Fountain
County, Indiana
History
HISTORY
OF FOUNTAIN COUNTY.
By
Judge Thomas F. Davidson.
TERRITORIAL
AND STATE ORGANIZATION.
Prior to 1781 all that vast territory lying west and north of the Ohio
river, east of the Mississippi, and south of the British possessions,
belonged to the State of Virginia. With the exception of
the poets at Kaskaskia, St. Vincent, and one or two other points, and
the adjoining settlements, the entire region was at that date an
unknown and trackless waste, inhabited only by the Indian and the wild
beast. Its rivet* knew no commerce except the occasional venture
of the fur trader, who was usually a half-breed, and carried no vessels
save the canoe of the Indian and the pirogue of the trader or the
French missionary. Its vast forests had never been disturbed by the
stroke of an axe, and its broad expanse of prairie had never felt the
touch of the plow. On September 6,1780, the congress of the United
States asked the several states of the Union "having claims to waste
and unappropriated lands in the western country" to make "a liberal
cession to the United States of a portion of their respective' claims,
for the common benefit of the Union." In response to this
request the Commonwealth of Virginia, in 1781, yielded to the United
States all her "right, title and claim" to the territory " northwest of
the river Ohio." In 1783 congress signified its desire for
a modification of the act of cession, and in December, 1783, the
legislature of Virginia modified the act, and authorized the delegates
from the state, in congress, to make a deed to the United States for
the ceded territory, upon certain conditions, prominent among which
were, that the territory should be laid out and formed into states,
which should be "distinct republican states, and admitted members of
the Federal Union, having the same rights of sovereignty, freedom and
independence as the other states; and providing for the protection of
the inhabitants of the Kaskaskias, St. Vincents, and neighboring
villages, who had " professed themselves citizens of Virginia," in
their possessions and titles and in the enjoyment of their rights and
liberties, and reserving to " General George Rogers Clarke, and to the
officers and soldiers of his regiment who marched with him when the
posts of Kaskaskia and St. Vincent were reduced, and to the officers
and soldiers that have been since incorporated into said regiment," one
hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, to be laid off in one tract,
in length not exceeding double its width, in such place as a majority
of the officers should choose, and to be divided according to the laws
of Virginia. This deed was made on March 1, 1784, and was
signed by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe,
the delegates in congress from Virginia. In the same year
Mr. Jefferson submitted to congress a plan for the government of all
the territory from the southern to the northern boundary of the United
States, including, of course, the territory north and west of the Ohio
river. A prominent feature of this plan,— more noticeable
because proposed by a southern man, and a slave-holder, and applying to
all the territory south of the Ohio river,—was "that after the year
1800 there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of
the said" proposed "states other than in the punishment of crimes,
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." This
plan was not then adopted, and it was again renewed in 1785, having
been brought forward by Mr. Rufus King, of Massachusetts, and again
failed in securing the necessary votes for its adoption. The
original act of cession by the State of Virginia required that the
ceded territory should be laid out and formed into states, not less
than one hundred nor more than one hundred and fifty miles square, "or
as near thereto as circumstances" would admit. In 1786
congress indicated to the State of Virginia that a division of the
territory into states, in conformity with the act of cession, "would be
attended with many inconveniences," and asked a revision of the act "so
far as to empower congress to make such a division of the said
territory into distinct and republican states, not more than five nor
less than three in number, as the situation of the country and future
circumstances might require; and, mindful only of the interests and
future prosperity of the great region which she had given for the
benefit of the Union, Virginia, through her legislature, December 30,
1788, revised her act of cession so that congress was authorized to
create three states out of the ceded territory, the western to be
bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio and Wabash rivers, and a direct
line drawn from the Wabash and Post Vincent due north to the
territorial line between the United States and Canada, and by that line
to the Lake of the Woods and the Mississippi; the middle state to be
bounded on the west by the east line of the western state, on the south
by the Ohio river, on the east by a direct line drawn due north from
the month of the Great Miama to the Canada line, and on the north by
the Canada line; the eastern state to be bounded on the west by the
middle state, on the south and east by the Ohio river and the
Pennsylvania line, and on the north by the Canada line; with power in
congress to so far alter these boundaries, if found expedient, as to
form two states in that part of the territory which was north of the
east and west line, drawn through "the southerly bend or extreme of
Lake Michigan."
It was an article of compact between the United States and Virginia,
and between the original states and the "people and states" in the
territory, to remain forever " unalterable unless by common consent,"
that these states should be created, and thereafter should remain
distinct republican states, with their boundaries unaltered, except as
it might be done within the terms of the grant, and with all the rights
and prerogatives provided for in the act of cession and in the
ordinance of 1787.
"While the divisions made by the Virginia act of December 30,1788, and
the fifth article of the ordinance of 1787, are therein spoken, of as
states, they were in reality but proposed states, and never did become
states with those boundaries.
It was provided that whenever either of the three great divisions '
contained sixty thousand "free inhabitants" it should be admitted into
the Union as a state, "on an equal footing with the original states in
all respects whatever." The first organic law for the government of
this territory was adopted July 13, 1787, and is known as the Ordinance
of 1787. This ordinance constituted the territory one district for the
purpose of temporary government, reserving the power to divide it into
two, if circumstances should make that expedient. It provided for the
manner of settling estates and distributing property among heirs, and
for the disposition of property by will; for the appointment of a
governor and secretary and three judges, with full common law
jurisdiction. The governor was required to be possessed of a freehold
estate, in the territory, "in 1,000 acres of land"; the secretary and
each of the judges in 500 acres. The judges were required to reside in
the district, and were to hold their office during good behavior. Until
the election and organization of a general assembly the governor and
judges were empowered to adopt and publish so much of the civil and
criminal laws of the original states as in their judgment were suited
to the circumstances of the territory, as the laws of the territory, to
be in force, unless disapproved by congress, until the organization of
the territorial legislature.
So tenacious were the American people, at that day, of the right of
having domestic matters regulated by a domestic legislature, that it
was provided that such a legislature should be elected and organized
when the territory contained five thousand free male inhabitants, with
a representative therein for every five hundred of such inhabitants.
After providing a plan for the territorial government, which left
matters chiefly in the hands, of the people themselves, it was ordained
that no one should ever be disturbed, in the territory, on account of
his mode of worship or religious sentiments, so long as he demeaned
himself in a peaceable and orderly manner; that the benefits of the
writ of habeas corpus; of trial by jury; of proportionate
representation in the legislature; of judicial proceedings according to
the course of the common law; of the right to bail, except in capital
cases, when the proof was evident or the presumption strong; of freedom
from cruel or unusual punishments, and of all the rights of a free man,
should be enjoyed by each inhabitant of the territory. Recognizing the
truth of the saying of Burke, that "Education is the cheap defense of
nations," it was declared that schools and the means of education
should "forever be encouraged." Slavery or involuntary servitude
"otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party" should
be duly convicted, was prohibited, in accordance with the original
proposition of Mr. Jefferson. The rightful authority, prerogatives,
jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States were preserved by the
fourth article.
Thus was formed a government for this territory, modeled after that
true idea of a republic in which two forces are recognized in the
operation of its political machinery, the one pulling outward to
preserve the independence of the states in the control of their own
local affairs, and the other pulling inward to hold the states in their
proper orbit; the one necessary for the protection of the rights of the
states, reserved to them by the constitution of the Union, and the
other necessary to the integrity of the Union; the one designed to
prevent disunion and anarchy, the other to prevent the destruction of
the states and the erection of an empire.
These are the political centrifugal and centripetal forces. As in
nature, so in politics, the undue preponderance of either of these
forces will produce disorder, and, if long continued, disaster and
ruin. It is the business of the people to keep these forces so adjusted
that neither will completely preponderate. To accomplish this the
people must be intelligent and the masters of political agencies. They
must recognize parties as made for men—as agencies through which the
people manifest their power and will—and not as masters to be obeyed.
Without education the people are helpless. They must be able to
understand the principles which underlie their system of government,
and to follow the course of public officials and detect any deviation
from principle or rectitude. The rights of the people will never be
free from danger until that education is common which will enable the
individual to distinguish between the behests of party and duty to
country, and which inculcates the sentiment that public position is not
a purchasable commodity, and that social distinction is to rest upon
education and culture and not upon position or wealth.
No one thing is more necessary in a republic than independent,
intelligent, individual thought and action. These, with purity of
purpose and a willingness to sacrifice private interests for the public
weal, will compel an uniform administration of public* affairs in the
interests of the people.
When it shall come to pass that
"To bold a place * * *
* which was once esteemed an honor. And a reward for
virtue, hath quite lost Lustre and reputation, and is made— A mercenary
purchase."
the end will not be afar off, nor the time distant when all that was
done and suffered to build up a government for a free people will be
lost.
Our form of government is the strongest ever devised by man, so long as
the people remain pure and sufficiently intelligent to understand the
principles upon which it is founded ; but if the people become either
ignorant or corrupt it is then the weakest of all governments, and the
prey of ambitious, unscrupulous and daring men. Such a people are
easily blinded by the glitter of some great reputation, and willingly
resign their rights into any single hand that is stronger than theirs.
Understanding this, it has been the policy, in all ages, of those who
meditated usurpation of the powers and rights of the people, to corrupt
and debauch them, and the very tribute which the people, pay to support
their government is often the fund which is used to thus destroy it.
These things were well understood by those who laid the foundation for
the government of that vast territory which has since become the home
of millions of happy, industrious, intelligent, prosperous and free
people, and they, therefore, emphasized the importance of education,
and made liberal provision for its encouragement, and took pains to
provide for the early exercise of the powers of government by the
people themselves through agencies chosen by themselves. This plan of
government was adopted because it accorded with the American idea of "
A government of the people, by the people, and for the people," and for
the expressed purpose of "extending the fundamental principles of civil
and religious liberty which form the basis whereon these republics,
their laws and constitutions, are erected," and "to fix and establish
those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and
governments which forever" thereafter might be formed in the territory.
After the adoption of our present constitution the ordinance of 1787
continued as the organic law of the northwest territory, modified only
as to the mode of appointing officers, by the act of August 7, 1789.
As permitted by the Virginia act of 1788. five states were created out
of the ceded territory, and these are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan
and Wisconsin. It is hard to realize, in the midst of all that
surrounds us wherever we travel in either of these states, that less
than one hundred years ago the territory within each of their
respective limits was, in the significant language of the acts of
congress and of the Virginia legislature, " waste and unappropriated
lands." May these states continue to grow in intelligence, in morals,
in wealth, in the love of liberty, in men and women true to themselves
and their country, and devoted to the advancement of the best interests
of humanity. May no man ever be able to say, with truth, to their
people,
"' You have not, as good patriots should do, study'd The public good,
but your own particular ends; Factions among yourselves; preferring
such To offices and honors, as never read The elements of saving
policy; But deeply skilled in all the principles That usher to
destruction,"
they have made your offices and honours the instruments for the
accomplishment of their own ambition and for your downfall and
degradation." May their people ever tenaciously cling to all the rights
and prerogatives belonging to them under the deed which conveyed their
territory, and the solemn agreement which guaranteed to them the
independence of a free people. May they always be students of "the
fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the
basis" upon which their states, " their laws and constitutions are
erected." May they lay down only with their lives the right to
participate in the control of public affairs, as it has been handed
down to them. May they encourage that education which will fit men and
women for the work of life and make them superior to circumstances, and
as ready to yield to the rights of those beneath them as they are to
respect the rights of those above them. May they practice and encourage
broad and liberal and charitable views and feelings, and so educate
their children that they will be free from the miserable prejudices,
petty jealousies and personal bickerings which so disturb society and
endanger the public welfare and peace. May they always be faithful in
the discharge of all the personal duties of citizenship, and diligent
in the effort to acquire that knowledge which is essential to the
intelligent discharge of those duties. May they always "reverence and
obey the law; be tolerant to all, whatever their creed or party, and
keep bright and strong" their faith in their country. May they be true
to that Union to whose grandeur they so largely contribute, and to
whose guaranty they owe their existence as " distinct republican
states."
