors, however just it might appear. The debtor, after legal 
exemptions for personal property were made, was to surrender the 
remainder of this property to the county courts which would sell the 
property to pay the creditors.^^ Because money was scarce, and 
debtors could not pay, sheriff sales became common. The condition 
in Vigo county is a good example. In one day at Terre Haute in 

1816 there were sold lots to the value of $21,000, and the best farm 

«<• Thwaites, R. G., Western Travels, IX, p. 133. 

'''State Papers 17, Cong Sess. I.Vol. 6, Doc. 66, p. 58 ff. 

■<« Dewey, D. R., Financial History, 154, 166, and 228. 

83 Catterall, R. C. H., Second Bank of the United States, p. 454. 

o*Laiva of Indiana, 1817-1818, p. 324. . 



Mitchell'. Indiana's Grozvth 1 812-1820 387 

land in the vicinity were quickly sold at five to ten dollars an acre 
when the minimum was two dollars. During the fall of 1816, 906 
tracts of 160 acres each were sold in the Vincennes district.^^ This 
was evidently speculation, and the crisis of 1818 and following fell 
heavily on the purchasers. In October, 1819, the sheriff of Vigo 
county advertised for sale ninety-seven tracts of farm land and 
sixty-four lots in Vigo county and Terre Haute, and twelve lots at 
Greenfield. All but seven of the tracts advertised were 160-acre 
tracts ; only two tracts were larger, and one of these was a 329-acre 
tract of third rate land.^^ 

The United States Treasury was puzzled as to what kind of 
money would be receivable for lands purchased. By order of Con- 
gress, after February 20, 1817, no money would be receivable for 
lands except in coins. United States bank notes, treasury notes, and 
specie-paying notes of the State banks. The Vincennes Bank peti- 
tioned to be allowed to accept the deposits from the land sales at 
Vincennes and this arrangement was made. Secretary Crawford 
granted the petition, and deposits were made there. But in 1819 
the bank failed to meet the United States drafts, so the bank was 
deprived of this privilege for a time.^^ 

The western branches of the United States Bank, after sustain- 
ing serious losses by receiving notes of State banks, were ordered 
after June 30, 1818, not to receive anything except specie and their 
own notes. They withdrew all their deposits from the State banks, 
and ceased all relations with them. This compelled the Indiana 
banks to cease issuing notes, which were being used to drain their 
vaults of specie by being presented for redemption as soon as 
issued.^^ 

By order of August 28, 1818, the branches of the United States 
Bank were prohibited from receiving each other's notes. The Cin- 
cinnati banks could not meet their obligations, and failed in No- 
vember. By January, 1819, all the Kentucky banks had suspended 
payments and their notes were at a discount of 20 to 30 per cent. 
Throughtout the years 1818-1820 State banks in the West and South 
failed. Finances became so bad that the United States Bank could 
not find a bank in Indiana, Illinois or Tennessee which it considered 
perfectly sound. Conditions in Indiana and other western States 

<^ David Thomas's Travels; Nile's Register, Oct. 12, 1816, p. 107; Western 
Sun, Oct. 5, Nov. 9, 1816. 

'''^Indiana Ccntinel, Oct. 31, 1819. 

"' Bsarey, L., Indiana Banking, p. 223 ft. 

'•« Thid, 224. 



388 Indiana Magazine of History 

were further complicated by replevin laws, which threw hindrances 
in the way of creditors to prevent their collecting from debtors.^^ 
After the government and the United States Bank refused to 
accept anything but specie and United States Bank notes, a farmer 
wishing to pay for his land had to have this kind of money to pay 
his annual installment on his land. But where was he to get either ? 
Both were very scarce in the West. When the farmer sold his pro- 
duce, he had to accept the various issues of paper money then in 
circulation, or the "shin plasters" issued by the merchants. If he 
did accept this paper for his produce he could not pay for his land 
with it, and neither could he take it to a bank and exchange it at 
par, either for specie or for United States Bank notes, because 
State bank notes were greatly at a discount in 1819.'''" The debtors 
were really in an aggravating and embarrassing position. They 
laid a goodly share of the blame on the United States Bank. The 
State constitution of 1816 forbade that bank from having branches 
in Indiana. '^^ In this opposition the people were led by the poli- 
ticians, about all of whom were personally interested in the new State 
bank. '^2 jf |;he debtors could not make their final payment for their 
land, it would be forfeited to the government. Such condition, ac- 
cording to Governor Jonathan Jennings, would afford "commensu- 
rate opportunities for speculation for those who can command funds 
which are receivable, unless Congress shall interfere in their be- 
half. '"'^^ If land could be paid for only at a heavy discount on the 
money which the farmers were compelled to accept for their pro- 
duce, this discount, the governor said, was "an indirect but ex- 
orbitant tax on the farmer." He said that there were two reasons 
for this condition : 

(1) There was a mere regulation adopted to the interest of the 
stockholders of the national bank, referring to the fact that this 
bank, in 1818, refused after June 30, 1818, to accept any money ex- 
cept its own notes and specie. 

(2) The national bank was aided in this purpose by the Treas- 
ury Department, which refused to accept from the debtors anything 
but specie and currency of the national bank. Undoubtedly the 
governor was expressing the general view of the West at that time, 
1818-1819. The westerners did not realize that their own bad bank- 

«» Catterall, R. C. H., Second Bank of United States, 60-64, 83. 
"Catterall, R. C. H., Second Bank of United States, p. 454. 
" Poore, B. P., Constitutions, I, p. 509. 
" Esarey, L., Indiana Banking, p. 226. 
" Nile's Register, Supplement, XV, p. 77. 



Mitchdl: Indiana's GrozvtJi i8i 2-1820 389 

ing and excessive speculation were responsible for this depressing 
economic condition. 

The State legislature came to the aid of the debtors, and legis- 
lated for their benefit. The amount of personal property exempted 
from sale, under execution for debt, was considerably enlarged.'^^ 
A few days later the General Assembly passed an act, to go into 
efifect in January, 1819, compelling the creditor to accept the paper 
of the State bank and its branches and of all other chartered banks 
whose money was "current with the merchants" at the time, or, 
should the creditor refuse to accept it at par, the debtor should have 
a stay of execution for one year. Obviously this was partial to the 
debtor, entirely unfair to the creditor, a political job, and, under 
less distressing conditions, would have appeared a disgrace upon 
the General Assembly. '^^ In the State senate, all members except 
one, voted for the measure, and this one represented border counties 
where land purchasers had not yet been oppressed by the necessity 
of paying the final installments on their lands."*"' 

Such legislation soon raised opposition on the part of certain 
classes, for it was evident that the law passed for the relief of deb- 
tors was aimed as much for the relief of the State bank and its 
branches as for the relief of debtors. A meeting of citizens was 
called, at Salem, in Washington county, and resolutions were adopted 
at the meeting condemning the banking system of the State as in- 
jurious and dangerous, and that its influence was "already too pre- 
valent in our legislative councils." '^'^ The incoming settlers opposed 
the State bank, because they suffered more from it than other peo- 
ple. As the settlers came in from the East, they stopped at the 
State bank branch at Brookville and exchanged their specie and 
United States Bank notes, etc., for State bank notes, not knowing 
that the latter would be discounted when passed at some distant 
town.'^^ 

The people and editors in the West in 1819 began to awaken from 
their dream and delusion. One Western editor wrote : 

"There is one cause in the western country which has operated very 
powerfully in producing the present state of things, and which must 
continue to operate in the same way: I mean, speculations in the public 
lands. Capitalists, both real and fictitious, have engaged very extensively 

^"Laws of Indiana, 1818-1819, p. 87. 

''^ Laws of Indiana, p. 68. 

''^Senate Journal, Indiana, 1818-1819, p. 36. 

" Western Sun, June 7, 1819. 

'«Esarey, Indiana Banking, p. 234. 



390 Indiana Ma(ja::inc of History 

in this business. The banks have conspired with the Government to 
promote; the former by lending money to the speculators, and the latter 
by this wretched system of selling the lands on credit. Nearly all the 
money which is paid, goes over the mountains; the Government has 
but little use for it in the western country. "9" 

This last grievance was a very real one, and was felt by all. 
Many of the immigrants brought good money with them to pay for 
the lands. The government, having little need for the money in the 
West, and having no branch of the United States Bank in Indiana 
in which to deposit the land revenues, the money received for lands 
was taken to the Eastern banks for deposit. At the beginning of 
1819 the State bank of Indiana at Vincennes petitioned the Secre- 
tary of the United States Treasury asking that the revenues of the 
Vincennes land office be deposited in the bank there. The peti- 
tion stated : 

"That 3-our memorialists are strongly of opinion, that the citizens 
of this state have a right to the use of the public monej^s raised within 
this State, when they are not wanted by the Government, an opinion 
in which they believe they are seconded by the unanimous voice of their 
fellow citizens of this State." '^o 

The petition was granted, but the last deposit was made in June, 
1820, because the bank failed to meet its drafts. ^^ 

When the General Assembly met in the winter of 1819, it had 
to struggle with the distressing conditions. The popular opposition 
which had shown itself to the State bank had been active, and now 
appeared in the General Assembly, 1819-1820. The previous Gen- 
eral Assembly had ordered that all county and State collectors of 
revenue should collect the bills of the State banks and of about all 
the State and private banks of the surrounding States as long as 
such paper passed current in the State. The notes of the United 
States Bank were not included in the list.^- During the year 1819 
it was found that scarcely any of the bills passed current, so the new 
General Assembly of 1819-1820, repealed the former act, and passed 
an act authorizing the collectors to accept notes of ''the banks of the 
United States or its branches, or in the notes of the chartered banks 
of this State, or their branches, or any of the State banks and 
branches of other States, that passed at jxir within this State. ^•'^ 

^0 Nile's Register^ Sept. 4, 1819, p. 10. 

^ State Papers, 17 Cong. Scss. 1, Doc. 66, p. 47. 

" Esarey, Indiana Banking, p. 232. 

^' Laws of Indiana, 1818, p. 142. 

^ Laws of Indiana, 1S19-1S20, p. 1.59. 



Mitchell: Indiana s Gron'tli 1812-1820 391 

Thus the United States Bank, by the end of 1819, was coming into 
favor in Indiana. The State election of 1820 was conducted upon 
the question as to whether the State bank should be compelled to 
redeem its notes or not. Only a few friends of the State bank 
were returned to the General Assembly.^"* 

The General Assembly also passed one of those ingenious laws 
for the "relief of debtors." By this act, if a debtor could not meet 
his obligations, the sheriff should provide for "an inquest of live 
respectable freeholders," who should estimate the value of the prop- 
erty of the debtor whose property was to be sold under execution. 
No property was to be sold "for less than two-thirds of the returned 
value of the inquest." If the property would not sell for at least 
two-thirds of its assessed value, there should be a stay of execution 
for one year. It is obvious that in a country where nearly all the 
people were debtors, it would be impossible to get "five respectable 
freeholders who would assess the property low enough that it would 
find a purchaser even at two-thirds its assessed value. 

Congress also came to the relief of the debtors. In fact, relief 
acts of some kind had passed Congress nearly every year since 
lands were first put on sale in Indiana. In 1818, 1819, and 1820 
relief acts were passed for the relief of debtors. By these acts, 
debtors whose lands were subject to forfeiture, were given an ex- 
tension of credit for one year, if the holding did not exceed 640 
acres. The final period, at the end of which forfeiture of land for 
non-payment should take place, was extended by the last of these 
acts, to March 31, 182 l.s^ 

All the factors mentioned by the various writers quoted possibly 
were instrumental in bringing this distressing condition upon the 
West in 1819. Lack of good money; extravagant living; excessive 
buying from the East ; the drain of money from the West through 
the land offices ; excessive speculations in lands and town property ; 
bad and reckless banking; the restrictions placed by the United 
States Bank and by the Secretary of the Treasury on what money 
would be received at the branch banks and at the land offices. iVll 
these undoubtedly operated in bringing disaster to business and farm- 
ing in the West. But one factor, though perhaps not so distinct, was 
really above all other causes, and yet related to them. The credit 
system had been abused. Banks and individuals would loan money 
without sufficient security, on investments that were not likely to pay 

^ Esarey, L., Indiana Banking, p. 234. 
^ Treat, P. J-, National Land System. 



392 I iidiana Magacinc of History 

dividends,- The government would give four years' credit to land 
purchasers, and this unduly encouraged credit in all financial opera- 
tions. As a result, the greater part of the people in the West were 
in debt, and could not meet their obligations, as the amount of ac- 
ceptable money available became less and less. By December 31. 
1820, the total indebtedness at the land offices in Indiana was 
$2,214,168.63, which amounted to a per capita indebtedness of $15 
to the United States Government alone, in a population of 147,178.^^ 
This was a great indebtedness in a land where money was so scarce. 
Probably this indebtedness was not more than half of the entire in- 
debtedness in the State. 

Twenty years of the credit system in its operations on the public 
land sales had shown its incompetency. It had worked disastrously 
to the Western people. In 1820 Congress passed an act establishing 
a new system of land sales. Treat, in speaking of the act, said it 
"was the most important piece of land legislation since the Congress 
of the Confederation laid down the principle of the American land 
system in 1785." Credit was abolished, and the minimum price was 
reduced from $2 to $1.25 per acre. After July 1, 1820, cash must be 
paid for land, and land could be purchased in tracts as small as 
eighty acres. ^''' 

With credit on lands abolished, and speculation stopped of neces- 
sity, the country could only wait for better times. As David Brown, 
the new president of the Bank at Vincennes, wrote to the Secretary 
of the Treasury, April 5, 1821 : "It will be a gradual work, and a 
steady perseverance will accomplish it." ^^ The new land system 
helped in this, for it required that prospective purchasers should 
bring their money into the West with them. The General Land 
Office, too, arranged to deposit the money for the public land sales 
in the various State and private banks throughout the West, so that 
it might enlarge the amount of much-needed money. ^'^ The mania 
for selling town lots subsided, and men gave up their dreams of 
immediate wealth, for more sober considerations.'*" The West 
was beginning to recover from its awful delirium. 

Growtpi of Indiana During thi: Depression 

By the beginning of 1819 the number of counties had been raised 
to thirty where five years before there had been only one-third as 

^American State Papers, Public Lands, III, p. 561. 

" Treat, P. J., National Land System. 

^ State Papers, 17 Cong. Sess. 17, Doc. 66, p. 54. 

»" Ibid Doc. 66. 

o°Thwaite, R. G., Early Western Travels, IX, p. 217. 



Mitchell: Indiana's Grozvth 1812-1820 393 

many. During the next year, in spite of the depression, settlements 
and land sales continued, but less rapidly than before. Indiana had 
a bright outlook for expansion northward, and for the expansion of 
trade on the Ohio. The steamboat had just been improved so that 
it now became practicable on the western rivers. By 1818 there 
were thirty-one steamboats on the Mississippi and its tributaries, "in 
the full tide of success," and thirty more were being built. ^^ Goods 
could be brought from New Orleans to Vincennes for $4 per 
hundred, and from Pittsburg for $1. On the other hand, produce 
could be shipped to New Orleans for $1 per hundred and to Pitts- 
burg for $3. Because of this arrangement of freight rates most 
of the clothing and other necessities from the East were hauled 
to Pittsburg and shipped down the Ohio, and up its branches to 
the north. Sugar and coffee were obtained at New Orleans in ex- 
change for corn, whiskey, flour, pork, and beef.*^- Before steam- 
boats were introduced on these rivers, it was almost impossible to 
ship bulky goods up the Mississippi from New Orleans, or up the 
Ohio to Pittsburg. With this advantage numerous little towns along 
the Ohio and Wabash soon began to lift up their heads. 

