INDIANA TRAILS
DELAWARE COUNTY
(Transcribed
from the book
History
Of Delaware County Indiana
Published 1924)
The first permanent settlement in
Delaware county was made in 1820. The earliest settlers came chiefly
from the states to the east and from Kentucky and located along the
west fork of White River near the present towns of Smithfield, Muncie
and New Burlington. County government was granted in 1827. Muncie, the
county seat and largest town in the county, is situated on the west
fork of White river in Center township, a little south of the center of
the county and 55 miles northeast of Indianapolis. It is the center of
a rich agricultural region, and the site of a number of important
manufactories. Eaton, Albany, Gaston, Selma, and Yorktown are other
important towns in the county. They are shipping and trading centers
for the rich agricultural territory surrounding them and also have some
manufacturing interests. The greatest impetus to the growth of these
towns came in 1886,upon the discovery of natural gas. At the present
time the supply of gas is very much depleted and is used by the farmers
chiefly for domestic purposes. A portion of it is also used in the
smaller towns and villages, as well as in Muncie, but the greater part
of the gas now consumed in Muncie is piped from West Virginia fields.
Since the depletion of the gas supply a few of the towns have lost a
part of their manufacturing interests and the population has declined
to some extent. In the vicinity of Selma a rather extensive oil field
has been developed and is gradually being enlarged.
The first railroad in the county was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago
& St. Louis (Big Four), 1852-53, from Indianapolis through Muncie.
At the present time the county possesses a most excellent railroad
system. Six steam roads and five trolley lines make transportation and
shipping facilities adequate for all needs. Every town in the county
and all but four villages are situated on either a steam railroad or a
trolley line and many of them on both.
The first improved roads were constructed under the toll-pike system,
which connected the principal towns usually by the shortest route and
centered at the county seat. Such were the Centennial, Granville,
Center, Wheeling, Bethel, Jackson Street, Yorktown, Middletown,
Newcastle, Macedonia, New Burlington, Smithfield, and Selma pikes.
Within the last 25 years these toll roads have been opened by the
county to the public and supplemented by an excellent sectionized
public road system, so that now every farmer has easy access to market.
There are very few miles of unimproved roads, most of them being
surfaced with gravel and in excellent condition. Unlimited quantities
of gravel are available for constructing and repairing the roads. In
recent years many macadamized roads have been built. Several of the
main highways leading out of Muncie have been paved with vitrified
brick for a distance of 1 to 3 miles into the county. Modern steel
bridges span the various streams of the county. Telephone lines and
rural mail routes connect all parts of the county.
CLIMATE
No official weather records for the county are available, but records
of. the Weather Bureau station at Farmland, in the adjoining county of
Randolph, and which may be taken as fairly representative of Delaware
county, show that the mean annual temperature of the county is 50.8
degrees F. The highest recorded temperature is 102 degrees F. in July
and the lowest -24 F. in January, but such extremes are ordinarily of
short duration. High temperatures are not uncommonin July, August, and
September, but seldomcontinue long unless accompanied by extremely dry
weather. The average annual snowfall is 29.3 inches. In severe winters
snow may remain upon the ground several weeks, or even months.
Ordinarily the ground remains frozen only a few weeks and a thaw is
expected in February or March.
The average annual rainfall is 39 inches. This is rather uniformly
distributed throughout the year, and the county rarely suffers from
extreme drought or excessive moisture. The greatest rainfall occurs
during May and June. The length of the growing season is about 5%
months, the average date of the first killing frost in autumn and the
last in the spring being October 10 and April 25, respectively. The
earliest recorded date of a killing frost in autumn is September 6 and
the latest in the spring May 21.
AGRICULTURE
The early settlers of this section found it a dense forest of hard.
wood broken only by an occasional open, swampy prairie. Natural
advantages caused them to stake their claims along the larger stream
courses. The streams afforded access to outside markets by raft or
flatboat and furnished power for mills, including those designed for
sawing lumber, while the bottom lands, enriched annually by stream
overflows,offeredeasy and profitable farming. Because of its
adaptability to bottom-land soils, corn became the main crop. Large
yields were also obtained when the uplands in the vicinity of the
rivers were first cleared, these having in general better natural
drainage than the more remote uplands.