On the 7th of May, 1808, the Indiana Territory was created, and
included all the territory west of a line drawn due north from the
Ohio, opposite the mouth of the Kentucky river; and this was again
divided in 1809, and the western division was called Illinois
Territory. On the 19th of April, 1810, the act of congress was approved
which admitted Indiana into the Union as a state "upon the same
footing" as the original states. The boundary of the state was then
fixed as it is now, and must ever remain, unless altered by its own
consent. The act of 1816 authorized the calling of a convention to
frame a constitution, and provided that when made it should be
republican in form, "and not repugnant to those articles of the
ordinance" of 1787 "which are declared to be irrevocable between the
original states and the people and states of the territory northwest of
the river Ohio." Certain propositions were also submitted to the people
of the territory "for their free acceptance or rejection," and which,
if accepted, were to be obligatory upon the United States; these were:
first, that the sixteenth section in each township should be granted
for the use of schools; second, that all salt springs and the land
reserved for their use, not exceeding thirty-six sections, should be
granted to the state, to be used as directed by the legislature; third,
that tire per cent of the net proceeds of lands sold by congress after
December, 1816, should be reserved for making public roads and canals,
three-fifths to be applied under the direction of the legislature of
the state, and two-fifths under the direction of congress; fourth, that
one entire township, to be designated by the President, should be
reserved for the use of a seminary of learning; and fifth, that four
sections of land should be granted to the state for the purpose of
fixing the seat of government thereon. On the 29th of June, 1816, the
convention assembled at Corydon ratified the boundaries fixed by
congress, and accepted each of the. propositions submitted by the act
of 1816. And on the same day the constitution of 1816 was adopted and
signed by Jonathan Jennings, president of the convention, and by each
of the delegates thereto, and Indiana took her place as a state of the
Union.
It is hoped that reference to the history of the territory prior to the
organization of the state will not be thought uninteresting or out of
place, since it is to the transactions of this period that we not only
trace back our political rights, but our property rights also. Every
land title runs back in its history to the legislation and grants which
we have been considering, and we find here the foundation of many of
our most valued institutions.
On the 30th of December, 1S25, the act of creating Fountain county was
approved. It is in the following language:
AN
ACT FOR THE FORMATION OF A NEW COUNTY OUT OF THE COUNTIES OF MONTGOMERY
AND WABASH
(Approved
December 30. 1885.)
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of
Indiana: That from and after the first day of April next, all that
tract of country included within the following boundaries shall form
and constitute a new county, to be known and designated by the name of
the county of Fountain, to-wit: beginning where the line dividing
townships seventeen and eighteen crosses the channel of the Wabash
river; thence east to the line running through the center of range six,
west of the second principal meridian; thence north to where the said
line strikes the main channel of the Wabash river; thence running down
with the meanderings of said river to the place of beginning.
Sec 2. The said new county of Fountain shall from and after the said
first day of April next enjoy ail the rights, privileges and
jurisdictions which to separate and independent counties do or may
properly belong or appertain.
Sec. 3. That Lucius H. Scott, of Parke county, William Clark, of Vigo
county, Daniel C. Hults, of Hendricks county, Daniel Sigler, of Putnam
county, and John Porter, of Vermilion county, be, and they are hereby,
appointed commissioners, agreeably to the act entitled "'An Act for
fixing the seats of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid
off." The said commissioners shall meet at the house of William White,
in the said county of Fountain, on the first Monday in May next, and
shall immediately proceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law.
It is hereby made the duty of the sheriff of Parke county to notify
said commissioners, either in person or in writing, of their
appointment, on or before the third Monday in April next; and for such
service he shall receive such compensation out of the county of
Fountain as the board of justices thereof may deem just and reasonable,
to be allowed and paid as other county claims are paid.
Sec. 4. The board of justices of said new county shall, within twelve
months after the location of the permanent seat of justice therein,
proceed to erect the necessary public buildings.
Sec. 5. That all suits, pleas, plaints, actions, prosecutions and
proceedings, heretofore commenced and pending within the limits of the
said county of Fountain, shall be prosecuted to final issue, in the
same manner, and the state and county taxes which may be due on the
first day of April next, within the bounds of said county of Fountain,
shall be collected and paid, in the same manner, and by the same
officers, as if this act had not been passed.
Sec. 6. At the time and place of electing the county officers for the
county of Fountain, under the writ of election from the executive
department, the electors of said county shall elect five justices of
the peace in and for said county, who shall meet, as a board, at the
house of Robert Hatfield, in said county, on the first Monday in May
next, or as soon thereafter as they may be enabled to do after being
commissioned, and then and there proceed to transact all the business,
and discharge the duties, heretofore devolving on county commissioners
at the organization of a new county, as well as all the duties required
of boards of justices at such session.
The circuit and other courts of the said county of Fountain shall meet
and be holden at the house of the said Robert Hatfield until more
suitable accommodations can be had at some other place in said county.
Sec. 7. All that part of the county of Wabash lying north and west of
the said county of Fountain shall be, and is hereby, attached to the
said county for the purpose of civil and criminal jurisdiction.
This Act to take effect and be in force from and after its publication
in the "Indiana Journal."
These boundaries have never been changed. Our view must hereafter be
confined to the limits fixed by that far away legislature of 1825; far
away, because the world has traveled rapidly in the years that have
come and gone since then.
With the brief resume of the facts connected with the organization of
the territory and of the State of Indiana, prior to the birth of the
county, which has been given, we will now proceed with the history of
that particular territory known as Fountain county.
EARLY
SETTLEMENT.
The limits to which the writer is confined, as well as the press of
other affairs, are such as to make it possible only to give a brief
outline of the settlement and growth of Fountain county. It has for
some years been the design of the author of this sketch to gather up
the threads of personal history of the pioneer men and women of this
county and weave them into a memorial that would do justice to their
sterling worth, and perpetuate the story of their toils, their perils
and their virtues. This design cannot be carried out now, if ever it
can be done. The hardships endured by the men and women who made the
first openings in the forest, and the courage and fortitude displayed
in meeting them, deserve to be permanently recorded.
Are these men and women forgotten ? Of all the busy throng which people
Fountain county to day, how many can tell anything of the first
settlers ? How many can speak the names of half-a-dozen of them ? A
truthful answer would be " but very few. and they the old men and women
who personally knew them." Is it right that we should so soon forget
those who preceded us and made the paths straight and the ways smooth ?
If we forget them even while we enjoy the fruits of their labors, shall
we not ourselves be as soon forgotten?
If the magic of a word would bring them back before us just as they
were the day they selected the spot for their cabin in the forest, who
is it that would not like to see them, and talk to them, and hear from
their own lips the story of their lives? Who would not like to see the
man. who first penetrated the wilds of Fountain county to make his home
in the midst of her forests, and his wife who came with him, bringing
her little ones where tidings of kindred would seldom or never come,
and where hope of seeing them could scarcely exist? How interesting it
would be to hear her tell of her hopes and her fears, and how she bore
the trials and hardships of her situation, and what her feelings were
when she fully realized that she was alone with her husband and
children, with a dense forest, extending miles on every hand, shutting
her out from kindred and friends, and no outlook save toward the blue
sky overhead ?
When this man and woman first came to their home in this region "there
was not a hearth-stone planted; no fenced fields; no roads; not a sign
of civilization though one journeyed from morn to dewy eve. If the way
led over the prairie, on the right hand and the left a waste, in the
summer rich with flowers, in the winter fields of snow swept by
merciless winds; if the trail were through the woods, the thicket was
about like a wall, and the wanderer, his soul thrilling with a sense of
awe, caught the blue sky in briefest patches through the trees above
him—all was shade and solitude as became the inheritance of savages."
When the sun went down, and the shadows of evening began to fade in the
deeper gloom of night, what a sense of loneliness and helplessness must
have come to this family, who knew there was not a friendly human being
within thirty miles of them, and whose ears were startled with the
growl of the wolf and the human-like cry of the panther. No
ordinary courage and nerve was theirs who thus, with a quiet
determination and heroism worthy of remembrance, set themselves to the
work of conquering nature and winning a living and an inheritance for
their children in the midst of a primeval forest.
If we could begin with the earliest settlement of the county and trace
its history until the present time, marking, as we progressed, the
influence of individual lives; if we could collect and present all the
reminiscences of the life of the first settlers, which yet remain in
the memory of old people, we should have a story of thrilling interest.
It is unfortunate that this has not been done; and it will be still
more unfortunate if it is not done before the "few who are left to tell
" the story shall pass away.
In the last ten years many of the first settlers of the county have
gone out from among us to return no more, and with them have gone many
things of intense interest connected with the history of this county,
never to be recovered. These early pioneer fathers and mothers are with
us yet, but we do not recognize their presence. We say they are dead.
But to die is not the end. They continue to live in the forces and
influences which in life were set in motion by them. No human being was
ever born into the world who does not thus continue to live. The
identity of individual force and influence is lost in the changes and
complications of the future, but the influence and force of each
individual life will continue to the end of time, and only the hand of
Omnipotence can unravel the web and point out the work of each
individual of the myriads who helped to weave it.
The present prosperity of the people of this county, their fertile and
well improved farms, their comfortable homes, their religious and
educational advantages, and all they enjoy which serves to make life
happy and existence desirable, are largely due to the labors and the
courage of the men and women who sought homes in the wilderness that
they might increase the heritage and better the condition of their
children. This was the strong motive which turned the face of the man
and woman to the setting sun in most instances. But there were others
who came impelled by that insatiable desire to penetrate the unknown
which prompts man to attempt even the rending of the veil of the
future. The desire to look into the beyond,—to uplift the horizon and
see what is on the other side,— this is the most powerful incentive to
discovery existing in man's nature. It was this that turned the prow of
the Santa Maria toward the Unknown, and held her to her course through
trackless seas for weeks, until, first a slight breeze from the west,
then a few small birds singing morning songs, and weeds and pieces of
wood floating in the water, began to revive hope and strengthen
expectation, until the cry of "Land ! Land!" announced the fact that a
new world had been discovered, and a new name added to the roll of
those who deserve to be remembered throughout all time. Ah! that moment
was worth an ordinary lifetime.
It is this in man's nature that has laid bare the secrets of earth and
sea; that has explored the heavens, and mapped them out; that has
penetrated the bowels of the earth and the depths of the sea; that has
attempted converse with the spirits of the dead ; and that penetrated
the forest and mapped out the way to civilization in the land of the
savage.