On the north, settlements had been encroaching upon the Indian 
country, and the Indians had expressed a desire to cede some lands. '^^ 
In conformity with this desire. United States commissioners met 
the Indians in October, 1818, and obtained large cessions. The 
Delawares gave up all claim in the State, except that they retained 
the right to use their improvements for three years. They were 
to receive a home beyond the Mississippi. The Weas gave up all 
claims in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, except a tract about seven 
miles square on the Wabash, just above the mouth of Raccoon creek. 
The Miamis gave up all land south of the Wabash and Maumee,. 
except some reservations, as follows: (1) adjoining the Wabash,, 
from the mouth of Salamonie river west to the mouth of Eel river; 
south from the mouths of these rivers a distance equal to the distance 
between them. (2) Thorntown Reserve, ten miles square on Sugar 
Tree creek. (3) Four other reservations from two to ten miles 
square on the Wabash and Salamonie rivers ; (4) and a great many 
small individual grants. The Pottawattomies gave up claim to all 
south of the Wabash, and to the strip north of the Wabash, bounded 
by that river, by the Vermillion; by the Tippecanoe, and by a line 
drawn practically parallel to the Wabash from two points on the 

9' David Thomas's, Travels, p. 61, 272. 

»2/bid, p. 193. 

^Nile's Register, Feb. S, 1817, p. 400. 



394 Indiana Magazine of History 

other two rivers, the points being twenty-five miles up from the 
mouths of the rivers. With the exception of the Miami reserves, 
these treaties gave up to the whites all the central part of the State.'''* 
The treaties had not yet been ratified, when in the first part of 1819, 
the General Assembly organized two new counties on the border, 
Owen and Fayette.^^ 

A decade had seen many changes in Indiana. It began with 
Tecumtha's conspiracy to prevent further advances of the whites. 
The hostilities which were thus precipitated lasted till the middle 
of 1814 on the eastern border, and till the end of 1815 on the Wa^ 
bash. During this period continued migration to Indiana consoli- 
dated the territory in the older regions and increased population 
in 1814 and 1815 enabled the territory to become a State in 1816. 
As hostilities lessened, increased immigration, excessive speculation, 
reckless banking, and the credit system, began to aft"ect the economic 
situation. These causes were stimulated in 1816 when Indiana be- 
came a State, and the middle Wabash region began to be peopled. 
The climax of these operations came in the form of the financial 
depression of 1819. There were in 1819 thirty counties, extensive 
farming lands, and many new towns, more or less prosperous. The 
settlements arranged themselves in the form of a crescent, with the 
tips in Randolph and Vigo counties, and the center at the capital, 
Corydon. The next decade was to see the filling in of the rich 
country between the two tips of the crescent, and the moving to 
the new capital at Indianapolis. With the cession of the Indians in 
1818 of the central part of the State, settlers began rapidly to move 
toward the interior. Hardly had the treaties been signed when 
Jacob Whetzel cut the famous "Whetzel Trace" inland from Brook- 
ville to the White river, below the future site of Indianapolis."*' In 
1820 Indianapolis was located,^^ and five years later the General 
Assembly met for the first time in the new capital. Settlers pushed 
up the branches of the Wabash, and overland bound for the heart 
of the land. A new commonwealth was coming into its prime where 
only a few years before had been nothing but wilderness, savage 
beasts, and Indiana. 

" United States Statutes, VII, p. 185 ff. 
"^ Laws of Indiana, 1818-1819, p. 11. 
<« Banta, D. D., Johnson County, (1881), p. 9 ff. 

^ See "Tipton's Journal" on locating capital, Indiana Magazine of History, I. 
pp. 9-15 ; pp. 74-79. 



Mitchell: Indiana's Grozvth 1812-1820 395 

In 1784, Philip Freneau, prophetic of what was to be, penned 
the following stanzas : 

"To western woods and lonely plains, 
Palamon from the crowd departs, 
Where Nature's wildest genius reigns, 
What wonders there shall Freedom show, 
What mighty States successive grow! 

* * * 

What charming scenes attract the eye 
On wild Ohio's savage stream! 

* * * 

From these fair plains, these rural seats. 
So long concealed, so lately known, 
The unsocial Indian afar retreats, 
To make some other clime his own, 
Whither other streams, less pleasing, flow. 
And darker forests round him grow." 



THE OLD CHICAGO ROAD 

By Jesse Setlington Birch 

(Read at an old settlers' meeting in Fowler, Ind., August 26, 1914) 

The first roads in Benton county, like those in all new countries, 
were the shortest that could be laid out between given points, wet 
impassable places and creek fordings being taken into consideration. 
Some landmark serves as a guide when the trails crossed. The 
county was marked by Indian trails that were nobody knew how 
old and led no white man knew where. As the county became more 
thickly settled section lines and surveys were followed. 

Many State roads were established, three of which, the Chicago, 
Fafayette and Michigan City roads, crossed Benton county. Only a 
brief description of the two latter roads is here given. 

The Lafayette road was established by the General Assembly of 

1840. It was surveyed by Henry Robertson and was an extension of 
the road from Lafayette to Sugar Grove, as approved by an act, 
February 7, 1835 ; to Parish Grove and there to intersect the Chicago- 
Vincennes road as near the grove as possible. From the east line 
of the country to Parish Grove this road followed the "Old Army 
Trail," the trail over which Gen. Walker marched government 
troops in 1832, to take part in the "Black Hawk" war in Illinois. 
When the grove was reached Gen. Walker was met by a courier who 
informed him that the Indians had been pacified. The troops re- 
turned along the same trail. 

The Michigan City road was surveyed by Henry Robertson in 

1841, It was to have run from Michigan City, Ind., to St. Louis, 
Mo. At that time Michigan City was a rival of Chicago and wanted 
the road in order to control the trade in this territory. How far north 
or south of Oxford the survey was made we do not know. A 
portion of it is still known in Oxford as the Michigan Road and 
lies east of the Lake Erie & Western railroad station. The swamps 
between Michigan City and the rich territory to the south and west 
were so numerous that the road was impracticable. Michigan City 
did not recover from the panic of 1837, so Chicago passed her in 
the race for commercial supremacy. 

The Chicago road, the subject of this sketch, was established 



Bircli : The Old Chicago Road 397 

at an early date. From the records of the acts of the General As- 
sembly and other sources this road must have been formed by the 
junction at or near Williamsport (Warren county), of the State 
road extended in 1830, from Indianapolis through Crawfordsville 
to Williamsport, thence to the State line near Raub, thence to Chi- 
cago ; and the road running from Vincennes through Gallatin, 
(Parke county), Covington, Attica and to Lafayette, as shown on 
a Mitchell map of 1834. The road entered Benton county south 
of Boswell and followed what is now the Williamsport and Boswell 
gravel road from the county line to Boswell. At the county line 
was a settlement called Petersburg, which consisted of a general 
store, blacksmith shop and four or five residences. The business 
portion was in Benton county and the residence portion in Warren 
county. In the early 60's the Bunnell Bros, kept the general store. 
They sold to James A. McKnight and John Spies. When the Lake 
Erie & Western railway was built and Boswell platted they moved 
their stock to that place. The Chicago road was intersected by the 
Lafayette road about a mile south of Parish Grove. At the intersec- 
tion Thomas Torrance kept a tavern. 

In the grove was another tavern kept by Robert Alexander. The 
Alexander tavern was the most noted one on the Chicago road. 
Here was toddy and a frontier welcome for the traveler, home- 
seeker, or hunter. Many of the latter came to hunt deer, wild 
turkeys, prairie chickens and quail. In the spring and autumn 
myriads of wild geese and ducks were to be seen and the heavens 
were darkened by flocks of wild pigeons. The tavern was a modest 
affair. There were several bed rooms, the big dining-room, and 
the indespensible bar-room where the men loafed. Around the big 
fireplace on a cold night mine host entertained his guests with the 
traditions of the famed grove and of the Indians who made it their 
home. There were tales of those lost on the prairie, the dreaded 
prairie fire, and the bravery and self-denial of the early pioneers. 
The grove was a favorite camping place, as it afforded shelter in 
time of storms, furnished wood for the camp fires and close to the 
tavern was a spring of pure cold water. In the 40's and 50's there 
was a constant stream of "prairie schooners" over this road. 
Through Benton county it wound over the broad prairie broken only 
by Parish and Sugar groves, while farther to the north it led 
through bog and fen. The swift running deer often crossed the path 
and the gaunt wolf snififed the evening meal and with his echoing 
howls called his ever hungry comrades. There were tragedies on 
the old Chicago road. Many an emigrant or some member of his 



398 Indiana Magazine of History 

family sickened and died and found a resting place in an unmarked 
grave along its way. 

The Chicago Road was a historic thoroughfare in its time, it 
being the main artery of communication for travel from Indian- 
apolis and Vincennes to the thriving city on the lake. When Chicago 
became a live stock market thousands of cattle and horses were 
driven over it. In places it was from thirty to forty rods wide, the 
teamsters leaving the deeply worn places to tind better footing, espe- 
cially during a wet time. The trail could be followed by the timothy 
and blue grass that grew along the way, having been started from 
seed that had been dropped by teamsters going to and from Chicago, 
or the land hunters from Ohio. Kentucky and Virginia on their way 
to the Northwest. In the fall many hauled apples from Southern 
Indiana to Chicago and many were the small boys who begged pen- 
nies from their mothers to buy the luscious fruit. Evidence of this old 
trail still remains, the beaten path in places being easily discernable 
across the fields. 

At the several stopping places taverns were to be found for the 
accommodation of the travelers. The numbers and the frontier so- 
ciability at these places did much to soften the asperities of travel 
especially during inclement weather. After Parish Grove was passed 
going north the following were the stopping places : Sumner's 
Grove, Bunkum, Buckhorn Tavern, Beaver Creek, Big Spring, ]Mo- 
mence, Yellow Head Point, Blue Island, Chicago. The trip required 
from six to eight days, all depending upon the condition of the roads 
and streams, the latter being forded. This road was abandoned in 
1865 or 1866. 

The Benton county pioneers made the trip to Chicago in com- 
panies sometimes ten to twelve in number. The wagons were us- 
ually drawn by oxen, two yoke to a wagon. In the fall when the 
roads were good they often drove two teams of horses to a wagon 
and when the city was reached one of the teams was sold. Travel 
to the south on this road was mostly to Crawfordsville, where the 
land office was located, or to the Yountsville woolen mills close by. 

There are still a few living in the county who went to and fro 
over the old Chicago Road, and as they journeyed along the winding 
trail watched the days go over the Western plains. 



INDIANA UNIVERSITY STARTER FOR MUSEUM 
The Stevens Collection 

For the purpose of starting a museum of Indiana History at Indiana 
University, Warder W. Stevens recently gave to the University a val- 
uable and extensive collection of materials illustrating pioneer life in 
the State. 

The collection includes relics from nearly all fields of pioneer ac- 
tivity. There is a fully equipped conestoga wagon, one of the real old 
Prairie Schooners; there are several plows, including the wooden, 
wooden moldboard, jumping shovel, home-made double shovel, and oth- 
ers, with the single and double-trees to match; there are cradles, sickles, 
a thresher, a cotton gin, a hominy mill, a corncracker, a feed cutter, and 
many other relics to illustrate this phase of life; there are spider skil- 
lets, ovens for baking corn pones, pewter and wooden table ware, a 
crane for cooking in the fireplace, and a full assortment of what the 
old sales bills would call "household arid kitchen furniture too numerous 
to mention"; there is a loom, spinning wheels, reels, winding blades and 
some things along this line for which I have no names at present; 
there are flintlock, percussion caps, rifled and smooth-bore guns wtih 
an assortment of bowie knives, pistols and revolvers. 

The following brief article written by the donor as he was waiting 
for a train will convey some idea of the collection and the sentiment that 
makes such things dear to the sons and daughters of the pioneers. — Ed. 

All of US, in a greater or less degree, find pleasure in comparing 
the present with the past in order that we may note the rapid strides 
that have been made along all industrial and educational lines since 
the days of our forefathers. We look back over a brief life's space 
and are wrapt in wonderment as we contemplate the rapid develop- 
ments and achievements of a hustling, bustling people along every 
walk of life. We listen to the stories of miraculous accomplishments, 
but\we fail to catch onto the spirit of the age fully*, until an object 
lesson is placed before our eyes, which enables us, at a glance, to 
fully realize that we stand in the midst of a rapidly developing age 
with possibilities beyond all power of conception. For example, we 
can scarcely realize that only a few years since there was no tele- 
phone, or that no farther back than 1898 there was but one con- 
cern on the continent that had begun the manufacture of the auto- 
mobile. What an object lesson in rapid development it would be 
to place that first horseless carriage alongside one of the most com- 
plete models of the present day ! 



400 Indiana Magazine of History 

I am asked to give a brief account of the collection of relics re- 
cently turned over to Indiana University as a nucleus that is bound 
to grow until it will at no distant day become a very interesting and 
instructive feature of this great seat of learning in Indiana. The 
collector, like the specialist along all progressive lines, is probably 
born, not made. Early in life most all of us show some peculiar 
bent of mind that has much to do in shaping our destiny of Hfe's 
work. As I now look back over a period of more than three score 
years it is plain to be seen that as a boy I had a penchant for the 
collection of old "traps" and but for this love of preserving relics 
of various kinds many of the interesting things this little collec- 
tion contains would have been missing, as it would now be im- 
possible to duplicate them, except by model or imitation. 

The several thousand pieces of the prehistoric section were al- 
most all picked up in Southern Indiana, mostly in Washington 
county. Whenever there was an idle day, or a day off from regu- 
lar duty or occupation, it was a great pleasure to roam the hills 
and valleys in search of the old-time Indian village or camping 
ground, or in digging into the monument of the mound builders, in 
search of those mute speciments of handicraft that told of a people 
that in other years or ages existed and flourished in our land. In 
many ways it is left for the imagination to picture out where these 
people originally camxe from, how they employed their time and 
existed or what was the cause of their fading away from the earth's 
surface. Not infrequently a whole bunch of stone hoes, spear 
points, axes, tomahawks or arrows would be unearthed near a 
spot where burned stones, flint chips and a nearby spring showed 
that some time in the remote past there existed a village of Red Men 
or the mound builder. The scattered finds were pieces lost by the 
hunter in the underbrush while in pursuit of game. As a matter of 
course all these finds are becoming scarce as the years go by and 
the country is being cleaned up and put under cultivation. The 
most valuable finds were always made along the large rivers and 
streams where not only hunting was best, but fishing could be in- 
dulged in with greatest success. Bone fish hooks are still to be 
found in some places along the Ohio river where the larger Indian 
villages were located. 

