This lively little town is situated on the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 15, and embraces a plat 556 feet long by 541 feet wide. It was laid out by John Asher purely as a speculation, and dates its history from September, 1873. An addition was made to the original plat November 14, 1874 by A. J. Wolfe. The first building in the village was erected by William Asher, and used by John Vonewitz for a store. This store consisted first of drugs and groceries, and later of a general stock. Mr. Vonewitz was in business about eighteen months, when the building he occupied caught fire and burned, destroying almost his entire stock. The second store was kept by D. M. Barnett, who sold goods about three years, at the end of which time he sold out and left the place. Other merchants who had done business here at different times were J. C. Nedlinger, Philip Scherb, W. T. Asher, B. F. Witty, Peyton & Jones, Peyton & Tressell, L. D. Tressell and W. D. Wolfe. Present merchants are F. M. Snyder, who keeps a large general store and is doing an extensive business; W. M. Peyton, general store; Mr. McCullough, drugs and groceries, and Dr. Miller, who makes drugs a specialty.
The first blacksmith was George Stierley, the present efficient Sheriff of Clay County. He built up an extensive trade, and was bought out seven years ago by John Stierley who runs the shop at the present time. The village is a good trading point, and boasts of a population of 200 souls. It is situated on the South Branch switch of the Vandalia Railroad, and is the shipping point for the Globe and AEtna coal mines, which are located nearby.

The town of Whittington was laid out by John Ackelmire, John Andrews and Robert Wingate, and is the outgrowth of the mines which were opened in the vicinity about the year 18—.
A post office was established the year the village plat was surveyed and named Hoosierville, with Noah Auman, Postmaster. The first store was kept by Sturdevant & Auman in a building that had been previously erected by Dr. Lynch. The second stock of goods was brought to the place by L. Pruner, who continued in business about three years, when he sold to Scott Zenor, who in turn sold to David Barnett some time later. Barnett is still here and doing a good business, with a large general stock. John R. Moore keeps a good store also. The citizens of the place receive a daily mail from Brazil, and the town has become, during the last three years, quite a good business point.
It has a population of about one hundred, the majority of whom work in the neighboring mines.
The mining interests of this township have been constantly increasing in importance, and at the present time there are several large mines

 in successful operation. Coal is found in all parts of the township, but the largest deposits seem to be in northern and western portions. The largest of these mines at the present time, AEtna, operated by the Watson Coal & Mining Company, and located near the village of Ashersville. About 125 men are employed in the shaft, and its yearly capacity is from 45,000 to 50,000 tons. The amount of capital employed is about $70,000.
The Globe Mine was opened by J. L. Stephens in 1874, and is situated near the line dividing Van Buren and Jackson Townships.
The average number of men employed in this mine is about seventy-five.
The earliest county records accessible are those of the year 1852, all previous to that time having been destroyed when the court house burned. From the tax duplicate of that year we copy the following figures on Jackson Township: Value of lands, $64,274; improvements, $10,088; personal property, $29,641. Polls, 112. Amount of tax assessed that year, $798.41.
For the year 1860—-Personal property, $69,842; total value of taxables, $295,814.   Polls, 182.   Total taxes, $2,120.03.
For the year 1870—Number of acres for taxation, 22,786.67; value of lands, $245,549; value of improvements, $53,045; value of personal property, $104,443. Total value of taxables, $408,027. Number of polls, 264.  Total amount of taxes, $6,500.17.
For the year 1880— Value of lands, $278,128; value of improvements, $47,354; lots and improvements thereon, $6,027; value of personal property, $123,067. Total value of taxables, $465,276. Number of polls, 419.   Total amount of taxes, $6,190.
For the year 1882—Number of acres for taxation, 22,798.23; value of lands, $296,004; value of improvements, $50,291; value of lots and improvements, $7,006; value of personal property, $117,698. Total value of taxables, $470,999.   Total taxes, $6,878.32.
The census of 1880 gives the township a population of 2,026 souls. The first voting place was at the residence of Alfred Bowling in Section 16. It was afterward changed to the Lucas Schoolhouse a little further north. The present voting place is Center Schoolhouse near Ashersville.