All honor to these brave, unselfish and devoted men and women! Would
that their names and personal histories could be collected and written
here! If much of personal history and reminiscence is omitted
from these pages, it is not from desire, but of necessity. Many things
of importance mast be omitted from want of space, and many from want of
accurate information. Bat little space can be given to the early
history of the county; and for the material of what is given the author
is, in great part, indebted to manuscripts prepared by Hon. Joseph
Ristine and John M. McBroom, Esq. The earliest settlement in the county
was probably made in 1823. The first entry of real estate was made in
1820 by Edmond Wade, and was the W. 1/2, N.E. 1/4 Sec. 28, T. 21, R 6.
In 1881, Eber Jeune entered land in T. 18, R. 9. In 1822, entries were
made by David Strain, Leonard Loyd, James Beggs, Daniel Tarney,
Benjamin Hodges, John Shewy, William White, Robert Hetfield, John
Bartlett, Jonathan Birch, Abner Crane, Wm. Cochran, James Button,
William W. Thomas, James Thomas, Elijah Funk, Moses Jewett, Abner Rush,
John Simpson, Jeremiah Hartman, James Graham, Martin Harrold, Thomas
Patton, William Cloud, Alexander Logan, John Rusing, John Nugent,
George Johnson, Enoch D. Woodbridge, Jesse Osborn, Andrew Lopp, Daniel
Richardson, Isaac Colman, Isaac Shelby, Rezin Shelby, and Jonathan
Crane, and Isaac Romine as "Trustees for the church of God." There is a
romantic history connected with more than one of these names, that it
would be a pleasure to give, did time, space and the materials at hand
permit. It is difficult now to say who was the first white inhabitant
of the county. Certain it is that Jonathan Birch and John Colvert were
settled upon the north fork of Cool creek, in what is now Van Buren
township, in the spring of 1823, and that farther down the creek
William Cochran and Thomas Patten had made "clearings" and raised a
"crop" during the same season.
On what is now known as Graham's creek, in Wabash township, there were
the Forbes and Graham families, who had come into the county in the
spring of 1823. Messrs. Forbes and Graham each raised a "crop" in the
summer of 1823. Mr. Forbes was probably the first settler in the
county. On what are yet know.n as Osborn's and Lopp's prairies there
were settlements made during this year. The families of Col. Osborn and
Mr. Lopp came into the county in the spring or summer of 1823, and
William Cade came in the same year. The gentlemen named are the first
who erected cabins and raised crops in the county. In the fall of 1823
John McBroom, Edward McBroom, John Cain and John Walker came to the
county, bringing with them on horseback the outfit that must serve them
in the preparation of homes for their families. This consisted chiefly
of an axe, with which to fell and hew timber for their cabins, and to
clear the land for the next year's crop, and a gun, upon the use of
which much of their sustenance depended. The experience of
these men was in great part that of every other of the pioneer
settlers, and it will not be without interest to quote from a
manuscript account the manner in which they met and overcame what, to
most men of this age, would appear insurmountable difficulties:
" They came by the way of Strawtown, on White river; thence by
Thorntown,on Sugar creek; these being Indian towns,with an Indian trace
from one to the other. From Thorntown they followed the Indian trace
down Sugar creek to Crawfordsville, which was laid off in the spring of
1823. From Crawfordsville they followed the Indian trace to the
head-waters of Coal creek, from whence, following the stream, they
found the land of promise,—a land which, if it flowed not with milk and
honey, flowed with beautiful streams of pure water. Neither was it
destitute of honey, and game of all kinds abounded, while the creeks
were filled with the finest of fish. Before choosing their locations
they took a pretty wide survey of the territory which now is embraced
within the limits of Fountain county. In their wanderings they came
across the Birch and Colvert families, who were settled on the north
fork of Coal creek, while farther down at the forks of the creek they
found the Cochran and Patten families." After some time spent in
looking at the country, and being warned by the falling leaf and
moaning winds that winter was approaching, they made their selections
of lands and began the erection of their first rude cabins. And the
reader can judge of their dimensions when he is told that four men,
separated by an unbroken wilderness, extending for many miles in all
directions, from their fellows, cut and carried the logs for these
cabins, and raised them to their places. They were rude and small, yet
they proved sufficient as a shelter for their little families until
better could be provided."
With these, and the many others who came in the spring of 1824, the
contest for existence was a hard one. " There were houses to build,
roads to blaze, forests to clear, rails to make, fences to build," and
every effort to make to win bread from the wilderness, " and to keep
the wolf from the door during the coming winter. With the utmost
exertion their crops must be light, as the forest was thick and green,
and it was impossible to get rid of the shade of overhanging trees
during the first year." All they had was a little clearing in the midst
of a dense forest, with a cabin on one side and a patch of blue sky
above, "The soil was rich and productive, however, and, blessed with
rain and sunshine, they raised some corn and beans and potatoes, on
which, with the game that was plenty within easy reach, they lived
through the winter without suffering or destitution."
At this time there was not a mill in the county, and the com was taken
across a trackless forest to a mill situated somewhere in the
southwestern portion of what is now Parke county. This mill was
probably at the mouth of Raccoon creek.
In the fall of 1824 a mill for grinding corn—"a corn cracker"— was
built on Coal creek, at the point where the town of Hillsboro is now
located. This was built by two men named Kester and McLaughlin. It is
said to have been the first mill put in operation in the county. But
this is not quite certain. The honor lies between this and Corse's
mill, lower down on Coal creek. The mill was a rude affair: a little
shed supported by round posts; a brush dam across the stream ; a wheel
attached to an upright shaft, and stones for grinding rudely shaped out
of boulders. One whose recollection goes back to that day writes: "A
day of rejoicing was this among the settlers, when they had not only
corn of their own but a mill to grind it. They felt that civilization
had made a long stride in the direction of their homes." The "corn
cracker," grinding its four or five bushels of corn a day, was an
assurance of bread. It opened up a vista to its visitors and patrons
adown which they saw farms opened, wheat fields ripening, comfortable
homes springing up, a dense population happy in the enjoyment of all
that makes life worth living, with churches and schoolhouses in every
neighborhood. Many of them lived to see all these things, and a few are
yet among us who braved the dangers of the wilderness to make a home
for their children, and who have seen all the wonderful changes which
half a century has wrought in this spot of earth which we call Fountain
county.
It is probable that settlements were made in other parts of the county
in the year 1823, but no reliable information about them has been
obtained by the author, although earnest inquiry has been made
concerning them. The years 1824, 1825 and 1826 brought with them a
great many families whom it would be pleasant to mention particularly,
if the limits to which this sketch is prescribed would permit.
Particular mention of those who came after the year 1823 is left to the
histories of the several townships, with the hope that all deserving of
mention will appear there. The name of Absolem Mendenhall ought to
appear among those who found a home in the county in 1823; he was a man
of great influence and usefulness in the " settlement." He was the
first justice of the peace in the territory which is now Fountain
county; he wrote all the deeds; settled all the disputes, married all
the people, cried all the sales, and in short did all tire public
business of the neighborhood for years. He was possessed of strong
common sense, sterling integrity, an intuitive sense of justice, and
great good humor. His last public service was in representing his
county in the state senate. It was in his garden that the writer first
saw a tomato. This fruit was then called "Jerusalem Apples," and
was believed to be deadly poison.
Another leader among his fellow men at a very early period in the
history of the county was Joseph Glasscock, than whom no one man did
more, perhaps, to develop the resources of the country, and to
cultivate a law-abiding and peaceable spirit in its people.
While it is not possible, nor within the scope of this department of
this work, to name each of the many pioneers who deserve mention, the
writer cannot omit the mention of one known to him as a grand woman in
her simple purity of manner and character and strength of mind and
will; and who has so recently passed away that she seems to be with us
still. Catherine Bever came to the county with her husband in 1825, and
they built their cabin about a mile east of the present town of
Hillsboro; and from that time until her death she lived upon the farm
which she and her husband there selected. For forty years she lived a
widow and in her eighty-eighth year she gave up the life that had been
so honorable and useful, to the God who gave it. Her influence was
always on the right side; she was considerate, kind and benevolent, but
she made no compromises with wrong; and in a matter involving a
question of duty she was as firm as adamant. She was a christian in the
highest acceptation of the term ; her faith was a part of her being,
and it entered into her daily life so that she not only professed
Christianity, but lived it. This personal tribute is due to one who
stood as a fitting type of a class of women fast passing away. Of women
who were brave and self-reliant, yet gentle and affectionate, firm in
adherence to duty, yet com-passionate in dealing with the faults of
others; who braved the perils of the wilderness and endured the
discomforts of a frontier life that we might have homes surrounded by
the advantages which their toil and self-denial made possible.
The life of the pioneer women is graphically described by Mrs. Rebecca
Julian in a communication published in a Centreville, Wayne county,
paper in 1854, and quoted by Judge Charles H. Test in his address
before the Pioneer Association of Indiana at its first meeting, in
1878. The following is an extract from the communication:
"There were many serious trials in the beginning of this country with
those who settled amid the heavy timber, having nothing to depend upon
for a living but their own industry. Such was our situation. However,
we were blessed with health and strength, and were enabled to
accomplish all that was necessary to be done. Our husbands
cleared the ground and assisted each other in rolling the logs. We
often went with them on these occasions to assist in cooking for the
hands. We had first-rate times — just such as hard laboring men And
women can appreciate. We were not what would now be called fashionable
cooks. We had no pound cakes, preserves or jellies, but the substantial
prepared were in plain, honest, old-fashioned style. That is one reason
why we were so blest in health. We had none of your dainties—nicknacks
and many fixings that are worse than nothing. There are many diseases
now that were not heard of thirty or forty years ago, such as
dyspepsia, neuralgia, and others too tedious to mention. It was not
fashionable at that time to be weakly. We could take our spinning-wheel
and walk two miles to a spinning frolic, do our day's work, and, after
a first-rate supper, join in some innocent amusement for the evening.
We did not take very particular pains to keep our hands white. We knew
they were made to use to our advantage, therefore we never thought of
having hands just to look at. Each settler had to go and assist his
neighbors ten or fifteen days, or there-abouts, in order to get help
again in log-rolling time. This was the only way to get assistance in
return." And Judge Test, himself seventy years a resident of Indiana,
thus speaks of the habits and customs of the women of the first
settlements: " The women at that time, and for many years after, not
only spun and wove the fabrics for their own garments, but for those of
the whole family. They were their own mantua-makers, and did the
tailoring for the father and the sons. I have to-day a pleasing
remembrance of their white and well-fitting dresses, with a stripe of
blue or red woven in the fabric out of which they were made. As to the
tailoring, I often thought the waist of the coat too short by six or
eight inches, and the breeches rather scant in material. Twelve " cuts"
was a good day's work, and if there was any surplus of the woven
material, after supplying the wants of the family, it found a ready
sale at the nearest store. It was a high commendation in those days
that a young lady was an adept in spinning and weaving. When I was a
young man, some fifty-five years ago, I occasionally visited the
daughter of an old friend. The mother took me round the cabin and
showed me the bundles of yarn her daughter had spun, and the beautiful
coverlids she had woven. Of course I was charmed, but I soon found my
visits were far more agreeable to the mother than to the daughter." It
is scarcely necessary to say that the young lady married some other man.