As one looks at the wooden mould board plow it hardly seems 
possible that they could ever have been used successfully by the 
husbandman in breaking up new lands, full of grubs and roots. But 
they were a decided improvement over the forked stick, its imme- 
diate predecessor. The "bar share" came first in the order of in-^ 



The Stevens Collection 401 

vention, it being the flat share, with wooden mould-board attach- 
ment, fastened to the plow stock or frame with wooden pins, bolts 
for such purpose not having as yet come into general use. The 
pair of wooden double-trees, now over a century old, show to what 
straights the farmer of that day was compelled to resort in order 
to get afield with team and plow to cultivate the land. Almost every 
farmer was then a sort of Jack-at-all-trades. He manufactured his 
own harness from leather of his own tanning, and such farm imple- 
ments as were used were home products. No such thing as a plow 
or wagon factory was to be found anywhere in the country, espe- 
cially in the newly settled portions. Hoes, spading forks, nails, 
knives and forks, spoons and the like were manufactured by the 
blacksmith, who burned the charcoal that was used in the forge of 
the shop. 

But to go back to the plows, the "Carey" was successor to the 
bar-share pattern. It was made with an upright iron projection ex- 
tending above the flat bar, finished with a smaller wooden mould- 
board. This plow came into use in Indiana about 1815. The 
earliest settlers, about 1800, located in the southern tier of counties, 
were content with the bar share. The "Daniel Webster" plow came 
into use about 1835, the share and mould board being made of un- 
wrought and cast iron. In a remodeled form it was known as the 
"Peacock" plow, a man by that name back East, probably in Penn- 
sylvania, having first made and put it upon the market. The mould- 
board was cast in the furnaces up in Pennsylvania and shipped 
down the Ohio on rafts or flat boats to destination, where they were 
fitted to plow stocks by the wagon-wright or blacksmith, the latter 
not infrequently being able to work in both iron and wood success- 
fully. About the year 1850 the "Rounder" came into use, a plow 
that had share and mould all in one solid piece, and made of steel, 
the first plow made that would scour in light, loose soils. They 
were used in cultivating corn, running the bar side next to the row 
till last cultivating when the earth was thrown up against the corn. 
The jumping shovel was its successor in corn cultivation, as well 
as in breaking up new land. The double shovel cultivator with 
wooden frame was first made and used along in the 50"s. 

Spinning wheels, large and small, were to be found in every 
well-furnished home, home-made in most instances, and kept buz- 
zing by the housewife in manufacture of thread and yarn to be used 
in making the homespun linen, jeans and flannels that was worked 
up into wearing apparel for the entire family. 

The very first settlers were content with cabins with puncheon 



402 Indiana Macja-zinc of History 

floors and doors, but a little later on the whipsaw was introduced 
to make such boards as were necessary in home building. In this 
collection is a saw brought into Washington county about 1807 and 
used for a number of years. A poplar log, the yellow, soft variety, 
was hewn square, and then mounted upon some sort of trestle about 
seven feet above the ground. On top it was lined off with blue dye 
or poke-berry juice, the lines being spaced according to the thick- 
ness of lumber or joists desired. One sawyer was located on top 
of the log and another underneath, and with every downward stroke 
of the saw a cut into the timber was made. Two good sawyers 
would thus cut about two hundred feet per day. The last time the 
saw in this collection was used was on exhibition display at a 
Granger picnic near Salem in 1876, when Bluejeans Williams was 
a candidate for Governor, who was top sawyer, and a man named 
Morris pulled at the handle underneath. What a contrast there is 
between this saw, considered a great invention a century ago, and 
the immense sawmill plants in the lumber camps of the country 
where lumber by the thousands of feet are turned out every hour 
of the day. 

The old-time trundle bed, upon which John Hay, the celebrated 
author and statesman, slept during his boyhood days in Salem, is a 
relic every Hoosier should feel proud of. The dog-wood glut or 
wedge, unquestionably made by Lincoln's hands during his youthful 
days in Southern Indiana, when he earned his name as the "Rail 
Splitter" President, is one of the interesting pieces of this collection. 

The various items in this collection are carded and briefly des- 
cribed, and when all are properly arranged in cases will no doubt 
be interesting to students of the University who care to compare the 
present with the past. And it is to be hoped that this display may 
induce others who have old-time relics or heirlooms of an interesting 
nature to deposit same with the University, and that in time a very 
interesting historical museum may be collected. 

Warder W. Stevens. 



MINOR NOTICES 

John E. Lamb 

The Hon. John E. Lamb of Terre Haute, Indiana, died August 
23, 1914. Mr. Lamb was the son of Alichael and Katherine (Mc- 
Govern) Lamb, both of whom were born in Ireland. He resided in 
Terre Haute throughout his entire life. When a young man he 
studied law in the office of Voorhees & Carlton, and was admitted 
to practice in 1874. At the time of his death, he was a member of 
the law firm of Lamb, Beasley, Douthitt & Crawford. 

During the whole of his mature period, Mr. Lamb was an active 
leader in the Democratic party. He was appointed prosecuting 
attorney for the judicial district, including the counties of Vigo and 
Sullivan, in 1875 to fill a vacancy, and was elected to the same 
office in 1876. In 1880, and also in 1888, his name appeared on the 
Democratic ticket as a candidate for presidential elector. In 1882, 
he was elected to represent his congressional district in the national 
House of Representatives. He was a candidate for re-election in 
1884 but was defeated. In 1886, he was again nominated, but again 
suffered defeat. He served his party as a delegate in several na- 
tional conventions, including those of 1896 and 1912, presiding at 
one session of the latter convention. 

Mr. Lamb was united in marriage to Esther, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. Joseph Kent, in 1890. One son, John Kent Lamb, was 
born in 1902. The widow and son survive the deceased. 

The following letter was among those received by Mrs. Lamb 
after the death of her husband : 

Department of State, Washington. Aug. 24. 
My Dear Mrs. Lamb: — 

I wired my sympathy last night as soon as T received the sad news 
of Mr. Lamb's death. It occurs to me that in this dark hour it may 
lighten your burden of sorrow to know that for more than a year the 
President has held the office of ambassador to Mexico for Mr. Lamb — 
the appointment only awaiting the restoration of peace in that country. 

It is a special disappointment to us that Mr. Lamb did not live long 
enough to receive this merited recognition of his worth and political 



404 Indiana Magazine of History 

services. Vice-President Marsliall and Senatcirs Kern and Shively will. 
I know, share this disappointment. Again expressing condolence, 

I am very truly yours, 

W. J. BRYAX. 

Adam Heimberger 

Adam Heimberger^ a prominent citizen of New Albany and a 
widely known Indiana Democrat, died September 21 at his home. 
He was the Democratic candidate for secretary of State in 1900, 
and was the candidate on the Democratic State ticket for clerk of 
the Supreme Court in 1902. Mr. Heimberger was prominent in the 
Evangelical Church and was district treasurer of the Indiana district 
of the Evangelical Synod of North America. He was president of 
the board of trustees of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane in In- 
dianapolis and had served as city controller of New Albany. Mr. 
Heimberger was a past exalted ruler of New Albany Lodge of 
Elks and also was a member of the Masonic, Knights of Pythias 
and Modern Woodmen fraternities. He was 54 years old and was 
a native of this city. His widow and a son, Henry E. Heimberger, 
survive him. 

Daughters of the American Revolution 

The annual conference of the D. A. R., which was held at Fort 
Wayne this year, was attended by a larger number of delegates than 
have ever before been registered at the State gathering of the D. 
A. R. in Indiana. 

The State organization now numbers fifty-four chapters with a 
total of 2,582 members, in addition to 90 meinbers-at-large. 

That the Indiana State society of Daughters of the American 
Revolution is having a steady and substantial growth was shown by 
the report of the state regent, Mrs. Frances H. Robertson, sub- 
mitted Wednesday morning. 

Mrs. Robertson stated that during her three years' regency there 
had been an addition of 264 new members, of whom more than 
one-third were members of newly-organized chapters of the year 
1913-1914 at Gary, Hanover, Bourbon and New Harmony. 

The State organization has lost two chapters and gained five. 
Attempts have been made to interest Bluft'ton, Angola, Monticello 
and Hartford City in forming chapters but nothing definite has as 
yet been done. Chapters can be formed if the State regent will 
visit the towns and further arouse interest. 

Mrs. Robertson expressed her appreciation of the always able 



Minor Notices 405 

and cordial support afforded her by her co-workers and the pro- 
gram committee. She urged greater consideration of the home, of 
husband and of children as upon them depend the safety and sta- 
bility of the nation. "Train your sons to be good and patriotic 
citizens and your daughters to be homemakers with their highest 
ambition to be queen of a home and mother of children," urged 
the regent. That her remarks met with approval was shown by a 
burst of applause. 

Mrs. Robertson's interesting report was a mingling of statistical 
facts, historical incidents and poetic thought. 

"The hardest thing a regent has to contend with is that women want 
to hold office. Every office carries its responsibility of some duty, how- 
ever, and no member of a chapter is without some sort of work to do 
if she carries out the thought and the aim of the society. If women 
desire to help their chapters and their chapter regents they can do no 
two things better than to be present at all meetings and be prompt in 
attendance. 

Mrs. Robertson greatly deplored the entrance of "politics" into 
the national organization and gave as a comparison the great work 
of tlie W. C. T. U., which is accomplishing so much without quar- 
reling and quibbling. An announcement of the candidacy of 
Mrs. G. J. Guernsey, of Kansas, for the office of president-general 
of the national society and parts of her platform were read and the 
State regent heartily endorsed such planks as she read as coincident 
with her own ideas of real progress and the highest purpose of both 
national and State societies. 

The chief address of the program was given by Mrs. Charles 
W Bassett, of Baltimore, Md., who was one of the first visitors 
to arrive. Mrs. Bassett is historian general for the National So- 
ciety of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and with her 
mother and sisters were among the founders of the society, which 
is not yet a quarter of a century old. But in spite of the many 
things Mrs. Bassett has done and is doing, for she is a farmer, 
is preisdent of the Woman's Exchange in Baltimore — with over two 
hundred consigners weekly — has a home with her husband and 
daughter to look after, she has enough enthusiasm left to scatter 
at every meeting or convention of the D. A. R. she attends. 

Owing to the prominence of Mrs. Bassett in the national so- 
ciety of the organization, her address was anticipated with unusual 
interest and the auditorium was filled with an audience of men and 
women whose attention was gripped by the force and inspiring con- 



4o6 Indiana Ma(/a:inc of fJistory 

tent of her address and who were touched l)y the charm of her 
very evident natural and sincere personality. 

Early in her address Mrs. Bassett referred to the Jiible story 
of the three stewards, remarking of the two who did something 
that their reply to the Master was in fourteen words each, while 
the one who hid his talent and laid it away took fifty-two words to 
make his statement about himself. Without pursuing the analogy 
further Mrs. Bassett asked concerning the work of the past, if it 
is not greater to create than to examine and report. In that way then 
can the work of the spirit that actuated the heroes of the revolution 
and their immediate descendants be preserved and cultivated in the 
hearts of the present and future generations? This query, put by 
Mrs. Bassett was enlarged upon as she gave remarkable as well 
as interesting facts and suggestions. She said patriotism is not 
something to be carried out by societies organized to perpetuate the 
memories of the men and women who laid the foundation of this 
great republic l)ut is rather to instill a regard for the spirit of self 
sacrifice which was a dominant trait in the character of the heroes, 
men or women, of the early years of this country. 

Mrs. Bassett urged the preservation of historical records and 
told of many documents of value that had been brought from Sal- 
vation Army piles of waste paper where they had been consigned 
by men and women who in their housecleaning efforts from time to 
time had "cleared out the old rubbish." Mrs. Bassett also talked of 
the destruction of old historic- places, landmarks, alteration of 
names of streets, occupation of buildings, even of churches, com- 
mercialized as places of business and referred to the preservation 
of beautiful and sacred Mt. Vernon through the efforts of a woman 
of North Carolina. Referring to the admiration often given in 
extravagant praise to old historic spots abroad and the familiarity 
many Americans have with the "old country," Mrs. Bassett asked, 
"Isn't our history picturesque; hasn't this country any romance?" 
The price of the peace we enjoy was the bloodshed of thousands 
of brave men. To forget is to be ungrateful for our blessings. 

Mrs. Bassett praised the western country and coincident with 
that \)^ri of her address urged that Indiana should have written and 
published a history of herself and a copy be sent to the National 
Society of D. y\. R. Mrs. Bassett referred to the idiomatic speech 
of Bret Harte — as one example — of Whitcoml) Riley as another, 
saying that the i)lea for one English si)eaking language was good but 
deploring the disappearance in records of things that have been a 
part of the character making and upbuilding of the people. Mrs. 



Minor Notices 407 

Bassett is a believer in "family trees," even if the crop is sometimes 
a failure, in keeping records from generation to generation of birth, 
marriages, etc., and in instilling a regard and a respect for the 
family; for home and the love of liberty, the most priceless of 
blessings of the many with which this country is endowed. 

The entire exercises of the session were extremely interesting 
and the musical features brought great applause. 

Interest upon the choice of a design for a flag to be adopted by 
the conference with an idea of a further request of the state legisla- 
ture to make this accepted design a State flag, had a setback un- 
locked for. It had been understood that Indiana had no flag, but 
one of the committee on investigation produced a copy of the In- 
diana banner or emblem, accepted by the legislature previous to 
Governor Mount's election, which she had recently received with a 
letter from the Secretary of State, L. G. Ellingham. The letter 
stated that this banner of the State was not called a flag, but was 
the official emblem used in connection with the State seal. 

The matter of whether the State Conference of Daughters should 
adopt a design for a flag as their own insignia or adornment was 
postponed in the future. 

Airs. James B. Fowler, chairman of the committee on resolutions, 
read resolutions extending thanks to the local chapter, to the press, 
to various chairmen of committees, to the presiding officer, ]\Irs. 
Frances H. Robertson, for numerous courtesies, to musicians and 
others who. lent aid and the consideration for delegates extended 
by the Anthony Hotel. 

The conference was voted one of the most successful, as well as 
the largest in the history of the organization. 

One of the most interesting features of the State Conference of 
the D. A. R. was a talk by Mrs. W. B. Neff, of Cleveland, who is 
chairman for the National Girl Homemakers of America. Airs. 
Nefif spoke without notes and so brimful is she of her work that 
statistics, word pictures and description of plans rolled from her 
lips almost faster than she could speak them. Airs. Neft"s talk was 
of compelling interest and her audience gave her flattering atten- 
tion. In commenting upon the work of the branch of educational 
work which she represents, Mrs. Neft" said that the divorce evil was 
in a measure the result of unprepared girls and young women to 
make the home what it should be. Eighty-five per cent, of the di- 
vorces secured are sought by women and sixty-seven per cent, of 
the eighty-five are sought with the excuse of lack of financial sup- 
port. On the other hand, Airs. Nefif declared the cause of the 



4o8 • Indiana Ma(/a.::iiic of History 

greater part of marital trouble to be the ignorance of the wife for 
domestic affairs. The majority of girls marry with no knowledge 
of cooking, sewing, planning, keeping things clean, saving "the pen- 
nies," mending or the hundred and one things a competent house- 
keeper knows about. The strong old Anglo-Saxon word, "help," used 
in early days of this country in the sense of employed household 
service has been lost to use just because of the incompetency of 
the girls employed to be that very thing, a "help" in the household. 
But the incompetency is not confined to those who can be obtained 
through the medium of the employment bureaus. They are found 
in the homes of the laborer, the artisan, the manufacturer, the mill- 
ionaire. Now with the loss of life and the awful destruction going 
on in the European war, the American woman will become — in the 
words of an eminent writer — the "torch bearer of the world." The 
American woman must establish the standard. And yet, according 
to more statistics from Mrs. Neff in a long procession of employes 
of an industrial concern in Cleveland but one-tenth of them were 
Americans. That is but one example. The duty of America is 
to teach. So the work of the Girl Homemakers club is to educate 
the foreigners to be fitted to make the American home. In Cleve- 
land the work has been taken up by the D. A. R. Society and 
similar work is being done in other organizations of the Daughters. 