A considerable section of the county was in its natural condition
poorly drained and unfit for agriculture. A relatively large proportion
of the land was, however, well suited for farming. The cost of
installing artificial drainage in the west areas, the so-called "black
lands," and in many cases the lack of adequate drain-outlets prevented
the use of these soils by the early settlers, but they have since been
made the richest and most valuable lands of the county. Many thousands
of dollars have been expended by private and community enterprises to
reclaim the black lands and bottom lands along the more shallow
streams. The first method employedin artificial drainage was the
construction of open ditches, but in recent years these have been
supplanted by tile drains.
The channels of almost all the smaller streams have been straightened
and deepened by dredging throughout their entire length, and recently
the question of straightening and deepening the channels of the west
fork of White and Mississinewa rivers has been agitated.
The county's greatest wealth has always consisted of its fertile
fields. The native forest was cut off when the revenue obtained from
the sale of the lumber was a trifle compared with what its present
value wouldbe. The construction of steam and electric railroad lines,
giving ready access to the larger markets, has been an important factor
in the developmentof the agricultural resources of the county.
Corn, wheat, oats, rye, flax, and potatoes were among the early crops
grown in the county. Hay was cut from the open prairie. Corn has always
been the leading crop, and it is the aim of most of the farmers to
increase the production of this grain. In some cases this led to a
depletion of the fertility of the soil, but the more progressive
farmers have avoided this by efficientmethods of soil management. The
acreage of corn has steadily increased from 52,061 acres in 1889 to
71,706 acres in 1909, with a corresponding increase in production from
1,528,876 bushels in 1889 to 3,135,530 bushels in 1909. The largest
yields are obtained from the Clyde and Genesee soils, which produce
approximately twice as much as the lighter coloredclay soils
(Miami). They are rated among the best corn soils in the State, and
yields of 70 to 80 bushels per acre are not uncommon. The yields from
the clay or Miami soils can generally be increased through better
cultural methods, including fertilization and seed selection. Barnyard
manure is the chief fertilizer for corn, little commercialfertilizer
being used.
Experiments have shown that an application of 2 or more tons to the
acre of ground limestone upon clover sod, before turning it under,
especially upon the lighter colored soils, will increase the subsequent
yields of corn. The effect of such an application will be even more
apparent in the wheat and clover crops which follow the corn. Similar
results have been obtained by subsoiling the clay lands or deepening
the soil bed without turning too much raw material to the surface. A
gradual deepening of the soil is generally recognized as beneficial.
Too often the ground is plowed to the same depth year after year, so
that a form of hardpan is produced which greatly retards the free
circulation of air and moisture. The relative percentage of phosphoric
acid and potash required properly to fertilize the different grades of
land varies with the local conditions, but in general the lighter
coloredsoils will yield better returns from the use of phosphoric acid,
while the darker colored soils give increased yields with potash. The
latter usually contain sufficient nitrogen but are deficientin the
other two elements of plant food.
An important factor in increasing the yields of corn is the seleetion
of the variety !Jest suited to the soil on which the crop is to be
grown. Too often no attention is given to this matter or to the testing
of seed corn. The seed to producethe best results shouldbe strong in
vitality and the kernels graded to uniform sizes in order to drop from
the planter evenly. The best varieties to grow on the different kinds
of soil should be worked out by the farmers themselves. The seed corn
selected from the clay land should be planted on the clay lands so far
as practicable and that selected from the black lands should also be
kept for the black lands, selecting from experience the varieties best
adapted to each grade of land. Well-selected home grown seeds are
generally preferable to any other on any soil. Attention to these
methods should materially increase the yields from these lands.
The use of the check drill in planting corn permits the crop to be
cultivated both ways, and hoeing is not often required. In general
three to four cultivations are given the crop, though a fifth is not
infrequent. Riding cultivators are used almost exclusively. The use of
power corn cutters has also reduced the laoor of harvesting this crop.