Cass, the smallest division of Clay County, containing an area of only twelve square miles, was called into existence by an order of the Commissioners' Court, which took effect in the year 1840, and named in honor of Michigan's great statesman, Lewis Cass. It originally formed a part of Jackson Township, and was organized as a separate division upon petition of its citizens, who urged the measure as a matter of convenience. Its territory is included in Town No. 12 north, Range 5 west, and is bounded by the following divisions, viz.: Putnam County on the north, Owen County on the east, and the townships of Washington and Jackson on the south and west respectively. Eel River is the principal water course. It flows through the township from north to south, crossing the northern boundary near the line, separating Sections 20 and 21 and leaving from Section 31. The surface of the country is gently rolling, except along the river where the land stretches away into the level bottoms for considerable distances on both sides of the stream. The soil varies in different localities, that of the bottoms being a black sandy loam of great depth and fertility, while on the higher land it is of a lighter nature, clay mixed, but very productive.
As is well known, Cass is pre-eminently an agricultural township, and compared in size and population, there are among its inhabitants a greater number of comfortably situated owners of the soil they till than in any other section of the county. In short, we doubt, notwithstanding the absence of manufactures, and the entire want of such public works as generally go hand in hand with a community's wealth and greatness, whether a section can be pointed to within the entire State, where an area containing an equal population, or a population contained within an equal area, can be found possessing in a greater degree the elements of material prosperity and genuine rural felicity than can here be seen.
The value of land in this township is higher than in any other part of the county, varying from $60 to $100 per acre, while many farms could not be purchased for almost double the amount last named. To sum up its material advantages in a very few words, we may truthfully say that, as to varied and delightful scenery, good highways, pleasant drives, interesting natural and historical landmarks, and an intelligent, refined and hospitable people, Cass, beyond question, can claim a foremost position; while in everything which tends to make a country prosperous, its people contented with their lot, and others contented with them, it occupies no second place.
That portions of Cass Township were, at one time in the remote past, inhabited by a pre-historic race possessed of many of the attributes of civilization, is quite probable, as evidences of their handiwork have been discovered in various localities. Who were these strange people?  Whence came they, and whither did they go?  These questions must forever remain to form a melancholy interest in the wondrous past, and a mystery which neither time, nor circumstance, nor science, nor the more wondrous future, may reveal. But since their time, another race has come and gone; gone from their ancient homes and hunting-grounds, though not yet extinct. This part of the county seems to have been a favorite rendezvous for the red men; and at the time the first settlers came there were several villages at different places along Eel River, and one near the site of Poland, which numbered several hundred inhabitants. Here were rich hunting grounds, which the Indians were loathe to leave, and, when the time for their departure arrived, they manifested considerable reluctance in going away, so much so that serious trouble came very nearly resulting. At one time the settlers organized a company for the purpose of compelling them to quit the country, but no hostilities were inaugurated, although considerable excitement grew out of the movement The majority of the Indians left about the year 1820, though parties of them returned at stated intervals thereafter for the purpose of hunting, fishing and bartering with the settlers. The first white settler within the present limits of Cass Township was one Samuel Rizley, who made the first entry of land on the 21st day of December, 1818, selecting for his home the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 31, where he erected a small cabin, into which his family was moved the following year. Rizley was a native of Kentucky, and immigrated to this State in company with his father-in-law, David Thomas, settling first in Owen County before the county of Clay was called into existence. With the probable exception of a few families, who lived at that time near the present site of Bowling Green, his settlement here was the first in the county, at least the first permanent settlement of which we have any authentic account. The country at that time was an unbroken wilderness, peopled only by savages, with whom our pioneer maintained the most friendly relations, and who returned his good will with many exhibitions of respect. They came often to the settler's cabin, but never did any harm, further than milking the cows occasionally when they found them at a safe distance from the house.   Rizley appears to have been a man of good business qualifications,  and in an early day served as Commissioner in Owen County, and in later years filled the same position in Clay. He served the county as Probate Judge during the early days of its history, and was one of the first Associate Judges also, besides filling several minor offices, as Township Trustee and Justice of the Peace. He was a resident of Cass for a period of fifty-four years, dying in 1873 at an advanced age. Several members of his family are living at the present time, one of whom, Mrs. Stacy, whose home is near Bowling Green, was the first white child born in Clay County. Another daughter, Mrs. William Cromwell, lives in Cass Township, within a half mile of where she was born sixty-two years ago.
The second land entry was made January 6, 1819, by Joel Dickison, who obtained a patent for the northeast and northwest quarters of Section 29, although he does not appear to have been identified with this part of the county as a citizen.
In the year 1819, Parnell Chance and his sons, John, Daniel and Filmore, came from North Carolina and settled near the central part of the township, in Section 29, where Charles Wilkinson now lives.
The first named entered land in Section 32 the year after his arrival, and lived upon it until the time of his death in 1848. John was a physician, and a minister of the Old School Baptist Church. He left the country in an early day, going to Arkansas, in which State he was hanged by guerrillas during the war. Daniel entered land in Section 32, and was for many years an honored citizen of the township. He sold out a number of years ago, and emigrated with several others to Illinois. Among the very first settlers was James Crafton, who located near the village of Poland about the same time that Rizley came to the county, or perhaps a little later. He appears to have been an easy going, lazy, good-natured sort of a character, with no particularly bad traits, yet not entirely free from imperfections. He entered a tract of land in Section 21 in the year 1823, and was a resident of Cass for many years, afterward selling out and moving into the adjoining township of Washington. John Sturdevant, a North Carolinian, settled in Section 21 as early as the fall of 1820. He was a frontiersman, and spent the greater part of his time hunting and trapping, doing but little in the way of improving land. He became the possessor of real estate in 1829, entering the land upon which he first settled, and which continued to be his home until 1853, when he sold and moved to Iowa. In the year 1820, Luke Dyar came to the township, and settled not far from Poland Village. He was accompanied by his sons, Caleb and Luke, Jr., both of whom were grown men, and who became prominently identified in the development of the country. The same year came John Latham, who settled in Section 21, on land which he sold in 1853 to Robert Smith. Latham was an odd character, whose besetting sin was selfishness, on account of which he became very unpopular in the community where he resided. The year 1821 was signalized by the arrival of Reuben Anderson, Alexander Willy, Levi and Joshua Cromwell.
Anderson came from North Carolina, and located near the village of Poland, where he acquired a valuable tract of real estate. Willy settled near the central part of the township, and entered land on which the village of Poland was afterward laid out.
The Cromwells were among the prominent pioneer families of Clay County, and figured conspicuously in the early settlement and development of Cass and adjoining townships. They were Virginians, and lineal descendants of Oliver Cromwell, of England, and possessed many of the characteristics which distinguished that great commoner. Levi Cromwell settled near Poland, and early achieved the reputation of a daring and skillful hunter. Later, he followed the occupation of a teamster, and freighted goods from Louisville for the various settlements of Clay, Owen and Putnam Counties. He appears to have been a man of roving tendencies, and, in the year 1836, sold his land to Col. John B. Nees, and started on a journey to Oregon, but died before reaching his destination.
Joshua Cromwell was an uncle of the preceding, and entered land in Section 27, where he lived until the year 1836, at which time his death occurred. Nicholas Cromwell, a brother of Joshua, came a couple of years later, and settled on land adjoining the Rizley farm, which he entered in 1836. He was a son-in-law of Rizley, and a man of character and influence in the community where he resided. He took an active part in the organization of the county, and had the honor of being elected its first Treasurer and Sheriff, performing the duties of both offices and finding plenty of leisure at the same time.
In later years, he served in various official capacities, both in the county and township, and was one of the Associate Judges at the time of his death in 1853. Two sons of this stanch old pioneer are living in the county at the present time, one of whom, William, is the oldest living settler of Cass Township, and Oliver, ex-County Representative, is now living near Ashboro, in the township of Sugar Ridge. The land on which Mr. Cromwell lived, and which was his home during the period of his residence, is owned and occupied at the present time by G. W. Latham.
Jared Payton was an early settler, coming in 1824 from Harrison County. He entered land in Section 27, and earned the reputation of being a good citizen. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and was elected in the year 1828 to represent the county in the State Legislature. His sons, John M. and E. B. Peyton, came the same time. The former was at one time elected Representative. The latter at the present time is a distinguished jurist of Kansas, and is serving as Judge in the city of Emporia. Other early settlers prior to 1830 were Solomon Brandenburgh, who located near Poland; Evan Morgan, who improved a farm in the same neighborhood; William Coffman, John Acrea, Isaac Mace, Casper Rader, Elias Syster, John Tolbert, Jacob Mclntire, William Graves, Robert Wilkinson and Samuel Sloane. Samuel Stigler came in 1832, and purchased land of William Graves. He became a prominent business man, and served as Township Trustee in a very early day. Willis Phigley came about the same time, and was a resident of the township until 1863, at which time he moved to Greencastle, where he still resides. Joseph Zenor, Harvey Pease and George Zenor were early settlers, and date their arrival from about the year 1830.
Prominent among the settlers of 1836 was Col. John B. Nees, who demands more than a passing notice. The following sketch of his life in connection with the history of the township was furnished by Mr. A. F. Bridges:
Col. Nees was a native of Tennessee, but he removed with his parents to Indiana, then a territory, in 1815, settling in what is now Union County. He was then but ten years of age. In 1836, he became a resident of Cass Township, where he resided uninterruptedly till his death, which occurred May 19, 1882.
Col. Nees was a man of education in advance of the time and place in which he lived.   He was well versed in both the German and the English languages, and was conversant with the intricacies of common law. In the early settlement of the county, he rendered invaluable service in pointing out fertile lands, and especially in assisting his German friends in the entry of their farms.   With rare foresight, he dealt largely in land, his object in buying and selling being to surround himself with good neighbors.   To his zeal in this direction is largely due the fact that Poland and the excellent region adjoining it was occupied in an early day by a thrifty and moral class of people.   He was a public-spirited citizen, and labored for the good of the community in which he lived.   He assisted in the erection of a brick church building in Poland, which for a quarter of a century or longer was used by the Methodists as a place of worship.   He also assisted in the erection of a German Church south of Poland, as well as the Presbyterian Church, erected in the village only a few years ago, thus laying the foundation for the moral, as well as the material development of the community.   He was generous and philanthropic, and took delight in helping others, frequently to his own disadvantage.   He recognized the native talent and earnest effort of young men with whom he came in contact, many of whom acknowledge their success in life to be due to the assistance and encouragement he gave them at the beginning of their career.   Among these is Elisha B. Peyton, of Emporia, Kan.   He frequently addressed his fellow-citizens upon the issues of the day, being a fluent and forcible speaker both in English and German. His public spirit and his interest in others, together with his personal merit, were recognized by the people of Clay County, who twice sent him as their Representative to the State Legislature (1841-42), and who imposed upon him other important trusts. In later years he was urged by his party to run for Congress, and twice refused a nomination for the position.
Among other early settlers deserving of mention can be named John Cagle, Isaac Mace, Casper Rader, Thomas Sloane, Uriah Hicks, Alexander Highnot, Nathan Clifton, Jacob Reed, Samuel Owen and James Cash, all of whom obtained land by entry.
The early pioneers of Cass were, perhaps, more fortunately situated than the first settlers in any other part of the county.   The soil was more easily tilled, and produced more abundant crops, and with the exception of the ague during a small portion of the year the county in the main was very healthy.   There were no hostile Indians to encounter, and no very ferocious beasts to guard against; yet, notwithstanding these advantages, the pioneers were compelled to undergo many hardships, as the distance from market places made it difficult to obtain wearing apparel, groceries and other conveniences necessary to sustenance and comfort. They practiced self-denial, for they left behind them the comforts and abundance of their old homes.   Few in numbers at first, they were strong in faith and courage, and developed a character of which their descendants need not feel ashamed.   Their necessities made them ingenious, their hardships made them brave, and their fewness made them sociable. Their community of wants and dangers made them sympathetic and helpful of each other.   However scanty their fare, it was shared with the neighbor or stranger with a free-heartedness that gave relish to the plain repast.   However small and unsightly their cabin, its room and bed and genial warmth were divided with a cordiality that sweetened the welcome. Their social life was adorned with the graces of liberality and true friendship.   They did wisely and well their peculiar work of laying the foundations, that their posterity might build upon them.
The first mill in the township was made by Samuel Rizley for his own use, and operated by "man power." The buhrs were manufactured from two "nigger heads," and set in a large gum, and when operated by a strong man could make a fair article of meal. The mill was placed at the disposal of the neighbors, who used it for several years.
About the year 1842, Michael and Henry Nees erected a mill near the central part of the township, on Dyar's Branch, from which it received its motive power. This mill supplied a long-felt want in the community, and during the time it was operated did a good business, having been extensively patronized by the settlers for many miles around.
It was a small building, contained three set of buhrs and was in operation about two years, at the end of which time it was allowed to fall into disuse on account of the creek dam washing out.
A water-mill was built on Eel River, in the north part of the township, as early as 1844, by John Acrea and son. The original building was a small frame, and the machinery was of the simplest description, and used only for grinding, or rather cracking corn. It did a good business for a mill of its capacity, and during the early years of its history was kept running almost constantly in order to supply the extensive demand for meal.
In later years, it passed into the hands of other parties, who improved the machinery by adding wheat buhrs, and in time it became the chief source of supplies in the northwestern part of the county. It is still in operation, the present proprietor being Adam Carpenter.
Several small distilleries were in operation in an early day by Samuel Stigler, Luke Dyar, — Sturdevant, Samuel Rizley and Casper Rader. They were all conducted upon a primitive plan, and their production was principally consumed by the community, as whisky, in those good old times, was the common beverage of young and old, male and female. It was the genuine article, made without the use of poisonous compounds, and was exchanged for corn at the rate of one gallon for a bushel.
The first brick house in the township was built by Samuel Rizley, about the year 1840. The second brick house was built some years later in the village of Poland, and is still standing.
William Cromwell erected the first frame residence and still occupies it.   An early frame house was built in Poland, by Samuel Stigler.
The first orchard was set out by John Latham shortly after he settled in the county. Nicholas Cromwell, Reuben Anderson, Joshua Cromwell and Samuel Rizley set out orchards in an early day, the latter bringing seeds and grafts from North Carolina, and supplying many of the neighboring farms with trees in after years.
The first birth, to which reference has already been made, occurred in the year 1819, in the family of Samuel Rizley, and was the earliest event of the kind in the county.
The child born on that occasion was Eliza Rizley, now Mrs. Stacy, who is still living near Bowling Green. Susan Rizley, wife of William Cromwell, and sister of the preceding, was born August 13, 1821, and is still living a short distance from her birthplace; Mary Ann Cromwell was born in the year 1826. Other early births occurred in the families of Luke Dyar, Reuben Anderson and Parnell Chance.