How charming a book it would be in whose pages the pioneers of Indiana
could tell the story of their lives in their own language!
Among the discomforts and the dangers which are common to the
settlement of any wild country, the first settlers of this county were
subjected to one that was uncommon and terrible in its manifestation.
As is usual with the settlers of a new country, the people who first
inhabited this county had no pastures for their cattle except those
which the "woods" furnished. This left their "stock"
exposed to the depredations of the wild beasts and the thieves — for
there were thieves even at this early day. It was extremely
annoying to a family, whose cow furnished the chief sustenance of the
children, to have her stolen, or to become a prey to some savage
beast. But a new and more dreadful danger soon made its
appearance, which threatened alike the human and the brute.
People became sick with a strange disease, which usually ended in death
in about nine days. The-medical skill of the country — such
as it was — was baffled; and the medical assistance was sometimes of
more help to the disease than to the patient. After much study and
investigation, and after many lives had paid the penalty of ignorance,
it was discovered, as was believed by most people, to have its origin
in the use of beef and of milk; and soon the term milk-sickness was
applied to a plague as dreadful as any that people ever suffered
from. A fierce controversy arose as to the cause of this
disease, many people denying that it was in any way attributable to the
use of meat or milk, and others denying that it was peculiar to the
locality. What increased the doubt was the fact that of a
family, all of whom used the milk from the same cows, some would be
taken with the disease while others would escape.
It is related of one family that the members of it used the milk from a
cow whose calf was sick with the " slows," as it was called, without
any bad results; but after the calf was weaned it was killed, and the
first time the family used the meat they were all taken violently sick,
with all the symptoms of " milk-sickness," and all died in a very short
time. Another family were all sick with the disease, except a babe, to
whom the milk from the family cow was given regularly without any ill
effects; yet when the same milk was given to a dog he was immediately
attacked with the "slows." All sorts of opinions were entertained and
stoutly maintained. A very prevalent opinion was in the supposed
existence of poisonous springs. This, was based chiefly upon the
observed fact that people and animals were frequently taken suddenly
sick with the strange disease after drinking water; and when this
occurred the well or spring from which the water came was immediately
labeled poisonous. It not infrequently occurred that cattle would be so
suddenly attacked with the disease after drinking that they could not
get away from the water, but would die near it, and the ground about a
spring would sometimes be covered with the bones of dead animals. It is
not wonderful, then, that the idea of poison in the water took a strong
hold upon the people. But time has demonstrated that these waters are
as pure and healthful as those of any other locality. The most
reasonable explanation of the phenomenon of sudden sickness after
drinking is that the drinking of a large quantity of water in some way
developed the disease that was until that time latent. Speculation as
to the cause of this disease would be out of place here, and besides it
would be useless. Many efforts have been made to discover the cause,
but none have been so far successful as to set the matter at rest.
About all that can be said is that observation and experience have
demonstrated that cattle kept upon the pastures were never affected by
it; and as the country grew older, and improved farms and cultivated
grasses took the place of the forests and wild herbage, the disease
gradually disappeared, until it is seldom heard of now.
Another source of annoyance, if not of danger, to which the early
settlers of this county were subject, was the great number of venomous
serpents which were found everywhere. A chronicler of the time tells of
them thus:
" And as to snakes, there was no end to them; like Pharaoh's frogs of
old, they were everywhere,— in the forest, in the yard, in the house,
and among the children — everywhere you turned you met them. * * * When
the first warm days of spring came they would begin to crawl forth from
their dens in the crevices of the rocks, and here they were often met
by 'willing hands and welcomed to hospitable graves'; and were often
killed by hundreds in one day."
But if dangers, hardships, annoyances and privations were the lot of
these early settlers, they had pleasures also. There was a pleasure
then in the meeting together of neighbors and families of which we know
nothing at this day. Hospitality was then a pleasure; and
those of us who remember the eagerness with which we watched for news
from the front during the war of the rebellion can form an idea of the
welcome with which these pioneers received the stranger who came to
them with news from the great world from which they were shut out,—
often from friends and relatives from whom they had not heard for
months and sometimes years.
In these early days "every house was an inn, where all were welcomed
and feasted." In the very simplicity of their life, and in the generous
hospitality which they practiced, there was a pleasure which no wealth
can purchase, no luxury produce, and which is unknown to a more
advanced condition of society.
Then the corn huskings, the " raisings," the wood choppings, and the
quiltings! who that has ever attended one of these can forget its royal
fun? And then there was the muster, with all its parade, and the pomp
and circumstance of mimic war. Speaking of these things, upon the
occasion before referred to, Judge Test said:
" In this crowd of old settlers, who is there that cannot give us a
description of an early corn husking, when the corn heap, being equally
divided, the captain and the men on each side selected, and the party
who first finished their portion of the heap carried their captain in
triumph on their shoulders into the ranks of the opposition, in
ridicule of the tatter's tardiness? "What venerable mother is here who
cannot detail the particulars of a sewing match or quilting in which
they participated in early life, when, after their day's work was
finished, their husbands and neighboring young men joined them at the
house, spent the evening, and sometimes to the small hours of the
morning, in playing 'Sister Phoebe,' or, if a violin could be had, in
dancing an old-fashioned 'reel'? There are but few of this association
who could not tell us something about the old regimental musters in
Indiana, at which most of the voters of the county attended, and after
passing through the various military evolutions, with clubs and
corn-stalks in place of guns, the regiment was addressed by their
distinguished commanders, and often the afternoon was occupied with
political speeches. About the last muster at which I was present, I
recollect the colonel of the regiment was noted for a squeaking voice.
When the corps was ready to receive him he rode up in front of his
regiment, the only man in the field dressed in uniform, and in his
squeaking voice called out, ' Attention ! Battalion'! A boy, two
hundred or three hundred yards distant, cried out in imitation of the
commander's voice, 'Children come out of the branch or you will get
snake bit.' Of course it raised a huge laugh, and I never heard of that
regiment-being called out again."
It would be instructive as well as interesting to present in detail all
the manners and customs of the first years of the country — to present
a complete and perfect picture of its childhood, and to follow the
changes which occurred in these as well as in the physical features of
the country, as the years rolled by, until the present day of railroads
and telegraphs and labor-saving machines; of school-houses and
churches; of comfortable homes more completely supplied with luxuries
than were the cabins of the pioneers with* necessaries. The visible
reminders of these early days are fast passing away, and the unwritten
history of them ought to be gathered up and recorded. Each town-ship
ought to have its historical society, and it ought to keep a record of
current events for the use of the future historian, and should gather
up and preserve all that can be procured of the history of former
years; every incident and story of the lite of the dwellers in the
wilderness; all that can be learned of their trials, their dangers,
their manners and their customs ought to be garnered and preserved.
The men and women who first settled in this county were not wholly
uneducated, and they had a lively sense of the value and necessity of
schools; and scarcely was the cabin built until the question of
school-house and schoolmaster began to occupy the thoughts of the
Fountain county pioneer. As soon as a settlement could muster a dozen
or fifteen families, the little log school-house, with its expansive
fireplace in one end, its long, narrow, greased-paper window in the
other, and its uncomfortable puncheon seats ranged around the walls
made its appearance; and here, during the winter months, the school,
master sat enthroned during the day and "boarded around" the rest of
the time. The branches taught were usually confined to spelling,
reading, writing and arithmetic, and the "rule of three." As indicative
of the educational acquirements of the first settlers, an anecdote
furnished by Mr. Wm. Robb, an early settler in this county, now living
in Warren county, may be given :
"In the year 1826 Mr. Jesse Evans came to Fountain county from
Virginia, and located about six miles east of Covington. The next year
a man from Ohio settled in the same neighborhood. After these two men
became acquainted, Mr. Evans asked his neighbor what his object was in
leaving an old settled country and coming to the wilds of Indiana. His
neighbor replied that lie came to secure a home for a growing family,
and for no other purpose. Mr. Evans then said that he had no such
object in view, that he was well fixed in the country he came from, had
a saw-mill in the mountains, and could sell all the lumber he could
cut; was well respected by his neighbors; had the confidence of all his
acquaintances, and, as he was the only English scholar for miles
around, he had to do all the writing, such as articles of agreement,
etc. He went on to say that he expected to find just such a people in
Indiana as he left in Virginia, and be elected governor of the state or
to a seat in congress. Now, said he, I have become acquainted with the
people of Fountain county, and I find that I am the most ignorant man
among them."
One of the first marriages in the county, if not the .first, was that
of James C. Davis to Sallie Johnston, in April 1824. Miss Johnson was a
daughter of Archibald Johnson, who came to the county in 1823. Mr.
Davis was the son of Enos Davis, who also settled here in the fall of
1823. The license was obtained in Terre Haute, and young Davis walked
from Terre Haute, coming by the house of John Hibbs, a minister of the
gospel, who had shortly before taken up his residence in the south part
of what is now Wabash township, and procuring his services to celebrate
the marriage ceremony, the two made their way to the house of the bride
on foot. Perhaps in these days young men would think this was getting
married under difficulties. This married pair lived long together and
reared a large family of children, some of whom are yet citizens of the
county.
A wedding in those days was the occasion of a frolic. A
writer upon this subject says: " The wedding was an attractive feature
of pioneer life. For a long time after the first
settlement * * * the people married
young. There was no distinction of rank and very little of
fortune. On these accounts the first impression of love
generally resulted in marriage. The family establishment
co6t but a little labor, nothing more. A description of a
wedding in the olden time will serve to show the progress made in
society, as well as preserve an important phase of history.
The marriage was always celebrated in the house of the bride; and she
was generally left to choose the officiating clergyman " or the "
squire." " A wedding, however, engaged the attention of the
whole neighborhood. It was anticipated by both old and
young with eager expectation. In the morning of the wedding
day the groom and his intimate friends assembled at the house of his
father, and after due preparation departed in masse for the 'mansion '
of his bride." The journey was usually made on
horseback. "It was always a merry journey.
* * * On reaching the house of the
bride the marriage ceremony took place; and then dinner or supper was
served. After the meal the dancing commenced, and generally
lasted until the following morning. The figures of the
dances were three and four handed reels, or square sets and jigs. The
commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what the
pioneers called 'jigging'; that is, two of the four would single out
for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were
often accompanied with what was called 'cutting out'; that is, when
either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation the
place was supplied by some one of the company without any interruption
of the dance.
" In this way the reel was often continued until the musician was
exhausted. About nine or ten o'clock in the evening a deputation of
young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this they
had to ascend a ladder," the pioneer stairway, "from the kitchen to the
upper floor, which was " usually " composed of loose boards. Here, in
this pioneer bridal chamber, the young, simple-hearted girl was put to
bed by her enthusiastic, friends. This done, a deputation of young men
escorted the groom to the same apartment and placed him snugly by the
side of his bride. The dance still continued ; and if seats were
scarce, which was generally the case, 'every young man, when not
engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of
the girls; and the offer was sure to be accepted.'" This last statement
needs a little qualification. The acceptance of the offer generally
depended upon the question whether the right young man made it.
The next day, or in a day or two, after the wedding an affair was had
at the house of the groom's father. And here the same order
of exercises were observed, except the escort to bed was usually
dispensed with.