In the last few years a large percentage of the corn has been cut and
stored for ensilage. This practice is being rapidly extended as the
value of silo feeding becomes better understood. Ensilage is frequently
prepared from corn and peas grown together.
There were 14,766 acres devoted to wheat in Delaware county in
1909,with a production of 190,963 bushels. Wheat is not considered a
paying crop commercially in the county, but its value as a nurse crop
for clover warrants its continued cultivation. The lighter colored
Miami soils show the greatest adaptability to this crop. Too much
attention can not be given to the selection of suitable varieties of
wheat for the soil, as well as a proper grading of the seed. Rotation,
fertilization, treatment of seed for disease, and the combating of
insects require careful attention to insure the largest returns from
this crop. The Purdue Experiment Station recommends the use of 300
pounds per acre of a fertilizer analyzing 2 per cent nitrogen, 8 per
cent available phosphoric acid, and 2 per cent potash. This can be
applied at the time of seeding by using a drill with fertilizer
attachment. When clover has been turned under for corn and the latter
is followed by wheat an application of 50 to 100 pounds of nitrate of
soda is generally advisable, which can best be applied as a top
dressing in spring. Where barnyard manure is used the most profitable
results are secured when it is turned under with the clover sad
preceding the planting of corn.
Although oats are not generally considered a paying crop, this grain
fits in well with the customary rotation and is especially valued for
its straw, which, when fed for hay in conjunction with ensilage, makes
excellentroughage for stock. In 1909 there were 25,205 acres in oats,
with a production of 678,661 bushels. The average, however, is usually
30 to 40 bushels per acre. Yields of 50 to 60 bushels are not uncommon.
Oats are usually sown with an end-gate attach. ment at the rate of 2
1/2 to 3 bushels per acre. Cowpeasand soy beans are being tried by many
of the farmers as a substitute for oats.
Delaware county is not rated as a potato-growing county, but the number
of acres devoted to this staple in 1909 was 1,927, with a yield of
150,162 bushels, or about 78 bushels per acre.
With the increased demand for canned tomatoes the cultivation of this
crop is gradually being extended. The crop fits well into the system of
rotation and when properly handled gives twice the profit per acre
derived from a crop of corn. Many growers are netting a profit of $70
to $100 per acre where proper cultural methods are employed. More
attention should be given to the breeding of earlier varieties and to
methods of maturing the crop before it is killed by frost. The
selection of profitable varieties is also often overlooked. From the
890 acres planted in 1911 to tomatoes 4,886 tons were harvested.
The growing of English peas offers another source of revenue to the
farmer. A crop of this character is profitable not only from the sale
of the peas but because of its value to the soil as a nitrogen storing
agent.
The number of acres in clover in 1909 was 2,885, with a production of
3,365tons of hay, or a little more than a ton to the acre. The small
acreage sowed to this crop accounts largely for the low percentage of
humus in the clay lands. Clover is not generally included in the
rotation of crops, or if so it is turned under without being cut for
hay, a practice which was not observed during the course of the survey.
It was observed, however" that both the hay and the seed crops were
removed. Cutting the second crop for seed robs the soil of much
valuable humus. The acreage of timothy is being rapidly reduced.
The growing of alfalfa is receiving more attention each year, but its
value as a feed is evidently not fully realized, or it would be more
extensively cultivated. This crop is especially well adapted to the
second-bottom lands or high terraces, on account of their porous
subsoils, but with proper preparation it can be grown successfully on
almost any soil in the county except muck. Aside from its value as a
money crop its value as a nitrogen-storing agent should recommend its
culture, especially upon the lighter colored Miami soils, which are low
in humus. To succeed with alfalfa it is necessary that the land be well
drained, limed, thoroughly inoculated, well prepared, and free from
weeds.
Fruit growing has been made a profitable industry in the few cases
where proper attention has been given to spraying, pruning, etc., but
in general the orchards are neglected. Many of the older orchards are
infested with disease and insect pests, which spread to the more recent
plantings. The present tendency is to plant too large orchards, which
receive insufficient attention, while smaller orchards well sprayed and
pruned would yield more profitable results. State inspection and modern
methods of ,control are needed to make fruit culture a paying industry.