It cannot be ascertained with any degree of certainty whose was the first death in the township, though it is supposed to have been a man by name of Beaman, who died prior to the year 1828. He was buried on the Rizley farm, where a graveyard was afterward laid out. Polly Rizley, daughter of Samuel Rizley, was buried in this cemetery as early as 1831, and Charles Scammahorn was laid away about the same time. The Dyar Graveyard was laid out near the central part of the township in the year 1830, and is the resting place of many of the early pioneers mentioned in the preceding pages.
Among the first buried here were Alexander Willy and wife, Reuben Anderson and Isaac Anderson and their wives, Luke Dyar, Mrs. Dyar and a man by name of Green.
The Wilkinson Graveyard was an early burial place, though not so old as the ones mentioned. Here were buried Robert Wilkinson and wife, Uriah Wilkinson, together with their respective families, all of whom died in an early day.
In addition to the cemeteries enumerated there are two others in the township, one on the Latham farm and one on William Cromwell's land.
The earliest marriage traceable was solemized in the year 1828, the contracting parties being James Crafton and Sarah, daughter of Joshua Cromwell. The ceremony was performed by Squire Samuel Rizley. Wesley Peyton and Nancy Chance assumed the responsibilities of matrimony about the same time; as did also Christopher Brannem and Tabitha Chance. Other early marriages were Nathan Clifton to Nellie Chance, and Esau Presnell and Nancy Green.
The first highway through Cass was the road leading from Greencastle to Bowling Green. It was laid out as early as 1826, and crosses the township from north to south, following the river. A road on the opposite side of the river was established about the same time, and in the same general direction. They are both state roads and extensively traveled at the present time. The Martinsville & Terre Haute road was cut out in 1826 or 1827, and passes through the central part of the township from east to west.   It is a State road also, and in good condition.
The first election within the present limits of Cass was held at the
Nees Mill before the township was formed.   The first voting place after the township organization was at the residence of Luke Dyar.   The first election took place in 1843, and was for the purpose of electing a

 Justice of the Peace. The upon that occasion was Wesley Myers, who received in all about fifty votes, enough to make a handsome majority. The place of voting was afterward changed to the village of Poland, where the polls have been kept to the present time.
Education received early attention in this township, and as soon as there were children enough in a community a school was established. The first sessions lasted from two to three months of the year, and were supported by subscription, the teacher frequently taking corn, deer skins and other articles as a part of his remuneration, which at the best was but meager. Among the first pedagogues, if not the first, was one Harvey Pease, who taught in a little cabin near Eel River, where Henry Kizer lives. Benjamin Payne taught in a rude hut which stood on the Rizley farm, and Jared Peyton wielded the birch of authority in an early day where the village of Poland now stands. Peyton was a man of culture, and earned the reputation of being a fine teacher. He was afterward the county's representative in the State Legislature, being the first person honored with that office. He was identified with the schools of the township for several years, and exerted a good influence in the cause of education.
An early school was taught near Poland by a man by the name of McGuire, while David Herald taught as early as the year 1830 in the old Baptist Church which stood on the Chance farm. A log schoolhouse was built in an early day on the farm of Nicholas Cromwell, and first used by Elisha B. Peyton. Timothy Lucas was an early pedagogue at the same place, as were several others whose names were not ascertained. In the year 1843, the township was divided into several districts, and frame buildings erected. Public money was first drawn that year, and since that time the schools of the township have been advancing until now they are among the best supported and most ably conducted in the county.
Trustees. —Among the earliest Trustees of the township were Samuel Rizley and Col. John B. Nees. Since 1850, the following persons have had charge of the office, to wit: John B. Nees, Frederick Ahlemoire, Elias Syster, William Tenney, Frederick Tapey, Adam Trussell and Thomas Burns.
The pioneer preachers in this part of the county were of the Old School Baptist denomination, and held public worship from house to house several years before any permanent organization was effected. The Eel River Church was organized on the farm of Parnell Chance, prior to the year 1830, and is said to be the oldest religious organization

 in the county. A log house of worship was erected in an early day, and was in use until a few years ago, when a neat frame edifice was erected. The church has always sustained preaching, and has been a great power for good in the country, numbering among its communicants at the present time many of the substantial citizens of the community. The present membership is about fifty, and the organization is reported in good condition. Elder Joseph Coldtharpe is the present efficient pastor.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Poland dates its origin from about the year 1843. A brick house of worship was erected in the year 1852, and used until the year 1875, at which time it was torn down, and a more comfortable and convenient frame structure built on the same spot. The house is 35x45 feet in size, and is a model of neatness, costing the sum of $1,600.
 The number of communicants at the present time is forty-two. Rev. William Switzer is pastor.
The officials are John J. Huffman, Class Leader; John R. Foreman and John J. Huffman, Stewards; Robert Smith, Charles J. Wilkinson, John R. Foreman, John J. Huffman and Solomon Reynolds, Trustees.
The Poland Presbyterian Church was organized about the year 1865 by Rev. Thomas Milligan, with a small membership. Services were held in the Methodist house of worship for about four years, at the end of which time the society found itself in condition to erect a building of its own. Their edifice, a substantial frame structure, stands in the western part of the village, and represents a value of $1,500. Rev. Thomas Milligan was pastor of the church for a period of about twelve years, and during that time did much toward establishing the society upon its present firm footing. Rev. E. W. Fisk succeeded Milligan, and has been the regular pastor ever since.
There are at the present time the names of about fifty members upon the church records.