Reports on different phases of works of the society were given 
during the afternoon by Mrs. Newberry J. Howe on the reciprocity 
bureau, and Mrs. Harry V. Sheridan. The report on conserva- 
tion by Mrs. M. C. Garber, another of welfare women and children 
by Mrs. Martha B. Hanna, who is state chairman and also a mem- 
ber of the national society's board of historians, and a talk on old 
trail roads by Mrs. W. W. Garr, on the Daughters' magazine, by 
Miss Mary Alice Warren, and report of the movement for children 
of the American Revolution, by Mrs. H. W. Moore, were other 
important subjects taken up for the day. A dinner at the Anthony 
and a reception given by the local chapter at the home of Mrs. 
Roberts in the vening were the social events of the day. 

Mrs. Henry A. Beck, of Indianapolis, was the choice for the 
office of State regent and Mrs. John Lee Dinwiddle, of Fowler, 
was again chosen to represent Indiana as vice-president general. 

Other State officers were elected without opposition to any candi- 
date — Vice-regent, Miss Edna Donnell, of Greensburg; secretary, 
Miss Anna B. Sankey, Terre Haute; treasurer, Mrs. Otto Rott, 
Bloomington ; historian, Miss Katherine Mcllvain, Vincennes ; audi- 



Minor Notices 409 

tor, Mrs. Edna Felt, Huntington ; chaplain, Mrs. E. C. Atkins, In- 
dianapolis. 

An invitation to hold the next conference in Terre Haute was 
read and accepted and the fifteenth annual meeting of the Daugh- 
ters will be held in that city, October 10, 1915. 

The selection of Mrs. Beck for the highest office of the State 
organization followed the nomination of Mrs. W. A. CuUop, of 
Vincennes, for the same honor and the immediate withdrawal of 
Mrs. Cullop as a candidate, owing to her receiving Thursday morn- 
ing from Mrs. W. C. Story, president-general of the national so- 
ciety, a request to serve as corresponding secretary-general on the 
national board. 

Church History 

Work in this field of State church history is attracting increasing 
attention. Professor Sweet, of DePauw, is organizing the efforts 
of the Methodists along this line. Some of his graduate students 
are doing research work in this field. The district superintendents 
are assisting and the interest is reaching individual congregations. 
In such a large field there is no limit to the amount of work to be 
done. 

The Presbyterians at their recent meeting in New Albany took 
steps looking toward systematic historical work. 

The Catholic Church, the oldest of the Indiana churches, has 
valuable collections of records at Vincennes and Notre Dame which 
date back to the very beginning of Indiana history. That church 
can never be given its proper place in the history of the State until 
these sources are made available. 

The history of other churches, such as the Baptists, Disciples, 
Congregational, Universalist, Shaker, and Friends, dates back a cen- 
tury and affords ample field for the historian. The great task in 
all this work is the collection of material. 

History of Education 

Prof. Francis M. Stalker, of the Department of Education at 
the State Normal, is gathering some material on the history of our 
early schools. He is especially interested in the academies and 
seminaries. There has been a surprisingly large range of educa- 
tional experience in the century of Indiana history. Any one pos- 
sessing material relating to any of the early schools or school sys- 
tems will confer a great favor on Professor Stalker by writing him 
concerning it. 



4IO Indiana Ma(/a:::ine of History 

Henry County Historical Society 

The semi-annual meeting of the society was held at Newcastle, 
October 29. During the forenoon session the president, W. H. 
Keesling, delivered his address, and Dr. J. W. White read a paper 
on "Old Time Memories." 

After a dinner, served in the rooms of their building, Mrs. E. 
H. Bundy made a memorial address on the life of Charles S. Hernly, 
whose death was noticed in the last number of this magazine. An 
address by Mary Hannah Krout on "Hawaii Under the Flag," and 
a paper by W. R. Wilson on "County Examiners and County Su- 
perintendents of Henry County," finished the program as far as 
historical matter is concerned. Music was in evidence at every op- 
portunity on the program. The society is now in its twenty-eighth 
year and thriving. W. H. Keesling is president and Lillian Cham- 
bers, secretary. 

The Tippecanoe Trail 

J. Wesley Whicker in the Attica Ledger- Press, August 14, 
1914, published the results of some investigations he had recently 
made concerning the exact route of Harrison's army across War- 
ren and Benton counties on the Tippecanoe campaign. Harrison 
feared an ambuscade. For that reason he crossed the Wabash at 
the site of the present town of Montezuma. He sent scouts to cut 
a road upon the east side of the Wabash, hoping to thus deceive 
the Indians if they intended an ambush. The feint in the direction 
of the Illinois towns was also made to disclose any forces hiding 
in the vicinity of Pine Creek. As stated above the little army crossed 
the Wabash at what is now Montezuma. 

From this point they skirted the prairie. They detailed sixteen 
men as a guard to prevent an ambush from the river between the 
camp and the river. These sixteen men were deployed on each side 
of Pine creek nearly straight north from Williamsport and just 
abou: where the Williamsport road starts across the Pine creek 
bottoms in going to Kramer. The army skirted the prairie for 
the reason that in its march to the Battleground it could easily watch 
and guard the left flank of the army and the view of the prairie 
woultl prevent an ambush. There were many Indians along the 
river .so the soldiers left the timber land of the Wabash well to 
their right as they moved northward. It took the soldiers two 
hours to cross the Wabash at Montezuma. They then followed 
near the banks with the army, taking their provisions in boats on 



Minor Notices 411 

the river, to a point a little below the mouth of Coal creek, which 
is a little below the south line of Fountain county. Here on the 
banks of the river they built a fort as a base of supplies, sent forty 
men back to guard the women and children at Fort Harrison and 
left eight men to guard the fort. With the assistance of W. W. 
J^crter and his wife and sons we were able to locate the site of 
this fort, which is on the Porter land. John C. Colett, at one time 
the state geologist of Indiana, a local historian of rare worth, had 
inspired Mr. Porter with a pride in local history. The Porters 
were thus able to show the remains of the corduroy roads made 
by the Harrison army through the swampy lands near their place. 
The soldiers crossed the Little Vermillion river just south of 
Eugene, at what is known as the "army ford" near the Shelby 
place. This was the principal camping ground of the Kickapoo 
Indians. After crossing the Vermillion river they went north to the 
prairie in the state of Illinois, south of Danville, crossing the Illi- 
nois line south of State Line. Two private soldiers of the army 
were buried in the Gopher Hill cemetery south of Marshfield. The 
trail can be plainly seen through the yard of a farmer who has 
carefully preserved it about a mile and a half northwest of the 
cemetery. They camped one night in the Round grove, now the 
property of Frank Goodwine of 'West Lebanon. There was a spring 
in this grove which never went dry and the grove was far out in 
the prairie. On their return trip two of the soldiers were buried 
in this grove. The grove can be plainly seen from Sloan or Hed- 
rick. Cassius M. Clay said the soldiers got blue grass seed here 
and carried it back to Kentucky, from which came the Kentucky 
blue grass. From here they marched to the "army ford" of Pine 
creek above Brier's mill. On their return trip they camped one 
night there. On the northwest shore of the creek two of the sol- 
diers died and were buried. There was a very large rock in the 
middle of the road one mile south of the Butler place known as the 
"army rock." It was a niggerhead and the largest niggerhead in 
Warren county. The trail led past the rock. A road supervisor, 
with little regard for local history, had Charley Burgeson break 
this rock into small particles with dynamite a few years ago. 

Zachariah Cicott, who was born of an Indian mother and a 
French father, near Independence, and lived to be an old man in 
the neighborhood where he was born, led the Harrison army from 
the camp on the Wabash near Cayuga to the Battleground. The 
men who made the advance guard were under Dubois, the grand- 
father of the United States senator of the same name from Idaho. 



REVIEWS AND NOTES 

Travel and Description, 1765-1865 ; Vol. II, Bibliographical Series, 
Vol. IX, Collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, by 
Solon Justus Buck, University of Illinois. Published by the 
Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield, 
pp. 514, 1914. 

Dr. Buck has gathered a list of county histories, atlasses, biog- 
raphical collections and a list of Territorial and State laws, as well 
as a descriptive list of such books of travel and description as deal 
with Illinois and its history under the head of "Travel and Descrip- 
tion." The author has 660 titles. The description of the books are 
brief, averaging about four to the page. The full titles are given 
together with a very brief note indicating the nature of the volume, 
the number of pages, the date and place of first publication and the 
number and date of later editions. By a system of key letters a 
number of libraries are also indicated where the books may be 
found. The titles are arranged in chronological order, beginning 
with 1765. An excellent index disarms any criticism of this ar- 
rangement by those who might prefer an alphabetical arrange- 
ment. The question of typography evidently was more trouble- 
some and has not been so well handled. 

In the field of county histories there are 463 entries. Here the 
arrangement is chronologically by counties. It is worth noting 
that no single library has as many as half the complete list. 
In the introduction to this section, the author has made some obser- 
vations worth quoting. In discussing the incentive to such work he 
says, p. 255 : 

The great mass of county histories produced in the west during the 
last forty years has been the work of business enterprises pure and 
simple — an enterprise which finds its basis in human vanity; in the de- 
sire of the average middle-class American to see his name in print and 
to be able to read in a book glowing accounts of himself, his family, 
and his neighbors, their virtues, and their achievements. 

Concerning their historical value he says, p. 257 : 

To the student with the critical ability, who knows what to accept 
and what to reject, they have a very considerable value. The probability 
of error' is certainly no greater than in the Medieval Chronicles, and 



Rcziczcs and .Wotcs 413 

much of the information which can be gleaned from them and which 
might otherwise escape the investigator can be verified from the more 
original sources to which they point the way. 

Again on page 257 he says : 

Xo historical library is doing its full duty which fails to collect and 
preserve, so far as possible, all books of this sort relating to parts of 
the territory which it attempts to cover. As time goes on and the 
people and conditions with which these books deal fade away into the 
remote past and as the books themselves become scarce and difficult 
to procure, the value of such a collection will be more and more ap- 
parent. 

The last section is devoted to the Territorial and State laws. 
This part of the bibliography has no special interest to Indiana 
readers after 1808, when the Illinois Territory was set off from 
Indiana. 

The volume is very useful to Indianians since nearly all trav- 
elers who did Illinois also included Indiana in their itineraries. 

Daniel Webster, by Frederick Austin Ogg, Ph. D., Associate Pro- 
fessor of History in Simmons College, Boston, and Author of 
Social Progress in Contemporary Europe, The Government of 
Europe, Etc. Philadelphia, George W. Jacobs & Company, pp. 
433, 1914. 

Daniel Webster w^as chosen by Dr. Oberholtzer, editor of the 
series called "The American Crisis Biographies" as the subject for 
the nineteenth volume of the series. Professor Van Tyne, of Michi- 
gan University, had intended to write the volume but was compelled 
to give it up. The design of the volume is to give a new, brief, popu- 
lar version of the story of Webster's Hfe. Dr. Ogg has used only 
the easily accessible materials contained in the Letters of Daniel 
Webster published in 1902, and the eighteen volume edition of 
Webster's Writings and Speeches. There is no pretense of any 
search for new material, neither is there any new interpretations 
offered. As a plain, straightforward chronological story it is very 
well done. It is an interesting story all the way from the humble 
beginning in the New Hampshire hills to the equally simple funeral 
at Marshfield. The style of the author, though at times wordy, is 
usually plain and dignified. There is no attempt at rhetorical dis- 
play, though the subject is one which easily lends itself to that 
kind of writing. A list of the chief events in his life chronologically 
arranged takes the place of an introduction. The book is neatly 



414 Indiana Mayazinc of History 

made, has a good index and sufficient foot-notes for ordinary high- 
school {)urposes. For popular use or for high-school libraries it will 
be a useful little volume. 

Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society, Vol. 17, 
Edited by Albert Watkins, Historian of the Society, Lincoln, 
Nebraska, pp. 381, 1913. 

There are twenty-five papers in the volume, eight of which deal 
with subjects local to Nebraska. There are six dealing with over- 
land travel in the pioneer days, "A Tragedy of the Oregon Trail," 
by George W. Hansen ; "The Oregon Recruit Expedition," by Albert 
Watkins ; "Influence of Overland Travel on the Early Settlement of 
Nebraska," by H. G. Taylor; "First Steamboat Trial Trip Up the 
Missouri," by Albert Watkins ; "Adventures on the Plains," by 
Dennis Farrell ; "The Pathfinders," by Heman C. Smith, are some 
of the titles. Besides these there are several papers of a profes- 
sional nature. A number of beautiful illustrations, taken chiefly 
from Maximilian's Travels add to the attractiveness of the volume. 
Nebraska is very fortunate in being able to thus gather up her 
early, or pioneer, history from the lips of the pioneers themselves. 
No one who has not compared such stories as those contained in 
this volume with the best that historians can do can appreciate what 
is lost to history when the pioneers are gone. 

Three pamphlets, edited by Thomas J. Brooks, have lately 
been received by the Survey. One of these is a biography of Lewis 
Brooks, colonel of the Eightieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He 
was one of the early settlers of Martin county, living first at Mount 
Pleasant and later at Loogootee. His experiences as a merchant 
and flatboatman before the war are suggestive. 

Another pamphlet of sixty-one pages contains the biographies 
of Thomas Jefferson Brooks, 1805-1882, and his family. The 
family history begins in the old home in Massachusetts in 1635 and 
extends down to the Indiana home in 1906. The old Brooks home 
was in Mount Pleasant, Martin county. At this place it is the 
custom of the descendants of the pioneer to gather occasionally in 
a family reunion. The third pamphlet, seventy-six pages, contains 
a description of one of these reunions held August 7, 1908, at 
Mount Pleasant by the Brooks and Houghton descendants. 

The pamphlets are full of interesting bits of pioneer history. 



RcTic2i's and Notes 415 

business customs, home life, schools, churches, school teachers, 
and numerous other incidents of early development. 

German "Atrocities" and International Lazu is the title of a 
sixteen-page pamphlet written by James G. McDonald, assistant 
professor of European history in Indiana University. The article 
is one of a series published by the Germanistic Society of Chicago 
to cultivate a pro-German sentiment concerning the war now going 
on in Europe. 

Major George Adams is the subject of a twenty-page biog- 
raphy written by George S. Katzenberger. It is reprinted from 
the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society Publications. 
Adams was a soldier under Wayne and took part in the campaigns 
around Fort Wayne in 1793-1795. The author has included in his 
biography a good account of these campaigns. Portraits of General 
Harmar, General Wayne and General St. Clair, together with sev- 
eral other illustrations are given. 