It is to be hoped that the young woman of to-day who may read this
description of her grandmother's wedding will not be shocked at what
may seem to her an indelicacy. These things belonged to the custom of
the country; they were a part of its social laws; and it is not too
much to say that the men and women who were married thus were as chaste
in deed and thought, and as true to their marital vows, as any that can
be found now. The times and the manners have changed, and it is no more
to be expected that people of this day should follow the habits and
customs of their parents and grand-parents than that they should have
their clothing made of the same material, and cut in the same fashion,
as that worn by their ancestors. But while we are putting oft old
habits and customs we should take care that we do not drift away from
that old-fashioned honesty, and lose that indomitable pluck and energy
that fitted these early dwellers in the forest to be the founders of
all that prosperity that surrounds us now.
A short time before his death, Hon. Joseph Ristine, so long and well
known to the people of this county, wrote down his recollections of its
early settlement, and as nothing of more interest could probably be
given here, liberal use of his manuscript will be made, using his own
language in the main. After speaking of the fact that he had frequently
been solicited to write down his recollections concerning the early
history of .the county, Judge Ristine says: "Feeling my incapacity for
the task of putting in the shape of written reminiscences my
recollections, such as would be proper to go before the public, I have
hesitated. Coming here in my eighteenth year, with no other advantage
than that afforded by an old-fashioned log school-house, such as
southern Ohio afforded in those early days, I have felt my attainments
would not warrant an undertaking of the kind. Perhaps now that after
passing the years allotted man, that vanity which age is apt to bring
has led me to undertake the task. I hope it will not be expected that I
will give as graphic descriptions of men and things as could be done by
those whose better training in the walks of literature and science
could do, and shall only say to those who have desired this that such
as I can will I give unto you.
The pronoun I, in a matter of this kind, must necessarily be often used
; as it is obnoxious generally, it shall as far as possible be avoided.
As I shall have to draw largely upon memory for dates, mistakes may
occur, but what is written as facts will be given as they occurred
within the knowledge of the writer. My conclusions must be taken for
what they are worth. In June of 1826 my father entered the lands about
six miles east of Covington, to which he removed from Brown county,
Ohio, and arrived at those lands on December 6, 1826, that day being my
eighteenth birthday. It was a rainy, gloomy day. Providence, however,
smiled upon him, and, used to western life, supplied with axes, augers,
saws and other essentials necessary to the commencement of life in the
woods, work was commenced by the erection of a double-faced camp,
leaving a space between wide enough to drive a pair of horses, in order
to hand in logs to make fires. Here let me say this preparation was for
the accommodation of two families, neither of them small, the two
comprising, in men, women and children, about eighteen persons. On our
journey to our new home in the wilderness, and while stopping for the
night on the bank of White river, west of Indianapolis, a family by the
name of Evans, from Augusta county,Virginia, was encountered. Here, of
course, an acquaintance was made. Mr. Evans had never been out of the
Old Dominion until he started west, and knew not where he would go or
where would be his stopping place. This family was pretty well
prepared. Mr. Evans had a good four-horse team and comfortable
clothing, etc., and $400 or $500 in money. After the interview of the
night Mr. Evans concluded that where my father went he would go, and
these camps were built for the comfort of both families. Although in
December, the weather became settled, clear, and (for that month) warm.
My father at once set about the erection of what was known as a double
log cabin. Mr. Evans, with three boys, and my father with three, went
to work, and by Christmas we had our cabin so near complete,— with
clapboard roof, puncheon floors, chinking and daubing done,— that we
got out of camp into what was regarded as a pretty respectable
dwelling. My father aided Mr. Evans in the selection of land which he
entered adjoining our land. Mr. Evans, after abiding comfortably in the
camp all winter, built a cabin in the spring of 1827 on his own land,
where for years after the two families lived as kind neighbors. Within
the range of three miles there were settled Abner Bush, John Simpson,
William Cochran, Hiram Jones, Benjamin Kepner, Joseph.Glascock, Thomas
Patton, Capt. White and Leonard Loyd, all of whom gave us a kind
greeting and hearty welcome. While at this point the peculiarities of
my old friend Jesse Evans will be noticed. As has been stated, he had
never been out of Virginia until he made his break for the west. Mr.
Evans was not a man wholly without education. He could read, wrote a
good, legible hand, with a fair common arithmetical knowledge, such as
to tit him for the ordinary business of life. He had no fixed political
ideas, and his association with my father, I think, had much to do in
making him a democrat. He had pretty exalted ideas of old Virginia,
with but a slight conception of the character of the men of the west.
In the presidential contest of 1828 he was a very ardent " Jackson
man," and although he was about fifty-five years of age he was
confounded upon the question of voting for electors instead of voting
directly for Jackson or Adams. Although I was not quite twenty years of
age, I understood sufficient to explain the mode so that he
comprehended it, and in the honesty of his heart he gave me his ideas
of himself before starting west. These were, that he would go west and
stand among his fellows a head and shoulders above them all; " but
now," said he. " I have been here only about two years, and, 'tis a
fact, I now find it out that nine out of ten know more than I do." Mr.
Evans continued a democrat until the mantle of the democracy, under the
shield of Gen. Jackson, fell upon Martin Van Buren. The hue and cry of
the ills arising from the sub-treasury system, the extravagance
inaugurated at the White House by the little sly nabob from New York,
accompanied with the gold spoon stories, bewildered the old man, until
his first conception of himself returned. He turned his back upon
democrats, and his regrets were that he had not money enough to go to
Washington, or he would go, as he knew that he could in twenty minutes
convince Mr. Van Buren of the errors of his policy, and thereby save
the country from ruin. He became an idolater of the old whig party, and
died in that faith, withal an honest man. Having disposed of Jesse
Evans, a return will be made to our start-off—to prepare bread for the
future. Wild game was so plenty there were no fears but we would have
plenty of meats. Father, having to return to Ohio that winter on
account of business, marked off what he designed as fifteen acres, to
clear up for corn planting in the spring; gave us three boys directions
to cut all under eighteen inches, and have the brush piled and burned,
and the logs cut and prepared for rolling upon his return, mother to
take general supervision of our attention to business in his absence. I
can give assurance that no kinder mother lived than we had, and a
watchfulness over her trust was kept such as would be a good example to
many mothers of the present day. Rails were to be made to fence the
land, and, by the way, my brother next younger than I and myself were
rail-makers, and being about the age of the lamented Lincoln, could
have competed with him in rail-splitting. I don't know but 6come of the
walnut rails are on the premises yet. We completed the task and
log-rolling time came. With the aid of our kind neighbors this was a
short job, and the fifteen acres were planted in corn and produced an
abundant yield. Corn, potatoes, beans, turnips and pumpkins made good
returns tor the labor bestowed. The sugar-making season came on, and
this had to be attended to. Not having vessels to care for the
molasses, a trough made from the trunk of a poplar tree, large enough
to hold fifty or sixty gallons, was nicely hewn out as the receptacle
for them. Another necessity had to be supplied. A block was prepared to
make hominy. This was done by sawing off of the trunk of a good solid
oak tree a piece about three feet in length, and about eighteen or
twenty inches in diameter; scalloping out one end by cutting and
burning a hole, in the shape of a bowl, large enough to hold a
half-bushel or more of corn; then, with an iron wedge banded in the end
of a stick, the corn was pounded until the outer coating of the grain
was beaten off. This, by long boiling, made a good substitute for
bread; and, with cornmeal to be had at White's mill, ground on stones
prepared from the large boulders found in the forests, — these, with
wild meat, furnished our first winters food. We had milk and butter
from our cows, and, with corn bread made into "dodgers," pones and
Johnny-cakes, with basted turkey and venison for meats, and plenty of
hard work as an appetizer, we lived well and slept soundly.
The mode of basting a turkey, a young pig, a ground hog or an opossum
was this: The turkey, or whatever it was, was hung by a cord to a nail
or a wooden pin placed in the log over the front of the fire-place,
while a mixture for the seasoning was placed in a pan under it. By
twisting the cord it was set in motion before the blazing fire, and
kept well saturated with the condiment from the pan beneath, until
thoroughly cooked.
Thus we lived and thus did most of our neighbors. Most sleeping
apartments were uniquely furnished; a "Wabash bedstead ornamented most
of the log cabins of those days. This consisted of an upright post
about three or four feet long, cut from a sapling four or five inches
in diameter, through which were bored several one-and-a-half or
two-inch auger holes in transverse order near each other; opposite to
these were bored, in the logs of the cabin, like holes; into these
holes in the logs of the cabin and the post set out on the puncheon
floor, were inserted poles or rails of sufficient strength.to bear the
burden of two or three grown persons, on which were placed poles, or
split slats; upon these were thrown ticks filled with dry grass, or
straw, where it could be had. This gives a pretty fair description of
the architecture of an early Wabash bedstead with its furniture, which
with some blankets, and sometimes coverlets, often aided by buffalo
robes and wolf skins, fitted out a bed for winter. For summer sleeping,
a buffalo robe and coverlet spread upon a puncheon floor made good
sleeping quarters for the sturdy boys that swung the axe, wielded the
maul, or followed the plow. Amusements were not as plenty then as now ;
but as the enjoyments were rare, they were more highly prized ; leisure
once in a while would occur, and a day spent in hunting or fishing gave
as much comfort then as now. There were fiddles in the country, and
often, after a hard day's work of rolling logs,, where all the boys and
girls of the neighborhood, which generally included a circuit of two,
three or four miles, were congregated, there would be, after the supper
was over, a good old-fashioned dance of French fours, opera reels and
games of hunt the squirrel, etc. etc., which would be kept up until the
small hours of the morning, when all would repair to their homes, the
girls attended by the boys, and when morning came all would be ready
again for the labors of the day. I must here relate an incident of the
first winter. While clearing up the land I have spoken of, my brother
Wright and I were busily engaged chopping; there was no underbrush, and
objects could be seen as far as the eye could reach, obstructed only by
forest trees; in the distance an object was seen approaching us, and we
ceased our work to observe what it was. We were not long in discerning
that the object was a man carrying a gun, with the accouterments of a
hunter. He had been attracted to us by the noise of our axes. Upon his
approach we gave him a kind, cordial greeting, and found his name to be
Nathan Gillam. He was about our own age, and his father lived on Coal
creek about two miles below White's mills. We found him a very
interesting young nimrod, whose apparel especially attracted our
attention. From his toes to his neck was buckskin; moccasins for his
feet, buckskin for breeches, fitted closely with strings at the ankles
over the tops of his moccasins, a buckskin vest—what his shirt was I
don't remember—a buckskin hunting shirt, a fox-skin shot pouch, and a
coon-skin cap, with the tail ornamenting the rear; thus, with his
powder horn, a butcher's knife, a rifle, of course of the old
flint-lock style, gives a fair account of his apparel. Our curiosity
was excited; my brother's so much so that he, in the language of this
day, interviewed him on the subject of the comforts of such a dress.