This neat little city is situated near the central part of the township, and owes its origin to the general demand of the community, for a trading point and post office. The survey of the original plat was made in the year 18—, the enterprise being brought about chiefly through the efforts of Col. John B. Nees, who was always the warm friend of the village, and one of its proprietors. The town site occupies a portion of the lands formerly owned by William Crafton, Isaac Anderson and Tillman Chance, who assisted in laying the village out.
The town's first houses were rude log cabins of the most primitive fashion, but after a few years a better class of dwellings was erected, and in time the village became quite a prominent trading point, and gave considerable promise of becoming a flourishing city.   The absence of railroad communication, together with its location, prevented business men from locating here, and the town's growth has, as a consequence, been rather slow.
Robert Anderson and Elisha Peyton were among the first to purchase lots and build residences in the new city, and a man by name of Whittenberg kept the first store. His place of business was a little log house which stood on Lot 2, in Block 4, where he sold goods for about three years, when he erected a brick store room on the corner of Main and Jackson streets, where he continued his business one year longer, at which time he closed out and left the town.
From B. L. Keith's " Reminiscenses of Early Merchandising in Clay County," we copy the following concerning Mr. Whittenberg: "He kept a little store and wagoned all his goods from Terre Haute in an old one-horse wagon.   He traded for such “ truck” as the people had to sell, and did quite a nice business for those early days. Now, this man Whittenberg was a fly leaf in the history of Clay County.   He spoke with a broken accent, and at times tore the  Queen's English to pieces in an alarming manner.  Among other things Whittenberg bought, was butter. An incident is here connected with his early merchandising which will explain how an old German established the bottom of the scale on which the greasy substance has since slid up and down.   Early in his career as a buyer, he paid at the rate of 81/3 cents per pound or three pounds for 25 cents.   But he soon found that whenever he told anybody what he was paying for butter, owing to his broken accent, he made a laughing stock of himself.   All of his customers could not understand German, and he could not successfully quote the prevailing price to the English-speaking ones.   This was very embarrassing to him and he finally declared that from now, henceforth and forever, as long as time should last, the price  of butter should never be less than 10 cents.   The boys around the village used to play all manner of pranks on the honest old Dutchman, and “rile” him just to see how mad he could get, until finally he swore that if they did not “let up” he would import a genuine Limburger cheese, cook it in a kettle in the middle of the street, and poison every mother's son of them.
The second stock of goods was brought to the village by Col. John B.  Nees and E. B. Peyton, who erected a business house on the southeast corner of Main and Jackson streets, now occupied by John Stwalle & Son. They conducted a flourishing business for several years, and were afterward succeeded by Robert Wingate, who ran a branch store, his main business house being at Bowling Green. The branch store was conducted under the management of Elisha B. Peyton, now the Hon. E. B. Peyton, a prominent jurist of Emporia, Kan. Mr. Keith in his reminiscences relates the following amusing incident:  Peyton had sued one of the good class leaders of his church, and the old fellow felt
considerably hurt over it, so he gathered up his Testament and church discipline, went to Poland, called at the store and told Brother Peyton that he would like to have a word with him. Peyton asked him up stairs, and when they got there, the good old Deacon said, “Let us have a word of prayer.” So they both bowed down upon a lot of old rags, and the old man prayed long and loud for Brother Peyton and afterward read him a lesson from the discipline. “Lish” began to feel uneasy, and asked the old fellow what he was driving at, and he told him that he had committed the unpardonable sin of suing a brother. After a deal of exhortation, Peyton ordered the suit dismissed, renewed the old man's note, and everything went sailing again as usual. Other merchants who did business in the village from time to time were F. Geiger, William S. Walker, Lawrence Athey, Adam Trussell, John C. McGreggor, John Huffman, Reed & Strauch, Philip Nelson & Son, Nelson & Foreman, Stwalley &, Huffman and several others.
Business Pursuits.—Peter Rodenberger, Philip Fritz, Silas Watts and William Black were early mechanics. The mechanics of the present time are William Teany, William Keiser, Samuel C. Hoover and I. B. Anderson, blacksmiths; Henry Werrenyer and Thomas Admire, wagon-makers; William Werrenyer, John Anderson, James Anderson and George Admire, carpenters; Tressell & Kattman, harnessmakers; Lewis Baumunk, shoe-maker; John H. Schwer, house and sign painter.
The mercantile business at the present time is represented by the following firms: Tressell & Kattman keep a large stock of general merchandise, and have a flourishing trade; Stwalley & Son handle a general stock also, and report their business good. There is one fine drug store kept by Frank Spellbring.
Since its origin, the village has been blessed by the following disciples of the healing art, viz.: Drs. Hoffman, Collins, Browning, Muntz, Mulinix, Kiser, Cornell, Fisher, Hendrix, Bryan and Stone. The present medical men are T. A. Elliott, W. L. Chamberlain and Newton Bartholomew.
The first school house in the village was a little log structure, and stood on the northeast corner of Main and Jackson streets. It was built in an early day and was in use until about the year 1872, at which time it was vacated and the present large two-story building erected. The present house contains two rooms, and cost the sum of $1,300. The last teachers were Samuel Nees and J. M. Dollison.