The November Bulletin of DePainv University contains a brief 
but circumstantial history of the university by Irving Frederic 
Brown. DePauw, or Asbury as it was formerly called, opened its 
doors in September, 1839. It was extremely fortunate in having 
as its first president Bishop Matthew Simpson. His salary was 
placed at $800 per year. Besides being president he was professor 
of mathematics and the natural sciences. There were eleven stu- 
dents. The curriculum was considered a very liberal one, espe- 
cially for a church school. Emphasis was shifted just a little 
from the classics in the direction of English, public speaking, and 
modern history. The collegiate year was divided into two sem- 
esters of twenty-one weeks each. The book is an excellent little 
monograph. 

"The Recent Italian Elections" is the subject of a paper by 
Dr. Amos S. Hershey, in the February American Political Science 
Revieiv. The writer, who witnessed some of the scenes, was par- 
ticularly interested in the working of the new election law under 
which almost all Italian men are voters. 

One of the most interesting booklets that has appeared recently 
in the field of Indiana history is Historic Nezv Harmony 1814-1914, 
by Nora C. Fretageot and W. V. Mangrum. This was the official 



4i6 Indiana Marja-zinc of Flistory 

guide to the town during the recent centennial celebration. Jt has 
sixty-six pages and forty-seven illustrations. The interesting sights, 
buildings and characters of the old town are described and a brief 
biography of the leading persons given. For the facts of New 
Harmony history it is a valuable little book. 

The Iowa Journal of History and Politics for October has sev- 
eral articles of exceptional value, chief of which is the "Fur Trade 
Operations in the Eastern Iowa Country From 1800 to 1833," by 
Jacob Van der Zee. Writers are giving considerable attention to 
the influence of the fur trade on the settlement and early history 
of the western country. It furnished the ready money to the first 
generation of settlers. Besides this the hunters and trappers being 
the first in the field did the exploring and thus opened up routes 
to the settlers, in large measure directing the line of settlement. 

The Mississippi Valley Historical Rcvieiv for September con- 
tains articles by Milo M. Quaife, Wilbur H. Siebert, William O. 
Scroggs, Isaac J. Clark and Dan E. Clark, all well-known to the 
historical fraternity of the northwest. Dr. Quaife's article is a 
criticism on the sources of western history. The writer has dealt 
especially with the travelers. The article is a timely warning to 
those writers who have been using such books freely as source 
material. Professor Cox continues along his familiar line of the 
history of the Southwest. 

The History Teachers Magazine for October has a brief article 
by O. H. Williams on "The History Teacher as Viewed by the His- 
tory Student." The following quotation from the article is worth 
keeping in mind at present when it seems that the "laying on" of 
work constitutes the important function of the teacher : "To culti- 
vate a taste for historical reading, to create interest in the cultural 
and humanistic aspects of history, to kindle a passion for the fasci- 
nating story of human-kind, constitute far more vital educational 
results for the adolescent of the secondary school than can come 
from mere drill." 

The North Carolina Booklet for July contains three articles. 
The one that is of most significance in a general way is "The State 
of Franklin," by Captain S. A. Ashe. The other articles are 
"Heraldry and Its Usage in the Colony of North Carolina," by Mary 



Rez'iews and Notes 417 

Hilliard Hinton. and a genealogical biography of Sir Richard Ev- 
erard. by Marshall DeLancey Haywood. 

The Magazine of History has in its February-March issue a 
number of interesting pioneer sketches. Among them are "Pitts- 
burg in 1828, as Seen by Anne Royal" ; "An Emigrant's Chances in 
New Hampshire, 1821"; "Historic Natchez", and "Lincoln's Route 
to Illinois in 1830." 

The Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of 
Philadelphia for September has a valuable contribution to western 
history in an article on "The First Three Catholic Churches in 
Zanesville," Ohio, by Robert J. J. Harkins. The oldest of these 
churches will reach its century mark in 1818. 

The Missouri Historical Revieiv for July, 1914, contains Ma- 
jor Alphonso Wetmore's "Diary of a Journey to Santa Fe in 1828." 
Major Wetmore was a paymaster in the Sixth Regiment, United 
States Infantry. While stationed in Missouri he became interested 
in the Santa Fe trade, in which he later engaged. The account is 
in the form of a diary and gives details of the trip from day to day. 

The Indianapolis Star during August published a series of 
articles by R. C. Buley, of the history department of the Delphi 
high school, on the organization of the Republican party in Indiana. 

The Fowler Tribune, October 1, has an article on the early 
history of Benton county by Jesse S. Birch, formerly editor of the 
Oxford Gazette. Mr. Birch is interested in Benton county history. 
He has collected data for a county history. 

The Princeton Clarion-News of September 24. 1914. contains 
another article by Col. Gil Stormont on the political campaigns of 
Gibson county during the Civil War. This article deals especially 
with the political activities of the Sons of Liberty. In the October 
27th issue the subject is continued, the author discussing the cam- 
paign of 1864. 

The Brownstown Banner, October 7, has a four-column account 
of the Presbyterian church of that place which, at that time, was 
celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary. The New Albany Pres- 
iytery, at its last meeting, took steps looking toward a centennial 



i 



4i8 Indiana Magazine of History 

celebration of its establishment in southern Indiana. As a result of 
this many of the individual congregations are becoming interested 
in their own history. The article mentioned above has some val- 
uable historical material for the local history of Jackson county. 

The Winamac Democrat-J ounial celebrated its fifty-seventh 
birthday in August. It was founded in 1857 by Dr. F. B. Thomas 
and H. P. Rowan. The present proprietor, M. H. Ingrim, bought 
it for $500, February 16, 18(55. It was then a six-column folio, 
printed on a Smith hand-press. The materials had been brought 
overland from Francesville, where they had been shipped from the 
Ohio river over the old New Albany and Salem railroad. The 
^aricLis editors have had some thrilling experiences with drunken 
Pottawattomie Indians, as well as with the military officials in Civil 
War times. 



► 



INDEX 



The iiame.s of contributors are priuted in small eaiiitals, tlie titles of 
books in italics, and the titles of articles in quotation marks. No. 2 refers 
to page iu June number whicli is not paged consecutively. 



Abbott, llev. Russell B., 354. 

Academies. Non-sectarian, 331; 
Presbyterian, 350. 

"Academies of Indiana." article by 
John H. Thomas, 331. 

Adams County, 31. 

Adams. Harvey A., 352. 

Ade. John, obituary of, (No. 2) 87. 

Adkins, Amos, 13. 

Admission of Indiana, 237. 

Ague, 285. 

Albion, 32, 33. 34. 

Allan. William, 61. 

Allen county, 25. 

Allen. William G., 352. 

Allen, li. N., 352. 

Amendments of 1879 tsubmitted, 
250; voted on 1880, 251; Court 
decision on, 251. 

Amendments of 1900, 252, seq. 

Amendments of 1911 — Marshall 
Constitution, 254. 

American Hi>itorij, by James and 
Sauford. reviewed by Oscar H. 
Williams. (No. 2) OS. 

American Indian Association, for- 
mation of, 94. 

Ancient World, reviewed by Oscar 
Williams, (No. 2) G4. 

Anderson, Miss Eliza, 347. 

Anderson. 24. 

Anderson. William, 109. 

Andersontown, 24. 

Anderson, Abner, 109. 

Andrews, Alanson, 333. 

"An Early Indiana Surve.vor." arti- 
cle by Alma W. Wilson, 47-52. 

Angola, 35. 

Annals of loioa, noticed. 326. 

Aquilla. 25. 

Archey. Clyde, 61. 

Armstrong. Ari, 338. 

Armstrong, Col. John, 74. 

Armstrong. Robert, 338. 

Armstrong, William G., 75. 

Arnold. Benjamin. 109. 

Arnold. J., 335, 338. 

Arnold, Dr. John, 53. 

Arnold, Richard, 113. 

Ashboro. 25. 

Ashworth. Moses, 362, 364. 



Associate Academy of Crown Point, 
339. 

Atkinson, Robert M., 347. 

Attica Ledger-Press, noticed, (No. 
2) 103. 

Auburn, 36. 

Audriau, Pete, settled near Val- 
lonia, 258. 

Augusta, 32. 

Austin. William M., 335. 

'Autobiography of a Noted Pio- 
neer." article by E. W. H. Ellis, 
63-73. 

Axley, James, 366. 

Baker, Conrad, 69. 
Baker, Governor, 4, 72. 
Baker, I'rof. O. H., 351. 
Baily, Sen. Joseph, speaks at Indi- 
anapolis, (No. 2) 38. 
Baldridge, Samuel, 335. 
Baldwin, P. R., 75. 
Baldwin, Thomas A., 348. 
Ballard, Bland. Indian ;i.,'.ter, 88. 
Bank of the State of Iiidiami, 72, 
Banking iu Indiana, 1S14, 375. 
Banks, western, 1818, 386. 
Banta. Albert. 66. 
Barbee, Mary Todd, letter to, 49. 
Barnes, Harold. 332, note. 
Barnes, Professor. 332. 
Barnett Academy, 356. 
Bartholomew county, 21. 
Bartholomew. John, 17. 
Bartholomew, Joseph, 267. 
Bass, Albert. 338. 
Bates. George W.. 56. 60. 
Bayless. L. S., 38. 
Beard. John. 337. 
Beasle.v. William T.. 12. 
Beatty. Dempster, (j(j. 
Beaver City, 42, 43. 
Beaver county, 42. 
Beck. Prof., 333. 
Beck, William H.. 339. 
Bedford. 16, 24. 
Beecher. Henry Ward, 130. 
Bee Hunting. (No. 2) 19. 
Bee. Richard. 17. 
Bellaire, 25. 
Bell. D. M., 55, 58. 



420 



Indiana Magazine of History 



Bell, John, 357. 

Bennett. I-:iizabeth. 352. 

Benton, A. It., 340. 

Bonton connty, 30. 37, 3U, 4U. 

Benton. John X.. "Iteminiscences," 

qnoted, 258, 261. 
Bernhamei-, W. F. A., tally-sheet 

forger, (Xo. 2) 31. 
Bigger, Finley, 50. 
Birch, Jesse ^^ettington article by, 

395-397. 
Bisliop. E. A.. 336. 
Blackford county. 38, 39. 
Blackford. Hon. Iftaac, 69. 
Black Hawk. 49. 
Blacknian. Learner. 36(i. 
Blackwell. Benjamin and Ezekiel, 

16. 
Blaine, Jas. G., speaks at ludian- 

aplis, (No. 2) 45. 
"Blocks of Five" letter of Dudley, 

(No. 2) 48. 
Bloody Three Hundred. 49. 
Bloonifield. 21, 22. 
Blooniington, 16. 
Blooiiiitigton Journal, referred to. 

329. 
Blue River Circuit. .366. 
Blulftou. 36. 
Blythe. Samuel (i.. 355. 
lilythe-Wood Academy. 354. 
Board of County Justices, first, 272. 
lioone county. 28. 29. 
Boonville. 5. 

Border Ruffian Policy, 68. 
Boswell. James. 340, 341. 
Bowling Green, 25, 100. 
Bowman, Bishop Thomas, obituary, 

(No. 2) 86. 
Boyd. William K.. l^i/IUihiis of 

North Carolimi Histonj from 

1584-1876. 126. 
Boyer, Philip. 74. 
P.radford. Thomas, 21. 
Brauigin, Elba L., History of John- 

fion County, Indiana, reviewed, 

125. 
Bratton, Samuel S., 58. 
Breweries, the first, 323. 
Brownlee, James, 112. 
P,rook, 42. 43. 
Brookfield. William, 28. 
Brooks. Thomas J., 413. 
P.rookville. 3. 
I'.rough. Hon. John, 69. 
Brown comity, 31. .34. 
Brown, Ebenezer. 66. 68. 
Brown, Capt. Isaac, 63. 
Brown. John, 39. 
Brown, INIiles, 352. 
Brown, R. F., 55. 
Brown, Thomas, 26. 



Brownsville, 21. 

Bruce, Major William. 97. 

Bruce, William, 87. 

Bruceville Christian Church, organ- 
ization of, 108. 

Brunner, Rev. I. W., 346. 

Brush, Mary A., 352. 

Bryan, W. J., letter by, 403. 

Buchanan. James, Pres., 70. 

Buckley, E. H., 335. 

Buffalo Trace, settlements on, 371. 

Bugbee. Miss Sarah J.. 348. 

BuLEY. R. C. "Campaign of 1888. 
in Indiana," (No. 2) 30-53. 

Bullock, W. A.. 333. 

Bunting, Albert, 60. 

Burke, William, 366. 

Burlington, 21, 22. 

Burns, B., 58. 

Burr, Miss R. P., 341. 

Burtch, William, 335. 

Burt, Dr. , 333. 

Buskirk and Sturgeon killed by In- 
dians, 263. 

Buskirk, John, obituary notice, 
111-112. 

Butler, Anselm, 336. 

Butler, Rev. Calvin, 351. 

Butler, Joel, 114. 

Butler, J. M., candidate for Gov., 
(No. 2) 36. 

Butler, Prof. William. 333. 

Cabin, building of. (No. 2) 2. 

Caldwell. David. 357. 

(Lilian, I'atrick, 17. 

Cambridge Academy. 332. 

Camden, 32. 

"Cani])aign of 1888 in Indiana," ar- 
ticle bv li. C. Bi-LEY, (No. 2), 
.30-53. 

Campbell. Alexander, 83. 

Campliell, Alexander B.. 56. 

Cam]i))ell. George. 339. 

Cam])bell, George W., 60. 

C:imi)bell, .John S., 59. 

Canup, Charles E., article by, (No. 
2) 70. 

Camp, Ellis, 71. 

Camp Meeting. 293. 

Canby, Israel T., 337. 

Cannelton, 8. 

Carlyle. 9. 

Carr, William T., 12. 

Carroll County, 27. 

Carroll ton. 27. 

Carson. J. C, 352. 

Cartwright. Peter, 361, 366., 

Carthdfje Citizen, 61. 

Cdrtliiific Chirion, 61. 

Cintlifif/oiian, 61. 

('(irthncjc Record, 61.. 



Index 



421 



Cass couuty, 27. 

Catholic Missiou;iries, early, 289. 

Cartwri^Lilit and the Shakers, 363. 

Cedar Lnke. 35. 

Center. 33. 

Centerville. 3, 4. 

Chamberlain, Hon. E. M., 66. 

Chaniltersburg, 26. 

Charleston. 2. 

Charms against diseases, 288. 

Chapman. Jacob P., 68. 

Charles, E. C, 61. 

Chase. Ira J., candidate for Gov- 
ernor. (No. 2) 37. 

Chauncey, Elihu. 38. 

"Chicago Road, the Old," article by 
Jesse S. Bikch, 395-397. 

Cholera, 288. 

Chrisney, 10. 

Chnrches, pioneer, 288 ; buildings, 
293 : denominations, 295. 

Church History. 408. 

Churchman. F. M., 82. 

Circuits in 1811, 362. 

Circus Day, 319. 

Citizoi. The, founded, (No. 2) 103. 

Clark county, 2. 

Clark. Daniel, 335. 

Clark. George C. 55. 

Clark. John C, 335. 