The more rolling type of Miami silt loam and the Miami loam give the
most satisfactory results in the growing of fruit.
The farmers of Delaware county who cultivate their own fanns usually
practice some fonn of crop rotation. A three-year rotation of corn,
wheat, and clover is most commonlyemployed. This requires sowing wheat
in the corn either before it is cut or in the stubble among the shocks.
In either case the seeding is unsatisfactory, and a good stand is
rarely secured.
The county is a stock-feeding rather than a stock-raising section.
Cattle are imported from the western states, fattened on the fann
produce, and then put upon the market. However, this practice has not
been so profitable in the last few years on account of the scarcity of
range cattle in the West.
The dairying industry is confinedto supplying the local markets, but
the excellent shipping facilities warrant its extension to markets
outside the county.
The price of land in Delaware county has kept pace with the advance in
other sections, and but little, if any, of it can be bought for less
than $125 to $150 an acre. Well-improved fann lands frequently sell for
$200 to $225 an acre. The high price of land is due in part to the fact
that the more prosperous farmers are satisfied with their holdings and
refuse to sell unless offered a price commensurate with the advantages
afforded by a highly developed county such as this.
The average farm wages range from $20 to $25 per month, with board,
lodging, washing, and feed for driving horse furnished, or, in the case
of a married man, house, feed for horse, cow, etc. Harvest hands and
extra laborers receive from $1.50 to $2.50 per day. The manufacturing
and public works in Muncie,offering shorter working hours and the
various attractions of city life, have drawn heavily upon the labor of
the county, and desirable fann labor is scarce. Those who operate a
farm of 160 to 240 acres. seldom employ more than one regular helper,
the work being done largely by the owner and his family.
According to the census, the average size.of farms in 1910 was 82.4
acres. There were 240,483 acres in fanns, of which 210,349 acres were
improved. The value of the land and improvements, except buildings, was
$20,006,223; of buildings, $3,649,276; implements and machinery,
$444,142; and live stock, $2,616,481
EARLY
SETTLEMENT:
THE
PIONEER
PERIOD
Upon taking up a consideration of the days of early settlement and of
the pioneer period of the region now comprised within the confines of
Delaware county, the reader should keep in mind the fact set out in the
preceding chapter that the Indians still were in possession of the
lands in this region up to the beginning of the third decade of the
past century, or until their departure for the West following the
cession of their lands to the white man in 1818.
After the treaty at St. Marys in that year the Indians were given two
years in which to wind up their affairs here. Then the surveyors came
in and the lines of the newly acquired lands were "run," these plats
being turned over to the land office as a guide to prospective
settlers. This work was not completed until in the summer of 1822 and
thus lands for entry here were not available until in the fall of that
year. Nine entries of land in the region now comprised within this
county were made in 1822, and a few of these were merely speculative
entries. There was no immediate "rush" of settlers in this direction.
It was not long, however, until the desirability of these lands became
recognized and the more attractive sites gradually were taken and
settled on, until by the middle of the '20s there were a sufficient
number of settlers here to begin the talk of making a separate county
government and in 1827 this growing demand became crystallized in the
movement which led to the formal erection of Delaware county.
THE
WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT SURVEYORS
When it is recalled that when the lands now comprised within the bounds
of Delaware county were opened for settlement following the exodus of
the Indians here in the early '20s of the past century this region was
a practically unbroken wilderness of deep forest and pathless swamp,
save for the Indian trails connecting the water ways, it may be
conceived that the Government surveyors who "ran the lines" hereabout
had their job cut out for them. The survey of this section of the New
Purchase was made in 1821 and 1822, this work not having been begun
until the expiration of the three-year extension of time granted the
Delawares to prepare for their departure following the cession of their
lands here at the treaty of St. Marys in 1818. By this time government
land-office regulations had become so revised and systematized that
those entering lands here after the survey had been completed had a
little better assurance that they would be able to hold their lands
than had many who had settled in the earlier settled portions of the
state.