Dick Johnson Township was named in honor of Hon. Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, and embraces an area of twenty-one and a half square miles of territory, lying in the northwest corner of Clay County. It originally formed a part of the large township of Posey, from which it was separated in the year 1828, and organized as a distinct division. The principal cause which led to the formation was the difficulty experienced by the early settlers in reaching the voting place, which was situated near the site of Staunton Village, a long distance from the northern part of the township. No division of the county contains as much broken and unprofitable land in proportion to the number of acres as Dick Johnson, quite a large area in the southern part being too broken and hilly for cultivation. Among the hills, however, are valleys and bottom lands, rich in decayed vegetable matter, and capable of producing large crops of corn, wheat and the other cereals and fruits usually grown in this part of the State. About two-thirds of the township is level, confined to the northern, eastern and western portions, where are to be seen some of the best improved farms in the northern part of the county. The township is heavily timbered with the varieties indigenous to this part of the State, Beech, Hickory, Oak, Poplar and Maple predominating. At one time there were quantities of black walnut, but of late years it has almost entirely disappeared. South and North Branches of Water Creek, with their affluents, afford the principal drainage, the former flowing a westerly direction through the southern part of the township, and the latter rising near the town of Carbon, and flowing an irregular course through the northern part.
The township is rich in mineral wealth, especially coal, large deposits of which are found in various localities. Along the line of the I & St. L. R. R., in the northern part of the township, extensive mines have been developed, and are in successful operation at the present time.
Building stone of a superior quality is found in different parts of the township, and a large quarry has been opened a few miles from the county seat, affording employment for a number of workmen. This stone is extensively used in this county, and large quantities have been shipped to various parts of the State.
The settlement of Dick Johnson Township dates back more than a half century. The first white people who came here were from Ohio, Kentucky and the Carolinas, and consisted of transient settlers or squatters, who were lured to the country on account of the abundance of game. They were hunters, rather than tillers of the soil, and made but few improvements, moving about from place to place, and generally leaving the country upon the appearance of the permanent settlers. It is known that several of these transient residents were living in the country as early as 1820, but their names and facts concerning them have been forgotten.
The first entry of land in the township was made October, 1820, by Jesse Kisor, who obtained a patent for the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 19.   Kisor lived in Vigo County, and was never identified with this township in the capacity of a citizen.   The first permanent settlers of whom anything definite could be learned were Simeon and Patrick Archer, two brothers, who moved here from Ohio as early as the year 1823.   They located in Section 11, where the former entered land one year later, being the second entry in the township.   But little can be said about those two men, save that Patrick was an exemplary citizen and a member of the Baptist Church, while his brother was the exact opposite in character and conduct, and was but little respected in the community on account of his dissipated habits.   They both died many years ago, leaving descendants, a few of whom are still residents of the township.   In the year 1826, Daniel Webster entered land in Section 10, and an improvement was made upon it a few months later by one Luke Acres, a Virginian, who moved to the country in the fall of 1825.  Acres was a very poor man.   Upon his arrival in the new country, he found himself the possessor of an ax, a couple of old horses, and a few household goods representing a value of about $10.   He hired to Mr. Webster, and worked for him four years, earning sufficient money in the meantime to enable him to enter land of his own.   He afterward became a man of considerable prominence, and earned the reputation of being a man whose word was revered as law in the community where he lived. His death occurred in the year 1850.   The land which he entered lies in Section 15, and is at present owned and occupied by his son-in-law, Sanford Sampson.   An early character of the township was a man by name of Johnson, familiarly known as " Club Foot" Johnson, on account of the almost entire absence of those useful appendages known as feet, he having lost them one bitter winter night while sleeping off the effects of a three day spree in a quiet snow drift.  He was a good type of a class of men developed by the times, whose greatest delight was roistering, drinking, fighting and in the hundred and one other amusements common among the backwoods generation of fifty years ago.   To hunt a little, frolic much, steal when favorable opportunities presented themselves, go to town often, and never miss a general election day, and get " glorious," and fight till night, just for fun, was the pleasure and delight of his worthless life. We mean no offense to the readers of the prize ring literature of today by informing them that even in the early times there were men here nearly as big fools as they. Their intelligence, like these, had a strong admixture of the bull dog and hyena. Their real worship was an image of the bullet head and thick necked tribe of bruisers. It is the base-born admiration of the thug that makes such characters possible among civilized men.
There were redeeming traits often about the fighting bully in those olden times. He was the foundation upon which the present thugs may place their first start in the world, and from the good that was in him, his successors have wholly departed, until they now present an instance of perpetual degeneration and total depravity.  "Club Foot" had but few redeeming qualities, and he was universally disliked by his neighbors, many of whom could not conceal a smile of satisfaction when the news of his demise was made known.
A couple of sons who inherited the father's bad traits, and none of his better nature, grew up to be moral ulcers on the community. One of these hopefuls shot and killed Col. Bell, a prominent citizen of Vigo County, under the following circumstance: It appears that considerable thievery had been committed in the neighborhood, from time to time, and suspicion rested upon the Johnson boys, whose proclivities in that direction were well known. They became alarmed, and fearing that Mr. Bell who was the leading citizen of the community, might ferret the matter out, determined to place themselves upon the safe side by putting him out of the way. While riding alone in the woods one day, Mr. Bell met the two boys who were out hunting. He spoke to them and rode past a considerable distance, paying no further attention. All at once the woods resounded with the sharp crack of a rifle and Mr. Bell fell from his horse to the ground, shot in his back. The boys took to the timber, thinking of course that the shot had the desired effect, but such was not the case, as Mr. Bell lived about a week and gave information which led to the arrest of the murderer. The boy was supposed by some to be crazy, at least he manifested symptoms of insanity while in jail, and died a short time after his incarceration.
Benjamin Johnson, a brother of "Club Foot," came about the same time and settled near the northern boundary of the township. He was a better man than the former, though he could not boast the attributes of a saint by any means. No descendants of those families are living in the county at the present time. Daniel Webster became a citizen of the township about the year 1830, settling upon land which had been entered in his name four years previous. He was a Virginian by birth, and the father of a large family, several members of which are prominent citizens of the county at the present time. Lewis and Hiram Fortner settled in the southwest corner of the township in 1829, and entered
land one year later. They immigrated from Kentucky,and were preachers of the Christian or New Light Church. Alexander Cabbage came in 1830, and located where his son Arnold Cabbage lives in the southwestern part of the township. An early settler was Absalom Davenport, who came from North Carolina and made a home in Section 11, about the year 1826 or 1827. Travis Davenport, brother of the preceding, came a few years later and entered the land where Joseph Webster lives, in Section 9. He was a good man and served as Justice of the Peace soon after the township organization.
In 1830, the following persons, additional to those enumerated, were living in the township: John Downing, John S. Yocum, James Smith and George McCullough. Later came James Yocum, Jacob Yocum, Henry Hensley, Michael and Job Combs. The last two were prominent ministers of the Christian Church.
Other settlers who came in an early day and shared the hardships of frontier life, were John Ball, John Wisner, John Stewart, P. C. Ditty, George Hensley, James Brinton, G. W. Archer, J. M. Halbert, Nathan Compton, Berryman James, Jonathan Yocum, Frank B. Yocum, Daniel Dunlavy, John Scott and John Britten, all of whom became residents and land owners prior to 1837. Early entries by non-residents were made by Samuel Miller, William Nichols, Daniel Wart, Marshall Beaty, Pleasant White, Green James, J. K. James, Mary Huffman, Benjamin Hedges, Samuel Campbell, Samuel Butt, Homer Johnson, Philip Hedges, Daniel Wools, Stephen Crabbe and George Myers. The population increased so rapidly after 1836, that it would be impossible to give each settler a notice. The last tract of Government land in the township was taken up in 1842.

The majority of the early pioneers of Clay County were men of moderate circumstances, and came here desirous of bettering their fortunes. Like all pioneers, they were kind to a fault and ever ready to do a favor. The immigrant upon his arrival began at once preparations for a shelter. During this period the family lived in a wagon, or occupied a temporary habitation made of poles, with no floor except the earth, and no windows except the interstices between the logs forming the walls. Should the time of arrival be in the spring, this simple structure sufficed for a house until the crops were sown, when a more comfortable abode was prepared for winter. The first really profitable industry in this part of the country was the gathering of wild honey. The forests were favorite places for wild bees, and therefore nearly every tree was a hive where they lived and gathered their sweet treasures from the blossoms of the woods. The honey was gathered and the wax strained, and both became the really money producing products of the country. Honey, beeswax, ginseng, venison, turkeys, pelts and furs were the only things possible to

 send to market to exchange for such articles as the people wanted. The early comers had to have powder and tobacco, and some of them found whisky to be a necessity. For everything else they could kill game. The first season, usually, they had to buy corn for bread, but the emergencies were frequent when this could not be got. In many families coffee was unknown. An instance is related, for the truth of which we will not vouch, of a man who was quite sick, and who imagined that a cup of coffee would bring him health. In his young days he had been used to the beverage, but after moving into the backwoods had been obliged to do without his favorite cup. A neighbor was sent to procure the coffee, but where he obtained it the storyteller did not say; at any rate it was procured. When he returned he gave it to the daughters and told them to make some for their father. They took it out and examined it for some time, when they went to the old people and inquired if they made it like other "bean soup.'' All families did not live in this way. There were then, as now, great differences in the forethought and thrift of the people. Many even when here before the county was organized lived in generous plenty of such as the land afforded. Meat of superior quality and in varieties that we cannot now get was within the easy reach of all, but in everything else to eat or wear they were far behind us now, and so was the whole country.
The first crops grown were usually corn and vegetables, the wet condition of the soil precluding the possibility of raising the smaller cereals. About the year 1830, the first crop of wheat was harvested. It made a generous yield, and from it came the seed that in after years made much of the wheat bread of our people. The first orchards were set out about the same time, with trees brought from one of the older States. Until these orchards commenced bearing, the settlers tasted no other fruit except that which grew wild in the woods. These were crab apples, plums, grapes and wild cherries, and the variety of nuts found here. There were but few early mills in the township; the settlers obtained their bread stuff's from the older settled portions of the county, where horse and hand mills were put into operation in a very early day. Some of the farmers made their own meal by crushing the corn in mortars, a description of which will be found in another chapter. Others used the common tin grater, a useful article found in almost every household. The first lumber was manufactured with a whip saw, and was used for floors. The majority of the settlers, however, could not afford such lumber, and made floors for their cabins of puncheons, hewed smooth with a common chopping ax.
The first sawmill in the township was built by a man by the name of Hallet, and stood near Lodi, on a small creek, from which it obtained it’s motive power. It was operated at intervals for several years, but did no extensive business, owing to the scarcity of water in the creek.   A man by the name of York built a small mill on Otter Greek, in the northern part of the township in an early day, and operated it with moderate success for three or four years. It was built for a sawmill, but a corn buhr was afterward attached. John Wisner constructed a small corn mill on Otter Creek, also, and supplied the northern settlement with meal for several years. The machinery was of the simplest description, consisting of two handmade buhrs set in a gum, bound around and held together with tough hickory withes, and a small waterwheel, which made about twenty revolutions per minute. The neighbors say it was a very "ferocious" affair, for no sooner had it crushed one grain of corn than "it bounced right upon another."
In the year 1852, Joseph Carter built a large steam sawmill on his farm in the southern part of the township, which proved a very satisfactory venture. An interest was afterward purchased by John Carter, and together they operated it about one year, when the building caught fire and burned to the ground. A new mill was built on the same spot the following year, and is still in operation, doing a good business. The Nicoson Steam Saw Mill is situated in the northern part of the township, where it has been in successful operation for about four years. The proprietor is William Nicoson, who reports his business fair.

