JENNINGS COUNTY, INDIANA
BIGGER TOWNSHIP
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BIGGER TOWNSHIP It consisted of 30 square miles until 1940, when about one-fifth was taken by the U.S. Government for the Jefferson Proving Ground. Many Bigger Township residents were displaced, and the little town of Bernville disappeared. The terrain of Bigger Township consists of rolling hills, level plains, and fertile valleys. Underlying limestone, caves, sinkholes (who can forget the one in the San Jacinto schoolyard?) and underground springs are also prevalent. The largest streams. Big and Little Graham Creeks, cross the area. By the time Bigger had become a separate township, many pioneers had arrived As early as 1825. Indiana was known for the Underground Railroad where residents helped slaves from the South escape to Canada and freedom The Merrills, Johnsons, Spauldings, Andersons, Stephensons, Hicklins. and many other families came from North Carolina and Kentucky, primarily to get away from slavery. The Aegan Cave, located on Big Graham Creek near the border of Vernon and Bigger Township became one of the stations for the Underground Railroad, it was not a very big cave, but had an upper chamber that made a good hiding place. Perhaps the best-known station in Jennings County was Thomas Hicklin's large two-story brick house east of San Jacinto. (The new owners. Eric and Kathy Johnson, are now in the process of restoring this historical home.) The house had a big basement and a tunnel for hiding. However, this was not always used. One time when the "slave catchers" were right On the heels of a run-away slave, he was hurriedly hidden under a curtained bed Hicklin cleverly placed dummies on the backs of horses, and as the deceived "catchers" went off in hot pursuit, the slave was safely escorted to the next station It was said that Thomas Hicklin never lost a slave entrusted to his care. He died in 1845 and is buried in the Hicklin graveyard where his mother was laid to rest in in 1812. On Hicklin's tombstone read these words. "An ardent Preacher Of the Gospel and able Advocate of human rights. Died: December 26, 1845 Aged 57 years 7 months 5 days." Early
Pioneers
Nathanael Sawyer came from Lancaster in Jefferson County around the
late 1840s. by following a blazed trail through the "woods" to settle
on the eighty acres he bought in Rabbit Plains. Nathanael's son and
Lloyd's father. E. W. Sawyer, said when the early settlers were
clearing land for school house No. 2. someone remarked. "You can see a
rabbit plain here." This became the name of the school and the
neighborhood.The earliest settlers to Bigger Township came in the early 1900s before the Indians had left the territory James Needham built a cabin near where Big Graham Creek and Little Graham Creek converge. This area is now known as San Jacinio. James Hughes settled beyond the forks on land now owned by Charlotte Byar. William Callicott built his cabin about 40 rods west of Graham Baptist Church on the farm now owned by Vernon Brooks. Jr. In 1854-57. quite an Influx of Quakers settled in northeast Bigger Township, mostly coming from Columbiana County, Ohio They were the Woolmans, Dolans, Shaws, Neills, Passmores, Murphys, Milhouses, Silvers. Egans and others The Quakers were quite an asset to the Hoosiers. being energetic, religious, and interested in education Samuel Neill owned the first buggy; Thomas Egan the second. Milhous
Family - U.S. President and Nationally Acclaimed Author
The Joshua Milhous family became the most notable of the Quaker
settlers in Bigger Township. The family produced a U.S. president and
nationally acclaimed author.Joshua bought a farm three miles east of the present Rush Branch Church and built the none now owned by Russell Sporleder. He and his sons operated the Sycamore Valley Nursery from there, dealing in fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, and grapevines He died in 1892 and is buried in the Hopewell (Quaker) Cemetery near Butlerville The sons continued the nursery business, but in 1897, Frank Milhous and family, including a nine-year old daughter. Hannah, moved to Whittier. California. Hannah Milhous became the mother of Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th U.S. President. In 1909, another of the family, Grace Milhous West, her husband Eldo Ray West, and family along with their six-year-old daughter, Jessamyn moved to Southern California. When Jessamyn was a young lady, she was confined with TB. and her mother amused her by telling her tales of Hoosier lore and the family history of life in Indiana during the Civil War This inspired Jessamyn to use this area of Indiana for some of her future books The most notable. "Friendly Persuasion". was the story of a Quaker family who lived near the border of the North and South during the Civil War. Friendly Persuasion was made into a movie. One scene for the movie was the Jennings County fairgrounds Jessamyn Jeanne Sporleder and the home of her birth. The Bland families were some of the early pioneers in Bigger Township. A little village consisting of a store, blacksmith shop, shoe repair shop, school, and the Methodist Protestant Church sprang up. In 1852. Tommy Bland petitioned