It will be recalled that during the first few years after Indiana was
admitted to statehood (1816) the price of government land, the
so-called congress land, was held at $2 an acre, one-fourth of which
must be paid down and the balance in three equal annual payments, a
year of grace following the date when' the last payment became due
being granted before forfeiture of the claim was exacted, interest,
then being due on the extended installments. This government system
caused many men to "bargain" for more land than it was possible for
them to pay for. In many cases they would borrow sufficient money to
buy a half section or a section of land, or as much as their ambition
prompted and their credit could 'stand, paying in at the land office
one-fourth of this $2 an acre government charge, or 50 cents an acre.
To them no doubt the proposition looked good on the face, but in many
instances they "counted their chickens before they were hatched,"
failing to recognize that their wilderness lands could have no earning
value, in cash, during the period allowed them for taking care of the
deferred payments. Speculators possessed of ready money often were able
to take advantage of these terms by "unloading" on incoming settlers,
for good lands quickly began to advance in price, but the bona fide
settler often found himself utterly unable to meet his second or third
payments and thus not only forfeited his initial payment but suffered
the loss of his time as well as the initial improvements made on his
insecure holdings and was left a broken and buffeted hanger on on the
fringe of the advancing settlements, compelled to start in as a tenant
farmer or as a woodsman on lands which he had hoped to hold as his very
own. There were many such tragedies of blasted ambition.
By 1821, the year in which the first survey was made here, the
situation in many parts of the state farther down had become acute for
those who were unable to raise the money to meet their deferred
payments, thousands finding it utterly impossible to meet their
obligations.
Then, as one commentator on the trials of that period writes, the
subject "was brought up before congress and the plan that was agreed
upon was probably most favorable to the people of any that couldhave
been adopted. All interest, which then amounted in many cases to more
than one-third of the debt, was released. Lands entered, that part
payments had been made on, were allowed to be relinquished and the
amount that had been advanced was applied on such lands as the
purchaser would select, paying for it in full. The lands were
thereafter sold for cash only at $1.25 an acre." And this was the
situation with respect to public lands when the lands here were opened
for entry and settlement in 1822.'
PATIENT
SURVEYORS
FACE
TOILSOME
JOB
The lines of the townships incorporated within the present bounds of
Delaware county were surveyed by B. Bentley, D. Hillis and J.
Hendricks, government surveyors, who worked here in 1821, and by Thomas
G. Noble, D. Hillis and J. F. Polk, who finished the task in 1822. One
of the chain bearers on this government job was Robert A. Gordon, who
remained here, afterward became a contractor and at the time of his
death in 1891 was the oldest man in the county. The task which faced
these surveyors and their crews of chain bearers and axmen may better
be imagined than described. Back and forth, back and forth, through
streams and swamps and through almost impenetrable forests, these
plucky technicians forced their way, "blazing" their marks, setting
their stakes and compiling their field notes amid difficultiesthat now
might seem almost unsurmountable and which in view of the present well
drained, cleared and improved condition of the lands hereabout
certainly cannot properly be appreciated. A review of the transcript of
the officialplats of the original survey on file in the officeof the
county surveyor is deeply interesting, particularly as pointing out the
swamp tracts that then created in northeastern Indiana a situation that
hardly could be described in other words than as "the abomination of
desolation."
These are points, these primal conditions, that the youngsters of the
present generation ought well to consider. They may thus come to
entertain a more appreciative respect for the work done by the men and
women who made habitable this once dreary and inhospitable waste.
In the plat of township 21, range 9 (Harrison), surveyed by T. G. Noble
in 1822,there is marked a tract about a mile in width running northeast
and southwest through sections 14, 15, 16, 21, 20 and 19, marked
"Fallen Timber," apparently marking the course of a tornado which some
time before had swept over that region. In sections 8, 7 and 18 of
township 21, range 10 (Hamilton) there also is carried a notation of a
tract of fallen timber. In township 22, range 9 (Washington), at the
sharp bend of the Mississinewa, where Wheeling now is situated, just
off the south bank of the bend, "Sulphur Spring" is plainly marked. It
is interesting to note that the original surveyors, in all instances
save one, made it Mississineva, the exceptional employment of the "w"
instead of the "v" being in the Polk survey of township 21, range 11
(Delaware), made in 1822
THOSE
WHO
CAME
IN DURING THE '30s
During the succeeding decade the lands hereabout were pretty much all
taken up and neighborhood settlements had become well established.