Clark. Jonathan. 74. 

Clark. Judge. 35. 

Clark. William. 335. 

Classic Shades. The. .334. 

Clay county, 25. 

Clear Creek Baptist Church, 106. 

Clearing the Forest, (No. 2) 19. 

Clifford, Dr. Ephraim, 340. 

Clinton county, 28. 

Clothing of Pioneers, (No. 2) 12. 

Coffin. Charles Carleton, 47. 

Cogner, J. M., 357. 

Cogner. John W.. 352. 

Coldwater Circuit. 362. 

Cole, E. P., 355. 

Cole. Captain Ulysses D., 57. 

Coleman, John M., 335. 

Collections of Nehraska State His- 
torical Society, Vol. 17, reviewed, 
413. 

Collett. Josephus. 22. 335. 

Collett. Stephen S., 335. 

Collins. E. J., 384. 

Colnery. Pvev. D. R., 352. 

Colonial Dames of America, 120. 

Columbia. 38. 

Columbia City, 38. 

Columbus. 23. 

Commerce and Navigation in 1813. 
372. 

Commercial Regulations. 372. 

Conde. Lieutenant ^Yinfield S., 56. 



Coude, W. S., 59. 

Congressmen elected in 1888, (No. 
2) 53. 

Connersville. 16. 

"Conscription and Draft in Indi- 
ana During the Civil War," arti- 
cle bv Charles E. Canup, (No. 
2) 70-83. 

"Constitution flaking in Indiana," 
an article by Prof. James A. 
WooDBURN, 237-255. 

Constitution of 1850, demands for 
revision of, 249. 

Constitution of Indiana, A New, no- 
tice, 330. 

Convention of 1816, sessions and of- 
ficers, 238. 

Cook, James, 66. 

Cook, Judge C. W., 12, 13. 

Cooking in pioneer homes, (No. 2) 
8. 

Cooking utensils, pioneer, (No. 2), 
11. 

Cooper. Isaiah. 17. 

Cooper, Mrs. Virginia C, 352. 

Coquillard, Ale.xis, 28. 

Vonidon Democrat, noticed, (No. 
2) 102. 

Corydou, 2 ; becomes capital, 370. 

Cotton, Ralph, commissioner to lay 
off Jackson couuty, 267. 

Coulter, Dr. John :m.. 333. 

Coulter, :Mrs. C. E., 352. 

Coulter, Mons. 355. 

County organization of Jackson, 
270: first otlicers. 270. 

"County Seats and County Seat 
Wars in Indiana." article by E. 

V. SllOCKLEY. 1-41). 

Counties, table of organization and 

dates. 44-46. 
Covington. 26-27. 
Cowan, Rev. John D.. 351. 
Cowing, A. M., 56. 
Cowing, Granville, 55. 
Cowing. William J.. 56. 
Cox, John, 100. 
Cox. I.ycurgus J.. 56. 
Co.x. Norval W., 55. 
Coy. Sim, (No. 2) 30, 31. 
Crops, pioneer farm, (No. 2) 23. 
Crawford county. 10. 11. 14. 15. 
Crawford, Cyrus. 58. 59. 
Crawford. Josiah, 364. 
Crawford. Phoebe. 335. 
Crawfordsville. 24. 
Crawfordsville Female Academy, 

337. 
Crnirfordsvillc Journnl. refened to. 

.329. 
Creath. Rev. Johu. 352. 
Crosson. John, 347. 



42. 



Indiana Magazine of History 



Crowe. Kev. John Fiiiloy, ?[V^. 
Crown Point, 35. 
Crunie, Closes, 304, 3()(>. 
Cruiupacker. E. D., (No. 2) 32. 
Cull. Hugh. 361. 
.Culleu, William A., 58. 
Culvor Military academy. 349. 
Cumbaclc, Will, (No. 2) 31, 36. 
Curreucv and Banking, 1S14, 375. 
Cutte. J. O., 345. 

Dale. Rev. J.. 344. 

Daily. Rev. William. 346. 

Dancing. 60. 

Daniel Wchstcr. by F. A. Ogg. re- 
viewed. 412. 

Daniel. William, 340. 

Danville, 25. 

DanrUJc RcpubHcan, noticed, (No. 
2) 102. 

Darlington, 5. 

Daughters of the American Revo- 
tion. 403. 

Dangherty. William, Sr., 113. 

Daviess county. 9, 10. 

Daviess. Joseph. 98. 

Davis. Rev. Abner, 107, 108. 

Davis. Judge. 13. 

Davis, Miss Helen, 345. 

Davis, Rodney L., 58. 

Davis, Samuel, 54, 58. 

Davis. Thomas, 366. 

Dawson. John, 332. 

Dearborn county, 2, 40. 

Debating Societies. 316. 

DeBruler. C. W., 346. 

Deoatur. 31. 

Decatur county. 23. 

Decisive Episodes in Western His- 
tory, reviewed, 327. 

DeKalb county. 34, 36. 

Delaney academy, 350. 

Delegates at large in 1888, (No. 2) 
34. 

Delegates to constitutional conven- 
tion of 1850, 245. 

Delaware county, 27. 

Delphi. 27. 

Democratic State convention, (No. 
2) 33. 

DeMoss. Mrs. Margaret, 79. 

Development of Banking in Illinois, 
by Geo. W. Dowrie, reviewed, 
326. 

Devin. Alexander, 92, 832, 340. 

Dickey, John M., 333. 

Dickinson. Anna, Republican speak- 
er, (No. 2). 43. 

Digby, Miss, 352. 

Dillon. John R.. quoted, 239. 

Dixon. William. 365. 

Doctors, pioneer, 286. 



Dog Fennel (IhzcIIc. 53, 58. 

Dome, George, killed by Indians, 
2W. 

Donna van, Corydon, 54. 

Donnell, H. C. 356. 

Dooley, Rev. A. H.. 357. 

Dougherty's Shoals, -18. 

Dover's Hill, 19, 20. 

Draft, rules of, (No. 2) 71; exemp- 
tion from, (No. 2) 75; results of. 
tables, (No. 2) 83. 

Drake, Captain, 49. 

Drainage of Swamp Lands, re- 
viewed, 324. 

Drebert, Frank T., 57. 

Drummond, David H., 339. 

Dubois county, 10. 

Dublin academy, 336. 

Dudlev. W. W.. his letter, (No. 2), 
48. 

Dukes. Ephraim, 23. 

Dunlop, 29. 

Dunning, Prof. A. G., 334. 

Dunn, John. 17. 

Dunn, John P., Esq., 68. 

Dunn. Williamson, 333. 

DuShane, Donald, 332, note. 

Duvall. Captain, of Salem. 263. 

Eagar, Mrs. Fanny, 340. 

Earle. George. 35. 

Eastman. J. C, 352. 

Eddy. Col. Norman, 71. 

Edge. Benjamin, 366. 

Editors, Republican, favor Harri- 
son, (No. 2) 2, 32. 

Edwards, ]M. F., 344. 

Edwards, Rev. Jonathan, 353. 

Education under the French, 296. 

Election first State, 238, 239. 

Election, statistics of. 1888, (No. 2) 
50. 

Elkhart. 66. 68. 

Elkhart county. 28, 29, 64, 67. 

Elkhart County Times, 69. 

Elkhart Progressive Democrat, (No. 
2) 103. 

Ellingwood. Miss Matilda E., 843. 

Ellis, Abner T., 335. 

Ellis. Daniel, 63. 

Ellis. E. W. H.. death of. 63, note. 

Ellison. William Robinson, 63. 71. 

Ellsworth, Henry W., .39. 

Embree, Ellsha, 341. 

Emerson, Miss Frances E., 112. 

English, 12, 13, 14, 15. 

English News, 12. 

English, W. H.. (No. 2) 31, 33. 

Eugene academy. 335. 

Evans, N. V., 346. 

Evans, Samuel N., 352. 

Evansville, 5, 10; settled, 874. 



Index 



423 



Ewing, Columbus, 257, 259. 

Ewiug, Rev. R., 351. 

Exemption and stay laws, 1819, 388. 

Falrplay, 21. 

Fairview academy. 339; family wor- 
ship. 202. 

Farmers' academy, 345. 

Farm implements, pioneer, (No. 2) 
21. 

Farris, Rev., 334. 

Fayette county, 16. 

Ferry rates in early JackSon coun- 
ty, 274. 

Feudner, Jacob, 57. 

Fevers. 285. 

Field. Bruce. 108. 

Finley. Robert W.. 364. 

Finney. Samuel J.. 60. 

Fireplace, (No. 2) 2, 5. 

Fisber. Marcus. 61. 

Fisb. Henry, 352. 

Fix. Henry 75. 

Flatboats, building of. (No. 2) 25. 

Flinn and Guthrie killed by Indi- 
ans, 264. 

Flint lake, 31. 

Florence. 6. 

Floyd county, 16. 

Food in pioneer homes, (No. 2) 10. 

Fort Harrison. 98. 

Fort Knox, 321. 

Fort McHenry. 47. 

Fort Wayne academy, 353. 

Foster, Capt. William, 334. 

Fountain county. 1. 25, 20. 27, 37. 

Fowler. 37, 40. 

Fraley. Daniel. 364. 

Frankfort, 28. 

Franklin, 24. 

Franklin county, 3. 7. 

Fi-(nikli)i Rcinihlican, 57. 

Fredonia, 11. 

Freemiui. Rev. Azel. 3.51. 

French. Miss Hattie. 343. 

Freeman. Philip, quoted, 394. 

Fry. Francis H.. 337. 

Fullenwider. D., 352. 

Fuller. Miss Abbie S.. 345. 

Fulghum. Miss Eliza B., 345. 

Fulton county, 31, 34. 

Funk. Major W., 12, 13. 

Furniture of pioneer houses. (No. 
2) 2, 6. 

Gale. Thomas, 36. 
Galvin, Thomas. 39. 
Games. 313. 

Garrett. Miss Maggie F., 357. 
Geltner. Abraham. 352. 
Gennett. Mrs. B. B.. 352. 
George Rogers Clark Papers, re- 
viewed, 122. 



German Atrocities and International 
Laic, pamphlet, 414. 

Geraghty. Thomas A., 59, 60, 61. 

Gerrymander, Democratic, (No. 2> 
42. 

Gibson county, 4. 

Gibson. Robert M., 60. 

Ginseng. 35. 

Glover. Isaac, 36. 

Goodland, 43. 44. 

Goodman. A. J., 12. 14. 15. 

Goodwin. T. A.. 341. 

Goose pulling. 312. 

Gorkin. William M., 335. 

Goshen. 29. 69, 70, 71. 

Goshen Democrat, 66, 67, 328. 

Goshen Times, 69. 

Gosport, 108, 109. 

Goss, Ephraim, 109. 

Gowdy, John K., 60. 

Goucher. Samuel. 332. 

Graham, C. C, 341. 

Grant county, 29. 

Gray, Isaac P.. (No. 2) 31. 

Green. F. Curtis, 61. 

Grencastle. 23. 

Greene county, 21, 22. 

Greenfield. 27. 

Greensburg. 23. 

Greenwich, an old town of Martin 
county, (No. 2) 57. 

Gregg. Samuel, 333. 

Gresham. Walter Q.. (No. 2) 31, 
.32. 

(Triflith. Walter, 366. 

Grouseland, Treaty of. 258. 

Growth of Indiana, 1818-1820, 391. 

Groenendyke. James. 335. 

Grubb. Pleasant. 338. 

Guthrie and Flinu, killed by In- 
dians, 264. 

Hackleman. Oliver C. 54. 55. 
Hackleman. Plea.sant A., 54, 55, 70. 
Hadley academy, 344. 
Hadlev. Judge Casslus C. obituary, 

112. 
Hague. Zebulon, 21. 
Halberts Bluffs. 18. 
Half Faced camps. (No. 2) 2. 
Hall. Andrew. 56. 
Hall. Rev. Benjamin. 350. 
Hall. James. 338. 
Hall. Samuel. .332. 340. 
Hall. William B.. 344. 
Hamilton county. 24. 
Hamilton. D. H.. 357. 
Hamilton. William, 74. 
Hampton. Rev. C. A.. 351. 
Hancock county, 27. 
Hannah. James, 337, 339. 



424 



Indiana Maga.zinc of History 



Hiiiiovor MC.'ulouiy, 333. 
H;insl)ronjj:li. John, 100. 
Hardin. John, local law for, 242. 
Hard times. 181S, 384. 
Hargitt. George W., 58. 
Harriniau. Newtou S., 345. 
Harrison. Benjamin, (Mo. 2) 32, 33. 
Harrison, campaign in Indiana, (No. 

2) 35. 
Harrison. Charles, 364. 
Harrison county. 3. 
Hari-ison. Gov. William H., 362. 
Harrison, William, 27. 
Harrisonville, 19, 20. 
Hart. Philip, 17. 
Hartford. 39. 40. 
Hartford City, 39. 
Harvest, pioneer, (No. 2) 23. 
Hascall. M. B., 71. 
Hatfield. Job, 346. 
Hawkins. John. 337. 
Haywood. Rev. John B., 108. 
Hazel rigg, F. C. 61. 
Hazlett. E. H.. 347. 
Hazlett. James, 24. 
Heimberger, Adam, 403. 
Helmsburg, 34. 
Hendricks county, 25. 
Hendricks. Mrs. Thomas, 23. 
Hendricks. Rev. A. T., 354. 
Hendricks, Thomas, 23. 
Henry county, 23. 
Hernley. Charles S.. (No. 2) 85. 
Hester, F. A., 341. 
Hewett. Dr. Winter, 63. 
Hibben. Ethelbert C, 58. 
Hickslte school house. 344. 
Hill. Asaph. 335. 
Hill. Caleb W.. 336. 
Hill. Chester G., 61. 
Hillsborough, 19. 
Hiltner. Jacob. 74. 
Hindostan, 18. 
"Hindostau, a Pioneer Town of 

Martin County," article by Carlos 

T. McCarty, (No. 2) 54. 
Hinkston circuit, 360. 
Historical Soi-iety, Henry County, 

annual meeting, (No. 2) 98. 
lli^ioric IVew Harmony, pamphlet 

noticed. 414. 
History of Education, 408. 
History of the Methodist Church at 

Orleans, noticed, 324. 
History Teachers' Convention, 115- 

116. 
Hadley, Hiram, 844. 
Hodges, Philip, 109. 
Hodgin, Prof. C. W., 345. 
Holliday, Charles, 306. 
Hollingsworth, Milton, 335. 
Ilolman, Joseph. 30. 



Holt, Henry, 57. 

"Home Life in Early Indiana," an 
article bv F. W. Vogel. (No. 2) 
1-29. 

"Home Life in Early Indiana" (con- 
cluded), article by F. W. Vogel, 
284-320. 

Home, location of bv pioneers, (No. 
2) L 

Hood, William N.. 30. 

Hooiier. Rev. Will S.. 346. 

Hoosier unci Rushville Detrujcratic 
Archive, 54, 58. 

Hoover. George. 4. 

Hopewell academy, 354. 

Hopkins. Alex. C, 345. 

Hopkins. John C. 345. 

Hopkins. Milton B.. 345. 

Horsey, Clement, 18. 

Hostetter, Laura, writes in Evans- 
rille Courier about New Harmony, 
(No. 2) 100. 