"Oh!" said he, "I never suffer from cold only in the morning;
when I stick my legs in it is hell. Just imagine," said he, " running
your naked leg through a hole cut in the ice of Coal creek and yon will
get an idea of that part of it; but when I get them on," said he, "and
warmed up, then all is right and I never suffer." We often with
pleasure met him afterward. His father about 1829 or 1830 removed to
Carroll county, where, after the office of county auditor was created,
Nathan was elected auditor, and made a good, faithful officer. Nature
wisely provides sustenance, or the means to procure the same, for all
living creatures. Here the forests, unbroken by the hand of man, were
loaded with nuts and fruits, and the earth with herbage sufficient to
well supply the herds of deer and all other wild animals roaming in
them.
" While my father was in Ohio he promised my eldest brother, who was a
bricklayer, that I should come back to Ohio and learn the trade with
him as soon as our corn was planted. I had already worked at the trade
with my brother until I had learned pretty well how to lay bricks. When
the time came for me to go I was fitted out with a horse, saddle and
the old-fashioned saddle-bags, and $5 in money. Thus equipped I started
on my journey to a point on the eastern edge of Brown county, Ohio,
about fifty-five miles above Cincinnati. No anxiety existed as to the
sufficiency of the outfit; and it is enough to say that I safely made
the trip, stopping, when I could, at the proper time to get something
to eat for myself and my horse, paying all bills charged me, and on my
arrival at my brother's I had $1.50 left. On the morning of my
departure from home, Andrew Ingram, well known afterward to the people
along this portion of the Wabash, who had but a short time before
completed his study of the law with Calvin Fletcher, and who had been
to Covington, which had just been laid out, looking for a location to
commence the practice, came along on his way back to Indianapolis, and
to that point I had his company through an almost unbroken forest. He
finally located at La Fayette, where, after a long and successful
practice, with an unsullied reputation, he died. Through all these
years, from our trip to his death, our relations were those of friends.
After spending the summer with my brother I started for the Wabash in
company with two families emigrating to this county, and to the
neighborhood of my father's; one of which was the family of my
estimable friend William Robb, who with his good wife, at the time of
this writing, are yet in their old days living in comfort in Warren
county, Indiana. Robb had a brother about my own age, and he and I,
both on foot, drove the stock, and in due time, without any incidents
except a good deal of boys' fun by the way, arrived safely at my
father's. I have failed to say that I cannot recall on my trip to my
brothers the payment of scarcely anything until I passed Connersville.
Stopping at log cabins the traveler was greeted as a friend. No odds
how ill-prepared the tenants were, the best they had you were sure to
get, and in the morning, without charge, were bade to go your way with
a good, hearty, friendly adieu. The most generous hospitality this
region ever witnessed was found in those cabins. Whenever the wayworn
and weary traveler fell upon a habitation, such as is described by some
practical genius, he had a guarantee of kind treatment. I regret I
cannot recall the whole effusion; here, however, is a part, such as I
now read:
'A
stranger riding through the West.
Fell
upon a Hoosier's nest.
In
other words a buckeye cabin,
Just
large enough to hold Queen Mab in.
A
rifle hung up o'er the door.
Two
dogs lay stretched upon the floor.
One
side was hung with divers garments,
Another
strung with skins of varmints.'
These ornaments to a log cabin were very common; indeed were seen in
almost every one. On my return I could but observe the change one
summer and fall had made. Cabins were dotted here and there through the
woods, and up and down Coal creek, showing how busy emigration had
been. I had been at home but a few days when a large, good looking man
appeared at my father's on the hunt of a bricklayer. I soon found out
that it was a Mr. Ignatius Morris, who had settled in the bend of the
river above Covington. He wanted a chimney built to a one-story hewed
log cabin ; this was about nine miles -away, and for so small a job it
was declined ; but he urged that on building his, Judge Nebeker, of
whom I shall have occasion to speak, had a two-story house, and that he
also wanted a chimney, and he said if I would go and build his the
other job would be had also; this consideration was sufficient; this
was about the last of November 1827. Finishing the Morris chimney the
Judge Nebeker one was undertaken. Here, to supply me with brick and
mortar, I found for my attendants Richard M. Nebeker and George, his
brother; the former at this time postmaster at Covington, the latter a
banker and farmer; and from thence until now nothing has disturbed our
friendly relations except an occasional political wrangle. The chimney
was commenced with the two boys, Dick, as we familiarly call him, aged
I should think about fourteen, and George about two years younger, as
assistants, and with the old gentleman as regulator and supervisor.
Generally, when the day's work was done and night came on, I sat and
listened to the life-long experience of the old chief of the
family. He had an excellent lady for a wife, and a family
at home of two young ladies and three boy6: Richard, George and Lucas,
the latter now a Methodist preacher of some distinction; there were
also, as I remember, two daughters, who were then small children.
" I had a pleasant time here, although the weather was so cold boiling
water had to be used to make the mortar. The incidents and dangers of
our new homes were all canvassed; wolves, Indians, (least harmless of
all), snakes, wild hogs and mad dogs, all had their place; fevers and
ague had their share in our talk. On the day before the chimney was
completed, the news reached us that a dog belonging to a man by the
name of De Hart had gone mad, but that he was chained up. On the next
morning, before I left for home, the news reached the Nebaker family
that the dog had broken his chain and was at large. I had a horrid fear
of mad dogs. Here I was on foot: I dared not make manifest my fears so
that the young ladies might know it, for I was impressed with the idea
that ladies had a contempt for the coward; vet I am willing to admit
when I bade them an adieu that morning: with the hope that we should
meet again they were not filling my head half so much as was old De
Hart's dog.
" Alarmed as I was, and on foot, I took my departure armed with my
trowel and plumb-bob, afraid to get a good shilalah to fight a dog lest
I should be laughed at. A road wound its way along where 'Nase? Morris
lived, and where I had built the chimney, and from thence across
through hazel and other underbrush for about three-quarters of a mile
to Mr. George Steely's. Mad dog was uppermost in my mind, and just
about the midst of this hazel thicket a slight hog-path crossed my
track. My eye, on the lookout for mad dog, espied a dog with his head
bloody, no doubt from some sheep transaction; every hair on my head, I
think, must have given the appearance of a porcupine's quill. I hailed
his dogship, and he wheeled, and with tail between his legs tied. Which
was frightened most I don't know, but think I was, as it was not before
my arrival at Covington that my shock was removed. It was some time
before the story was told, through fear of a laugh at my cost.
" Covington, although laid out as a town in the summer of 1826, had not
yet become a county seat. The peculiar geographical situation of the
county, as may be seen by the map. which has remained unchanged, led to
a rivalry for the location of the seat of justice, which was not
determined until 1828; Portland, lying on the river about seven miles
north and east of Covington, on a high, commanding, rocky bluff,
presenting, from its facilities for boating purposes, with a
magnificent country for agricultural and grazing purposes, strong
claims to the honor of the county seat. The proprietors were Maj.
Whitlock* the receiver of public money of the land office at
Crawfordsville, and William Miller, a most excellent, quiet
Presbyterian gentleman, who located as a farmer out east of Portland on
the north fork of Coal creek. Miller was a quiet, easy-going man. Maj.
Whitlock, although a man of great force, was occupied with his official
trusts too deeply to engage in the contest for a county seat. The other
point was what was urged as nearest to the geographical center of the
county, which was insisted to be in the vicinity of the forks of Coal
creek. No town was laid out in that region, although along the two
branches of the creek, extending up from the forks, was perhaps the
strongest population then in the county. This point had for its
advocates, as leaders, Jonathan Birch and William Cochran, who made a
strong and determined effort to secure it. Both were men of
force and capacity.
" Isaac Colman, an early Wabash man with much sagacity, looking at the
situation, entered the land, eighty acres, where the old plat of
Covington now is, and laid out a town; he temptingly offered handsome
donations to the public in the way of lots and public grounds. There
were in Covington at this time but few inhabitants. Mr. Joseph L.
Sloan, a young man of pleasing manners, sent to Covington with a small
stock goods, under the auspices of Daniel Yandes, of Indianapolis;
David Rawles, who had just started out in life as hotel-keeper, both of
whom have passed over the river, and Dr. John Hamilton, all active men,
with many others in the surrounding country, were all active, and were
successful in inducing the commissioners to locate the seat of justice
at Covington. The ill-shaped boundary of the county, taking all the
then surroundings, made most eligible the location of the county seat
at Covington. To almost all the people of this day it is a matter of
surprise that our county should have been located with its present
boundaries. We who were here at the time, and for many years afterward,
did not think it strange, as the Wabash was regarded a navigable
stream, and an obstruction to the convenient intercourse of the people
on the opposite sides of the river. Such was the fact; the Wabash was a
navigable stream, so declared by the federal government, and the
thought of bridging the river was about as little dreamed of by the
people as the idea of building railroads. It is true, the general
government, with a view to opening up a great public thoroughfare,
connecting the federal capital with the great father of waters at St.
Louis, commenced and constructed a large portion of what was known as
the Cumberland road. Much work was done in Indiana in the construction,
of this road. It was contemplated by the government to bridge the
Wabash at Terre Haute, where this road was to cross the river. About
this time the bridge over White river at Indianapolis was built, which
was regarded as a great teat by the Boosters,
"Much preparation had been made for the construction of a bridge across
the river at Terre Haute. The government, about 1828, saw proper to
change its policy, and the work was abandoned. Under these
circumstances, impressed with an improper conception of the magnitude
of the river, the decision of the commissioners was in favor of the
location at Covington.
" The proprietor, Mr. Isaac Col man, granting one block or square of
the town for a court-house, one for a seminary, and one for church
purposes.
"Notwithstanding the county had been organized in 1826, and the town of
Covington laid out with the foregoing inducements, the opposition made
by such men as Jonathan Birch, William Cochran, John Corse, and others
of less note, was strong enough to delay a final location until 1828.
This county, when organized, fell within, and constituted a part of,
the judicial circuit over which the Hon. John R. Porter presided as
presiding judge. The first election held for this county was in August,
1826, at which election Lucas Nebeker Sr., and Evan Hinton were elected
associate judges. Neither of them were learned in the law, but under
the old regime it was thought that the determination of facts were more
safely entrusted for conclusion with three than with one. Porter was an
educated gentleman, learned in the law, with an equanimity of
temperament such as well fitted him to be an arbiter of others'
troubles. His associates were both farmer gentlemen of integrity and
sound, practical judgment."
This narrative ends abruptly at this point, and soon after its last
lines were written its author went to sleep with that '* sleep that
knows no waking." Any further account of the early settlers of the
county is impossible, by reason of limitation of time and the space
into which, the general history of the county must be compressed. There
are many incidents and features connected with the life of the early
inhabitants of the county which would be highly interesting and
instructive, and in some cases amusing, if they could be collected and
presented in a readable form; and it is to be regretted that adequate
time and information are not at command to thus present and preserve
them. The age of the county is not yet that allotted to man by the
scriptures; and what a wonderful transformation has taken place in the
fifty-four years of its existence. From a wilderness with a few
dwellers in log-cabins scattered here and there in the midst of dense
forests, struggling for an existence, there has grown a county rich in
her farms, in her productions, in her schools and public institutions;
with railroad and telegraph lines crossing her territory, and elegant
homes, where comfort, peace and plenty reside in sight of each other
from boundary to boundary. The log-cabin has given Way to convenient,
and in many cases elegant, brick and frame residences; the rude
school-house and church building have disappeared, and comfortable
houses, supplied with modern seats and heating and ventilating
apparatus, have taken their places. The side-saddle and riding behind
have been discarded by the women, and buggies and carriages are to be
found upon nearly every farm; the old wooden " mould-board " has been
supplanted by plows whose beauty of proportion, finish and action are
enough almost to charm the earth into fertility. The sickle and the
cradle have given way to the reaper and binder, and the scythe to the
mower, and the farmer can now harvest his wheat and barley and rye and
oats and hay with nearly as much ease as he can ride to town in his
carriage, and with far more pleasure if his visit to town is to pay his
taxes. The flail is a thing so much of the past that it is doubtful
whether many of the younger readers of this can at once tell what kind
of an instrument it was. The flail gave way to the "ground-hog"
thresher, and that to the machine that has been so improved and
perfected that the grain can be taken direct from it to the mill or the
market. And are not all these but the promise of what is to be ? May
not our children and grandchildren fifty years hence look back to this
time and commiserate the condition of their parents and grandparents
who had so few of the conveniences and facilities which they shall then
enjoy?