 The religious history of the township dates back to the first settlement, many of the early pioneers having been active members of different churches in the States from which they emigrated.
Elder William Yocum was an early minister of the Christian Church, and held public worship at various places in the township as long ago as 1825, but no organization was effected until four years later. The Bee Ridge Christian (New Light) Church was organized in 1829, at the residence of Lewis Fortner, with a good membership. Among early members were Lewis Fortner, A. F. Cabbage and F. B. Yocum.
The present house of worship was erected in the year 1870. It is a frame structure, 20x36 feet in size, and contains a commodious audience room, with a seating capacity of about 250 persons. The society has always maintained religious services, and is one of the aggressive organizations of the county. The present officials are F. B. Yocum, John T. Philips and John M. Acres, Elders; William F. Downing, Deacon; L. G. S. Stewart, Clerk and Treasurer; F. B. Yocum, A D. Cabbage and Solomon Garner, Trustees. W. T. Anderson is Superintendent of the Union Sunday School, which has an average attendance of sixty scholars.
Lodi Christian Church.—This society dates its history from the year 1835, at which time an organization was effected at the Acres Schoolhouse with about thirty members. The chief movers in the organization were Elders Job and Michael Combs, both of whom preached  for the congregation for a number of years; another early preacher was Elder S. Crabbe. The society used the school house for a meeting place for a number of years. A re-organization was effected in the year 1873, and a neat house of worship erected at a cost of about $1,300. The building is frame, 30x40 feet, and stands near Lodi, on ground donated by J. M. Halbert. Since 1840 the society has been ministered to by the following pastors, viz., Nathan Wright, Ezekiel Wright, — McCoy,— Daily, W. Black, Reuben A.. Webster, Theodore Marshall, Harrison Williams and Hezekiah Williams. The pastor in charge at the present time is Elder William Nicoson.   Present membership, about thirty.
Fairview Christian Church was organized at the Washington School-house in the northern part of the township in 1876. The organization was brought about by Elder Harrison Williams, and at the first meeting the names of sixty members were enrolled, the majority of them coming from neighboring congregations. Meetings were held in the schoolhouse until 1881, at which time the present neat house of worship was built. The building stands on ground donated by William Compton, is 24x36 feet in size, and represents a value of $1,100. Elder Williams was succeeded in the pastorate by Elder Axline, who remained with the church only five months. The third pastor was Elder William Nicoson, who preached at intervals for two years, at the end of which time Elder Hezekiah Williams took charge, and remained nine months. At the close of Williams' pastorate, Nicoson again took charge of the church, and is preaching for the congregation at the present time. The church is in a flourishing condition, numbering fifty members, among whom are many of the substantial citizens of the township. Elder William Nicoson and S. B. Crabbe are Elders; B. M. Compton and F. Brown, Deacons. A good Sunday school is sustained, with an average attendance of forty-five scholars.   Elder Nicoson is Superintendent.

Education was not neglected by the pioneers, and schools were established very early. The first sessions were generally taught in vacant dwellings or small log cabins erected for the purpose, and were attended by the children for many miles around. Those early school buildings were constructed upon the simplest imaginable plan, and but little money was required to furnish them with the necessary seats, desks, etc. They were built of unhewed logs, covered with clapboards, and in size were generally about 12x14 feet. The chimney was of sticks and mortar, while the fireplace was large enough to take in almost a cord of wood, and such large back logs were used as to keep fire through the long intermission from dismissal in the evening to school call in the morning. Teachers were required to be at their posts of duty as soon as they could get there of mornings, and the day's work was finished only when the gathering darkness made studying impossible. Among the early pedagogues are remembered R. Hobbe, F. McCullough, James Davenport, Omer Hicks, John Kennedy, Parke Philips, W. Wolfe and Kate Philips.

The building of this road was an era in the history of this part of the State, and Dick Johnson Township came in for its share of the general prosperity which followed the completion of this great internal improvement. It gave the people facilities hitherto unknown to them, furnished markets, and was the direct means of developing the rich coal mines throughout the northern part of the county. The road passes through the northern part of the township.   It was completed in the year 18—.

This village was situated among the "loveliest of the knobs," and was surveyed November, 1870, by T. D. Johns for Michael McMillan, who laid out the town as a speculative venture. The plat occupies a part of the southwest quarter of Section 2, and originally consisted of twenty lots, sixty feet wide by 120 feet deep, two streets running north and south—i. e., Walnut and Cherry, each of which is sixty feet wide, and two streets—Poplar and Cherry—running east and west, fifty feet in width. The village is an outgrowth of the L & St. L. Railroad, and affords a fine shipping point for coal. The population is largely composed of miners, who find employment in the Iron Mountain Mine nearby. There is a post office, a boarding house, kept by Mrs. King, and a store of general merchandise kept by Mr. Vigo, a very energetic and successful business man.

" The verdant fields are covered o'er with growing grain, And white men till the soil where once the red men used to reign."
It is difficult to realize as we travel along the highways that traverse this beautiful township, and note the broad acres of welltilled soil and stately farmhouses where the happy husbandman lives in the midst of plenty and content that less than three quarters of a century ago. These luxuriant farms were covered with dense forests, peopled by a few wandering bands of savages, and formed part of a vast unbroken wild, which gave but little promise of the high state of civilization it has since attained. Instead of the primitive log cabin and board shanty, we now see dotting