Hovey. Alvin P., nominated for gov- 
ernor. ( No. 2 ) 41 ; homestead rec- 
ord, (No. 2) 43. 

Howard county. 41. 

Howard. Gen. Tilghman, 66. 

Howard, Prof. Groves S., 351. 

Huckaby, Elijah, 346. 

Huddlestou, Jonathan, 336. 

Hughes, Peter, 26. 

Hugo, John R.. 341. 

Humphreys. Moses. 337. 

Hunt. Florence B., 61. 

Hunter. Rice V., 352. 

Hunting inouaer, (No. 2) 17. 

Huntington. SO. 

Huntington county. 30. 

Hunt. William. 364. 

Huskings. 309. 

Huston, J. H., State chairman, (No. 
2) 32, 34. 

Illinois circuit, 362. 

Immigration in 1818. 371. 

Independent, 60. 

Indebtedness of land buyers, 391. 

Indiana Catholic, referred to, 328, 
329. 

Indiana District, 362. 

Indiana Herald and Rushrille Ga- 
zette, .54, .58. 

Indiana Historical Society, 322. 

"Indiana History in the Schools," 
-article by O. H. AVilliams, 278- 
283. 

Indiana Jacksonian, 58. 

Indianapolis, 23, 49. 

Indianapolis News, 59. 

"Indiana's Growth 1812-1820." arti- 
cle by W. F. Mitchell, 369-394. 

Indiana State Journal, (No. 2) 103. 



Index 



425 



Indiana State Sentinel, 68. 
Indiana Statesman, 68. 
India u;i Territory, 2, 7, 96, 97. 
Indian cessions, 302. 
Infares, 318. 
Inyersts, C. W., 334. 
Insolvency laws, 385. 
Iowa Journal of History and Poli- 
tics, 128, 330. 
Irviu, George A., 353. 

Jackson, 1, 9. 

Jackson county established, 267. 

"Jackson County Prior to 1850," ar- 
ticle by John C. Lazenby, 256- 
279. 

Jackson, Jesse, 39. 

Jackson, John, 66. 

Jacksonburg, 34. 

James. Isaac, 109. 

James, James A., edits George Rog- 
ers Clark Papers, 123, 124. 

Jamestown, 29. 

Jasper, 11. 

Jasper county, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43. 

Jay county, 31, 38. 

Jefferson, 28. 

Jefferson county, 3, 16. 

Jeffersonian Democracy in Indiana, 
241. 

Jeffersonville, 2. 

Jeffrey, Ephraim, 339. 

Jennings academy, 333. 

Jennings county, 1, 9. 

Jennings, family of, 47, 

Jennings, Jonathan, elected gover- 
nor, 239. 

Jewett, Charles. 12, 13 ; State chair- 
man, (No. 2) 46. 

Johnson, Bayley, 75. 

Johnson county, 24. 

History of Johnson County, by Elba 
L. Branigin, reviewed, 125. 

Johnson, Rev. J. M., 349. 

Johnson, James H., 333. 

Johnson, M. L., 337. 

Johnston, Pleasant, 336. 

Johnson. Samuel, 31. 

Jonesboro. 25. 

Jones, Dr. George B., 61. 

Jones, George S.. 61. 

Jones, J. It.. .341. 

Journal, Indianapolis, (No. 2) 32, 
files of. (No. 2) 84. 

Jury, Julius, 341. 

Justus, Basil. 39. 

Kaler. Walter, 61. 
Kankakee. 42. 

Kansas State Historical Society, no- 
tice of, 130. 
Kelly, Prof. T. P., 355. 



Kelly, William, 74. 

Kemper, Thomas J., 56; 

Kennedy, Edward W., 338. 

Kent. 42. 

Kentland, 43, 44. 

iventucky Regiatcr, The, noticed, 

326. 
Ketcham, John, 130 ; reminiscences, 

quoted, 261; wounded, 264. 
Kiger, John, 341. 
Kinderhook dutchman, 67. 
King, Thomas. 366. 
Kinkaid, Joseph, 364. 
Kircheville. Benin min, Indian agent, 

99. 
Kirkiiatrick. David. 353. 
Knightstown academ.y, 344. 
Knox, 41. 

Knox county, 2, 96. 
Kosciusko county, 31. 34. 
Kritz. Henry S.". 352. 
Kuykendall, Dr. Jacob. 92. 
Kurtz, William. 343. 

Lagrange county. 29, 30. 

Lake county. 341 ; courthouse. 35. 

Lakin. Benjamin. 361. 

Ijamb, John E.. obituary. 402. 

Lambert. Rev. William B., 351. 

Lancaster, 17. 

Land sales in Indiana 1812. 370. 

Land speculation in 1814. 374. 

Lane, E. T., 357. 

Lane. Joanna M.. obituary, (No. 2) 

85. 
Langdon. Fannie. 344. 
Langdon. Solomon, 366. 
Lanins. Jacob W.. 353. 
Laporte. 30. 
Laporte county, 29, 30. 
Lattimore. Rev. Daniel. 333. 
Law. Rev. Alliert P.. 108. 
Lawrenceburgh, 2. 41. 
Lawrenceburg circuit, preachers, 

366. 
Lawrence county. 10, 15. 
Lazknp.v. .John C. article by. 256- 

273. 
Leake. Rev. L. F., 352. 
Leavenworth. 12. 13, 14. 15. 64. 
Leavitt. Mrs. Mary A.. 334. 
Lebanon. 29. 

Lebanon I'resbyterian atademy. 357. 
Lee. J. II.. 346. 
Leesburg. 34. 

Leiper. .Miss Elizabeth. 333. 
Lewis. Andrew, 341. 
Lewi.s, Is.aac, 347. 
Lewis. John, 113. 
Lexington. 17. 
Liberty, 21. 
Lighting pioneer houses. ( No. 2) 12. 



426 



Indiana Magazine of History 



Ligonier, 33. 

Lima. 30. 

Lincoln. Abraliani, (!9, 70. 

Liudley. James. 357. 

Lindley. William, commissioner to 

lay off Jack.son county, 267. 
Lindsey. Isaac. 364. 
Lindsey, John V.. 339. 
Linsey, George W., 100. 
Linton. 22. 
Lisbon, 33. 

Little. Charles S., 344. 
Little Turtle, 41. 
Livei-pool, 9. 35. 
Logan, George, 333. 
Logan. James, 352. 
Logansport, 27. 
Ix)g rolling, 308. 
Lonery, William J., 341. 
Loogootee, 20. 
Lowes. Miss, 352. 
Lucas, D. R.. 347. 
Lukinbill. David. 109. 
Lynn. Dr.. 347. 

Madison. 3. 

Madison academy, 332. 

Madison county, 24. 

Maga::inc of HiMonj. noticed, 327. 

Mail routes in Indiana, 1817, 382. 

Manor. Harry E., 60. 

Maramack circuit, 362. 

Marengo academy, 349. 

Marengo Observer, 12. 

Maria Creek Christian Church, 91, 
108. 

Maria Creek Baptist Church, organ- 
ization of, 82. 92, 106. 

Marion, 16, 29. 

Marion coimty, 23. 

Marlatt. Thomas. 58. 

Marsh. Miss Sarah. 79. 

Marshall county, 31. 34, 41. 

Martin. Carl R., 57. 

Martin county, 10. 17. 18, 19, 20; or- 
ganized, (No. 2) 57. 

Martin, Rrof. Frank, 334. 

Martin, John. 23. 

Martinsville. 23. 

Martinsville female academy, 337. 

Massie. Henry II.. 16. 

Mathes. James, 108-109. 

Matthews. Harry O., 61. 

Matson. C. C. uominated for Gov- 
ernor. (No. 2) 33. 

Maxwell. Miss. 352. 

Maxwell. Samuel D., .352. 

McCampbell. James. 74, 352. 

McCarty, Carlos T., article by, 
(No. 2) 54. 

McConnell. Jasper N., 347. 

McCormick, Henry, 353. 



McCormick. I'atrick H.. obituarv of, 

(No. 2) 89. 
McCormick, T. B., 350. 
McCoy. Mrs. Christiana. 98; trip 

from Ft. Wayne to Vincennes. 98. 

McCoy, Elder Isaac, S3, 87, 98. 100; 

sketcli of life. 92-94; missionary 

work, 93. 
McCoy, William, 92. 
McDonald, Joseph E., (No. 2) 31. 
McDonald. Peter, 114. 
McGary, Colonel Hugh, 5. 
McGary. Hugh, 3()9. 
McGibben, Samuel, 79. 
McGowan. William, murdered by 

Shawnees, (No. 2) 54. 
Mclntire. John. 341. 
Mcintosh, Peter, commissioner to 

lav off Jackson county, 267. 
McKee, J. S.. 357. 
McKeihan. Rev. Quincy, 355. 
McKendree, William, 360, 361. 
McKinney. U. B., 345. 
McMahan. Dr. Samuel W., 60. 
McMehan, William. 364. 
McQuaid. Henry, sketch, 105-106. 
JNIcQuaid. James. 105. 
McQuaid. Itev. James, 96. 
McQuaid. Mrs. Susan P.. 92. 
McNitt. Esther U., 13f. 
McYey. Will G., 57. 
MeWooden. Colonel Robert. 109. 
Mears, George W.. 78, 79. 
Medicine and medical science, in 

early Indiana, 286. 
Mrdirntl and Modern History, by S. 

B. Harding, reviewed by scar H. 

Williams. (No. 2) 66. 
Meek. Alexander A., commissioner 

to establish Jackson county, 267. 
Members, leading, of Constitutional 

Convention of 1850, 246. 
Memoirs of the I'olke, Piety, McCoy, 

McQu.-iid and Mathes Families, 83- 

109. 
Memphis, 18, 19, 20. 
Meredith, William S., 59. 
Merom, 9. 10. 
Merrill. Catherine. 130. 
Methodist church history. 321. 
'■;\Iethodist Circuits In Early Indi- 
ana." article by W. W. Sweet, 

359-368. 
Methodist Eitiseopnl Chiireh and the 

Ciril War. by W. W. Sweet, re- 
viewed, (No. 2) 93. 
INIiami county, .30. 
Miami Indian hunting ground, 95. 
Miamisiiort. 30. 
M!chig;in City. 30. 
Michigan Historical Commission, 

116. 



Index 



427 



Milbiun. Robert, 332. 
Milk sickness, 288. 
Miller, Patrick C, 32. 
Milligau, John. 352. 
Mills, pioneer grist. (No. 2) 27. 
Milroy. 40. 
Milroy Advertiser, (Ji. 
Alllroy Press, 61. 
Milroy, Samuel, 40. 
Mission work of Isaac McCoy, 93, 94. 
Mississippi Viilhi/ Historical Re- 
view, noticed, 327. 
Missouri circuit, 362. 
Missouri Historical Review, 326; 

January issue, noticed, 128. 
Missouri Historical Society, notice 

of bulletin bv Gerhard P^owke, 

127. 
:Mitcbell. Andrew, 361. 
Mitchell. Waldo F., article by. 369- 

394. 
Mollov. Edward, obituary, (No. 2) 

88. 
Money stringency, 1819-20, 390. 
Mongoquinog, 30. 
Monroe county, 10. 16. 
Montgomery county. 24. 
Monticello, BO. 
Moody, James & Co., 59. 
Moore, David, 355. 
Morgan county, 23. 
Morgan, Miss Hannah, .347. 
Morgan raid. 76. 
Morocco. 42. 43. 
Morris. Bethuel F.. 130. 
Morris. Jehosephat, 336. 
Morrow. Miss Estelle. 357. 
Morton, Henry T., 341. 
Morton. H. F.. 343. 
Morton, Mrs. Mary M., 343. 
Morton. Oliver P.. 69, 70, 71. 
Moses, John F., 57. 
Mount, Mrs. James A., 357. 
Mount. Governor James A., 357. 
Mount Pleasant. 18, 19. 
Mount Vernon, 7. 
Mt. Sterling. 11. 
Muncie Town. 27. 
Murray, 36. 
Murray, C. L.. 67. 
Myers, William 11.. nominated for 

Lieutenant-Governor. (No. 2) 33, 

34. 

Nashville. 34. 
Naylor. J. M.. 352. 
Neely. Joseph. 350. 
Neil.' Rev. H. C. 347. 
Nelson. Joseph. 3f>4. 
Nelson. Thomas. 364. 
New. Rev. J. B.. 333. 
Newbold. Will L., 60. 



Newby. David, 350. 

Xewell. L. S.. 79. 

New Albany, 16. 

New Castle. 23. 

New Lancaster, 36. 

.Y(';r Hannony Times, referred to, 
329. 

New Harmony, centennial celebra- 
tion noticed, (No. 2) 98. 

is^ew England Element in Illinois 
Politics before 1.S33, by Dr. Solon 
J. Buck, notice. 127. 

Neio Purchase, quoted, (No. 2) 3, 
23, 108. 

Newpox-t, 25. 

New Orleans, 105. 

Neics, (Jreenshury, quoted, (No. 2) 
84. 

News, Indianapolis, referred to, 328. 

"Newspapers of Rush County," ar- 
ticle by John F. Moses, 53-62. 

Newton, 37, 42. 

Newton county, 36, 37, 42, 43. 

Noble county, 31, 32. 33. 

Noblesville, 24. 

Noden, James E. 

Norris. Seton W.. 79. 

Northport, 33. 

Xortli Carolina Booklet, noticed. 130, 
327. 

North Vernon, 1, 9. 

Occupations of pioneers. (No. 2), 17. 
Ohio Archacolof/ical and Historical 

Quart erlu. noticed. (No. 2) 97, 

330. 
Ohio county, 2. 40. 
Ohio river. 64. 
Orange county, 9. 10. 15. 
Orr. John. 341. 
Orth, Godlove S., 70. 
Osborne. Anna E.. 352. 
Osgood. 16. 
Our Old ScJiool, by Theodore Stein, 

reviewed. (No. 2) 94. 
Owen. Abram. 98. 
Owen, Horace P.. obituary, (No. 2) 

91. 
Owens, Mrs. A. R.. 348. 
Owen county. 16. 

Owen Genealogj-, table (No. 2) 92. 
Oxford. 40. 
Oxford acadeniy. 347. 

Paine. Sela. 364. 

Palestine. 15. 16. 

I'aoli. 9. 49. 

Parish Grove. 36. 

Parke county. 21. 22. 

Parker. Daniel. 94. 

Parker, Rev. Samuel, 360. 366. 

Party papers founde<l. (No. 2) 103. 



428 



Indiana Magazine of History 



Piirty positions ou Coustltutioiuil 
Convention of 1S40. 244. 

Patolva circuit, preachers, 36G. 

Paul, John, 16. 

Paxton. Miss Eliza M.. 343. 

Paxton, Miss Martha S.. 343. 

Paxton, Mrs. M. W.. 343. 

Peace Confiress. GO, 70. 

Peabody. Dr. E. F., 333. 

Pearson. John, 39. 

Pendleton. 24. 

Penfield, X. Y.. G3. 

Percival, Dr. Jabez, 2. 

Perkins, El sherry H., 59. 

Pernet, Emanuel. 75. 

Perry county, 5, 6. 7. 

Peru. 30. 

Phares. Jasper. 347. 