the U.S. Government for a post office named West Cincinnati. They got the post office, but the name came back as San Jacinto. The name was supplied by the U.S. Postal Service in honor of the Battle of San Jacinto, the final battle in Texas' fight for independence. The residents were amazed at such a name so foreign to them and hard to pronounce. When, in 1856. the village "The forks." some one mile west, had grown so much larger and was also more centrally located, the post office, along with the name, was moved. The original San Jacinto was then called Blandtown or Old Sinto. The post office remained at San Jacinto, generally in the current storekeeper's building, as they were most often the postmasters, until June 1906. The post office was eliminated and rural free delivery went into effect. Bigger Township has had four other post offices. Hyde was located three miles north of San Jacinto across from Rush Branch Church. The post office was located at Thomas Conboy's store and he also was the postmaster. It was open from 1891 to 1905. There was also a post office in Benville. Benville was a unique little town in the fact that one-half of it lay in Bigger Township and one-hall in Ripley County. The post office lasted from 1858 to July 31. 1906. Bigger Post Office was located at Kings Corner (County Road 700 East and 400 South). In John Ding's store, the mail was delivered by horseback from Dupont once a week from 1892 to 1904. Maize Post Office was located at Needmore. There were a couple of stores located there also. The mail came from Dupont. During the 1890s. U. S. Grant Smith was the postmaster. Mail comes to Bigger Township residences now from Dupont, Butlerville or North Vernon, depending on their locale. Communities A small community known as Hyde was established on the banks of Rush Branch. In 1862 when the Rush Branch Methodiat Episcopal Church was constructed near the community, the name was changed to Rush Branch. During the 1890s. Needmore was a thriving community with 30 to 35 families living within its approximately two square miles of virgin timber that was being harvested In addition to a school and the residences, there were two small stores. When the limber was all harvested and the saw mills moved away, the community slowly died. Interestingly, today there are again some 30 or so families living in Needmore. At the intersection of County Road 500 South and 500 East near Needmore is the Guthrie Woods. This 40-acre tract is a National Nature Conservancy. In the 1920s a Dupont native and state senator, the late William Guthrie, as a memorial, gave it to his wife. Persons visiting the woods can have some idea of what this area looked like in pioneer days. San Jacinto was named after the 1836 battle of San Jacinto. It is located at the junction of the two branches of Graham Creek. This village was originally knows as the Forks of Graham. San Jacinto from 1921 to 1935 - In 1921. Dr. Wildman lived up on the hill with Kate, his wife. He loved children. A few months before he passed away, he was confined to his bed. but children that he used to go see came to visit him. When they were afraid to come up close and shake hands, he would joke, hold out his cane, and gently pull the child up close with the curved cane around their neck. No child ever forgot that experience. Then he shook hands, took the cane away and soon had the child laughing. He was a very caring doctor. Charlie Stewart owned a blacksmith shop. He liked children too, but he didn't want a horse lo kick them, so they had to stand outside to watch him shoe the horse with his hammer and nails. Tessie Stewart, his wife, did wallpapering for people in and around San Jacinto. Her daughter, Mary, helped paste. With the high 12-foot ceilings. Tessie climbed on a scaffold made of two ladders with wide boards to walk on and literally ran across the room, holding the wallpaper up with a broom, as she papered ceilings. Waller Beach lived across Ihe street from Stewarts. He drove a horse drawn school hack in 1923. lt was two miles of gravel road, and nearly two miles of dirt road - mud when it rained. After a thaw, the wheels sank so far in the mud the horse couldn't pull the hack, so the children had to get out and walk behind it for the rest of the was home There was little traffic and he often sang " The Preacher and the Bear" so the children wouldn't get bored and throw beanbags Coles lived on the other side of Stewarts. Pleasant "Pies" was janitor of the new "1916" school, and he would check the thermometer every hour so the furnace wouldn't get too hot or too cold. Later, Mrs. Cole was janitor with the help of her daughter. Juanita. and son Bill, who preferred playing basketball Maude Cole also had a library in her home, where Pearl Huckleberry, the North Vernon librarian, brought new books all the time. Charlie Steward parents and brother, Fred, owned the house down from Coles. A stile was built to go over the fence. That ladder was very tempting to schoolchildren and so was the sinkhole both forbidden territory. It was always a mystery where one would sink to, but nearly every child ran down through it once and got out alive. Charlie Holmes' father owned the store at that time. A