 the country in all directions comfortable and substantially for med mansions of the latest style of architecture, graceful and convenient. We see, also, the church structures of different denominations, and well-built schoolhouses at proper intervals. Her fields are laden with the choicest cereals, her pastures alive with numerous herds of the finest breeds of stock, and everything bespeaks the thrift and prosperity with which the farmer in this fertile region is blessed.
Lewis is the southern township of Clay County, and is irregular in outline, being eight miles long from north to south, four and a half miles from east to west in the northern part, while in the southern part it extends from the eastern to the western boundaries of the county a distance of nine miles. Its principal system of drainage is Eel River, which lies partly on the eastern boundary, intersecting the territory from a point near the old mill to a point near what is known as the Woodrow place. There are four creeks in the township. Halliday Creek rises on the border of Greene County, near the village of Jasonville, with one prong or branch flowing in from a point a short distance north of the county line. It flows in a northwesterly direction and empties in Eel River near what is known as Phipps Ferry. The stream took its name from an old settler who owned the land where it crosses the old Louisville & Terre Haute. Baber Creek rises at different points, but the main stream flows an easterly direction, and empties into Halliday Creek, about a half mile above its mouth, west of the old Wabash & Erie Canal. It took its name from the circumstance of Mr. Baber having a little mill on it in an early day. Briley Creek, named for James Briley, one of the early pioneers of the country, flows a northeasterly course, crossing the old Louisville Road, at the Briley farm, and emptying into Eel River, near Woodrow's mill.
Lanning Creek has its source in Vigo County, near the town of Centerville, and flows in an easterly direction, emptying into Eel River, a short distance from Neal's mill. It was named for John Lanning, a man who came to the country in an early day and took an active part in its development "Lewis" says an old settler in a sketch of the country published several years ago, "is the only township in the county in which honor has been done exclusively to the pioneers in the naming of its streams or in the christening of any other geographical features." From the location and general course of these streams, it will be seen at once that the physical aspect of the country is that of an inclined plane, sloping to the east with a water-shed or dividing ridge in the western limit or margin of the township. The western and middle sections are undulating, portions being broken and hilly, while in the south and east the land is more even, consisting principally of bottoms and prairies.
Sandy Knoll, a mile above Howesville, is the most interesting and noted place in the township. It was evidently, in ages long past, used as a place of burial by some prehistoric race, as human skulls and other parts of the skeleton have been exhumed at different times, also well preserved specimens of pottery and other relics. It has attracted the curious from all parts of the country, and many investigations have been made and fine specimens carried away. Other evidences of the Mound-Builders exist in various places along Eel River; but long centuries have forever closed to the vision of man their true name; their history and religion, their stay and extinction.

Lewis was one of the first settled parts of Olay County, the pioneers arriving as early as 1821. In September of that year, Peter Cooprider, grandfather of Elias Cooprider, of Harrison Township, moved to the country in company with William Shepherd, and settled on the west bank of Eel River, at what is known as Kossuth Bluff. They both came from Harrison County and were undoubtedly the first white men who ever made improvements within the present limits of the township.
Cooprider was born on the ocean a number of years before the dawning of the present century, and passed his youthful days in the State of Maryland, where he learned the blacksmith trade. He afterward emigrated to Pennsylvania, and later to Kentucky, from which State he came to Indiana, when the country was an almost unbroken wilderness, settling in what is now Harrison County. He moved his family to this township in a one-horse cart, and made a few improvements, but did not become the possessor of real estate during the period of his residence. He died in an early day, and his descendants, down to the fourth generation, are now almost men and women grown.
Shepherd located south of Kossuth Bluff, near Sandy Knoll, where he remained but a few years, afterward emigrating West He paid but little attention to the cultivation of the soil, spending the greater portion of his time in hunting, trapping and raising hogs, and was in every respect a jolly frontiersman, whose wants were few and easily satisfied. Jacob Cooprider, Sr., came about the same time, and John Cooprider, son of Peter, made the first entry of land in Section 4, Town 9 north, Range 7 west, in the fall of 1821. He moved his family here that year and remained upon what he supposed was his homestead, until the spring of 1825, at which time, owing to a discrepancy in the description of his land, he moved to the present township of Harrison, where his death occurred about six years ago.
In the winter of 1821 or 1822, Noah Delay and James Gross settled on Eel River a short distance below Sanders' mill. They belonged to a class of people usually found on the frontier, and were of no especial advantage to the country.   They hunted and trapped with the Indians, and were considered bad characters by the early settlers, but few of whom cared to have any dealings with them.  The site of their settlement is now overgrown, and it is difficult to designate the exact spots where their little cabins stood. Mayfield, a character similar to the ones just named, came as early as 1822, and "squatted " on Eel River, not far from where the former resided. He possessed but few if any redeeming qualities, and rumor had it that he was a fugitive from justice, coming here to avoid arrest for murder. After remaining in the community for a few years, he left and went West, much to the relief and satisfaction of the neighborhood.
In the year 1822 or 1823 came James Briley, from Harrison County, and settled on Eel River near Sanders' Mill Point. He made the journey to his new home under very unfavorable circumstances, his only means of conveyance being a single pony on which his wife rode and carried what few household goods they possessed, while he trudged on foot the entire distance and drove a cow, which, with the pony, constituted the greater part of his earthly possessions. He afterward became a prominent stock-dealer, and was for a number of years one of the leading business men of the township. His son, Dr. Absolam Briley, was born soon after the family came to the township, and is one of the oldest natives of Clay County living at the present time.
Robert Baber became a citizen of the township about the year 1822, and located one mile south of Sanders' Mill Point.
Peter Stark, Daniel Goble and Edward Braden came a little later, and settled on prairie land in the southern part of the township. Prominent among those who came in a very early day was Elijah Rawley, a native of Kentucky, who settled near Old Hill, where he entered a large tract of land, and in after years became very wealthy. He was at one time the largest owner of real estate in the county, and was also the pioneer mill builder. He was a man of considerable ability, and served as first Clerk of the county. The following circumstance is related by an old settler: "When Mr. Rawley entered the land on which he built his mill, at Old Hill, he took out his title in the name of Minerva Rawley, his little daughter by a former wife. Thirty years later, her husband, Jordan Beauchamp, entered suit for possession of the property belonging to his wife, and the matter was hotly contested by Mr. Rawley. This continued in different courts about six years, breaking up both parties, the land afterward selling to satisfy costs, fees, etc. From the effects of this blow he never recovered, and his death occurred about the year 1868 in the Vigo County Infirmary, being at that time a common pauper."
The Puckett family consisting of David, Elihu, Joseph and Lewis, came prior to 1830, all of whom secured homes in the southern part of congregation for a number of years; another early preacher was Elder S. Crabbe. The society used the schoolhouse for a meeting place for a number of years. A re-organization was effected in the year 1873, and a neat house of worship erected at a cost of about $1,300. The building is frame, 30x40 feet, and stands near Lodi, on ground donated by J. M. Halbert Since 1840 the society has been ministered to by the following pastors, viz., Nathan Wright, Ezekiel Wright,— McCoy,— Daily, W. Black, Reuben A. Webster, Theodore Marshall, Harrison Williams and Hezekiah Williams. The pastor in charge at the present time is Elder William Nicoson.   Present membership, about thirty.
Fairview Christian Church was organized at the Washington School-house in the northern part of the township in 1876. The organization was brought about by Elder Harrison Williams, and at the first meeting the names of sixty members were enrolled, the majority of them coming from neighboring congregations. Meetings were held in the sohoolhouse until 1881, at which time the present neat house of worship was built The building stands on ground donated by William Compton, is 24x36 feet in size, and represents a value of $1,100. Elder Williams was succeeded in the pastorate by Elder Axline, who remained with the church only five months. The third pastor was Elder William Nicoson, who preached at intervals for two years, at the end of which time Elder Hezekiah Williams took charge, and remained nine months. At the close of Williams' pastorate, Nicoson again took charge of the church, and ia preaching for the congregation at the present time. The church is in a flourishing condition, numbering fifty members, among whom are many of the substantial citizens of the township. Elder William Nicoson and S. B. Crabbe are Elders; R. M. Compton and F. Brown, Deacons. A good Sunday school is sustained, with an average attendance of forty-five scholars.   Elder Nicoson is Superintendent.
Sandy Knoll, a mile above Howesville, is the most interesting and noted place in the township. It was evidently, in ages long past, need as a place of burial by some prehistoric race, as human skulls and other parts of the skeleton have been exhumed at different times, also well-preserved specimens of pottery and other relics. It has attracted the curious from all parts of the country, and many investigations have been made and fine specimens carried away. Other evidences of the Mound-Builders exist in various places along Eel River; but long centuries have forever closed to the vision of man their true name; their history and religion, their stay and extinction.