Though there were some land entries made during the '40s, and a few
even as late as in the early '50s, the basic settlement had been
effected by the close of the '30s. Therefore the names above set out
and those that follow may be regarded as those of the real "fathers" of
the community, the pioneers who blazed the trails and made easy the
ways for the oncoming generations. Some of these names, of course, are
those of mere land speculators, persons who did not become settlers,
and whose names thus did not become continuing names in this community,
but in the main the names here given are those of real settlers who
came in and buckled down to the hard task of building homes and carving
farms in and out of the forest wilderness. Following are the names of
those who entered their lands here during the '30s of the past century:
SOME
STORIES RELATING TO THE EARLY SETTLERS
The older chronicles relating to this county carry much informative
matter regarding the pioneers that to students possesses a con. tinuing
interest. These are available and are taking on a growing value. This
is particularly true of the "History of Delaware County" compiled by
Thomas B. Helm in 1880 and published in the following year by Kingman
Bros., Chicago. Through the co-operation of many then living who were
here during the settlement period some exceedingly valuable first-hand
information was obtained and preserved. In that work also was preserved
a story of Delaware county's part in the Civil war, compiled by Prof.
E. Tucker, which is regarded as basic in its line. This local military
history was further amplified in an exhaustive narrative supplied by A.
L. Kerwood for a second "History of Delaware County" compiled under the
editorial supervision of Dr. G. W. H. Kemper and published by the Lewis
Publishing Company (Chicago) in 1908. Then there is John S. Ellis's
interesting little volume, "Our County, Its History and Early
Settlement by Townships; Entry of Public Lands, Present Owners,
Reminiscences of Pioneer Life, Etc., With Original Poems," published in
1898 and printed by the Neely Printing Company of Muncie. In this
largely informative volume are a series of sketches of pioneer life
compiled by Mr. Ellis for newspaper publication and printed in the News
(Muncie) and later revised and amplified for book publication. This is
a book of 194 pages, with numerous pictures of scenes in the county at
that time. In 1897 a volume of local biography was published by A. W.
Bowen (Chicago) that also contains much interesting "side-light"
information relating to pioneer times.
VALUE
OF NEWSPAPER FILES
The newspapers also have long been
helpful in "writing up" and thus preserving in their files interesting
stories of a local historical character, and much valuable matter
relating to the days of the pioneers thus has been preserved. Of course
the newspaper files in themselves are the continuing records of local
history and the fact that they have for many years been systematically
preserved in the public library gives to this community the advantage
of a continuing narrative of local affairs that will be invaluable as
source material to the reviewers of future generations. Beginning in
the fall of 1896 the Muncie Herald (Frank D. Haimbaugh then editor)
carried on a singularly interesting and informative series of such
articles, under the head of "Men of Muncie," biographical sketches,
with portraits, of men "who have helped to make the city." The
newspapers of the present day are rendering valuable service to the
cause of local history by their presentation from time to time, as
special features, of anicles bearing on the history of the local
community. As the Star said in commenting on the prospectus upon which
this present volume is based: "Counties generally in Indiana are
awakening to the fact that much of the basic material upon which their
history rests has been relegated to 'the dust of old oblivion' and now
are beginning anxiously to pick 'from the worm-holes of long vanished
days' such details as will render demonstrative the foundations upon
which have been reared the social and civic structures that have arisen
here since the days of the pioneers." And the newspaper files are an
invaluable supplement to the public records in the county's archives,
an unimpeachable record of the doings of these "long vanished days"
that to future reviewers will be of incalculable value, even as the
current files have been valuable to the present reviewer.