BOARD
OF JUSTICES.
The first meeting of the board of justices was held July 14, 1826.
The proceedings of that session were recorded in the following
language: " Special Session. July 14, 1826.
"At a special meeting of the board of justices of Fountain county,
convened at the house of Robert Hetfield, in said county, on July 14,
1826. Justices present,—Absalom Mendenhall, James Miller, David Rawles,
Thomas Gillam, Thomas Clawson.
"The said justices, being duly commissioned and qualified, proceeded to
the election of a president, and, on motion, Absalom Mendenhall was
appointed for one year.
"Whereas the election of William B. White to the offices of clerk of
the circuit court and recorder of Fountain county has been contested by
Peleg Babcock, an elector of said county,— now at this time come the
parties aforesaid, and there not being sufficient time to determine
said case, it is considered that the cause stand continued.
" Ordered that the court adjourn to meet at 4 p.m. tomorrow. "Absalom
Mendexhall, President."
On the next day the court heard the evidence in the contested election
case, and, after " taking time to consider the same," adjudged " the
election of the said William B. White to the offices of clerk of the
circuit court and recorder of Fountain county null and void"
And it was ordered " that said offices are and will remain vacant until
said officers can be duly elected and qualified, and that the clerk
give notice to the governor of said vacancies as soon as may be
convenient."
It cannot now be ascertained what were the grounds upon which Mr.
White's election was held to be "null and void." It could not have been
because he had been elected to both offices named, for one person could
legally hold both the offices then, and Mr. White did hold them for
years after. It is probable that the election took place before the act
organizing the county became a law, or before the time fixed in the law
for the beginning of the existence of the county, and that this was the
reason for the judgment of the court.
At this session the letters " L. S.," with a scrawl around them, were
adopted as " the common seal of the circuit and justice's courts of
Fountain county."
The next meeting of the board was at the house of Isaac N. Spining,
July 24, 1826.
At this meeting the county was divided into five townships, which were
named Shawnee, Richland, Troy, Wabash, and Cain.
It was ordered that the elections in Shawnee should be held at the
house of Joseph Collier; in Richland, at the house of Ezra Rowley; in
Troy, at Covington; in Wabash, at the house of Thomas Gillam; and in
Cain, at the house of Mathew Walls.
James Whitley was appointed constable for Troy township, and James
Gregg a constable in Richland township, and these were the first
constables in the county, so far as appears from any public record.
Daniel Tandeventer was appointed agent of the county, and James Prevo
treasurer.
The first act of the justices at this meeting was to grant Leonard Keep
a license to " vend foreign merchandise" for one year, for which he was
required to pay $10, and their next act was to grant the same man a
license to "retail spirituous liquors" for one year, for which they
charged him $5, and required him to give a " bond in the sum of $500,
with Stephen Taylor and Joseph Collier as his sureties." This was the
first liquor license granted in the county.
On the second day of this session the following orders were made: "
Ordered that the seat of justice of Fountain county be known and
designated by the name of Covington." * * * " Ordered that the agent
cause the seat of justice of Fountain county to be surveyed, and a
correct plat made out, so as to be returned to this board at their next
session."
This location of the county seat was not secured without a struggle;
nor did it settle the controversy; and it is not certain that it is
settled yet. The question of removing the county seat has occupied the
thoughts and attention of the people of the county at several periods
since the original location was made, and has more than once played an
important part in elections.
This controversy, like " freedom's battle," has been " bequeathed by *
* * sire to son," but whether it shall be "ever won" is a question that
many yet hope to see answered in the affirmative. The increasing
facilities for travel and the location of railways affording easy and
quick access to the present county seat will probably go further toward
the final settlement of this long and, at times, bitter controversy
than anything else. The chief objection to Covington has always been
that it was situated at one side of the county, and was not convenient
to some of the most populous and wealthy portions of it; thus making,
it inconvenient and unnecessarily expensive to those who were compelled
to attend the county seat upon either public or private business.
Richard Hicks was appointed, at this session, collector of state and
county revenue for the year 1826, and the rate of taxation was fixed as
follows:
On each horse, etc..........................................$ .37 1/2
On stud horses, once the rate of season.............37 1/2
On each work ox.-..............................................18 3/4
On each two-wheeled carriage....................... 1.00
On each four-wheeled carriage...................... 1.50
On each brass clock....................................... 1.00
On each silver or pinch-beck watch....................25
On each gold watch....................................... 1.00
On each poll......................................................25
Isaac Colman was allowed $5 for sending election returns to
Indianapolis.
The September session, 1826, was occupied principally in making
allowances to various parties for listing townships, and other public
service, in granting licenses to vend foreign merchandise and
spirituous liquors, in exempting various persons from payment of
poll-tax, on account of " age and infirmity," in appointing trustees to
lease public lands, and in considering petitions and appointing viewers
for the location of highways.
The viewers to view the highway now known as the Covington and
Crawfordsville road were appointed at this session. They were William
White, Benjamin Kepner, and Edward McBroom: and they were ordered to "
view a road beginning where the road leading from Crawfordsville
intersects the line of Montgomery and Fountain counties, in Sec. 16, T.
19, R. 6, called the Coal creek road; thence the nearest and best way
to Absalom Mendenhall's; thence the nearest and best way to William
Cochran's house: thence the nearest and best way to Covington."
This road was afterward permanently marked out and located as a " state
road " by George Steely, Jonathan W. Powers and Caleb Brown,
commissioners appointed by the legislature.
They were assisted by William Crawford, surveyor of Montgomery county.
They first started at the west end of Market street in Crawfordsville,
and ran a straight line "N. 76 degrees 20 minutes west to Covington,"
but finding this route impracticable, they located it in the main where
it is to-day.
In looking over the early location of roads in the county, it is easy
to see that there was very little system about it, and that not much
could be expected in the way of good or convenient roads from the
course that was pursued. The roads were laid out from one "improvement"
to another, and from one settlement to another, without much regard
being had to the future growth and development of the county. The
points of the compass and dividing lines were not considered, and the
roads were made to run in all directions. Crude and imperfect as such a
road system was, it may be doubted if we have very much improved upon
it to this day.
Not much can be said for the roads of Fountain county, unless we adopt
the poetic and romantic view of George Sand's heroine, Consuelo, and
say the road " is the symbol and image of a life of activity and
variety. * * * Why should my feet seek to reach that which my eyes and
thoughts can at once embrace, while the free road, which turns aside
and is half hidden in the woods, invites me to follow its windings, and
penetrate its mysteries? And then it is the path, for all human kind —
it is the highway of the world. It belongs to no master to close and
open it at pleasure. * *
* To the right, to the left, woods, fields — all have
masters; but the road belongs to him to whom nothing else belongs."
At this session the rates of ferriage were fixed as follows:
On each four-horse wagon----75
On each footman....................6 1/4
On each two-horse wagon.... 50
Cattle, each........................... 4
On each man and horse......12 1/2
Hogs and sheep, each...........2
The rate for wagons appears at this time to be pretty high, but it is
not recorded that anyone got rich by keeping a ferry in those times.
The commissioners who located the county seat were Daniel C. Hults,
Lucius H. Scott and Daniel Sigler, and they were each allowed $33 for
their services, at the November session 1826.
At this session the county was divided into road districts, and
supervisors were appointed in each district.
A number of reports from road viewers were received at this term, and
they were allowed sixty-two and a half cents each per day for their
services.
The first fence viewers were appointed at the January term 1827. It was
the duty of these officers to settle differences as to the charge for
maintaining or building partition fences, and to determine whether any
fence complained of was a lawful fence.
At this session the following order was made: "Ordered that the clerk
give notice that proposals will be received in Covington, at the next
term of this court, for building a court-house."
At the March session, 1827, the first report of receipts and
expenditures of county revenue was made. At this term "James Prevo,
former treasurer of the county of Fountain, now produces his report,
which is as follows: 'For money received from Daniel Vandeventer * * *
fifty-four dollars forty-three and three-fourth cents; from Leonard
Keep, for license to retail spirituous liquors, five dollars; from
Leonard Keep, for license to vend foreign merchandise, ten dollars,
from William Cochran/ merchant's license,1 five dollars, and five
dollars and fifty cents donation money; making in all * * *
seventy-nine dollars ninety-three and three-fourths cents.
Money paid out * * * to satisfy orders * * * fifty-eight dollars
ninety-nine and three-fourth cents.1" The treasurer was allowed $1.84
1/2 as his commission for collecting and disbursing the revenue of the
county for the year 1826. William Hopkins had been appointed treasurer
in January 1827, and to him Mr. Prevo paid over the residue in his
hands.
It is interesting to compare this report with the last one made by the
treasurer of the county: in 1826, $79.93 3/4; in 1880, $39,068.63.
The growth of the county in many respects is indicated by these figures.
In March, 1827, the board of justices ordered the building of a
court-house on lot No. 120 in Covington "to be a frame building, twenty
feet wide and twenty-six feet long, two stories high, lower story ten
feet in the clear, second story eight feet in the clear, three openings
in front and back in each story, weather-boarding planed, and to show
six inches to the weather. One door in the back and front of said
building in the lower story, two windows in the back and front in the
lower story, two windows in the back and front also in the second
story, with single architrave-casings, also a solid cornice, the
cant-mould to project four inches, the facia to project ten inches, the
bed-mould to project four inches; there shall be two panel-doors, six
panels in each; the windows in the lower story are to be fifteen
lights, eight by ten each : the windows in the upper story twelve
lights in each. There shall be two good and sufficient floors, laid on
good solid sleepers; the plank of said floors not to exceed nine inches
in width, and one and one-fourth inches thick ; also good and
sufficient joists. The windows in the lower story shall be completed ;
good and sufficient window-sash and glass."
It was ordered at this session that " the undertaker or undertakers of
the court-house enter into bond and security " to complete the same by
the first Monday in September 1827, and that he or they would receive
the donations which were then made or promised in money, or material,
or labor, to aid in the erection of the house, in compensation in whole
or in part for building the same.
It was reported at this session that Abraham Griffith was the lowest
bidder for the construction of the court-house, and the contract was
let to him for $335. Under this contract Mr. Griffith erected the first
temple of justice owned by the county.