potbelly stove was in the back wilh chairs all around it. The neighborhood men always joked about the women listening on the party line to get the news. Men never eavesdropped, but they got the news around that potbelly stove and it seemed to take an hour to go buy a loaf of bread - or two hours, if the news was interesting. After Mr. Holmes' death. Charlie and Susie Holmes owned the store. Three non-farm items they had in their store were apricots (a luxury), candy suckers, and longhorn cheese. The "ragman" (the name given to a man who went from house to house and buying rags) bought bread and longhorn cheese, sat on the from porch of the store, made his sandwiches and ate them. The school children all but starved, watching him eat that cheese. Lenora Holmes had a beauty shop in her home next to the store. People would walk a mile to gel their hair cut "shingle bob." The first permanents were given in her shop. She also had a hat shop. The hats were made of straw and sewed in circles. One ten-year-old girl experimented on her hat to see how far it would punch up in the center. It wenl up a foot but it wouldn't come down - looked like a dunce cap. Her mother was horrified. Although San Jacinto was the largest town in Bigger Township, and the center of activity, it never had more than 50 residents. There is no industry there today, but here are some of the merchants of the past. Mills in Bigger Township Sometime in the 1840s, Samuel Stout and Roben Denny built a mill on Big Graham between San Jacinto and Graham Baptist Church. They did a great deal of sawing. Oxen did the hauling, and the water was used to Boat the logs downstream. A millpond was dug above the dam to afford a place to land the logs that floated down the creek They sold the mill and moved to Oregon. The new owners, Francis Johnson and William Tatem put in bluffs (grinding stones) and did custom grinding for several years. The mill was eventually washed away by floods. There was also a mill on Little Graham, owned by the Custers. Passmores at Benville also owned a mill on Graham Creek The Passmore Mill was built in 1855 or 1856 by James Scott and Amos Cobb. These men came from northeastern Ohio. The settlers in the Benville neighborhood helped build the mill. Their wives would provide dinner at the mill site. This mill washed away during a heavy flood but was soon rebuilt. During the war, about 1863, the mill burned while under the ownership of Joseph and George Passnnwe They rebuilt the mill and once again the settlers pitched in to help raise the timbers while the women provided food. New machinery and burrs tor grinding grain were installed. The Passmores sold the mill to Thomas Stout and he put in machinery for grinding flour. Early Businesses Storekeepers in San Jacinto were, Aegan in 1855. Isadore Manowich in 1860. Gil Cox, Ben Cox, Taylor Stribbling, Elijah Spaulding, Stanley Bros., Carson Bros., Solomon Burchill, W. W. Anderson, Ben Huges, Albert Johnson, Will Holmes. Charlie Holmes, Dick Brooks, Vernon Brooks Jr. ,and lastly Sun Temple. Thomas Conboy had a store at Hyde (Rush Branch) that he tended for 40 years. One day he look sick and be died that night. (It was rumored thai he died from eating fish and drinking milk together. The family locked the store and left it as it was for several years. J. H. Hayden had a store at Benville. as did K. H. Burton John B. King owned a store at Kings Corner (near Rabbit Plains ). There were six doctors at San Jacinto, (three of them at the same time): H. D. Walker, A W. Newton, J. A. Spencer, Morton Neill, N. Kendrick and everybody's favorite. W. A Wildman. (Dr Newton advertised that he could cure "gravel" without an operation ) Blacksmiths were indispensable. During the early years, the following plied their trade in Bigger Township: Charles GoldIsborough, Jim Craig, Ed Semon, Ben Hand, Joel Hogden, James Schuck, Arch McMillian. Alford Stewart and lastly, Charles Stewart. Justices of the Peace, who were referred to in those days as "Squire." included John Hayden, W K. Huges, W D Morris, J. Johnson, and W. W. Anderson. Lindsey Stanley operated a saw and gristmill where the old Knights of Pythais Hall now stands The firm of Hare and Custer had an implement store in San Jacinto where they sold farm machinery, pleasure vehicles and hardware. Much later. Harold Sawyer had a garage where he repaired autos; Lenora Holmes had a millinery and beauty shop at San Jacinto in the late 1920s. Many of the township farmers earned income by having additional industry where they lived. One such person was Dan Carson He, like several citizens, had a sawmill. He and his sons made roof shingles out of the poplar trees in their woods. One day. his son John held a log with his fingers too close to the saw and cut off his fingertips. Not wanting to lose such good fingertips, he picked them up out of the shingle dust, brushed them off and carefully put each one back in place and went to the house to have them properly bandaged. They stuck and grew fast. This could not be credited to modem medicine, as it happened over a hundred years ago. John H. Heid had a sawmill too. but he also had a flourmill at his place, (now owned by David B. Lane.) Here he ground his