Phelps, A. M., 350. 

Phelps, O., 334. 

Piety. Austin, 90. 

Piety, family. 90-92. 

Piety, Sarah. 91. 

Piety, Thomas. 90-92. 

Piety, William D.. 92. 

Pigeon Roost Massacre, 259, 262. 

Pike county, 9, 10. 

Pirogue, 98, 101. 

Pittsburg. G4. 

Plasket. AVilliani, 74. 75. 

Plymouth. 34. 

Poe, James M., 336. 

Poe, academy, 336. 

Polk. Charles. Indian trader, 85 ; 
Charles. Jr., 87, 88, 89. 90. 04-96; 
Edmond. 87. 88, 91 ; Ezekiel, 85 : 
Family, table, I, II, & III, 84-86: 
Pres. James K., 85 ; Robert Bruce ; 
Sally, 87. 88, 90, 91; Thomas, 87, 
88. 91; Colonel, Thomas, 85; Dr. 
Thomas, 87. 

Polke, Charle-s. 93; Captain Charles, 
Sr.. 88-89-90; Charles 2d. 85. 87. 
88. 89; Charles 3d. 87; Rev. 
Charles, 87. 106; Delilah, 88, 89; 
Elder James. 83. 85; James. 96- 
105; Robert. 107; Judge William, 
83. 87. 9S. 100-103; William. 92. 

Polke's Fort. 91. 

"Polke Memoirs."' article by James 
Poi.Ki:. 83-1(19. 

Pollitt, Charles H., 61. 

Porter county, 31. 

Portland, 31, 32. 

Port Mitchell. 32, 33. 

Powell. Erasnuis. 28. 

Porter, Albert G.. (No. 2) 32, 34, 36. 

Porter, John R., 335. 

Portersville. 10, 11, 31. 

Posey county. 5, 6. 

Potter, Rev. L. D., 354. 

Prairie fires in 1810, 95. 



Prattville. 31. 

Vv\ri\ Robert J.. 58. 

Pride's Fort, 323. 

Prince, Judge William, 5, 332. 

Princeton. 4. 

Preachers, pioneer, 288; Protestant, 

289; itinerant. 290. 
Princeton academy. 131. 
Princeton Vhirion-Neirs, noticed, 330. 
Princeton Female academy, 340. 
Pritchard, Heniy R.," 340. 
Pro. James R., 12. 
Prohibition State Convention, (2s'o. 

2) 33. 
Provine, William, 15. 
Pulaski county, 38, 39. 
Pnntenuy, George H., 59, 60. 
Putnam county, 23. 

Quakers of loica, by L. T. Jones, re- 
viewed, 97. 
Quilting bee, 309. 

Randolph county. 10. 16. 

Rangers at Vallonia, 265. 

Rapp, George, 2, 6. 

Ratification of the Constitution of 
1850, 247. 

Rawlings. J. J.. 347. 

Ray, Andrew. 332. 

Ray, James. 78, 79. 

Rea, George S., 338. 

Readings in Indiana History, no- 
ticed, 281. 

Rector. Melvin. 60. 

Red Brick academy, 335. 

Reed. Prof. George, 356. 

Reed, William. .333. 

Referendum of 1849 on Constitution- 
al Convention, 243. 

Rell. Samuel. 341. 

Rensselear, 37. 

Republican State Convention, (No. 
2) 34. 72. 

Republican State Platform, (No. 2) 
39, 41. 

Restine, Henry, 103. 

Revision of Constitution of 1850, 
reasons for, 242. 

Revolutionary Soldiers buried in In- 
diana. 112-115. 

Rhodes. G., 352. 

Rice, Isaac, Jr.. 352. 

Richards, Richard, 366. 

RiL-hards, William F.. 12. 

Richardville county, 40, 41. 

Richardville, John B.. 30, 

Richmond. 3. 

Richmond. Ansel, 24. 

Richmond. Nathaniel, 24. 

Rights of settlers, 379. 

Ripley county, 1, 10, 16. j 



Index 



429 



Rising Sim, 2. 41. 

Risley. Mrs. Sally P.. 92. 

Ritcbey. James C, 85U. 

Roads in early Jackson county, 276; 

toll, 277. 
Roads. Pioneer, (No. 2) 2, 27. 
Robertson, Cbarles, 13. 
Robertson, Robert S., candidate for 

governor, (No. 2) 36. 
Robinson, John C, obituary, (No. 

2) 89. 
Robinson, John L., 58. 
Robinson, Milo, 35. 
Robinson, Solon, 35. 
Rochester, 33, 34. 
Rockport. 10. 
Rockville, 22. 
Rogers, John, 74. 
liogers, AQuilla and Henry at Val- 

lonia, 259. 
Rogers, Elizabeth, 336. 
Rome, 8. 

Rome academy. 345. 
Koseville. 22. 
Rowe, George W., 61. 
Ruark, Shadrack, 364. 
Rush county, 23. 
Rush, G. B., 339. 
Rush. Peter. 26. 
Rushville, 23. 

RufiJnHUe American, 61, 62. 
Ruftli lille Jacksonian, 59, 60. 
Rushville Star, 61. 
Rus-hriUe Democrat, 60, 61. 
RiishriUc Gazette, 54, 58. 
Rushville Graphic, 60. 
RusliriUe Imlependent, 62. 
Rnshville Republican, 56, 57. 
Rushville Telegraph, 60. 
Rushville Times, 60. 
Rushville Whig, 54, 55, 57. 
Russel. Colonel, 49. 
Rutlidge, John, 62. 

Sale, John, 366. 

Sale, Thomas C, 344. 

Salem, 5; centennial. (No. 2) 101. 

Sal&m Democrat, (No. 2) 103, 328, 

330. 
Salisbiu'y. 3. 
Salt, (No. 2) 24. 
Sandy, Jerry, 10!). 
Sandy. Thomas. 108. 
Sanford. Hestor. 364. 
Sargent, Winthrop, 2. 
Sawver, John. 350. 
Schools, pioneer, 296; houses, 297; 

books, 303; methods, 303; loud, 

305. 
Schrader. John, 341, 366. 
Schumm. William. 56. 
Scott, A. J., 13. 



Scott county, 17. 

Scott County Journal, (No. 2) 101. 

Scott. John, 335. 

Scott, Thomas, 17. 

Scottsburg, 17, 18. 

Scripps, John, 366. 

Scudder, Caleb, 79. 

Settlements in 1816, 377. 

Settlers of Martin county, (No. 2) 

55. 
Settlers of \'lgo county, nativity of, 

381. 
Seymour, 9. 
Shadinger, Nathan, 56. 
Shakers, 363. 
Sharp, David, 364, 366. 
Shaw, Prof. Joseph, 355. 
Sliaw, Robert, 355. 
Shawhan, John W., 339. 
Shawhau, William, 340. 
Shelby county, 23. 
Shelbyville, 23. 
Shepherd, Frederick, 21. 
Sherman, Mason J., 16. 
Sherwood. Henry Noble, article by, 

reviewed. 124. 
Shoals, 18, 21. 
Shoemaker, John C, 346. 
Shooting match, 310. 
Short, C. AV., 338. 
Short. Doddridge, 338. 
Short, John L., 338. 
Sickness among pioneers, 284. 
Silver Creek circuit, 362. 
Singing school, 315. 
Sinking fund conmiission, 72. 
Slaughter, L. C, 70. 
Sleigh rides. 314. 
Smith, Caleb B,, 70. 
Smith, Hosea, 11. 
Smith, O. H., 240. 
Smith, Miss T. H., 341. 
Smock, Samuel. 333. 
Snow, Prof. James, 346. 
Social life, pioneer, 308. 
Somes, Joseph, 335. 
Spann, John S., 68, 
Sparta, 32. 

Si>eculati<)n in 1815, 376. 
Spelling schools, 315. 
Spencer, 16, 17. 
Spencer county, 1, 5, 7, 10. 
Spencer, Spier, 97, 98. 
Spitler. George. 1, 37. 
Spring Creek academy. 338. 
Springfield, 33. 
Sprinklesburg. 383. 
Sproule. Robt>rt S.. 59. 
Squires, Piatt. 353. 
St. Joseph county. 28, 29, 67. 
St. Joseph County Democrat, 67. 
Stacey, George W., 338. 



430 



Indiana Maga.zinc of History 



Staucil. Elder Williniii. sketch. lOG. 
107. 

Stausifer, Simon, 4. 

Starke county, 41. 

Stecli, John P., 61. 

Steel. John C. 352. 

Steele. George W.. (No. 2) 38. 

Steerwalt. Jacob, 109. 

Steerwalt. John, 109. 

Stembel, Theophilus. 347. 

Steuben county. 34. 35. 

Steubenville, 35, 36. 

"Stevens Collection," The, 398-401. 

Stevens. Thaddeus, Life of, by James 
A. Woodburn, reviewed, 121 ; 

Stkvens. Warder W.. article by, 
398-401. 

Stillwell. Thomas, 364. 

Stivers, Charles W., 57, 60. 

Stockwell, Robert, 340. 

Stone, Asahel, 4. 

Stone. Rev. J. M.. 352. 

Stores, pioneer, (No. 2) 26. 

Stories of Neu: Hanitonij for Cliil- 
dren, reviewed. 327. 

Strange. John. 304, 366. 

Studebaker. Clem, (No. 2) 34. 

Sturgeon and Buskirk killed by In- 
dians. 263. 

Sturgis, Robert, 355, 357. 

Sturgis, Minard. 355. 

Sturges, Prof. Z. B., 356. 

Suddarth, J. L., 13. 

Sugar-making. (No. 2) 24. 

"Suggestions for T'sing Indiana High 
School Texts in History," article 
by O. H. Williams. (No. 2) 63. 

Sullivan, 22. 

Sullivan county, 9, 10. 

Sweet. Prof. W. W.. (No. 2) 100. 
101 ; article by. 359-368. 

Switzerland comity, 5. 

Talbott, Rev. Edward. 360. 
Taverns, early, (No. 2) 28. 
Tavern rates in Jackson county, 275. 
Taxation, a conference on, 118. 
Tax rate in early Jackson county. 

273. 274. 
Taylor. John W., 353. 
Taylor, Richard, 335. 
Taylor, Rev. Samuel, 352. 
Teachers, pioneer, 296. 299; barring 

out, 303. 
Tell City, 8. 
Temi)le, W. W., IZ- 
Templetou, Leroy, .347. 
Terre Haute, 10. 
Terrell, Dr., 344. 
Tevault. William G., 38. 
Tliank.sgiving. first proclamation in 

Indiana, 129. 



Thomas, John Hardin, article by, 

331. 
Thompson, Charles K., 352, 357. 
Thompson. James. 337. 
I'hompson. Maurice, interview on 

election. (No. 2) 31. 
Thompson. R. W.. delegate, (No. 2) 

34. 
Thompson. Samuel, 364. 
Thorpe. Miss Mary. 338. 
Thrasher, W. W., 340. 
Thurston, James G., 13. 
Tippecanoe, 37. 
Tippecanoe academy, 338. 
Tippecanoe countj', 25. 
Tippecanoe Trail. 409. 
Tipton county, 40. 
Ti[)t()U. John, 17. 23, 41; at Vallonia, 

265 ; journal quoted, 266. 
Tiptona, 23. 
Tomlinson family, 47. 
"Town of Bethlehem. Indiana." arti- 
cle by Mrs. E. H. Campbell, 74- 

76. 
Townley, Rev. William, 338. 
Towns of Indiana 1817, 382. 
Tracewell. Robert J., 13. 
Training day, 319. 
Travis, Major Charles M.. obituary, 

110, 352. 
Travel and Description 1765-1865, by 

Solon J. Buck, 411. 
Travel in early Indiana. (No. 2) 27. 
Treat, John. 109. 
Troy, 7, 8. 

True American, 53, 54, 58. 
True ReimNican, 55. 56. 
Truman. Jacob. 366. 
Turner, Dr. F. J., List of References 

on the West, 127. 
Turpie. David, (No. 2) 31. 
Turnpike companies. 277. 
Two-seed Baptists, 94. 
Tyler, John, 70. 
Tyner, Harris, 28. 

I'uderground Railroad in Decatur 

county, (No. 2) 84. 
Union Association of Baptist Clergy, 

94. 
Union county, 21. 
Unknown God and other Orthodox 

Essays, by J. P. Dunn, reviewed, 

35. 

Vaile, Rawson, 338. 

Vallonia, 9; iron furnace at. (No. 2) 
.54; settlement. 257; name. 258, 
260; early settlers. 2()0; Indians. 
261. 

Valparaiso, 31. 

Van Arsdale :M. V., 334. 



Index 



43 i 



Vim Buren, 33. 

Van Slyke, Peter, 21. 

Vnuce. Samuel D., 352. 

VaiKlerbiirgli county, 10. 

Vanderburgh. Judge Henry, 95. 

Veedersburg, 27. 

Vermillion academy, 344. 

Vermillion county, 25. 

Venable, W. H., 334. 

Vernon, 1. 9. 

Versailles. 16. 

Vevay, 5, 6. 

Vigo county, 10, 22. 

Vlnceunes, 1, 2. 89. 

Vincennes academy, 335. 

Vincennes Christian church, 108. 

Virginia under the Stuarts, reviewed, 
(No. 2) 95. 

VoGEL, Fbederick William, article 
by, (No. 2) 1-29; article by, 284- 
820. 

Voorhees, Daniel W., (No. 2) 31. 

Voris, Prof. Samuel D., 355. 

Vote on calling a constitutional con- 
vention 1849, 243. 

Wabash association, 92, 93. 
Wabash county, 31. 
Wabash river. 9, 26. 
Wiibash. ^settlements on. 380. 
Walker, Jesse. 366. 
Wallace, Thomas, 54, 55, 58, 59. 75. 
Wallace. William, 4. 
Wallace. William E., 59. 
Waller; George Elder, 92, 93. 
Walling, Misses. 341. 
Ward, James, 17, 367. 
Ward, Seth, 343. 
War on the frontier, 369. 
Warford, David, 108. 
Warner academy, 837. 
Warner, Dr. Ithmar, 337. 
Warren coimty, 27. 
Warrick county, 4, 5, 10. 
Warsaw. 34. 
Washington, 7, 9. 
Washington county. 5. 
WiisJiiiif/fon Hlstoriidl QtKirterlif, no- 
ticed. (No. 2) 102. 
Watkinson, David, 39. 
Wavehind academy, 352. 
Wayne county, 3. 
We the People, 69. 
AVea Prairie. 102. 103. 
Weathers, J. H., 13. 
Weathers, J. R., 849. 
Weddings, 316. 
Well.s. Dr. A. W., 347. 
Wells county. 34. 36. 



Wells, Joseph G., .352. 

West Lebanon, 27. 

West Shoals, 21. 

Western Horseman, 60 

Western Sun, noticed, (No. 2) 101. 

Wickham, Wm. I)., 53. 58. 

Wild Game in Early Indiana, (No. 
2) 7. 

"William H. Churchman and the 
School for the Blind," article by 
George S. Cottman, 77, 82. 

Williams, John, 357. 

Williams, Joseph, 361, 364. 

Williams, Oscar H., article by, (No. 
2) 63, 278, 283. 

Williams, Robert N., 24. 

Williamsport, 2