The lot No. 120, upon which this first court-house was erected, is the
one for so many years occupied by Mr. James G. Hardy, in the business
of a merchant and grain and produce dealer. All the older citizens of
the county will well remember the " Indiana Store," where for years
they found a market for their wheat, and corn, and pork, and all else
they had to sell, and where they purchased their needed supplies. It
was here, upon this lot, now familiarly known as " Hardy's Corner,"
that the first court-house was built, and it was in this house that
Judge Porter decided causes, and such men as Law, Ingram, Huntington,
Hannegan, McGaughey, Wright, Bryant, Wallace and Evans practiced law.
At the May session, 1827, Robert Hetfield was appointed collector of
state and county revenue. His duties were to collect from
the owners of property in the county the specific tax levied thereon by
the board, and pay it over to the treasurer. Taxes were not levied
then, as now, upon property according to its valuation, but, as we have
seen, a specific tax was levied upon certain kinds of property, without
regard to its value. Thus, if the collector found a man owning a horse,
he collected, if he could, 37 1/2 cents, and from the owner of a
"two-wheeled carriage" he collected $1, and so on through the list. As
money was scarce, the collector often had a great deal of difficulty in
getting together the revenue of the county.
A few years ago there was a great deal of dissatisfaction with the
stationery account of the county, and it may be interesting and
satisfactory to know that the first stationery account was in favor of
Sloan & Tandes, and that it was liquidated with the sum of $1.37
1/2.
At the July session, 1827, the board of justices were of the opinion
that the county needed a jail, and they accordingly provided for
building one upon the following plan: " The walls to be of good sound
oak timber, fourteen inches square, to be raised on a foundation of
good stone-work. The wall to be dovetailed at the corners and petition
(partition); the timber to be let down close. Said jail to have two
rooms; one ten feet by twelve in the clear, the other eight feet by
twelve in the clear; the lower floor to be of the same timber, twelve
inches thick, strongly fastened to the sills. The upper floor, of the
same timber, twelve inches thick, let down two inches on the wall; one
round of timber to be raised on the upper floor. The roof to be raised
on the same, of good joint shingles; the doors to be of double timber,
six inches thick, and well spiked with good iron spikes, to be hung
with good and sufficient hinges, and barred and locked with good and
sufficient bars and locks; to have one window in each room, nine by
eighteen inches in the clear; to be grated with iron grates one and
one-fourth inches square, the spaces one inch square."
Peter H. Patterson became the " undertaker of said jail" for the sum of
$181.50.
And these — the court-house and the jail — were the first public
buildings erected in Fountain county, and together they cost $516.50.
There was not much chance for the contractor to get rich from the
profits of the undertaking.
At the November session, 1827, Abraham Griffith was licensed to keep a
tavern in Covington, and this appears to be the first tavern license
granted in the county.
The report of the treasurer in January, 1828, shows collections,
$632.78;
Joseph L. Sloan was appointed treasurer, and John Hamilton collector,
for the year 1828.
The first order made at the January session, 1828, was that the board
adjourn from the court-house " instanter to the house of David
Rawles, * * * in consequence
of the inclemency of the weather."
There's more in this than meets the eye. To understand the full meaning
of that order it must be kept in mind that the season was January; the
justices had, many of them, just come into town, and were cold and
tired from a long ride over rough and difficult roads; and the vision
of a cozy room with a roaring fire, and something to warm the inner
man, was sufficiently tempting to justify an adjournment "instanter to
the house of David Rawles."
The first bridge built in the county by public authority was across
Coal creek, "at or near White's mill," and William White, Thomas
Gillam, and John Simpson were appointed superintendents " to build" it.
In July, 1828, the board determined that it was necessary for the
court-house to have a chimney, and it was ordered that a brick chimney,
with " two fireplaces, the lower one to be well flared and four feet in
the back," should be built.
At the September session Samuel Rush entered into a contract with the
board to move the court-house, " according to the direction of the
agent," for $4. a previous order directing the removal of the
court-house has been found, and it is wholly a matter of conjecture
whether the removal was to another lot or to a different spot on the
same lot.
The treasurer's settlement sheet in January, 1829, shows collections,
$1,069.34; expenditures, $930.50
In March, 1829, the board concluded that the county was wealthy enough
to have a brick court-house, and they authorized the county agent to
contract for 120.000 " good bricks for a court-house."
The first clerk's office was erected at a cost of $40, and was built by
the clerk upon his own lot, with the understanding that when a clerk's
office was built upon the public square he was to refund to the county
the $40, and keep the building erected by himself as his own property.
The last meeting of the board of justices was in July 1829. The
business of the county from that time to the present has been managed
by a board of commissioners.
The first commissioners were Frederick C. Paine, Samuel Archer and
Isaac Colman.
It would be gratifying if we knew more of the personal history of each
of the men to whom the management of the business of the county, in its
early days, was committed. It is hoped that the biographical sketches
which are to form a feature of this work will not omit any of the names
of these or other men of the county, of that time, worthy of
remembrance.
BOARD
OF COMMISSIONERS.
Under this head it will not be possible to do more than give the names
of those who have been chosen to serve the county in this most
responsible and important position.
The first board of commissioners, as we have seen, was composed of
Frederick C. Paine, Samuel Archer and and Isaac Colman.
These served until November, 1832, after which the board consisted of
Jacob T. Wikoff, James Frazier, and Isaac Colman.
And the following are the names and terms of service of each of the
gentlemen who have served the county in this capacity since November
1832:
September 1833. James Frazier, J. T. Wikoff, Daniel
McMillan.
March 1834. Jacob T. Wikoff, Daniel McMillan, Stephen
Philpott.
November 1834. Daniel McMillan, Barnet Ristine, Wm. McClure.
September 1835. Barnet Ristine, Wm. McClure, Ormsby Green.
November 1836. Barnet Ristine, Ormsby Green, Jonathan Birch.
May 1837. Barnet Ristine, Joseph Glasscock, James Orr Jr.
September 1839. Joseph Glasscock, Solomon Hetfield, Solomon
Clark.
September 1840. Solomon Hetfield, Joseph Glasscock, Martin Briggs.
This board, upon a petition of the citizens of the township, changed
the name of Van Buren to Centre, at their January session 1841;
and changed it back again to Van Buren at the March session 1841.
September 1841. Joseph Glasscock, Solomon Hetfield, William S. Crain.
December 1841. Joseph Glasscock, William S. Crain, George Ridge.
September 1842. Joseph Glasscock, Wm. S. Crain, Daniel
Myers.
September 1845. Joseph Glasscock, Wm. S. Crain, Joseph G.
Pollock.
September 1847. Joseph Glasscock, Joseph G. Pollock, John Ward.
September 1849. Joseph Glasscock, John Ward, George Ridge.
June 1850. Joseph Glascock, John Ward, William Trullinger.
Mr. Trullinger was appointed by the associate judges to fill a vacancy
caused by the resignation of Mr. Ridge.
September 1850. Joseph Glasscock, William Trullinger, Henry
Cooper.
September 1851. Joseph Glasscock, Henry Cooper, Stephen Kennedy.
December 1S52. Henry Cooper, Stephen Kennedy, John D. Murdock.
March 1854. Stephen Kennedy, John D. Murdock, Benedict Morris.
June 1854. Stephen Kennedy, Benedict Morris, Joseph
Glasscock.
Mr. Glasscock was appointed to fill vacancy caused by resignation of
Mr. Murdock.
December 1854. Stephen Kennedy, Benedict Morris,
Thomas Lyons.
December 1855. Stephen Kennedy, William Furr, John Nebeker.
Mr. Nebeker was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Benedict Morris.
December 1856. William Furr, John Nebeker, William Trullinger.
Mr. Trullinger was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Stephen Kennedy.
March 1857. William Furr, William Trullinger,
Octavius A. Crowley.
November 1859. William Furr, William Trullinger, John Nebeker.
December 1860. William Furr, John Nebeker, Harley Greenwood.
November 1861. John Nebeker, Harley Greenwood,
Henry Moffit.
December 1862. Harley Greenwood, Henry Moffitt, Geo. Ridge.
November 1863. Henry Moffitt, George Ridge, William Swank.
August 1864. Henry Moffitt, George Ridge, John R. Campbell.
Mr. Campbell was appointed to fill a vacancy caused by the death of
William Swank.
November 1868. John R. Campbell, Jacob Rhoads, Henry Cade.
December 1868. Jacob Rhoads, Henry Cade, William Trullinger.
Mr. Trullinger was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the
resignation of John R. Campbell.
December 1870. Jacob Rhoads, William S. Coon, John B.
Yeager.
December 1871. William S. Coon, Jno. B. Yeager, Oliver
Shelby.
April 1872. William S. Coon, Oliver Shelby, Jesse Marvin.
Mr. Marvin was appointed in the place of John B. Yeager, who was
removed by the judgment of the circuit court of Tippecanoe county, to
which court the proceeding against him was taken, by a change of venue.
The cause for the removal was, that while he was a commissioner he had
been appointed superintendent of the county asylum for the poor.
December 1872. Oliver Shelby, William S. Coon, James Orr.
October 1873. Oliver Shelby, James Orr, Brazilla M. Kerr.
December 1874. James Orr, Brazilla M. Kerr, William M.
Osborn.
October 1875. Brazilla M. Kerr, William M. Osborn,
John B.Yeager.
October 1878. Brazilla M. Kerr, Hiram Funk, Peter A. Guy.
April 1879. Hiram Funk, Peter A. Guy, James Frazier.
Mr. Frazier was appointed to till the vacancy caused by the death of B.
M. Kerr; and at the succeeding election was elected. The last named
gentlemen are the commissioners at this time.
At the October election, 1876, Joseph Allen was elected to succeed
William M. Osborn, but died before he had qualified, and Mr. Osborn
held over until the election in 1878. The date given, preceding the
names of each board of commissioners, indicates the first session,
regular or special, at which each incoming commissioner served, and not
the date of his election.
In looking over the names of those who have served the county in this
honorable and useful office, it will be noticed that they were of its
best citizens—honest, upright men, who, in the main, were satisfied to
do what they could, and strove earnestly to act well their part. A
close and critical examination of all the transactions of the various
boards of commissioners of the county would doubtless disclose many
errors and mistakes, and in a few rare instances, perhaps, something
worse. But it is the lot of man to make mistakes; and it would be too
much to expect men, inexperienced sometimes, and surrounded by those
who, having their confidence, are willing to betray it, not to fall
into error. The wonder, to one fully acquainted with the difficulties
which usually surround a county commissioner, is, that these men have
done so well. The county commissioners hold the purse-strings of the
county, and it is their duty to pay all honest claims; and when it is
remembered how like an honest claim a dishonest one can be made to be,
and how hard it is to suspect those whom we have known as friends, it
will not surprise us to find that plain, honest, straightforward men,
sitting as county commissioners, have sometimes been imposed upon. But,
after all, who would not rather be one of these men, with-the record of
an honest life behind him, than that man who, under the guise of
friendship, took advantage of his honest and unsuspecting nature and
cheated him into the doing of a wrong act ?
Source: Beckwith, H. W.. History of Fountain County : together with
historic notes on the Wabash Valley, gleaned from early authors, old
maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other
authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources. Chicago:
H.H. Hill and N. Iddings, 1881.