famous Heid's Buckwheat Flour. Bernard Sedam says he helped his father and grandfather tear down the old mill. It was three stories high with a basement. Some of the thresher and shredder owners who did custom work were McDowell & Farren. Joseph Ralsten & Son, John Peterman, Ben Mclntire, J. W. Morris and William Welch timber dealers included Gabe Peterman. E. J. Giddings and many others. U. E. Smith was a barn raiser and contractor and often helped the many local carpenters. John Anderson had a maple sugar camp, and later Logan Vinson made the maple sugar there. Logan's brother. Charlie Vinson, had sorghum and also did custom butchering. Warren Walker, who lived on County Road 600 East. (Hobard Sullivan place) had the only icehouse in the community Around 1880 to 1890, he cut ice from a small pond, stored it in a shed that was insulated with sawdust and sold it the following summer. Not all the industry was hard work. The Oliver Anderson boys had a merry-go-round that they look to special picnics or gatherings. Around ihe early 1920s and continuing on for nearly 25 years. Bigger Township was noted for two commercial orchards that produced the best apples and peaches known. The orchards supplied many a youngster wih a summer job. When Harrison Sullivan purchased his farm on the Jefferson Jennings county line road, it had a small orchard on it The apples did so well that he decided to plant more trees and expand He ordered trees from Scars, but discovered they had substituted many, and he did not get what he had ordered. Thereafter, he purchased his trees from Starks-Bros. ( His grandson says maybe this is why the family always traded with Montgomery Ward.) Edward Heid purchased his farm on County Road 800 East from Lou Giddings and, it too, had a small orchard He enlarged the orchard until most of his farm was in fruit trees He lost a large part of the farm and orchard when the government took it for the Jefferson Proving Ground in 1940. Heid's Orchard, although much smaller, continued to operate for a few more years. Both Mr. and Mrs Sullivan and Mr and Mrs. Heid retired to live in Florida during their golden years The new owners eventually let the trees die or cleared them to plant row crops, and the era of the noted commercial orchards was gone. Armass Robbins Jr.. and George Vinson crushed limestone and sold it. The Civilian Conservation Corps boys blasted out a small quarry on the Alfred Wager farm and Mr. Wager also sold limestone. Charley Miles operated a creamery at his place near the bridge on County Road 800 East (Lillian Carmer's home.) E. W. Sawyer was an amateur veterinarian and was often called on when livestock were sick. He mixed his own concoctions, which were not only horrible smelling but tasting as well. However, after a good drenching, most of his animal patients were better. Veterans of Bigger Township Veterans of eight wars spanning two centuries represent Bigger Township as well. The first veteran and only soldier of the Revolutionary War was John Hughes, who served with the Sixth Virginia Volunteers His son. James Hughes, was a veteran of the War of 1812 and fought in the Battle of Lundy's Lane The Rev. Lawson Stephenson also served in the same war. Among the Mexican War soldiers were Hamilton Warlord and Daniel Grinstead, who also were members of the Sixth Regiment. Indiana Volunteer Infantry Paxton Anderson was the first to enlist in the Civil War and the township contributed about 100 men totaI The Jacob Cox and Callicott families each sent five sons Those killed in battle included George Batchelor, George Henry, William B Walker and James R Callicott. Dying while in service were Benjamin, Thomas L. and Lafayette Cox. A. Mcguire. M. Guirill, Nathan Whitsett and William Partlow. Amercenary, Ben Ferrin, also died. Ironically, the widow of the man who paid Ferrin to take his place received the soldier's pension Amasa Robbins, who served his tour of duty (two years), re-entered the service for another Bigger Township man. When Robbins returned, the man gave him 160 acres of prime virgin timber in Needmore Not all casualties of theCixil War died while the war was in progress The Rex Nelson Johnson, the noted Baptist preacher, died in 1901 as a direct result of a cannon ball wound he received during the Civil War Also 47 men and boys from San Jacinto and vicinity were called as militia to Indianapolis to guard prisoners of war. This group included Ben Wildman and Jasper N. Callicott. Bigger Township men and boys gathered at San Jacinto when the word came that Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his raiders were riding towards Jennings County. Each volunteer showed his bravery by wearing a strip of calico on his right arm. There is no record of Confederates infiltrating Bigger, but the raiders came close to the west township line on their ride south from Vernon to Dupont. A total of 45 men registered for the World War I draft. Dick Grinstead was the first to register and the first to go. Ernest Fewell and George Crank died while in camp. When guns rumbled in Europe again and bombs fell on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Bigger sent some of its finest to battle. Billy Darling and Eugene Brightwell Jr. ,made the ultimate sacrifice. Darling's brother, Holley, an officer in the Navy, also was killed in action. Several men from Bigger also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Fortunately, all survived Socializing Socializing in the early days was confined to the men ol Bigger Township. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows organized the Pleasant Valley Lodge No. 391 in 1872. The first lodge building burned in 1910 and the brotherhood rebuilt a structure in San Jacinto This new IOOF building housed the Holmes Store for several years.The Graham Valley Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 356 building was erected in 1892 and still stands There are no active lodges in the township today. Clubs for the young people of the community, came into being in 1904 the boys had a Corn Club and the girls a Canning Club These were the forerunners of the present day 4-H clubs The 4-H name for the groups was established in 1918. Johnnie Anderson showed a fine pig during the time he was a member of the boys club. Juliet Shuck Vinson was the leader of the girls club. Bigger Busy Boos, for many years The boys club was known as the Bigger Boosters Prior to 1908, women spend virtually all of their time at home except to attend church services and visit privately with friends and relatives close by. Rush Branch Methodist Church had the first Ladies Aid, which was organized in 1908. At one time, the organization also included ladies of the Graham Baptist Church. The Rabbit Plains Home Economics Club was active in the 1930s through the 1940s Several Jefferson County ladies also belonged to the club. Graham Church women organized their first missionary society in 1944. The church now has two million circles and these are the only clubs in Bigger today. Both of the present groups are named for women who were charter members of the original society - Ethel U. Johnson Morris and Frances "Fannie" Cox Vinson. Jefferson Proving Ground Beginning in 1938, the U S Government began gearing up for the defense of the country. Industrial defense plants were being built and Ihe military increased. A proving ground for the big guns and bombs was needed, as the lone proving ground at Aberdeen. Maryland was inadequate. In October, 1940 the Government decided to build a new proving ground of 55,000 acres in southeastern Indiana.Sworn to secrecy before the time, a group of 22 Federal, State and local officials made the announcement on December 6 Edison Stark recalls that he and Lester Sullivan and the Jennings County Agriculture agent had the formidable task of telling each farm owner in Bigger township that their land was required lt was a sad day in December 1940 when roughly one-fifth of Bigger Township land was taken tor the Jefferson Proving Ground families were uprooted and had to move from their homes and farms Some had lived there all their life, and had even inherited the land from their pioneer ancestors. Life for them and for the township was changed forever. Some who gave up their homes were Ora Perkins, Edison Stark, Herbert Hans, Frank Etter, Jim Hastings, John Walker, Kate McDonald, Edith Johnson, Ida Losey, Frank Dolan, Edgar Jordan, Frank Armand, Edward Bealtty, Bomier Fox, Ruth Gadd, Arthur Hallett, Molly Hare, Simeon Shelton, Willie Luke and Martin Bland. Arthur and Milton Carter, George, Jim and Homer Fry, Clairmore Gilbert, Lawrence and Robert Stout. William Schonfeld, Ernest, Frank, John and Sam Sullivan. Giving up land, but not their home were Edward Heid, William Welch, James W. Morris and Francis Hall. Living in Ripley County and losing their home their as well as acreage in Bigger Township was the Eldon Wyne family Within 155 days testing of war weapons in the proving ground began The peaceful countryside was no longer quiet The loud noise of the big howitzers, the roar of the bombers and Ihe sound of bombs bursting became commonplace. All that shopped in the 1990s, when the proving ground shut down A portion was sold in 1996 to a private citizen, with parts being reserved for wildlife and conservation purposes. A target site for the Air National Guard was also reserved and located across the fields from San Jacinto. So. the Township is not quiet today. Political Highlights of Bigger Township Bigger Township has been considered a Republican stronghold since the first election held at San Jacinto. J F Hayden's hat with a bandanna over it served as the ballot box. In the last 100 years there have been 20 Republican trustees and 4 Democrat trustees. In 1930 there was a tie vote between Bert Hough and Alvah Mills. A coin flip declared Mills elected. Trustees from Bigger Township later elected to county offices were Conrad Hughes, sheriff in 1942 and re-elected 1944; Tom Welch Commissioner 2nd District in 1854 and re-elecled in 1958. also elected to the Counts Council in 1970; Perry Cummings Sheriff in 1966 and re-elected in 1970. Other Bigger Township elected to county offices were Charles Miles. Surveyor in the 1920s. Edgar B. Jordan 2d District Commissioner in 1934 and re-elected in 1936. Johnnie F. Anderson elected Auditor in 1938 and re-elected in 1942. Rueben Wilhoit elected Surveyor 1952 and re-elected in 1965. |