ANOTHER
VALUABLE LOCAL HISTORY
Though not, of course, relating to the pioneer period there is another
book relating to Delaware county's history that merits high mention.
This is "Delaware County in the World War," a book of 134 pages,
compiled by Lannes McPhetridge and published by the Enquirer Printing
and Publishing Co., Indianapolis, in 1919. The title page of this very
comprehensive review of the activities of Delaware county during the
period of this country's participation in the World war carries the
indorsement that it was "reviewed under the direction and censorship of
the Delaware County Council of Defense" and it has come to be
recognized as an invaluable source of reference for information with
relation to the local activities during the stressful period which the
review covers. Thoughtfully selected illustrations from photographs of
the time give an additional value to the work, which will grow in value
as the years pass. It is understood that there was a fairly adequate
distribution of this work in the community, thus insuring the
preservation of the records there carried for future generations. A
partial review of the table of contents of this work will reveal
something of its scope, the book covering stories relating to the
County Council of Defense, Woman's Council of Defense, conference on
war work, war time on the farms, home war gardens, saving food in the
homes, county fuel administration, merchants' economy committee, county
conscription boards, farewells to the soldiers, merchants' war chests,
service flags, "gold star" record, local company of the state militia,
Student Army Training Corps, publicity in war times, Liberty loan
campaigns, other money-raising campaigns, social service and war relief
work of various local organizations, Red Cross activities, civilian
forces at work, local factories in war' work, colored people in war
work, etc., in fact a general review of local activities during that
period that will be invaluable for reference in years to come. As the
preface to this book sets out, it was "intended not only as a history,
but as a guide to coming generations should they be called upon, as
were the patriots of the present, to rally their forces in defense of
the country or of the world."
FIRST
SETTLEMENT IN COUNTY
The Ellis reminiscences have it that
what probably was the first court held in what is now Delaware county
was in the Vanarsdal settlement in Perry township, the settlers there
setting up their own court and selecting John Rees, afterward one of
the first associate judges of the county, as judge to try "Old
Obediah," a negro chicken thief, who was duly found guilty and then'
permitted to make his escape to other parts as a riddance to the
neighborhood. Another local offender, "Old Tom" Hall, a white man, was
sentenced by this same court, in the lack of a formal jail, to be
confinedin a wolf pena log trap for two days for bee stealing.
The lands now included in Perry
township naturally were the first to be settled, as lying nearest to
the settlements on the east, the Vanarsdals and the Blunts and the
Richardsons and one or two other families having come over as early as
in the spring of 1820 to "squat" pending the formal opening of the
lands to entry. The Hehn chronicle has it in this connection that "one
of the first acts of our pioneer party was the erection of rude cabins
for the shelter of their families. Within a few days after their
arrival four new families joined them. Mr. Vanarsdal, with the
hospitality characteristic of the times, took them into his own cabin,
there to remain until they could erect homes of their own. His house
was about fifteen feet square and the inconvenience of having five
families in such narrow quarters may be better imagined than described.
Two weeks elapsed ere the inmates of this house completed their
respective abodes." The first land entrant in this township, as has
been noted, was John Connor. Among other earlier settlers were the
Bransons, the Reeses, the Stumps, the Sanfords and the Wallings, all of
whom came in during the '20s. It also was in this township that
Goldsmith Gilbert, the New York trader who later developed the
Muncietown village site, first established himself, at the mouth of
Prairie creek, in 1822 or 1823. He did not make formal entry of the
land on which he settled and "made his improvements and an enterprising
yankee (Wilder Potter), who had been making his home with him,
presently went to the land office, filed his claim to the land and took
possession. It was then that Gilbert moved on up onto the Mississinewa
and started his trading post, later buying the Hackley Reserve at the
bend of White river and establishing there the townsite. It was in this
township that the first religious services in what is now Delaware
county were held and the first school house erected, as is told
elsewhere. Social seniority thus properly is claimed by the people of
Perry township. Mrs. Jane (McClellan) Vanarsdal, one of this first
group of settlers in Delaware county, lived to be ninety-six years of
age, her death occurring in 1885.