Lewis was one of the first settled parts of Clay County, the pioneers arriving as early as 1821. In September of that year, Peter Cooprider, grandfather of Elias Cooprider, of Harrison Township, moved to the country in company with William Shepherd, and settled on the west bank of Eel River, at what is known as Kossuth Bluff. They both came from Harrison County and were undoubtedly the first white men who ever made improvements within the present limits of the township.
Cooprider was born on the ocean a number of years before the dawning of the present century, and passed his youthful days in the State of Maryland, where he learned the blacksmith trade. He afterward emigrated to Pennsylvania, and later to Kentucky, from which State he came to Indiana, when the country was an almost unbroken wilderness, settling in what is now Harrison County. He moved his family to this township in a one-horse cart, and made a few improvements, but did not become the possessor of real estate during the period of his residence. He died in an early day, and his descendants, down to the fourth generation, are now almost men and women grown.
Shepherd located south of Kossuth Bluff, near Sandy Knoll, where he remained but a few years, afterward emigrating West.  He paid but little attention to the cultivation of the soil, spending the greater portion of his time in hunting, trapping and raising hogs, and was in every respect a jolly frontiersman, whose wants were few and easily satisfied. Jacob Cooprider, Sr., came about the same time, and John Cooprider, son of Peter, made the first entry of land in Section 4, Town 9 north, Range 7 west, in the fall of 1821. He moved his family here that year and remained upon what be supposed was his homestead, until the spring of 1825, at which time, owing to a discrepancy in the description of his land, he moved to the present township of Harrison, where his death occurred about six years ago.
In the winter of 1821 or 1822, Noah Delay and James Gross settled on Eel River a short distance below Sanders' mill. They belonged to a class of people usually found on the frontier, and were of no especial advantage to the country.   They hunted and trapped with the Indians, and were considered bad characters by the early settlers, but few of whom cared to have any dealings with them; The site of their settlement is now overgrown, and it is difficult to designate the exact spots where their little cabins stood.
John Mayfield, a character similar to the ones just named, came as early as 1822, and "squatted " on Eel River, not far from where the former resided. He possessed but few if any redeeming qualities, and rumor had it that he was a fugitive from justice, coming here to avoid arrest for murder. After remaining in the community for a few years, he left and went West, much to the relief and satisfaction of the neighborhood.
In the year 1822 or 1823 came James Briley, from Harrison County, and settled on Eel River near Sanders' Mill Point. He made the journey to his new home under very unfavorable circumstances, his only means of conveyance being a single pony on which his wife rode and carried what few household goods they possessed, while he trudged on foot the entire distance and drove a cow, which, with the pony, constituted the greater part of his earthly possessions. He afterward became a prominent stock-dealer, and was for a number of years one of the leading business men of the township. His son, Dr. Absolam Briley, was born soon after the family came to the township, and is one of the oldest natives of Clay County living at the present time.
Robert Baber became a citizen of the township about the year 1822, and located one mile south of Sanders' Mill Point.
Peter Stark, Daniel Goble and Edward Braden came a little later, and settled on prairie land in the southern part of the township. Prominent among those who came in a very early day was Elijah Rawley, a native of Kentucky, who settled near Old Hill, where he entered a large tract of land, and in after years became very wealthy. He was at one time the largest owner of real estate in the county, and was also the pioneer mill builder. He was a man of considerable ability, and served as first Clerk of the county. The following circumstance is related by an old settler: "When Mr. Rawley entered the land on which he built his mill, at Old Hill, he took out his title in the name of Minerva Rawley, his little daughter by a former wife. Thirty years later, her husband, Jordan Beauchamp, entered suit for possession of the property belonging to his wife, and the matter was hotly contested by Mr. Rawley. This continued in different courts about six years, breaking up both parties, the land afterward selling to satisfy costs, fees, etc. From the effects of this blow he never recovered, and his death occurred about the year 1868 in the Vigo County Infirmary, being at that time a common pauper."
The Puckett family, consisting of David, Elihu, Joseph and Lewis, came prior to 1830, all of whom secured homes in the southern part of  the township and became model farmers. J. T. Listen, Samuel Chambers, Peter Stout, George Hooker and John Lanning settled near the central part of the township as early as 1830 or 1831, and about the same time came John B. Poe, William Muir and David Hill, and located in the southern part. Other early settlers were John Edmonson, a minister of the Methodist Church, Thomas Fires, James Scotchfield, Henry Crise and Nicholas Criss, all of whom became owners of real estate. The following, who came a few years later, can be classed among the early settlers: E. M. Stout, D. J. Payne, John Chambers, Marshall Chambers, Samuel Stout, Thomas Stewart, A. H. Crist, George P. Buell, J. P. Dunn, and others.
Rawley's Mill, the first ever erected in the county, was built in the year 1826 or 1827, and stood on Eel River, not far from Old Hill. The mill house was a small round log cabin, and the machinery was of the simplest description, consisting of two hard grit stone buhrs and a small bolting apparatus operated by hand. The mill received its motive power from the river, and was in operation until the year 1839, at which time it was allowed to fall into disuse, and the old building gradually rotted down. The site was afterward destroyed by the Wabash & Erie Canal, and at the present time no vestige of the old mill remains to mark the Spot where it stood. In the year 1837, Joseph Sanders built a mill on Eel River, which was but a small improvement on the one described, which it greatly resembled in both building and machinery. It was in operation but a short time. The site was purchased in the year 1860, by Woodrow & Co., who built thereon a large frame merchant mill, three and a half stories high, and furnished with two run of buhrs. The mill is operated by the same parties at the present time, and is doing an extensive business.
Lucius Hooker built a watermill on Eel River, at what is known as Hooker's Point, about the year 1860. It was a combination mill, and during the time it was in operation did a good business. It was afterward destroyed by fire. About the year 1864 or 1865, Mahlon Neal & Co. bought the site and built the large four-story frame mill, which is still standing. This is the largest mill in the township and one of the best in the county.
A Mr. Baber erected a small tub mill at a very early day on Baber Creek, which had one buhr, and did but little business.
There are no towns of any note in Lewis, although a couple of small hamlets sprang into existence during the early days of the country, one of which stood on Eel River. It never achieved any prominence as a business point, and was abandoned many years ago.
Another town was laid out at the time the Wabash & Erie Canal went into operation, near the river, a short distance south of the Centennial Mills, at a point directly west of Middlebury. The place was named Kossuth, and was laid out by J. M. H. Allison in the year 1850. This circumstance named the public road leading from Middlebury west to the river.
Howesville was laid out by Robert Howe in the year 1856, and is situated in Section 36, Town 0 north, Range 7 west.
For several years Mr. Howe kept a small store, which, with a post office and blacksmith shop, was the only feature that gave the place any special prominence. Howe was succeeded in business by William Muir, who increased the stock, and for several years carried on an extensive trade. One small store at the present time represents the business interests of the place. The Presbyterians have a good society at the village and a neat house of worship.

The first Justice of the Peace elected in Lewis was George Hooker; then followed in order J. J. Lanning, Samuel Chambers, John Pickard and R. M. Stark
The last Board of Trustees was composed of the following gentlemen, to wit: Peter Stark, Manion Neal and Joseph T. Liston.
The first sermon ever preached in the township was delivered by Rev. Richard Wright, of the Methodist Church, at James Briley's residence, soon after the latter came to the country.
Friendly Grove Baptist Church is the oldest religious society in the township. It was organized about the year 1847, with a good membership, the early preachers being Revs. Chambers, Stark and Liston. Their first house of worship was a peculiarly constructed building, having twelve corners, and contained one of the largest audience rooms in the county at the time it was erected. It was replaced about the year 1858, by a frame building costing the sum of $1,200. The pastors of the church have been as follows: Abraham Stark, David Stark, George Criss, Elias Cooprider, Kindall and George Marlow.   The present pastor is James Barr.   Present membership, about 120.
The Christians have a good society in the Southwest part of the township and a fine house of worship. Oak Grove Church is a Methodist organization, and is reported in good condition.
From 1850 to 1857, a period of seven years, Lewis Township had seven road districts, seven Supervisors, seven school districts, seven Directors, seven teachers, seven families, each having seven children enumerated for school purposes, seven township officers (three Trustees, two Justices of the Peace and two Constables), and among the voters were seven Crists, seven Puckets and seven Starks.